A Most Significant Week

Last week, April 16 to 22, was a most significant week in a very significant year of my life. On
Tuesday, April 17, I was informed by email that the University of St. Andrews had accepted my
PhD thesis. On Thursday, April 19, I was informed by another email that the British Consulate in
New York City had issued me a visa. By 10 am Friday, April 20, I had my passport with the visa
in my hands. I have to say that I was in a state of shock; it had happened all too suddenly and un-
expectedly. I was stunned to say the least.

I had been expecting word on whether my thesis had been accepted or not for several months. I
had no inkling when I would learn of its status. To say the least, I was thrilled and relieved. When
I submitted my visa application early in April, I was expecting that I would learn of the success of
my application sometime in mid-May. But then last Monday, I received an email from the British
Consulate informing me that an Entry Clearance Officer was assessing my application. At anoth-
er website I read that the average time of the process was nine days. I figured that I would learn
whether I had been issued a visa or not sometime the following week. So at 9 pm when I read the
email informing me that a visa had been issued to me, I was thrilled. I could hardly sleep that night because I was so excited.

A lot of people have been praying that I would be receiving my visa so that I could return to Scot-
land to pastor St. Fergus Parish Church. For the past year I have been meeting every Thursday
morning with a group of pastors and Christian leaders to pray for the work of Christ in the area.
All during this time they have never ceased to pray for me to that end. Last Thursday I reported
to them that I expected to receive news of my visa sometime next week. There was a good ses-
sion of prayer on my behalf. Later that day, I read the email informing me that the visa had been
issued to me. It had been sent out at 12:30 pm, east coast time. The time difference between the
west coast where we are and the east coast is three hours. So the decision was made and the
email was sent about the time that we were praying on the west coast.

Through this challenging year of waiting, I have grown in faith in the Lord. I have also experi-
enced anew the faithfulness of God. These have always been lessons that I have had to learn
over and over for over forty years. I am overwhelmed by God's love, care, provision, and pro-
tection. God has guided me. I have been royally blessed by having gone through the past three
years. All I can say is God is good.

Blessings to you and yours,

The Heart of the Gospel

Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday (Easter) are joined together with Christmas as my three
favorite Christian holy days. For nearly two millennia these three have been the centerpiece of
biblical faith. Christmas highlights the Incarnation: the Son of God became human, was born
into the world, and dwelt among us. Good Friday is the day when we remember Christ's death
on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Resurrection Sunday celebrates God raising His
Son, the crucified Messiah, from death to Resurrection life. They do not point to anything that
we humans have done, but entirely to what God has done in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Resurrection Sunday is a great and glorious day. Last Easter Sunday we celebrated with Chris-

tians throughout the whole world the historical reality that on the third day after Jesus Christ
was crucified, God raised Him from the dead. Christ was indeed victorious over sin and death. 

Jesus, God in human flesh, really did walk among us 2000 years ago. He really did suffer and 

die on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus really was raised from death to life. His 

tomb really was empty! The Crucified and Risen Savior was seen by over 500 witnesses. His 

death, burial, and resurrection fulfilled the promises that God had delivered to God's people cen-
turies before Jesus' birth in Bethlehem so very long ago. 

Our salvation is securely anchored in what God did through the death, burial and resurrection 

of His Son Jesus Christ nearly 2000 years ago. Saving faith is grounded in what God has done
in Jesus Christ: it is not based on anything we have done to earn our salvation. By grace we are
saved through faith. Yet the constant refrain I often hear from well-intentioned evangelical Chris-
tians focuses on such human activities as faithfully attending Bible-believing church services or
caring for the poor and needy. When we focus primarily on these good and proper Christian ac-
tivities, I find that the Cross and the Empty Tomb tend to be neglected. The Gospel of Jesus is
not about what we do; it is grounded in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God cre-
ated us to do good works, but they flow out of the Good Work that God has done through Jesus
for us and our salvation. The Cross of Christ and the Empty Tomb are the heart of the Gospel. We
put our trust in what God has done through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Blessings to you and yours,
    

Between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday

Some more liturgically-minded Christians refer to the day between Good Friday and Resurrection
Sunday as Holy Saturday. On one side is the day when the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was cru-
cified for the forgiveness of our sins. On the other side is the day when God raised the crucified
Savior from death to glorious new creation life. In between is Saturday, to some Holy Saturday. It
is a time when nothing seems to be happening; we do know that Jesus Christ died and was bur-
ied. I try to feel what those followers of Jesus felt that first Saturday after they had just witnessed
the long-expected Messiah's suffering and death on a Roman execution instrument. I can only im-
agine the devastation, dismay, and depression they were experiencing during that first Holy Satur-
day.

Even in this day and age, the Saturday between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday is a day
characterized by darkness, silence, waiting, and inactivity. I have known God's Story for many
years now, but still all I can do on this day between two emotionally-laden days is sit and wait.
That's how I have felt the past year here in my home town in the States. Behind me is the visa
refusal and hopefully before me is my being granted a Minister of Religion visa to return to Scot-
land to minister at St. Fergus Parish Church. Ever since I received the visa refusal letter in March
of last year, I have been living through my own Holy Saturday between Good Friday and Resur-
rection Sunday. For the last twelve months I have not been experiencing feelings of devastation,
dismay, or depression. In no way does my journey even compare with Jesus' journey of passion,
suffering, and death. But still I experience my own period of silence, darkness, inactivity, and
waiting.

Yesterday I remembered Jesus' death on the Cross of Calvary. I know it's Saturday, but Sunday's coming! Even though I rest in God's Story, I still don't know how my own story will turn out. Noth-
ing is certain, especially when I am dealing with the Bureau of Immigration of the United Kingdom.
I have been royally blessed these past twelve months. I have submitted all my papers and paid all
the fees to the British Consulate in New York City. My visa application is in their hands. Now all
I can do is wait; there is nothing more I can do. All that I hear from God right now is silence. I do
not really know what God is up to. It feels to  me like Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday
and Resurrection Sunday. But I know for certain that God is in control and that He is leading me.
To those of you who pray, I ask for your prayers.

Blessings to you and yours,