I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. – Galatians 2:20
As we draw close to Easter, we traditionally prepare our hearts and minds for the remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Often in Lent, I spend much of my time and energy thinking about the scope and weight of that sacrifice, but I tend to forget that I have an active role in the story of that sacrifice. Christ gave His life so that I might live a full and abundant life. So, this Lenten season, I’m contemplating what it really means to live a full and abundant life.
I came across a story about Craig Bull, a 43-year-old police officer in the U.K. He and his partner were asked to visit the home of an elderly man who had recently been the victim of a burglary. Craig and his partner visited the man’s home to write a routine report. While they were there, they chatted casually with the man, and he told them a few small pieces about his life. They learned that he had been a pilot in the war, and that he missed his wife who had passed away a few Christmases ago. As the two officers were leaving, Craig noticed that the man had a piano in his living room. The man said that he used to perform in piano recitals but could no longer play. Craig noticed that the piece of music sitting on the music rack was Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat, op. 9 no. 2, his grandmother’s favorite piece. “…while she was ill, near to the end of her life, I used to play it for hours and hours until my hands or back gave in, and she used to love it,” Craig explained to the man. As Craig sat down to play the piece, the elderly man sat down to listen. The man conducted and played imaginary notes in the air with his hand while Craig played his grandmother’s favorite piece on the man’s beautifully out-of-tune piano. Craig said, “I played the piece and I could hear him clapping. It gave him the same pleasure that it did my grandma.” When he was finished, the two officers said their goodbyes and returned to the station.
Craig’s story is important because he turned what could have been a quick, routine stop into an opportunity to bless a life. There are many coincidences in this story: Craig just happened to play the piano, and the music just happened to be open to his grandmother’s favorite piece, which he knew so well. God creates opportunities in our lives for us to be a blessing to the world. He sets us up, so that we can succeed in living a full and abundant life. Through Christ, we are free to live as people of God’s light and hope, and through those seemingly small opportunities, we connect with those around us and remind them that they are not alone. So this Lenten season, I encourage you to remember that the sacrifice and resurrection are merely the first part of the story. It is up to us to look for those opportunities to love and to serve, so that we might live a full and abundant life.
Candace Fish, Edmond Campus Director of Traditional Worship
