It’s a question that many people are asking.

It’s a question that is very often a prayer.

It’s a question that keeps people home from church on Sunday mornings.

It’s a question that keeps people hiding from God and from others.

It’s also a question that some church going people deny and hide from.

This question?

Well, I have heard it in many forms. And then I was driving the other day and listening to the radio and I start hearing this question in song form. It was articulated so beautifully, I was taken back. So when I got back home, I typed in a phrase I heard from the song that I heard, “Will you love me, even with my dark side?” It turns out it is a song by Kelly Clarkson, the first American Idol winner.

I do celebrate the message of this of this song. It asks “the” question I was hinting at above, “Will you love me, even with my dark side?” but also expresses related ideas such as our worth, that nobody’s perfect, fear, never giving up, and staying and or running away in relationships. Then, even better, I watched the video for the song, it does a wonderful job of illustrating many issues of worth that so many of us struggle with – losing jobs, weight/body image, drugs and alcohol, loss and grief, the past, relationships, faith and others; and it offers hope. Here is a link to the video http://www.vevo.com/watch/kelly-clarkson/dark-side/GBE431200044.

I don’t know about Kelly’s faith – but she has written a wonderful prayer. She may not have addressed it to God, but I encourage you to read the lyrics as if it were a prayer to God. It’s there.

And guess what? As the song does a good job of answering that “we’re worth it,” the Bible offers several, wonderful, faithful, answers.

Answers such as, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).” Meaning that God is and was not waiting for us to be perfect and then loving us; He loves us right now, dark sides and all. And it’s through that love that we are enabled to leave or dark sides behind.

Answers such as, “God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love (Jeremiah 31:3 MSG).” Meaning, God loves us based on His character; not based on us. Therefore there is nothing we can do to add or subtact from it.

Answers such as, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).”

And answers such as, “My son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found (Luke 15:31-32).” Meaning no matter how lost, or far away, we can always come back to God.

And there are many more answers, but I think these are some good examples.

For many years, I have been haunted by this question, “Will you love me, even with my dark side?” because I know it has been the source of confusion, hurt, distance for so many – it breaks my heart. I find that many people ask it and often don’t believe God’s answer. I find that many people get stuck living in their dark side; stuck in guilt, the past, mistakes, hurts, addictions and more – from which there is freedom in Christ. I also find that lots of people pretend that they don’t have dark sides; in which they lose out on the grace and joy of God; to deny that we’re sinners is to miss the whole point of Jesus.

But for today, if you are asking, or if you have ever asked, or if you avoid asking because you’re afraid of the answer, or if you stopped asking at some point – yes, absolutely, yes, God loves you with your dark side. And, for what it’s worth, so do I.

My prayer is that more and more, you find your worth, your sense of being loved and loving, your hope, and your heart in the One who is loves us more than we can ever know.

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, NJ and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

It’s all about the fruit.

Blueberries, apples, kiwi, pomegranates? No, not that kind of fruit. Fruit of the spirit. Things like love, joy, peace, compassion, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). And it’s about Kingdom Fruit – new believers in Christ, changed lives, forgiveness and reconciliation, community impact.

We’re talking about the stuff that gives evidence of Christ in one’s life or evidence that a church is centered on Him. It’s one thing to go to church and be involved; but God, and frankly people who are hoping that God and His people are for real, are looking for this fruit. It can’t be purchased, it’s not something you put on. It’s coming from the inside and hopefully makes it to the outside and into the space around us.

And it doesn’t magically appear. If you look at the above lists – fruit of the Spirit and Kingdom fruit – they are all things that can’t be faked or manufactured. Some people go to church and some people give the impression that they are holy but often a closer look reveals little to no fruit. Yet, it’s all about the fruit. You can’t fake compassion, you can’t fake forgiveness and reconciliation, you can’t fake self-control. This fruit has to come from somewhere, someone; we are unable to create it.

