John the Baptist was doing his thing. Baptizing. Preaching. Telling others. His whole ministry was helping people prepare a new way. In their lives. In the world. He was pretty focused on what God was about to do.
Just then, Jesus rolls up on the scene and he gets to finally say: HERE! He’s HERE! “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Maybe he even pointed at him. I always picture it that way.
Not everyone in the Jesus story is so clearly pointed. Or pointing. Some interact with Jesus and walk away. Some get to the hard parts at the cross and seem to run. Some hear the challenge of faith or following and turn in the other direction.
But John keeps pointing.
As I reread his story this week, I wondered: Do I point equally as clear as John did? When those moments of kingdom-breaking-in-clarity happen, am I pointing them out to others?
Or do I walk away, turn the other direction, hide from the enormity of a moment or just falter overwhelmed by my own humanity?
I want to pay attention to that today. And I’d like to invite you to do the same.
As you go through today’s daily tasks, family moments, job lists, conversations and free time, who/what will you find yourself pointing at? How does your faith in this Lamb of God shape your pointing finger? Your words? Your actions? Your interactions? Your mission? Your quiet?
I’d like to think my day will be filled with John-like moments, but I’m fairly sure there are some huge gaps in there too. What’s going on in those gaps? How can I be more mindful/faithful in those moments to recognize God’s power and presence?
Let’s see what happens as Jesus rolls up into my day.
I invite you into this day of reflection as well!
Lord, help me be mindful and present to see where I’m pointing. And as I do, may I point more toward you. Amen
For our world leaders to “do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.”
For our military to be surrounded by a hedge of protection.
For our military families to know your peace and comfort while separated from their loved ones.
For each of us to model that peace in our actions with our own neighbors each and every day.
If you are searching for the words for prayer, I offer words from St. Francis:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it’s in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it’s in dying that we are born to Eternal Life
Amen
This is that sacred time of the year…filled with peace, relaxation and calm…when I attach my dried out Christmas tree to a bungee cord, hook it to my wife’s SUV and drag it behind the Explorer through the streets of Clarence Center to the Town’s Tree Drop.
And just like that…Christmas is over. Sort of.
We took all the lights/trees/decorations/mangers/stockings down inside and outside yesterday, not because the church season of Christmas is over, but instead because (1) we had time, (2) we had energy, (3) the ground was frozen enough outside that I wasn’t walking in mud and soft dog poop and (4) “we did Christmas well.”
We did Christmas well this year. In our assessment, we had more peace than chaos, more laughs than tears, more family time than busy time and more time for faith than frustrations.
We were lucky this year I guess.
But I know not everyone was. I went to four house fires in the week overlapping Christmas where families lost most, if not all, their possessions. I had several friends say goodbye to their loved ones who passed away in the same time period. I watched news footage of church and worship space shootings. Stories of our military having to amp up because of overseas chaos in embassies. And the ongoing plight of my Haitian family and friends as political turmoil carries on and hunger and lack of medical care rise to new levels of terrible.
So, is this really the time to pack everything up and put it away? Feels like we might need it now more than ever.
I’m not sure why, but over the past few years, I’ve noticed that our culture seems to behave better, share more frequently and love more deeply in that time period when the decorations are out. There are more stories of love, grace, Tim Horton’s orders to the person in line behind you, Angel Trees and year end gifts than at any other time of the year.
Is it only about the decorations? Are they magic and make us less jerky from mid-November until January 1st?
Or is there a chance that there’s something about the light that they bring with them? The connection to something bigger? Something incredible? Something surprising and undeserved? An adoption into something more powerful than our own egos and self-pleasing desires?
Paul told the church in Ephesus: “God destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ.” This is the same Jesus that John began his gospel talking about when he said: “The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” The Love and “God made flesh” came into the world to be a Light to all people. That Love is what we are adopted into. Adopted. Not temporarily placed. Not linked to for a certain period of time. Not connected to only when Christmas music is on the radio.
I’ve realized that in NO PLACE, NO WAY, NO SHAPE and NO TIME does Scripture tell us that this Light gets put away and removed from our daily life. Not even a stone-blocked tomb could contain it or overcome it.
So remember this week…this weekend…and in the days ahead vaulting us into this new decade, even as we pack away the temporary lights, decorations and reminders of Christmas morning…you are permanently adopted into a new Light, a new Love and because of that gift, nothing that we will face, stand by, see in the news or be connected to could possible overcomes God’s love for you through his son Jesus.
Today we are blessed, because God did Christmas well!
Lord, thanks for all the little lights that we soon/did put away. Help us see the true Light all year round. Amen
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