Finding a connection with Jesus is often among first steps for people beginning a journey in the Christian faith. When that connection turns to love and compassion the journey begins to get interesting. Here are a couple of images of Jesus from along my journey.
“The Rabbit-Ears Jesus” – Forgive me for the title, but hang with me for a moment. It’s not that Jesus had them, … story: I grew up in the years known as BC, before cable. To get the best TV reception we often had to adjust the antennas on top of the TV, “rabbit-ears”. The Jesus I grew up with in that same time frame, was known to me mostly by a plastic Jesus in my Episcopal Church Sunday School room. He had a plastic halo, and plastic eyes that looked longingly (and somewhat sadly) toward the ceiling (or heaven). What puzzled me most was the way he held his right hand. It was almost like half of a prayer position, with the other hand down at his side. His index and middle fingers were bent slightly (not quite a cub scout solute) with ring and pinky fingers bent. Best I could figure was that if he held his hand just right he would get great reception. Not TV, of course, but from God. Rabbit-ears.
“Sisters-of-the-Road Buffet Jesus” – This image came to me as a young adult thanks to a bible study led by a friend from the Nazarene Church. Boy, did he know Jesus! Nothing plastic about this guy. This Jesus hung around with some real undesirables and loved to eat, so I heard. It seemed he was eating or at parties or multiplying the spread (from snack to feast), which has always been very popular to me. But it caught me off guard that he would intentionally mix it up with those hooligans called “sinners and tax collectors”. I began to realize that if Jesus would hang around with folks like that, then just maybe he might hang around with my cronies and maybe even with ME. That’s when I realized the depth of love and compassion that was possible with a connection with Jesus.
I know icons can be conduits to a deeper experience of the sacred. Unfortunately, I never really got beyond the surface. But the flesh and blood realities of love, compassion and justice lived out by the Jesus of the Gospels, and by those of his faithful today, continue to open the sacred in powerful ways for me.
How about you? How have you been connected with Jesus? Would you be willing to share a connection earlier in life? Or how about a current connection?
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Peace – Bill
4 responses so far ↓
1 Pastor Bill // May 22, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Thanks, Kathleen. I checked out the book review. It looks like a fun book. I wonder if there really is THE “real Jesus”? I suspect, just like we each relate differently to each other, we also know Jesus differently.
2 Kathleen McDade // May 21, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Have you read Imaginary Jesus? http://whatsthemission.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/book-review-imaginary-jesus-by-matt-mikalatos/
3 stvaubrey // May 20, 2011 at 11:53 am
My experience is very recent.I was going through a tough time trying to figure out what to do with my music career.I was playing gigs(performances for those not in the know)and at the end of them,I was feeling unhappy and un satisfied.Trying to figure out why, I discovered through the help of my friends at the earlybird men’s group,that I was experiencing the death of a dream.Dreams of being a big shot famous drummer.It was manifesting itself in a very negative attitude towards other musicians as if it was there fault that this didn’t happen for me.Through some prayer and a seriously honest look at myself,I found that it was I who didn’t go out and do what was necessary to achieve my goals as a musician.So,having re-evaluated my musical life,I don’t actually regret anything that I DID do with my life such as,being married,owning a home and developing a terrific church family and most importantly,developing a relationship with God.As far as what to do with the music,I have given it over to God and God has provided for me BIG TIME!!!I am now in the most creative musical situation I have ever been a part of.Sorry for long winded response,but I really wanted to share this. God Bless You All, Steve Aubrey
4 Linda James // May 19, 2011 at 7:24 am
“Mentos Jesus” There is a poster at church about which someone said “he looks like the Mentos commercial.” The picture shows fishing nets behind a smiling man with his hand reaching forward. I don’t know about the commercial, but I really like picturing Jesus as smiling, or laughing. What a great connection with people, and how very inviting compared to the expression on so many pictures of Jesus… a face we can only imagine anyway… why not imagine him smiling?