When the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”  Mark 15:39

While I know in my head that Jesus died for all people, sometimes I am guilty of thinking there are people beyond God’s reach. I worked with a boy whom I subconsciously labeled as a person very unlikely to become a Christian. Even when I prayed for him, I don’t think I really believed that God would answer my prayers. The boy seemed to be too emotionally distant, to have too many problems, and to be highly unlikely to stop and listen long enough for someone to tell him about Jesus. I was very wrong.  Many of the kids I worked with hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, but this young man believed what he heard. Now I love to watch the way this boy’s life is changing as he reads the Bible and strives to live the way Jesus wants him to.  God can change the most unexpected people, at the strangest times and in the most unlikely places. A number of people watched Jesus die, but as today’s reading shows, the centurion realized that he was watching the death of the Son of God. No one is beyond the power of God’s love. No matter how hard-core or difficult they may seem, Jesus loves them and died for them.

Dear God, thank you that no one is beyond the reach of your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.