Dear Rose Park,
Did you know that we have a church library? Did you know that it’s tucked away in the basement? Do you know we have a basement? In any case, we have a library worth of Christian resources. Sure, some of those resources are a bit out of date; I found a lot of curriculum-based resources dated in the mid-60’s and to be honest I think we still have some VHS tapes. Regardless, we have an entire room filled with the words and wisdom of fellow Christians. Some of those voices are from decades, even centuries ago and others are still alive today.
One of those voices is John Bunyan. Some of you might recognize his name, some of you may have even read one of his books, and some of you might be thinking of the large lumberjack with his blue ox (that’s the wrong Bunyan; the large lumberjack with his blue ox is Paul Bunyan). John Bunyan wrote what is considered one of the most significant works of Christian literature, entitled The Pilgrim’s Progress. This allegorical work has been translated into 200 different languages and has never been put out of print. I am in the process of reading this book, and I must say it is a challenging and yet fruitful read. Bunyan writes from a dream sequence; the main character, Christian, is journeying from his hometown, the “City of Destruction” (this world), to the “Celestial City” (heaven). But during Christian’s travels he is weighed down by a great burden. He came to know of this great burden by reading the bible. The burden he came to know, is that he is a sinful man.
We are all sinners. We have all sinned. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. We have all lied. We have all betrayed a friend. We have all crossed to the other side when noticing someone in need. We have all held grudges. We have all harbored bitterness in our heart. And yet, I wonder, are we aware to our own great burden? Are we like Christian and recognize the burden of sin in our life? Or do we turn a blind eye to our own sin and merely continue on with life?
I know this sounds more like a Sunday School lesson than some heavenly inspired idea; but it’s true and I needed to go to the church library to be reminded of such a concept. I am a sinner. I am need of grace. I am need of saving. Jesus graciously loves me, He doesn’t need me, but I need Jesus.
As we continue through the early weeks of 2021 I would encourage you to join us for worship service and come to a greater recognition of both the burden of sin in our lives and the tremendous love of Jesus; a love that is so vast, so unconditional, and so crazy that it’s hard to even imagine.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark