Greetings on Thursday! It’s good to be with you as we come to a highlight in our week and our work – “seeing how it all comes together”.
A quick recap – this Sunday marks Memorial Day. Our New Normal focus is on “Eternity”. Our Scripture text is II Corinthians 5:1-9. Our guiding question: “What healthy choice/s can I make about “Eternity” and my life?”
On Thursday we compile all our notes: our “immersion observations” from Monday; our “structure study” from Tuesday; and, our “context and contrast” reflections from Wednesday. As we put them all together we look for the “big picture”. What “message” is emerging?
Here’s what I’m “seeing”:
In some ways this Memorial Day is very traditional. And as part of our celebration we take time for solemn commemoration. We remember and honor our military men and women who have served and sacrificed for our nation and our freedoms.
In some ways this Memorial Day is very different. In this age of Corona Virus and “New Normal” there are new heroes. These were highlighted on the front page of the Dallas Morning News last Sunday. All our frontline health care workers and medical professionals are also stepping forward in sacrificial ways. As they fight an “invisible enemy” in the virus they are exposing themselves to danger and risking their own health for the health and well-being of others. Some have given their own lives for the lives of those they serve. This Memorial Day we also want to remember and honor them.
As we remember all our heroes there is a somberness and gravity to the commemoration. The Scripture speaks of a “groaning”. We experience that in the grief and sorrow of family and friends of the deceased. As we stand with them and salute their loved ones we are touched by the weight of their loss. We are also deeply moved by the inner awareness that these young men and women who gave their lives did so on our behalf, for our benefit.
One healthy choice in relation to “Eternity” is to never forget their service and sacrifice. We would always remember and honor them.
As we remember we would recall the hope of the Scriptures. Even as they gave their lives in service of a higher cause and calling, they now have received life with a Savior in a Higher Kingdom. They rest in the eternal presence and peace of God. As the Scripture says, they have been “swallowed up by life.”
The Apostle Paul, great evangelist and also tentmaker, describes the mystery like this --- our bodies are a “tent”. Tents are temporary shelter. When our travels are done we pack up our tent and take up our permanent residence in a “building” that is sturdy and strong. This is our true and eternal home.
This home is not only permanent, it is also “perfect”. It is a “house not made with hands”, eternal and heavenly.
All this is planned, purposed and “prepared” by God. Even though we can only imagine what it will be like, we know it will be glorious. It’s all of God’s doing. We can live with confidence in this vision of hope!
Finally, the Apostle not only presents a compelling vision of the future, he also sharpens and focuses it to a call to action in the present. Because we trust in eternity with God, in this world we walk by faith, not by sight. We live in ways that the transcendent beauty and majesty of God would transform our lives now. We seek to bring a bit of heaven into each day.
We do that by sharing in the “groaning” of our world. We come alongside others to help them shoulder their burdens. In this service we sacrifice of our time, energy, finances, even personal purposes for the greater cause and higher good.
As we do that we profit from the witness of all whom we honor on Memorial Day. They served and sacrificed in ultimate ways. We serve and sacrifice every day for the blessing of others and the glory of God. As Hebrews says, “we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses … so we run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”
This is a brief outline of how the message is “shaping up” for me. By Sunday it will be expanded and enhanced. So I encourage you to tune in to our website worship available anytime on Sunday to experience the “final product”.
What is coming forward for you? What message is the Spirit speaking to you? It won’t be the same as what I hear because God imparts truth to each in ways that are unique. Listening, reflecting, and writing your “own message” can be a powerful “faith builder”. I’d encourage you to invest time and energy in “your message”.
Now it’s time to let the message “percolate”. On Friday the message continues to speak and emerge. It takes on a fullness that the Spirit working over time provides. Then Saturday is “prayer to prepare”. And of course, Sunday comes!
I look forward to what God will continue to do as we head into the weekend and am excited to join with you for worship on Sunday morning! Until then, Blessings!
Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for the messages You would speak to our hearts and minds by your Spirit. Even as they are your truth for us, let us listen closely, think carefully, and write clearly. We pray that not only would we receive the message You bring through your Word, but we would live the message. Help us to be the blessing you would have us to be through Jesus Christ, our eternal Lord. In his name we pray. Amen.