So, from where does this fruit come? Well, of course from a garden. In the Bible, there are two key events that occur in gardens. And they reveal how this fruit can grow in our lives.

The first, of course, is the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8ff). You remember, Adam and Eve, everything created perfectly, walking with God. Good times. But then Adam and Eve disobey God. And at the heart of their disobedience, and the hallmark of this garden, is the self and pride. As you can imagine, this is not a fruit-bearing garden. It’s impossible to be peaceful, joyful and kind when we are full of ourselves and focused on ourselves.

But fortunately, there is another essential garden in the Bible. It is the Garden of Gethsamane (Matthew 26:36ff). It’s in this garden that first garden begins to be redeemed, and us along with it. In this garden, Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, chooses to follow God’s will over his, even though it means going to the cross. In other words, love, compassion, self-control, and ultimately new life (resurrection after the cross and death).

And it’s through this garden and the coming of the Holy Spirit that there can be a harvest of life-giving, Kingdom building fruit. Like Jesus said in John 15, when we abide in Him, when we let Him into our lives more and more, we are able to bear this fruit. Part of what I have been thinking recently is that many people have this fruit in their lives. But what happens is that it gets covered up, hidden, or stuck. But clearly, people all around us need this fruit. The fruit that is poisoning people in this world is – greed, pride, lust, hatred, strife, selfishness – and we see the harvest of destruction and dismay.

Yet, we have this bounteous harvest of love, peace, joy, compassion; and together we can produce fruit of salvation, changed lives, and community impact. We just need to let it out from the inside and bring it to market, so to speak.

It all starts with the garden though, right? We have to awaken to the source of our life fruit – which garden is our source for fruit? Is the fruit of our lives from Eden – selfishness, pride and disobeying God. Or is our fruit coming from Gethsamane – obedience, compassion, sacrifice, God’s will over ours – leading to new life. One garden leads to death and misery; the other leads to abundant life. One garden is about us; the other is about God and others. One garden is rife with weeds and thorns; the other is beautiful, full of potential, and always has room for more.

From which of these gardens is your fruit growing?

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, NJ and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

There never seems to be enough of: money, vacation, summer, love, affirmation, attention, alcohol, tv, food, video games, relationships, happiness, cars, antiques, projects and much, much more.

All these things we search for and sometimes even come to count on for…satisfaction.

As diverse as they may be, they all have something in common – they will never fully satisfy us. And I know that most of us know that on some level, but we continue to seek and jump into these things hoping that “this time” it might work. But you and I also know that most of our dissatisfaction and misery comes from these pursuits and the consequences of seeking satisfaction from things that don’t.

Good news and bad news. Bad news first – these things were never going to, and were never designed to satisfy us, truly satisfy us. Good news – God has provided for, and invites us to experience full, deep, rich, real satisfaction.

Jesus called it “abundant life” in John 10 but long before that, Isaiah described it in his 55th chapter. There are three parts to this abundant living satisfaction:

First, this passage begins with “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters…(1).” This passage is very effective as threading together the connection between physical needs and spiritual needs – but arrives at the point that the first part of satisfaction is an internal and spiritual matter. See, we reverse these. We think if we get enough of the above list (money, love, etc.) then we will be “better” on the inside. This passage as well as others remind us that God wants to meet our needs and nourish our souls first. This is where satisfaction starts. Inside out rather than outside in.

The passage continues, “Why spend money on what is not bread (read as what we need and spiritual nourishment), and your labor on what does not satisfy (2)?” How much money have we spent on vacations, stuff, people and more and still we’re not satisfied?

Then it says, “Listen to me…Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live (2-3).” The first step in this full and deep satisfaction comes from connecting with God – soul nourishment. This comes from reading or listen to the Bible, prayer, meditating on Scripture. Remember when challenged by Satan, Jesus said, “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth (the Bible) (Matthew 4:4 MSG).” Satisfaction starts from the inside out – we have to start nourishing our dry and weary souls.

