Who Do You Recognize?

    When Jesus was at the table with them, he took some bread, gave thanks, divided it, and gave it to them. And then, they were allowed to recognize Jesus. (Luke 24:30-31a, New Century Version)

Hubby had a Santa gig yesterday here in town. It gives us a warm feeling when kids walk in the door, see him, their faces light up, and they squeal, “Santa!”. He’s probably the most recognized character in our culture.

I’d like to think that the face of Jesus is just as recognizable. How many of us have seen that iconic picture of Jesus, where He is looking to the right. His beard is neatly trimmed, His hair is shoulder-length, and His eyes are looking ever so slightly upward. Type iconic picture of Jesus in any search engine and it will come up.

Wouldn’t it be exciting if Jesus was walking down the street of your town, and children ran up to Him, calling in delight, “Jesus!” And then, when He asked what they wanted for Christmas, they would say something like, “Just to always be with You!”

That’s what I want for Christmas – for everyone to recognize Jesus, know Him personally, take His hand and tell Him what they want. And even more so, for everyone to know Him without having to see Him in person, to know Him in their hearts.