prepare our hearts for the Easter miracle

Dear First Pres SLO Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Messiah, the one whose footsteps we follow as we make our way to Jerusalem, and Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Our Lenten season is coming to an end, almost. This time of reflection and repentance as we prepare our hearts for the Easter miracle is different every year, because we’re different every year. How has it been different for you?

The events of Holy Week and Easter are a part of a wider drama that includes the Ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They’re all connected, because they have to do with God’s work to redeem the earth, and also our calling to continue that mission now, today, wherever we might be.

It’s a big deal.

In Henri Nouwen’s reading for today he writes this:

Jesus sends the Spirit so that we may be led to the full truth of the divine life. Truth does not mean an idea, concept or doctrine, but the true relationship. To be led into the truth is to be led into the same relationship that Jesus has with the Father; it is to enter into a divine betrothal.

Sometimes Nouwen finds a path to the heart that pierces my defenses and opens me to the meaning of Jesus. This is one of those word paths. We are called to a relationship. Not only that, but we’re called into the same relationship that Jesus has with his Father. And when we open ourselves to that experience, it’s like a divine betrothal.

A divine betrothal.

Betrothal used to mean something different than being engaged. To be engaged was to express an intention to marry, but a betrothal was a contract that began the process of completing the marriage contract.

God invites us not just to be his intended, but to be his betrothed.

Maybe my own marriage this past year has made me more aware of this kind of language—maybe it affects me because of my own experience. But we are all invited to this deep, connected relationship with God, whatever our own life path might be. This divine betrothal is for everyone. Everyone.

As you make use of these last days of Lent in your own life—as you do the reflecting and repenting and reordering that the season invites—open yourself to this deep connection that God offers. Lean into the relationship that Jesus has with the Father, as you deepen your own relationship with God. Nouwen offers this prayer at the end of the reading:

Dear Lord, you are the Truth.

When I keep myself rooted in you, I will live in the Truth.

Help me, Lord, to live a truthful life,

a life in which I am guided not by popularity, public opinion,

current fashion, or convenience,

but by a knowledge that comes from knowing you.

Lord, bring me always closer to you.

Amen.

Blessings to you all,

Pastor John