From the Pastor     A Terrible Loss  

Life is about surviving loss. — Mary Steenburgen

Last week, I lost my wallet.  It disappeared.  Vanished from the earth.  At least that’s how it felt since I always put my wallet in the same places; in my back pocket or on top of the dresser.  Of course, I looked everywhere for it… twice… four times, actually.  Needless to say, there are many important items in that wallet, just as there are in yours.

 Have you ever lost your keys?  Can’t start the car or get in the house, can you?  These days we stress over losing our phones.  It has a host of things we need: numbers, contacts, photos, access to email and the internet, to name a few.  At least you can call your phone to locate it. – I wish I could call my wallet.

 All of us know what it is like to lose something important, such as a wallet, purse, keys, or a phone. – But there are worse losses to endure.  Losing a grandparent, a parent, a sibling, or worst of all a child.  Losing a physical item pales in comparison to losing a loved one.

 And yet, beyond that, the greatest loss is losing your soul.  Jesus asked, “What does man profit if he should gain the whole world, but lose his soul?” (Mark 8:36).  One can own land, houses, expensive autos, boats, and a host of other things in this world, and yet he/she takes nothing into the next world except his/her soul.  Given all his talents, gifts, and amazing abilities, Jesus could have owned the world… had he ever used them to profit in terms of worldly goods.  He owned nothing but the clothes on his back, and even that was taken from him at the end of his earthly life.

 Have you sold your soul for worldly goods or rewards?  If so, that’s sad… you lost it all.  Jesus calls us away from the loss of self that we might gain the Kingdom of God, which lasts forever.

                           God’s best to you today,

                                           Lee