Start as you are ...

Friday, March 11, 2016. How is Christian faith coming to you? It is the word of God, which comes into your life. It is very interesting to see, that in the New Testament it just comes to the people. It is spoken to them, either by the prophets or by the angels or by Jesus himself. And there it is! It comes to you where you are, in your business, in your ill-ness, in your joy or your sadness. There it is!

Do not be afraid …

“Do not be afraid!” is the word which comes first and: “There is great joy!” The door is open, the ditch has been bridged, the sin is forgiven! It just comes to you where you still struggle, with yourself or with others. It is just amazing, what the New Testament has to say. There is a different route for you and for me. There are new steps of life directly ahead. The time is now, since now the word comes to us: do not be afraid!

Sometimes we think we first need to learn, we first need to do whatever it takes to fully understand. Sometimes we have this and that to do, which still seems needed. And of course we have the responsibilities of our life, and we should be responsible and we are asked to continue to care. But the word of God comes into the middle of our life, just as Jesus was born into the middle of the people of Israel. Just as he lived there for 30 years, without many special things, yet being special among them.

Start as you are. Start right here. Come to faith and believe in me! That is what Jesus tells the people when he starts to preach. Come, I will take your burden. Come, I will fill your life with purpose, perspective and joy. And he does. It starts where we are, it starts where you are and where I are this morning, right away.

Be full of mercy, see beyond! …

We are asked to be filled by his forgiveness, by his truth, by his joy, his love and his mercy. We are asked to see clearly, and to see beyond. To see beyond our current situation and see the spirit of God in action, see his perspective, which is eternal, but which is also inside of this creation.

God has made everything. He is much more concrete and physical than we often imagine. He is not the abstracts something, but a personal and very active living God. He wants to be part of our life on all its levels, with all we have, we own and we want. He has made our will, our longing, our pain and our joy. He has made music, art and science. He has made it all, and he can fill it all.

God is the God of youth and of age. He has made the infants - and he deeply loves each and every single one of them. And he has made the old people, age, the time where perspective seems different, where the end and ultimate change comes close. He has made it all - and in the middle of it he tells us: “do not be afraid. Since I am with you!” And we are promised great joy, since a child is born to us, a savior and helper, a deep friend: Christ Jesus, fully human, and fully God. Do not be afraid. (RWEP) ... more texts