Day 766 Thursday, April 21, 2022

God takes you as you are. In the midst of your fears.

In whatever room you or someone else has locked you inside.

#2: Isn’t it just like Jesus to go to some pretty heroic lengths just to remind us we are forgiven?

I love that he isn’t about to go through trials, beatings, crucifixion, descending to the dead and then rising again without making sure we get that this whole thing has always been about forgiveness.

So Jesus barges into the fear and locked doors of our fragile humanity and shows us the very wounds of God. Wounds that bear witness to the crazy beautiful love of God for us - the Christ deniers.

And not a glorified squeaky clean shiny resurrected Jesus. I mean, don't believe the paintings. Nowhere in these texts does it say that after the resurrection Jesus finally looked like a proper God – you know cleaned up and respectable. Nope. Here is a God with holes in his hands and a wound in his side, as if to say, take, o take me as I am.

But he doesn't stop there. He makes sure we remind each other of these same magical things. Your sins are forgiven.

My favorite absolution which is spoken after the confession in the liturgy goes like this:

God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love - loves you as you are. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ and by his authority I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins in the name of the father, and the son and the holy spirit.

God takes you as you are.

In the midst of your fears.

In whatever room you or someone else has locked you inside.

In whatever ways you have betrayed yourself or others or God.

You as you are and not some fictional made up future version of yourself who has managed to finally be a better person.

You as you are.

Peace be with you – as you are, in this very moment - maybe you are right now the very best version of you, maybe the very worst - but no matter

Because forgiveness is already yours, you – as you are.

The breath of God’s spirit can comforting you – as you are.

Life is too long to spend even one more minute locked inside rooms of fear and blame and shame. Not when forgiveness is real and Jesus is breathing peace on us and saying be free, it is finished.

Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENT: it's an Earth Day Picnic Tomorrow!

RAIN OR SHINE

Beth Jordan invites us to celebrate Earth Day in her community's clubhouse this Friday, 4/22/2022 from 4pm - 7pm.

Address: 4671 Circle Drive in Santa Rosa 95409

Please bring a snack to share (finger food) and a poem or a blessing in honor of our home on Mother Earth. RSVP to Victoria to her email:

victoriamacd2012@gmail.com