Devotion 

Who Is This?

Frances Taylor 

Herod was very curious about Jesus. He knew he had killed John, and didn't think he had risen from the dead, even though that was one of the rumors. In fact, Herod was so anxious to see Jesus that he was glad Pilate sent Jesus to him after his arrest. He wanted to see a sign. Did he think that Jesus would "perform" for him? What was he looking for? What are people looking for today? Non-believers come to believe in Jesus and I am always interested in their reasons. What was it that sparked their interest? How did their faith develop? Obviously, the Holy Spirit is at work in them, but I still wonder. The same questions come to my mind when people lose their faith in Jesus and I don't really know why. What were they looking for in Jesus that they couldn't find? Were they hoping to see some sign, some miracle to convince them that Jesus is who he says he is? Of course, the same questions can apply to those of us who do believe and have known about Jesus from our earliest years. Why do we continue to believe? Who is Jesus to us? What signs have we seen that reinforce our beliefs? For some people, the answer might be habit. They were born into a Christian family, were brought to church and belief became a habit and they never really thought about it. For others, they thought about it and came to believe that the Gospels tell the truth of Jesus and his message of salvation. I know my answer, what's yours?

Prayer 

Loving and faithful God, you have sent your Holy Spirit to us and given us the gift of faith. May we always stand confident in our faith in you and not look for signs. Amen.