2020 has been an interesting year, hasn’t it? Honestly, interesting might be too kind of a word for what 2020 has been…it has been absolutely ridiculous! It seems like the story that I thought might dominate the first half of 2020, the horrible wildfires in Australia, happened years ago. In reality, it was dominating the news cycle just months ago. If there is one thing that 2020 has taught me, it is that any illusion of control that humanity has tried to assert has been rendered useless.
While that might seem incredibly discouraging, I actually think there might be a silver lining in the storm cloud that has been 2020. Humanity has to come to grips with the fact that it is not in charge. This is one reason why I think studying the “I Am” statements that Jesus makes in the book of John is so helpful for our church this summer. It is a reminder that He is the one who is in control. He is the one who we should rely on.
Pastor Louie Giglio wrote a book titled I Am Not But I Know I AM. In that book, he says, “As we will soon discover, admitting we are not God—not in control, not running anything, not responsible for everyone’s well-being, not the solution for everything and everyone, not at the center of all things—doesn’t belittle us; it frees us.”
He absolutely hits the nail on the head. When we admit we aren’t in control, it isn’t belittling…it’s freeing! We are free to trust God and not try to figure everything out on our own. We are free from trying to be perfect and are led to trust in Christ’s perfection instead. 2020 has shown us that we don’t have all the answers. But the good news is that we know the One who does!
Throughout the book of John, Jesus makes seven “I Am” statements that reveal to us different aspects of His character. He calls Himself the following: the Bread of Life; the Light of the World; the Gate; the Good Shepherd; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the Resurrection and the Life; and the True Vine.
Each of these “I Am” statements are packed with truth that give us a clearer picture of who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish during His time here on earth. It is my prayer that an in-depth look at these different statements will be an incredible source of encouragement for us as we continue to navigate through this pandemic.
2020 has shown us our limitations as a society. However, even though we are so limited, we serve a limitless God! God is sovereign, on His throne, and He will be our Solid Rock. We can all say with confidence that even though we are not, we know “I AM!”
Please join us this month as we read through the book of John together and find encouragement in who Jesus says that He is.
Finally, it was so encouraging for us to be able to gather again for corporate worship on June 7! I was thankful to see many of you, but I also know this pandemic has made it where many of you are still worshipping with us online from home. I miss you and can’t wait until it is safe for all of us to worship together again!
I’m praying for you, church! I can’t wait to see how God works in and through us in the days ahead.
In Him,
Pastor Zach