Accepting Mercy

Redemption.  Mercy.  These are the overwhelming themes of the show Les Miserables.  I recently attended the movie version of the well-known musical, and I was struck by how strong the message really is.  The show opens with a strong image of punishment of convicts in 19th century France.  We meet Valjean, a broken man, convicted of stealing bread for his sister and repeated attempts to escape.

He is finally granted parole, and leaves the prison.  He does not find solace in the town he dwells, as there is no mercy for convicts there.  Desperate, he steals silver from a monastery.  When caught and returned to the monastery, the monsignor claims he gave him the silver and gives him candlesticks in addition to the silver.  This man knows he should be punished for stealing.  However, the monsignor granted mercy.  Valjean responds with repentance and a vow to live right.

As we watch the show unfold years later, Valjean gets to show mercy to young woman and her child, but still remains on the run from Javert, the officer determined to find this escaped convict and return him to prison.  A revolution unfolds, and Javert is caught as a spy by the young revolutionaries.  Waiting to be executed, Valjean finds him, and shows him mercy.  He allows Javert to escape with his life.

Javert is a man who knows all crimes must be punished.  He knows he was "convicted" as a spy, and deserved to die, especially at the hands of a man he mistreated.  He has no idea how to react to this, and could not accept the concept of a pardoning.  Why is he free?  Why didn't he die for his sins?  He commits suicide, unable to bear the idea that forgiveness could trump judgement.

We were granted a pardoning by our God.  We were given mercy when we deserved death for the sins we committed.  What will you do with this undeserved mercy?  Will you respond as Valjean did, and repent?  Will you choose to live right in the eyes of God?  Or, will you respond as Javert did, and refuse to accept the forgiveness our God offered?

You get to choose.  Accept forgiveness or refuse.

"Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand.  When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.  For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes - so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.   So, I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it."  (Acts 28:26-28 NLT)

Addicted to Sin

I cannot wait to get to the theatre to see the new movie, The Hobbit.  I am excited that the writers brought back several familiar characters.  I am oddly fascinated with Gollum.  This is a wretched, pitiful, disgusting creature that is nasty to everyone.  What would be the draw in this character?

Gollum was once a river person named Smeagol.  While on a fishing outing with his relative, he encountered a ring, one that immediately ensnared his interest.  He refused to part with the ring, killing his relative.  His continued obsession of the ring warped his thinking patterns and contributed to his insanity.  Gollum both loved "his precious" and hated his addiction to it.  

The story of Gollum could be repeated in many of us.  So often, we unwittingly stumble upon some temptation, not realizing the chokehold that it could become for us.  Whatever it is, we love it.  For some of us, the temptation is money, for others, it is food or drink.  Some of us really have a love for mood altering drugs or alcohol.  Others fall into a trap of an extra marital affair.  No matter what it is, we love the sin, but we hate what it does to us.  Sin is deadly.  

Sin will kill us, as we continue to hold on to it.  Just look at the demise of Gollum.  He died clinging to his precious ring.  But there is a truth you should know.  Sin does not have to kill you like it did Gollum.  Jesus died to save you from the trap of sin.  He has redeemed you.  All you have to do is give your sin over to him and live in his sovereignty.  

"Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.  Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin.  Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have a new life.  So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.  Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law.  Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace." (Romans 6:12-14 NLT)

Isn't There Anyone Who Knows What Christmas is all About?!?

Who remembers the anticipation of our favorite Christmas movie to be played on network TV?  How eagerly we waited to watch Lucy trick Charlie Brown or to watch Snoopy glide so effortlessly across the ice?

As I've gotten older, I find myself getting caught up in the commercialism of Christmas, just like Charlie Brown's friends did in 1965.  However, it is getting more and more difficult to find the message of Christmas purely stated in the mainstream media these days.  I thought we could all enjoy listening to Linus give the Christmas message once again.

Let's take our example from Linus and make sure we share the message of Christmas with others this season.  

"But this will be your opportunity to tell them (your persecutors) about Me (Christ Jesus)." Luke 21:13 NLT