But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners
Christ died for us.
— Psalm 8:4
The hammering, pouring, painting, stuccoing, fixing, cleaning and general constructioning will soon be over. Things will soon be settling down to normal. Not.
If I’ve learned anything from working in the church, it’s that there is no normal. Quiet never lasts long if your church is healthy and alive. After all, we have a Living Savior who was so discontented with quiet that He got up out of His grave! Ours is a restless faith that refuses to let us sit back as long as there is still work to be done, still people suffering in this world, still hearts beating without hope, still people needing Jesus.
And yet, God is good to us and knows we need a breather now and then, built into the rhythms of this life. We can’t keep going, firing on all cylinders all the time. We need time to stop and smell the roses, or as Jesus put it, to “consider the lilies.” Worship is one way that this happens. Gathering with other people of faith, praying together, hearing the promises of Scripture and remembering all we owe to God recharges our batteries in ways that golf or fishing just can’t match. Plus, there’s that extra dimension that we actually get to respond to God’s goodness to us by giving back in our prayers and offerings, our time spent for others, a little of that amazing grace He gave to us.
There is no law that says we must do these things, no rule that says we are obligated to attend so many services or put a certain amount into the plate. God does not threaten to withhold
his love, or give us a slightly worse seat in heaven. Instead, our participation in the work of the church is up to us as much as God’s decision to offer Himself for us was His. These are acts that come from the heart, which more than anything make them works of love.
How amazing, we say, that Christ died for us. Easter happened for a dirty world, because God needed to do more than wipe a little smudge off of His child’s cheek. It required a complete transformation of every human soul, but that’s not what happened. Instead, God sent one clean Man to stand in for us, to give His blood for our own, to hold us to his breast and squeeze out our sin. Not through our strength but through his sacrifice. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
So we worship to give Him thanks, to get a little transfusion of the soul and transformation of life. It makes no sense in the economy of everyday life, just as it made no sense for that heartbroken maiden to pour all that expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet just before He went to the cross. But God has given us so much and done so much for us, what kind of life would we be living if we didn’t go a little crazy now and then in our love for Him? I mean, come on, He sent His Son… to die… for… us!
So, all this work we’ve been doing, fixing up our yard, our building, painting the hallways and redoing floors, is about a whole lot more than making this place look nice. We are pouring out a sacrifice on the feet of our Lord. If we’re doing this right, it’s all for Him, and for the world He has sent us to serve. We work to make this place attractive, not for us, but because it is our job to attract. We have been commanded by Christ and blessed with a mission — to bring the world into the circle of faith. The fresh, new life of Easter should shine from our faces and reflect down every hall of our church. We’re not looking for anything fancy, just comfortable, warm, and inviting. We are looking to create an environment at Atonement as friendly as the people. Because it reflects the friend we have in Jesus.
So let’s not forget, here on the verge of Easter, why everything is so fresh and new around here. We follow a Savior who got up out of bed on a Sunday morning, rolled away a stone and went out from the darkness of death into the dawn of a new morning. Let’s go out with Him into this new day — after all, there’s still work to be done!
Peace,
Pastor Scott
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