Sharing Magazine

Miracles: The Ordinary Working of our Extraordinary God

by The Ven. Larry Mitchell, North American Director

This issue comes to you during the Church seasons of Lent and Easter. With Easter we celebrate God’s greatest miracle, that of the resurrection of Jesus. It is the miracle of Easter that makes Jesus unlike any other religious leader and Christianity different from all other religions or religious philosophies. It is the miracle of Easter that makes those of us who choose to follow Jesus also different defining who we are, what we believe and what we do as Christians. Without the miracle of Easter, we have nothing unique to proclaim and our faith is nothing more than another religion. The truth is that Easter is God’s miracle of new life, hope and renewal for the entire world and it is through Jesus that we become an ongoing part of that miracle. The dictionary describes a miracle as “a wonderful happening that is contrary to, or independent of, the known laws of nature, something marvelous, a wonder, or a remarkable example.” That definition describes in every way the miracle of Easter. That first Easter was most definitely a wonderful happening that was contrary to or independent of the known laws of nature. As well, it was something marvelous, it was a wonder, and it was a remarkable example of God’s love for all of humankind. What sets the Christian faith apart from others is that our faith is a faith of miracles, signs and wonders. Our faith is a faith that’s says in the life of Jesus, “God is with us! Emmanuel! And that it is a miracle. More than anything, the miracle of Easter sets the stage for all the miracles, signs and wonders of our God and that is a defining element of our Christian Faith. Easter reassures us that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is a God who can change water into wine, raise the dead, and heal the sick. If we believe in the truth of God’s greatest miracle; the resurrection of Jesus, then the person of faith should have no trouble in believing that God is still a God of signs, wonders, miracles and healing in our lives today. As food for thought, read Mark 16:9-20. In the Order of St. Luke, all of us at one time or another, have experienced a miracle of healing either in our own lives or in the life of someone else which raises our expectation level that we are following a Lord that is with us, loves us and heals us. The irony of it all is that what the world calls a miracle, something extraordinary for which there is no explanation, the Christian understands to be the ordinary way our extraordinary God works in our lives today. For OSL members worldwide, there is an extraordinary event happening June 21-25 on the beautiful Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia -- The 4th Triennial International and 52nd North American OSL Conference! The format of this Conference is different from our North American events in that all the speakers and workshops relate to the Conference’s theme –“Sharing the Heart of Jesus”. There are eight keynote addresses and each will deal with a different area of the Conference theme. Attendees can choose from twelve different workshops and each workshop will be given twice to better accommodate each person’s schedule. Our webmaster, Richard Triplett will hold a workshop on the OSL web site at the Conference. He will lead us through the web site and answer your questions -- another great reason for you to register and attend this wonderful Conference. Our registration is limited to just 300 people because of the plenary venue and to date over 150 people have already registered. If you have not done so I encourage you to send your registration in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Be sure to see the ad on pages 16-17 in Sharing Magazine for more information and the registration form. You can also get information and register online by visiting the official Conference web site at www.osl2010.ca. I am looking forward to seeing you in Kelowna!