MVLC Church Council Member Julie Williams’ devotion for Friday, April 24.
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Devotion
Hebrews 16:19-20
We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain…Jesus.
These verses from Hebrews hit my heart on a personal level in so many ways. What beautiful words to illustrate how much hope we have in the Easter message of the resurrection of Jesus. As we all “hide behind the curtain” of our worries, stress and fears we are anchored as disciples of Christ in Jesus. When I read the words “anchor of the soul”, I instantly reacted with a sense of peace in knowing we are secured in our belief of the resurrection. We are anchored in knowing we are not alone. We are not adrift on our own. We are in this together as a community of faith. What a wonderful gift we have been given.
I have seen the Easter hope prevalent in our congregation these past weeks even though we are not able to be together in the flesh. I have witnessed zoom meetings with the church council, with our Friends in Faith small groups, education and bible studies, youth gatherings and the list go on. I have seen members celebrating birthdays and special events while honoring safe distances. Aren’t these examples that we are anchored together in the hope of Jesus and his resurrection?
Another illustration of the Easter hope is the faithful commitment of our staff that faithfully works behind the curtain to bring us together in worship despite the challenges of our current crisis. I, and I am sure you too, am so grateful for their dedication through enormous challenges to ensure we remain in community together in worship and education. We all need to express our gratitude for how they are anchoring us in this storm. This is another example of hope lived out in faithfulness. A hope in our community of faith at Mountain View Lutheran church.
Easter reminds us that hope should never be lost for as dark the road may seem, there always lies light at the end of it. Basil Hume stated that ” the great gift of Easter is hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in the goodness of love, which nothing can shake”.
I have witnessed the faithfulness of our church as we continue to worship, cultivate our faith in education, surround each other in our joys and sorrows while recognizing our fears and our day to day challenges but remaining anchored in the hope of the Easter message. The hope of resurrection. The hope lived out in Jesus sacrifice. As we all sacrifice together in this strange time remain assured our soul is anchored together in the hope that is the Easter message.
No matter how hopeless your life may seem, Easter has a word of hope for you. God’s not dead, he is alive. Jesus’ resurrection has tremendous implications for you. He is risen means he is present; he is with you and that means hope.
I have witnessed the anchor of our soul alive and thriving in our church. We are there for each other. What a beautiful and wonderful gift we have as members of the body at Mountain View Lutheran church. Let us be at peace together.
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Prayer
Let us pray.
Lord we thank you for the sacrifice that was made in order to bring us hope found in the resurrection. As we all sacrifice in a variety of ways during this time of separation, we thank you for the community of faith that we call Mountain View. We thank you for the staff who tirelessly work to ensure we remain together in worship and education. We thank you for each member that remains committed to our community of faith. We acknowledge our worries and our stress but remain steadfast in the Easter message of hope. Thank you for the gift of community. We pray these things in your holy name. Amen.
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Image: Crosses outside of All Saints Catholic Church, Puyallup, on Saturday, April 18, 2020. Photograph by Troy Kehm-Goins.