What Am I Afraid Of Part Three

I remember growing up in Edmonton. We had just moved off the farm and had moved in with my Grandparents. It was a nervous time as I was going into Grade 7, into a new school and a whole new set of rules. These were city rules and I had spent much of my time on the farm. My first day of school, standing out in front of the doors, a guy I had never met before came up to me and said I looked funny, smelled funny and he didn’t like me. It has been 42 years Curtis and I will never forget the beat down you gave me that first day in the new school. It is not because I hate you for it or hold it against you but rather it was the first day of three years of getting beat up or getting chased home from school.

That was fear but at the other end there was also comfort. When I got home winded, battered and bruised, my Grandma was at the front window watching for me to get home. I later came to find out she would be there, sitting at the table, not only watching but also praying. I can still see her there and I remember her holding on to me as I just cried in her arms. Was it the strength developed over the years of taking a beating that toughened me up or was it the words she said to me every day; “Jesus loves you and will never let you go.”

And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ). Mark 15:34 NIV

Jesus, in His lowest point while on the cross, cried out to the Father just before He gave up His final breath and yet the Father never left Him for a moment. Three days after His brutal death, Jesus came out of the grave to fulfill the prophecy and to show the world there is nothing to fear. Not even death can keep our Saviour in the darkness of Sheol (hell). My God, my God, never leave me. My greatest fear is not You forsaking me but rather me forsaking You, my Saviour. You see, my God’s love is perfect and infinite and He has conquered the grave for each and everyone of us. Our love for God is fickle and finite based on convenience and circumstances. Sound harsh? For so many in this world, they have forsaken the Saviour’s love and cast Him aside as a myth or a fallacy. For so many, hope ends with the last breath.

This Sunday, we continue a series on Fear, The Devil’s Playground. Services start at 10:30 MST and can be seen live on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MainAvenueFellowship/) or viewed afterwards on our website (www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca).

Blessings
Pastor Todd