Easter Postscript: When God “Shows Up”

Okay, at the outset and for those readers who tend to scrutinize the “qualifications” of a writer, I am no theologian. (That was my introductory “in the interest of full disclosure” statement.) But neither is being a theologian a Biblical prerequisite in recognizing the Presence of Jesus Christ in the midst of a body of believers.

On Easter Sunday, out of curiosity from all the press coverage in the Hattiesburg American, I made the trek from Jefferson Davis County and attended the first service of Crosspoint Church, Dr. Dean Register, Pastor, (or shepherd—his autobiographical reference in his message) at the Lake Terrace Convention Center. Upon arriving, I was literally stunned to see the crowds, but not necessarily impressed since crowds don’t necessarily indicate that God is also attending. The Crosspoint greeters had been happily caught off-guard by the number of attendees and were ecstatically searching for additional seating. After standing for some time and due to a neuromuscular disorder, I was about to leave—thinking the event would probably just be hype and the “same-old, same-old.” Before I could make the suggestion to my husband, an usher signaled that seats were available near the front. I’m so glad they found room for us, but as the services unfolded, I was gladder still, that they had found room for Jesus—for what I term, His “Manifest” Presence.

Before I receive correction from the theologians (for whom I have the greatest respect and admiration), I know that God is always “present.” He is Jehovah Shammah—“The Lord is There.” The scholars refer to this attribute of God as “Omnipresence.” But what I term the “Manifest” Presence is distinctively different. “Manifest” means to “make known.” God wants to make Himself known to each of us. In His Manifest Presence He becomes uniquely “knowable.” At that moment of Manifest Presence, there is an indisputable Divine connection—reminiscent of Michelangelo’s breath-taking depiction in the fresco of the Sistine Chapel of the Finger of God touching the finger of Adam. As with Adam, God’s touch in His Manifest Presence is Life-giving. With His touch—His Manifest Presence—there is unfathomable Power: Power to change people’s lives…Power to “heal the broken-hearted” and to “bind up their wounds.” As Dr. Register eloquently stated in his message, there are a lot of broken, bruised, and hurting people in the Pine Belt.

My husband and I have been a part of that “broken, bruised, and hurting” demographic. A family touched four times by life-threatening cancer can only be described in such a manner. We well-know the critical need for God’s touch when the catastrophes of this world touch us.

So, to Dr. Register and Crosspoint, thank you for having willing and hungry hearts for the Manifest Presence of Jesus. May you pursue Him with all your strength, for in the pursuit “the broken, the bruised, the hurting” of the Pine Belt will be touched and sustained. As for this non-theologian, I will be visiting you again.