[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https://arumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/thanti-nguyen-U_b-eSviHvs-unsplash-1.jpg” alt=”cross on a hill” title_text=”thanti-nguyen-U_b-eSviHvs-unsplash” align=”center” admin_label=”Image” _builder_version=”4.9.2″ width=”70%” module_alignment=”center” animation_style=”fade” animation_duration=”1500ms” animation_delay=”250ms” animation_speed_curve_last_edited=”off|desktop”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_team_member name=”By Gary E. Mueller” position=”Bishop of the Arkansas Annual Conference” facebook_url=”https://www.facebook.com/bishopgarymueller/” twitter_url=”https://twitter.com/GaryEMueller” _builder_version=”3.27.3″][/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.2″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]
Tomorrow is Good Friday.
As I’ve been thinking about the event that exists at the very heart of our identity as Christians, I’ve found my mind drifting to the current state of the Body of Christ. There’s no way to gently put it, so I’ll be blunt. I am deeply troubled, my heart is breaking and my soul is distressed. The reason is simple. I don’t see much evidence that we really think we need a Savior.
Rather, I see something quite distressing. We have become a church that is concerned with almost everything but Jesus. If you have any doubt, look at how we spend our time and energy. We are so shaped by the political and ideological wars going on around us that we see each other primarily through the lens of secular culture, instead of as brothers and sisters in Christ. We are so much part of a polarized world that we accept as normal the demonization of others with whom we disagree, instead of seeing them through our common relationship with Jesus Christ. We have become so self-centered that we are convinced the church’s primary role is to cater to our wishes and make us comfortable, instead of seeking to carry out the will of God. We fight so much about whether the people we want to help are worthy of our help that we become self-righteous, instead of taking seriously Jesus’ words in Matthew 25. We are so hell-bent on arguing whether we should have to wear masks that we spend much of our time engaging in internal combat, instead of spending our time reaching out to people so they can get to know Jesus as their personal Savior and invite him to be Lord of their lives.
To put it simply, we have lost our passion for Jesus’ passion on the cross. Of course, I’m realistic enough to understand that this statement will probably be greeted with a metaphorical shrug of the shoulders. But the fact of the matter is that we do need a Savior. Whether we think we do or not. And we need one right now.
But I have hope even though things seem bleak. Indeed, more hope than I can begin to describe. That’s because there are signs all around that the Holy Spirit is at work right now stirring us up so we will be laser-focused on Jesus who died for us so that we will experience the fullness of his unconditional, invitational and transformational love. Not just so we can experience forgiveness, healing, joy and hope. But so that we can be part of Jesus’ mission of unleashing grace that transforms lives, communities and the world.
Indeed, tomorrow is Good Friday. It will be a somber day filled with mystery that cannot be explained and power that changes everything. I pray that this Good Friday will help us realize – perhaps for the first time, or perhaps for the first time in a long time – just how much we need a Savior named Jesus.
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