“The Transforming Moment”

One of my professors at Princeton Theological Seminary was Dr. James Loder. He was a professor of the Philosophy of Christian Education and a Presbyterian minister. Years ago he was headed with his wife and two daughters to Quebec, Canada for a vacation. On their long drive Dr. Loder stopped the car on the side of the road for a distressed woman whose car had a flat tire. He was not one to stop in these situations, but the woman seemed to be putting herself in harm’s way, trying to wave down someone for help, so Dr. Loder pulled over. He soon found himself under the woman’s Oldsmobile trying to get a jack in a secure place when all of a sudden, he heard a violent screeching. It turns out a 64 year old man had fallen asleep at the wheel of his car and crashed into the Oldsmobile. 

The Oldsmobile fell off the jack and on top of Dr. Loder. He describes in his book, “The Transforming Moment,” that his wife, all alone, literally lifted the car up long enough so that Dr. Loder could pull himself out from under it. Amazingly he lived from this accident. He lost the top of his thumb, had five broken ribs, one of his lungs was bleeding and a he had a full body of scrapes and cuts. He describes having two profound emotions immediately after the accident: One, an incredibly deep love for those around him, namely his family. And two: That the disaster had an incredible purpose. Dr. Loder described what happened as a result of the accident. He says, “This episode, in fact, raised countless new questions, disturbed several personal relationships, and forced me to re-envision the spiritual center of my vocation.” In other words it transformed his life! Professors and colleagues of James E. Loder spoke about how much he had indeed changed after that accident, that he was a different person, and a different kind of professor. 

The story of James Loder gets at the heart of Easter. Easter is a time of renewed hope and transformation. Easter is about God moving in wonder and power and making all things new. 

What are the experiences both good and difficult that have formed you? The gospel of Jesus Christ is that God longs to be a part of your story and use you and the things in your life to transform you each day into a person who will live life in the fullest possible way. We are all on a search for new life. Life that is rich in meaning and brings freedom that is good. We long to be born again and again into one who is more at peace and more true and real than the day before.

The God who rose on Easter longs for your life to be transformed, and for you to see yourself as an instrument of new life, bringing peace and hope to the wrinkles of the world we live in. The gospel of Jesus Christ is unique in how it flowers in each of our lives. As we continue in our celebration of Christ’s resurrection, may we all open our hearts and minds and ask God to continually transform us into the people who love God and our world with great passion and depth. 

Pastor John

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Quotes of the Week

“ . . . faith is not fundamentally a developmental phenomenon.” James E. Loder

 Dr. James E. Loder, Professor of the Philosophy of Christian Education at Princeton Theological Seminary, and author of "The Transforming Moment".