Light In Darkness
March 29, 2023
Holy Week leading up to Resurrection Sunday shows how passionate God’s desire is to redeem the whole of creation – a passion lived out in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ every dividing wall is destroyed, “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” - Ephesians 2:14. I often wonder what makes us believe that God would exclude anyone from experiencing the joy of salvation (even a repented thief is welcomed into paradise) or experiencing the joy of the Lord as our strength.
While it might be true that our current reality has caused us to lose sight of our own general rules to “Do no harm, Do good, and Stay in love with God” (and one another), we must never lose hope in what God has, is and will continue to do, and always make room at the table for all who would come, despite the labels we place on each other. “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28. There is much that would make us weary. If you are weary, come. If you are grief-stricken, come. If you are hurt, come. Come, discover in this season of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, light for the darkness, living bread for this difficult and painful journey. Come, discover in Jesus Christ living water for your thirst.
If you have been displaced as a result of disaffiliation and are searching for a place of worship and community during this holy season, there are “lighthouse” churches ready to welcome you. Here are a few of these places. Please feel free to contact a district superintendent, or as in most spiritual movements, listen for the voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit often heard by word of mouth from others who have found a “lighthouse church.”
May this Holy Week truly lead to the cross, but let us not stop there, for while it was still dark, the redemptive power of God was working it all out. It is Friday, but Sunday is coming. May this Holy Week lead us all to the empty tomb and the undying HOPE that death and sin will lose their grip. May the spirit of the living Christ lead from this captivity, giving us strength and courage to walk into the newness of life where peace, love, and justice shall reign forever. I pray that in these “lighthouse” churches you will discover that “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
- Psalm 30:5.
By Bishop Leonard Fairley
Holy Week leading up to Resurrection Sunday shows how passionate God’s desire is to redeem the whole of creation – a passion lived out in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ every dividing wall is destroyed, “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” - Ephesians 2:14. I often wonder what makes us believe that God would exclude anyone from experiencing the joy of salvation (even a repented thief is welcomed into paradise) or experiencing the joy of the Lord as our strength.
While it might be true that our current reality has caused us to lose sight of our own general rules to “Do no harm, Do good, and Stay in love with God” (and one another), we must never lose hope in what God has, is and will continue to do, and always make room at the table for all who would come, despite the labels we place on each other. “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28. There is much that would make us weary. If you are weary, come. If you are grief-stricken, come. If you are hurt, come. Come, discover in this season of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, light for the darkness, living bread for this difficult and painful journey. Come, discover in Jesus Christ living water for your thirst.
If you have been displaced as a result of disaffiliation and are searching for a place of worship and community during this holy season, there are “lighthouse” churches ready to welcome you. Here are a few of these places. Please feel free to contact a district superintendent, or as in most spiritual movements, listen for the voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit often heard by word of mouth from others who have found a “lighthouse church.”
May this Holy Week truly lead to the cross, but let us not stop there, for while it was still dark, the redemptive power of God was working it all out. It is Friday, but Sunday is coming. May this Holy Week lead us all to the empty tomb and the undying HOPE that death and sin will lose their grip. May the spirit of the living Christ lead from this captivity, giving us strength and courage to walk into the newness of life where peace, love, and justice shall reign forever. I pray that in these “lighthouse” churches you will discover that “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
- Psalm 30:5.