Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
When we look at this picture, some of us will find our eyes immediately drawn to the massive mountain summit in the foreground. The more adventurous of us, may even see the beginning of an amazing ski run and imagine ourselves successfully negotiating the sharp turns and jumps required for us to arrive safely at the bottom.
Others of us, while noting the rocky crags of the mountain, will find our eyes swiftly drawn into the vast expanse of outer space, cluttered with the little white dots which comprise the Milky Way. These are in fact over 200 billion stars and space dust.
In my early years of ministry in Los Alamos, I would often arrive home late enough in the evening that my eyes would be drawn to the white path of the Milky Way, which, though billions of light years away, seemed to flow down my driveway. In some way, the steadfastness of that river of light, night after night, spoke God's message to me saying, "Don't lose your perspective and become overwhelmed by the challenges in your face, for I am greater than they. Let this pathway in the sky serve as a reminder to you to be at peace and know that I am God and I will never desert you."
Likewise, as Jesus had set out with his disciples on his final journey to Jerusalem, gathering them to his bosom, he prepared them, by word and deed, for the life they would be called to live after he would no longer be physically with them.
In Chapters 19-20, Matthew shows how Jesus was building a community of his disciples and teaching them how to live in that community and call others into it as well.
In that same way, Christ Jesus is with us, even now.
Read these chapters, and where your bible footnotes point you back to Old Testament passages where you can see the connection between God's promises and their fulfillment in Christ Jesus, allow yourself to trust more and more in him who was sent to bring you inro a full, joyful relationship to God, our heavenly father.
We are continuing our study of "Matthew a 12 Week Study" by J.L. Packer, Dane C. Ortlund, Lane T. Dennis, and Drew Hunter. A note especially for those not able to participate in person in our regular 10:30 AM Tuesday Bible Study, you can purchase this study in Amazon and follow along from afar! We would welcome your comments by email to me and I can share them with the group as we progress. We chose to study Matthew because that is the primary Gospel for Year A in the Episcopal Church.
Read, Pray, Reflect. Then, Come and Share!
Since I post this study on Face Book as well as the St Jerome's website, I invite comments and questions from any of you who are not able to be physically with us, but find this study meaningful and would like to be a part of it. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Bless you all,
Fr Colin Kelly
