Lost No More: Merry Christmas!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son ...”
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I don’t like being lost. That’s why I like Venice. I’ve had the great honor of taking lots of members of my churches to this ancient and amazing city over the years. And while getting lost is highly aggravating everywhere else, in Venice, getting lost can be a pleasant adventure. That’s because Venice is a series of islands all connected together forming a large, isolated city of wonder. Wander all you will, but thanks to these connections among the isolation, you can always get back to where you need to be. A kind pointer here, and gentle smile with a helpful direction there; even though it might take a while, your lostness can always be resolved.
Venice, you see, is also a city of bridges. With over four hundred of every type, size and used for every reason, one could do a study on each of their histories and never finish. When walking through this incredible city (as you must since there are no motor vehicles of any kind allowed) one cannot move for very long before encountering a canal that needs to be crossed over. Venetians consider this as an almost mystical reality – moving from one island to another, one part of the city to another across these canals and on these beautiful and historic bridges. It is in some ways like our passages through life, our movement from one stage to the next and one place to another. And in every way, these bridges stand for a certain dividing line, represent a particular history, offer a unique perspective, connect a distinct neighborhood to another – and offer new and good opportunities for unifying the disparate parts of what had been a vast swamp of muddy islands.
In a similar way, this is what we Christians say that Jesus does for us. Christmas day especially reminds us of this essential connection to God, this most historic bridge that fits the disparate part of our lives together, and allows us to find our way back, to be reconnected to that which is most essential.
Getting lost is too easy for most of us. And other than being in Venice, being lost is hard. It can also be sad, stressful and lonely. Thank goodness, God so loved the world … Jesus has been born. And thanks to this greatest of all gifts, this most transformational of all bridges, and this most vital connecting point we will ever encounter, thanks to Jesus, we can always find our way back to where God needs us to be. We never need to be lost again.
Thanks be to God. And Merry Christmas everyone.
Love always,
David
“Today, salvation has come to this house …”
David Jordan
Senior Pastor