Life Matters - December 20, 2023
One of the outstanding features of Leonardo da Vinci’s renaissance era painting of Jesus at The Last Supper, that influences depictions of our Savior to this day, is his fair complexion. Coupled with light colored hair, sober expression with earnest, eager disciples, the picture does indeed evoke an aura of saintly holiness. But the true appearance of the man Christ Jesus may have been—and likely was—much more akin to the average Jew of His time. John the revelator saw him with “feet like as of brass.” (Revelation 1:15 – 2:18) Several disciples record Jesus disappearing into crowds of people and there is no Biblical record of his physique “standing out” among his peers. What did stand out, however, was His love for the outcast, the downtrodden, for sinners. He gave to the outcast a sense of belonging, He gave the downtrodden a place to stand, a place to walk and to all of us sinners he gave and continues to give a place of forgiveness, a sense of His Love. With all of that there is, however, something we must give in to if we are to experience that sense of belonging, that place to stand, that place of forgiveness. It is a place where our need is met. A place the Bible calls repentance. A place that can only happen where there is a clear and committed acceptance of Truth. A place that the “goodness of God” leads us to. (Romans 2:4 - 11:22) A place to walk in, always aware, always watchful, always mistrustful of our natural inclination to “depart from the living God.” Yet always trusting His Goodness, His love, that He has our eternal welfare on His mind and in His heart! And that, dear friends, is a place of freedom! A sense of belonging! A sense of His Love! It is a place unlike any other, in that it is eternal salvation, eternal rest and bliss.
Of the things I look forward to in heaven, by the grace of God, is praise and worship that is set free from these finite vocal chords, with an infinite vocabulary that is able to express every emotion, every thought, every praise, every worship. Set free from physical weaknesses, from temptations, from pain, from fatigue. Set free… “Peace I leave with you,” Jesus said “my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you; I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again, to receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3) Set free. To belong. All of us long to belong; do we not? It Is a part of our makeup. The way God made us. It is the part of our makeup that only God can ultimately fill. It seems we were created with a God-shaped void in us where only God fits. A place where Jesus wants to live, (John 15:1-7) a place of relationship as we become His abode. And there, as became the call of Moravian missions; “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His sufferings.” I don’t know about you, but I have those days when I feel more like a dud than a reward. But dud or not, I am so thankful that Jesus loves me! That “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
God has also given us a visible “body of Christ.” The church. A church full of people. A people who make mistakes, a people that may hurt us, may encourage us at times, but a people that have not yet been perfected, a people who still have this finite physical life to deal with. God has also given us families and we find that all of us are the same way. Imperfect. It seems the very people we love the most can also hurt us the most. When we long to belong they may suddenly not be “there” for us spiritually. Or emotionally. Maybe even physically gone. But it is in those times when God’s grace really shines; is it not? It is His will that we are “there” for others rather than expecting others to be “there” for us and if we all do so we will be “there” for each other. I am so thankful for all the times others, whether church, family, or friends have been there for me. For Jesus, who is always there for us when we turn to Him in Truth.
“Glory to God in the highest…;” the heavenly chorus of angels announcing the birth of our Savior keeps on ringing through the ages, cutting through all the turmoils, upheavals, the mud, blood, tears, and chaos on this spinning orb. And the message is still as clear as on day one. Peace on earth. One heart, one soul at a time. Five thousand on the first day of the church! God met them all. One on one. His time is without limits.
May this Christmas season find us all with a sense of belonging.
In Christ, in the church, and with family.
May our desire for belonging be filled.
With peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Life Matters!