First encounters

"The next day John [the Baptist] again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed*). He brought Simon* to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter*)." - John 1:35-42

Dear Friends in Christ -

A couple of weeks ago, my eight-year-old daughter spoke dreamily of what it might be like to meet her favorite teen rock star. The impression her wistful wonder made on me came wafting back when I read this passage from the Gospel of John, this story of first encounters with Jesus.

Of course, the situation was very different in many ways. For one thing, my daughter knows all kinds of details about what her favorite teen star looks like and sounds like. She could pick him out of a crowd in a hot second. Jesus arrived on the scene without posters, without fanfare. The closest thing he had to an agent or a manager was his cousin, John the Baptist, who pointed Jesus out to people and encouraged them to pay attention to what he was saying and doing.

Another difference between my daughter's hoped-for encounter with the teen star and people's first encounters with Jesus was that the teen star is doing all sorts of stuff to draw attention to himself. Jesus isn't making it easy for people to understand him or get to know him. He avoids answering their questions straight-on and had the audacity to tell a guy he's just met that he's going to have to change his name.

Do you remember your first encounter with Jesus? What impact did it have on you?

If you haven't had a first encounter with Jesus, seek one. How? By showing up at places Jesus is likely to be. Or by having someone who knows Jesus point him out to you.

Jesus wasn't just "back then." He is alive and even today leading his followers into new adventures . . . showing them where he lives, changing their names. Take him up on his invitation: "Come and see."

Faithfully,
Janet+