Perhaps you heard this week in baseball of the bad call by umpire Jim Joyce, that cost Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game. With 2 out in the ninth inning, with no hits or walks allowed, the 27th batter of the night against Galarraga hits an infield grounder, and the ball beats him to first by almost a full stride. Galarraga himself catches the ball. But the ump calls him safe. The replay shows it was obviously a bad call. With much of the baseball world outraged in that moment, what did Galarraga do? He smiled at the umpire. No in your face argument. Just smiled. Later on, the umpire apologized to the near perfect pitcher. And Galarraga forgave him.
There are lessons here. When you mess up. Confess it. Don’t blame anybody else. Don’t make excuses. Own up to it. Admit it. And ask forgiveness. When someone wrongs you and then confesses it and seeks your forgiveness, forgive him. If we don’t do this, our sins will separate us from God, and they will separate us from each other.
6/6/10
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This table is a picture of peace. Where we were alienated from God, at enmity with Him, He sent His Son to mediate for us and reconcile us to the Father, because He still loved us. And Jesus is the peacemaker. His wounding, His crushing, His chastisement brought us peace. God put our iniquity on Him. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Come to Jesus now. Talk with him. Commit to Him. Love Him.
7/4/10
2 Cor
It may seem odd if we think about it, that Paul needs to implore new believers in a church to be reconciled with God. Isn’t that what they just did mere months ago when they first believed in Christ? Well, yes. But reconciliation isn’t a once in a lifetime event. We should be well-practiced in it, since we sin against others so much. You are a believer – a Christian. And you have sinned against Christ since worshiping Him last Sunday. You need to be reconciled to God again.
I speak to you now as an ambassador from the throne room of God. You have sinned against a holy God. Yet He has provided mediation, atonement, forgiveness in Christ. Look to Jesus Christ as you confess your sins.
7/4/10
Ezekiel 47:1, 12 - "
When Adam and Eve stood by the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they had gone to the wrong tree. The tree of life was the sacramental life source, God had invited them to eat of. He had forbidden the other tree, so they went and stood by it. Where are you looking for food, for life, for growth, for direction? Who do you trust? Jesus Christ has set this table so you can respond in faith each week. You have come to the tree of life. Jesus the new Adam has forged a way back into the garden. The flaming sword fell on Him as He entered. It killed Him, but God resurrected Him and He has led us in. We are in the holy of holies, as priests cleansed by His blood, shed back there at the gate, at the altar, at the cross, pictured in the waters of baptism. We have come through and we stand at the tree. The first tree brought death. The tree of
6/27/10
Hosea 6:6-7 - "
We dealt treacherously with God at the tree in the garden. God had graciously granted us life, companionship, work, fellowship with Him, every tree to eat from but one. So we wanted that one. We violated His covenant. Some things do not change. While we have a greater covenant now, established in the grace of Christ, we keep sinning against God’s grace.
We sacrifice ourselves and sacrifice ourselves, working ourselves to the bone, thinking it is what God wants, when He really wants us to get beyond our bony selves and show mercy to others. God wants His people to come to Him, to seek Him and know Him, more than He wants worker bees for His Kingdom. He does want both, but we tend to substitute work for relationship, labor for love. The goal of your sacrifice is not brownie points for you, but mercy given to others.
6/27/10
