Where We Find Jesus, by the Rev. Kaji Douša

I think that in this time right now, a lot of us are asking the question “Where is God?” I know I have asked this, and today in my church we are celebrating Ascension Sunday this whole week, and in the ascension, the disciples at the end of the Gospel of Luke watched Jesus rise up into the heavens. And I heard someone say it’s like the first day of Jesus deciding he was going to work from home – which I love. I don’t know who made that up, but they’re right. But besides that, you might think that Jesus has left, that Jesus left the building, that Jesus left the Earth, left us behind to fend for ourselves, but that is not the case. Jesus already taught us where to find him. He said, in Matthew 25, that wherever we look to the least of these, that we see him. And sometimes that’s in uncomfortable ways, and a lot of times disciples didn’t even recognize him, when you think about the guys on the way to Emmaus – they didn’t recognize him until he broke bread with them much later. So my guess, actually my faith tells me for sure, that Jesus is right in front of you, in front of me, too. And I have to do the work to recognize Christ in the very least of these, the most vulnerable populations. And then it’s my job to protect Jesus. Because Jesus protects my soul, I protect his body, no matter who he is, no matter how inconvenient that is to my lifestyle. I invite us all to do the same, in Jesus’ name. Amen