Sunrise Presbyterian Church

From the Pastor's Desk April 2011

"From Crib to Cross: The Way to Life"

John 14:6 "I am the WAY…TRUTH…LIFE…" From His humble beginnings through His ministry of Love,

Kindness, Healing, Preaching and Teaching, Jesus was always leading people and paving the way for

an Eternal Life for all humankind.

What makes Jesus different from the likes of Moses and Elijah or any other great person in history is

His identity as God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is also our creator God that is compassionate,

concerned about and seeking a relationship with His creatures. The mythological gods are totally different;

they were often not concerned with mortals. These man-made gods were powerful and with limits. These

fabricated gods saw themselves and considered themselves superior to the humans.

God is moved to compassion that in the coming of our Lord He is known as Emmanuel, "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). "Great indeed … is the mystery of our religion…" said Paul as he introduces an early Christology (theology that explains the nature of Jesus and His mission) in his first letter to young Timothy. Christianity is mysterious in that it transcends our human capacity to comprehend and explain it, though, Jesus said to understand His message one needs to have the innocence and heart of a child. Explaining Christmas to a child becomes simple when it is derived from our social and commercial world. Explaining Christmas and the incarnation factor becomes a bit more difficult. Harry Webb Farrington says, "I only know the Manger Child has brought God's life to me."

Christ's mission became known at birth, but is clarified in adulthood. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them…" (2 Cor. 5:19) There is no room for guessing His missional purpose. If you examine the New Testament writings carefully and look at your own life or that of your neighbors you will agreed that God is with us at our weakest and most vulnerable spot. He is with us when and where we need Him most. The Bible reveals to us that His strong arm keeps us from falling. If the history of the human race makes anything clear it is this; humans are most inept, even helpless, when it comes to mastering fears, controlling anxieties and resisting temptations that come our way daily. When we look at ourselves alone and without Jesus our true potential comes into view; we see how little we have achieved. Little happens by way of becoming the person we might be and that God intends us to be. God with us through Jesus the Christ makes resources of courage and strength available that empower and enable us to say: "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." Jesus came and lived among us. Jesus ministered to us. Jesus died for us and Jesus lives for us. When we fall victims to sin and we repent, we shall see Him making us white as snow that is His promise. "God attributes to us a righteousness we can neither claim nor acquire. He energizes us, and when that fails He redeems us."

Jesus took the "Via Dolorosa" that led Him to Calvary and from there was taken to the tomb He would vacate on the third day. He now offers us life. We have a rode to tread that will have ups and downs, pains and sorrow, but if He endured even onto death, we shall also! God has designed us to be happy (blessed) of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in love.