July 20, 2023
Dear Central Church,
This summer, our family had the opportunity to spend a week in Breckenridge, CO. As a card-carrying Southerner, this was my first chance to see the Rocky Mountains. They are “as advertised!” We spent the entire time in awe of these jagged peaks that majestically reach into the sky and seem to go on forever.
We hiked one of the more difficult trails in Breckenridge to a body of water on top of a mountain called Lower Indian Lake. It sat at 11,800 feet above sea level and the 3 mile hike included 1,500 feet of climb from the trailhead. We huffed and puffed our way up the mountain, stopping frequently to let our east coast lungs rest from the rarified air of Colorado.
It was a long and strenuous hike, but we were well rewarded at the top. The beauty of this view and the exhaustion my body was feeling created a sense that I was “fully alive.” My senses were on overdrive taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of this mountain top.
It also created this sense of being more aware of God’s presence in this place. It reminded me of what St. Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is a person fully alive.” When we are fully immersed in the flow of God’s grace, we have the opportunity to be “fully alive.” It means we experience the truth, beauty, and goodness of what God is doing in our lives and in the world.
This is the kind of life Paul envisions for believers when he writes the book of Colossians:
When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. (Colossians 2:13, The Message)
In Christ, we are fully alive and this brings glory to God! God desires for humanity to be fully immersed in his grace and to fully experience the joy, hope, and love that is available through Christ.
I’m excited to begin a new sermon series that I hope takes us to new mountain top experiences of God’s grace. This series walks through the book of Colossians where we read the good news that we can be "fully alive" in our walk with God, in our relationships with others, and in finding our purpose in life. Becoming who God wants us to be brings great joy and an enduring peace that only God can give.
Join us on Sunday mornings as we journey together to become a people who are “fully alive” with Christ!
Until He’s Finished,
Pastor Mark
