The Logo of The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta - Purple Crest with Bishop's Mitre

Near

Feb 19, 2021

God being near is how it all gets started and is sustained. God was near to Jesus at his baptism, near enough to whisper the words “beloved” and the affirmation “pleased.” God wanted new nearness to Jesus so God directed him through Spirit to the soul-making crucible of “wilderness.” And though Satan was in the wilderness with the wild beasts, so were angel companions. God’s nearness, more often than not, doesn’t eradicate hardship, it uses it for some new faithful resolve. Did you notice after the arrest of Jesus’ cousin John – the one whose fiery faithfulness helped him believe – that Jesus picks up the fragments of John’s simple sermon? And what he leads with, the very first thing Jesus wants us to know, is near where God chooses to be. Near is how God chooses to be. I sure hope that what is driving us is God’s nearness.

Mark 1:9-15


For People with Bishop Rob Wright

The new podcast expands on Bishop’s For Faith devotional, drawing inspiration from the life of Jesus to answer 21st-century questions.


Cerca

Estando Dios cerca es como todo comienza y se sostiene. Dios estaba cerca de Jesús en su bautismo, lo suficientemente cerca como para susurrar las palabras “amado” y la afirmación “complacido”. Dios quería una nueva cercanía a Jesús, por lo que Dios lo dirigió a través del Espíritu al crisol del “desierto” que crea almas. Y aunque Satanás estaba en el desierto con las bestias salvajes, también lo estaban los ángeles acompañantes. La cercanía de Dios, la mayoría de las veces no erradica las dificultades, la usa para una nueva resolución fiel. ¿Notaron después del arresto de Juan, el primo de Jesús, aquel cuya ardiente fidelidad lo ayudó a creer, que Jesús recoge los fragmentos del sencillo sermón de Juan? Y con lo que nos guía, lo primero que Jesús quiere que sepamos es que ‘cerca’ es donde Dios elige estar. Cerca es como Dios elige estar. Espero que lo que nos impulse sea la cercanía de Dios.

Marcos 1:9-15