Working on a sermon about Jacob
and Esau , I thought I had a great sermon
illustration. It depended on an old routine of the Smothers Brothers. What I
was trying to reclaim from the story was, “Mom always liked you best. She gave
you a dog, and all I got was a chicken.” But I needed to rehear the whole
thing. I didn’t have the sound track, but I could get it from a nearby library.
After picking up the disk, as I drove, I was listening
and laughing and maybe was not paying as much attention as I should have. As I turned
into an intersection, I saw this truck that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
I started to brake, then realized that braking meant certain impact. I stepped
on the gas and almost avoided the collision. Suddenly I was spinning around in
the intersection, glass breaking, tires squealing. When I stopped, I was
looking at a very crumpled Dodge Dakota.
My wife and I were okay. I got out to check on those in
the other vehicle. The driver was fine, but very irate. The impact equipment in
our cars had done what it was deigned to do. Yet, my Pontiac Vibe didn’t look
so good. In the end, our car was taken to the body shop where they were able,
after several weeks, to restore my car to its almost original condition.
Today, we read in Jeremiah
that the faults of the people are great. The hurt is incurable, there is no
medicine for the wound. The people are not able to repair the relationship with
God. Yet, God chooses to do the work of reparation. God chooses to forgive and
restore God’s relationship with the people. The relationship will not go
without remembering the past, but it will be restored in a way that will allow
God’s people to continue to walk with God. It will almost be like new. Once
again, Israel
I was relieved that no one was injured because of the
accident and overjoyed with the help of insurance to drive my Vibe home after
the trip to the body shop.
Prayer
Lord, we do not always put you first in our lives, we break your statutes damaging our relationship with you and our neighbors. Thank you for your gift of compassion and forgiveness. Without it we would be wrecks. Amen
Lord, we do not always put you first in our lives, we break your statutes damaging our relationship with you and our neighbors. Thank you for your gift of compassion and forgiveness. Without it we would be wrecks. Amen
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