By Pastor Dan Christian

It is tempting for us as Christians to rush past the bloody, God-forsaken death of Good Friday in order to get to the celebration and hope of Easter Sunday. We rightly rejoice in the resurrection as the foundation of our hope and life in Christ, but in doing so we perhaps pass over the rather obvious reality that resurrection is not possible unless death has first occurred. And we forget what it must have been like for the friends and followers of Jesus on that Saturday in between His death and His resurrection.

Despite Jesus’ many promises to His disciples that He would die and then rise again, when that cruel crucifixion was completed and Christ’s lifeless body was placed in a borrowed tomb, His disciples and friends could not see beyond their despair. They could not see what we see through the lens of history—that resurrection was coming, their Lord would walk and talk with them again, and all would be well.

From our vantage point, we look at the Gospel narrative and see only one day between the death on Good Friday and the resurrection early Sunday morning—and one day seems like a really short time to wait. But for those who followed Jesus at that time, one day without their Friend and Master probably felt like an eternity. And from their vantage point, that one day was going to bleed into a second day, then into a third, and on into a week, a month, a year, and so on. Hope was buried as surely as their Savior was in that tomb. Thus resurrection came as a surprise—a joyful surprise, definitely, but still unexpected.

For us too, as surely as Jesus’ first followers, death shakes us to the core. Loss and grief and change rattle us. Resurrection still surprises. Yet in Christ’s death and resurrection we have received not only a sure salvation and hope, but also a pattern of what our life in Christ will look like (Romans 6:1-8). We also are called to die, day by day (Luke 9:23-24). God also will bring resurrection out of our death and loss (Philippians 3:10-11). And there also will be difficult days of waiting in between the many deaths and resurrections that God brings us through (Romans 8:23-25). Death must precede resurrection. That is the pattern.

Knowing—and remembering—that pattern of life to death to resurrection is crucial whenever we walk through a season of change. Change inevitably brings “death” or loss. Something we have known, enjoyed, even counted on, comes to an end, and something new and unknown is about to begin. Some changes are small and insignificant, but other changes can shake us to the core. And in the loss that change brings, even if we trust that God will bring “resurrection,” the in-between time of waiting can feel like an eternity.

If we as a church are to maintain perspective as we face the very significant loss not only of something but of someone who has brought stability and strength and wisdom (and so much more) to our church—and in many cases, to our lives personally—we must remember the pattern of Christ:

Death is a necessary part of the process.

Resurrection will come.

In between there is waiting.

Thus there is no shame in acknowledging and mourning the loss that comes with Pastor Cory’s retirement. This change is a kind of death. And death is part of the pattern.

At the same time, we need not slip into a hopeless despair at Pastor Cory’s departure. Why? Because death is part of the pattern—a necessary prelude to resurrection.

Thus also there is no shame—or disrespect—in anticipating the new things God will bring through this change in our church. Resurrection will come. That is part of the pattern also. God has new life in store for us, new life that would not come apart from the loss of this change.

And in between it’s likely to be hard for awhile. That’s part of the pattern. God brings resurrection—we don’t. Therefore we don’t know when that resurrection will come. We don’t know what that resurrection will look like. We wait, and we hope…but it’s hard.

We have a perspective that Jesus’ first followers did not have. We can see the pattern that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection set for us. So if we are to maintain perspective in this season of transition, we need to remind ourselves that death and loss are not the end, but resurrection is coming. Like the disciples, we do not know when that resurrection will come, but we can hold on to the perspective that it will come. That is the pattern.  

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’” Matthew 25:21a

As I enter the final twelve days of my tenure as Senior Pastor of Evergreen SGV, I have been reflecting two things: God’s goodness over the past forty-two years and my role in God’s plan. I firmly believe that God had a plan and I was a part of His plan for Evergreen from the very beginning to the very end. 

It’s been interesting that in the past few days I have read different versions of the same theme regarding a retrospective view of one’s life. I have no idea who to credit for this sage advice, but I read about the final epitaph of a missionary who was to be martyred. Most recently, I read it in an article by Dr. Steven C. Riser, retired Senior Pastor of New Beginning EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church).

Here’s what one martyred believer wrote, No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets. 

No Reserves.

