Finding Beauty in Broken Places
Erinn Oxford Download: Audio
Sermon Notes
In this sermon, Erinn references three different authors. The references are as follows: Jean Vanier, From Brokenness to Community (Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1992); Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1992); Richard Rohr, Surrendering Our Brokenness in “Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation” on Friday, December 19, 2014.
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10 (NRSV)
Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Read more…
Looking to Sunday
by Elaine Poproski
This Sunday marks the beginning of a new series of sermons and worship services that I’m really excited about. It’s a series I’ve decided to title: I Have To Do What???? I’m describing the series this way:
It’s been said that Christianity is for weak people – people who need a crutch to get through life. Clearly, people who say this have never read any of the things Jesus taught, because the things He taught are HARD. He said we have to forgive everyone, without end. He said we have to love everyone, even our enemies. He said we have to be willing to suffer and even to die for people who probably won’t even appreciate it. Being a Christian is hard. It’s not for the faint of heart. But it’s worth it.
Here’s the thing I need you to understand. I’m not excited about this series because it’s such a lovely topic that’ll leave me feeling warm and fuzzy about things. I expect to be deeply challenged. I know I have people in my life Jesus expects me to forgive, grace He expects me to extend, and sacrificial love He expects me to offer. And even though I know that, there are situations in which I find it very difficult to even want to honour Jesus in these ways, never mind figure out how to actually do what’s expected. So why am I excited about this series? I’m excited because I know from experience that as uncomfortable (even painful) as the challenge always is when God is about the business of shaping my character, I’m always better for it. And I hope you will join me in my excitement and that you will show up willing to be challenged by God and to allowing Him to do the deep character work that’s required of anyone who wants to be a citizen in His kingdom.
This Sunday, we’ll be hearing from my friend, Erinn Oxford of The Dale here in Toronto. She’ll unpack Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. In case you thought we’d be starting off with an easy one, here are the words from verse 10: I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. I don’t know about you, but content isn’t usually a word I use when faced with any of those things, even when those things are “for the sake of Christ.” But I know Erinn and I know a bit about those with whom Erinn lives and works in the Parkdale neighbourhood. And so when she suggests that there is beauty and strength in our weakness, I know she has all sorts of experience to back up that claim.
As you prepare for Sunday, I invite you to spend some time considering your own response to the series description above. Does it excite you? Does it make you nervous? Have you decided to be away until the series is over? As you consider your own character and your own journey toward Christ-likeness, what is it that God wants to do next in you? Or maybe you’ve just come out of a time of shaping and you’re in the midst of rest, how will you be present with and for those of us God is about to break and crack open so He can heal and rebuild yet another part of us?