“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
Recently I was driving to Homewood for a communion service. It had been a busy day and my mind was preoccupied with a host of things I needed to consider, plan, address and do. I was also running a few minutes late, which further added to my distraction. It was no great surprise then when I drove right past my turn into Homewood. I was annoyed at my inattentiveness, but my irritation passed shortly after I made my detour turn onto Cross Cove Road because there I was greeted with a view of Homewood that was different from the one I would have witnessed from my proper turn, Givler Drive. The mountain behind Homewood was blanketed with a soft layer of snow. The sight was so unexpectedly beautiful that my mouth fell open in astonishment. I quickly whispered a prayer of thanks to God for my diversion, because it brought a change of perspective and a little miracle of beauty to my afternoon that transformed not only my drive to Homewood but my entire day. It reminded me to approach every day – and especially all of our unexpected detours in this life – with an air of anticipation and expectation. God can – and will – transform everything into something beautiful and life-giving.
There is no better example of this than the cross. Within the Roman Empire, the cross was a tool of brutality, terror, torture and death. The surest way to quell a rebellion was to line a well-traveled road with tall wooden crosses on
which the troublemakers would be nailed for all to see. Their painful, public deaths would serve as a warning to all others not to challenger the Emperor. Two thousand years later, many Christians wear a miniature version of this
torture device around their necks. We do so not because we glory in pain or death, but because the cross serves as a reminder of Christ’s victory over death for himself and for all of us. The cross thus serves as the ultimate symbol of new life and God’s glorious transformative power.
Pause now and take a moment to examine your life. Have you taken a few wrong turns? Have you experienced some painful moments? Have you caused pain in others? If we answer honestly, all of us are going to respond “yes” to all three questions. But fortunately, that is not the final word. God is transforming us and our circumstances in order to bring hope, joy and new beginnings where others can see only despair, sadness and bitter endings. But how can this be? Martin Luther provides the answer in the Small Catechism: “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel,
enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy, and kept me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith.”
And so as 2012 begins, let us press forward in confidence and joy, anticipating and expecting God’s miracles and an outpouring of God’s transformative grace in our lives, in our families, in our congregation and in our community – not because we have earned it but because God’s love is richer, deeper, more powerful and more lavishly given than we can ever imagine. Thanks be to God!
Posted on
Wed, December 28, 2011
by Pastor Scott
filed under