New beginnings for new pastor

Pastor James Avery

The other night my wife and I watched the movie, Blood Diamond. In that movie, there is a particular scene that strikingly demonstrates the depth of a father’s love for his child. The scene that I am talking about occurs just after Solomon (the father) and Dia (his son) are reunited. After being taken from his family by hostile militants and trained to become a killer, Dia is confused as to who he is. The values that he was taught by his family seem to be slipping away, and are being replaced with negative opinions that the militants are instilling in him. After his abduction, Solomon continuously searches for his son, with the hope of finding him. Nothing else matters to Solomon. The only thing that he can think of is finding his son, and restoring their relationship. When Solomon finally finds his wayward son, he is elated. Unable to contain his joy, Solomon, with tears streaming from his eyes, tells Dia that he is a good boy, despite the things that he has done. “Dia, you are not defined by the bad things that you have done,” remarks Solomon. He continues to remind Dia that he has a father who loves him, forgives him and longs to be with him. This scene concludes with Solomon tightly embracing his estranged son. As I watched that scene, Jesus’ parable of the prodigal Son sprang forward in my mind. Solomon, like the father in Jesus’ parable, represents God, our Father. Much like Dia, and the prodigal Son in the parable, we have all done things to either hurt ourselves, or one another. Often when we have done these things we are left feeling alone in our guilt or sorrow. However, God does not leave us alone, or forget us. Instead, He searches for us, even in our sorrow and forgives us for all of our failings and errors. The wrongs that we have done do not define us - we are God’s forgiven children. God, like Solomon and any loving Father, wants only the best for His children. He longs to have a restored relationship with all of us - a relationship that is made possible through the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through all of the hills and valleys of life, in joys and in struggles, God promises to be with you. With each day comes a fresh beginning - a gift from a loving Father to his beloved children. Our lives are comprised of new beginnings. With each new beginning also comes the renewed promise of God to not forsake His children. As we greet each day, we are also given the chance to make that day better for other people - through a helping hand, a simple word of encouragement, or even a smile. Coming to serve the Lutheran congregations of High Prairie and Valleyview is a new beginning for my family and I. We are starting new jobs, schools and daily routines. Our journey to be called to serve these two congregations has been the culmination of a long process of work and education. We are all thankful for the opportunity to be part of these communities and we look forward to meeting new friends and building lasting relationships as we make High Prairie our new home. Whatever your current life situation, may you always know that you have a loving Father, who knew you from before the time that you were formed in your mother’s womb, who knows you better that anybody else, and longs to spend eternity with you. He is the same Father who gives you a new beginning each day, and who promises to walk with you and strengthen you through the challenges that you face.