In this season of Epiphany, I often find myself wondering and musing about this Jesus we talk about so much. I wonder about the PERSON of Jesus. What was he really like? Did he joke with his friends? Was he serious all of the time? Could you tell he was different from everyone else just by being in his presence? These stories we share in Epiphany tell of his acts, but only hint at his personality.
I am currently reading a book by an author I really enjoy - Lauren F. Winner. The book is called Still and in it she shares her own questioning, wondering and experiencing about Jesus and God during a time in her life full of changes and questions.
In the chapter entitled epiphany she shares this thought about the story of Jesus' baptism : "And then Jesus appears. And John says, "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?" and Jesus insists. The official reason this is an Epiphany story is that after Jesus is baptized, a dove alights, and a voice comes from heaven declaring. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The voice is taken to be the answer to Epiphany's question: this is who Jesus is - he is God's well-beloved and pleasing son. But this year, hearing in church again about Jesus' baptism, I wonder if, before the voice from heaven and the celestial dove, it is also Jesus' standing in line by the river that tells us who he is. At Christmastime, the church calls Jesus Emmanuel, which means God-with-us - and now he is with us in the baptismal queue. He is the One who stands with humanity in this line that is all about our sinning, our shame."
This, to me, speaks volumes about Jesus and the PERSON that he was - he was one of us. This also is a huge part of the reason that Christianity resonates with me - we are all a part of this group - no matter who we are or where we came from. We can all be in the line to receive God's blessing - the saints, the sinners and even the Son of God.
Have you been looking for Jesus in the lines you wait in? Would you be surprised to find him there?
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