Devotional 1-11-08

Reuben’s Story

Matthew 3:13-17 ; Mark 1:9-11
Reuben -- Hebrew -- means "behold, a son"

Reuben had stood at the edge of the river
Witness to what had begun as something ordinary
One man, approaching another
Greeting each other as friends.
He hadn’t been able to hear what was being said,
But finally, the one named John,
The one who had at first seemed resistant,
Smiled ruefully,
And had baptized the one named Jesus.

Suddenly, the ordinary had become miraculous.
After the baptism
Jesus lifted his head
And looked toward the sky.
The heavens parted,
The voice of God reverberated
Across the water.
It echoed with a fullness
That shook Reuben
Down to his soul.

God had said,
“You are my son.
I love you;
With you I am well pleased.”
A glow of happiness lit Jesus’ face
A light that was so extraordinary,
So full of pleasure,
That it could light the world.
Water and tears slid off his face together
And his smile was astonishing.
Laughter sprang from his lips
And filled the air with his joy.

Reuben carried all of this home with him.
He felt transformed.
Changed.
Remade.
Life would never be the same again.
He had always – all his life – believed in God,
But now he had heard His voice
And seen His son.
And nothing would ever be the same.

He walked onto his farm
And stood at the edge of a field.
He saw his son working.
Since his son had become a man
They had not been close.
Some days they barely spoke.
Reuben was bursting with this news.
How could he explain it to his child?
How could he describe the voice of God?
The look on the face of the son?
Reuben realized that he had never seen
His own son with such joy on his face.

He walked across the field,
Laid a hand on his son’s shoulder,
And said,
“You are my son.
I love you;
With you I am well pleased.”

Surprise, and then disbelief,
Crossed his son’s face.
Finally, all was replaced with wonder.

A glow of happiness lit his face
A light that was so extraordinary,
So full of pleasure,
That it could light the world.
Tears slid off their faces,
And their smiles were astonishing.
Laughter sprang from their lips
And filled the air with their joy.

Kim Matthews