"Amputees"

May God bless your day today and every day. I am thankful to the Lord for a blessed World Communion Sunday united service yesterday.

Yesterday's text was one of the "hard" sayings of Jesus. It was one that called for drastic measures. It has often been said that drastic situations call for drastic measures. Jesus said in Mark 8:43-48:

43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. 45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48where
'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'

I shared that obviously Jesus had not meant that as literal amputation, but rather to heighten the mark of a radical discipleship. That is, that may very well be "rooms" in our hearts and minds that need to be cleaned out of any and all anxieties that hinder our faithful walk with Christ. Jesus used the rather extreme image of amputation to emphasize the importance of ridding our lives of these hindrances - in some cases, amputation can be a matter of life and death. As I reflected on this passage I found myself asking, "what did 1st century people know about amputation?" Well, to my surprise, both Plato and Hippocrates wrote about therapeutic amputation of both hands and feet in 385 BCE. So, Jesus' hearers knew, at least, that some sort of amputation was indeed possible, albeit extremely traumatic and painful. Hence, the application that ridding ourselves of those anxieties, fears, worries, etc., can indeed be a traumatic yet necessary experience in order to live the life God has intended for us.

The kingdom of God is full of "amputees", those who have set their hearts and minds on that life-long journey of "cutting off" those attitudes, choices, behaviors, mindsets, etc., that keep us from a full committment. Let us embrace the amputee spirit of God's kingdom.

As we pray today, let us remember Hna. Pauline who was admitted to the hospital this morning, may God's healing grace fill her life.

Prayer: God of love and life, I come to you in a spirit of thanksgiving and praise for who You are in my life. Help this day to begin, continue, or pursue a journey of "cutting off" those things in my life that keep me from enjoying your abundant life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

By grace alone,
Pastor David