"Grace strikes us when we are in great
pain and restlessness… Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our
darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: 'You are accepted.'"
-Paul Tillich
Sitting down to lunch one day with a table of new friends is
always an adventure. You never know whom you are going to meet. During the month of
February, we as a church have had many opportunities to welcome those that we did
not know into our midst. We have shared our space with those in need of a church
home to celebrate the life of a loved one that passed on. Our "Dessert By Candlelight,"
while truly the most decadent meal we have shared together, was also a chance to pause
in the snow and the cold with new friends and old. Strangers to us at first, we follow
the way of Christ and offer hospitality to sisters and brothers in Christ. It is not
just those that we see each day when we pick up our children at school, shop for our
groceries, or pass them on the road that are familiar to us.
As a child, I would have never joined
a table of strangers. I spent most new situations using my mother's skirts
as a shield, guarding against anything unfamiliar. Even my little friends
that I did not see over summer vacation were intimidating! One Fourth of
July, a kindergarten classmate was at the parade in my town. When my dad
pointed him out, I ran and hid instead of running to greet him. I interpreted
the nervous feeling that I got in my stomach as "run away!" instead of "go and see…".
Jesus spent his final days of earthly ministry going from place
to place meeting and greeting new people wherever he went. He spent time in their
houses, ate their food, talked to any who would stop to listen and even spoke to some
that were not so eager. Many of Jesus' friends were worried about him. Jesus' words
and deeds were stirring up new feelings of the people who heard of his ministry in
every place that he went.
In Luke 13:32-33, Jesus says to the Pharisees who try to warn him
of danger, "…today, tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today,
tomorrow and the next day I must be on my way…" Going from place to place, knowing
that as each day passes Jesus comes closer and closer to the end of his earthly ministry
does not deter him from speaking words of New Life. It does not stop Jesus from continuing
to spread the Good News. People from far and wide do not let that nervous feeling deter them.
During Lent we will be focusing on who we are as a people of God,
a body of Christ. In our connection to one another and to the world, we decide to
"go and see…" instead of "run away!". There is no task more difficult, yet joy more
great than to greet a new brother or sister in Christ. That connection is waiting
to be made. Go and see…
+Pastor Grace
