Life on the Pasture

One of the things I miss during this unique time is going to visit those in our congregation who are no longer able to come to church. Phone calls are not quite the same, but at least it is something. And so this afternoon I called up one of our members who is nearing 100 to see how she is doing. After describing how things were in her care center, including having to put on a mask as soon as she opens her door to the hallway, and how, since she is no longer able to get the injections she needs to keep her eye from completely losing sight, she is preparing herself to be blind, she said, “Pastor, I think God is getting us ready for something bigger.” And then she said, “But Pastor, we’re going to win!”

She wasn’t talking about winning over COVID-19. Viruses come and go, as do many other things that disrupt our lives and cause pain and suffering. Rather, she was talking about winning in Jesus. John writes: “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:4-5, NIV)

The “believing” is much more than simply saying, “Jesus lived on this earth, died and rose.” It has to do with holding on to Him as the very Son of God who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It means trusting that while certain things are allowed to happen and do not make sense to us, it all makes sense to Almighty God and will be used by Him for His purposes. It means complete confidence that as I commend myself into His care, my Lord and Savior will hold on to me and keep me as His own, ultimately getting me where He wants me to be.

For those of us who are baseball fans, maybe we could copy something Cubs fans do when the Cubs win and hang a flag with a big “W” on it outside of our homes. When someone asks why we’re doing that, we can simply reply, ”In Jesus, we win!”

– Pastor Schmidt

Photo by Ariel Besagar on Unsplash