The second part of satisfaction that it is revealed in this passage is about grace. We talk a lot about it but I find that we rarely receive it. “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil one his/her thoughts. Let him/her turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (7).” Sometimes we think that God is a grumpy old guy who is very reluctant to forgive. Not true. God is very serious about holiness and sin; but throughout the Bible, like this one, it talks about grace in forgiveness in terms of freely, abundantly and lavishly.

I see church people struggle with this through what is called “works righteousness” – “if I do all this great stuff at church, then God will like/forgive me.” I see many people struggle with guilt from the past thinking, “I am beyond God’s forgiveness.” Both of these and others are misunderstandings of the liberating, healing power of grace. “Let him/her turn to the Lord (read as repenting and turning away from sin) is the way to access this grace. It’s not earned, it’s not out of reach. We have to open our hearts and receive this amazing grace that God wants to freely and lavishly give to us. If we don’t, then satisfaction will always be the next task away; satisfaction will always seem like it’s for others and not for us.

Finally, the third part of this abundant satisfaction is trusting in God’s plan and purpose for our lives. We diminish and cut into our own satisfaction when we insist our plans and purposes for our lives, rather than following God’s. This passage talks about how God’s ways are higher than ours, that his Word always achieves it’s purpose, and how the rain and snow come down from heaven to help the earth flourish (8-11). These verses are to emphasize that satisfaction comes from trusting in, relying on God’s ways and purposes.

Admittedly this is not easy. I am constantly battling with making sure I am on God’s path and not my own. And when I think about it, I usually see that God’s way leads to much more satisfaction than any of my plans or purposes. And God is so good that our lives are a weaving together of His purposes often with the people and things that matter to us.

Are you thirsty today? The kind of thirst that is deep in your soul? That’s good. Are you tired of trying to pursue satisfaction through stuff, people and activity? That’s good too! Because you’re in a perfect place to awaken to God’s invitation to experience the satisfaction He wants to give you. It’s a satisfaction that is purposefully designed for you, it’s full of grace, and will touch you deeply in your heart and soul.

“Come, all you who are thirsty…” and come to where there is enough; enough of something that gives life – the living water of Jesus – a supply that never runs out and is deeply, richly satisfying – more than satisfying than anything we have imagined or experienced.

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, NJ and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

Our Father, we are asking today for You to open the heavens and let Your rains mercifully, gently and abundantly fall upon this nation and people. Where the wildfires of violence, lust, and division burn out of control – let Your rain of peace and love cover and extinguish them. Where we experience crippling droughts of reason and sanity, let Your wisdom fall and satisfy. Where corruption and greed ravenously consume, let Your justice sweep down like a flood to purify and cleanse. Where grief and sorrow burden and weigh down, let Your rain of joy and strength lift and raise spirits. Where discouragement and desperation cloud and darken futures, let Your rain of hope reveal a rainbow of promise to come. In this time of trial for our nation in these last years and the ones to come, we ask for the power and strength through the Holy Spirit to repent and turn from away from the things and ways of death and destruction; and to turn to You, and to life, and to purpose. We cry out to you to renew and heal the soul of this nation; that we may truly become one under You. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf
Isaiah 42:7
cbrianwolf@gmail.com
www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, NJ and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

“For my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples (Isaiah 56:7).” Our vision: To become a place of powerful prayer for our congregation and community – through which we can build relationships and minister with even more impact for Christ. The central message of this vision is “How Can We Pray For You?”

As we go forward, it will engage congregation members of all ages to be involved in loving our neighbors; and we will be utilizing multiple channels to project our message of “How Can We Pray For You?” to people in need – personal outreach, web sites, social media as well as prayer services. And, we will look forward in faith to the fruit that God will bring from all the prayers and praying.

