@ the crossroads

One of the greatest ways that men and women can testify to the power of Jesus Christ and His loving, committed relationship with the church is through the development of healthy marriage relationships which will also exemplify radical love, devotion, and life-long commitment.  Unfortunately, in the current American cultural landscape, marriage is often viewed, not as a sacred relationship created to mirror Christ’s love for the church, but as simply a human relationship based on convenience, sexual desire, and economic advantage.  When marriages are built upon such worldly ideas, values, and desires, there is a large failure rate and countless lives experience tremendous wounding and pain in the aftermath of broken covenants.

The marriage relationship is sacred, designed to glorify God and reflect His greatness.  When we fail to see the spiritual significance of a man leaving his father and mother and being united to his wife in a “one flesh” relationship, we cheapen marriage, water down the truth, and give in to prevailing cultural messages about marriage that not only cause family strife, but also dishonor God.

This Sunday at Crossroads we will be looking in-depth at what the Bible teaches regarding marriage.  Perhaps you are in a struggling marriage today and are desperately needing a message of hope and an encouraging word to be intentional in developing your relationship with your spouse.  If so, you won’t want to miss worship this weekend.  Or, maybe you are single person and you find yourself currently battling with God’s plan as you either wait for the right person to marry or embrace His life-long plan of singleness.  There will be encouragement for you this weekend as well.

Strong marriages and God-honoring relationships among singles serve to develop healthy churches.  The body of Christ will be more effective in mission to the world when we faithfully model the biblical, counter-cultural message of marriage faithfulness. 

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday!      

The funeral for Martha Miller, my ninety-eight year-old grandmother, was last weekend in Illinois.  My grandmother was highly influential in my life and our relationship was quite close.  She modeled a life of faith in Christ exceptionally well and her unwavering trust in Jesus was truly an inspiration to those around her.  Since I was unable to attend the funeral, I wrote a brief tribute to my grandma in the bulletin.  Here is what I wrote:

During one of my last visits with my grandmother, I spent time reading from the Scriptures, an activity I knew my grandmother cherished.  She savored the Word of God, and the Word served her well in return.  She had truly tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8); her main diet was feasting on God’s abiding presence and drawing strength from His Spirit.  The love of Jesus penetrated deep into her soul, transforming her character and filling her with an unmistakable presence of peace, contentment, and joy that transcended the inevitable struggles of life.  Although I am unable to be present for the funeral service, I have the confidence of knowing that my grandmother and I will, in time, be reunited in the fullness of God’s presence, and this because of mutual faith in a Savior who has conquered death. 

When a saint dies, there is room for celebration, for the legacy left behind mixes a good dose of joy into the sorrow.  There is still sadness and grief, to be sure, but this mourning is cloaked in the knowledge and power of the resurrection of Christ.  Death does not have the final word; the last sentence belongs to Jesus: “I am the resurrection and the life.” 

The death of those we love forces us to evaluate the fleeting nature of life and ponder the power of legacy.  What are we doing with the time we have?  What imprint will we be leaving behind?

I’m thankful to God for a grandmother who modeled life in Christ well.  Her legacy is far-reaching.  May we all be inspired to live in such a way.