Reflection: This is my body: mine and yours
While the anguish of his anticipated death was palpable, Jesus was almost buzzing with the goodness that would be effected by his sacrifice.
A new covenant—renewal under King Jesus.
A new ‘temple’—not an earthly ‘tent’ but eternal bodies.
A new priest—Jesus himself, our direct access to holy God.
The gift of his Spirit—a down-payment of the New Covenant.
And the welcoming arms of the Father for all who believe.
That, fellow readers, is a far cry from the Jewish work-a-day world where Jesus walked. And since then, it’s been shaping our hearts and lives, our culture and our world.
Nothing much makes my husband cry. But cry he did when he read Paul Gallico’s little novella about puppets. Well, it’s actually more about the puppeteer and a captivated spectator. How powerful is animation to draw us in, to move, convince and even change us! Our Jesus-like renewed bodies, are yet to come. But meanwhile God gifts us with his Spirit. He animates us into the image of the risen Christ and we, in turn reflect his image into Project Renewal—his New Kingdom. *
*for further reading: Ephesians 4:21-23; Hebrews 10:19-20
Prayer:
‘Splendour of the Father’s glory, bringing forth light from light,…
and true Sun slide in, gleaming with eternal brilliance,
and radiance of the Holy Spirit pour into our senses….
Father of eternal glory… shape our actions of vigour…
guide the mind and rule it with a chaste, faithful body;…
And may Christ be food for us, and may faith be our drink;
happy, may we drink the sober inebriation of the Spirit….
may the complete dawn come,
the Son complete in the Father, and the Father complete in the Word.’
“Splendour Paternae Gloriae” by Ambrose of Milan