Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Morning Devotions: 4/13/10

Exodus chapters 23-24

Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon?

I have not, but one of these days I want to get there. I have seen various other canyons, and there is one thing that captivates my attention every time. Standing at the summit of one peak and looking across the canyon to the next side there is an overwhelming sense of distance, an almost impassible distance. Remember when Evil Kenevil attempted to jump the Grand Canyon, and failed? I remember feeling kind of satisfied that he failed. It's as if something inside me interpreted his inability to jump across this great boundary as some sort of validation for the Grand Canyon remaining pure in its refusal to be crossed. It's as if the Grand Canyon were saying to us that God had created a visual reminder that there are boundaries which we humans are simply incapable of passing without God's help. The Grand Canyon is not only an impressive work of nature. I have also heard it described as a spiritual experience. As we stand on one side of the canyon, looking across to the other side, there is a spiritual sense of the distance between us and God. The great chasm of sin, that cuts through rock and humanity scarring everything as it digs deeper and deeper, separates us from God's righteous purpose on the other side.

I have heard the Grand Canyon described as an illustration of one man's distance from his wife and family. His sin, devoting all of his life and time to his work, had become the great chasm that had cut and dug so deep that there seemed to be no way to bridge the gap between he and his family. The canyon illustration is equally demonstrative to other sins as well. Sin causes separation and alienation between people. It isolates and abandons. It leaves us lonely and disconnected. God has created us for community, for love. God does not desire for us to be alienated from him or others, but reconciled. But, we are incapable of reconciling ourselves to God, and therefore we are incapable of reconciling with others. God, however, is capable of this, because God is capable of forgiving our sins.

God can bridge the canyon. Jesus' cross is planted in the ground, picture it planted deep into the chasm of sin. Meanwhile, his arms reach out across the great divide connecting one side to the other. With one hand reaching to God, and the other reaching to us, his death to sin and simultaneous forgiveness of us bridges across the great divide. Jesus' is God's bridge for us, and it is built on love and forgiveness. Today's text from Exodus offers to us a glimpse of what will later be the final sacrifice, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. But, keeping with this text alone, we see God's deep desire, not for angry hostile vengeance, but to overcome the great chasm of sin, and create a means by which people can find forgiveness.

God is an amazing bridge builder. His Son, built a bridge across the grandest canyon known to us. He bridged between us and God, by offering forgiveness and love to us in the free gift of his sacrifice. Jesus built this bridge with only two pieces of wood and three nails. :-)

Today, consider the way your sinful actions cut deep into the relationships around you. Consider the way in which you and your spouse, you and your children, you and your ___________________ may be getting further and further apart as a result of sinfulness. Before slipping into the typical tendency of blaming and shaming, which is only more sin in a disguise, consider instead ways in which God's grace, forgiveness, and love, might help you to bridge across these sinful divisions.

Heavenly Father, my sin cuts and digs great chasms between me and those I love the most. Help me today to see this, and encourage me by the sacrificial love of Jesus to be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to my life that I might be a bridge of grace and healing where it is necessary. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Pastor Rich

Pastor Rich