October 3

Day 203: Blood and Righteousness

We're overdue. For a quiet day. Where we don't have to think about too much. And that day is today. We are purposefully "Sabbathing." Out of necessity, if not desperation.

A strange week past for me. Our oil furnace went out. No heat. No hot water. It was like camping. After cancelling out of two scheduled Zoom calls, and waiting, the repair guy showed up. At 7pm. I even missed the first half of our GC call.

I am amazed at how this inconvenience got to me, how it dominated the middle of my workweek. How it negated my pastoral midweek duties.

Even my dreams (the few I actually remember) were complicated. Like my brain was caught up in unnecessary distractions.

It is amazing how non-stop busy Deb is with her job. The flurry of phone calls, Zoom meetings webinars and panic moments simply does not end. Between the two of us, she is the one who needs a quiet day. We both do.

Today's weather contributes to my morning contemplations. Dark, wet, though not necessarily foreboding. Yet. Before I devote myself to mundane little chores, and watching college football games that ultimately do not impact my life, I want to muse on some more important things.

A quiet day does not have to be a wasted day. Not today.

I just finished reading the endings of the four Gospel accounts. I read of how His followers responded to Jesus risen from death, alive again. Some instantly see and believe. Others initially doubt, and demand more evidence. And some just go back to fishing.

This rainy Saturday morning, while my bride is still asleep, I am without distraction. And the Lord has drawn me to His Word, to consider the risen Jesus.

It's not often enough I take the time, and give the mental space to considering the impact of the resurrection of Jesus on me. How this one, singular, historical event cuts through the fog of my otherwise ongoing life.

Without the resurrection, the rest of the Bible, the rest of our basis for faith does not matter. The resurrection of Jesus is our proof positive that death has been conquered. That God's promises are true. That we have a hope that transcends our present realities, and self-imposed busy lives.

And I need minutes, hours, even entire days to contemplate just that. To remember and rest in this one truth: My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau