Looking on Jesus
My Dear People,
Make. Matter. Maple. Maggie. Magic.
It's not enough just to glance at the first two letters: Maggie is very different than Maple; not to speak of Magic.
It's something I've been working on with Gabriel, coaching him to hang in there, through all the letters, through the whole word.
Each week my first appointment of the "work week," on Monday, is at the Woodville School, where I meet with Gabriel, my Micah mentee. I can't think of a better way to start the week, than studying words with my friend Gabriel.
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Jesus. Divine. Human. Icon. Trust. Hope. Beauty.
This week, the evening before I was with Gabriel, I was part of a memorable discussion (in our "Exploring the Faith" series), where the question was asked, "What does it mean to you to be a Christian?"
A number of people spoke. I was prepared to speak but didn't, as I wanted to leave others the room to speak in the time we had left. If I had spoken, this is what I would have said; or something like it, anyway:
In Jesus, I see a God whom I can trust; and whom I have indeed come to trust. I also see, in Jesus, humanity as humanity is meant to be and can be.
I want to know yet more deeply and truly the God whom I meet in Jesus, and I want to do whatever I can to help humanity become the humanity I see in Jesus; and, of course, that starts with me; that is, the humanity that I can do the most about is indeed myself. (As Jesus said, "How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?")
So I keep looking on Jesus, the Word made flesh. I keep looking on Jesus, as I seek to know the God whom I meet in Jesus more fully; and as I seek to do my part, as I do whatever I can, to help humanity become more fully the humanity I see in Jesus.
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I keep looking on Jesus.
That, to me, is what it means to be a Christian.
Your brother in Christ,
Wallace+
