Where do you see Jesus? In Scripture? In our life together as his church? In the world? In your neighbor?
Where do you see Jesus? That is the question we ponder this last week of the church year. In the glories of victory, success and power? In the midst of suffering poverty, hunger, incarceration? In actuality, it is both. We are called to see Jesus in his unique form of victory, success and power that is different from our human concept of victory, success and power. Human victory, success and power comes too often from domination, misuse or abuse, and inequity. Jesus’ victory, success and power comes through the cross—through solidarity with and transformation of suffering in our human experience. In Christ, our hunger is turned to fullness of God’s love and call to feed the hungry. In Christ, our poverty is ameliorated by God’s abundant grace that calls us to live generously. In Christ, we are freed from the bondage of sin and death, and we are called to love and care for those who experience incarceration and seek liberation into a new life.
The truly good news this week is that Jesus is with us for all time, and present in our lives. I call on God to open up our senses so that we might more fully perceive how God is at work in our lives and our world, especially in the moments of crisis we face individually and collectively.
I actually love the fact that the church year ends a good month before the regular calendar year and before we enter into the darkest weeks of the year leading to the winter solstice. Because as we walk through that darkness, as we move to the end of the year, we are already in the beginning. We are already warming up to the new things God has in store for us and the world, delivered most fully in that baby in swaddling clothes we will once again greet at the manger in Bethlehem on Christmas.
In Jesus Christ, the end is always already a beginning. Happy New Year!
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