One holy and surprising encounter with Jesus came where I was least expecting to meet him: in death. When I was baptized, I became fascinated by the role of death in the rite. I could tell you all about how I was freed from sin and death and resurrected in Christ. I could tell you what it meant to me when the waters of the font touched my head, forever tying me to Christ’s death and resurrection. But this holy encounter did not come over the font. It came in the death of the pastor who baptized me.
Christ is especially present in the throes of death. In my grief over my spiritual father (my personal John the Baptist, who pointed me to not just see Jesus, but to encounter him in his fullness and woundedness), I encountered resurrection’s power over death.
When my pastor presided over my baptism, I encountered Jesus in an amazing and profound way. When he died, I learned more about the promises of resurrection and how the Body of Christ comes together to love and support one another.
This message is excerpted from “Encountering Jesus” by Tuhina Verma Rasche in the January/February 2019 Gather magazine.
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