The visitation of the Lord
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God. Psalm 48:1
Read Luke 19:41—46
What moves Jesus to tears? What is the deep pain that he cannot brush off? Surely it is the outright horror that those he made, made for relationship with himself, made to know and honour his Father, simply will not recognise him. Because they are losing the very life they were made for. He, through Luke’s Gospel, has been setting his course for Jerusalem, for Jerusalem to receive him, its visitation from its Lord and lover. All who pinned their hopes on Jerusalem will find it one day, and soon, completely flattened. The Temple will fall in the same way. All is not lost. Jerusalem and its Temple will reach the true fulfilment in this visit. It is Jesus himself who will be our meeting place with God, our peace, and so our true Temple. Let me gladly welcome him now. Let me come to him, not only to weep but to rejoice.
Lord, when you moved deliberately to Jerusalem to enact the great plan for the world’s peace with God, there should have been festival. There should have been laughter. There should have been joy on earth as in heaven. Let there be festival now. Let my life be the welcome. Let my life be a place for your dwelling. So now I will have joy. I will have laughter. For here you meet me. You are the visitation of God.