EASTER AND GOD'S PRESENCE

Ron Gray, Bearspaw Interim Lead Site Pastor

Maria and I are blessed to live in close proximity to our three children and their families. It is only a twenty minute drive to where our eldest son and his family live. It is a five minute drive to the home of our youngest son and his wife. It is a five minute walk to where our daughter and her family live. I appreciate being able to pop by to say, “Hi”, or to watch the grandkids while their parents go out. Close proximity gives our family the ability to be present in one another’s lives. There are experiences we could not share and ways that we could not express our love if we were further apart. I thank God every day for this blessing.

It has always been God’s plan to live with his family. He loves to be in the middle of things, sharing our joys and our sorrows. He designed it to be that way at creation. God and his people shared the beauty of the Garden of Eden. Tragically, through sin, Paradise was lost. The loss of Paradise came in the form of distance between God and his children. Forced to leave the Garden for their own good, God’s people experienced the pain of the consequence of their actions. They felt the horrible ache of separation from their Father. Not content to allow this separation, God embarked on the tremendous journey of salvation. He was determined to be reunited with his family.

It is quite obvious at Christmas that we celebrate the fact that God desires to be with his people. The coming of Jesus is most certainly evidence that God was willing to move Heaven and earth to be reunited with his lost family. Easter also gives us the opportunity to celebrate God’s desire to bring his family back together. At Christmas we celebrate the fact that God came to be with us. At Easter we remember the price he paid to make that reunion possible.

Easter is the great expression of God’s love for you and his willingness to pay any price to be with you. In his final conversation with his followers Jesus told them that, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) After saying this, he demonstrated the depth of his love for us by going to the cross and giving his life as a ransom for us. It is at the cross, and through his resurrection and ascension, that Jesus brought us back into God’s family and made it possible for us to live in his presence every day of this life, and the life to come!

In the Old Testament God has promised his people that he will never leave us or abandon us (Deuteronomy 31:8). About fourteen hundred years later, Jesus reiterated God’s commitment by telling us, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). Throughout time God’s commitment to pursue those who are lost and bring them back into his family has never changed. Perhaps you are feeling separated from God. Perhaps you feel distant from him. This Easter, be reminded that God has moved Heaven and earth to be with you. He has gladly paid the price of being reunited with you so that he can be your Father and you can be his child.

At RockPointe this Easter we will have many opportunities to celebrate and remember God’s love and desire to be present with us. You will find information about those gatherings in this week's Newsletter. As we gather, be reminded of God’s limitless love and his insatiable desire to be with you.

My friends, God is with you. As you go about your life, he is there. Take comfort and celebrate his goodness!