The Anglican Communion has as its special characteristic and contribution to the life of the whole church not any one element in specially conspicuous development, but precisely a combination of the elements which elsewhere tend to exist in separation. We have to hold together these three elements—catholic, evangelical, and what is commonly called liberal [Temple did not use liberal in the sense that it has developed today].

—William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, Thoughts on Some Problems of the Day (1931)

While we deliberate, [Christ] reigns; when we decide, [Christ] reigns; when we decide foolishly, he reigns; when we serve him in humble loyalty, he reigns; when we serve him self-assertively, he reigns; when we rebel and seek to withhold our service, he reigns—the Alpha and the Omega, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

—William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, Sermon at the 1930 Lambeth Conference

The kingdom of heaven has no price tag on it: It is worth as much as you have. For Zacchaeus it was worth half of what he owned, because the other half that he had unjustly pocketed he promised to restore fourfold. For Peter and Andrew it was worth the nets and vessel they had left behind; for the widow it was worth two copper coins; for another it was worth a cup of cold water. So, as we said, the kingdom of heaven is worth as much as you have.

—Gregory the Great, Forty Gospel Homilies 5.2

After the two days he left for Galilee. (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that prophets have no honor in their own country.) When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed. This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

—John 4:43-54 (TNIV)

More real life stuff from John today. It reminds us that sometimes in our lives we just are not ready to hear Jesus. Sometimes we are too close to something and need a bit of distance from it to gain some much needed perspective.

Here we see a desperate father asking Jesus to heal his son. Jesus tries to remind him of the bigger picture, to help him see life from an eternal perspective, but the father will have none of it. He is too desperate to be bothered by lesser things. The most important thing for the man is to have his son healed so that he will not die. Yet through it all, the man carries with him a modicum of faith. After all, he believed Jesus had the power to heal and he persists in his request for healing for his son. John tells us that, “the man took Jesus at his word and departed,” a remarkable statement of faith, and that the man’s faith was rewarded. After the more pressing needs of the day were resolved, the man turned his attention to Jesus, to the most important issue for the living of our days. Jesus was apparently OK with playing second fiddle, at least temporarily, because he used the darkness of that man’s life to bring healing and a life-giving perspective. He can do likewise for you. It may not come in the form of miraculous healing, but Jesus can bring you life and light in the midst of darkness.

The man’s son eventually died. So did all whom Jesus healed because we are all mortal. But if the son shared his father’s belief in Jesus, he gained more than just physical healing. He gained eternal life with the Source and Author of all life. That’s a great truth and promise, but sometimes we need the perspective that only time and distance can give us before we can see it and embrace it. What is in your life that is clouding your perspective on Jesus and the Truth he offers you?