We should be willing to give our all to Jesus. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” This verse calls us to offer our entire body as a living sacrifice to God. We should allow the Lord to use us in any way He sees fit. Our willingness becomes our willing sacrifice to Him.

No Retreats.

We should be willing to always press on for the sake of Christ. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” 

The world and life itself is filled with distractions, discouragements and discontentment. The world is a noisy place to live. It is easy to revoke our sacrificial living for the sake of ease. The way to “press on” is to “press into” Jesus. His resurrection power will sustain us.

No Regrets.

In last week’s blog, I shared about finishing the race from 2 Timothy 4:7 where Paul stated, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…” Finishing a marathon has its rewards whether the runner finished first or last. For most runners, just completing the course well is reward enough.

In my opinion, finishing with no regrets is an important ingredient to a life lived well for Christ. To be sure, there will be some regrets. But, trying to wholeheartedly live and serve as Jesus would want us live and serve has its own reward… the voice of the Lord saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21.

So may we live a life of No Reserve, No Retreat and No Regret.

Something to think about…

By Pastor Dan Christian

Trust is not really trust unless it produces action. If my kids are in the swimming pool and they tell me the water’s warm, I can say I believe them, but until I jump off the edge and into that water, I don’t truly trust them. Trust is demonstrated by the act of jumping in. In the same way, if God says to give generously and trust Him to provide for my needs (2 Corinthians 9:6-11), then I can say that I trust His provision when really I’m just trusting the cushion I have in my budget. But when there is no cushion and still I give generously, that act of giving proves the reality of my trust.

In any season of transition, as God brings us into places that are new, our trust in Him is put to the test. Will we step out in obedience to the new things He is calling us to be or do, or will we resist His call, trying to stay with what is known or comfortable? In those times of testing, our trust in Him is not demonstrated merely by what we think or say, but by the action that is produced by that trust.

But actions that demonstrate trust in God are not limited to big, risky “leaps of faith.” More often than not, our trust in God is demonstrated in the small and mundane steps of obedience in everyday life. In some cases, trust may be shown by simply showing up.

In God’s instructions to His people in captivity, He promised that change would come—He would bring them back to their own land—but not until 70 years had passed. For them to truly trust in God’s promise of “a future and a hope,” they needed to take seemingly mundane steps of obedience: build houses, live in them, plant gardens, eat the produce, get married, have babies, and so on (see Jeremiah 29:4-11). There was something they needed to do to demonstrate their trust in God, but the “something” was not very big and exciting—instead, it was rather ordinary. They were being called to show up and live life, while they waited for God to carry out His promise.

So also, for us as a church, God is bringing us into a new season with a new senior pastor. There likely will be changes ahead, and a few of them may require us to take steps of trust that are bigger and more risky or exciting. But for most of us, the steps of trust we will need to take in this season will seem pretty mundane. In fact, we might not even think of them as steps of trust, because they may be things we are already doing and God’s call is simply to keep showing up and doing the same things.

Consistently coming to worship service, singing with all your heart, giving your tithe, sharing in Communion together, praying for a brother or sister, receiving prayer, showing up at Branch, serving at the Food Bank—these are the ordinary elements of our church life, yet these may be the very arenas where God is asking us to demonstrate our trust with action by simply remaining faithful.

Does it require trust to keep showing up to Sunday service or Thursday Branch? Certainly! None of us, including Pastor Rocky, know how things will unfold over the next few months and years as we begin this new chapter in the life of our church. Each of us may have particular ideas of what we hope will remain the same, and we may have ideas of changes that we hope will eventually happen. But none of us know what this new season will end up looking like. With that uncertainty, it could be tempting to wait until the dust of transition settles before investing deeply in various areas. So for you to keep showing up and faithfully participating in the same aspects of church life as before, that takes tremendous trust.

·         You have to trust that God is still at work, even in the midst of an unsettled season of change.

·         You have to trust that God is not finished with producing good fruit in our church, but He wants to see even greater fruitfulness.

·         You have to trust that you still have a vital part to play in the Body, and you still need all the other members of the Body.

In the final analysis, you have to trust that by continuing to show up, you are actually contributing to the stability of our church—a stability that will be vitally needed in order to successfully navigate whatever changes God brings.