For me, I am so thankful to God. I have served at three churches and in each case He has been faithful to grant powerful and unique visions that have helped shape congregations and individual believers. Vision animates, vision unites, vision lends purpose, vision points us to possibility. Vision is a picture of what God most desires in a given context. A long time ago, when I was on a 9th grade trip to Washington D.C, wandering through the Capitol Building, I found a plaque above a door that read, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…(Proverbs 29:11).” That left such an impression on me. And beginning in college, I have sought to bring this to every endeavor of my life – personal, professional and ministry. Asking what God desires for lives, a congregation, people, and community; and passionately seeking with the Holy Spirit’s help to actualize it. Discerning and casting vision takes hard work – constant prayer, understanding the present in truth, knowing the Word, effective communication, knowing the collective gifts of the given congregation, patience and endurance, understanding God’s mission for the church, and being aware of the needs of people in the community. It is truly a gift from God in so many ways.

Thank you for your support and prayers!

In Christ,

Christopher

Isaiah 42:7
cbrianwolf@gmail.com
www.christopherbwolf.com

I am Yours, and You Are Mine – Real Communion (Classic)

So I was sitting in this village in Africa on a mission trip and I was looking around at the young and old gathered around and I thought, “I love these people.” And then I told them so through an interpreter.

The thing is – I had just met them about ten minutes before. It was such a real feeling – that we were connected somehow. And I remember thinking – this sounds strange – loving people I just met. But really I had been praying for them and thinking about them for a while. And, even though separated by an ocean, culture, ethnicity and experience – we had one thing in common (the most important thing) – our love for Christ – bonded by the Holy Spirit.

And that is one of the most powerful and uniting forces in the world.

Family. Good. Husband and wife. Good. Friends. Good. Long-time friends – even better. Next door neighbors – good. Co-workers – can be good. Teammates – good. Think of all the possible relationships we can share in throughout life – they can be life-giving. But none of them can come close to what God designed, Jesus fulfilled and commanded and Paul explained – the body of Christ.

“The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt and the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters in to the exuberance (1 Corinthians 12:25-26 MSG).”

According to Paul in this above passage, it goes something like this…If you have ALS, we have ALS. If you have breast cancer, we have breast cancer. If you are lonely and isolated, we feel that too. If you are crying, we are crying. If you feel defeated and discouraged, we feel it. If you are lost, we are lost.

Yet…

If you are healing, we are healing! If you are being restored, we are being restored! If you are hopeful again, we are hopeful again! If God has vindicated you, we are vindicated! If you are wiping away tears, we are wiping away tears! If you are celebrating, we are celebrating!

It is the power and the function of the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can take relationships of any kind from purely social to eternal and authentic and of substance. It is the only power that can undo all the things we add to relationships – status, performance, wealth, success, appearance – all the things the world says that define acceptance and belonging – undone by simply being in Christ and depending on one another, sacrificing for one another.

Unfortunately, if Paul were around today, he would be disappointed at how far many churches fall from this idea of the body of Christ. Too often, churches – bodies and communities of Christ fall into being satisfied with social relationships rather than Spirit-based relationships. The mere appearance of holiness, fear, judgment (explicit or implicit), superficiality, perfectionism, and consumerism – all worldly social norms – eclipse the covenantal and unconditional love, dependence, authenticity and grace – all the ingredients of true belonging and communion that were intended.

But take these – the love, the dependence, authenticity and grace and the work of the Holy Spirit now as the foundations to your: family, marriage, friendship, neighbors, co-workers, teammates and yes church members. It then would be a portrait of communion…not just a sacrament, but a way of living and relating.

