CREDIT: pxhere.com
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When you’re on a trip, how do you know you’re on the right road? How do you know the distance left to travel? How do you know where to go when in an unfamiliar place? Even with GPS, you still need something that correlates where you are with where you’re headed to make sure you didn’t miss a turn. You need signs! Signs are important guides … BUT … signs are not the point of the trip. The point is still the destination. The signs, however, do point you toward your destination. They’re important.
Here in the months following Christmas, we’re in the dark of winter. In the church we call this season “Epiphany,” a word meaning “a sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature of something.” These manifestations are “signs” that show the reality of something. In our case the signs – often called miracles and wonders – are things Jesus does or says that point to the reality of who He is and what He came to do. The signs themselves aren’t the important thing. The important thing is what they point to.
A good example is the first miracle recorded by John … Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. Yes, turning water into wine is a nice thing to do, but it’s only a sign that points the careful listener to the reality of Jesus. He’s a great rabbi and teacher and prophet, but He’s more. Turning water into wine points to His power over creation – a power only God can have. The abundance of wine produced points to the abundance of His provision – both earthly and eternal. The exquisite quality of the wine points to the perfection of the gifts He gives us – perfect forgiveness of sin, perfect eternal life in His kingdom.
You don’t stop at the sign pointing you to the destination. You keep going until you get there. Don’t stop at the great signs you see Jesus doing either. Follow them into His eternal kingdom – the kingdom of heaven.
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Jim