United Church of God

Personal from the President: February 18, 2021

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Personal from the President

February 18, 2021

Preparing for your best Passover yet (Part 1)

For all of humanity, the Passover stands alone as the singular event in history. Billions of years ago—a number incomprehensible to the human mind—God and the eternal Being known then as the Word (Logos) laid plans to create a vast physical universe packed with many marvels. This universe would be created for a purpose. This new physical universe would center on the Word and His future roles as Jesus Christ, the Savior of humanity, the Son of God and King of Kings in the coming Kingdom of God.

What would be the purpose of this massive, spectacular universe? From the very beginning, it all would be focused on eventually “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10, English Standard Version).

As the foundations of the world were planned, Jesus would play a pivotal role in everything, including bringing into being every physical element, from the tiniest nanoparticle to the largest stellar supercluster to life itself! John’s words are simple, but astonishingly profound: “God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him” (John 1:3, New Living Translation, emphasis added throughout).

A great timetable then came into play, and as the billions of years advanced and the universe matured into the spectacular proof of God’s existence (Romans 1:20), an all-important event took place, just as it was planned: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14, ESV).

As the Messiah, Jesus completed a 3½ year prophetic ministry, magnifying the law that He gave at Sinai (1 Corinthians 10:4), firmly demonstrating that the two greatest commandments were deeply grounded in love—love for God and love for each other (Matthew 22:37-40).

At the end of His ministry—which we will soon observe—Jesus laid his life down in a never-to-be-equaled sacrifice, dying a humiliating death typically reserved for base criminals. The very Son of God paid the ultimate price.

And with His blood He flung open the door that allows us to be reconciled to His Father and become the very children of God, heirs to life eternal! At the moment of His death, in what must have been an overwhelming sight, unseen hands tore the thick curtain hung in front of the Jewish temple’s Holy of Holies “from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51), powerfully symbolizing that the way to God Himself was now open!

Without this sacrifice, none of God’s plan for humanity could come to pass. As Paul wrote, “Christ [the Messiah], our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7, ESV). So, we are commanded to observe and remember Jesus’ death and sacrifice, as we will in a little over 40 days.

This year, I would like to challenge all of us to take steps for each of us to experience a truly memorable Passover. For many, if not most, of us, this has been a trying year since we last took of the bread and wine. Some of us lost family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of us experienced it firsthand. Many endured lockdowns and economic tough times.

The good news is that we made it to this point!

But even though we now see perhaps a light at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel, many of us are fatigued, even worn out. Some still feel discouraged, even depressed. As I know from many phone calls, conversations, emails and personal experience, this past year truly took a toll on all of us.

But there is hope! The coming Holy Days give us a powerful framework for renewing our spiritual, mental and physical lives. Now is an excellent time for a personal re-set.

Here are some thoughts to consider: each year at this time, we open our Bibles and read the words of 1 Corinthians 11:27-31, including the warning: “whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” But we do have a positive process to deal with this: “let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

The process of examining oneself is a critical one. It is not, of course, a one-time annual event, as Paul later writes: “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you” (2 Corinthians 13:5, NLT).

While we are encouraged to honestly review our lives and take a spiritual inventory before the Passover, we are to do so in a way to build us up, renewing our understanding—and our relationship—with Jesus Christ, who is also our Elder Brother.

In my half century in the ministry, I have seen well-meaning brethren sometimes take this “examining” process to an extreme, heaping up unnecessary toxic guilt on themselves in an effort to somehow demonstrate how “unworthy” they are.

The truth is none of us is worthy. Without the saving grace of Jesus Christ as the life-giver, none of us stand a chance. Jesus is truly the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, ESV).

Despite our status, God’s marvelous plan bridges the gap! What does the Passover do? When observed properly, it reminds us deeply how much God loves us, that He would give His only Son to enable a direct, eternal relationship with us (John 3:16). It reminds us of the truly incredible human potential that each of us holds as a very child of God (1 John 3:2). It reminds and energizes us to be grateful and to embrace humility as a way of life as we appreciate what has been done for us. And it renews our commitment and dedication to be overcomers, more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

This column will be the first of two to address how this Passover can help us re-set our minds, our emotions and even our spiritual joy. We can perhaps even recapture our first love for the truth (Revelation 2:4).

So, between now and next week, I challenge us all to commit to some extra time to come before God in humble prayer, asking for the refreshing power of spiritual renewal. I challenge us to ask in faith, believing that God knows our every need (Philippians 4:19). Let us ask that we each can elevate our personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior that we can become as Peter wrote: “Though you have not seen him [physically, as Peter had], you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8, ESV).

Let’s start preparing now for this Passover in earnest, working to make it truly and joyously memorable, even possibly the best yet. More to come next week!