Through the rush of final assignments and tests, I am finding the importance of searching for moments of rest. As a team, I know we are all tired (and admittedly somewhat stressed), but we are not defeated. The end is near!
This past Sunday, I attended Redeemer Church's Easter service, and I was so blessed by the message. Instead of approaching Easter the way I have heard it spoken of my entire life, the pastor preached from 2 Corinthians, specifically chapter five, verse eighteen which states, "All this from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." This is such a beautiful thought, and I found it so incredible because this has been somewhat of my "theme verse" in preparation for the Germany trip. Because we are going to Germany with the theme of reconciliation in mind, I have been constantly meditating on this particular verse, and so it was amazing to hear it in such a powerful way on Easter morning. Resurrection is by far the most significant message of Easter, but I believe that Reconciliation goes right alongside this miracle. New creation is the message of Easter. Through the death and resurrection of his son, God has given us the opportunity to renew our relationship with him. God has entrusted the act of reconciliation to us: this is our agenda. We are ambassadors for Christ: even to those we would rather not connect with.
In preparation for our trip, I have been working on a piece of choreography to bring along with me. This piece explores the idea of reconciliation, specifically drawing from Gomer, who is a prostitute written about in the Old Testament chapter Hosea. Throughout the story of Hosea and Gomer, we see the groom constantly pursuing his unworthy bride, completely disregarding her blatant sin. This story greatly parallels Christ’s relationship with his people, the church. Throughout biblical history, no matter how many times God’s people sinned, God has continued to pursue a relationship with them, and even today he continually reconciles our past and present errors with his glory. Despite this recognition, we live in a fallen world and, therefore, we continue to live adulterous lives, giving into sinful thoughts and believing ridiculous lies. Being a Christian is not about immediately throwing off sin and becoming “clean” in the eyes of the Lord. It is a daily renewal that is incredibly painful and difficult at times. This piece is still in the process of being developed, but I thought I might share a glimpse into my thoughts. :)
On an entirely different note, I am enclosing a link to a video I made for a Comedy Improvisation workshop we held at a local church last Saturday. Comedy Improv Workshop The few hours we spent there were entirely successful, and I think it was a very encouraging experience for our team to teach such an enthusiastic group of teenagers! I know we are all looking forward to doing the same thing awhile we are in Germany!
I’ll leave you with this encouragement; something that was promised to Moses in the Old Testament, but has been continually fulfilled from that day forward because God is faithful to the covenant he made with his people; “Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged’” (Deuteronomy 31: 7-8).
Good night. :)
~Chelsea
