English Standard Version
I'm typing this on Wednesday evening, August 19, a day that is always... complicated. It would have been my friend Mikhil's 38th birthday today. It's been 20 years since he died, and I still think about him often, think about how unfair this world can be, how far this beautiful orb has drifted from the course upon which God set it. As I wrote the other day, God created with good intent, and yet sin fractured it, and like a marble hitting a dent in an old wooden floor, it's been rolling differently ever since, heading in another direction, one fraught with peril, and so often we're hanging on for the ride, uncertain what lurks ahead. There have been other reminders of sin's grasp lately, but aren't there always? We don't have to look far to see the ways that we betray one another, the way our bodies betray us, the way mistrust creeps in like fog on the windows, obscuring the way we see one another, begging to be wiped away by a hand stronger than our own.
When I think of the 1st century world, it wasn't an easy place to live. Life could be short and vicious, and the Roman empire wasn't known for its patience with those who didn't appear to be toeing the party line. Religions were common, gods were common, and in that melting pot of cultures and religions there was an upstart faith, proclaimed by people who weren't afraid to look the brokenness in the face and proclaim that not only was this not the way God intended the world to be, but also that God had entered into creation, writing God into the story, and personally sacrificed so that the world might be set right again.
And the best part of the story, apart from the audacity to proclaim hope and joy in a world broken by sin and often descending into chaos (can't imagine what that might be like, right? "Hello, I have 2020 on line 2, offering a brutal reminder... Hello?"), is that God has chosen us. God didn't set some treasure in the depths of the earth and hide codes for us to discover if we lived perfectly, as though it was some movie where only a few make it to the end (side note: National Treasure is the best Nicholas Cage movie) -- no, the Gospel came in the Holy Spirit and with power, announcing to all who would hear that God has chosen us, God has redeemed us, freely and without merit, because God loves us. Despite all that has gone wrong in the world, God is still choosing us! And not only does God choose us, but God invites us to be a part of setting things right -- we're part of the plan!!!! We're not perfect, and yet we're invited into God's perfect plan, where things work together for good, like a jigsaw puzzle where half the pieces have been battered and torn and had orange juice spilled on them but, when assembled by someone with great care, come together to create something beautiful and ultimately perfect, despite the imperfections of the individual pieces. You and I are part of the puzzle!!! This is the Good News of the Gospel -- that even if you feel like one of those old jigsaw pieces where the ends are coming apart and you can see all three layers and the top has creases and there's one part hanging on by a threat... you're going to be part of a picture that is flawless, and you'll be in there, ultimately made whole, because the grace of God fills and heals all the brokenness.
So friends in Christ, the world is broken and hurting. If you're like me, you have been carrying scars for years. Like the fragments of cartilage in my knee, they decide to flare up on certain days, reminding you that things aren't what they used to be, and perhaps you think they never will be set right again. Perhaps you get discouraged by the chaos on television or in the newspaper or in your living room or in your heart. Perhaps you wonder if there really is a power that can set all this right.
I think of the women going to the tomb on that first Easter morning, not expecting a resurrection. Jesus had talked about his death and resurrection for years, but who expects someone to walk out of a tomb after they've been crucified by the Romans, who were not slouches when it came to killing people? They were grieving and wondering if the sunrise would ever be as bright as it once had been. They were hurting because they missed their friend, who left a hole they didn't think could ever be filled.
The historical reality of the resurrection changed their grieving into dancing and their tears into laughter. The historical reality of the resurrection drove Paul and Peter and James to ultimately give their lives because they had experienced a new reality, one that no longer ended in despair, but rather had its resolution in hope. They laid hands on him, they ate with him, and with every passing second, they saw that things would be set right, and they dedicated their lives to telling everyone they could. Two thousand years later, you and I are the recipients of that legacy -- we can have hope because they shared their hope.
Which means, of course, that we need to share our hope But first, some of us need to find it. Like a winning Powerball lottery ticket or a mint condition Johnny Bench rookie card, it's worth looking for, because it can change your life --- in ways far more powerful than wealth can promise (well, wealth promises that, but it can't deliver on those promises ultimately). When life seems gloomy, we need to take a moment (or sometimes a week or a month) and remember what is said here in verse 4: GOD CHOSE YOU. You matter, because you matter to God, and God descended from heaven, died on a cross, paying the ultimate price, so that God would be able to choose you and save you from sin and death.
Remember that, friends. As you laugh or worry or dance or mourn -- God chose you. God continues to choose you, today, tomorrow, and on into eternity. Like a three year old chasing bubbles in the backyard on a warm summer day, God finds delight in you that you didn't think was possible. God loves you, friends, and no matter how dark those storm clouds may loom on the horizon or how painful those scars may be or how deep those worries may sit in the depths of your heart, God has chosen you, and God is powerful enough to ensure that nothing can remove you from the palm of God's hands and the depths of God's heart.
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