Hunger & Humility

The increasing feedback I’m hearing around these Messy Spirituality sermons is really moving to me. 

I’m hearing people sharing about significant personal impact, new clarifiers and connection to the culture around us, and an increased desire to know Jesus, His power and His life-flow through us. 

I can’t tell you how encouraged I am as your pastor. 

I know Jesus is the One leading our church. But it’s so good to see it in you. In us. 

Watch Last Sunday’s Sermon “The Holes in our Spirituality” from our Messy Spirituality series.

We’re coming into more and more clarity around who Jesus is. 

His Spirituality. The flow of the Holy Spirit through His life, available to us. 

The way He lived in perfect communion with our Father, who is now our embrace. 

And the massive availability of that same Holy Spirit flowing into the Messy Spirituality of our lives. 

I am seeing both a hunger and a humility in the lives of our church.

A hunger to see the power and love of Jesus flow through us in such a deep way that people turn their heads (and hearts). 

And I also see a greater humility, too, knowing that there are areas in our hearts and lives that are in very real need.

And Messy Spirituality allows for both.

Messy Spirituality affirms both the hunger and the humility.

As we see the Scriptures come alive in our reading, praying, and worship—we become hungry for that experience in our lives.

But, as we become hungry, we look at our less-than-ideal lives and whoosh...

In rushes a moment for humility. For reality. 

We know our lack.

We see the giant spiritual promises of Scripture, they are ours categorically…

But, reality is, they’re not always ours in lived experience. 

In our day-to-day.

Whooooooosh.

Humbled. 

“I can’t do this Christian Life alone.”

“Without Jesus, I’m not a very good Christian.”

“I don’t have as much of the Holy Spirit’s love and power as I’d thought.”

*Sigh*

And into that vacuum…

We can hear the enemy’s voice: “You never were enough. You’re not cut out for this Christian life. Are you even a believer? You’re more like a serial doubter. You're not going to make it. Just give up.”

He wants you stuck in your failure.

He wants you stuck in your limits.

He wants to label your lack as a disqualifier.

Just tell Him, once again...

Jesus accepts me in my mess. 

My mess was made for Him. 

My mess is His mess. 

And someday my mess will be a pile of glory. 

Stories of the enemy’s undoing.

Stories of Jesus’ overcoming in me.

Jesus loves to use messy people, like you and me, for the most amazing things.

One of those being the utter shaming of the “principalities and powers,” and another, allowing the unutterable Love of God to flow through all the leaking, the holes, the messy pockmarks of our life. 

“To preach...the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church [that's us!] the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him” Eph. 3:8-12 (italics mine).

Let's consider more deeply, this Sunday, what a gift it is to have a robust Christian Spirituality, where we begin to live in the inheritance Jesus paid for on that cross, and experience transformation that speaks His heart to the world!

Pastor Dave