Pastor Efrem asked a very poignant question today: Has the fullness of Christ is impacted the limitations of who you are? Recent "events" have reminded us once again that celebrity, status and athletic ability can't help us overcome our limitations. We need something bigger, something outside of ourselves.
The Tiger Woods scandal of the past weeks have have reminded us that we all have our weaknesses that we can't overcome on our own. (I won't get into how one man's affairs became the top story in the news, despite everything else going on in the world.) No matter how much we achieve in life, we have our limitations.
Without being too terse or religious in saying this, Christ is the answer. Pastor Efrem suggested that in order to overcome our limitations that we need to find our identity in Christ. The angels told the shepherd that Jesus is our Savior. That's where we must start: we must recognize that we are inneed of a Savior, and that person is Jesus. God sent His Son long before we came on the scene--He knew back them that we would be in need of a Savior, that we wouldn't be able to do it on our own.
When Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to be dedicated, Simeon told them that Jesus was the Light. He calls us to be in the Light and of the Light. When we are in the Light, we see more of Christ and less of us.
When Jesus was baptized by His cousin John, God Himself told those present that Jesus was His Beloved. And so are we.
Tiger Woods isn't the only one with indiscretions, shortcomings and sins. We all have them. His wife has them, his mistresses have them, I have them. Success, fame, money, ability or power aren't going to change that. I am a sinner, saved by grace--a child of God, one of His beloved, created with a specific purpose and with specific gifts.
1 comment:
regardless of what I think about the current issue or Efrem's take, I always appreciate that he preaches within the context of our current world and culture.
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