Scripture: Matthew 16:13-26
Dear Church,
As we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us past what is bright and familiar into the shadows of our faith, we begin to see that many of our foundational assumptions about Jesus are unhelpful. We rejoice that our savior is strong and powerful and unshakable–and he is. But we overlook how Jesus uses his power and his strength. We live in a world where the strong use their strength to please themselves. We live in a world where the powerful wield their power against the weak. We love to think and sing about the power of Jesus because we believe he will use it on our behalf, to give us the life we choose and protect us from all harm and distress. Jesus does use his power for us–but to give us the life we need, not the life our broken hearts are set on.
We see the power and glory of God in Jesus most clearly, not when he works miracles or reveals supernatural knowledge, but when he surrenders to the will of God and embraces weakness, suffering and vulnerability.
Jesus promises to save us not by making us all-powerful and invulnerable–Jesus saves us in our weakness and through our wounds.
This isn’t the savior we want, but this is the savior we have. A savior who cannot be followed in strength for power. A savior we only find in our weakness and vulnerability.
Peace,
Pastor Kate
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS