John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have Eternal life.”
We are beginning the time of Holy Week for most Christians starting April 2; the time from Palm Sunday through Easter. It is the time we re-live the events of Jesus going into Jerusalem with people celebrating his arrival, and then his arrest and trial, his death, and ultimately his resurrection. It is a week in which Jesus, through his words and actions, reminds us of God’s great love for us and all creation. That God wants to be connected with us, in relationship with us now and always. That God saves not only our souls but our daily life as well.
Recently I spent some time with followers of Jesus who begin every worship with: “O God, come to my assistance; O Lord make haste to save me!” And yesterday a friend and I read Psalm 18 that is all about times of struggle and fighting, war and violence. Then in verses 16 through 19, that all changes as God brings his beloved out of all that chaos. My friend’s version was the Message.
So, this week, as we head into Easter, I invite you to do the following. Simply read, several times each day, these words from Psalm 18. Listen to how God is speaking to you about you, your relationship with God, and how God desires to be present in our life.
Psalm 18: 16-19; The Message “But me he (God) caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field I stood there saved – surprised to be loved!”
May you experience God’s love for you this month in new and restoring ways.
Chaplain Karen