Setting Jesus Free

They moved Jesus.  When he first arrived, they placed him under a roof, behind closed doors.  People came inside to visit him.  They gazed lovingly at his face, reached out gingerly to caress a hand.  Finally, the day came when he could no longer remain sequestered.  There was no hiding, no cowering in fear of attack once he was exposed to the elements.  What kind of life could that be?  For him?  For those who came to visit him, when the doors were locked?

So today, they moved Jesus.  Out from behind the doors of the church, he is available to the community.  He is available to the world.  Though there were many who wanted to keep him to themselves, protected from the wild others who wandered the streets, he is now free of that bondage.  Under the open skies, illuminated in the glory of sunrise and sunset, he can be seen by all.  No more does Jesus belong solely to those who would hide him like a light under a bushel.  No more does he belong to those who fear what others might do to him, or what his presence in the world might reveal.

Now that Jesus is free for all to see – how many more might he set free?

 Bronze Jesus Statue at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church - Inside Narthex

Jesus moving through the air, gently, to be placed near the alcove on the front of the building

Jesus looking over the community of Gold Canyon, Arizona