Debbie Reese - July 9, 2017

Jesus was Crucified, Died and was Buried

Sin is a word we don't like to talk about, but we've all felt the weight of failure when we miss the mark. In Jesus' crucifixion, we find a God who responds to our sin not with condemnation but love. We find freedom from our sin and for our calling.

From Series: "Believe"

What do Christians believe? The Apostles' Creed is one of the earliest statements of Christian beliefs. How does the Creed shape our church today? How does it shape our every day lives?

Manuscript     Discussion Guide

More From "Believe"

Powered by Series Engine

I am a mom; to two pretty great kids, a six year old son and an eighteen year old daughter and I am a wife and a teacher and a small business owner and a friend and daughter and and and and….  You get the point. You could as well write a long list of all the roles you play every day or what hat you have to currently put on depending on your location.  The more I think about the list of roles that I have taken on and the people that I could let down the more it weighs on me.

Social media, your peers and society pull you in too. A mom that sees Instagram posts of the perfectly executed Pinterest birthday party, a working mom of four with her perfect beach body at the pool, a well-balanced preplanned dinner on the table at 6PM sharp with your kids science project done or completing the top 100 checklist of how to have a perfect summer with your children. I see these moms and I am in awe wondering how I could juggle all of this.  And these women seem to do it all while never raising their voice, nagging, stressing and pulling it off on time and to perfection!! Trying to create this utopia in my home creates a lot of anxiety for me because I have not hit the bull’s eye to the perfect party, the game winning shot at the buzzer to complete our top 100 summer fun to do list or won the race of the beach body mom at the pool, I am size mom.

I feel too overwhelmed to do all of these roles well, practically perfect I am all of a sudden frozen standing in my home and feel like I have a lead vest on and can’t move another step and I can’t move fast enough or that I am suffocating and my chest is caving in and I can’t breathe.  I am than shorter with my spouse, take it out on the dog, snap at my children when they did not do anything, and this makes me less of the person I want to be.

I want to talk about that weight today – that weight we all feel that we are not hitting the mark, that we let ourselves down, let our friends and family down, let God down. It’s a real thing, this weight. Of course some of it is wrong expectations – we could all afford to try harder not to live up to impossible standards.

 

But we really do miss the mark.

I really am short with Casey and my kids sometimes. I really do fail. The weight is real.

That weight is sin, and today is about finding freedom from sin. Freedom to be who you want to be, who we are called to be, to find the freedom in Jesus’ death.  The hope and love of Jesus Christ who died for us demonstrates how much God values each one of us. Each one of us are loved by God everyday where we are.

And because God loves us, God wants us to be cognizant of how we miss the mark – and how we can follow his path to life.

Join us Sunday as we learn how Jesus’ death frees us from the weight of sin.

Recommended Posts