Pastor’s Corner (2/21/19)
Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” – – Luke 9:35
Arguments about who can be considered God’s Chosen have divided the faithful throughout the ages. In this passage from Luke, which we’ll read on the 3rd of March for Transfiguration of the Lord, we have these memorable words spoken from cloud about Jesus; “This is my Son, my chosen; listen to him!” God chose Jesus, and by extension, God chooses each and all of us. This brings great comfort and great responsibility. We are invited to take comfort in the knowledge that God has chosen each and every one of us. We don’t need to worry about who’s in and who’s not. Just as God has chosen each of us, we know that God does so for everyone. This invites us to be welcoming and hospitable to all.
The challenge for us as God’s chosen, is that things sometimes get in the way of our ability to recognize that we, and others, are chosen. In our Lenten devotional this year the author invites us to lean in and let go. We are invited to lean into the awareness that God has chosen us and loves us beyond measure. With that comes the ability to let go of those things that impede our awareness of God’s love and presence. We’ll also move more deeply into this invitation to lean in and let go in our small groups. We’ll be doing a study by Marjorie Thompson called “Learning Forgiveness.” Holding onto grudges, anger and hurt feelings often keeps us from the awareness of being chosen and loved by God. Holding onto grudges, anger and hurt feelings also impedes our ability to recognize that others are chosen by God too.
During this holy season of Lent we are all invited to lean in, let go, learn forgiveness and rejoice in the reality that God has chosen us and loves us beyond anything we can imagine.
With love and joy,
Pastor Karen
