The Christian faith invites us to see God, the world, and ourselves in a radically new way. When we are converted to Christ, we take a giant leap out of darkness into light. As the Apostle Paul explains, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:13-15).
In baptism, we are plunged under water into darkness and death and then raised in, with, and through Christ to new life in him. This process is not meant to be an ending but a beginning. Our entire spiritual journey is a long trajectory toward eternal life with God, but it’s not a straight line — not by any means.
The darkness is so powerful that it often blinds us and causes us to stray from the path of wisdom, kindness, peace, and freedom. When we return to the light after one of these forays into the shadows, it’s like another conversion experience. For most of us, this happens many times throughout our lives, and what we learn from the process of repentance and restoration can be transforming.
When we look back on our journey, hopefully we can identify specific experiences and moments when our lives improved significantly as a result of new knowledge we have gained. Often these watershed experiences involve a radical change of our perspective. We moved from seeing things one way into seeing them another, and we became more centered, whole, and empowered in the process.
This Sunday, we’ll focus on one of these watershed changes of perspective and the positive impact it can have on our lives. May your presence among us bring you ever closer to the Light.
With love, warmth, and anticipation,
Evan Howard,
Minister