Heritage Lutheran Church


 

HERITAGE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Highlights

IT’S HERE!!! 

“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

As we enter the month of May the weather finally warms to springtime, flowers blossom and bloom, grass greens and grows. The ravages of another winter, thankfully, fade into memory. With the warmer weather of May children think of summer and vacation. Students find it hard to concentrate these last weeks of school, and teachers do all they can to hold their attention just a little longer. But soon it will be here – another summer, another vacation. The waiting and the yearning will be over. Simply enjoy!

To people waiting and yearning for the promised Messiah and all the relief he would bring, it must have seemed like our past winter of 2007-08. How many times have we heard, “Will this winter EVER END???” The “winter” of waiting for the Messiah was trying as well, as people longed for relief from the burdens they knew. In their waiting they often rebelled against God. They failed to stay focused upon the one true God, trusting His promise that the Messiah would come and relieve even greater burdens.

Well, spring has sprung, as the saying goes. It’s here! The spring of which I speak is not a mere passage of time (in northwest Indiana perhaps a short passage of time as we seem to hit the 80 and 90 degree temperatures all too soon). No, I join with the apostle Paul who talks of that “right” time, that decisive point in God’s timing, when the “spring” of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven are remembered and celebrated as accomplished. God’s promise of a Messiah who would be the Savior of the world HAS BEEN FULFILLED IN JESUS CHRIST. Paul wrote of this timing in his letter to the Romans: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)

It’s done! It’s here! In the words of Jesus, “It is finished.” Our salvation is accomplished. We have celebrated Good Friday and Easter, and we continue to sing our “Alleluias!” because we live today and EVERY day in God’s grace. We need not yearn for this. It’s here! God’s grace is real and powerful, just as Jesus is our real and all-powerful Savior. As we celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven on May 1^st, we rejoice that God has accepted the sacrifice of His Son for the reconciliation of the world. We rejoice that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty and continually intercedes for us with the Father, pleading our case SUCCESSFULLY for the Father’s forgiveness and love. Not only that, our ascended Lord governs and protects His Church and rules in the interest of His Church. Such is His grace!

While we celebrate the ascension of our Lord this month, ten days later the festival of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is remembered. Just as the apostles went forth proclaiming to the world God’s grace in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, so we too go forth in that same Spirit and power. We proclaim to people in need the good news of God’s love and forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ. Why? Because “now is the favorable time; now is the day of salvation.” It’s here!

Pastor O.