tax collectors, and the Samaritans (to name a few). However, many of our images and ideas can be misleading. Jesus is often depicted as a stoic man who never shows emotion. When you begin carefully reading scripture, you realize that this image is far from the truth. As the Gospel of Luke shows us, Jesus experiences joy, suffering, hope, uncertainty, anxiety, and many other emotions just like us. As the early Christian church consistently declared, Jesus is fully human. He is like us in every way (except for sin).

As we approach Easter Sunday, I think it is important to think carefully about the images we have in our minds about the events of Holy Week. Perhaps we imagine Jesus as some cosmic superhero standing before the Roman authorities and laughing in the face of his opponents. Indeed, there are some who describe him in this way. Sometimes it is easier to imagine Jesus as an untouchable hero than it is to see him suffering on the cross. However, I find it best to pause when we are presented with this depiction and ask the question, “Who is Jesus, really?”

Who is Jesus, really? He really is the God of the universe dying on a cross for you and me. He really is the Son of God sent to reconcile us with our loving Father. He really is the one who takes our sins upon himself and experiences death in our place.

A few years ago, I asked a group of high school students to perform a short drama of Luke 15:11-32, The Prodigal Son, during our Sunday night programming. The students did a wonderful job depicting this incredible story of a father’s love and grace towards his wayward son. Following the presentation, we discussed the significance of this story for our understanding of God. When asked, “What does this story tell us about God’s love for us?”, one of the students raised her hand and said, “It tells us that his love has no memory.” I was not expecting this answer, and when she gave it, I was floored.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about her words: his love has no memory. It is difficult for me to imagine a God who welcomes me home from my wayward journeying and places his ring upon my finger. The image I often hold to is the image of an angry judge ready to punish and rebuke me for my disobedience. And yet, the God revealed in Jesus Christ is the one who welcomes us home with open arms, a God who freely loves us in the face of our brokenness. In other words, God has no memory. The Lord does not keep account of our sins. He does not remember our iniquities (Heb. 8:12). When he looks at each of us, he sees his Son, and we are welcomed to his table as heirs of the Kingdom.

As we journey together through Holy Week, my prayer is that each of us will remember that God’s love for us is declared in no uncertain terms from the cross on Golgotha: in Jesus Christ, God has made each of us a recipient of his unending love, a love that does not remember our sins. It has no memory. It is the love of a Father who celebrates our return to him and welcomes us back into his home. Who is Jesus, really? He is our loving Savior!
 
Let us celebrate his love together as we gather at the empty tomb.
 
In grace and gratitude,
Pastor McLane

I was a student at the University of Montana at the time. Life was exciting, as college life often is. I enjoyed my classes and spending time with friends, but somehow I felt empty. My brother, Lee, who was serving in the Air Force in Germany at the time, became a Christian. When he came home on leave the Spring of 1983, he shared scripture with me, and God used His Word to draw me to Him. He gave me His name.
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As His children, God calls us by many names:
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Easter is important to me because it is another reminder of the Spring when God changed my name and made my life new. My life has never been the same since then. I started looking at everything with a Christ-centered perspective, and it is still my focus to this day.

​In His Name, Stephanie

interpret the verse on a short video and help make the Word even more meaningful.

​So, this morning I was happy to see that one of my favorite verses was presented by an amazing man that I am sure most of you also know and respect. Matt Lucado gave me some things to think about.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

The condensed version of what Max shared is that there is an old belief that God helps those who help themselves. A lot of us believe this. We think that we can fix ourselves. We will make up for our mistakes with contributions, our guilt by volunteering our time, and we will pay for our failures with hard work. We will find salvation the old-fashioned way by earning it. But God says that it is your role to trust in Him to do what we can’t accomplish. We must trust Him to fix the things we can't.

So how can we do that? How can we find that type of faith? Actually, we are all doing this on another level. A practical example is that currently we all depend upon, and have faith in, things we cannot see. We have faith that when we flip the light switch, the light will come on. We depend on the strength of a chair to support our weight. You place your trust in things you cannot see, to do the work you cannot accomplish. God invites you to do the same with Him. Trust God more.

I really liked this concept of trusting things you do not see and extending this belief to my relationship with God. This is a difficult time for me as my sister was just diagnosed with metastatic cancer and unfortunately the prognosis is poor. My brother and sister and I are very close, especially since the death of our parents. We turn to each other for comfort. But dealing with certain death has been so painful despite our relationships. It is times like this when it is so important to turn to God. He is always there. Death on the cross did not conquer Jesus. It was not the end of the story. The author and protector of your faith, He endured death for you and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He is your comforter and He wants to give you peace. So, whatever you are going through, you can place in His hands. He wants to strengthen your faith and give you hope. As we enter the Easter season, fix your eyes on Christ knowing that He sees a future for you that is filled with so much joy. Trust God more.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5: 1-2)

In His Name, Ellen

how it has impacted my life and my choices along the way - I worry. A lot. I am a worrier. Anxiety has constantly been a companion of mine. But I am a big believer that even in our own personal challenges we can learn how to thrive by working through them - not ignoring them or giving in to them, but using them as tools of growth.

Philippians 4:6 is one of my favorite bible verses: “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, through prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your request to God”.  This verse has brought me so much comfort over the years, and continues to do so.  I have also learned that if I do not push myself through my fears I will miss many wonderful opportunities or relationships. It’s always been important to me to challenge myself and not let worry or fear keep me from growing or taking an opportunity. I can say, without question, that making the decision to push through and take a challenge in spite of my worry has driven and influenced so many stories of my life.

There are so many other bible verses and stories from God we can lean on to get through a hard time or just to bust through a hard personal challenge. We also have a rich history of music in the church that reflects these tough components of life; worry, grief, fear, uncertainty.

Some hymns that come to mind: It is Well with My Soul, Abide with Me, and there’s even a hymn called All Your Anxiety (#613)! That one must have been written just for me!

Life is full of challenges and anxieties, it’s something that I know intimately as you likely do as well. God gives us many things to lean on throughout our life and certainly one of those gifts is music. These old hymns were written by real people feeling and struggling through deep emotions. Through their music and words, we feel a kinship with them and comfort in knowing that God is with us and we are not alone.

​In His Name, Jenny
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