The CROSS Road at the Tomb & Ascension

What is your salvation story?  What are the endings and beginnings that mark the transformation that occurred in your life when you put your faith in Jesus Christ?

In his book "Necessary Endings" Henry Cloud asserts that there are endings that are absolutely necessary to experience new beginnings in life, relationships and business.  Our faith journey is no exception, as it involves an ending when we come to the end of a self-driven life and emerges with a beginning when we enter into a Christ-driven life.

When I put my faith in Jesus I said, "It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me!" Unless I die to my passions, desires and will, I cannot really experience the beginning of God's will and power in my life.

This has been a growing realisation as I have pursued a pathway to holiness...

"The first word in the Christian vocabulary is not struggle - but surrender; not one more try - but to yield to the divine will; not one more effort and this time you will make it - but to submit to another. For the gospel of Jesus does not begin with a call for a man to do something to save himself, but to cast himself without reserve upon him who has already promised to be his Saviour." (General Frederick Coutts)

The resurrection and ascension of Jesus is a significant CROSS Road of endings and beginnings where the disciples see the fulfillment of the salvation story for them and the rest of humanity.

1.  The death of Jesus was the end of His physical life, yet the beginning of His resurrected life.

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

• The resurrection fulfills the promise of the gift of new life.
• To embrace this new beginning, there needs to be an ending - a surrender of life to Christ!

2.  The departure of Jesus was the end of His earthly mission, yet the beginning of His Church's mission.

"Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power on high."

• The ascension fulfills the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• To embrace this new beginning, there also needs to be an ending - a submission of life to Holy Spirit!

The CROSS Road at the Ascension was an ending and beginning that saw the birth of the Church which put flesh on Christ's continued mission through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Necessary Endings

It seems timely that I have picked up Henry Cloud's book "Necessary Endings" again, as I approach a major transition in my leadership, preparing to leave my current appointment after 8 years of ministry.  Cloud speaks about the seasons of life and leadership and the importance of recognising when necessary endings come and how to embrace them as doorways to new beginnings.

Like with any ending of significance it is met with mixed emotions and responses.  When you invest yourself into people and programs to fulfil the vision that drives your leadership it can be difficult to release them to an unknown future.  I can only guess (as my children are still at home) that it is not that dissimilar to parents releasing their children into the unknown, after investing themselves into raising them with a vision for their future.  One has to trust that the values and vision that have been imparted are strong enough to guide future life directions and decisions.

As I face this reality of change and the uncertainty that it brings, I find myself reflecting on two verses of Scripture:

"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." (Hebrews 6:10)

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 1:6)

There are many truths in these verses, but I am particularly drawn to God's faithfulness and the confidence it gives me to trust Him with what has been begun in His name.  I am just a steward of all that God has given me, including the people He entrusted to my leadership, therefore, this 'necessary ending' is not releasing God's people into the unknown, but passing the baton of stewardship onto another anointed leader.

"God is not unjust; he will not forget" the values and vision that have been imparted, so I can be "confident of this, that he who began a good work...will carry it on to completion."