From Our Pastor: 4th Sunday In Lent
Fascinating readings this weekend. The Israelites are unfaithful. They worship the gods of the pagan world around them. In Chronicles we hear how the Lord is condemning them for their unfaithfulness and calling them back to Himself and right worship. Jeremiah is referenced here as prophesying about their unfaithfulness and how God will call them back to right worship in the promised land through the most unlikely of circumstances. They were taken into captivity by the Babylonians and the Persians conquer the Babylonians. Cyrus the King of Persia the most unlikely of people not only frees the Israelites from captivity, but sends them back to the promised land, AND declares the Lord as God and re-builds His temple in Jerusalem. WOW! God can use Cyrus to do this immensely great work. Just think of what He can do with you if you just give yourself to Him. This is what the Lord is seeking...YOU!
The Gospel is about the Lord’s desire to heal you of the poison of sin and eternal death. The serpent lifted up as their salvation in the desert was a foretaste of Jesus being lifted up on the cross for our salvation. Then John gives us the famous passage about our salvation. BE NOT DECEIVED by many of our protestant brothers and sisters that translate this passage that “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that all who believes in Him WILL not perish, but WILL have eternal life.” The passage SHOULD read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him MIGHT not perish, but MIGHT have eternal life.” Very different translation. The passage doesn’t use words of certainty, but possibility. This passage is that the Lord desires to save us, but we must give ourselves to Him. Look upon the crucified Jesus and see your salvation and follow Him to the Cross, to YOUR Cross. He desires to save you from eternal death and offer you eternal life. Will you accept it? Will you take up your cross? Will you follow Him? HE IS SEEKING YOU!
Thank you all so much for such a successful mission! We had such great crowds! So many of our young people came! What a phenomenal speaker and thank you to so many for showing up and growing in our life of faith together! Thank you to Dr. Karen Shadle for her amazing words of wisdom and wonderful sharing of her love of the liturgy, of music, of the Church, and of the Lord Jesus. How beautiful her words were. Thank you to her and all of you for making this mission successful.
- Rev. Steven Arisman