Easter is here! It’s a time when many might be thinking about bunnies or colorful eggs, but for Edu Löwen of St. Louis City SC, it’s all about Jesus. He shares his journey of discovering who Jesus is and what He means to him. If you’re someone who has heard of Jesus but doesn’t understand how He means anything to you, Edu has some encouraging words.
Check out this interview and others on the JOY FM YouTube Channel.
Sandi:
We’re talking with Edu Löwen, center midfielder for St. Louis City SC. Do you remember the first time that it consciously registered, “oh, I think I’m starting to figure out who Jesus is?” Do you remember some of your earliest thoughts about who Jesus is and what that meant for your life?
Eduard Löwen:
Yeah, I think it was always I knew about Jesus. I knew about the Bible, but he wasn’t my savior for a long time. And he was kind of a great man for me and always heard the gospel story, but I didn’t understand it. And then, when I was 19 years old, I finally really understood why he died on a cross for my sins and saved me. And yeah, it’s just, over the past years, finding more and more about Jesus, that he’s at the center of the whole Bible, and that everything is about him. And yeah, it’s just incredible.
Sandi:
Well, here we are approaching Easter time, and you said it’s all about Jesus. There are probably a lot of people, when they think about Easter, either think about eggs or bunnies or [inaudible 00:01:14], something about him raising from the dead. But man, what’s at the heart of the Easter story? And why does it matter to you and really to all of us?
Eduard Löwen:
Yeah, as always, the whole Bible, as I said and mentioned before, it’s all about Jesus. He came down on earth, he became flesh, and he died on a cross for our sins, because we cannot save ourselves. Because we are not righteous enough, and he is righteous. And that’s why we have to believe and why we have to believe in him, and because we need him and he’s our savior and he resurrected from death. He was defeating death, and that’s why we can have everlasting life, because of what he did on a cross and because he resurrected.
Sandi:
You were sharing a little bit earlier about, when you think about the cross and you realize that he, not only died on a cross, at some point in time, but that he died for you. What do you think about when you think of Jesus on a cross and the personal ramifications or the impact on your life today?
Eduard Löwen:
Yeah. It always hits me so hard. It’s not that I found out, “oh, okay, Jesus died on a cross for my sins.” It’s recognizing that every single day and getting to know the gospel more and more and seeing that he only died for me on a cross and that he not only resurrected, but he changed my whole life. He changed my heart. He’s changing my relationships. He’s changing my marriage, and all these things. Yeah, I think I love the verses in First Corinthians chapter 15, where the Apostle Paul says that, if we hope on Christ only on this life, yeah, we are very poor people. Because in the end of the day, we have to hope on Jesus even more for the next life, because he’s our savior. He can save us. And so, Jesus, what I just want to say, he’s everything. He’s everything.
Sandi:
What would you say to somebody who has heard of Jesus, has heard maybe parts of the gospel message, may not fully understand or may not understand why it means anything to them? They’re just living their best life and whatever. What would you say to somebody to encourage them to consider who Jesus is and why they need him?
Eduard Löwen:
Yeah. I think, as I mentioned before, our righteousness is not enough, and that’s why we need a savior. That’s why, even when people say Mary was holy, but she cried out for Savior. Because she needed a savior as well. And that’s the first thing why we need Jesus. And also, living our best life here, compared to eternity, it’s very foolish, because in the end of the day, we probably have 70, 80 years here on earth. And the best life here is nothing compared to what waits for us in heaven and what he can give us. And sometimes, we think sin can offer us more than he can offer us, which is foolish, because he’s the creator of the world. He has everything in his hands, and we should always seek him. Because he has everything we need.
Sandi:
If you had to boil down, if there was a prayer, someone wanted to say, “okay, I want to begin a relationship with Jesus, but I’m not even sure what that looks like,” so what would you say to somebody? Or is there a prayer that you would encourage them to meaningfully offer up to God? But if someone would want to take a step and say, “I want to begin to follow Jesus. How do I do that? Where do I start?”
Eduard Löwen:
Yeah. I think, maybe for people who are not sure about who Jesus is, I would just recommend saying a prayer, “Jesus, I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you did. I don’t understand it, but I want to get to know you.” And it’s for sure that he will show himself, because he’s opening the door for everybody. So a big problem for me was always that I try to change myself. I always try to change my bad habits, until I found out and recognized that I couldn’t change myself, and even if I changed some bad habits, he’s the change and he can change your heart completely. He can transform you. And that’s a huge difference. And he didn’t only change my heart. He gave me a completely new heart, with new desires to follow him, to love him. And yeah, that’s what I’m thankful for. So don’t try to change yourself. Come to him, and he will change you. And you can come to him the way you are.
Sandi:
That was good. When you stand before Jesus, face to face, what will you say to him? And what do you hope he says to you?
Eduard Löwen:
Wow. Yeah, that’s already emotional, I think. First of all, thank him for what he did for me on the cross and for saving me, for always being by my side, for never leaving me, never forsaken me, even if I did so many, so many, yeah, mistakes, so many wrongdoings in my life. And yeah, I don’t know. Probably maybe I’m going to say nothing and just bow to him and bow in front of him and just cry and be thankful that I can be in heaven, what I don’t deserve.
Sandi:
What do you hope you hear him say?
Eduard Löwen:
I hope that he’s going to say that I was a good servant on earth.
Sandi:
I didn’t hear you say anything about soccer.
Eduard Löwen:
No. No. Because soccer, I love soccer. And I’m very, very thankful that I can be a professional soccer player, and that was always my dream. But especially over the past few years, it’s all about Jesus, and he’s the number one in my life. He’s the most important thing in my life. And soccer’s not even the second. Then second comes my wife, my family, and then, soccer. Yeah, that’s the most important thing, because when he’s at the first place, everything else can find its proper place.
