In the last few weeks, I’ve seen the above letters cryptically chalked on sidewalks around my neighborhood and then saw that the letters had been elevated to the sides of buildings. I couldn’t quite figure it out, but never got around to searching online to see if that might reveal the code. But I finally cracked the code on my own:
TS TTPD=Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department (her new album for those not in the Taylor-verse)
It reminded me a little of the Christian symbol of the fish, aka an ichthus/ichtys. According to an article in Christianity Today, “The Greek word for fish is ‘ichthys.’ As early as the first century, Christians made an acrostic from this word: Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter, i.e. Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior…Greeks, Romans, and many other pagans used the fish symbol before Christians. Hence the fish, unlike, say, the cross, attracted little suspicion, making it a perfect secret symbol for persecuted believers.”
I’m not sure if Taylor Swift fans feel like they’re persecuted believers, but I like the idea of someone posting a “secret” message as a way of telling other Swifties that they’re not alone.
When I tell someone I’m a pastor, I sometimes feel like I need to share some sort of signal that lets them know that I’m not going to try to convert them on the spot or that I’m cool if they swear or that I don’t think queer people are going to hell. A secret sign of sorts. But as I was reading through the fruits of the Spirit the other day in Galatians (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control), I thought that truly living out these attributes consistently might be the best “secret sign.”
What sign/fruit can you convey today that lets others know that God’s love is not secret, but available for all?
Update on this devotion: For folks who subscribe daily, you may have noticed that my streak of posting was broken yesterday. My new job that I’m to start on July 1 actually has kicked in a little early as I’m attending meetings and beginning to get a sense of what awaits me. Of course, I still have my current job to attend to, as well! I had committed to daily devotions through May 19 and that’s still my goal, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to continue past that. I still hope to continue this weekly reflection, though. I’ll keep you all posted.