Weekly Reflections

Old Anna the prophet probably wondered the same thing. The promises about the coming King had been around for a long time. Five hundred years at least. And apart from a few exciting, but inconsequential, false starts  nothing had happened.

And then he came. As a baby! But not, apparently, from any of the powerful families. Not even from a Jerusalem family. No connections. Hard to believe really. But Anna was excited because she had been told who the baby was.

Thirty years later he had done nothing. And when he did start to get the attention of the public, half the time he was out in the back-blocks. And he gave no encouragement to any kind of political kingdom such as David ruled over.

But things seemed promising when he started a long journey to Jerusalem. Well, it took a long time to get there. Not many of his friends were asking, “Are we there yet?” because they knew it was a dangerous place. Fraught with peril and possible death.

And finally he came to Jerusalem - amid great celebration and fanfare. In fact as you read the story  it was the Temple he came to. Came to replace it, it seems.

And then it was all over in a week. Dead. Buried. So much for the coming King. And then he came again - alive, puzzling, claiming to be the King of everything. And then he went again.

Six weeks later he sent his substitute. The Spirit of the risen Jesus was now with them permanently, until … Until he comes again he is with us and his Spirit is the guarantee that he will return. Maybe today.

Dale