By Julia Faulkner
April is here, and so are the cherry blossoms! As we enter into this new season, we’re reinvigorated by the beauty of springtime in D.C. and bolstered by warmer temperatures during the days.
I wrote my first blog post for Capital Fellows six weeks after the program commenced. Now, we have less than six weeks left. Wow! To think of the amount that we’ve all learned about, with and through each other as a class is humbling. To think of the amount that the MPC church body has poured into our lives is more humbling still (and to think of how quickly these months have gone by… is incomprehensible!).
I’m grateful for the change in season because of the flowers and the sunshine, yes, but even more so for the reminder that life’s seasons are temporary, but God’s grace is not. Our emotional and spiritual states before, during and after fellows weren’t and don’t have to be victim to our circumstances. The Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and that is a blessing and a stronghold like no other!
During my morning commutes into the city (I work for the Center for Public Justice) I like to use the extra time to listen to sermons or catch up on readings for class. This week, I listened to a 2015 sermon by Tim Keller about the two great tests we face in life: prosperity and adversity.
“Prosperity and adversity bring out stuff in your heart that you didn’t know was there. yYou need to be humbled, and you need to learn wisdom.” -- Tim Keller
In both good and tough seasons, it’s important to note what we see in our hearts, process it and then use it to become wiser (this is a concept we’ve discussed extensively in our class with Dr. Bill Clark this semester as well). In good and tough and tiring seasons alike, God is faithful to reveal ourselves to us, that we may know more of Him. Our job is to trust him and to address our states head-on. This is a refreshing, encouraging and convicting reminder. It is also striking that God sees all the selfishness that is in my heart, yet he still continues to love, guide and gently admonish me.
In his sermon, Keller explains that to the degree we understand God’s love for us, adversity will not sway us. When we are truly rooted in the awesome extent that our Creator loves us, our seasons do not consume or define us. This message ties into our Monday night Roundtable discussion of John 13, which details when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. The same night he was betrayed, Jesus washed his disciples’ dirty feet in a servant-like demonstration of love and devotion to them—and an epitome of humility and vulnerability for the culture of the time. Side note: we fellows got the chance to wash one another’s feet at Roundtable this week; it was a sweet time to encourage and pray for each other.
Our Lord humbled himself in a symbolic demonstration of love and servitude before his ultimate, sacrificial demonstration of his love and servitude. Let us spur each other on to love and servant’s hearts in the current season we find ourselves in and beyond! Let us also remember to be rooted in the love and grace of our Lord who is by our sides forever!
Pictures from the Week
