Good afternoon, friends. This is Pastor Don.
Sunday I preached on the encounter of Jesus with Pilate, the Roman governor who, under intense pressure, eventually sentenced Jesus to death. What a tough spot he was in.
Pilate wasn’t there just to decide the fate of Jesus, but he was also being pursued by God – nudged into a corner where life’s biggest questions were presenting themselves to him requesting that he take a stand. Who is God? What is True? What does any of that have to do with me? And what about Jesus?
It’s enough to make you squirm! I’ve been there, haven’t you? God’s questions make you want to run! Francis Thompson, in 1890 penned a powerful poem entitled “ The Hound of Heaven” where he talks about this pursuing God: “I fled him down the nights and down the days, I fled Him, down the arches of the years,” he said.
In the end, the pursuit of God is the pursuit of love. Love is ours even when we are separated. Love pursues us when we run away. Love seeks us until we allow ourselves to be found. Love is our forever inheritance. To be found by God is to be wrapped in the unconditional love of God. What are you waiting for?
I want to invite you to our service at 10:30 am Sunday morning at the corner of Canal and Walnut streets in Troy, Ohio. It is a service planned by a team with our guest, Mark Condy, being there with his voice, and his guitar and harmonica. The team was Ginny, Becky Karen, Mark and myself. We want you to see yourself as a part of the crowd walking by Jesus both when he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and then at the cross when he is crucified. See you then.
LET’S PRAY: Seeking God, You seek with love even as we seek to be loved. Amen
