A Holy Moment with Jonathan Illya

When Jesse and Jeremiah saw baby Jonathan for the first time I could hardly believe how long these two fellas stood there to watch – probably five minutes.  On the ledge, peering through the big window where Jonathan lay asleep, they each somehow seemed to recognize his significance and accordingly allow him space into their worlds: Jeremiah by incessantly pointing his finger and exclaiming “Bay-beeee!” and Jesse by promising “I’m going to keep an eye on him, my new brother..what’s his name again?”  

Jonathan is significant, beyond significant, and I will not spell out all of those ways here.  Let it simply be said that as we were holding him, sitting in the peaceful stillness of the tired night, we couldn’t help but feel caught up in something amazingly personal yet widely grand. Even beyond the immeasurable joy we have to simply have another child, this baby represents a greater gift.  In this fragile little vessel is the subtle reminder that God has always chosen life over death. Although Jonathan Illya is no replacement for what has been lost, he is a palpable sign of things to come; a first ray of light whose warmth ensures us sometime soon God’s new day will dawn.  

This is, of course, not the first time God has chosen to make holy a quiet moment with a helpless child, but perhaps this is the first time we have really grasped something of how profound that first moment actually was.

We welcome you into this world Jonathan Illya Goran!