Writer Elizabeth Sherrill tells of visiting the ice-skating rink at Rockefeller Center in New York City a few years ago. Dozens of people skated around the rink. But in the center of the rink was a lovely blond woman in an attractive skater's outfit. This woman was stretching and posing, stretching and posing. Elizabeth waited expectantly for this lovely young woman to finish with her posing and begin skating. But she never did.

On other visits to the rink, Elizabeth again saw this woman. She was always dressed like a professional skater. And she spent lots of time doing skater's poses. But she never skated. Not once did she take a turn around the rink. She was all appearance and no substance. For many of us, that hits too close to home. We may look like followers of Jesus, we may even talk like followers of Jesus, but deep in our hearts we know it's only stretching and posing, stretching and posing.