Events that Changed the Trajectory of Life

Surgery
Events that Changed the Trajectory of Life

“Surgery.”  I still remember that day as vividly as if it were yesterday.  21 years ago next month, I sat on the table in a cardiologist’s office, and heard one word come out of his mouth – surgery.  Oh, he said a lot more, some of which I faintly recall, but when he looked me in the eye and said the words few 17-year-olds hear, “You need surgery,” I knew things were about to change.  I had a congenital heart defect that could not be wished away, and one whose treatment I would simply need to lie down to receive.  Nothing I could do would fix it; it was out of my hands.  Two months later, I went under the peaceful sleep of anesthesia, and bringing nothing to the table, but the condition of my heart, I received the treatment only my surgeon could provide.  It was the event that changed the trajectory of my life.

“Exodus.”  That is the word the people of Israel needed to hear and what they needed to experience after nearly 400 years as slaves in Egypt.  Nothing they did could bring about the rescue they needed.  They were of such a condition that only one could do the work necessary to set them free.  In Exodus 12:51 a most anticipated statement is made, “And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.”  Only the LORD could provide the treatment necessary to deal with Israel’s condition as slaves, and after years of promises, suffering, and crying out with waxing and waning hope – God brought them out!

In the Old Testament, the Exodus is the great event of salvation for the people of God.  They were a people enslaved with no hope of rescuing themselves, and the LORD God set them free.  It was the event that changed the trajectory of the life of Israel.

“Resurrection.”  This is the Word that all need to hear today.  The reality is that all of us have a heart condition about which we can do nothing, and that is that we are enslaved by sin, bringing nothing to the table, needing the treatment that only God can provide.  The Cross and Resurrection is that treatment that changes the trajectory of our lives.  That is how Jesus came to bring about a new Exodus, setting free those who entrust their lives to him.  This weekend we remember, how Jesus came and suffered in our place, taking the guilt and shame of our sin upon Himself – so that all who place their trust in Him are raised with Him to New Life.

Join us this Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the event that changed the trajectory of all of Human History – the New Exodus, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.