Pleased

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?"

Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

... Matthew 3:13-17

I have been pondering the nature of God's love this week. It is Advent, and it was the topic of last week's service at MBCC. I am also reading eat, pray, love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Her writing provokes all kinds of questions for me about the nature of God (and I am on the section about love). I came across this passage in Matthew in my desperate efforts to find a sermon series topic for January. I have read this passage before, the baptism of Jesus is a pretty iconic story. I also focused on the Holy Spirit descending as a dove, but this time something else jumped out at me.

"This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." God's says this before Jesus' ministry. God says this before Jesus does all the stuff that we try to emulate--before the healings, the calling, the loving, the traveling, and the sharing. Jesus hasn't yet resisted temptation in the desert. He hasn't turned water into wine (or walked on it for that matter). And yet God loves him. Even more, God is pleased with him.

For a long time my life felt like a series of not yets. I will be serving God when I (fill in the blank here), but not yet. I will be someone when I (fill in the blank here), but not yet. I will change the world when I (fill in another blank), but not yet.

God tells me that the not yets do not matter. God loves me NOW and is pleased with me NOW... before, without and independent of all the not yets.