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One of the first places Sophie and I went to when I moved up here was Valley Forge. This past Presidents’ Day, we finally made it up to visit once again. It felt like an appropriate place to be that day. Presidents’ Day has also been known as George Washington’s Birthday. Valley Forge was significant for its place in the history of the American Revolution as Washington led and trained the troops who would bring the Independence of this country from Great Britain.
I have to admit to being a little nervous going back. I thought there might be a lot of crowds because of the day. While everything there is pretty much outside and we were on the downswing of the Pandemic, crowds are still something I’m not quite back to being used to yet.
I really shouldn’t have bothered worrying though. There weren’t many people out there at all. In fact, we got some lovely shots of the Memorial Arch, many with one 1 or 2 people off to the side in them. It was sort of like most of the country, or at least the area, didn’t really stop to think what Presidents’ Day is really about in their celebration of that day.
That may be a little different for us here today. This is one of the most celebrated days of the church, attested by all of you here. That is because each and every one of you, whether this is your 1st or 15th Sunday with us this year, feels something important about this day in your very bones. You feel that pull of something important leading you here.
And if you who are present are not unlike those who were not present at Valley Forge on Presidents’ Day, you maybe wondering why it is that you are here. You may find yourself wondering what this day is really about.
Fortunately for you that is why I am here with you now, to tell you the truth of this day. Today is special. It is the most important day of our Christian Faith. It is so important because today is what our Faith is really about.
You see, God, our Creator, loved us, the Creation. Yet we failed to get things right. If we look around at the world, it’s clear we fail to get things right still.
All that wrong we were doing, that drew us away from God, it was like God was right there and we did a complete 180 to the opposite direction. Our wrongs, our sins, created a wedge for us from the Love of God, from Life itself really.
That wasn’t good enough for our Lord, so God came down and became a human being, just like us. Then He did the only thing that could fix that divide we had made. He died for us.
In that death, the death of Jesus, Death itself turned backwards. Jesus rose from the dead and in doing so paved the way so we could crawl out of Death and make our way back to the God who made us and loves us.
That event, the Resurrection, is what we celebrate today. That event is at the heart and soul of our Faith. That event is the reason you are in your seats right now.
If you have been wondering why you are here and what we are celebrating, wonder no longer. We celebrate the love of God today. We remember God’s act to save us when we could not save ourselves.
If that message resonates with you, if you like what you hear, this is what we remember every single Sunday when we gather together. If this message gives you hope, you can receive that hope every week throughout the year right here. If you like what you hear, please come back.
The message of God’s love for us is what this day is all about. It is why we are here. It is the center of our Faith. It is always the reason we gather together. I hope this message resonates with you, deep in your soul. I hope, if you are hungry for this message, that you’ll come back next week and join us as we share in the message of God’s love for us once again.