Today, being Advent Sunday, Lois and I decided to break our not-so-long-established routine and mark it by joining a virtual day retreat from Los Olivos in Spain.
The day itself was grey and wet (at least until mid-afternoon) and being trapped in our quarantine room there was little to distract us from our quiet contemplation.
At least that was the case up until about 11am when the peace was broken by Santa Claus floating down the Mayoral Drive right outside our hotel, to the sound of brass band playing Jingle Bells (slightly incongruous in the warm summer rain) and followed by a giant inflatable Peppa Pig, Thomas the Tank Engine, dancers, elves, bag-pipes and the entire ensemble of the Auckland Christmas parade.
Still, apart from that interruption (and another to go down and have our day 3 Covid swabs), the day was peaceful and inspiring. Daniel Muñoz, the retreat guide, led us through reflections on images of Christ (Imago Christi) as portrayed in historical and contemporary art.
I reflected on how so many of the historical images of Jesus portray him as a handsome, fair-haired westerner, and have created an image which I now find unhelpful and misleading. On the one hand portraying a non-threatening, impotent focus of adoration; separate, somewhat ethereal, content to receive our worship without changing anything. And on the other hand, a figure head for white supremacy – the God in human form – white, male, self-assured.
What a far cry from the Jesus I see portrayed in the gospels.
So here, drawing on more contemporary portrayals of Jesus, are some of the images I reflected on today and which have made me stop and think about who Jesus really is:
A multi-cultural Jesus – meeting people where they are, as they are. Ordinary, human, earthy.
Jesus the pain-bearer – getting alongside those who are suffering; suffering with them. And somehow, through that, transforming our pain.
Jesus Christ the subversive revolutionary – challenging the powers and structures of our world; confronting injustice, oppression, violence and greed.
Jesus the liberator, the life-giver – loving life; laughing, loving, living; setting people free; leading us on to God’s new creation.
Amen!!!!