I remember a previous archdeacon saying these words to me at an incredibly difficult and challenging time, and I honestly could have screamed in frustration. Trust the process? Really?? Too often human processes seem flawed, convoluted, and frequently bring oppression and injustice rather than freedom and peace.

In the event, she was right. The process worked, by the grace of God.

The account of Jesus’ baptism reminds me of exactly this sense of the ridiculousness of process at times. Jesus comes to John for baptism, and John’s response is (to paraphrase) “Are you kidding? You’re the Son of God! I’m just the prophet! You should be baptising me!”

In a sense of course, John was absolutely right. It was nonsensical. But in choosing incarnation, in choosing relationship, God had chosen to go with the process, and not to take shortcuts. He could have arrived as an adult; instead, he arrived as a baby and went through the process of growing up. He could have come in power and glory; instead, he learned what it was to live an ordinary, common human life. He could have had all of heaven and earth at his command; instead, he chose to accept limitation, reciprocity, and the human process, with all that entails.

And as part of that, even the Son of God needed to be anointed by the prophet for the role to which God the Father was calling him, just as Kings of Israel of old had been anointed to their roles. This anointing was with water, a baptism into a new life, a new role, which would be all-consuming. And in order to do it, even Jesus went through the process first.

In the same way, he went through the process of living, teaching, dying, and rising again to bring healing and reconciliation to all humanity and all creation. Perhaps process is not just the “how”. Perhaps process is the “what” as well. Just as it’s not just the destination, but also the journey, because the journey shapes us and prepares us so that we are able to cope with our destination when we arrive.

Next time someone tells me to trust the process, and my natural impatience grumbles, I shall endeavour to remember this. And I hope, if (like me) patience is not one of your native virtues, this may help you too.

Revd. Talisker

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash