The Messy Mission of Redemption
Messy
Most of us don't like messes. They are annoying, difficult and, well, messy. Who wants to embrace a mess. At least that's how we often think about it. Which may be way it is so hard for us sometimes, one the one hand, to face our own messiness . . . or if we have, to deal with realization that we really still are embraced, even in the midst of our messiness.
Now if we can get over the knee-jerk reaction that complains that the suggestion of embracing people even in the midst of their messiness as somehow being an enabling stance (which is an attitude that is pretty messy in its own right), we begin to start to grasp the truly transforming power of grace. No "mess" ever gets any better on it's own, or by pretending we are somehow above messiness ourselves - but rather when we are willing to wade into the midst of it with the power of grace - grace that first realizes our own past and continuing messiness - and a grace that empowers us to love others with a love that reflects the love that has embraced us.
The truth is that redemption is all about messiness. God took on human form and not only embraced the mess we have made, but allowed the worst of it to fall on Him, because that is what redemption looks like. God was (is) willing to go into all kinds of messy and uncomfortable places, and then invites us to follow Him.
And for all of us, that is very good news.
That is what Pastor Jon explores with us in the sermon this week. If you would like to listen to the sermon once again, or perhaps for the first time, you can access our sermon library here. You can also access the live stream version of the service here.
Luke 13
The Message
10-13 He was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath. There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn’t even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, he called her over. “Woman, you’re free!” He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God.
14 The meeting-place president, furious because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, “Six days have been defined as work days. Come on one of the six if you want to be healed, but not on the seventh, the Sabbath.”
15-16 But Jesus shot back, “You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it. So why isn’t it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?”
17 When he put it that way, his critics were left looking quite silly and red-faced. The congregation was delighted and cheered him on.