Where Jesus is most present

Where is Jesus most present?

I think Jesus is most obviously present in the worst of situations. Maybe that’s just because he’s easier to see in those moments.

What would these times be?

This past week one of the nurses who works in the free clinic that our church hosts told me about a young woman who was being sexually trafficked. She came in saying she had enough and was ready to get out. She had been beaten, bruised, had cigarette burns on her chest, and had been raped and discarded. The nurse and a nursing student helped her. They literally helped her put food in her mouth, offered care and love to her all without judgement. She had been through hell after all. And Jesus was there. In the form of a nursing student who knelt down to this woman’s level and was empathetic and caring.

A month or so ago a man who visits the clinic often was held at gun point in the alleyway outside the clinic. There were three men, completely covered to make themselves unidentifiable. It was related to drugs. The nurses could only watch helplessly on the video screen, praying for the man’s safety. The three assailants left the man after beating him. The nurses offered care to him. Jesus was there.

A couple of months ago a man came into the clinic which I was in the waiting room. I spent time each week in the clinic wearing my collar, with a sign that says, “free prayer.” The man opened the door to the clinic, stuck his head in and said, “can someone help me.” The nurses were all…