Pastor's Message
March 2010
To the Children of God:
Flora Wuellner writes in Forgiveness, the Passionate Journey:
“ ...our journey of forgiveness will be impossible unless we realize we cannot do it alone. We are not the source of our healing. Truly the kingdom of God is within us as Jesus told us. But that kingdom is God’s presence, and we need God’s help to experience that inner glory.
As with any deep healing and release, the empowered mercy of God within and around us is ours to claim. We must face the facts: we are vulnerable (woundable); we have been hurt; we need to name our hurt and our deep needs as clearly and fully as we can. Little change until we have faced where we actually are.”
One of the great gifts of Lent is to intentionally reflect upon what it means to turn our lives back to God. Actually, it would be more appropriate to reflect upon how God has drawn us back into real living through Jesus. We look to Jesus and the cross to gain a better understanding as to how far God will go to let us know that we are forgiven and can be made complete through Jesus. One of the greatest gifts that God gives to us is to understand that we are forgiven for the times we have unintentionally or intentionally turned away from God and the way God longs for us to live. Jesus comes into the world to unite us with God and the way of God. He also comes to allow us to rest in peace before we take our last breath.
Wuellner reminds us of how important it is for us to experience anyone who brings us such peace. Jesus brings us shalom (peace) first and foremost, but there are others who share this gift with us. Flora Wuellner continues by writing:
“The shalom bringers spread a sense of warmth, comfort, hope and well-being even before a word is spoken. They themselves are the interlinking, not just their words and actions ... They may not say anything special at all, but when we are with them we feel understood, accepted, welcomed.
When we think of these men and women in our lives, we feel as if God is reaching out to us through them. We know that God is like them-only much more so-then the universe is in safe hands.”
Do you know any shalom bringers in the journey you are on who have touched you with the peace of God? As we continue our way through Lent look for such peace bringers in your life or evaluate if those you listen to or watch are peace bringers. This is truly one of the dreams of God for all of us and his creation that we might experience wholeness, holiness and a peace that goes beyond our understanding.
Peace be with you!
One of Christ’s servants,
Pastor David A. Hendricks - Child of God