Film Friday In the classic film Roman Holiday Princess Ann is bored, and so she escapes from her guardians in the palace. She slips out wearing ordinary clothes, into the city of Rome, where she’s discovered by a newsman Joe Bradley. The two then spend the next day or so wondering around the city having a wonderful time, eating together, dancing, laughing, talking, and messing about together. But then of course she has to return to the palace and back to her life as a princess, and when Joe next meets her it’s in a much more formal setting along with a whole load of other journalists and reporters. And all he can do in that environment is shake her hand and nod and share a few polite words with her.
This made me think about how close Jesus has brought us to God. We can often feel at a distance from God for various reasons and of course God is Holy, and God is Mighty, but in Jesus he calls us his friends. (We’re told this in John chapter 15 and verse 15.) And there’s a lovely example of the playfulness of Jesus in the account of what we call the Emmaus road (in Luke chapter 24 verse 13 onwards), where two folks are walking along and Jesus comes alongside as a stranger. He enjoys listening to them and bantering with, and he enjoys the fact that they don’t realize it’s him so he’s able to ask all kinds of questions. He is God in disguise, and in doing so is totally accessible and right there with them. Present and up close. ‘What are you talking about?’ he asks. He most likely already knows, but he wants to hear them talk, wants them to interact with him.
And this is the Jesus that we love and follow now. He’s come so close that he calls his friends, and he invites us to interact with him moment by moment, day by day, in a real and genuine way.
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