The Upload
Posted on May 09, 2014 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you had a blessed week.
In our Gospel text for this coming Sunday, John 10:1-10, Jesus ends by saying, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus didn’t come just so we could have the promise of an awesome new life after we die. No, according to our Lord, he came so that we might have an awesome life in this life. So the question is, what is an abundant life?
Personally, I think we all have a different idea of what an abundant life is. In the Gospel story for Sunday, this promise Jesus makes comes at the end of the bigger story that began back in Chapter 9 where Jesus gave sight to the man born blind. For that man, abundant life was having sight. Once Jesus gave him his sight, he was no longer dependent on others for his survival.
For me, abundant life is my family. Every day when I go home at the end of the day, I feel blessed and I am filled with joy because I have a wife that loves me and I have been blessed with kids and grandkids that bring me joy. What does abundant life mean for you?
My guess is, for some of you who are perhaps alone, abundant life is companionship and friendship. For others who are experiencing illnesses or disease, abundant life would be hearing that your illness or disease has been cured. But whatever abundant life is for you, Jesus said he came so that you might experience it, and I pray today that you have, and will, experience abundant life.
You know, when I think of abundant life, as I mentioned above, I think of having joy in my life, and here at Salem, we have been working hard to create activities and opportunities for relationships that will help others experience joy. So often, though, when we talk about what the church should be, we focus on things like commandments, and liturgies, and worship styles. Now, if truth be told, all of these are important, but in my opinion the most important thing the church can do is be a place filled with joy and fun.
Experiencing Christ should be fun. The church should be a place filled with abundant life. It should be a place where you can be yourself and enjoy the company of good friends. The church should be a place where we experience God through the community.
So my prayer this week is that all of you might find Salem to be a faith community that is filled with abundant life and a place that offers you abundant life, too.
Have a blessed week!
Shalom,
Pastor Dave