Rejection or Redemption

   Before Jesus came on the scene, there were a number of groups and types of people that were ostracized, rejected, and pushed away on the basis of nationality, sickness, disability, and past mistakes. This was the way things were done. Rejection of the marginalized was interwoven into society’s fabric, but when Jesus came he began pulling on those threads to unravel the tapestry of rejection to make way for redemption. His first actions from beginning to end were to move toward the rejected and bring them to redemption; not to drive them farther away in “what they deserved to get” but in a reflection of the true heart of God to bring them close so that they could come alive in redemption. This was the example of Jesus as He ushered in a new way of living, and this is the call of His followers today.

 I like how NT Wright puts it, “The astonishing truth of the cross is that, faced with his creation in ruins, God does not reject it. He redeems it.”

 Jesus had every right to flaunt His power, righteousness, and greatness, but instead he served so that others could come alive through His redemptive love.

 Let's follow His lead....

 Luke 4:18-19 (AMP) 
Jesus said “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (the Messiah), 
because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. 
He has sent me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, 
and recovery of sight to the blind, 
to set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy), 
to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly].”

The Energy of Stillness

  This time of year the bare trees are a stark signal that the seasons have changed and everything living in the landscape seems an inch from death. I remember as a kid trying to break sticks off of these seemingly dead trees to build a snowman and being surprised that it was still green inside and impossible to break off. Nature takes on a form of deep rest so much so that the appearance of lifelessness is emitted.

 But the intense stillness is the opposite of death, it is the culmination of potential energy, building throughout the winter months so that when the time comes and the Sun beckons, true life may emerge and fruitful growth may occur.

 Nature signals to us an important lesson, a routine of rest and deep stillness each day, so that the hustle and bustle and noise can fall away long enough for our humanity to emerge and come into contact with the One true God.

 If we have the discipline to find rest at the onset of each day, in the way nature does at the start of each year, we will find it is the culmination of potential energy, so that when the time comes and the Son beckons, true life may emerge and fruitful growth may occur in our lives.

 The change in seasons are a sign of His faithfulness to us, a vibrant display of the new life that He brings in us, and a lesson in the discipline of resting in His truth each day.

 Psalm 62:1-2 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.’