“Tetelestai!”, shouted Louie Giglio at Passion 2015, as he began to illustrate just what that word means: the single Greek word that covers three in English… “It is finished”. It is only mentioned twice in the New Testament, and both are in John 19 when Jesus paid it all and died for us on the cross. But what exactly is finished?

The system – everything we knew before, the religious system – is finished. Sin – the very sin that makes us dead, but no longer has power over us – is finished. Shame – and all that’s tagged along with it such as guilt, condemnation, pity… – is finished. And self – you & me, the small picture… because Jesus was selfless and sacrificed Himself for you & me – is finished.

But the beautiful thing about Louie’s talk is that he talked about what’s next: When Jesus said, “It is finished” that’s when it began for us. “It” may be finished, but it’s also a brand new start. With Jesus’ last breath, came our first – His last words are our first. We didn’t know life until He gave it to us – our life begins where His ended. Tetelestai.

John 10:10 says that Jesus came so that we would have life to the fullest. We are already in the second month of 2015. It feels like just yesterday we were talking about the New Year. What needs to finish in your life so that you can begin anew? In fact, in just 2 weeks it will be Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent as we prepare for Easter. So today, we invite you to reflect upon your life as the big picture and consider the things that are done & finished, in Jesus’ Name, so that you would have life to the full. It’s not about you or me. Let’s make it about Jesus Christ.

Reflection Song: Here I Stand