Almost every Sunday, I leave church thinking some version of, "Wow...that was a great day!" But today was exceptional. If you are reading this and you didn't get to come to PCC today, you missed one of the most memorable hours our church has ever had. The story of the blind man in John 9 took on new meaning for me and we were all reminded that the point of Jesus' coming was not to answer every one of our questions, but to heal us of our spiritual problem. The formerly blind man's statement is profound, "I don't know [the answer to all of your questions]. But I know this: I was blind and now I see."
Every Christ follower should be able to make such a claim.
Jesus put a part of himself on us...in us...and we were washed of our past, healed of our wounds, and made into a new person!
As a church leader and as the founding pastor of this experiment we call PCC, I was profoundly moved today as one person after another walked across the stage to bear witness to their own encounter with Jesus. Some met him before coming to our church, but many encountered Him for the first time because of what we do. It's easy to forget that we are making a difference. Days like today remind us all that what we do matters. It really matters.
I'd like to give you just a little glimpse at something that I worried about today. I had consciously decided not to look at the cards in the time before the first service, while they were being written. I wanted to experience that moment fresh for the first time when it happened - in the moment.
But I was worried that it would no longer be fresh in the second service and that I wouldn't be moved again. After all, I had already experienced it just 90 minutes before.
What I realized is that I never get tired of knowing that lives are being changed because God is moving among us and through our church. If anything, I was even more affected in the second service than I was in the first. Even as I write these words, I see the images of those folks in my mind...and it moves me to tears again.
Why were we blessed with the privilege to be a part of such a powerful movement of God? I don't know. But this one thing I do know: We encountered the person of Jesus Christ...and we will never be the same again.
2 comments:
thanks for sharing! yes, it never gets old to see people encounter Jesus and be forever changed!
What an awesome service! How refreshing it is to see how Christ has impacted the lives of others. And what a great reminder of my own encounter with Jesus, and praise God, I will never be the same again!
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