There are many images of Jesus at St. James. Christ is pictured in icons, stained glass and sculptures. Many of those images are very old. All of them are beautiful in their own ways, but there is one visualization of Jesus that is my very favorite. It’s not a fixed image, but rather a fleeting glimpse that I catch each week during Holy Eucharist. I stand at the altar to the side of the priest and the missal. Each time the celebrant elevates the chalice my angle of sight allows me to see a beautiful reflection in the curvature of the polished silver. I can see the choir behind us and the other servers to our side. I see myself and the celebrant and from my particular angle I can see in the curve of the chalice a reflection the people in the pews. I have been doing this for three and half years at St. James and still every time that moment brings me joy. I see in that rounded reflection of all of those people an image of the body of Christ. It is how I visualize Jesus as the community of people who are called to embody his message of God’s love. I see that image over and over again each week, but not in Lent. During Lent the polished silver is tucked away and replaced by a simple ceramic chalice. It is opaque and reflects nothing. It reminds me of the experience of Jesus going into the wilderness alone. It reminds me that there are times we are called go deeper into solitude for holy work of personal reflection and renewal. The first Sunday in Lent always shocks me that way. My favorite image of Jesus is gone away and it will not appear again until Easter. During Lent I see “through a glass darkly”, but on Easter it all comes back into focus. I can hardly wait...
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 02:33:35 +0000
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