Friday, April 8, 2022
Diane Harvey
Encounter
In Anne’s sermon on Sunday on John 12:1-8, the story of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus, she shared a quote from Brother Ramon: “Martha was serving; Lazarus was sharing; Mary was adoring; Judas was complaining.” To which I would add: “And Jesus was cherishing.” Knowing all that he would face in the coming days as he journeyed to Jerusalem then to Gethsemane and on to Golgotha, Jesus was remembering and cherishing all the people he had met, all the encounters he had shared during the course of his ministry. He was thanking God for all the relationships that had blessed and changed him.
Three weeks ago I attended a retreat entitled “Who do You say I am?”. The invitation was to spend the day pondering who Jesus is for us; not in terms of what we believe about Jesus, but more importantly, to wonder about how we are in relationship with Jesus. Or not in relationship with him. The presenter was Steve Garnaas-Holmes whose writings have sometimes been shared in these daily reflections. He began the day by reminding us that “Jesus is all about encounter.” When we think about the gospel stories whether they are about healing or sharing a meal or the woman at the well, being with the disciples or arguing with the scribes and Pharisees; whatever was going on, it was the relationships which were central, the encounter itself. Jesus met people where they were with love and without judgment. He listened to them completely, hearing what was said as well as what wasn’t spoken. Jesus’ encounters with people were all about being fully present with them with a capital ‘P’ and inviting them to share their whole selves with him.
That invitation to encounter Jesus with all of our self, the ‘good, the bad, the ugly’ is not just for those who we read about in the gospel stories. The joy of our faith is that such a relationship with Jesus is meant to be ours as well. Jesus desires this with us more than we can imagine. Steve had us spend parts of the day in silence pondering questions such as this: “Where haven’t I let Jesus into my life? What does Jesus hear when he listens to me? How is Jesus directing my gaze? What does Jesus see in me and call forth?” Questions that we could spend the rest of our days pondering, not just in this season of Lent.
I can worship Jesus; I can endeavor to follow his ways and to be his hands and feet in the world. I can look for Jesus in others and welcome them. But, perhaps the most important thing right now is to practice encountering Jesus in every part of my life, in every part of my self. Seeking to be open to a daily encounter with Jesus that deepens my relationship with him, desiring to be fully known by Him even as He desires my love and trust.