I have a couple of dear friends from seminary working in different parts of the country who I am on a message thread with. It is delightful. We share jokes and stories, we commiserate and encourage one another, and just generally share the joys and struggles of our lives.
This past week we were having some back and forth when, kind of randomly, one of my friends asked the rest of us, “what is your favourite thing about Jesus?”
What a great question.
It was beautiful and profound in its simplicity and straightforwardness. It caused me to stop and sit in contemplation for quite some time. I’m a big fan of Jesus (as you could probably guess), there is a lot to like. However, to have an opportunity to really reflect on it and then share the answer with close Spirit friends was a gift.
In the moment, I said that my favourite thing is that I believe “that Jesus really cares, that Jesus wants to be in relationship with me. Jesus wants to be my friend,” and because I couldn’t just say one thing I added, and “Jesus teaches me that every day and ordinary things are holy and where God shows up.”
My friends gave their own, unique, beautiful answers that made my heart full.
I hope that St. John’s can be a community where we have conversations like this, where we can wonder and share together openly about spirituality and faith to build each other up.
So, I invite you to ask a Spirit friend this week, ‘what is your favourite thing about Jesus,’ and talk about it. Maybe the answer will come to you right away, maybe it will take some time. Maybe the answer is a story about Jesus, or a single word, or something that you have experienced in your life. Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy the opportunity for contemplation. I hope that you delight in hearing what others have to say.
Feel free to email me your favourite thing about Jesus, too!
Thanks be to God!
CG+