The Gift

Dear Friends in Christ -

Today in worship, I invited everyone to imagine . . . You're 10 years old, and a voice from heaven tells you that you'll be an NBA basketball star some day. What do you do?

Well, most of us would pick up a basketball, take it out to the driveway or down the block to a basketball court, and start shooting some hoops, in order to start living into the promise now.

This is exactly the way that God hopes we will respond to his gift of grace. God says that each of us is a beloved child of God. We didn't do anything to earn it; it's our present and our future, whether we practice or not. But God hopes that we'll start being an heir of His Kingdom now, by practicing our faith.

In Holy Week, God invites His children to a week of "spring training." You don't have to show up. It's not mandatory. You're still on God's team even if you're not on the field. But the whole team will be stronger if you show up. And in the arena of the universe, God shoots the lights out all the time. You won't want to miss catching a glimpse of that when He shows up here.

Faithfully,
Janet+