We can be and are in communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and one another – not because of our goodness, our abilities or gifts, or anything else to do with us – really – it is for one reason that we belong to God – because He chose to have us belong to Him through Jesus. Jesus said, “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit… (John 15:16 MSG).” And it is a true belonging. One that nothing in the world can take away or stop or minimize. When I stop and think about it and truly comprehend it (as much as I can), it is breathtaking. That God loves me and accepts me and there is nothing I can do to add or take away from it. Think about it…

If you are seeking and searching to belong…if you are thirsting for a deeper connection…if you are desperate for being accepted for who you are…find it in Him and brothers and sisters living in Him. Whether sitting in an African village or a kitchen or a coffee shop or at the mall or in the sanctuary…

I want you to know today that despite your past experiences and all the voices that say you can’t or don’t – you do belong, you can be attached – “through Him, with Him, in Him – in the unity of the Holy Spirit…”

Amen!

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf
Isaiah 42:7
cbrianwolf@gmail.com
www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, NJ and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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In the end, our call is to be a people and a place where the power of Christ transforms lives – through becoming more like Him (discipleship), through being loved and shaped in community (fellowship), and through being met, loved, and restored at our needs and wounds (mission).

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Lord, make me a channel of your peace today – where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope; where there is darkness, only light; where there’s sadness, only joy; where there’s alienation, only community; where there’s desolation; only renewal; where there’s a prison; only liberation; where there’s fear; only trust and faith; where there’s brokenness; only healing and restoration; where there’s insecurity; only unconditional love. Amen. – The first three are from St. Francis and then I added some others.

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Last Sunday we said the below prayer of confession together. I am blessed and want to be at a church that can say this prayer honestly – and we did. I think a lot of people want to be part of a church like that; and I want to invite you to be a part of our church:

Prayer of Confession
Dear Jesus, we acknowledge our sins to you this morning. We have not loved others as you have asked us. We’ve chosen safety over risking. We’ve chosen convenience over reaching out. We’ve chosen our ways instead of your ways. We’ve chosen loving ourselves rather than loving others. We’ve chosen preserving over pouring out. We’ve chosen fear over trusting you. We’ve chosen indifference rather than mercy. We’ve focused more on the co$t rather than the cross. We’ve chosen to turn away instead of embracing. For all of this, for all the people we have failed to care about and reach, and more, we humbly say we are sorry, ask for your forgiveness and repent of our ways. Pour out your mercy and grace upon us that we may be made new. Renew and remake our hearts in your image – let our hearts break for those for whom your heart breaks – the poor, the alienated, the prisoners, the unloved, the broken, the ones who don’t know you, the rejected, the needy – to anyone who needs you – send us we pray. In Your name, Amen.

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Last Sunday, I vividly witnessed the power of fellowship – sustaining, comforting, uplifting – sharing stories, trials, triumphs and tears. I watched in awe as the Holy Spirit transformed a group of Christians into a true church – an assembly of people highly aware of their need for God and their need for one another as they were being called to care for the “least of these.” Truly awesome.

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You are precious in His sight. You are worth dying for. You belong to Him. You are His child. His love for you is immeasurable and unending and unconditional…

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf
Isaiah 42:7
cbrianwolf@gmail.com
www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way; and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.
N.T. Wright

Right There

Whether we like to admit it or not, and we usually don’t, we all need to be rescued. Some of us need to be rescued from financial problems, from toxic relationships, from mental or physical health issues, from soul-killing jobs, from our worst selves, from our destructive habits and addictions, from pride, self-sufficiency and anger, from our denial of needing a rescue, and from our sins, guilt and pasts.

Likewise, whether we like to admit it, we spend a significant amount of time and energy hoping that rescue comes – in the form we would have it. Case in point, how many of us spent money and time dreaming of what we were going to do with the $640 million we were going to win last week? Many of us believed that winning would be the rescue of all rescues – all the other problems would go away.

If you can believe it, it’s the same idea or motivation that drew all those people to shout “Hosannas” wave palms and throw their cloaks (Mark 11:1-11) before a relatively unknown guy riding on a donkey. They believed he was the promised answer to their problems – Roman and economic oppression, spiritual disconnection from God, restoration of their kingdom. As we know today, those “Hosannas” turned to curses laster that week. What happened?

