8-7-2017

 Good Morning All,   

            Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

    I was listening to an NPR radio program a few days ago and the panelists were talking about the interaction between people of the Christian faith and people who were not.  They were discussing the latest battles of people who profess to be Christian wanting to deny their services to those they disagree with such as transgender and homosexuals.  They also touched on Christians who prayed in public and professed their faith a little too publicly, especially athletes and some actors and actresses.  One of the panelists made the offhanded comment, “You Christians would get along better if your God wasn’t so offensive.”  I found that thought kind of interesting; a God who is not offensive.

    I know a lot of people, many who profess to be Christian, who don’t want to be offensive and, by extension, do not want a God who is offensive.  While thinking about that I thought, God is offensive; God is very offensive. 

    So why do I think God is offensive?  Because God tells me things I don’t want to hear.  I have, we all have, “Little Jack Horner Syndrome”.  We want to sit in the corner and declare ourselves good little boys (and girls) and we want God to do the same.  I like to sit in the corner and I like to decide how things should go.  When ideas for cooperation within our circuit are discussed; it better be my idea that is selected.  When I tell the elders of the church we should do this; they better jump.  When I discuss ideas about Sunday School with the teachers; they better be awestruck.  All because, what a good boy am I. 

    Yet God, in his holiness, will tell me through His Word that I am not such a good boy.  In fact, by nature, I am very, very bad.  I am self-centered and egotistical.  I am selfish and cold-hearted.  I am mean and insensitive.  We all are and yet God has the audacity to point out my sin.  Whenever I look at the 10 Commandments, I don’t get too far before I am offended by God.  He didn’t need to point out my sin; He could have kept quiet and overlooked it but He doesn’t.  He doesn’t because by overlooking it, I remain in my sin and I am unholy.

    Jesus came into this world to face sin and defeat it.  He came to offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice in order that we could be declared holy.  We are declared holy because of His righteousness but this declaration is to change us.  We are to desire to follow God’s Word and His will.  We are to put aside our sinful desires but all too often we cling to them.  This is when God comes in, points out our sin and we are, at first, offended but then, hopefully, we are penitent recognizing that Jesus is our only source of righteousness and thus cling to Him and Him alone.  God offends us so that we may see our sin, repent and be restored.

Father in heaven, through your great love you have redeemed me and declared me holy.  Stir my heart to seek your love and to desire your ways.  Remind me that I cannot do this by my own will or volition.  Keep me safe in your loving arms.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret