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THINKING WITH
. . . Pastor Eric Youngdahl Recently there have been a number
of births to Mount Olivet members. I have had the pleasure in going to visit some of these folks and to share in the joy that
has been bestowed upon them in the form of brand new babies. It amazes me each time I take a look at a newborn — how
small the toes and toenails are, how tiny the fingerprints must be, how wonderful that such small organs and components can
be working in unison to allow the baby to function outside of the environment that it has known for the past nine months.
There is nothing better than setting one’s eyes upon a newborn. So small, so innocent, so beautiful. How can you not
love these little bundles of God’s amazing work? In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs us on
love. He says that "whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me (10:37-38)".
Jesus wants us to demonstrate a love for him that is not "just on par" with loving others. He would like us to place
him at the forefront of our lives so that we might experience a love that goes beyond any type of love we can manufacture
here on earth. As new parents experience the gift of a new life, one can observe the commitment and dedication
that they show to the child. Every little squeak, snort, cry, and murmur are attended to with the utmost care. These parents
drop everything else in life in order to tend to the needs of the baby, even to the point of sacrificing free time and that
ever-precious sleep! The baby takes precedent, as the parents’ worlds revolve around the child. So
it is with our relationship with our Lord. Jesus wants to be the center of our lives. He wants us realize that nothing is
greater than the love which we find in him. For as Paul says in his letter to the Romans, nothing "in all creation will
be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (8:39)." It is a love that is eternal and without
end. It is the gift that first came to us in the form of the newborn Christ-child. |
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