Lenten Reader | Day 4

February 20th, 2021

Revealed

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

- Luke 10:21-24

Have you ever met a famous person? I met George Bush Sr. once. I was a student at Texas A&M University, and I was walking down the stairs of the campus recreation center. I looked down to my left, and there he was – walking out of the weight room with his secret service detail. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, we almost bumped into each other. I was able to shake his hand and say, “nice to meet you, Mr. President.” Just me and the former most powerful person in the Western world. It was pretty cool.

And a little surreal.

Okay, a lot surreal. I had seen him on television more times than I could count. He had been in the presence of all the most powerful people on earth (or they had been in his presence). And here we were – just two people face-to-face – greeting each other as if that were completely normal. An ex-president of the United States and an about-to-graduate 21-year-old kid from south Texas. It left my head spinning.

And he’s just a man. Imagine almighty God – the creator of the heavens and the earth – bumping into us on the street. Shaking our hand and saying, “nice to meet you.” But that is exactly what happens. Through Jesus, God is revealed to us lowly folk. Just normal people who aren’t famous or powerful or important in the eyes of the world. He came seeking us and wants us to know him personally. That’s pretty cool and a lot surreal. And the best part of all is that he rejoices when we receive him.

-Erik Allsop