Column from the Middletown Journal
by Pastor Dave Kepple March 30, 2002 |
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and I am life. "Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." And then he added one more sentence. He asked his friend Martha, "Do you believe this?" It is the question for each one of us today, too. In the end, it is the only question that matters. These words of Jesus, from the 11th chapter of John's Gospel, were spoken just moments before the Nazarene raised Martha's brother, Lazarus, from death. They are words of pure grace. In the language of an old hymn, they are "wonderful words of life." They are at the heart of our faith as followers of Jesus Christ. We believe in eternal life, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has conquered sin and death. New life, born out of the anguish of death, is the message. It is the message of Easter, the core of the Christian faith. The other day, I found my thoughts turning toward the Tree of Life in our church's entranceway. I thought of those names that have been recently added to the Tree of Life . . . the names of Clara Brown . . . Russ O'Hara . . . Eunice Burgess . . . What a flood of warm memories come back to me as I think of these folks -- and the Light of Grace that shone through them. The point I want to make is simply this -- it is a tree of life -- not a tree of death. It is a symbol of the victory we trust these souls have been redeemed to in Jesus Christ. It is a symbol of the victory that is ours to claim, too. It is for all of us, because as Jesus said: "Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." The Tree of Life in our entranceway is an exclamation to all who enter our church building -- an exclamation that we are already living in victory. It is a reminder that we have already received the gift of eternal life -- through faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly -- both in our brief journey on earth, and forever with God in the life to come. Nothing -- not even death -- can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus! The Tree of Life is a very biblical image, by the way. It is mentioned in the beginning of God's story, in the second chapter of Genesis. It's right there in middle of the Garden of Eden, right next to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is mentioned in the very last chapter of the Bible, too, interestingly enough. God's Word comes full circle in the 22nd chapter of Revelation, in the astonishing vision given to John of Patmos. John's vision promises that those who believe in Him will receive the gift of life. Indeed, John writes that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. There is another tree I need to mention. It is the tree that the apostle Peter refers to in the 10th chapter of Acts, where he boldly states: "We are witnesses to all that he did, both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day . . . " The Cross was intended as an instrument of torture and shame, of despair and death. But God turned it into a Tree of Life for all whom believe in Jesus Christ. * Rev. Dave Kepple is pastor of Union Chapel United Methodist Church on Keister Road in Madison Twp. |