I was thinking of you.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedI held in my arms
the mother of a young man
who was murdered on the streets of Boston.

She screamed,
and screamed,
and screamed,
and I held her and I let her.
That was the right thing to do.

The Bible doesn’t say Mary screamed.
But John was there, and he held her.
I am sure of it.
It wasn’t like the holy cards and the plaster statues
in the front of the church from my childhood.
No,
there was blood,
no soft clouds,
serene faces,
and pastel robes.
No.
This was a grisly,
horrible execution
as the King of Kings
was enthroned upon the cross.

He took upon himself the entire weight
of human brokenness,
and became the perfect peace offering
to restore our relationship to the Father.

St. Augustine said
that He would have done it for just one of us.
The cross is the ultimate
expression of your value to God.
No man
has greater love
than to lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus
wants to be your friend,
and you are his friend if you listen to his word and do it.

It is really hard when you work with artists.
You have to hear a lot of heartbreaking stories.
We live in a culture
that devalues the role of artists.

And these creative people
are the products of a school system
that tells them we evolved from nothing
for no apparent reason.

A large portion of my work is helping others
overcome the deep sense
of worthlessness that they carry.
This worthlessness is reinforced
by every ad on the internet,
television, and radio.
It’s supported by movies,
TV, and online media.

And it says,
“You just don’t measure up,
and so you need to try harder.”

Jesus says,
"You matter.
You matter to me.
And if I was thinking of who
would take care of my mother,
in the most excruciating moment
of my life,
I was
thinking of you too.
I would have gone there to death and hell
if there was no one else.
You are worth everything to me.
You don’t have to push your way to the front.
You are a part of my family,
we are in this together,
and I am with you.
I promise."

And a spear
pierced
the
sacred
Heart of Jesus,
and a sword
pierced Mary’s heart.
Blood and water
and tears
flowed.

A new Family
was born
at the foot
of the cross.
One born by water
and blood,
by water and the Holy Spirit,
and nourished by
water,
wine,
and bread.

You matter,
and you are welcome at the Father's table.

We adore you, O Christ
because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.

Christ John Otto writes long form essays at https://christjohnotto.substack.com

You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto

We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co