Matthew 3:16-17
The featured speaker at a particular dinner was a Catholic nun, and the only reason that this was unusual was that the dinner was a gathering of triathletes at Ironman Canada in 2006. The nun, Sister Madonna Buder, was not there to give a trite invocation before the meal but was a veteran participant asked to say a few words of encouragement to her fellow competitors. Nicknamed “Iron Nun,” Sister Madonna would become in 2012 the world record holder in her age group and the oldest person, at eighty-two, to complete the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run that makes up the Ironman Triathlon. A competitor herself with several age-group world records in several running events to her name, she wanted to remind that group of dedicated performers that the most important thing about them was true about them before they had performed at all. That evening her message was simple, “Tomorrow, when things get tough out there, remember, you were loved into existence. If you get discouraged and want to quit, if you get injured and can’t finish, if things don’t go the way you hope even though you have trained for this day for months or even years, even then remember: You were loved into existence.” Which was also true about Jesus. Before there was a single miracle, there was a voice. Before there was a single act of world transformation, there was an affirmation. Before Jesus had done anything for anyone, something was done to and for Him. He was baptized in the Jordan River and this word was spoken over Him: “This is My Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:17). While commentators affirm this passage as a kind of inauguration of the work that Jesus is about to undertake as Messiah, it’s a subtle but crucial point worth pausing on as we consider what it takes to serve well: before He had done anything, Jesus was already known, already loved, and already pleased His Father. This is important, not only because it is true and wondrous, and gives us great comfort, but also because it affirms a critical truth that disciples need to know: Resilient believers are grounded in something other than their success as a Christian. Resilient believers have a grounded identity. Their sense of self is not dependent upon the affirmation of those who celebrate them for their successes or laud them for their accolades. Truly resilient believers are grounded in the reality that they are already known and already loved, and are secure in that reality even when their circumstances are most unpredictable. The good news of God is that we are loved before we have accomplished anything. God is well-pleased in us before we have done anything to please Him. We are loved into existence. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and even if we fail in our efforts, as we surely may; God’s love for us never fails. God will complete God’s own work in us, and someday the justice will roll down and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ and He shall reign forever. Let this truth transform you. Let this deep truth deepen you. Let the love of God ground you. Comments are closed.
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