A Space for Jesus
Last Thursday night at Girls Only we sat huddled together watching The Gospel of John. It isn't the best movie I've ever watched...well it's not the worst either. It's a little cheesy, and the acting isn't the greatest. But it does a fairly good job of portraying Jesus. At least he smiles a lot, which is rare in the Jesus movies of old.
The reason we watched it was twofold. I had been sick and had not had the energy to come up with a 'lesson'. And while talking to Jesus was reminded that though I am asking the girls to talk to Him, even write letters to Him, they may not have a good idea of who He is. Of course Irisa and I share from our hearts about Him....but still. Someone gave me the idea of this movie and I grabbed it up.
So there we sat, eating chocolate-covered popcorn and Flaming Hot Cheetos, and drinking cranberry soda... shoes off and snuggled up in the dark with only candles and the glow of the TV lighting the room. It was intimate. It was nice. The girls asked a ton of questions. "Miss Jamie, why is Jesus mad?" "Miss Jamie, why are the priests trying to kill Jesus?" We would pause the movie as I answered their questions as best as I could. They were listening intently...engaged in the story before their eyes.
One girl arrived late, and was obviously troubled. She was unable or unwilling to talk about what had upset her but her body language was closed up, withdrawn. I felt she looked as though she had been violated in some way.
She snuggled up with the rest of us, feeling some sort of comfort from the snacks and the intimacy and the presence of Jesus there with us. Soon she pulled out her G.O journal and began to write, pulling the candle closer to light her pages. She wrote and wrote and wrote, occasionally looking up to see Jesus healing the sick, loving the children.
Nothing huge happened that night. Except this: I realized once again that sometimes the very best thing you can do is to step aside and just allow a space for Jesus to be there. The rest takes care of itself.
Last Thursday night at Girls Only we sat huddled together watching The Gospel of John. It isn't the best movie I've ever watched...well it's not the worst either. It's a little cheesy, and the acting isn't the greatest. But it does a fairly good job of portraying Jesus. At least he smiles a lot, which is rare in the Jesus movies of old.
The reason we watched it was twofold. I had been sick and had not had the energy to come up with a 'lesson'. And while talking to Jesus was reminded that though I am asking the girls to talk to Him, even write letters to Him, they may not have a good idea of who He is. Of course Irisa and I share from our hearts about Him....but still. Someone gave me the idea of this movie and I grabbed it up.
So there we sat, eating chocolate-covered popcorn and Flaming Hot Cheetos, and drinking cranberry soda... shoes off and snuggled up in the dark with only candles and the glow of the TV lighting the room. It was intimate. It was nice. The girls asked a ton of questions. "Miss Jamie, why is Jesus mad?" "Miss Jamie, why are the priests trying to kill Jesus?" We would pause the movie as I answered their questions as best as I could. They were listening intently...engaged in the story before their eyes.
One girl arrived late, and was obviously troubled. She was unable or unwilling to talk about what had upset her but her body language was closed up, withdrawn. I felt she looked as though she had been violated in some way.
She snuggled up with the rest of us, feeling some sort of comfort from the snacks and the intimacy and the presence of Jesus there with us. Soon she pulled out her G.O journal and began to write, pulling the candle closer to light her pages. She wrote and wrote and wrote, occasionally looking up to see Jesus healing the sick, loving the children.
Nothing huge happened that night. Except this: I realized once again that sometimes the very best thing you can do is to step aside and just allow a space for Jesus to be there. The rest takes care of itself.
posted by Dakota House @ 2:13 PM
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