Can you imagine holding a new born child in your arms and you coo to the mother, “This baby is beautiful.” The mother responds, “You think the baby is beautiful. You should see her picture.” Never happen, right! The reality of the child with smooth skin and tiny nails and smelling of baby powder is always more beautiful than any picture. Jesus experienced that the people of his time were holding onto their picture of God — learned in their catechisms and creeds — and were not open to seeing the presence of God right before them. The same goes on today. The divisions that exist in the church are there because of one group or another holding onto some picture of God instead of encountering God-with-us.
