From the Pastor

When God Has a Better Idea
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

There’s a dozen or so Bible verses that every pastor knows speak readily to folks who need to hear the promises of God amid life’s wilderness experiences. One of those Bible verses that we often have ready to cite by chapter and verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. In response to St. Paul’s request that God alleviate some specific form of suffering he was enduring at that time—a mysterious “thorn in the flesh,” as he calls it—God basically says “No”: “My grace is sufficient for you,” God says. “For my power is made perfect in weakness” (12:9).

With June at RLC begins a new series on 2 Corinthians entitled, “God’s Strength…Our Weakness.” It’s an important focus. In the Scriptures we don’t ever get a picture of God banishing hardship from the faith journey. Instead, we consistently see our need and God’s sufficient grace side-by-side. Whether our “thorn in the flesh” happens to be related to physical health, our desire for gratitude, our yearning for greater faith, courage, or something else, the Scriptures repeatedly teach us to look away from our lack and wait on God’s “better idea.” That includes the call to put aside our own need to be in control and learn to better lean on God and one another. It’s a life lesson that can be excruciatingly difficult to learn. I can confidently attest to that myself! But God’s grace is, somehow, always sufficient. Always.

Activities at Resurrection in the month of June offer many ways to invite God’s sufficient strength into our own—or our world’s—weakness. I’d like to invite everyone at RLC to consider taking part in the fellowship and workshops offered at the “Ambassadors of Reconciliation” (AoR) event June 7-8.  You can get an idea of what Christian peacemaking looks like…and try your hand at peacemaking yourself through the various workshops offered. The wisdom gained from organizations like AoR can be truly life-changing for families and even organizations, like churches. If you’re able to do so, please join us.

Finally, I wanted to alert you to another important effort for strategic focus at RLC in 2024-2025: Giving thanks for the gifts God continues to give. Here is a value I’ve asked RLC leadership to add to our “Mission, Vision and Values” statement that you’ll be hearing more about in the months ahead: “Living with Gratitude: We believe that having been richly and abundantly blessed by God, we are called as a church to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us for His mission.” I hope and pray that a focus on the outpouring of God’s provision will encourage us all not only to take stock of the manifold blessings we have been gifted by God (our health, the natural resources of our world, our resources, our relationships, our responsibilities, and so much more) but to give thanks to God each day and find blessing in “living generously.” That is more than a slogan. It is what the God who always offers His sufficient grace in our weakness empowers us to do.

Just remember: No matter our needs for today, no matter how God may answer the prayers and yearnings of our hearts, together with St. Paul we too can say as people who are in Christ Jesus, “When I am weak…then I am strong.”

To the One who is always sufficient for our needs be all glory and praise! Now and forever.

Peace and joy in Christ,
Pastor Jonathan