Spring Newsletter 2025
The Eucatastrophe of Christ
A Dark Day
The black clouds shrouding the sky mirror the hopelessness that’s been building in your heart over the past few hours. You force your body to stop shaking from the internal agony. You wish you could scream at the crowds jeering at the spectacle before you, but fear of outing yourself holds you back.
Fear.
The same cursed fear that kept you from defending your rabbi. The same fear that caused you to flee for your life, rather than be arrested with the one who said Follow Me. Now he hangs from a cross. A bloodied, beaten display for all Jerusalem to witness.
A few short weeks ago you watched as he healed the sick and crippled. Now, in a few short hours he will breathe his last breath.
This last day has been nothing short of a catastrophe.
Have you ever experienced a catastrophe? They come in all shapes and sizes from a flat tire on your way to an important meeting, the sudden death of a loved one, or news that shakes the very foundations of your life.
The fantasy author and philologist J.R.R. Tolkien coined the term Eucatastrophe. It comes from the Greek prefix ευ-, meaning good, and καταστροφή ("sudden turn"). Tolkien viewed a eucatastrophe as a sudden turn in fortune from a disastrous situation to an unforeseen victory.
Beyond the examples in myth and his own fiction, Tolkien also saw the term explain aspects of his own Christian faith. He writes this in his essay “On Fairy Stories”:
"The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man’s history. The Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation. This story begins and ends in joy."
Without the catastrophe of the cross, we don’t get the sudden, unexpected, joyous turn of events that Easter morning brings. The darker the night, the brighter the joy of the dawn. Where have you experienced your own eucatastrophes? That's part of your story. Your testimony. Those sudden turns toward grace are reminders of the work Jesus continues to perform in our lives.
“. . . though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”
- C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
That, my friends, is the story we’re invited into.
--Zach Sollie
The black clouds shrouding the sky mirror the hopelessness that’s been building in your heart over the past few hours. You force your body to stop shaking from the internal agony. You wish you could scream at the crowds jeering at the spectacle before you, but fear of outing yourself holds you back.
Fear.
The same cursed fear that kept you from defending your rabbi. The same fear that caused you to flee for your life, rather than be arrested with the one who said Follow Me. Now he hangs from a cross. A bloodied, beaten display for all Jerusalem to witness.
A few short weeks ago you watched as he healed the sick and crippled. Now, in a few short hours he will breathe his last breath.
This last day has been nothing short of a catastrophe.
Have you ever experienced a catastrophe? They come in all shapes and sizes from a flat tire on your way to an important meeting, the sudden death of a loved one, or news that shakes the very foundations of your life.
The fantasy author and philologist J.R.R. Tolkien coined the term Eucatastrophe. It comes from the Greek prefix ευ-, meaning good, and καταστροφή ("sudden turn"). Tolkien viewed a eucatastrophe as a sudden turn in fortune from a disastrous situation to an unforeseen victory.
Beyond the examples in myth and his own fiction, Tolkien also saw the term explain aspects of his own Christian faith. He writes this in his essay “On Fairy Stories”:
"The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man’s history. The Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation. This story begins and ends in joy."
Without the catastrophe of the cross, we don’t get the sudden, unexpected, joyous turn of events that Easter morning brings. The darker the night, the brighter the joy of the dawn. Where have you experienced your own eucatastrophes? That's part of your story. Your testimony. Those sudden turns toward grace are reminders of the work Jesus continues to perform in our lives.
“. . . though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”
- C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
That, my friends, is the story we’re invited into.
--Zach Sollie
Diving Into the Book of Acts
Our journey into The Book of Acts began in January and has continued on!
Baptisms
We've had three baptisms and some awesome guest speakers since our last new letter. Praise the Lord!
We've been bless by some fantastic guest speakers leading the Sunday Service!
EVENTS
Things are always happening at the church!
STAGE NIGHT
We had a great STAGE NIGHT in February, featuring local musicians Ricot Aladin and Walking Phoenix. Keep an eye out for the next concert coming up in the summer!
PRAY
Lets remember to pray for the names written on the walls in the Worship Center. Each of those names represent someone who needs to encounter Jesus. And lets also remember to pray for those in the church who are hurting right now.
Recent
Archive
2025
January
2024
May
October
2023
November
December
Categories
no categories
No Comments