Gifts ungiven

"There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light." John 1:6-7


In today's reflection we read about John. John was the first witness of Jesus Christ. The moment John saw Jesus he called him "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world ... who will baptize with the Holy Spirit."

I can't say that the first words out of my mouth after meeting Jesus were nearly as dramatic. I don't think that I could be that bold today and proclaim Jesus the Son of God to a crowd of strangers. However today's reading shows us the importance of being bold in our witness of God, because while Jesus came to us with the gift of salvation the next time he will come to "separate the wheat from the chaff."

As children of God we have been given these amazing gifts of salvation and the Holy Spirit and we should be working as hard as we can so that others may also share our gifts and not be condemned for eternity.

The Hidden Years: Reflection

I became a little lost in thought when I read this devotion page by Stott. Going off what Dan said in a previous post, it is difficult for me as well to be able to fully grasp the meaning of the full divinity and full humanity of Christ- though I do accept it fully.

Then we catch rare glimpses of how Jesus was as a child through Luke yet despite those years being "hidden" from us, I don't feel as if I know Jesus any less.

What I do know of him and what I am coming to learn of him gives me a deep understanding of how Jesus must have been as he grew. I feel that the life Jesus lived as an adult is the fullest testament to how he lived his entire life, beginning from his birth. I know he was loving and gracious to others. He honored Mary and Joseph while glorifying God. He was always kind and compassionate to everyone who needed him. I am sure that he would have stuck up for others as a child just as he did as an adult.

Still, as my love grows for Jesus, it would be nice to know how Jesus made others laugh or how he loved those around him. I find those little details to be comforting and heartwarming. One of my favorite scenes from the movie "The Passion of the Christ" was when Jesus was playfully teasing Mary as he built a table.

In any case, despite those years being "hidden," I still feel that there is a huge richness in just reflecting or pondering about those days of his youth. It helps us look forward to the one day when we could just ask him face to face.

toodles my friends.

The Years of Preparation

I appreciate today's reading because it forced me to not only revisit the curious question of why Jesus's early years are so sparsely documented, but to chew on it throughout the day - and anytime spent wrestling with what I read in the Bible means less time on idle thoughts!

Peeking ahead a few chapters in Luke, we read about the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness and its interesting to note that he endured suffering as part of that trial. Its easy to attribute his victory in the wilderness, his subsequent ministry, capacity of love for others, and his sacrifice to his divine nature and leave it at that. But Stott, ala Hebrews, stresses the importance of his humanity to the power that frees us from sin as well as the relevance of the genuineness of that humanity.

Though not the best example, I can't help but think about those individuals we are in awe of due to their seemingly superhuman abilities, e.g. Michael Jordan. When I really stop to think about what I admire, it goes beyond the mere physicality but reconciling the fact that this ordinarily born peer of a human being so conditioned himself to accomplish extraordinary things.

I can't claim to understand the full implications of "100% divine, 100% human" but when I consider the extraordinary life of Christ while humanly-bound, it begs the question of what type of conditioning he had to have endured in order to leave that kind of testimony.

And when I re-read Luke 2:52 from that perspective, what initially seemed like a big hole in the account becomes painfully obvious.

Good night everyone!

The Boy in the Temple

Every year in winter break my family get together in Florida spend Christmas and New Year. That's the only time where everybody in my family (10 adults and 8 children) is able to get together and have a wonderful and fun time. My dad bought a small condo in Florida about 15 years ago so that whenever he comes to America,he has a place to stay and a place where his children can get together couple of times year. Back then it was just his unmarried children but now.... you know the number! To make a long story short, this year we've decided to have all the fathers and their children sleep in the living room and moms (me and my two sisters) sleep in a second bedroom. I have a nephew who just turned 4 years old protested to sleep with his mom so we gave him the privilege to stay with us. However it turned out to be our blessing to have him with us in the small room. This little boy prayed out loud every night before the bed voluntarily. His prayers touched our hearts. His prayers like pure, sincere, and innocent. He prayed to God as if he talked to his dad. We can sense my nephew knows Jesus as much as 4 year old can understands but without any doubt we can see that Jesus is in very special place in my nephew's heart.
By reflecting on today's reading, even at age 12, Jesus longed to be in the Father's house and reached out to people with the Word of God. Luke 2:41-52 is only passage that mentioned about Jesus' childhood in the entire Bible. Like the author conveyed to the reader, Jesus was clearly aware of who he was and what his mission and purpose was. However, what intriguing me the most was actually in the later verses; "The he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people." Luke 2: 51-52
Since I am a mom, I put myself in Mary's shoes and imagined what was like for Mary to have a first born son who was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Imagine a mother frantically looking for her son for I don't know how many hours. Can you imagine what kinds of thoughts come across in her mind? Did someone kidnap my child? Is my son scared, hungry, hurt?
When she finally found him in the Temple, I am certain that she was relieved and rejoiced, at the same time, she was disappointed and even angry at Jesus that he didn't tell her where he was and made her worry. I as a mom would react the same as Mary did. However Jesus said in verse 49," But why did you need to search?..... didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" According to the Bible, Mary and Joseph didn't understand what he meant.
I think Mary and Joseph didn't understand what he meant at that time because they probably started to breath by then . They had been frantically searching for their son and found him at the temple teaching the Word of God. However Mary and Joseph had a plenty of time reflecting on the incident and what Jesus said when he was found during the long journey back to their home. I am most certain that both of them were reminded of the message of the angel who appeared to Mary. Before Jesus is their first born son, He is the Savior, the Messiah, and the Son of God. In verse 51, Jesus continued to fulfill his duty as a son to his earthly parents by being obedient to them. For Mary and Joseph, I believe that what happened in Jerusalem was turning point for them to never forget the fact that their baby is the truly Son of God who came to this earth to deli ever people from the darkness. He, too, is their messiah and Savior!