Saturday

Saturday. What comes to mind? A day off? A day to catch up on chores? Shopping? Relaxing? Family Day?

I recently read John Ortberg’s “Who Is This Man?” In this he devoted an entire chapter to Saturday. A specific Saturday.

I had never thought about this particular Saturday before . . . the Saturday between the crucifixion and the resurrection.

What would you have done if you had been there on that Saturday? Questioned . . . Waited . . . For what? The disciples and other followers of Jesus didn’t know Sunday was coming.

After all the events of the hours that passed before Saturday . . . the Passover meal . . . the foot washing . . . praying in the garden . . . sleeping in the garden . . . soldiers . . . denial . . . the trial . . . the mob . . . “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” . . . the whip . . . the crown of thorns . . . heart pounding fear . . . heart breaking loss . . . and then He said, “It is finished”. Did the followers feel that they too were done?

Even the women heading to the tomb Sunday morning did not anticipate seeing the risen Christ . . . they were heading there to care for a body . . .

But . . . THAT Sunday morning, EVERYTHING changed . . . for them . . . for us.

Because of that Sunday morning, our Saturdays are also forever changed.

Make no mistake about it, we still have Saturdays . . . those days after . . .

The day after the heart stopping fearful diagnosis . . . The day after the loss . . . The day after the door slams and your son is gone to who knows where . . .The day your daughter does not call . . .

The day after . . . Saturday . . . When heaven seems silent and you don’t know which way to turn . . .

Saturday . . . When hope is gone and prayer seems futile . . . When you don’t even know what to pray. . .

But . . . here’s our advantage. We KNOW about Sunday! Though we will have moments of despair . . . and days when the stuff of life seems overwhelming . . . we do not need to stay there. Sunday happened and we are forever changed by that reality!

“‘Don’t be alarmed’ he said’ you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified. HE HAS RISEN!’” (Mark 16:6a)

Hope for every “Saturday”!

HE HAS RISEN!

Ruth U.

The Other Half of the Story

"Consider the kind of extravagant love the Father has lavished on us—He calls us children of God! It's true; we are His beloved children." 1 John 3:1 (The Voice)

During the season of Lent, as we journey toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are postured toward self-examination, toward a recognition and acknowledgment of our deep and desperate need for a saviour. 
 
I need saving. There it is. I’m a mess and I need to be saved. I’m keenly aware of how misguided I can become… How selfish. How excessive. How insatiable. How restless. How unkind. How foolish. How bewildered. How lost. 

It’s not difficult to focus on our shortcomings. We’re quite practiced at it, really. Many of us learned from a young age that we need God because we are sinful, and we need Christ’s redemption to restore us to relationship with God. We learned to focus on the sin. When I look inside, it is easier, at first glance, to see my flaws than to see my beauty. For many of us, our failures speak to us more loudly than our worth.

It is true. Redemption is a central part of our story. I have failed. I need to be restored. But that’s only half of the story.   

The other half of the story is the truth that I am WORTH saving. There is something in me that is WORTH restoring. I am precious. This is the good news – the really GOOD news. That we are precious. That we are loved recklessly and wildly, passionately and desperately, by the God who creates us and sustains us, who prizes and pursues us, who restores and redeems and revives all that is broken and lost and wounded and marred and stained.

As people who are living in an earnest attempt to follow Christ, we are often much more prone to focus on the areas where we fall short of some ideal or standard, rather than on the incredible wooing of a God who, over and over and over and over says, “Come.” “Come to me.” “My love is steadfast and unending.” “I chose you.” “I know everything about you and I still choose you.”

My prayer for us all during this Easter season is that we would experience a renewed awakening to our preciousness. That we would bask in the extravagant love that led Christ to the cross. Would we grow in our awareness of our value, and embrace our core identity as the Beloved.

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (New Living Translation)

Arlene M.

Living a Responsive Life

The world recently returned home from the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. During the event, extensive media coverage constantly preached the value of competition, striving to be the best, and pursuing your dreams. Yet I wonder how much of this message is truly God's plan for us. Were humans created to become focused on one dream - to be the best - at the exclusion of all others things in life? What about God's dreams for us? Competition can be healthy, of course, so long as it promotes teamwork and develops character. However, the majority of serious Olympic athletes suffer from stress, anxiety and even depression, which the media fails to report.

We are selfish beings by nature, and our constant self-awareness and self-preservation clouds our view of what is really going on in the world around us. That's why Romans 12:2 is so crucial to memorize and to take to heart every day: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Did you catch that last part? The perfect will of God. It's really all about Him. Creator God is the only true active force in this world, and us created humans are meant to be responsive. Not active, not passive, but responsive. The key to everything is this: “not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (I John 4:10)

This is such a foreign concept to our modern way of thinking. For me, I like to remind myself regularly that we as the church are the bride of Christ, and meditate on what that really means. In Jesus' day, the groom did everything to prepare for the wedding. He not only pursued the bride, but also made all the preparations for the wedding and for their future home. The bride's job was to wait and be ready when the groom called for her. So it is with us. You may not feel that God is moving in your life, but continue to remain faithful and trust Him. As His bride, He is actively pursuing you, defending you and preparing you for what He dreams for you to be. He knows your every need and always has your best interests at heart.

Still feeling lonely and fearful? Remember, God is also the Creator of relationship. He formed the mountains, trees, and the air we breathe, but His favourite creative work is people, and bringing them into relationship with Him and with each other. Marriage, family, and community are what cause His love and glory to shine brightest; not even the most magnificent sunset can compare. Once we focus on unity, instead of competition, will we start to approach the target. We work best as a team.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed watching the Olympics, and celebrating each gold medal! But let's not forget the Lord's desire to see us live united together, humbly responsive to His love.

Ruth-Ellen W.