Happy Friday church family!

I pray you are doing well this week and able to enjoy the warmer weather. I know we have a ways to go before Spring, but it sure feels like we’ve left the bitter clutches of deep winter behind. We’ll see!

Today was the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics. I always enjoy the Olympic games. I like to experience the great stories, the overcomers, the local champions, the close races, the spectacular performances. This year, I have three main takeaways of the thoughts I thought as I watched. The first, is positive – the great unity displayed. All these nations coming together in one event, for one purpose. At the Olympics, a lot of conflict and trouble and disagreement is set aside… for a time. I love to see the unity in the diversity of nations – although the Olympics is a great example of how we as the human race are the same. The emotions experienced, the personal battles fought, the desire to make families proud. The church would do well to be as unified in purpose.

The second thought, is heartbreaking to me. The pageantry and gallant speeches, the performances and honors all serve as a modern Tower of Babel. We gather together to lift ourselves up – to elevate humans and their accomplishments as the highest form of praise. The speeches called for peace and human-kindness, but relegated the Prince of Peace to an offhand comment about all religions being just a social marker that tends to divide. As society, we can only build a tower so far, and delude ourselves to its purpose and longevity. “Look at us!” we cry. “We will be better.” And being better is good – but the purpose of life is to glorify God. Everything else is meaningless without Him – a chasing after the wind.

Which leads to my third thought – a hopeful and exhilarating thought – that the epic pageantry and celebration of the Olympic opening ceremony is but a pale, pale imitation of the celebration which will take place at the culmination of the ages, where a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, will gather around the throne of God to worship. And in the New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God will be with man. He will dwell with us, and we will be his people, and God himself will be with us as our God. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And what a day of rejoicing that will be!

-- In faith, Pastor Eric

 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, Even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. Psalm 22:27-31 ESV