Soggy House-shoes

It was winter in Alabama.  And I remember it because we had a sleet storm that year so it was all wet and sloshy with ice outside.  That night I, the big 9 year old geek that I was, was wearing my Superman P.J.s with the cape that velcroed to the back and a pair of really fuzzy gorilla horseshoes where I inserted each foot into the mouth of the beast.

During the night in question I was staying with my grandma because my dad was out of town.  Now something happened that night which was not to my liking, I can't remember what happened, so I announced I was leaving, I was moving out.  As soon as I finished saying those words my grandma leaped from her green corduroy lazy-boy, grabbed my little suitcase, and proceeded to pack my bag. I what seemed like less than 30 seconds I was strolling down the street in my superman p.j.s and my Gorilla house-shoes with a hastily packed suitcase in tow.

So much for my dramatic exit.  As the cold and slush quickly overtook those cheesy house-shoes I remember thinking I've made a terrible decision.  I had only walked to the end of the block where my aunt Mildred lived but my grandma had already called ahead and told her not to let me in.

My rebel spirit was broken.  So I turned and headed back to grandma's house.  I wondered things like did she already rent out my room, has she already gotten rid of my nintendo, will she call my dad.

Sure enough, my grandmas was standing at the front porch, smiling.  It's like she knew I would come back.  And then she came down to meet me and wrapped her arms around me, and helped me up the stairs into the house.  Where were my gorilla house-shoes?  She had to pick my up out of them because they were so heavy with the ice and slosh.  My grandma was glad this 5 minute rebel had come home.

In Hebrews 13:5 we read that God will never leave us nor forsake us.  In fact we find that phrase all throughout scripture.

Sometimes our heavenly Father will release us to our rebellion, too.  Knowing that our rebel heart will never be content until it i broken--He lets us walk away.  But even as we leave, He's waiting for our return.  And in the moment He sees us, He runs to greet us and welcomes us home.

He then invites us to share a meal at this table.  A little bit of bread, a tiny sip of juice, but it's God's forever remember to everyone who wanders--there is still a place for you.  To share in a holy meal with your brothers and sisters

So kick off those soggy house-shoes and upback that bag filled with reget and come take your place.  Because in the moment you take the first step toward Him, the Father will come running to meet you there

Batting a thousand

This past Thursday I went to a Cincinnati Reds game.  Every time a player would come up to bat their picture would come up on the board and display some stats about the player.  One such stat was batting average.   Bring from Alabama I didn't grow up caring too much about baseball so I wasn't sure how batting average was calculated.  Basically I learned it was the average of how successful a player was when he got up to bat.

The best batter on the Reds is a guy named Joey Votto and his batting average is 309.  The actual way it's written for the batting average is actually .309.  .309 equals 31percent.  So, what that tells me is when Joey Votto bats, the Reds best batter, he is only successful 31% of the time.  No wonder the Reds have a losing record!

Because it was baseball I decided to look up on my phone who the best batter in history was.  The all time world record batting average belongs to a guy named Ty Cobb.  I wasn't expecting perfection but I was expecting at least a .750 or something close.  But Ty Cobbs batting average is .367 which means the best batter in history was only successful 37% of the time!  That also means Ty Cobb failed 63% of the times he came up to bat.  Perfection in baseball is unobtainable.

It's the same way with our own righteousness, we can't be perfect.  We're called to try, just like every base ball player who steps up to the plate, but we won't come close.  Here's something to reflect on:

James 2:10 (ESV) For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

So we could try out best, give it our best shot, reach a .999 but if we fail at the .001 mark it's like the .999 doesn't even count.  In fact the best batting average we can have when it comes to life is 0.  We have no hope in ourselves, we can't even come close.  But here is the good news:

2nd Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake he made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

There's only one person in history who has batted a thousand or 1.000 is Jesus Christ.  Every time Jesus stepped up to the plate he got it right.  He lived a perfect life.  When Christ went to the cross he bore all of our horrible batting averages on himself.  He then replaced ours with his.  When God the Father looks at us he sees a thousand.  It's only by the death of Jesus Christ that it is made possible.  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ his righteousness is now our righteousness.  Let's remember and celebrate that fact this week.

Tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves, and murders..oh, my

Mark 2:13-17 (ESV) He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them.  And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Aphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow Me."  And he rose and followed him.  And as he reclined at the table at his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples,, for there were many who followed him.  And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  And when jesus heard it, he said tot hem, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners"

Why was it such a scandal for Jesus to call a tax collector to follow Him and then have dinner at his house?  Well, the Jews of the day accused tax collectors of selling out to the Romans.  The tax collectors were seen as thieves, dishonest, and a traitorous group of people.  Jesus also sat at the same table as sinners.  He reclined and ate with thieves, murders, and prostitutes.  Why would Jesus eat with such scandalous people?

Jesus' answer is profound.  He didn't come for the people who have it all together!  If anyone was worthy of religious attention it was the pious Pharisees but it was the "sinners" Jesus was spending all His time with.  Here's some truth; Jesus didn't start His church with the pious religious, no, He started his church with sellouts, thieves, murders, prostitutes, and all manner of rejects.

He filled His Church full of people who wore some of the most scandalous people of society.  If you have never worn one of these labels mentioned I'm sure you have had other scandalous labels placed on you and if you don't believe you've ever had a label you may just be wearing the label of Pharisee. We all have labels.

Here's the good news though, here's the gospel.  When Jesus died and He paid the price of death for us He ripped those labels from our lives and replaced them.  We no longer have to carry the labels of society like addict, thief, liar, prostitute, loser, deadbeat, or any number of labels.  Jesus replaces those labels with loved, forgiven, accepted, cherished, and Mine.  Every follower of Christ gets these new labels.  We get these new labels no matter who we are or what we've done, yes, even us Pharisees who don't like those scandalous people in our churches.

Let's remember through communion and all during this week through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our King, and our God, we no longer labeled by this world but labeled by His great mercy and grace!