Affirmation

"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"  But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.  And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."   The Gospel according to Matthew 3:13-17

I had my church visit this past weekend.  I found myself in a small, historical church, filled with welcoming and open people and a spirit for prayer that was palpable.  I found myself kneeling in the pew enveloped in warmth and saturated in prayer.  It was good. 
 
The above scripture was the Gospel reading for Sunday.  A much beloved scripture.  I have spent a lot of time sitting with this scripture.  The image of the veil between earth and the kingdom lifted for a few precious moments, the love of our Savior and Creator enveloped through the Holy Spirit.  It leaves me in awe.
 
The Rector of this little church preached on Affirmation.  What is it?  Is it a forgotten art?  He noted that in this scripture Jesus is being affirmed by God.  "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."  I understood that, have always known that, have always desired this moment for myself.  But the Rector next pointed out that this affirmation came before Jesus did a thing.  This was not a "great job" affirmation for a job well done.  This is the type of affirmation we know so well.  We search it out from our parents, spouses, friends, bosses.  We work hard and we want to be appreciated, we want to be noticed and acknowledged.  The first question people often ask when meeting someone new is "What is your name?", the second is "What do you do?"  This question asks us to label ourselves, to put ourselves in a moniker that will allow the questioner to either accept or reject our being based on the tasks which demand the most time in our lives.
 
But is that who we are?  And if the questioner accepts that "what we do" is valid in their perception they are then allowed to affirm our life in their mind and ours.  But what weight does that affirmation really hold?
 
"This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."  This affirmation is unconditional of tasks or perceptions of activity or worthiness of time spent doing.  This affirmation from the Creator to the Redeemer is unconditional and absolute Love.  "This Is", "Beloved", I AM well pleased".  Jesus is and therefore God is well pleased.  Thus begins Jesus life and ministry. 
 
It is the same for us if we dare believe it.  As we were knit in the womb lovingly created, God was well pleased with us, His beloved.  We did not have to do a thing, we just needed to Be.  We still do not have to "do" a thing, we just need to "be".  Be present, Be blessed, Be willing to be loved and to love in the same fashion.
 
What would it mean in your life if today, this moment you sat quietly, fully present in this specific moment and contemplated God's Love for you?  It could very well be beyond our reason and imagination this precious, all consuming, all powerful, all humble, all encompassing, unconditional love.  The power of this Love is transformative!  Be forewarned it will change you forever if you accept it and live into it.
 
I remember the moment I knew of this Love and grabbed it with my full heart and hands.  It was a pivotal and primitive moment.  I was bared to my very being.  I was baptized as a child, received as an adult, the outward physical sacraments of inward grace and spirit movement.  But the moment where I realized Love was real and for me, that the Holy Spirit which descended upon my Savior also lives and breathes moving amongst my day was private and sacramental between myself and God.  It was the moment I know I surrendered all that I have and all that I can be to God.  There is no going back, you can not be untransformed.  The invitation to be truly, all knowingly loved forever changed who I am and made the question "what do you do" so insignificant I rarely even offer an answer instead asking the questioner 'how do you choose to move through this world? 
 
My dear friend do you choose Love, a peace that transcends all understanding?