12-21-2021

 Good Morning All!

      Romans 5:6; “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” 

   The man’s name was Tom Johnson. He was a young man of 30. His eyes showed a hardness that a life of bad choices could give. It was serious this time. He had tried to rob a 7-11. He kept blaming the clerk. “All he had to do was give me the money; nobody likes a hero.”  The young clerk had pushed the alarm button and Tom, startled, shot him. The young man had died on the operating table; he left a wife and two small children.

   Tom had turned to run and right then two police cruisers pulled up and blocked his escape. He tried to run but he did not get far.  He was taken downtown and placed in a cell. He knew the routine; he had done it since he was 15. Most people who knew Tom knew he was only trouble. He already had a history of being in the jail. He had other convictions, and all this added up to a long stretch ahead of him. He would talk to his “lawyer” tomorrow. Some poor public defender whose law degree still had wet ink on it would be his attorney.  It did not matter to Tom.  The whole thing was rigged against him.  It was not his fault; it never was.

    As he walked into the courtroom, he saw the judge and kind of recognized him.  “Must have had him before,” thought Tom.  His “lawyer” moaned under his breath, “Oh, no.”  Tom looked at him. “That is Judge Johansen,” said the lawyer.  He looked at Tom and said, “You’re screwed; he’ll throw the book at you…then the gavel, the table and the court reporter!”  Tom was worried. He should have been. The trial was short. The verdict was swift. He was found guilty of murder, murder while committing a felony, attempted robbery, resisting arrest and jaywalking.

    The judge looked at him and sentenced him to death and never batted an eye. Tom hung his head and as the bailiff went to take him out of the courtroom; the judge stopped them. Everyone turned to look at the judge. He had removed his robe and was coming down from the bench. He came up to the young man and the bailiff. He told the bailiff to release the young man. The judge then told the bailiff, “take me instead and let him go.”  No one said a word. The judge looked at the young man and told him, “you are free, I’ll pay the debt, I’ll take the punishment.”  With that the judge was escorted to the cell and was executed 2 months later.

     That is a story you will never hear on the news. CNN will never have that for the lead story. Yet that is exactly what Jesus did for us. We are far worse than Tom. Our sins rise before God with a stench that cannot be described. Yet God stepped down from his holy bench and through Jesus took our punishment and set us free.  Notice Tom did not say thank you or even promise to change.  He did absolutely nothing to earn this act of mercy. Neither have we; yet God forgives us anyway because He loves us. This is a love that we cannot even fathom. Someone dying for me and not demanding anything out of me first is beyond our understanding.

     We do not know about Tom and how his story ends but what about you?  God promises us salvation and gives us freedom. Do you believe this? Has this changed your life? God reaches down and grabs you up into a huge hug. You can fight or you can, by faith, hug back. Go ahead and hug back. Your Father has embraced you with all of his love; embrace it back and savor its goodness and blessing.

Dear Father, you sent Jesus to die for us even when we were completely unworthy and undeserving. Give me the power to hug you back and to be your child, safe in your arms today and always. In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret