I’m an ordinary person telling stories to
proclaim the gospel. Sometimes, I offend people. Sometimes, it’s an accident. Sometimes,
it’s my intention to offend.
I’m going to offend if you don’t want to hear about
right and wrong or good or evil. I’m going to offend if you don’t believe in
sin or the devil. I’m going to offend if you don’t believe in the church.
I offend some by my style. It’s simple,
unrefined, and about finding God in our ordinary lives. I offend because I’m too
loud or too bold or maybe I’m too big.
I
hope and pray Jesus likes my style.
As a man, Jesus knew ordinary. He was not born
in a palace, but a manger. His mother was young girl betrothed to a good and
honorable man. From that good and honroable man, Jesus learned to be a carpenter.
He was born into ordinary life.
His disciples and apostles were ordinary people
living in the world; common everyday people bringing the good news to the world.
Jesus’ parables are ordinary life. He preaches
and teaches with stories about fishing, farming, parenting, spoiled children, and
weddings. The wedding at Cana begins as
an ordinary human story.
All of us have had that time when our mother has
asked us to do something and honestly we don’t want to do it. Maybe, we’re brave
and say “No”. Maybe, we take the cowardly way out, by putting it off, hoping, she’ll
forget. But, because we love our mothers, we usually do what momma wants us to
do.
Mary and Jesus were guests at the wedding. Mary comes
to Jesus and says “They ran out of wine!”
Jesus’ answer, Woman,
how does your concern affect me? In Greek, Jesus’s words are “How does
it concern you and me…” In other words, Jesus
said to Mary in a good and divine way, “Momma, it’s not our problem.” Then he
adds, “My hour has not yet come.”
Mary knows her son will do the right thing. She
knows He will do what she asks of Him and turns to the servers saying “Do whatever he tells you.”
There were six stone vessels each
about 30 gallons used for ceremonial washing. Jesus told them
fill the jars with water then "Draw some out and take it to the
headwaiter."
The headwaiter tasted the water
that had become wine and said: "Everyone serves good wine first, and
when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you kept the good wine
until now."
In that passage, Jesus (in all his divinity) shows a human sense of humor or irony.
Jesus, a carpenter, and his fisherman buddies came
to the wedding. They ran out of wine and Jesus made wine in a bathtub. He made
180 gallons of wine for a party and it was good wine.
In the ordinary is the greatest of gifts. Those
washing vessels (bathtubs) are like our lives - ordinary things in which God
works miracles. Washing away our sins, we become good wine.
God rejoices in us and our ordinary lives.
He sends the Holy Spirit to ordinary people and
gives extraordinary spiritual gifts. One is given wisdom. Another is given
knowledge, another faith. Another is given the gift of healing, another mighty
deeds, to another prophecy; and to others are different gifts of the Holy
Spirit. These gifts are different for each of us but from the same God
through the same Holy Spirit.
Fifty years ago, the small community I lived in had
three people with the gift of healing. One was an old man, a farm worker. He couldn’t read.
He couldn’t sign his name. But, he had an extraordinary gift of healing. Because
of that gift, he fought the devil every day. Most days, it was probably in a bar.
If the doctor could do no good or others could
not heal. You’d go to find this old man. He healed by the laying on of
hands and praying in the name of Jesus. If it was God’s will, you would be
healed.
He prayed for my little brother who had ear
problems that doctors could not remedy. In constant pain, he was losing his
hearing. After several stops at different bars, my father found the old man. He came out and leaned into our
car smelling like whiskey and cigarettes. The old man touched my 4 year old brother’s
ears and prayed. That little boy stopped screaming almost immediately.
If you meet my little brother, you’ll notice the
speech impediment; but, it’s all that’s left from an illness doctors couldn’t do
anything about.
I praise God, our Lord Jesus Christ for that
healing. I praise God for that ordinary old man of faith and the purest of
hearts that fought the devil every day of his life. The devil fought him
through his brokenness. Even with his extraordinary gift of healing; many people
were offended by this simple old man.
It was for people like him that Jesus taught, blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. If
we don’t strive to have a pure heart, we are not being the person God wants us
to be then we are not sharing our gifts.
I hope Jesus likes the way I bring the gospel
and God is not offended by my preaching. I try to bring my message from a pure
heart that allows me the ability to see all the gifts in which God
reveals himself - the beauty of nature, the love we have for each other, the experiences of life, and the gospel
of Christ.
But a pure heart is hard to keep. It is easy to
fall to the temptations the world that fills us with cravings and desires,
which are not of God. It is the enemy that serves the good wine first, and when
we have drunk freely of the temptations, cravings, and desires of the world.
The tempter brings out his inferior wine.
But in Christ Jesus, God takes ordinary sinners and
changes us into good wine. God rejoices in us. He does this to reveal his glory.
He does this so we believe in him.
We are given the extraordinary gift that is
faith in Jesus Christ; don’t be surprised if you offend someone.
Be good, be holy, and preach the gospel by the gifts
God has given you, by the life you live and by the way you love one another.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment