A Vision of Jesus

A vision occurred during worship in church the other Sunday. Just like the ones you read about in the Bible. I was preaching a post-Easter sermon on the famous story of the risen Christ appearing to two of his disciples on the Emmaus Road. While I was preaching, Jesus visibly stood behind me.

I did not see him, but a woman in the congregation did. She shared it with me privately afterwards. She explained that while she was listening to me proclaim the invisible presence of Christ in our midst, suddenly Christ appeared in the pulpit next to me in “a spiritual form.”

This is not a lady given to religious excesses. Indeed I would describe her as just the opposite. She does not come from a denominational background prone to this sort of thing. Neither do I. Yet she found it difficult not to interrupt the worship service and point out to everyone that Jesus was up at the pulpit.

My sermon for that Sunday was appropriately entitled “Hidden in Plain Sight.”

It has been many days now since this happened, and I have shared this with no one besides my wife. I have hesitated to share this with the congregation. But I got permission from the visionary to retell her story here. Perhaps it will edify others like it edified me.

When she told me what she had seen in church that morning, my heart was immediately warmed – just like the disciples described their experience on the Emmaus Road. I thanked her and told her that she had blessed me greatly by sharing this vision with me. It has been blessing me ever since.

Personally I do not consider myself to be the type of person who needs external confirmations of my inward spiritual awareness of God. I know that Christ is with me. I sense the Presence of God. But it is nice to get confirmation once in a while. Thanks, Jesus.