the contemporaneous-ness of faith

dawn from the hotel room, across the sea of Galilee

A few days ago, when in Jerusalem, I blogged about my sense that "He is not here." You will recall the words of the angel to Mary at the empty tomb. Remember too the words of the angel at the Ascention: 'why do you stand here looking....'

As we journey around this holy place I have a deep awareness that Jesus is no more here than he is in Nelson Creek, Glenavy or Avonhead. It is very evident that many people who travel to this country do so with a strong awareness of the historical events that took place here. Yes Jesus was born here. He preached here. Jesus suffered and died in this land. It is important for these people with their historical agendas (or blinkers?) to know that Jesus probably sat on this stone, preached on that hill, or slept in that boat. These people are tourists who hopefully, by the grace of God, will (in their journey) become pilgrims.

I do appreciate their need and at times I too allow my curiosity about historical detail to cloud the true reality of the experience of Jesus present today. I thought about this after writing on 'modern architecture' yesterday. Today we visited the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/nazareth-basilica-of-annunciation. This church was opened in the late 1960's. It is modern and beautiful. As with the Capernaum church it is sensitive to its surroundings and is a sign of a life beyond which God is carrying us to.

So many churches we have seen pretend to be older than they are by imitating Roman or Byzantine style. Such architecture reinforces (albeit subconsciously) the sense that the life of faith was important to people a long time ago. The danger always is that we slip into the pattern of looking back with romantic nostalgia to a time when we think things were better. But this is not faith! It is romance. It is nostalgia. Faith an event that is alive in the present. Jesus is not simply the God-Man who walked this land two thousand years ago. Jesus is alive today in Geraldine, Timaru, Riccarton, Rakaia and Israel.

Faith is not a willingness to be guided by a wise teacher who lived a long time ago in Galilee. Faith is a contemporary reality since Jesus is alive today.

Here in Nazareth today I have prayed the First Joyful mystery several times: the Annunciation. At this moment, when the earthly life of Jesus began, everything changed. As a result we do not follow a distant deity, or an ancient prophet. We are invited into personal relationship with the living person of Jesus who is God-with-us.

Blessings & love
John