April is a special month in the life of believers as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior on Easter. He has defeated death, paid our sin debt, and brought us into eternal life with Him!
The work of salvation was completed on the cross. There is nothing for us to add to it. Our salvation is totally by His grace, and not at all by our works. Yes, salvation is complete, But Jesus will add a coronation to it when he comes again and establishes His kingdom. I look forward to that.
As I write this, we await Holy Week. Some are using this Lenten period to get closer to Jesus. I want to continue getting closer to Jesus, but also, I want so much more. This upside-down world drives me to want more.
I have so much hope for so much more than this world offers. I don’t just want Jesus to stop the wars in Gaza and Ukraine….I want Jesus to end war forever. I don’t want Jesus to heal a blind person, I want Jesus to heal blindness! I don’t want Jesus to heal one person’s lameness…I want Jesus to throw all the wheelchairs to the junk pile of history! The fact that this is not the case reminds me that even Jesus pointed to something beyond himself. Each healing miracle that he did points to the day when God’s kingdom will come to Earth, a new Earth, and all of humanity will be healed.
Even those who were healed by Jesus in the New Testament had to move on in a broken world. The man healed of blindness could see but would have to come to grips with visible injustice that still existed. The one whose paralysis was healed would now be able to run to help those in need.
As we move towards Holy Week, my prayer for you is that you are able to move closer to Jesus than you have ever been before. We travel a road together, and that road leads to a cross, but the road is not a journey taken alone. Healing is a community event needed by all of us. As we experience the joy of an empty grave this Easter, let us continue to share the love of Jesus to a world that desperately needs Him. That is our job until he comes again.
It is so good to be your pastor!
In the Lord’s service till the last fish is caught, <><
Pastor Chris
