New Church Life Mar/Apr 2015 | Page 22

new church life: march/april 2015 they told them everything that had happened. And then again Jesus appeared in the midst of them, saying, “Peace be to you,” reassuring them and – again – eating with them: celebrating the goodness and the truth of His life with them. Can we do this, too? Absolutely. Every time we consider the real meaning and impact of the Lord’s life we can be impressed anew with the infinite power of His love and wisdom, and we can rejoice together with Him in the assur ance of eternal life. For this is why He came: not to extend our wealth, influence or power in this world, but to expose the vanity of selfishness and superficiality, in fact to “overcome the world” and restore our freedom to choose a heavenly life. Remember, the angel told Joseph he should call the baby “Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) And so He has, and so He will if we commit to learn from Him and follow Him, and break the bread of heaven with Him in the goodness of His love. Amen. Every time we consider the real meaning and impact of the Lord’s life we can be impressed anew with the infinite power of His love and wisdom, and we can rejoice together with Him in the assurance of eternal life. The Rev. Michael D. Gladish is pastor of the Washington New Church Society and School in Mitchellville, Maryland, where he lives with his wife, Virginia (de Maine). He was ordained in 1973 and into the second degree in 1974. He has been a pastor in Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia; Los Angeles, California; the Olivet New Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; the Calgary New Church in Alberta, Canada; and the Dawson Creek Society in British Columbia, Canada. He was Executive Vice President of the General Church in Canada and is regional pastor for the Southeastern United States. Contact: [email protected] 132