Pastor Jeff Writes–Ch-ch-ch Changes…

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Have you taken a look outside lately?  The redbuds are beautiful, the grass is beginning to return to that beautiful green carpet, and songbirds welcome the morning.  The weather is beginning to warm up (though lately there’s been a bit more of a chill in the air), the storms are starting to roll in, and the clocks have moved forward until fall.  Changes are all around us.

These days my life is full of changes too.  In the past month, I found out that I will have a new job soon, Adriane interviewed and was hired for a job, and we searched, found, and put a contract on a new home.  On the list of events that cause stress, those are up there on the list!  In many ways we are excited about these new changes, but there is so much to do to prepare.  We had to find a day care for Benjamin, figure out new routines in the morning and evening, and start preparing for even more changes in the months to come.

Changes aren’t easy, for anybody.  Think of the plants that are popping up out of the ground this time of year.  They have to force their way through the darkness for the hope of sunlight.  They go from the tight space of a seed or bulb to the wide open space above ground.  There is great potential as a result of the change, but they have to go through difficulty and turmoil to get there.

That makes it even more fitting for the season of Lent to come this time of year.  This season is intended to prepare us for the hope of the resurrection, the promise of new life, and the joy of life with Christ.  But to get there we begin by remembering our own mortality on Ash Wednesday (“ashes to ashes”), go through the pain of the wilderness each Sunday in the Scriptures, and eventually witness the pain and suffering of Christ on the cross.  We deal with original sin, our pride, and our seeming unwillingness to fully trust in God’s dream for our lives.  To paraphrase the psalm, we spend 40 days walking “through the valley of the shadow of death,” to get to the green pastures of Easter.  For now we are in the dirt, but the sunrise is coming.

If it is true for us, it is more so for Jesus.  He who was immortal became mortal for us and for our salvation.  He gave up the joy of heaven to experience the pain of human life—not just his own pain but the pain of a suffering world.  While we mourn our own sinfulness, Christ bears the sin of all who have ever lived (and those who will ever live).    While we go through a valley, we remember that Christ descended beyond death to conquer the grave.

Of course the good news is just that: he conquered the grave.  The story of Christ does not end on a sour note.  It ends with the hope of all eternity, the promise of forgiveness, and the glory of redemption.  But we must remember that Easter would not carry with it the power it does without the pain of the 40 days preceding it.  Spring’s beauty isn’t as striking unless it is against the backdrop of winter’s dismal landscape.  Sometimes the greatest things we experience come after seasons of difficulty.  But without the change, we could never experience them.

Clearly, I am not the only one experiencing the changes this time of year.  Because of my change, the church is also facing change in the months ahead.  There is likely to be anxiety about what is to come, and what happens next.  Dealing with the unknown is just part of dealing with change.  But the same anxiety you feel now was present five years ago when a young, inexperienced pastor walked into the church for the first time with big ideas.  Thankfully you gave me a chance and we were able to grow together as a result.

In that time, we’ve gone through difficult times, struggles, and some shared pain.  But we’ve also celebrated together some great successes, transformations, and shared joy.  Change is not ever easy, but I pray that the changes this season brings us will help us grow closer to the dream God has for all of us.  I hope we see past the fear, past the doubt, past our own obstacles to see what God has in store.  That’s what makes this season so exciting: that despite the difficulty, eventually we will see the new life and growth that is surely coming.

Peace,

Jeff