6-1-2025

Good Morning All,

  Psalm 34:18; “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

    Have you ever shopped at a discounted discount store?  They have all the “seconds” or the damaged goods.  You can buy some of them really cheap if you want to.  It is amazing how cheap these can be.  They are so cheap that people often pass right by them, afraid that there must be something wrong with them. 

    These goods, especially the canned goods, are often dented.  Sometimes the label is missing.  Some of the boxed goods are broken open and taped up to be somewhat presentable.  Some of the produce might have blemishes on them or be odd shaped. The store knows that the only way to sell these items is to offer a huge discount on them. Maybe. Just maybe, someone will take a chance on a dented blemished product. Even then most just bet tossed out; they are just not shelf worthy anymore.

    All of us at one point in time have felt the pain of being damaged goods.  Maybe you made some bad decisions when you were younger and have been viewed as “damaged goods” ever since.  Maybe the pink slip from your last employer left a dent in you, especially since you are on the top side of 45 now.  Perhaps looking at your spouse has left and now you are all dinged up.  Perhaps a loved one died way too early in life.  All these things can take a toll on a body and a spirit.

    The truly good news is that God has great compassion on us.  All you have to do is read the Gospels and see time and time again where Jesus had compassion on the lame, the blind, the sick and dying.  Jesus looks past the dings and the dents and the blemishes to see the heart that is broken and the spirit that is crushed.  He reaches to you and to me with all the love that we need and he gently lifts us up in his arms and brings us to his loving bosom and holds us close, safe in his arms. He heals us. He makes us new again. No dents, dings or blemishes remain. God inly sees us through the righteousness of his Son and calls us sons of the most High.

    The world will ding us pretty good and then throw us away as damaged goods, but God continually retrieves us from the damaged goods shelf and restores us to his family keeping us safe from the true pain that devil will try to cause.  God reaches out to the brokenhearted and the crushed spirits and gives them hope; and gives them life. His love never fails. His love never knows an end or a loss. His love for us is eternal and perfect. This is what waits for us. The world will call you damaged but God calls you with his love to be his children, now and forever in his loving arms.

Dear Father, we are all dented and dinged by the sin of the world and our own failings.  Give us your precious grace to cover us and your mercy to save us.  Protect us from the sorrows of this world.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret