9-25-2023

Good Morning All,

1 Corinthians 6:11; “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

      When one of our grandsons was a toddler, he was a “Cheetos” fanatic.  He loved those little cheesy snacks.  The funny thing was that he hated to have dirty or sticky hands.  He wanted mom, dad, or anyone close to clean his hands.  So, after a Cheetos or two then he would hold his hands up and says, “hands, wipe, dirty.”  After Easter and the Easter egg hunt, with the candy that melted in his hands, he really needed to have his hands cleaned.  It was funny to watch a little toddler who loved the outdoors and did not like to have dirty hands. 

     Sometimes, in our lives, it gets a little messy.  Sometimes, it gets a lot messy.  Our lives are a very messy and complicated affair.  It would be so much easier if we could keep it simple and on task.  Yet “stuff” can get in the way.  We finally get our feet on the ground and going forward and then one day we go in and find out that the company we work for is “downsizing”; which is the politically correct saying for “you’re fired.”  Sometimes, we find the person we think just might be the one, but he gets transferred across country and she can’t go for a year; can they last? 

     Sometimes things are looking good but then a child gets a severe illness.  The medical costs are going through the roof.  The parents need to keep working, they need to spend time with their sick child, they need to spend time with their other children.  The strain plays out in their lives and their marriage.  It can get messy; perhaps, really sticky.  Perhaps, it is your spouse that gets told that the doctors have done everything they can do.

     Life can be messy and despite this; God still loves you.  Jesus came to live among people and to be involved in their messy lives.  He came to die a very messy death to pay the debt of sin which we owed.  It was a huge bill; it was going to be messy to pay for it and it was.  Yet on Easter, God cleaned it up and cleaned it up completely. 

    Through Christ we are a new creation.  We are washed and cleansed from the messiness of sin.  While we may feel the effects of sin, sin does not need to cause us pain.  Sin does not separate us from God anymore.  Sin does not make us too messy for God to come to us and to love us and to give us comfort.  He sends his Spirit to bring us hope.  He calls us to prayer to speak to him and to tell him our fears and our worries.  He comes to bring you the peace that a messy world does not let us have.  Life after Easter is different.  While there are still messes, they wash off because Jesus has cleansed us from our sins, gives us new life and gives us hope.

Gracious Lord, life is messy, yet you give us hope to live through the pain and the struggles.  You give us the certainty of our salvation and the comfort of your Spirit.  Be with those who are in especially messy situations and are in need of your comforting Spirit.  Send them the consolation that they need.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret