This morning at the Tabernacle, the sermon helped me to reflect on Jesus as the main event in our lives. Whether they are stories of struggle or stories of joys, the main event, the hero is Jesus... and my scripture readings today reflect this- how we need to make sure that we share Jesus not just as a supporting detail but THE main event.
The Main Event in Job's Life
2 "Indeed, I know that this is true.
But how can a mortal be righteous before God?
3 Though one wished to dispute with him,
he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.
4 His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?
5 He moves mountains without their knowing it
and overturns them in his anger.
6 He shakes the earth from its place
and makes its pillars tremble.
7 He speaks to the sun and it does not shine;
he seals off the light of the stars.
8 He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads on the waves of the sea.
9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
10 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.
11 When he passes me, I cannot see him;
when he goes by, I cannot perceive him. (Job 9: 2-11)
Job's life is a story of struggle. For him, the problems weren't something that he brought upon himself... so it would seem even more difficult for him to remember the glories of God. But in this beautiful section of chapter 9, Job is outlining the majesty, holiness and grandeur of his Maker which serves to recognize that we cannot and do not earn His love and grace and favor. We are not worthy of the good gifts that God gives us. And as we read previously, we cannot accept the good without the bad. Our Lord is wonderful and amazing, with miracles too numerous to be counted. But how often we forget to stop and remember, like Job, the many amazing features of our Lord God- His wisdom, His strength, His power, His mystery.
Though not exactly the same, we need to practice focusing on God when we sin and bring struggles upon ourselves. The pastor this morning helped me to realize that when we get stuck in the step of 'admitting our sins' we circle around and around ourselves... in a selfish and unsuccessful cycle of guilt that gets us nowhere. Instead, if we move on to 'absolution' or the recognition of God's grace... it makes God's grace the star of the show, the main event in our story of struggle. Instead of a tragedy proclaiming our flaws, this story has a happy ending with our Savior's grace that is always big enough, with a forgiveness so perfect that it no longer holds anything against us. Whenever we mess up, the more important part of the story is the Lord who graciously forgives us when we confess to Him.
The Main Event in the Eunich's Life
34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"[c] 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. (Acts 8:34-40)
Conversion stories are plentiful in the Bible, and this one has several characters as there always are. But it's interesting. Phillip was the one who explained. Phillip was the one who performed the baptism. Yet it remains very clear that Phillip is not the main event here. The Eunich did not go along rejoicing that he met Phillip, Phillip did not tell the good news about himself, and in fact it seems that Phillip disappeared mysteriously. Phillip served the Lord with the gifts that were given to him but made sure that all of those gifts made Jesus the center of his stories, his work and his life.
I have many stories of many people who have lived their life this way. But I just have to mention one family that is in my heart and my mind right now as an example of what I would like to be. On the day of my wedding, there were many, many, many people- friends and family alike- who helped in the wedding, preparations, and gave so very generously to help Brad and I at this moment in our lives. However, one family stands out to me because of their unexpected quiet contributions that would very easily go unnoticed. The Coffman family (Rich, Barb, Dave, Sara) were asked to help with the technology during the service for our powerpoints. That was all, and since I'm not tech savvy, that's a lot for me. But what stands out to me was how they did what we did not ask. When they saw that no one was there to hand out the programs, Sara & Barb filled in... without anyone saying anything. Rich & Dave volunteered of their own accord to also help with the slideshow during the reception. And the whole family, after a long day when everyone else had gone, stuck around to help close the windows, clean up extra decorations. And Rich helped my dad mop the MPR floor the next day! And you might expect some frowns or exhausted faces after all this, but no. We were met with 4 smiling faces, wishing us a wonderful honeymoon and telling us of celebrating their anniversary with their top tier of their wedding cake. To me, their loving and kind service shows a selfless and genuine Christlike love that I hope to show in my family as well... that we may be as able to make Jesus the main event in our service and ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment