Grace and Truth

What an incredible weekend!  Johanna and I were reminded of the incredible family and friends that we have as I was ordained on Saturday night and the outpouring as family and friends came out was just incredible.  We had friends from college come from Pittsburgh, Baltimore and other places.  We had family friends come, we had family there, even Chris Bonvillian (the man I am named after) came out.  It was just an incredible night and I wanted to take a moment on this Monday to thank everyone who came out and was a part of that special night in mine and Johanna's life as well as in the life of LakeView. 

But, this weekend something else, outside of the great weekend that we had really stuck out to me.  As one of my best friends, Andrew DiDonato settled in on Saturday afternoon to watch some college football in the hours leading up to the ordination I was brought to tears by the scene at Penn State just before the Penn State-Nebraska football game.  Many, if not all of us, know the scene that is surrounding Penn State University right know and the scandal that has rocked that campus and community, but the scene just prior to the game was one that I will never forget. 

As the two teams came together before the game to join in prayer over the circumstances that led up to the game and was in the news all week tears came to my eyes.  Tears of brokenness for all of the victims that may have been sitting in a living room somewhere watching that game. But, more importantly tears of joy because of the power and strength of God that will endure through this tragic situation. 

As I listened to some of the videos of Ron Brown in that circle I heard Him say some things that struck me and I pray that each and every person who saw that scene will know and hear in the midst of it all.  First of all, Ron prayed that everyone would know that the Lord is bigger than it all.  What a reminder to us all in the midst of these troubles and a reminder to us as a church.  In the midst of every struggle, every tough time, every crisis the Lord is bigger than everything!  Take a look at Isaiah 53:4-6.  Here we are reminded that Jesus came to the earth and took up our pain and our sorrow and by His wounds we were healed.  He won the victory!  In the midst of it all, all of our pain, all of our sorrow Jesus has already won the victory!

praying

The second huge thing that I heard from Ron as He prayed was his quote of John 1:14.  What a reminder that Jesus is full of grace and truth.  What a difficult thing to grasp in this circumstance.  Jesus is full of grace and truth!  In the midst of it all Jesus pours out His grace to those who will accept it and brings truth to the matter. 

The picture that I saw when I watched this scene unfold on T.V. was a picture of grace and truth.  A picture that showed two teams about to go into competition pausing to recognize the fact that God was in control and He is bigger than the circumstance in front of us! This brought tears to my eyes.  As I sat in my living room I was reminded that God is still in control.  God has a plan that is bigger than this terrible situation.  God's plan is to bring grace and truth to a culture that is in desperate need of just that. God's plan is to bring healing.  God's plan is to bring revival, revival that started with two teams coming to together at the 50 yard line to recognize the fact that God is in control, that God is bigger and that God will bring healing, grace and truth.