God’s morning friends – As I am typing, it is 7:19 AM.
I will be on my way to Ottawa today for the First Fruits Celebration soon. Tito Ferdie is driving to the Mission House and will be here in an hour. I’m on my second cup of Kopiko coffee. Perhaps drinking this much coffee is not a good habit. But today it feels necessary, being that I’ve been up since 5:30 this morning.
My sleeping pattern has been messed up since my return from Montreal on Thursday, at 4:00 AM. To feel renewed each day since has really not been in the physical. But there is a certain disconnect that dwells between my tired body and my spirit, for it is pretty much awake and alive.
Today’s Gospel recounts Jesus’ baptism in the river Jordan. Jesus appears to us as an adult. Much of his life before has been hidden from us, as the Gospels don’t really recount how he grew up from being that child “lost” in the temple to the 30-something adult that now walked the river to meet John.
God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit proclaims the divinity of Jesus at that moment -17 And suddenly there was a voice from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’ What a very beautiful moment this will always, and worthy of celebration today.
What speaks to me about this Gospel is the revelation of the Lord in the “silent” recounting of Jesus’ life before this moment. As a YFC FTPW, I’d like to direct youth to a passage in the bible and say “Here was how Jesus was as a teenager.” It would have probably made it easier for them in their strive to be like Christ. But such passage doesn’t exist.
I can only imagine and assume. This morning, I imagine Jesus interacting with Mary and Joseph and acknowledge… That perhaps the time he spent with them, his family was just that precious and sacred that he meant to keep it hidden. That this was a time where he allowed himself to grow silently in awareness of his identity and mission.
God’s revelations are beyond compared and cannot be trumped by any Newton’s “Aha!”apple drop moments (google how Newton discovered gravity). I am convinced – That experiencing newness is finding hope in the every-day, slow, seemingly silent revelations of God.
May God be with you in your own Nazareth (home) or walk to the Jordan River, all day and every day, friends. Prayers up for all First Fruits in all Areas and for a fervent start of the new Year!
In Christ our Life,
Ellish
