Embracing Transformation Through Jesus' Parables and Love

Jesus told stories and riddles and images and questions that provoked they were meant to engage and invite and sometimes to expose truth comes to us less like a prepackaged fully digested meal and more like and I'm sorry about the metaphor but more like a cow chewing its cud we're meant to meditate on it engage it consider it wrestle with it ruminate on it apply it. [00:34:38]

The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone or the cornerstone and he asked them then what is the meaning of this psalm 18 it's a it's a beautiful psalm by the way it's a It's a great text for a wedding a couple images that go with Psalm 118 you can think of arches that are being built with stones and as they're progressively getting closer the builders have to go and find the keystone or the capstone that will bring the two arches together. [00:35:19]

Zakius willingly and readily said "Here and now I give half of my possessions i give it away to the poor and if I've wronged anybody of anything if I've cheated them I'll return it back four times as much zakius fell on the stone and he'd been broken to pieces it's sweet remorse severe mercy a new way of seeing life. [00:38:08]

When she saw Jesus she could not stop crying she knelt down to his feet and wet his feet with her tears and wiped his feet with her hair and anointed him with perfume and the whole scenario became a stumbling block something that others tripped over because they thought surely if he was a prophet he would know who's doing this to him and yet Jesus blessed her and he said she is forgiven much for she has loved much. [00:39:39]

Saul thought he was serving God and he was a self-aclaimed violent man he was persecuting people arresting people of followers of the way and on his way to Damascus to do that very thing there was a blinding light from the heavens and a voice from the heavens said "Saul Saul why do you persecute me?" And he asked "Who are you Lord?" And he said 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. [00:41:14]

Saul was crushed his whole life was shattered and he never got over it and we of course know him as the Apostle Paul and he writes all kinds of things as a result of that experience things like this whatever was to my profit of his former life whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ what's more I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I've lost all things. [00:42:47]

Paul would say that in some ways his old life the self selfish self-centered Paul had died and he writes as much i've been crucified with Christ and I no longer live the life I live in the body I live by faith in the son of God who gave himself for me and who loved me we could we could chew on the cud on that for a long time that's being crushed. [00:44:11]

What Jesus invites us into is an alternative culture a whole new kind of society we can call it the church or the kingdom of God or the way its foundation is built on the cornerstone it's an alternative to all the world's structures and systems because they operate with different tactics it's alternative because the foundation of the cornerstone is love in one direction and forgiveness in another and restoration in another. [00:47:56]

Go ahead and be broken to pieces it's not difficult there are no hoops to jump through it's just a gracious and beautiful invitation jesus builds the narrow way the narrow way of beauty out of the broken amen would you please stand with me as we join together in confessing our faith in the words of the Apostles's Creed. [00:49:26]

Lord Jesus savior of the world you're the stone the builders discarded and yet you've become beautiful and marvelous in our eyes our aspiration is to fall on you to be broken to pieces with your compassion and goodness you do not and will not despise a broken and contrite spirit lord we're bold enough and foolish enough to pray for the peace of the whole world for the kingdom of God to come in our midst and through our lives. [00:49:26]

We pray for the healing of the sick and any who suffer in body mind or spirit we remember Bobby Bellick and the whole family that you would reveal your intimacy with them in real and tangible ways that you'd fill them with encouragement and hope we pray for prisoners refugees and the persecuted for the lonely forgotten and dying we pray for Anne Nelson's family as they mourn her death we thank you for her we thank you for the promise of resurrection. [00:50:26]

Into your hands we commend all for whom we pray trusting in your mercy that we might be instruments of blessing for the good of our neighbors and the peace of the whole world we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen lord remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. [00:51:26]