Restore...to set right
Ever so gently the sun made its way across the horizon of the Sea of Galilee this morning, it was a gentle pink merely sneaking up and over the hills that encase the Sea of Galilee. The clouds hung heavily in the sky as the the presence of a new day, the promise of a new life was offered to us once again.
Driving to the Mount of Beatitudes we saw the hills rising before us and forming the perfect amphitheater that makes it possible for one person to be able to speak to hundreds if not thousands of people . The landscape is golden and dotted with shades of green. As we gather to hear the words of our Lord proclaiming, 'blessed are those who are poor in spirit, blessed are those who morn, blessed are those who hunger and thirst, blessed are those who are pure in heart, blessed are those who are the peace makers and blessed are those who are persecute" God began to move within us. The presence of the Holy fell upon us as the vibrant colors of the flowers pressed up against the contrast of the golden hillside. The Spirit began to awaken us to the reality that our view was once his view.
Just as God's spirit moves, we moved to Capernaum to the place where Jesus offered so many the gift healing and restoration. The heat began to press down upon us as we gathered in the shade of a magnolia tree that shrouded us a bit of coolness and allowed us to focus on the movement upon the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum, the home of Simon Peter and the place in which Jesus called home after he left his parents home in Nazareth. Just as Jesus had called Matthew, he called us today. He called us to experience a moment of healing. Healing literally means to set right or to restore. Jesus did not just extend the gift of healing; setting right to those of his time he tells us that we to can have our broken relationships healed/set right. Today Jesus offered us the gift of healing the lies within our heads that have told us we are not worthy; we are not good enough. Today as the wind blew across the lake and the heat pounded upon our bodies, we came with all that we were and received the healing, the setting right, the restoration that our hearts had been longing for.
The joy of knowing receiving such an amazing gift was overwhelming to some. The movement of the Spirit continued as we traveled to Peter's Primacy. Peter runs away after the crucifixion and goes fishing and takes the others with him. In the early morning after the guys have been fishing; a place that says I am running away, I want to be safe from the crowds pressing in; Jesus starts a fire and ask the guys to come and have breakfast. The fire is once again burning and Jesus ask Peter three times if he loved him Of course Peter loves Jesus but he is ashamed of how he walked away, how he ran home to go fishing because it was easier to go fishing than to face his friend. There in the heat of the day, the sun basking down upon us Jesus reminded us that he comes to us the dawning of a new day and invites us not just to breakfast but to the feast of love and acceptance. We submerged our feet into the Sea and felt the warmth of being accepted flowing upon us.
The promise of a new life, of setting things right and experiencing restoration comes into its fullness when we stand hand in hand with our Savior and renew our baptism vows. The covenant is filled with wholeness and offers to us a kingdom far beyond what we can imagine. The Spirit was upon us as we stood alongside our brothers and sisters and renewed our baptismal vows at the banks of the Jordan River.
The Spirit of our Lord has been upon us today. May you accept the gift of healing within your life....the gift of something, that one thing that is hidden away being restored or set right. May your healing come without hesitation. New life is given, restoration has been received. Go forth and do likewise.
Driving to the Mount of Beatitudes we saw the hills rising before us and forming the perfect amphitheater that makes it possible for one person to be able to speak to hundreds if not thousands of people . The landscape is golden and dotted with shades of green. As we gather to hear the words of our Lord proclaiming, 'blessed are those who are poor in spirit, blessed are those who morn, blessed are those who hunger and thirst, blessed are those who are pure in heart, blessed are those who are the peace makers and blessed are those who are persecute" God began to move within us. The presence of the Holy fell upon us as the vibrant colors of the flowers pressed up against the contrast of the golden hillside. The Spirit began to awaken us to the reality that our view was once his view.
Just as God's spirit moves, we moved to Capernaum to the place where Jesus offered so many the gift healing and restoration. The heat began to press down upon us as we gathered in the shade of a magnolia tree that shrouded us a bit of coolness and allowed us to focus on the movement upon the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum, the home of Simon Peter and the place in which Jesus called home after he left his parents home in Nazareth. Just as Jesus had called Matthew, he called us today. He called us to experience a moment of healing. Healing literally means to set right or to restore. Jesus did not just extend the gift of healing; setting right to those of his time he tells us that we to can have our broken relationships healed/set right. Today Jesus offered us the gift of healing the lies within our heads that have told us we are not worthy; we are not good enough. Today as the wind blew across the lake and the heat pounded upon our bodies, we came with all that we were and received the healing, the setting right, the restoration that our hearts had been longing for.
The joy of knowing receiving such an amazing gift was overwhelming to some. The movement of the Spirit continued as we traveled to Peter's Primacy. Peter runs away after the crucifixion and goes fishing and takes the others with him. In the early morning after the guys have been fishing; a place that says I am running away, I want to be safe from the crowds pressing in; Jesus starts a fire and ask the guys to come and have breakfast. The fire is once again burning and Jesus ask Peter three times if he loved him Of course Peter loves Jesus but he is ashamed of how he walked away, how he ran home to go fishing because it was easier to go fishing than to face his friend. There in the heat of the day, the sun basking down upon us Jesus reminded us that he comes to us the dawning of a new day and invites us not just to breakfast but to the feast of love and acceptance. We submerged our feet into the Sea and felt the warmth of being accepted flowing upon us.
The promise of a new life, of setting things right and experiencing restoration comes into its fullness when we stand hand in hand with our Savior and renew our baptism vows. The covenant is filled with wholeness and offers to us a kingdom far beyond what we can imagine. The Spirit was upon us as we stood alongside our brothers and sisters and renewed our baptismal vows at the banks of the Jordan River.
The Spirit of our Lord has been upon us today. May you accept the gift of healing within your life....the gift of something, that one thing that is hidden away being restored or set right. May your healing come without hesitation. New life is given, restoration has been received. Go forth and do likewise.
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