“Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Jude 21 (NIV)
Some of my most beautiful memories are of Easter Sunday morning. In all the different parishes we have been, the sunrise service gives me “goosebumps”. Maybe it is the freshness of the morning and the significance that it was at sunrise that our Saviour Jesus Christ rose from the grave – whether on an island in a lake in Wodonga watching the swans and the mist rise off the water; or in a grassed reserve in Manningham in Adelaide, singing resurrection songs while the neighbours sleep; or sitting in an open area next to the church at Loxton with fire pits blazing in the fresh country air; or sitting on top of Mt Tinbeerwah, near Noosa, watching the sun rise over the ocean and hinterland. What all these memories and feelings bring, is the certainty that just as the sun rises each day, so our Lord and Saviour rose from the grave beating death and securing a place in heaven for us!
So, as the verse above states – we are to remain in God’s love as we wait for our eternal blessing. That blessing does not just have to be when we pass from this life, but it happens every day in everything we do and in all the people we meet. We are blessed every day to be a blessing to others.
We begin Lent on Ash Wednesday, and the journey of Lent helps us focus on the great love of God for all of us when he allowed his only Son to endure the cross and grave. He didn’t stay there as we know the rest of the story – we see it every morning as the sun rises, as we see the smile of a child’s face, as we help those in need. God’s love appears in the least of places to bring the greatest joy.
Being a part of the LLL and Lutheran Tract Mission, for almost 16 years, has allowed me to be in the Bible and so share God’s love and Word with all. I thank the women of the LCANZ who support Lutheran Tract Mission not just financially, but in being the hands, feet, and words of God in sharing these little tracts of love, peace, and grace to a hurting world in need of hearing of God’s forgiveness and the comfort and reassurance he offers. We are the inheritors of his kingdom – here on earth and in the hereafter.
A faithful woman recently shared her ways that she uses and has used tracts in her ministry:
I give a birthday tract for birthdays of all the members. I spend a lot of time searching through them to find the applicable tract for the person intended. So, to have a range is very important to me and I say a prayer to help me choose. I also put out a display on the table for Bible study and women’s fellowship for the women to come and take one or two to give to someone in need. I find them useful in referring people to a specific tract for the issue or problem they are having. I always write a note on them when giving them away.
What a blessing this woman is not just to her community but also in being the hands and feet of our risen Lord Jesus. Jesus appeared to so many people after the resurrection so that they would know the truth and to share it. So often we get caught up in knowing it and forget about the sharing of the Good News. This Lenten and Easter season challenge yourself to the sharing, even if it is just to your neighbour.
Lutheran Tract Mission has many Lenten and Easter resources to help you – from the new Lenten devotional “From Christmas Manger to Easter Glory”, the Easter stickers, to the many leaflets, text cards, bookmarks, and postcards. Keep your eyes open also for the new Easter chatterbox for children to play and learn from, which will be available before Lent begins.
May our Saviour, who gave us everything including his life that we might live eternally, be your source of blessing this Lent and Easter as we are ‘Blessed to be a Blessing!’
PRAYER: My Heavenly Father, you have given everything for me. Help me to have the courage to share the Good News of your Son this Easter. I know you are always with me. Amen.
If you wish to view our resources: www.ltm.org.au on our website. We have many large print resources you can access also. Contact Heidi Schalk 08 8360 7222 or email her: enquiries@ltm.org.au
Blessings in our risen Christ,
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