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Today's Lenten Devotion
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The Way
Jesus said to him [Thomas], "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me."
-- John 14.6
Five years ago, my cousin, Kevin, married “a nice Jewish girl” – almost gave my poor Uncle Pete a heart attack! Uncle Pete, a faithful Catholic, finally became a grandfather at age 73. I’m sure he was checking the mail for an invitation to a baptism. Instead, he drove to Kevin’s home in Connecticut for the ritual of entering little Jacob into the covenant God made with Abraham, through the ceremony of Bris Milah. Uncle Pete didn’t talk about it much, but don’t let that fool you. He could talk your socks off about his grandson’s latest accomplishments and regularly shares photos of this remarkably beautiful and brilliant child. No one can doubt his love for little Jake, now 2 years old.
It is a scenario played out in many Christian families around the world, and, who knows, it may one day be a scenario with my own son. For all the times Jesus teaches through parables and analogies, this time ... He just can’t say it any plainer: "No one comes to the Father except through me" ... period. It’s enough to give many a Christian reason to pause and ponder, including me.
The disciple, Thomas, shows us that it’s OK to kick the tires of our faith, to ask Jesus about the things we don’t understand. So, Lord, I’m kicking the tires: What becomes of little Jake ... or for that matter, the millions of others that are not Christian? Would The One who was stripped and beaten, spit upon and crucified to save my sorry and pathetic soul, casually slam Heaven's Gate in Jake's face someday, simply because they never got to be friends in this life? I lay that question at the foot of the cross where it belongs.
There on Calvary, Jesus is conspicuously flanked by two of the most un-Christian men of the day, common criminals, to make the point. These two men were never baptized or confirmed, surely never served on church council or hosted a coffee hour, yet our Savior is with them in their final hour. The very presence of Jesus transforms the thief, as all three of them approach their moment of truth. "Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom," he says. I’m sure it is no accident that the thief is the first person in history to accept the invitation of the crucified Christ, as Jesus promises him, "Today, you will be with me in Paradise."
In our moment of truth, as we stand at the threshold of this life and the next, Jesus will be with each of us: Christian, Jew, or Muslim; pastor or thief; rich politician or street beggar ... He came to gather all of God's precious children, including little Jake, reconcile them with God, and invite them to come home, to live in Paradise. For us now, as in that moment of truth, redemption is offered freely, not earned, not for sale, and sometimes we forget that none of us deserve it, more or less, than the thief on the cross. For sure, the grace of Jesus Christ is the love that passes all our understanding, yet there is a powerful and clear lesson for us all in the story of the thief.
I'm thinking that Jesus is counting on me or Uncle Pete to share the riches of His grace with little Jake, but it is possible that little Jake may never come to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior in this life. If not, what joy awaits him and the millions of others, to someday meet The One who was stripped and beaten, spit upon and crucified so that He can be there at the moment of truth, to offer the gift of grace and an invitation to Paradise!
Dear Jesus,
Your boundless gift of grace is more than I can ever fully grasp. Forgive me for limiting it or underestimating it, as I so often do. Lead me in faith to generously share the riches of your grace with all of God's children and grow in me a fuller understanding of how very precious each one of them are in your sight. Amen.
Linda S. Magill
lindabythesea@yahoo.com
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