Well, then and today, God did come to rescue; it’s just that it often doesn’t come in the way we expect or are ready for or even desire. You see Jesus came into Jerusalem that day in peace. And in Mark’s Gospel, after the “parade” it says he went into the temple and looked around – his temple – think about it – the dwelling place for God and God in the flesh together. He had come in peace – to restore and reconcile God and God’s people to relationship. But the people were hoping for a warrior king who was going to lead a revolution and kick out the Romans. Thus the “Hosannas” turning to “Crucify Him!” He wasn’t the rescue or answer they wanted.

But he was the rescue God sent and the rescue they actually needed whether they knew it not. God knew then and still knows today that what we really need first is a spiritual rescue. First of course from our sins but if we trace and analyze the roots of all our other challenges and issues – the roots are spiritual. So in Jesus’ time, when the people were thinking that the answer to all their problems – their rescue needed to be an overthrow of Roman oppression – God sends the Prince of Peace – His peace to them. Because an overthrow of sin and pride and despair would be far more liberating and life-giving than Rome being evicted from Palestine.

And so today, there is no strategy, no plan, no system, not even steps that compare with the rescue God has provided – Jesus. Then and today, Jesus is the rescue and the answer. He himself is the rescue and peace – embracing Him. All the things we look to for a rescue – Megamillions, relationships, another drink, popularity, new jobs, new church, new city – all the things we think we make it all go away – will not get to the root.

Listen, it’s because the point is not to be richer or more successful or more loved as a way to achieve peace – God’s point all along with us is that our relationship with Him through Jesus is the starting point and source of our joy, grace, and peace, then all the other things will be added. It’s not about solving all our problems with cash and mantras – it’s so that we can see and endure anything that happens in our lives and still say or sing, “It is well with my soul (because I am His and He is mine).” When you and I can more and more genuinely say and believe that no matter what the circumstance – that’s abundant life, that’s living rescued and forgiven, that’s faith, that’s the peace beyond understanding.

Maybe you’ve been praying for a rescue or an answer for a long time. And you feel like it’s never come. Maybe you’ve been faithful in waiting for it – “it” as you imagined it would be. But you’re still waiting, still hoping. That’s a good thing. It’s a very good thing to recognize the need to be rescued and that God could be or is the one to turn to. And about that rescue or answer seeming delayed…

Maybe it’s because the rescue you really needed, was right there all along, right in front of you…

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf
Isaiah 42:7
cbrianwolf@gmail.com
www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way; and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.
N.T. Wright

So often our times are influenced by news. Listening to the media, on most days we are harassed with a litany of bad news – death, destruction, debt, despair, and more. At times, if just listening to the news, things can seem pretty hopeless. We long for and yearn for some good news; and occasionally a light shines in the darkness. At the same time, whether good or bad it usually just evaporates from our memories – but still it leaves many in a numbed, confused fog.

Fortunately, one Sunday morning long ago, there was a news announcement that has never been equaled. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen (Luke 24:5-6)!” Talk about Good News!! It’s the best news. It’s the news that changes everything still. And I love how it is both cosmic and personal. Cosmic in the sense that Jesus overcomes death and sin and is alive! Personal in that he appears to individuals to restore and comfort them. And yet, the disciples thought just two days earlier that everything was lost – they had been sold on the “bad news” of the day. But we know that with God all things are possible! As Louis L’Amour wrote, “There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the beginning.” Amen!

And as if the news of the resurrection itself was enough…there is this truth: “The spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit (Romans 8:11). Think about it. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead – the power and victory that we celebrate on Easter – isn’t just a one day thing. Through our faith in Christ, this power is alive and working within us.

