“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creations, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:38-39
In the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana and his father are pursuing the Holy Grail. After many adventures, struggles, and heartaches, Indiana is finally within inches of grasping the grail he and his father had been seeking. As Indiana is hanging precipitously over the edge of a deep pit, his father realizes that if Indiana were to reach the grail, he would fall into the bottomless pit and die. As Indiana reaches out, his father whispers, “Let it go.”
There’s a long pause. Indiana’s face is filled with anguish. Have they come all this way and endured all these trials for nothing? If he could reach out just a little bit further and grasp the treasure, they had been struggling so hard to get, would he finally make his father proud of him?
Another second passes…and Indiana’s father takes his arm and says more firmly, “Indiana, let it go.” As Indiana lets go, the audience gasps. It’s not what they expected. It’s so unlike the determined, self-sufficient Indiana. It’s so un-Hollywood.
Finally, we begin to realize that the trip wasn’t really about getting the grail. It was about the journey…spending time together, working together to overcome obstacles, being tied up and facing death together and ultimately emerging with a stronger relationship…which was, after all, the true prize.
We often speak of the 40 days of Lent as a journey. We walk with Jesus as he travels toward the cross of Good Friday. Along the way we confront our mortality with ashes, experience temptation, encounter the marginalized and the blind. Every step of the way, Jesus reaches out with compassion and mercy to everyone he meets. The hope is that, along the way, we, too, emerge with a deeper relationship with Jesus.
On our journey through life, we will also encounter folks in need of compassion and kindness. Sometimes all it takes is a friendly smile, a gentle touch, or a kind word. Sometimes, it is just being there to listen. At other times, we will be required to go out of our way…costing us time and effort, or emotion. But that’s all part of the journey…not only through Lent, but through all of life.
We try so hard to overcome all the obstacles life throws in our paths. We try so hard to please God and make God proud of us by living a good life, hoping beyond hope that we will do well enough to finally grasp the Holy Grail and win our way into heaven.
What we might realize on our journey through Lent is that salvation is not the Holy Grail. The important thing is the journey. It’s the people we meet along the way, the relationships we form, and the way we make the world a better place for everyone.
When God whispers to us, “Let it go”…the striving for salvation…the seeking to make God proud of us…can we do it? Lent is a time for us to “let go” as we remember that we are, and always will be, God’s beloved children and there is nothing in all of creation, nothing we can do or don’t do, that can separate from the love of God in Christ Jesus. For that, we say, “Thanks be to God!”
Blessings,
Pastor Karl
Music to Our Ears
Do you have a favorite hymn that gets stuck in your head like ear candy? Is there a hymn that touches your spirit deeply each time you hear it? Perhaps you have a hymn that always gives you a sense of peace when your heart is troubled. Do you want to know a bit of the backstory behind that hymn? If so, you can submit your suggestions by e-mailing either Pastor Karl at kerydholm@gmail.com or stpaulsofgermanlake@gmail.com . Although it isn’t necessary, we would love it if you would include a little story telling us why this is your favorite hymn.
Our selection for this month, The Old Rugged Cross is not found in our Lutheran hymnal. It is, however, a very popular hymn that is often sung at funerals and a very appropriate hymn for the season of Lent. I hope you agree.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
George Beverly Shea recalls seeing George Bennard, the author of this hymn, many times at Winona Lake Bible Conference in Indiana. Shea wrote, “Though he was a preacher… and a very good one…he would sometimes sing. His voice was not trained or out of the ordinary, but he had great feeling and expression and could really put over any hymn. I remember how moved I was the first time I heard him sing his own composition, “The Old Rugged Cross”. What a distinguished-looking man, slight of build, short, with glasses, the most memorable thing about him was his long, white hair.”
George Bennard was born in Youngstown, Ohio shortly after the end of the Civil War. His father, a coal miner, moved the family to Iowa, and there George came to Christ through the ministry of the Salvation Army. He felt called to train for the ministry, but his plans were disrupted when his father’s death left him responsible for taking care of his mother and sisters. He was sixteen years old. Instead of theological school, he worked by day and devoted his spare time to books.
Eventually, as his sisters grew up, his obligations to his family diminished and he was able to move to Chicago, marry, and begin in ministry with the Salvation Army. Later, he was ordained by the Methodist Episcopal church and became a traveling evangelist.
On one occasion, after a difficult season of ministry, George realized he needed to better understand the power of the Cross of Christ. He later said, “I was praying for a full understanding of the cross. I read and studied and prayed, and the Cross of Christ became more than a symbol. It was like seeing John 3:16 leave the printed page, take form, and act out the meaning of redemption. While watching this scene with my mind’s eye, the theme of the song came to me.”
It took several months for the words to formulate in his mind. As he preached through the Midwest, George would carry the words with him, working on them, polishing them, and sometimes singing them before meetings. The hymn always struck a chord with his audiences.
At last, his hymn finished, George went to the home of his friends, Rev. and Mrs. L. O. Boswick, and sang it for them. After the last note, he looked at them and asked, “Will it do?”
The Boswicks were so moved that they helped pay the fees to have it printed, and it soon began appearing in hymnbooks across America.
