As Christians, we all see different sides of Christ, because we all meet Jesus in different places. I have many friends, and they all know me in different ways not because I change, but because they come from different places. It’s the same with Jesus. Different parts of his story speak to people differently, and our relationship with Christ varies accordingly.
And as I change, I come to know Jesus in various ways. I focus on different parts of his story depending on what’s going on for me. Several years ago, I would meet Jesus at his death, clinging tight to its promise of eternal life for me and my friends and family. Since then, and especially since becoming a ressie, I have met Jesus as he heals the leper, or feeds the thousands from a bit of bread and a handful of fish, or asks his disciples to follow. I have met Jesus in his life and ministry, because at this point in my life, I can see how it gives life to me and my community.
The doctrine of the Trinity serves my work well, as I find the different aspects of God reaching out towards me. The Holy Spirit can often be felt, thick with peace, amongst the tables and bowls at Credo and in the midst of our singing. It fills me with the life I need to keep reaching out and loving, and is like food for my soul. I also like the image of the Creator God, nurturing and sustaining, like we do when we stir big pots of bolognaise sauce and mop the floor in Credo. And I begin to see Jesus in so many different people – the suffering Christ, the laughing Christ – and it doesn’t matter whether or not they’re Christian. God can be heard in the roar of the ocean when I’m on retreat, and the sound of the guitar as we gather before lunch. I am no longer surprised by continual gifts of grace, which come in many different sizes from God. No longer surprised, but still very thankful.
I guess God meets you anywhere…but I like meeting her in Credo!
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2 comments:
and who's to dispute that the holy spirit moves through the internet... that this 14-inch screen isn't my 'burning bush'!!!
For sure! It's a bit like the Mediterranean Sea in the time of the Roman Empire which connected up the whole region with its boats and ports - a highway for the spread of new ideas and a new way way of seeing God.
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