Step Three

Gospel John 3:31-36 
John the Baptist said to his disciples:
‘He who comes from above is above all others;
he who is born of the earth is earthly himself
and speaks in an earthly way.
He who comes from heaven
bears witness to the things he has seen and heard,
even if his testimony is not accepted;
though all who do accept his testimony
are attesting the truthfulness of God,
since he whom God has sent
speaks God’s own words:
God gives him the Spirit without reserve.
The Father loves the Son
and has entrusted everything to him.
Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life:
the anger of God stays on him.’






Step Three: Make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God 'as we understand Him'.


John was popular; far more popular than Jesus for many,many years. The gatekeeper between what had been and what was yet to come.  His aggressive, prophetic stance against the Temple enhanced by the fact that, through his father, he belonged to the Temple and was yet was called away by a different vision of God.  Called into the desert as a little child; called to challenge authority no matter what the risk. 


John had not been given the privilege of making his own choice - he was God's - like it or not. 


There were others who were God's but never knew, sinners, outcasts, unclean; people who were unwelcome; who didn't belong in polite society. People who believed that they lived far from God; unworthy of his gaze; unable to 'afford' his attention.


People who believed they had nowhere to go until they found themselves at the river's edge listening to the Baptist's words of truth - 'change who you are and know God's love'. 


 'turn your will and your lives over to the care of God '

'as we understand him'

John's message - change your understanding - God is not a vengeful monster visiting sins upon sins upon generation upon generation. God is a family; a relationship; a embrace of love within love within love and you - you are held in that love.

John, who acts with the vision of the prophets of old; who belongs to the Rock of Ages; tied to the land of his fathers, will spend his last days with the fear that he has been wrong. He is not wrong. Jesus, he who comes from above, will take away the sins of the world, the sins of the unworthy and the unclean. All we have to do - is turn ourselves over to him.

wordinthehand2011







Comments

claire bangasser said…
With you and all the sinners I turn myself over to Jesus then and offer Him all that I am and wish I were not.

Blessings.
5 May 2011 at 02:31
Mairie said…
Amen to that m+x
5 May 2011 at 13:36
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