"It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
March brings the beginning of Lent: in my mind, the most holy season of the year. Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem – and for forty days, so do we. We are invited to travel with the Savior toward Calvary, preparing our hearts for the cross and the wonder of the empty tomb.
This is a season for refocusing. The life and ministry of Jesus – everything he stood for and everything he came to accomplish – comes intensely to focus in the events of Lent and Holy Week. Here the Lamb becomes the Victor. Here the carpenter from Galilee becomes the Savior of the world. And here his followers are swept into the dramatic story of God’s saving love for the world – a story that must, if it is true, become ever after the burning center of their lives.
I am reminded of the passionate focus described by Nicolaus von Zinzendorf (1700-1760), a Lutheran pastor and missionary who founded the Moravian Church. In a letter describing his missionary theology, Zinzendorf writes:
"Our method of proclaiming salvation is this: to point out to every heart the loving Lamb…never…to digress even for a quarter of an hour from the loving Lamb; to name no virtue except in Him; …to preach no commandment except faith in Him; no other justification but that He atoned for us; no other sanctification but the privilege to sin no more; no other happiness but to be near Him, to think of Him and do His pleasure; no other self-denial but to be deprived of Him and His blessings; no other calamity but to displease Him; no other life but in Him." Elsewhere, Zinzendorf summarizes the burning center of his entire life and work: "I have one passion – and it is He."
The world is full of raging uncertainties. As I write, war in Iraq appears almost inevitable. On Wall Street, economic recovery seems remote. The very fabric of modern times is fraying rapidly at the edges.
Focus is important in times such as these. Will clever diplomacy guarantee us the future? Or maybe a rebound on Wall Street? What about a repair of our international alliances? Look, I would be happy for some rebound on Wall Street and better diplomacy than we have witnessed in recent months. But let’s remain focused. The Loving Lamb is the center of God’s story – and we should take some care "never to digress." Not for a quarter of an hour. Not even for a moment.
Do we want to produce missionaries? Preach the love of the Lamb. Do we want to make friends of our enemies? Demonstrate the love of the Lamb. Do we want to overcome the fears that paralyze our obedience and sometimes infect our relationships with anxiety and mistrust? Rest in the love of the Lamb. Do we want to make a difference in the world? Look to the Lamb. And never digress.
"The Way I See It", March 2003
© Copyright 2003 (World Mission Prayer League). All rights reserved.