Love In Chaos

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The above Scripture passage is part of a trial scene recorded by John. Jesus has been accused of “healing on the Sabbath.” For that, he stands guilty as charged, as he enabled a man who could not walk for 38 years to take up his mat and go home (John 5:8). But pay attention. Whenever Jesus is placed on trial, it is the accusers who are unmasked. Those who angrily rise up against what they see as a menace – in this case, Jesus – have their hypocrisy revealed. The most civilized people on the planet who are convinced they are defending life face the Son of God and become identified as people whose hearts are filled with death.

This sounds like the morning news: Corrupt people defending their good intentions, oppressive governments declaring their righteousness to an oppressed people, a respected citizen is convicted of abuse…

This is the chilling nature of our human condition. I’ll sum it up in the words of C. P. Snow, an English chemist who also wrote a novel or two: “Civilization is hideously fragile… there’s not much between us and the Horrors underneath, just about a coat of varnish.” Yes, there are horrors that are uniquely ours, and that coat of varnish is a bit thinner than well-mannered, stable believers in human progress dare to admit.

This is the truth that Jesus unveils to the Pharisees and to us. Humanity left on its own is bent on death. You and I are a piece of work. For as smart and skilled as we are, you and I cannot save ourselves. In fact strip away some of what keeps us stable, and we quickly become our own worst enemy.

So how can death become life? What can be done? Two simple things: Hear the Word of God and live it. “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24) It’s so simple, yet it’s not easy to live – especially in the company of a chaotic culture.

But it’s what Jesus leads us to do. We as devoted followers of Christ are the only hope for a world that is bent on killing itself. You and I have a job to do, and it is our aim and our responsibility in God’s sight to equip you to serve fully in the capacity that God has given you.

This fall, we are beginning the season with a series we’ve entitled Love in Chaos. We’ll explore what it means to love in the midst of a chaotic culture. We may even explore new ways of loving our neighbor and our community that we’ve never considered.

Our world is troubled. Left to ourselves, we have no hope. We need to be reminded that we can do something. We can shine light in the darkness. We can bring love into the chaos. Join us! Keep and live the Faith.

-Pastor David Dahl