Jesus is the Reason

Everything zooms to a fever pitch this time of year – even in the church!  The last Sunday on the Church calendar is Christ the King Sunday, which we celebrated on November 21st.  The new Church year begins with the 1st Sunday in Advent, which we celebrated on November 28th.

From now until the middle of June we’ll have a series of special celebrations, all of which mark the seasons of the Church, and basically, we have two seasons: Christmas and Easter. Both of these holy days have a period of preparation so we can focus our minds and hearts on Jesus.

The first of these preparatory seasons is Advent. It’s a time of looking forward to the birth of Christ – anticipating the arrival of our savior! The four Sundays before Christmas mark this time of eager expectation, and it’s a joyous time of putting up Christmas lights and Christmas trees, getting our homes ready for guests and planning and preparing special meals and traditional baked goods. Everything is a good-natured watchful attitude – waiting for something new and wonderful this time of year.

The second of these preparatory seasons is Lent.  This is a time of looking forward to the resurrection of Christ from the dead – another form of anticipating the arrival of our Savior! The 40 days before Easter, beginning with Ash Wednesday on March 2, 2022 (not counting Sunday’s) mark this somber time of watching and waiting, and it’s a time of self-reflection, self-denial, prayer and fasting. In other words, we’re preparing our hearts and minds for the arrival of a guest even more special than family or friends! Everything is a quiet, yet eager attitude of watching – waiting for something new and wonderful!

So why mention all this?  Well – Jesus is the focal point of all we do! Without Him, there’d be no Christmas; no reason to anticipate anything this time of year!  Likewise, without Jesus, there’d be no Easter; nothing to mark our calendar as special except the change of seasons.  And without Him, there’d be no Church!

Jesus is our reason for existence as a “Church.”  There would be no Christian religion or tradition without Him. There would be a huge void in the world if we had never been introduced to Him. Think about all the good memories you have of family and friends, Church services and singing, gifts given and received, sun-rise services and new dresses, meals and lives shared…  think about all that gone – they never happened – there is no Christmas – there is no Easter - - - 

That’s what our world and our lives would have been like had there been no Jesus. As we enter this new Church year, think about what life would be like without Jesus, and then give thanks to God for Jesus and all that He has brought to life. Won’t you join with me in making Jesus the center – the focal point – of all we say and do?

Pastor Corey Jenkins

Sidney 1st United Methodist Church