Messy Spirituality
A number of us within Women's Ministries are reading a book called Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli (Don't worry, this isn't the Book & Movie Club). As I was reading the other night I was struck by the story of the Samaritan woman whom Jesus met at the well. The story is in John 4, if you want to familiarize yourself with it.
This woman was so excited about meeting Jesus. "Come see a man who told me everything I did" (John 4:29 ). Well, her life wasn't really anything to get excited about, in fact it was rather messy. She'd had five husbands and was living with a man who wasn't her husband. Her life would probably even look messy in our society today. On top of that she was rejected by the people living around her.
I think meeting Jesus meant that the woman saw the messiness of her life. She probably knew it was there but Jesus revealed it as mess. You're probably thinking, "I don't want my messiness exposed thank you very much". Well, me neither but the thing about Jesus is that he knows it's there. Jesus does not condemn the woman. And so with us, we might try and hide our messiness behind a composed exterior but when we get in front of Jesus and see him then we see our messiness too. Jesus does not condemn us either when we search for him.
Instead, Jesus offers to take our messiness and make us children of God (1 John 3:1 ), he calls us "precious in his sight" (Isaiah 43:4 ) and gives us a clean new heart (Ezekiel 36:26 ). What an exchange!
When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he had two very messy people hanging either side of him. One man recognized who Jesus was, the son of God who takes away the sin of the world, and in that instance Jesus had taken his messiness and offered him paradise (Luke 23:39-43). Jesus was looking pretty messy himself at that moment; rejected by his own society and the ruling society, condemned to death and physically beaten up. But God said of him "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22 ).
Handing our messiness to Jesus is ongoing. When I kneel before Jesus in prayer, I feel over again that I'm saying "Here I am again, messy me!" But Jesus is smiling down at me, reminding me that I am a child of God and I can get to my feet knowing the Jesus loves messy people, Jesus came and died for messy people and Jesus forgives messy people.
This woman was so excited about meeting Jesus. "Come see a man who told me everything I did" (John 4:29 ). Well, her life wasn't really anything to get excited about, in fact it was rather messy. She'd had five husbands and was living with a man who wasn't her husband. Her life would probably even look messy in our society today. On top of that she was rejected by the people living around her.
I think meeting Jesus meant that the woman saw the messiness of her life. She probably knew it was there but Jesus revealed it as mess. You're probably thinking, "I don't want my messiness exposed thank you very much". Well, me neither but the thing about Jesus is that he knows it's there. Jesus does not condemn the woman. And so with us, we might try and hide our messiness behind a composed exterior but when we get in front of Jesus and see him then we see our messiness too. Jesus does not condemn us either when we search for him.
Instead, Jesus offers to take our messiness and make us children of God (1 John 3:1 ), he calls us "precious in his sight" (Isaiah 43:4 ) and gives us a clean new heart (Ezekiel 36:26 ). What an exchange!
When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he had two very messy people hanging either side of him. One man recognized who Jesus was, the son of God who takes away the sin of the world, and in that instance Jesus had taken his messiness and offered him paradise (Luke 23:39-43). Jesus was looking pretty messy himself at that moment; rejected by his own society and the ruling society, condemned to death and physically beaten up. But God said of him "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22 ).
Handing our messiness to Jesus is ongoing. When I kneel before Jesus in prayer, I feel over again that I'm saying "Here I am again, messy me!" But Jesus is smiling down at me, reminding me that I am a child of God and I can get to my feet knowing the Jesus loves messy people, Jesus came and died for messy people and Jesus forgives messy people.
posted by RJB at 9:16 PM
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