MaryBeth LaMont

Where do you go to hear the voice of Jesus? Where do you turn or, perhaps, to whom do you turn?

Scripture, of course, is the Christianity 101 answer. We can hear Jesus speak in the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, parables, and so many places. Some of Jesus’ words in scripture are comforting, others may be challenging, while some we discover to be motivating.

Worship is a good place to hear the address of Jesus to our community and to us. There scripture is read, always with a gospel text focusing on an action of Jesus, a teaching, a healing, or some combination thereof. Often the second lesson is from a letter written by St. Paul where Paul may be commenting on the meaning of some aspect of Jesus life, death, and resurrection.

Sacraments convey in a more visible form communication from Jesus. Do this. Baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

There are other ways we may hear Jesus speak in the prayers, liturgy, hymns, and various actions in worship. Sometimes it may simply be a feeling as we sit in a sacred place with sacred people.

Essentially, we tend to hear Jesus speak where we expect Jesus to be. Scripture and worship are very naturally connected to Jesus so we anticipate something of Jesus to come through where we expect to find Jesus: in church.

Maybe you have even heard Jesus speak in the words of another outside of worship. Someone offering comfort in a scary or troubling time; someone expressing some concern about us or some aspect of our behavior and offers a word of correction to us.

What about places we never expect to hear Jesus address us? Sure, possibly in the workplace, school, the neighborhood and even our favorite watering hole. Some conversations can knock us off our feet when they come as more than the word of a friend or neighbor, but as a word from God.

Then there are those places where I am not sure we ever look for Jesus to come to us. Yet in the gospels it is clear Jesus speaks even especially through these. I am talking about the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, and the thirsty. The very people whom we often avoid are those Jesus specifically names as a place he will be. You and I may offer assistance to these folks, but how often do we listen to them anticipating that
Jesus may have something to say to us through them?

It seems Jesus had a habit of hanging out with all the wrong people. For you and I to hear Jesus speak to us more fully, it would also seem you and I have to listen for Jesus not only in expected people and places, but in all the wrong ones as well. Don’t worry; it is the same Jesus who will address us in all these people and places.