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SEEING JESUS IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS

SCRIPTURE: "They said to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.'" - JOHN 4:42
 
A better title for this devotional could have been as follows: "How a Mixed Metaphor Changed How I Look at Jesus." At Trinity on 8th Ave., my Sunday School class met in that room at the back of the sanctuary. One Sunday, our guest teacher was going to lead us to a meeting with Christ. But she began the class with this statement, "Today we are going to tread on new waters." I quickly looked around the circle as I stifled my laughter to see if anyone else had heard what I had heard - no reactions anywhere!
 
As a teacher of English in a variety of settings from middle school to graduate school for 43 years, I have gathered a few favorite mixed metaphors including the one above. My all-time favorite was attributed to the president of a small Methodist college in Kansas who said with great gusto at the fall convocation, "We must gird our loins with the breastplate of righteousness!" Nevertheless those "new waters" that we were to tread on suggested that we were going to "be" Jesus rather than meeting him, but instead our teacher took us on a mental trip to meet Jesus at the well where Jesus offered "living water" to the Samaritan woman. (John 4: 1-42)
 
Since that time I have envisioned meeting Jesus in a variety of settings ranging from places on the farm where I grew up, to places in the Holy Land, to my perception of a heavenly meeting. What is most notable about those meetings is how Jesus the Christ became more loving and accepting of me and how I have became less and less fearful in these meetings. Of course, Jesus really did not change, but I did. It is interesting how different aspects of our Christian studies help us to change and grow ever closer to Jesus. And I would invite you to try the exercise of imagining a meeting with Jesus face to face in a variety of settings. Perhaps you could begin at that well and begin to "tread" on new territory.
 
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help us to grow closer to you, and in turn, help us to lead others into your loving presence. AMEN.
 
Bob Wright


Please direct responses and praise to Bob by clicking here.

P.S. Don't forget to set your clocks forward one hour this 
Sunday, March 13th for the start of Daylight Saving Time.  

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