Occasionally, in the story of a COVID-related death, you hear someone say, “It didn’t have to be this way!” It reminds me of a sermon I once preached on the crucifixion and I had used the words, “It had to be so.”

It had to be so… five little words that refer to the most precious gift we will ever receive: our salvation. Even though we can’t understand how Almighty God could love us that much, it’s still true. It’s as simple, and complicated, as that. And the season of Lent shows us in great detail the depth of those five little words.

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed to His Father that he would not have to experience the terrible pain of crucifixion. In His humanness, He knew how awful this experience would be, but in His godliness, He also knew…it had to be so. There had to be a perfect sacrifice to reconcile mankind with a perfect God. That is a lot to absorb, impossible to understand, but our faith believes… it had to be so.

This same God, who gave up His life for you and for me, waits for us every Sunday morning. We leave our worldly concerns behind, and we approach His altar of grace, remembering just how much our God loves us. Make your Sunday worship a priority, especially during this season of Lent, and be gratefully that because of Jesus and His sacrifice, we have a place in heaven…it had to be so!

About the author: Previously the priest at St. Francis of Assisi in Lake Placid for 21 years, Rev. Elizabeth L. Nelson is now the Priest at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in LaBelle.