surprise!

Ever have a morning when ya just wake up feeling blah?? Just angry at the world and not horribly excited about anything in particular? That was me today, for only God knows what reason. Lucky for me, He is always lookin' out...

I went to CityLife Church again this morning and I think I've (semi)officially decided to just stick to it there! It really has a wonderful energy, a young crowd, fabulous contemporary music and, most importantly, a pastor who speaks unapologetically from the Bible (without weird wordly rationalizations, which drive me loco!). Spurring me toward this decision--that is, picking a church, trusting the Lord, and just running with it--was David Platt, author of Radical. (<<Blog post about this absolutely spectacular, unabashed and slap-in-the-face book coming soon! In the mean time, go buy it and read it! NOW!)

Rev. Um preached from Luke 7:36-50, in which Jesus is welcomed at a "block party" of sorts by Pharisees, slaves, and any and all in between. This is the story where a woman (assumed to be unclean by acts of sexual promiscuity) cries on Jesus' feet and washes them with her tears and hair, while the host of the house (Simon) sits around thinking, "If He were the real Redeemer, He wouldn't let someone of her sort touch Him." Disclaimer: That's just my quick recount of about 15 verses, so go read it yourself for the real deal! 

After describing different surprises concerning Simon, the woman and Jesus' story within, Rev. Um summed up the lesson by pointing out that Simon was asking all the wrong questions. As he sat in the corner being all sarcastic and skeptical and yucky, this woman was doing the only thing she knew how to show Jesus that she recognized His awesomeness and ability to forgive her of a life of sin: she washed His feet. She literally humbled herself at his feet, showing compassion and sincere repentance...and it moves Jesus' heart.

Rev. Um challenged us to recognize that it was Simon's stubborn, proud and hardened heart that kept him from Jesus. His heart had become so frozen--for whatever reason--that he was unable to recognize that Jesus Christ, the Savior of all men, was hanging out at his party....and he couldn't take advantage of the opportunity!!! His heart had given him a skewed view of the world, not allowing him to recognize the weight of his own debt of sin; his need for that burden to be lifted; and the cost of not repenting, recognizing his own errors and submitting himself before the Lord. And that cost would be a death, lost forever without the love of Christ.

I was surprised by how applicable this story was to today's world--a story about a woman washing horse junk off of Jesus' feet with her own tears + hair. A stretch, right?? Not especially. Rev. Um pointed out that until we see our sin as something that is absolutely separating us from the Lord and eternal glory with Him, we are unable to be our most vulnerable and appreciate this amazing gift He's offered us. Until we see that because of sin we are lower than the low (which may seem a bit retroactive if we're trying to find joy), we cannot be humbled enough to appreciate His gift of redemption. Without humility, we cannot have joy. And without both humility and joy, how can we forgive? How can we expect to be forgiven??

I don't know that I am able to give his sermon justice today, but I hope that in your future, when you inevitably feel "unblessed" or trapped in a void (like I did prior to the service), that you will seriously make a list of your blessings. The Lord is so gracious, and too often in this world our hearts are hardened  and we're unable to see His wonder. His capacity to love those who are hurting is never ending and always present, we just have to forget ourselves long enough to prostrate ourselves before Him--like the woman of the story--to become our most vulnerable, humble and joyful!

what a pleasant surprise,
katy