Christ on the Journey

Next Sunday we will remember Holy Week, and we will take a closer look at the journey Jesus took into the city of Jerusalem. To be clear, the journey did not begin when Jesus entered the city. Jesus began to follow the path to the cross long before. The entire Gospel story shows that Jesus moved intentionally toward the cross with everything he did. He did not come to this world to offer a miracle here or there like a magician. Jesus represents much more than this. He came to the world to walk with us on the journey of life.

Today I wonder what your journey looks like. Are you listening for Christ's invitation to walk with him? Personally, I know when times get tough, I can be guilty of ignoring God's call. Last week, I was blessed to attend the wedding of wife's sister. My entire family was going to be involved in the ceremony in some way, and we were all excited. However, while we were driving to Colorado, all three of my kids started to get sick. I kept hoping we would get a miracle. Perhaps the boys would all feel better at once, but we did not have that kind of luck. The night before the wedding things spiraled out of control. We dealt with an ER visit, a sleepless night, and even car trouble.

Sometimes life doesn't go exactly as we plan it. However, in the end everyone was okay, and that is really what matters. My middle son was able to be a ring bearer, and this thrilled him. My one year old son helped my wife and I officiate the service😀, and my oldest started to feel better the next day. Life is a wild journey, and when I was in the thick of it, I just wanted a miracle. However, God calls us to open our hearts in every moment. The journey is not always easy, but we are never alone. 

The journey does not belong to us. We all have to surrender. Today I hope we can all let go and trust what God is doing. We don't always have the full picture, but we can learn to trust the one who loves us.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

In the wilderness...

There are a lot of concerns in our world today. There is war in the middle east and divisions in our own country. Beyond all of this, everyone is dealing with their own personal pain. Perhaps you have lost someone you love, or maybe you are just feeling broken down by the world. Often times we try to suffer through this pain on our own. We don't share what we are going through, and we assume everyone else is too busy to care about our problems. 

We have been journeying through the book of Exodus during this Lenten season. This book tells the story of a people who were broken down by years of slavery. God heard them calling out, but they still didn't believe anyone cared about them. They thought they were worthless. God had to do more than set these people free. God had to teach them that they were valuable. 

As I was reading through the narrative, it struck me that the Israelites were tested in the wilderness 10 times. This is a call back to the 10 plagues where God tested the Pharaoh in Egypt. Pharaoh failed these tests. He was not willing to believe in God. However, when the Israelites were tested, they don't do much better. Time and time again they seem to fail, but while Pharaoh's heart became harder, the Israelites slowly opened theirs. 

Now, I really don't like the idea of God testing the people, but I don't think God wanted to punish the Israelites. God was waiting for the people to open their hearts. It didn't matter that they failed the tests. If they opened their hearts in a small way, God would be able to offer hope.

Today there are a number of reasons why people can be discouraged. There are a number of reasons why we might feel like we are failing a test. However, God doesn't care if we mess up. God wants us to live with a heart that can be open to love.

I hope all of you know that it is okay to make mistakes. We simply have to open our hearts to the one who is always willing to save us.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian