December 4

Day 265: Brokenness

How is it, when we have opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with someone, we know we have to include the topic of sin - yet the world we live in argues over what constitutes sin in the first place? One person's sin is another person's right of self-determination.

I am coming to learn that while almost no one agrees on what constitutes sin, everybody can and will agree that our world is broken. And in more reflective moments will agree that they themselves are broken as well.

The gospel says that while our world is broken, we included, this is not as God intended when He created all things. God had a perfect design. But this perfect design was rendered imperfect, altered by sin, resulting in brokenness.

Covid, political polarization, racial divides are only the most recent examples of our brokenness, borne by all of humanity. Thus, it is not an awareness of sin, the source, that our world relates to. It is the inevitable result of sin, our historical and present brokenness.

God has never been unaware. His covenant promises have always included, even climaxed in His sending Jesus to earth. Jesus came as God, to live a perfect, sinless life.

He was the only one qualified to be our pure sacrifice. He took on the weight of mankind's sin, and was broken Himself in death. In our place. In our abstentia.

Yet, in conquering the curse of sin and death, He rose from that death to live forever. Giving us hope against hope that the brokenness in our world, the brokenness in ourselves did not have to be the only outcome.

Jesus rose from the grave to fulfill His promise to restore us to God's perfect design. And He does that even now. Even if we cannot see the progress.

Jesus invites us all to turn from our sin, to follow Him, to trust that what He said and did for us is true. And enough. All that is required. The payment for our sin has been paid. In full.

He calls us into His community, His family, His redeemed household. He calls us, not to simply go to church, but to be the church. We are to grow in our faith and trust. We are to grow in our increasing victory over our sin.

Even though even the Church may be broken, He sees us as His redeemed. He does not hold our flaws against us. He sees only the beauty He willingly died for. The Husband who died for His Bride. He has made us beautiful. Because we are redeemed, and are being restored back to His perfect design.

And in anticipation of the restoration of God's perfect design for all creation, we are to go. Go with the words of gospel hope, sharing that hope with other people. That we are not forever consigned to the brokenness we live in, and harbor within ourselves.

People we know may not acknowledge sin, or at least agree to its definition. Therefore, starting with sin may not be the way to start. But given a moment to reflect, all will agree our world is broken, including everyone living in it.

People may not want forgiveness of sin, but most everyone wants hope in the midst of brokenness. And the gospel of Jesus is that hope; the only real hope we can have, and can convey to others.

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church Juneau