“It’s not about who’s sitting in the chair; it’s about Who is washing their feet.”
These words from Jess Bond stayed with me throughout Ignite. It is a powerful image of Jesus kneeling down and washing the feet of who is in the chair.
For three days, Darwin became a mountain top experience. Together we prayed, worshipped, celebrated Mass, spent time in Adoration and encountered Gods forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The theme of this year’s conference was Ascend, taken from Isaiah 2:3, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.”
When I first heard the theme, I thought that it meant that climbing higher and doing more means that you’re becoming a better Christian. But over the three days, I realised something beautiful: before Jesus calls us to Ascend, He first comes down to meet us where we are at.
One of the most powerful moments for me at Ignite Conference Darwin was watching people quietly line up for Reconciliation. As they approached Reconciliation the thought I had was “They’re coming home”.
It’s like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son. God isn’t standing at a distance waiting for us to have everything figured out before we can come to Him. You know what He does? He runs towards us - He welcomes us with mercy and rejoices when we return.
That’s why Jess Bond’s words struck me so deeply. It isn’t about who is sitting in the chair. Every person has a different story, different struggles and different wounds. But the One kneeling before them is always the same. Jesus meets us with the same love, same mercy and the same invitation.
The theme Ascend isn’t about climbing a mountain through our own efforts, it’s allowing Jesus to lift us up through His grace, and letting Him remind us that we can encounter Him daily, whether its in the Eucharist, in Reconciliation, in prayer or in one another. He transforms our hearts so we can become more like Him.
And so as I left Ignite Conference, I didn’t just leave inspired with a renewed desire for mission. I left with knowing I need to love as Jesus loves. To serve as Jesus serves. To be someone who reminds others that no matter how far they have wandered, they are never beyond God’s mercy. They can always come home.
Though the mountain top experience may be over the invitation to Ascend continues everyday.
No matter where you are on your journey, His invitation remains the same,
Come home.