Rahab, the __________________
Matthew, the _________________
Paul, the _____________________
Peter, the _____________________
Chances are good that just by reading the names, you were able to fill in a few of the blanks. (Read to the end, and I’ll share what I was thinking.) But the question is, why were you able to do it? Why were you able to fill in those blanks? Why were you able to apply the label to Rahab, Matthew or Peter?
The answer is sad to consider. You were able to do it because you know these people by their sins. You know how they failed Jesus and sinned against other people. You label them by their sin and their failure. That’s how you know them.
Labels are nasty things, especially when other people label us. They label us as the person who did this or that. They characterize us as this kind of person or the person who did that. Those labels seem to stick. People know us by our sin.
Jesus was labeled, too: “This is the King of the Jews.” That’s the label that hung above his cross. Yet, for us, this is not a label of shame for Jesus but of glory. More than that, in this label hanging above his cross, we find hope and healing for our labels. This Sunday, we’ll be looking at Luke 23:32-38.
We’ll see you Sunday! It’s going to be another good one.
Pastor Nate
PS. Don’t forget! There will be a call meeting right after church together with an open forum in the community room.
PS AGAIN! Who have you invited to Easter? Don’t forget to hang your fish.