Celebration!

This is Pastor Tom. He has the heart of a servant. I first met Tom when he was playing bass guitar and I was singing for a band we called "Zeal". He's now the pastor of a church they call the Refuge. A fitting name for this group of people who gather together to serve this community. Church was in the park today, two fellowships joined in unity and Love...and it was awesome! I had the privilege of leading a group of musicians as we sang in celebration of all that has been done for us through Christ. Today, Tom was not on the worship team, he was the pastor and brought the message.

Tom said a few things today that really struck me. He talked about the uniqueness of Jesus, and that the simple fact that He died on the cross is not what makes Him our Savior. Lots of people have died on crosses. There was a man on either side of Him who each died on a cross. It's not that he was buried in a tomb that makes Him our Savior either. Lots of people who die are buried. It's not even that he was raised from the dead, others are able to say they were raised from the dead. It's that it was His own power as God that raised Him from the dead, that He said He would and He did. That is the evidence that makes us trust Him as our Savior. He delivers on His promises.

While He hung out on earth, Jesus healed people, forgave them for their sins and gave them hope. Tom emphasized that Jesus himself said that He didn't come to condemn the world, you know, to make sure everybody followed the law and punish everybody according to their sins, but He came to save the world, to take our place, because the cost of sinning is death, so He died and invited us to trust Him so that we would be forgiven and would not have to die an eternal death, being separated from God. Jesus forgave people of their sins and healed them and did not accuse them. They were already accused by the law. They knew they were doing things wrong and knew they deserved to die.

The example he gave was the story about the woman accused of adultery. Their law required that she be stoned. Those who brought her to Him knew this. She knew it. Jesus knew the law. He also knew He was about to do something that was going to pay the price for what she had done. He told them that whoever had no sin could throw the first stone. They walked away, the eldest to the youngest. Not one of them able to condemn her because they stood in their own shoes and knew their own sin only too well.

Now, I've heard this story many times, but I hadn't thought about that phrase, "the eldest to the youngest". Tom suggested that the eldest had grown in wisdom and they were the first to realize that none of them were in a position to throw that stone, none being sinless themselves. Jesus, on the other hand had committed no sin. He had the authority to throw that stone and did not. He knew that what He was about to do after he was killed and buried would pay for her sin. He already had it covered.

Jesus' message to my heart today..."I've got you covered"!