Its time...

Hey folks...

One of my favorite novels is The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The first time i read it; i devoured the words, and the story of the people caught in the violence came together like scenes in a movie for me. It stands as truly one of the classics, not just in my humble opinion, but by scholars and book lovers worldwide. In the book, and i dont want to ruin it, a good French nobleman stands at the edge of dying, because the poor in France rise up to overthrow an oppressive, rich, powerful, and unjust upper class, so this wealthy nobleman, who is a good man, faces death.

But a miracle happens. Someone intervenes.

And without giving it away, the greatest line, at least in my thinking, of any book, comes to the front, "It is a far, far better thing i do than has ever been done."

Jesus said that too, nearly two thousand years ago when he yelled from the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Then Jesus breathed His last and gave His Spirit up to God. In one violent, depressing, tortuous murder, God does something beautiful and life-giving. Through Jesus' death; humanity finds reconciliation and restoration. Before Jesus took His place, on the cross, we, all of us, were/are enemies of God, as Paul writes in Romans 5. But after Jesus' obedient, self-less act, God opens a door for healing to break into our broken, painful existence. Healing comes. Restoration comes. Reconciliation comes. Because Jesus, the very Son of God, chose to do the better thing.

And for that we should all be thankful.

We should bow our heads and lives before that symbol of torture and death; we should humbly reaffirm our faith in the One who died so that we could have life and have a connection to God; we should also recognize that it is not Jesus' death that saves, but as Paul alludes to in Romans 5; Jesus' life does so much more.

Jesus' life touches us where we hurt the most, breaking open the wounds of the past, so that God's healing balm can invade our being and restore us. It is the real hands of Jesus that restores hearing. It is the real spat of Jesus that removes blindness. And it is the real love of Jesus that meets the less thans, all the time, where they are. Jesus' life, not just His death, saves us. We focus on His death, while ignoring the power of His life. Why?

I dont know. But we ignore the saving grace of Jesus' life at the cost of our ministries and missions. Yes Jesus died for our sins. Yes His death reconciles us to God. We are no longer enemies; we are God's sons and daughters. But Jesus' life heals our being, now! And if Jesus' life heals, so should we. May that be the new narrative that God writes through us at the West Milton Church of the Brethren: that we are healing in the name of Jesus, through the atoning death of Jesus, but also through the life, teachings, and ministries of Jesus. The life that comes to life through the Gospels. May it be said of us that we embody the life of Jesus so radically that people flock for miles upon miles to hear, to see, and to experience this new thing. May that be our story. Amen.



shalom,
jerry