A magician’s trick or the famous "man behind the curtain" scene in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” reminds us there can be more to something than what meets the eye. The season after the Epiphany truly pulls back the curtain on the son of God as he’s grown to be a man. We become intimate with how Jesus lives, how he loves, and how he wants us to be in today’s world. God wants us to see – through the life of Jesus – the depth of a relationship with God.
After the Epiphany, we watch Jesus’ baptism, the call of his first disciples, his Sermon on the Mount, and Transfiguration unfold before our eyes. These stories are rich in meaning and teaching about God’s law, God’s commandments, and God’s desire for us to live together in community and peace with one another. Jesus shows God’s love and hope to the world.
Throughout the gospel of Matthew, Jesus turns our ideas about the accepted order of the world on their heads. We can’t take the ways we’ve known as a given.
Beginning with his baptism, Jesus reveals his place among God’s people. He is baptized by John the baptizer, not the other way around, to emphasize that it’s precisely in the midst of God’s people that Jesus will live out his ministry.
The Sermon on the Mount exemplifies reconciliation, justice, giving, peacemaking, integrity, truth speaking, and honor. Jesus calls on all of us to examine our hearts and lives and follow his example to practice a more perfect love. This love will strengthen us individually and strengthen us as a community.
When we pull back the curtain at Capitol Hill Christian Church, may we see a
community striving to reveal the light of Jesus in our lives.
Blessings,
Pastor Candice
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