pastor’s blog

This morning the sunset was beautiful. And real. I took a photo through the window screen. On the desk next to me was a brochure from a theatre showing Jesus with a child and a lamb. In the background was a sunrise/sunset. And it occurred to me that while  my photo was real, this brochure was an edited & enhanced photo of an actor playing Jesus, with a digitally produced sunset. It wasn’t real.

And that is how we operate in life. We follow small routines that say we think Christ is “nice” or “preferable,” but we base our decisions on forecasts, on what our eyes see, or what experts tell us. Christ, while we don’t stand “against” him, is not real to us.

So we bank on the sunrise which looks good, and not on the Son who rose for our good. We forget there were people who did see Jesus resurrected (scripture records over 500 eyewitnesses).  

Lord, let us be confirmed that our faith is grounded in reality. A reality we might not see right now, but one that exists. Help us to act upon that reality.  

I have been thinking about teaching the Truth to our children. So often in Scripture, you hear God’s commands to teach his ways, his commands, and retell his interventions to the next generation. It is important to make sure each generation remembers; God’s commands are for our health, our life, our prosperity. But so often the “meaning of the Christian faith,” the totality of God’s commands and interventions in humanity are reduced to a moral list of “don’ts” or even worse- a blind adherence to ritual. But God broke into this world in the person of Jesus! He provided a remedy to our spiritual blindness……

So now- how do we return to teaching the next generations about God’s goodness? It is obvious that many of us have been deceived by the prince of the power of the air mentioned in Ephesians 2:2(funny that most “deception” is done over the airwaves). I have read reports that say only 6 out of 100 Christian youth believe the truth about Jesus is so important that they want to tell someone else.

This mantle of carelessness is passed down. And so spiritual blindness returns. But I am praying that God will restore our collective sight, and particularly the sight of the upcoming generations. I am praying for a friend of mine who himself has been deceived over and over, come to know Jesus as Lord. He will. And his children will learn of the good message…..

Prayer- Oh, Lord that we would have more teachers passionate about Your ways, who would overcome hurdles of fear and discomfort so Your good ways might be known!