Do you
remember playing with a magnifying glass on a sunny day? That curved piece of glass you held in your
hand captured the scattered rays, narrowing them down to a fluttering patch of
brightness. And all the light’s power
was held in that one small circle, shrinking and shrinking… until finally you
were rewarded with a sudden curl of smoke, and a neat charred hole.
Imagine,
then, that God, seeking to reveal himself on earth, condensed his essential
being through some kind of celestial magnifying glass. That wavering point became smaller and
smaller, losing none of its power… until it became the exact size of a human
baby, growing in a womb.
Jesus is
the image of the invisible God, says the verse in Colossians, the perfect
reflection of God’s glory. This is the
first and greatest reason that Jesus came: to show us what God is really
like. Yet sometimes, reflected and
refracted through 2000 years of history, the image that Jesus shows us seems as
blurred as any other. How do we see it
clearly again?
Start by
taking one step backwards. Jesus’
reflection of God is not just about the Sermon on the Mount. Not just about the people he healed. Not just his final words on the cross. If we’re not careful, we can lose ourselves
in analysing the detail. And like an
Impressionist painting, the picture dissolves into dots of unrelated
colour. But when we step back and
realise that Jesus was God, all of him, and his whole life was dedicated to
doing the will of the Father, then we start to see some larger patterns. His life, death, resurrection and glory all
form one extravagant sweep that leads our eye towards God.
And now
take three steps forward again. This is
not a picture you can view from a safe distance. This is a person who demands that you get
involved. The New Testament is full of
references to sharing with Christ; we share his sufferings, his death, his
resurrection and his reign. As he shared
his humanity with us, so we, gradually, can come to share his God-likeness with
him. The communion table, where we share
his body and blood for ourselves and with others, is a beautiful reminder. The love of God was shown through Jesus, John
tells us, and it is only through sharing with love that he can be fully known.
And this
Advent, find a magnifying glass and give yourself some time to remember the
unwavering light of God, shining from a point just the size of a newborn baby,
lying in a manger. All the light’s
power, held in that one small life… and more than enough to kindle a flame.
Photo attribution: By shakko (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/
Photo attribution: By shakko (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/
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