|
Friends United Meeting |
 |
December 2001
Valiant for Truth
The Divine Thumbprint
By Trish Edwards-Konic
When God came to earth, it wasn't in a fiery cloud like a magician, it wasn't in a regal procession like a king, it was as a tiny baby—helpless, dependent upon others for survival, flourishing in a loving environment.
Death stalked this infant in Jerusalem as Herod requested the Wise Men to report Jesus' whereabouts. Parents wailed in the night as their infant sons were murdered.
But the angels of the Lord encamped around Jesus, surrounding Mary in her conception, guiding Joseph through his dreams. The Divine Thumbprint stamped each event.
Thumbprints are unique—each one is unique to its owner. Pressing your thumb in ink and transferring the image to paper leaves a mark only your thumbprint can make. There is no other exactly like it.
God's Thumbprint is seen in every tree that buds, leafs and changes color in the fall. God's Thumbprint is on the mountain peaks and in the prairie grass. God's Thumbprint is seen in the love shared by family members.
God's Thumbprint shines most clearly in the Incarnation, the divine expression of God's love for all of humanity, the birth of Jesus. There is no other historical event like it. Beyond human imagination, God came to earth as a vulnerable infant born in a lowly animal pen.
God wasn't trying to impress, astound or amaze us. God was just trying to tell us how much He loves us in a way humans could understand. As Jesus' ministry focused on those in need of love—the poor, the downtrodden, the marginalized of society—the Divine Thumbprint continued to be stamped on these ordinary lives.
In these days of longing for hope, the Incarnation is even more meaningful. Those of us stamped with the Divine Thumbprint can reach out with love to the bleak places, to the poor and grieving. Every day we can make God incarnate and pass on the Divine Thumbprint—in our concern for others, in prayerful worship and in helpful deeds.
Copyright (c) 2001 Friends United Meeting
Return to December 2001 Contents page