Issue 501
We are daring to look into the heart and soul of the world’s greatest inhabitant. We are using his greatest title for himself – Son of Man.
As we get to our tenth look, I invite you to pause and realize what we have done so far, and why.
We have looked at his utter trust in others, realizing that in our lives and work we reach moments of utter dependence.
We have heard his outstanding claim to be the one before Abraham and the rescuer arrived.
We have watched him becoming aware of his unique world changing power. We have stood by and marveled at his humility and patience in the face of misunderstanding.
We have seen him getting ready for his vocation.
We have seen him learning languages and embarking on the building of his inner temple.
We have observed his sacrificial heart and seen him grasp his global soul.
In all of this we are daring to open our own eyes to see his formation. From baby, to boy, to teenager, to young adult, to thirty year old, we strain to see the coalescence of beauty, strength and grace.
Why? Why bother to look?
Because whatever we see in him is what gets implanted in us. What is in Jesus becomes ours when he is in us.
Our faith is not self help. Our faith is not make believe. Our faith is not trying hard to copy. That is not faith that is despair – good luck with that.
The miracle of the Son of Man is that he, in a mysterious way, unexplainable by definition, takes up residence in our inner world. He is not just the greatest inhabitant of the world, he inhabits you.
Everything you see him working so hard to do he now works to do in you. That’s why it matters.
If you go to work this week full of hatred for anyone you are fighting your inner Jesus as he crafts his love into every cell of your life.
If you carry exclusion in your heart Jesus is working to enlarge your heart.
If you are confused about your calling he is working with you to introduce you to your deepest meaning.
All while you sit at a desk, stand in a classroom or lift loads on a construction site. The more you look at his journey the more you will discover yours. The more you watch his formation the more you’ll become conscious that he is forming you – from the inside.
I cannot urge you enough to let your mind, heart and soul to connect with the words of the Son of Man and slowly you will discover that he is in you, building, bringing language, and deepening your calling as he did on his own journey. Next week we will see why he loved the title “Son of Man”.
Luke 2: 50 – 52
50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
John 2:18-22
The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Hebrews 10:5-7
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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Geoff Shattock
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