03 March 2013

Sermon audio: The Paul Problem




I have always been jealous of people who have a dramatic conversion story. Some people, like the apostle Paul, have a clear "before and after" testimony of how Jesus Christ has made a difference in their lives. The apostle Paul, known as Saul in this story, did not start out as a fan of Jesus. He thought Jesus and his followers were heretics that needed to be run out of town. But after Jesus appeared to Paul, everything changed. When Ananias put his hands on Paul’s eyes, a whole new world opened for Paul. Suddenly, Paul saw grace. He saw freedom. He saw forgiveness. He saw a whole world of people who needed the gospel. The soul yearns for many types of nourishment as we hunger and thirst for God. Today’s focus is on the hunger and thirst for grace. In the Lenten season, we return to God, not simply to get recentered and refocused, but to acknowledge our desperate desire for the health and wholeness we find in Christ. The thirst for grace propels us forward, satisfying us like nothing else can. Surely, this is the bread of heaven, the manna that feeds the spirit, the living water that quenches the soul. Come to the waters of grace. Receive the wine of salvation and the milk of God’s teachings, offered without money or price. Come and eat the goodness of Christ’s grace, God’s steadfast love, and the Spirit’s abundant acceptance.


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