God wants to love you, not fix you
At the old chapel
at Virginia Seminary there was a stained glass window depicting Judas’ betrayal
of Jesus at the Last Supper. The reason
that the window was so remarkable was because it portrayed a very anti-Semitic
message. In this window, Judas didn’t
look like the other disciples. Based on
some distinct facial features, it was obvious that Judas was the only Jew in
the picture—not even Jesus looked like a Jew.
So the window
basically gave you the impression that the Jews were ultimately responsible for
killing Jesus. But if you take a serious
look at any of the Passion Narratives, it is obvious that all parties are
complicit in nailing Jesus to the cross.
Not even Pilate—the one who washed his hands—can claim that he had
nothing to do with Jesus’ death.
The window stirred quite a debate while on
campus. The knee jerk reaction wanted to
remove the window and replace it with a more politically correct window. Others suggested we get an artist to make Judas
look like the rest of the disciples. The
board at the seminary used good judgment and let the conversation take its
course.
Ultimately, the conversation was instructive for me in
understanding how humanity deals with sin.
Some want to destroy the painful memory of the past by covering the
memory up with more pleasant memories, with “good” memories. Others would prefer a more nuanced approach—just
fix what needs fixing and leave everything else alone.
I wonder how you deal with sin. Do you try to replace your bad memories with
good memories? Are you the kind of
person who tries to make up for your bad deeds with good deeds? Or are you more like an urgent care Doc who
is mainly interested in treating symptoms?
Are you the kind of person who says, “Well I have this problem,
therefore I need to read that book?”
I deal with my sin in both ways and the end result is
always disappointing. For starters, I
have learned that trying to forget my painful past does not honor the moments
of grace that I experienced in the midst of darkness of sin and suffering. Trying to block entire episodes out of my
memory not only take away the bad memories but also the good ones. We are much more than the sum of our good
memories. Through Jesus Christ, God is
giving us reason to honor even our bad memories, even our transgressions and
the transgressions of others because ultimately failure leads us to acknowledge
our need and the world’s need for a Savior.
In addition, despite our many flaws and imperfections,
God wants to use all that we are and all that we have as vessels for the light
of Christ. To shut ourselves off to our
past is to deny the possibility that God can work out his plan of salvation
through the good, the bad, and the ugly.
God is taking all of his creation; God is taking all of you and me—warts
and all, in order to reveal his new world in Jesus Christ. God uses even the betrayal of Judas for the
fulfilling of his purpose.
Even more, trying to cover up our sin with good deeds
does not take seriously the truth that God has removed our sin in Jesus
Christ. We don’t have to live our lives
trying to make up for our transgressions.
For starters, we can never make up for the wrong that we have committed
against God and our neighbor—I don’t care who you are.
Secondly, God is saving us from living a life of
obligation and giving us a life that is lived in gratitude for what Christ did
for us on the cross. On the cross, God
is both reminding us that we can never repay the debt that Jesus paid for us
but at the same time God is telling us that we don’t have to worry about making
up for our sin because Christ has already made up for it on the cross. Thanks be to God because now we can live free
from obligation and live life in a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving for
what Christ did for us.
Another temptation
is to try and fix ourselves. Who in here
is a fixer? On some level, we all
believe that we can fix the problem.
This “fix it” attitude is compounded by a western culture that believes
that it can pick itself up by the bootstraps in order to survive. While our self-help fix-it problems might
offer a temporary solution, they will ultimately fail us.
In my experience,
when I fix one problem, another problem presents itself. The problem just gets rearranged and is
revealed in a new way. Ultimately this
way of approaching my sin leads to a life where I become absorbed in myself. My ultimate concern or my god becomes my ability to fix the problem. And when my efforts fall short, I am ultimately
left disappointed.
The good news is
that God isn’t interested in fixing us.
One of you shared with me this week that you spent much of your
childhood in environments where teachers tried to fix you. And the result was devastating. The result left you thinking there was
something wrong or defective with you.
Friends, God not want to fix you. God is not trying to force you to be somebody
you are not. Above all else, we have a
God who wants you to know how loved you are.
God wants to transform your heart by loving you, not by fixing your
problems. And the love that God wants you
to be transformed by is revealed through the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ,
flesh and blood that was willing to die for you. You are that important—God willingly gave up his
Son so that you might know true love.
In a few minutes, we will approach the altar for Holy
Communion. We will eat the flesh and
drink the blood of our dear Lord Jesus Christ.
We will have food and drink that is spiritual food, food that lasts
forever, food that nourishes our souls and bodies for service in Christ’s kingdom. We will participate in the most intimate of
meals where we are reminded of God’s tender love for all his children through
his Son our Savior Jesus Christ.
As you take this food and drink, acknowledge your
sinfulness and brokenness. God doesn’t
need for you to fix your sin. God doesn’t
need for you to try your hardest to forget your sin. Like the seminary finally did with the
stained glass window of Judas, God simply asks that you acknowledge your sin so
that you may have the grace to acknowledge that God doesn’t count your sin
against you because of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.
When you approach
this altar, instead of asking God how to fix the problem, instead of asking God
to remove the painful memory of the past, try asking God to help you know how
loved you are in spite of your sin and failure.
Ask God to remind you that through Jesus Christ you aren’t defined by
who you fail to be. You are defined by a
God whose love for you is bigger than the painful memory of the past, bigger
than your sin, and bigger than any fix-it project can offer. May the power of God’s love in Christ transform
you and make you a new creation in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment