Christ in Each Other - July 9

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:1-24; PM Psalm 12, 13, 14; 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Acts 10:1-16; Luke 24:12-35

Today’s Gospel is my favorite story in all of Holy Scripture. Two people encounter a stranger on the road, and only later realize it was Jesus. I especially love the moment when they say, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That line reminds me that our sacred journey through scripture isn’t just about gaining knowledge. It’s about transformation. Faith has a way of reshaping how we see everything, especially how we see one another. When we immerse ourselves in the story of God, we begin to see with new eyes. Strangers become companions. The overlooked become beloved. And Christ appears in places we never expected.

A lot of the stories from the past few weeks have been really tough for me to process, so I want to offer a lighter image.  Just this week in Louisiana, a routine traffic stop became a moment of profound compassion. A sheriff’s deputy pulled over a speeding driver who explained he was on his way to a funeral and couldn’t get his tie right. Instead of merely issuing a ticket, the deputy knelt on the roadside and helped him tie it, an act of kindness that went viral as a reminder that humanity transcends duty. In that moment, the deputy saw beyond an offense, one that most of us our guilty of from time to time. He saw a grieving fellow human in need, and he chose to meet him with dignity and care.

So many of the divisions and wounds we face in the world today are rooted in our inability, or maybe even our refusal, to see Christ in one another. Whether across cultural, political, racial, or economic lines, too often we look at others and see difference or threat instead of dignity and belovedness. But our faith invites us into a different kind of vision. When we allow the Gospel to open our hearts, it opens our eyes. We begin to recognize that every person we encounter bears the image of God. And that, my friends, is the beginning of transformation. That is the foundation of hope.

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  When have I failed to recognize Christ in someone I encountered? How has Scripture opened my eyes to see others differently?