Advent 10 – Offering

I forgot to check my word of the day before setting out this morning. Later in the afternoon, before heading back from our adventures, I had that “oh, shit” moment of remembering to look up my word. Turns out, that I had unknowingly grabbed a photo of “offering” without even setting out to find it.

I took this photo for the simple reason that I really liked this sculpture. Here is Christ as a child. An actual child! NOT a renaissance icon of god trapped in a human child’s body, regaled with a halo and flanked by a cadre of adoring adults. He is interacting with his parents. His actions captured in sculpure and the expression on his face are that of a child who simply wants to please his parents. Moreover, Joseph is not only not excluded from the scene, he seems to be the focus of his son’s attention. In one hand Jesus is offering Joseph his heart. In the other, he is holding a square… a tool essential to his father’s trade. This is a son offering his love to his father. This is the relationship that launched a life of ministry that changed the world with a new message that what God wants from humanity is that we offer ourselves in the service of others.