I’m sure you’ve seen the sign ‘please leave this place as you find it’.
The people who put up the sign are asking that we clean up after ourselves, that if we make a mess, that we return things to the way we found it.
(I’m hoping for that in my house in lockdown as we all take turns to do the dishes and the meals in lockdown!)
Imagine though, if we went even better than that…?!
How about making things better than how we find things.
Someone once said that life is ‘to live, to love, and to leave a legacy’.
A legacy is a gift, and we are all called to make our mark on the world, for good, by leaving every situation, every environment, every conversation better than how it was when we arrived.
What if we all did that?
Especially in this season, when we are all doing our best to fight this invisible virus and look out for one another.
I’m hearing and seeing so many stories of acts of kindness in this season, and every act leaves a mark for good.
That’s what our wonderful NHS workers, emergency service personnel, and so many people are doing in this challenging time, and can I say thank you to every one who is doing their bit to make everything better, you are amazing!
Two thousand years ago, a man lived, who left everyone better, every person that he met, he brought life and hope and pointed them to a relationship with purpose with the one who has made us.
This Easter weekend, that seems different to any other that we have experienced, can I encourage us to be inspired by Jesus of Nazareth, to read his words, check out his claims and the way that he left the world better than how he found it in such a profound way.
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice”. CS Lewis, Mere Christianity.
In uncertain times, when it seems that we can’t even plan for the future with any certainty, I encourage you to look to Jesus of Nazareth for hope and for answers as billions across the earth have found life in him.
“I trust Jesus with all my tomorrows, knowing that he will solve the mystery of life beyond the grave”. Dr Billy Graham.
I wish everyone a peaceful Easter and that you stay safe and well.
Let’s leave everything better,
John Greenow
Lead Pastor, Xcel Church
