Saturday After Epiphany
We all wish to do great things for God. Odds are, regular Magis readers have had some sort of experience of God’s glory, and wish to share that glory with others. Some have perhaps even become known, by their family, friends, or larger community, as someone who spreads God’s glory. But as we have seen over the course of this week, God’s glory is not something we are in control of. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it is remarked that “Aslan is not a tame lion.” When one of the Pevensie children ask whether Aslan is safe, a Narnian responds “‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.” Likewise with God, and God’s glory: it isn’t safe, but it’s good.
God’s glory being unsafe means that we are liable to be cut down by it. In the right ordering of things, our glory must give way to God’s. This was the experience of John the Baptist that we see in today’s gospel. Jesus is out baptizing people in the same region as John. As his name and title might indicate, baptisms were primarily what John was known for. Yet when he hears that Jesus is also baptizing, and that “everyone is coming to Him,” John is undisturbed. He even welcomes the news. Because while John is known for baptizing, that is not what his life is truly about. His life is about the glory of God. For a while, that meant baptizing. Later, it meant allowing Jesus to baptize. Later still, it meant his beheading. God’s glory isn’t safe, but it’s good. As we reflect on God’s glory, and the ways it surprises us, the unsafe nature of it must be acknowledged. Through the unsafe grace of God, may we respond like John the Baptist.