– Revelation 21:1-5
 
In high school, I was assigned to read the Shakespeare comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing,” for my English Literature class. Much Ado About Nothing is a romantic comedy about two very different pairs of lovers in Messina, Sicily: the young and earnest Claudio and Hero, and the witty, bickering cynics Benedick and Beatrice.
Count Claudio falls in love with Hero, his host's daughter. Hero's cousin Beatrice (a confirmed spinster) and Benedict (an eternal bachelor) are each duped into believing the other is in love with them. Claudio falls victim to a malicious plot and denounces Hero as promiscuous before they marry. She faints and is believed dead, but recovers to be proved innocent by a chance discovery. Benedict wins Beatrice’s love defending her cousin’s honor. To his surprise, Claudio is reunited with Hero, whom he believed dead.
What does any of this have to do with the book of Revelation? Well, I honestly couldn’t stop thinking about this play as I read over this beautiful description of the new heavens and the new earth. In Shakespeare’s story, these two couples need healing. Claudio and Hero were childhood friends, but now they are preparing to get married in a setting overshadowed by both war and Claudio’s own stupidity. This leads Claudio to believe more than once that Hero is unfaithful. Beatrice, Hero’s cousin, and Benedick, Claudio’s friend, once dated, but hurt each other badly (Shakespeare doesn’t tell his readers exactly how); they are the people each other most needs, but it will take work and suffering for them to find their way back together.
Getting back together, though, takes more than work and suffering. It takes grace. (A lot of this grace happens through Dogberry and the way his team of watchmen uncovers the slander against Hero. I don’t have space to go into the specifics here. Read the play if you like.) When Claudio rejects Hero at the altar, she swoons and appears dead. According to the plot, she is hidden away, and everyone is instructed to say that she is, in fact, dead. She is then mysteriously restored to life for the final, triumphant wedding when several brides show up adorned for their husbands and both couples get married. Benedick even exclaims about his reconciliation with Beatrice: “It’s a miracle!”
We don’t know a lot about Shakespeare’s personal faith. But at the end of this play, as with so many of his plays do, he draws heavily on imagery of resurrection, giving us a scene that wipes every tear from the characters’ eyes, comforts their mourning, and makes all things new. But Shakespeare's tales, you may say, are fiction. In our own lives, people and dreams and plans and relationships all stay dead when they die. We don’t know anyone who, like Hero, actually came back to life.
Well, actually, if you know Jesus, you do.
 
Reflection
What does Jesus need to resurrect in your life?
Do you believe that He can do it?
 
 
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, by Your death You took away the sting of death. Grant to us, Your servants, to follow in faith where You have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in You and wake up in Your likeness; for Your tender mercies' sake.
Amen.
​

Read Joshua 7:10-15
 
Several years ago, an ad campaign used the slogan, “The power of one.” When we hear it, we may consider individuals in history who did extraordinary things or made an incredible impact for the greater good. We think of people like Mother Teresa for her acts of kindness; Isaac Newton, whose great inventions and laws of motion changed science; Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela, to name a few. On the flip side, we also think of people such as Hitler, whose influence had devastating consequences.
In Joshua 6, God gave Joshua and the Israelites the victory over Jericho. They started with a victory as they entered the Promised Land. While rescuing Rahab and her family, God issued a warning in Joshua 6:18: “But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.”
The Israelites were cautioned not to retain any of the goods (spoils) from Jericho for themselves, which were considered “devoted things.” Yet they did not obey, and as a result the entire community was defiled.
This may be a complex story, with many aspects to be considered for its meaning. However, there are truths we can meditate on. In Joshua 7, we learn the Israelites broke the command concerning the devoted things. As a result, God was angry with their sin, which brought defeat in their battle against Ai. This sin of disobedience prevented them from victory in their battle against Ai. This involved one man, Achan. Achan was an insider, a family man, and son of the notable tribe of Judah.
Apparently, Joshua did not know why they failed in their battle against Ai. However, as he spent time in God’s presence, Joshua learned it was due to Achan’s sin of covetousness of the “devoted things.”
Similarly, we can apply this lesson to our lives as we experience spiritual warfare. Holding fast to Ephesians 6:12, which says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
There are at least three areas in which we should be careful as we fight this spiritual warfare. Firstly, distraction. We should not be distracted by things that appeal to us, for they tend to lead us away from our intimate walk with the Lord. Achan defied God and Joshua’s orders by taking some valuables that caught his eye.
Secondly, obedience. Disobedience to godly leadership and to Almighty God in areas we have been warned against. Things can catch our eyes (senses) and cause us to drift from the path of righteousness (Deuteronomy 26:16). Thirdly, being deceitful. Achan hid the spoil under his tent; his actions were deceitful.
As a community, we have the responsibility to refrain from the “devoted things” which may hinder our spiritual growth and affect our intimacy with the Lord. Furthermore, our actions affect our entire community. On an individual level, we must be diligent in how we live our personal lives. The activities we engage in may cause harm to or damage our church community’s reputation. 
God then commanded Joshua to call the people to sanctify themselves because this defilement was preventing them from standing against their enemies. It is the same for us. If we allow distraction, disobedience, and deceit to overcome us personally, they can inhibit our community's corporate success. May our lives honor the Lord and may we offer our hearts to Him continually in surrender and sanctification. Let us be holy (different, set aside) even as He who called us is holy (1 Peter 1:16).