By Pastor Dan Christian

Hebrews 6:19 speaks of hope as a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” When life is relatively calm and smooth-sailing, we may not think of hope as a vital necessity, but when the storms of life arise and we feel like we’re going under, we know we desperately need something solid to hang on to. Hope is that solid anchor.

But though hope is solid, it is also a bit slippery—it isn’t something we can directly take hold of. The only way to take hold of hope is to grab on to truth. Hope springs to life when our hearts cling to truth, particularly the truth of God’s unchanging character and Word.

So what are the truths our hearts can cling to in the midst of the suffering and sorrow we face? Or what are the truths our hearts hold on to as we walk through a season of transition? If we are to remain hopeful—and not turn inward in despair—in the midst of change (or suffering), we must intentionally set our minds on the truths that awaken hope in our hearts.

Here’s a few hope-awakening truths to get you started…

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) There is a single Hebrew word—hesed—that is translated “steadfast love.” Hesed is God’s loyal love, expressed in a covenant with His people that cannot be broken. Hesed is God’s kindness poured out on undeserving souls. And that loyal kindness never ends!

Hope blossoms when we call to mind the unending faithfulness and loyal kindness of God, which has been lavished on we who put our trust in Him.

“This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” (2 Corinthians 4:17) The destiny of all those who belong to Christ is glorious—glory beyond our wildest dreams! Through Christ, we will be welcomed in to the very glory of God. We will be approved, delighted in, accepted by God. We will receive a beauty and radiance that we long for here, and which we see now only in dim reflections through the sin-stained beauty of God’s creation.

Hope comes to life when we remember that this dark and broken world is not the end, but there is unspeakable glory awaiting us.

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17) Children of God! Fellow heirs with Christ! Our adoption into the family of God secured for us a status—sons and daughters of the King!—and an inheritance—all the riches of Christ! How amazing is that?!

Hope flourishes as the reality of our standing before God—as adopted children and therefore heirs—sinks deep within our soul.

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32) There is no higher price that could be paid to ransom and rescue our souls than the life of God’s one and only Son. If God was willing to go to such extreme lengths to save us, why do we worry that he may not be willing to help us in the day-to-day struggles of life? He has done the hardest thing—will he not do what is far easier?

Hope springs up when we recall and rest in the Good News of what God has already done.

In seasons of change, and seasons of suffering, hope is vital. So make it a daily practice to intentionally set your mind on these (and many other) glorious truths, that hope would not be squashed by all the unknowns ahead, but rather hope would bloom in your heart like the spring blossoms in all their fragrance and beauty.

“He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:3 

Over the past four decades, a particular verse has been shared with me by different members within the Body of Christ known as Evergreen. The verse is Psalm 1:3, which is an incredibly encouraging passage of scripture.

More recently, one of our church members, Itsuko Teragawa, shared Psalm 1:3 with me and said it was God’s verse for me. This time, her words caused the verse to have a greater impact on me. I wondered about it and asked the Lord to help me understand what it meant.

Some time later, while attending the Evergreen SGV House of Prayer (EHOP), the Lord spoke to me and said that Psalm 1:3 was my life verse for ministry from Him. In other words, I had a life verse from the Lord even though I was totally unaware of it. 

A closer look at the verse revealed that three things happen to someone who is like a tree firmly planted beside streams of water. First, they will yield fruit. Second, they will not wither. And third, they will prosper in whatever they do.

This has been the story of our church over the past 42 years. We have yielded fruit, not withered and have prospered in whatever we have done. To God be the glory! 

If we take a closer look at the context of Psalm 1:3, we find in verses 1 and 2, the reasons for the blessings of verse 3. 

Psalm 1:1-2 says, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

A tree or person gets firmly planted beside streams of water when three things are happening in their lives. First, they do not listen to worldly counsel that contradicts God’s Word. Second, they delight or love the Word of God. Third, they meditate and assimilate God’s Word on a consistent basis. The net result of doing the above is then described in verse 3.

In many ways, I am glad that I did not know that this was God’s life verse for me in ministry. However, I am also thankful that for the entirety of my 42 years of service, I have always tried to love, assimilate and do God’s Word.

As a result, God has blessed me and our church family over the years by allowing us to bear fruit, to keep from withering and to see God prosper us in ways that only He could. 

In the final analysis, I am grateful to God for the things He has done. His mercies and lovingkindness have abounded in my life and the life of our church family. Hallelujah!

Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.