Amy Oden
I don’t know what you were taught about why Jesus came, but my experience says Christians are really confused about it. In the gospel of John, Jesus is pretty clear about his purpose: “I came so that they could have life -- indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest.” (John 10:10) Pause and let that sink in. Life to the fullest! What does that look like for you? Right now, in your everyday life?
One of our wise ones, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), a theologian, preacher and abbess of the 12th century, talks about this fullness of life as greenness or viriditas. She describes “the greening power of God” as a verdant, life-giving vitality that flows through all things, not only the earth but also through human beings. Hildegard invites us to stay connected to the Source of this life-energy, this juicy-ness. Life to the fullest.
When have you experienced “greening power” in your life, that sense of coming alive or being energized? How might “the greening power of God” be showing up in your life right now?
Today, imagine your spiritual life rooted here, in Jesus’ invitation to “live life to the fullest.” Does it shift the ways you think about God or about your life or about the world around you when you contemplate God’s greening power?