Life in the Key of Peace

"But there are also many other things which Jesus did;  were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." - John 21:25 

LIFE IN THE KEY OF PEACE 

Dear First Lutheran friends,

It was a glorious celebration of Easter we shared this year!  Large crowds helped make our worship services from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday so rich and meaningful.  We have again proclaimed to each other that "Christ is risen!"

I have always been intrigued by the verse above.  It is written by the gospel writer, John.  It is the last verse of his gospel.  In a nutshell, it says, "I've reported to you a lot of what Jesus has done, but there is a whole lot more unwritten that He did, as well.  What I've written is plenty for you to have faith He is our Messiah."  

I've especially liked the "there are also many other things which Jesus did" part.  In this month of May and in early June, all kinds of "last things" will take place:  Confirmation for our 9th graders, last day of Sunday school for this school year, last senior choir rehearsal and anthem, Baccalaureate and graduation for our seniors.  There are many more "last things," too, that could be written here.  But suffice it to say that the beauty of John's words is that Jesus was so active in bringing His presence to people and bringing about His miracle of new life for people that even the gospel writers couldn't keep up with Him.  There was too much new life Jesus created!  

I find this very, very hopeful and comforting, particularly for those who go off into a new chapter of life.  One of my own will do this as she graduates from high school with 500 of her classmates.  Many of you are experiencing this, as well, whether through graduations or weddings, entering new stages of life or having a family member move away, births or deaths.  I am so thankful we can't keep up with Jesus because Jesus then can go to the places where we need Him most and do it even ahead of us, even in ways we can't imagine, even often without us seeing Him at work, always with enough of what we need. 

This gives me great peace.  And, again, it reminds me that it is always about faith for us.  We put our faith in our Lord always.  We even share our faith with and for others when theirs is waning at the moment.  And we trust our Good Shepherd to always be shepherding us to rich pastures of life and peace.  May the peace, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Why?

In two days, I will step into the season of Lent again.  So will you.  We will worship on Ash Wednesday.  We will see a cross prominently set in our sanctuaries.  In our church, we will even hand out cross necklaces for each worshiper.  We will hear about Jesus' death to and for our sins.  Perhaps we will be revolted by that thought.  Or, perhaps the thought of Jesus dying on a cross-  no matter its meaning to you-  will not seem striking but rather will seem consistent with how we know God from week to week or even day to day.

Over coffee with a friend last week, I was asked, "Why are you Lutheran?"  I was taken aback;  I hadn't anticipated the question.  We were discussing this person's life journey and recent new awarenesses and also struggles.  After a moment of "hemming and hawing," my answer was, "Because of grace."  Grace from God through Jesus' death on the cross for the sake of redeeming and saving humanity is not only for Lutherans, of course.  But Lutherans have a unique understanding of it.  Lutherans see it as central.  Grace is at the heart of God's entire way with the world and with us.  In the cross, no matter what other actions on God's part you see-  conviction of our sinfulness, God's power to put our sins and sin to death, God's mighty act of conquest over the evil of the world, God's call of us to follow our Savior by also faithfully bearing our own cross, the sense that Jesus has been the sacrificial lamb in the place of us-  you and I must see the grace of love for us that is in the heart of God.  In the end, grace toward us from God saves us.  It is the prime mover of every second of our lives.  It is God's force of life inherent in every moment.  It is the light that shines in the darkness that the darkness can never overcome.  It grasps us, loves us beyond measure, does what it needs to do to rescue us time and again from what hurts us and treasures and keeps us reconciled with God.  No matter what you and I see in the cross that God reveals to us, His grace for us envelopes it all...and envelopes us.  I firmly believe God wants to live these days with us in this way.  Praise and thanks be to God, through Jesus, in our Lenten journey.  Blessings to you as you follow in grateful faith.