A meditation

The greatest thought, the singular most wonderful meditation,

is the life of Jesus.

Jesus was a man long before there was a Bible, long before there were a myriad

of scholars defining him.

Jesus was "pre-theology"... before Matthew, Mark, Juke, John, Paul... Matthew Henry and Charles Spurgeon.

When we discover his life before all of our words we see God propelled by compassion, grace and love streaking through the heavens to land in the broken lives of those without hope:

"The woman caught in adultery", "The woman by the well", "The leper in Capernaum", "The Roman centurion and his servant", "The prostitutes, the swindlers, the publicans, his faithless and confused disciples"... Jesus comes with a simple message: "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".

His life, his cruel death, a travesty of justice, and his resurrection shows us God in an entirely different way. We also see ourselves, broken, flawed, selfish and manipulative.

We are graced, we are loved, we are forgiven, we are given hope and mercy.

Our challenge is to work this grace, this love and this forgiveness into a life's pursuit of graciousness, lovingkindness.. seeking forgiveness for our justifications, walking in forgiveness, becoming forgiving.

How wonderful.

How transformational.