Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-121Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.
Dear disciples of Jesus: Grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus. Amen.Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, his is the way the author of the letter to the Hebrews begins his presentation of the good news of Jesus Christ. This is not like a typical Once upon a time opening, this is not like an advertisement trying to sell us a new product, this is something different. This is one sentence recollection of something that has been taking place for generations: God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but now he has spoken to us by his Son. We see that God has always wanted to communicate with us and is always calling us to communicate with him, and this call is a call that happens in our history, it is a historical fact. It is recorded in the history of the people of Israel, it is explained in the life of the patriarchs, the prophets, the exodus, the deportation, the return from the exile, the promise of a new world, the beatitudes, the message of the kingdom of God, the life of Jesus and the ministry of the disciples and the first community of Christians. God loves to be in touch with us, this is clearly expressed in the opening verse of this letter. God is not distant or indifferent, God is always present in history. This is important to remember, we always question God about where God is when we need God.
Is God far? Is God beyond our historical development? Is God silent? Is God mysteriously absent? Where is God?
The letter to the Hebrews says: God is always communicating God´s divine will, God is always speaking historically. But we need to pay attention! We need to recapitulate our history, our collective memory, our journey as people of God and as children of God and find in the whole historical experience the presence of God.
Is God talking to you today? Where is God present for you today? Why is the divine presence a mystery for many people?
Can God be really present in a way that we can understand the divine easily?
The text is inviting us to analyze our history under the light of the living word of God, we need to understand ourselves and our world through Jesus´ life and revelation. Our history needs to be interpreted with Christ as the Son changing everything and giving meaning to everything.
Where is God when I am sick? Where is God when I am lonely? Where is God when I am poor? Where is God when I experience sorrow or anxiety? Those are our questions. God answers to all these question with a clear statement: I am in my Son! I am in Jesus!
Find Jesus´ presence in your brokenness, find him present in the poor, find him present in the sick, find him preaching at your work, your school, your home, in your marriage, your solitude or your loneliness, find him searching for you when you think that God is absent. God is not absent, God has chosen to be found in Jesus. In Jesus we can see the suffering God, the human God, the God living in a historic place -with common friends, with human problems and challenges- the God that has hunger and thirst, the God that was subject to our own contradictions, the God that suffered injustice and death.
In Jesus is where we can find God. With Jesus is with whom we can talk about our contradictions and challenges, he is not different than us, but he is divine and gives us eternal life to receive from him his divine life. Luther wrote in his explanation of the second article of the Creed: I believe in Jesus Christ: I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father in eternity, and also a true human being, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned human being. He has purchased and freed me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. He has done all this in order that I may belong to him, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he is risen from the dead and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.
Our Confirmation students are working on their faith statements in these final months of class. One of the questions that they have to consider for their faith statement is to ask themselves: Who is Jesus for me?Perhaps you attended confirmation classes long time ago, or perhaps you never had a confirmation class and never had to write a faith statement. Well I want to invite you to walk along with our confirmation students these weeks and think and pray. Listen and discern and answer the fundamental question, the radical question: Who is Jesus for you today?The way you answer this fundamental question will always determine the way you will face the rest of your challenges, tests, temptations and any tribulation that may come to your life. This is because the answer to this question will reveal you more deeply the real nature, love and amazing grace that is present in Jesus, the Son of God.This is a historical question that addresses a historical life, your life, and the life of the Son of God. Who is Jesus for you today? Ask, pray, discern, proclaim. Amen.