Born Again and Again and Again
Posted by John Denson
(04.08.07, 1:22 PM)
I asked a priest if he really thinks Jesus is going to come again, like, to Chicago or someplace, or, maybe, the Green Hills Maggie Moos or Mary's Barbeque on Jefferson Street. Wherever. The priest said he already has. I asked, "did I miss it?" He said, "that depends."
Confused, yet realizing this was headed to a place I didn't expect (as apparently Jesus was, too), I asked for more information, because even a liberal Episcopalian like me had not heard this.
The priest simply looked at me with that priest-look, held his index finger up to his collarbone, and slowly pointed to his chest/breast/heart, moving his finger downward, ever so much.
I began to get it. I asked, "so that's where he comes?" The priest just looked at me. Being stubborn and an absolutist, which makes faith tough sometimes, I repeated, "That's where he comes? Like over and over?"
The priest gave me a simple nod. A light went on just inside the northeast corner of my forehead, near the part of the brain providing consciousness. Incredulous, I now asked, "Does this mean I've been born again?"
The priest shrugged.
And I thanked him, telling him he did something for me no one would ever believe, which is to put me in the same category as chatty evangelicals. For them, Jesus is coming to a Starbucks near you; for me, he's here, a day at a time - born again and again and again. Either way, he's back, or on his way.
Bottom line? It's a personal experience, the resurrection is - whether it be daily or as a once in a lifetime deal. Sometimes it takes a resurrection just to get my butt through the day; that said, there must be a God, and his/her visitation hours are 24/7.
If that's not being born again I don't know what is...
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