Newsletter: March
Maybe you and I would listen more intently to Christ if we understood who he really is. You and I sometimes take our faith so casually. Studies show that the actions of the average church member differ very little from the non-church member. We reflect our community more than we do any self-conscious commitment to Christ. That’s troubling.
Christ really is the life, the truth, the way. When we live with the integrity, the compassion, the dedication with which he lived, our lives really are improved. We are delivered from guilt, from anger, from hatred and from all the baser emotions that tear down our spirit and cause us to live, as Thoreau described it, “lives of quiet desperation.” The voice from Heaven said to the three disciples, “Listen to him.” That’s God’s prescription for a successful life. Listen to Jesus. Learn from him. Open yourself to him. He is more than a hero. More than a superstar. He is Son of Man and Son of God. He knows the heart of God. He is the heart of God. Listen to him because of who he is.
And listen to him because of what he has done. Not everyone who gives his or her life for a cause is to be emulated. People give their lives with all kinds of motives. Suicide bombers give their lives in the most evil way possible--they take many innocent people with them. But when someone gives his or her life to rescue guilty folks, undeserving folks, sin-ridden folks--then we should listen to what they have to say.
When the early church struggled to understand the significance of the cross, they came to see that it represented not a failure, but an astounding rescue operation. The God of all the universe, in order to deliver us from the ravages of sin, intervened through the life of one man, Jesus of Nazareth, who lay down his life in our behalf. If we could open ourselves to the wonder and majesty of the message of the cross, it would change our lives.
Listen to him because of who he is, Son of man and Son of God. Listen to him because of what he has done--gave his life for the weak and helpless. Gave his life for you and me. And listen to him for what he has promised.
The scene is another mountain. It’s after Jesus’ resurrection. Judas, the betrayer is dead. Only eleven disciples are left. The women who were at the empty tomb tell the disciples that Jesus wants them to return to Galilee. That’s a long way from Jerusalem. Close to 100 miles. But they return to Galilee and on a certain mountain, they encounter the risen Christ. When they see him, they worship him; though some still doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
How many followers of Christ have found comfort in those words over the centuries? He is with us as the deepest hurts possible flood our soul. He is with us when we stand beside the grave of a loved one. With us when we hear the awful words from the physician. With us when friends and family let us down in the most painful of ways. This is how we cope with life. This is how we withstand temptation. This is how we come through victoriously in every endeavor in life. He is with us.
Do you see the wonder of it all? We’re not here to praise a dead hero, or even a cultural superstar. We are here to worship a living Savior. Listen to him--because of who he is. Listen to him--because of what he’s done. Listen to him--because of what he has promised: “I am with you always . . .”
Blessings!