How do you actually view the world? If you are anything like me, you are fascinated by the visions we get from the Hubble telescope, which has been passively collecting data for years. Websites like this one give us a unique picture of our universe from Hubble's lens. And so we are accustomed to seeing ourselves as a small fragment of a much larger universe. And yet we human beings still often consider ourselves the center of the universe (if not literally, at least metaphorically). Not only do we live in an us-centered world, but also in a world where the spiritual and the material are distinct and separate.
Here is a phrase that I use pretty often, and it betrays a world divided into spiritual and material, "God breaks in" or "the Kingdom breaks in." What that assumes is a world in which God is separate from creation, rather than very involved in it. In the ancient world, it was believed that God was constantly at work sustaining and re-creating. The people would not look for places where God was involved, but where God was "especially" involved. In other words, where the presence of God was manifest.
The word manifest is one that has been trickling through my vocabulary in recent weeks, and I can't help but read the word "manifest" when John talks about Jesus, then Jesus talks about Himself. First, John talks about the manifest grace of God, the human being who would remove the sins of the whole world. Then Jesus refers to Himself as the living Jacob's ladder, with angels ascending and descending on Him.
When Jesus was present, the presence of God was manifest there. It was especially there. Christians are a people of "especially." While the world is sacred and a means of grace, we have "especially" gracious events like communion and baptism. And while we are supposed to love one another, we are to "especially" love our enemies and those who would persecute us. Doing this is manifesting the love of God.
How can you manifest the love of God today?
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