1 Peter 1:13-16
 
Today, I invite you to consider grace and holiness from 1 Peter 1:13-16. Holiness comes up as a result of grace (v. 13).
The car we drive needs fuel to go. It's a must-have. For Christians, God's grace is the fuel for our life. God's grace starts us on our Christian lives. Grace comes to us through faith in Christ Jesus' life, death, and resurrection (Ephesians 2:8). Grace is the fuel in the tank of the Christian life. God chose to give us His grace, not because we've done or earned something.
Scripture tells us that God's grace justifies and saves us, but it also sustains us. Grace keeps us going. Once my car has started, I can’t say that it no longer needs gas. What would happen when the tank gets to “Empty”? The car would shut down. Similarly, God's grace not only starts us on our Christian journey, but also sustains us in our faith journey. God's grace fuels the Christian life.
 God's grace came to us at different times, when we were saved. We have different mentors in our Christian faith who discipled us, taught us, led us, instructed us, and rebuked us. We have different faith journey stories, but guess what? If we don't have the fuel, the car won't go. Even though we have different walks and journeys of faith, God's grace still fuels all of us, no matter how old, how young, or where we are at in that Christian walk. Grace is the fuel and the hope of the Christian.
In light of God's grace, Peter calls us to be holy, to be set apart, to live differently, to live uniquely. God's grace fuels our living, and our living is to look a particular way. In v. 16, Peter quotes from Leviticus, saying, “for it is written, ‘be holy because I am holy.’”
Peter’s quote comes from a section of Leviticus called the Holiness Code, which outlines how God's people were called to live differently than the people around them. We are a chosen people, set aside by God. In the Holiness Code, God is calling His people to live differently, with explicit examples. Peter is referencing something that calls God's people to live differently.
Christians are genuinely called to be different. In v. 13, we are called to prepare our minds. Peter says our minds should be very involved in our faith, our ability to reason, think, and communicate rationally. He says to prepare your minds for action. This is a part of our call to holiness. We need to be careful what we are doing with our minds. How we think and what we think are parts of our spiritual Christian lives. What we value and what we invite into our minds is a part of our Christian faith.
Peter talks about our obedience. He's talking to God's people here, as obedient children. Peter brings up ignorance, which is the absence of knowing something. Before you knew the things of God, you lived this way. But now you know the things of God. The standard of the Christian life is found in v. 15. Just as God who called us is holy, so we need to be holy in all that we do. Hearing that might overwhelm us, but I want to encourage us to remember God's grace. God knows that it is a high and holy thing that He has called us to, so what does He do? He gives us grace. God calls us to be holy. He tells us where we are going, what direction we are headed in, how we are to think, and how we are to live out our faith. The standard is holiness.
Grace fuels and motivates our serving in the church. We shouldn't serve in the church because we are guilty. We should serve in the church because when we look to Christ Jesus, His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we are reminded of what God did for me. I can help with a fellowship dinner, a prayer meeting, or Bible study. Not to earn His favor, but as a "Thank you." We live lives of service out of gratitude to Him.
God's grace is limitless; it never runs out. Let's be fueled by God's grace in our service, so that our service is God-centered and pleasing to God. Let us not get distracted by other standards. What is our standard? It is what God has called us to: God's holy people. Will we fall short of that standard? Yes, God is gracious and loves His people, delights in us, and empowers us. His grace fuels us to continue pursuing holiness, even in light of His high standard.

I begin this Pastor’s Word with a heartfelt thank you. Thank you for your overwhelming support, encouragement, and love as I transition to a new season of ministry. The graciousness you have shown to me and my family is a true reflection of God’s grace, and we feel truly blessed.
 
As I move to where God leads next, my intention and desire is to continue to serve God within the context of pastoral ministry. I want to be faithful and obedient to God, and I believe He still wants me to serve Him in this way. Thank you to the brothers and sisters of FECC for their investment in me over the years. I am the pastor and follower of Jesus that I am because of the people and experiences of FECC.
 
Of the many things I have learned over the years, a few stand out to me that are representative of God’s work in FECC. One of the most significant gifts of FECC is being the family of God. The Bible talks about how we have been brought into the family of God through Jesus Christ, and FECC has been a precious place of fellowship, family, and community for me. Yes, we have our conflicts, disagreements, and even dysfunctions, but the blessing of being known and part of this group has been transformative for me. Growing up with my church aunties and uncles and becoming a church uncle myself has taught me the critical nature of relationships for spiritual growth. Participation and investment in the local body of Christ has kept me from feeling lonely and has given me specific examples of faith that help me to persevere when I face challenges. This type of close community is what I hope to bring with me to wherever God will lead.
 
My charge and encouragement to FECC would be to continue to press into the call to be God’s family and to continue to invite others into this community. I believe God is doing new things as we look to grow together intergenerationally and across the languages. The pastoral staff experienced a fruitful time of sharing and planning during our planning retreat, and we believe this move to intentionally see the different age and language groups disciple each other will transform FECC. God continues to move within FECC, and we can trust that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6) 
 
Once again, thank you for helping me to grow in the Lord and demonstrating Christ’s love to me. I go, sent out by FECC to continue to bring God glory and to see His kingdom grow!