In a world of daily news of death, and dying and decay, we can take heart and hope that we have the source, the power that overcomes even death – within us. So that we look at circumstances and take account of all the obstacles we face – even when we think everything might be finished, because of the good news of the resurrection, because of that same power in our lives – we can be as Paul said, “more than conquerors in all these things.” As well, let us remember and rely on this power more and more as we continue to watch God lead us through this season of renewal for our church!

I invite you to share in the “Hosannas!” of Palm Sunday to the solemnity of Maundy Thursday to the sorrow of Good Friday and to the triumph of Easter. May we experience together the joy, wonder, depth, power and possibility of Holy Week:

April 1 – Palm Sunday Celebration with Luncheon, 10:30 am
April 5 – Maundy Thursday (The Lord’s Supper with Hand Washing), 7:30 pm
April 6 – Good Friday Remembrance Service, 7:30 pm
April 8 – Easter Celebration, 10:30 am

First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, 5 Ackerman Avenue, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663; www.firstreformedsaddlebrook.com

In Christ,
Pastor Christopher

“Big Nutbrown Hare had even longer arms. But I love you this much,” he said. Hmm, that is a lot thought Little Nutbrown Hare.” This is just one of the wonderful exchanges in the children’s book, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. I highly recommend it although you will not find the audio version of my daughter Madelyn reading it – that’s just for me

But as Big Nutbrown Hare stretches out his arms to show how much he loves Little Nutbrown Hare, it reminded me of someone else who stretched out his arms to demonstrate his love for all of us, for the whole world. That’s right, Jesus.

I’ve done a lot of listening and one thing that comes up consistently is doubt about God’s love. Let’s face it, we often have trouble believing that people around us love us, so to then leap to believing that someone we can’t see loves us is often very challenging.

Which is why I want to ask you today, “Guess how much God loves you?” Let me show you…

One verse that always comes to mind, it’s a refrigerator verse is from Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love…” or as The Message puts it, “God told them, “I never quit loving you and never will.” Now in order to appreciate these wonderful words from God, you have to know that they are spoken after God’s people had dishonored, disobeyed, and ignored him. And just when it seemed like God had completely given up on them by allowing them to be exiled from their promised land, God through Jeremiah, renews his promises of love for them. Later in the chapter, God goes even further and says, “I will be their God and they will be my people…I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.” After everything, God was going to forgive and forget. When God forgets, it’s completely gone – as far as the east is from west as it says in Psalm 103.

Sounds crazy, right. I mean, I thought God only loves us when we are good and perfect, right?

Sadly, many view and experience love as conditional. As humans, we often tend to use or experience love as a reward, as something to manipulate or control others with, only given to those who “deserve” it and something that brings pain and disappointment. And then we often transfer all this into thinking that God’s love is like that too. I am very sorry for that. It’s not at all what God intended.

No, what God intended was that His relentless, unending love can reach, warm and transform the hardest, saddest, coldest hearts in this world. Even hearts that continue to reject, hide from, avoid, insult, and even hate God.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” Jesus said about himself and about God’s love. That’s God’s response to the world that rejects and doesn’t know him. How can we not be moved by this kind of love? Do you and I know anyone else who keeps loving in the face of insult, rejection, turning away, anger, hatred? No we don’t. But He’s still there loving us. And not just loving us by sending a Hallmark card. He sends and sacrifices His best, Jesus.

And, this love of God doesn’t wait for us to be good or get better. It reaches us, it touches wherever it finds us – at our best or at our worst. It’s the very definition of unconditional love.

It’s the kind of love that frees and rescues.

It’s the kind of love that heals and awakens.

It’s the kind of love that lifts us to want to try again.

It’s the kind of love that leads us to want to come home.

It’s the kind of love that eclipses our past.

It’s the kind of love that opens our eyes to seeing who we really are – in God’s eyes.

It’s the kind of love that assures us that when all else fails; it never will…

Yes, God loves you and me this much…arms outstretched; pouring over and through all the walls, sins and hurts; overflowing into the very depths our hearts and souls.

Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way; and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.

N.T. Wright