Touched Straight

 All of us carry burdens in our lives that can weigh us down, keep us from reaching our potential, and make us "bent." We try to deal with these the best we can, and for some of us, we become overwhelmed and unable to function in healthy ways. Jesus is the one who lifts us up straight and enables us to live free from whatever guilt, mistakes, or regrets that are too heavy for us to carry. These things do not magically disappear or cease to have never happened, but Jesus reminds us of the person God created us to be and calls us to walk in the mercy and grace given to us by Jesus' touch, which is his sacrifice for us on the Cross. We are not redeemed and made new by our good works, but we are redeemed and made new by Jesus' good work for us!

Hands For Healing

 God, the Creator of all, takes notice of us, comes to us, and lifts us up from those things that paralyze us. God comes to walk with us so that we may be able to walk with God. Now, what God has done for us is meant to be the model for us as well. We do not ignore or walk by those who are immobilized and weighed down in the heavy burdens of shame and guilt. Rather, as we walk with God, we are to take notice of those who are hurting, who are in need, and who need what we have in Jesus Christ. Like the apostles Peter and John, we may not have worldly wealth or political power, but we are able to offer that which only those who walk with God can give, that is, a new and eternal relationship with God through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, we say "rise up and walk."

Wrestling With God

 The Greek philosopher Socrates said that the first step in being truly alive is to "know thyself." This sounds nice, and many people today talk about getting to know who they really are as if this is an enjoyable journey of self-discovery. But in reality, this is a daunting and difficult path. In Socrates case it brought him into conflict with the Athen's leaders, who then order his execution. In the ancient Isrealite Jacob's case, he had to be dragged by God kicking and screaming (almost literally) to face himself. To truly know ourselves, we must acknowledge our less attractive actions and admit our far from noble desires. Before we can be free to be the good and splended people God created us to be, we have to first let God break the chains of sin and self-centerness. This is hard. This is not fun. And this means we all, like Jacob, must at some point "wrestle with God"!

Know God/Know Self; No God/No Self

 We live in a world that is both challenging and confusing. There are pressures to conform to cultural and societal expectations, and in all this we can lose sight of who we really are and what we should aspire to be. Only in knowing God can we know our true identity, for God speaks to us through the Word, the Bible, and through the Living Word, Jesus Christ. The Word reveals to us that it is God who made us, and it is God who speaks to us in the Word to guide us in the midst of the swirling illusions of this world.

A Most Reasonable Leap

 Faith is trust, first and foremost! For trust to be reasonable and true, there must be an object that is trustworthy - and God is the most trustworthy of all! Jesus shows us that God is for us and wants to be active in our lives, so through Jesus, God walks with us as we live out our life's journey. In this walk we learn to know the very nature and character of God. This gives us the content of our faith, the essentials of our confession of what we believe. However, faith is living and dynamic only when our beliefs spring from our experience of trusting God in life's ups and downs. Faith truly is a walk - a journey of trusting God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit!