Sunday, January 22, 2006
I Don't See the Scars Anymore--Sermon Notes, January 22, 2006
Post taken from loose outline notes of the pastor. Actual delivered sermon may have differed. No video available of this sermon...sorry!
Text: Psalms 41:4; Isaiah 53:4-5
I was reacquainted with a movie the other day, directed by Mel Gibson. It was called "The Man Without A Face." It touched me on several levels, both spiritually and professionally as a teacher, and emotionally as a teacher as well. It was made a few years ago and I would encourage you to go and rent it from the video store or catch it when it makes the rounds on the cable channels.
In the story, set in the 1960s, young Chuck Norstadt is a troubled young man from a broken home. Mel Gibson plays Justin MacLeod, the Man without a face. The story of a relationship between a teacher and his troubled pupil. Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town. His face is disfigured from an automobile accident and fire ten years before in which a boy was incinerated and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. He is also suspected of being a pedophile. He is befriended by Chuck, causing the town's suspicion and hostility to be ignited. McLeod inculcates in his protege a love of justice and freedom from prejudice which sustains him beyond the end of the film.
Justin McLeod has been living the life of a reculse for seven years, ever since his face was horribly disfigured. Known as "Hamburger Head" to the locals, he's the subject of many rumors and wild stories. Chuck is a young boy determined to get into the same military as his father, despite his mother's protests and his halfsisters' mocking, even if it means studying all through the summer. Desperate for a tutor, Chuck encounters the reclusive McLeod, and together they begin to help each other deal with a world that has shunned them both.
There is a point in the film where young Norstadt looks at McLeod and says, "it is funny, I don't see the scars anymore." He no longer sees the disfigurement. He now simply seeks Justin as another human being, as a mentor, a friend. Along the way, Norstadt is able to make the grade and get into the academy, but at a terrible price. Justin is able to once again go out into the world that once scorned him.
Now, back to us. We have deep, deep scars. We are scarred a sinners, our perfect souls at birth fallen due to the sinful nature in us thanks to the Fall. Our souls are scarred by those sins, and we see them in the mirror. God sees them. We would spend an eternity seeing them and being reminded of them if not for Christ. You see, the world we live in plays games with us. While it wants us, it scars us and makes us outcasts so it can destroy us for eternity. It makes fun of what it itself does to us, scarring us.
We have a scarred face before God. However, unlike the intolerant townspeople in the film, God sees beyond our scars. He wants us and others to see beyond the scars as well. He wants us to be made fully whole again. So, He sent Jesus to take our lashings, to take the scarring that should have been ours for eternity, as it is prophesized in the Isaiah verses. As Christ was beaten, scarred; we are healed. If we accept Christ, we accept the giving of our scars to Him, and we are healed.
When we are redeemed and saved, we get that momentary rush, that yes we have been healed. Others see us as this new creation, but the world still sees our scars, our mistakes, our miscues, our inadequacies, and so do we. We still look in the mirror and see our past hurts, and it can bring us down. We cannot just take the gift and sit on it in our little havens. We must go back out into the world.
McLeod only forgot about his scars when he was working to help Nordstadt. Likewise, as we are used by God to help others and to help the ministry, we no longer see our scars as much. We look in the mirror and see the developing of that new creation. Yes, there are still some scars which remind us of the past, but it is no longer about the negative, but about the positive future. The scars no longer have power over us, they have healed over. Yes, they may be there, but they no longer grip our lives and determine who we are. We are more than that, much more, being made more perfect and getting closer to God day by day. As we are used, we are healed as well.
It is like when we learn anything. We don't want to mess up. Yet, the first time we do something, like riding a bike, we mess up. We fall and bust ourselves. We then have a choice. Do we be defined by the failure of not riding, or do we get up and go again and be defined by the success? If we are in Christ, the answer is obvious--we are defined by the success. Christ himself was made whole after being scarred. Now, for Him, it took just three days. For us it takes a while longer. But, our scars are being healed day by day, to the point where we just remember them, they don't hold that grip. And the day will come when we look at each other in Heaven and say, "I don't see the scars anymore. I just see the perfect creation of God, as it was meant to be." But, we must take the plunge even as we are being made perfect to serve God and follow His will, even though it may make us subject to misunderstanding and ridicule. Because, in the end, we will be healed, made fully whole, and in full fellowship with God.
Text: Psalms 41:4; Isaiah 53:4-5
I was reacquainted with a movie the other day, directed by Mel Gibson. It was called "The Man Without A Face." It touched me on several levels, both spiritually and professionally as a teacher, and emotionally as a teacher as well. It was made a few years ago and I would encourage you to go and rent it from the video store or catch it when it makes the rounds on the cable channels.
In the story, set in the 1960s, young Chuck Norstadt is a troubled young man from a broken home. Mel Gibson plays Justin MacLeod, the Man without a face. The story of a relationship between a teacher and his troubled pupil. Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town. His face is disfigured from an automobile accident and fire ten years before in which a boy was incinerated and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. He is also suspected of being a pedophile. He is befriended by Chuck, causing the town's suspicion and hostility to be ignited. McLeod inculcates in his protege a love of justice and freedom from prejudice which sustains him beyond the end of the film.
Justin McLeod has been living the life of a reculse for seven years, ever since his face was horribly disfigured. Known as "Hamburger Head" to the locals, he's the subject of many rumors and wild stories. Chuck is a young boy determined to get into the same military as his father, despite his mother's protests and his halfsisters' mocking, even if it means studying all through the summer. Desperate for a tutor, Chuck encounters the reclusive McLeod, and together they begin to help each other deal with a world that has shunned them both.
There is a point in the film where young Norstadt looks at McLeod and says, "it is funny, I don't see the scars anymore." He no longer sees the disfigurement. He now simply seeks Justin as another human being, as a mentor, a friend. Along the way, Norstadt is able to make the grade and get into the academy, but at a terrible price. Justin is able to once again go out into the world that once scorned him.
Now, back to us. We have deep, deep scars. We are scarred a sinners, our perfect souls at birth fallen due to the sinful nature in us thanks to the Fall. Our souls are scarred by those sins, and we see them in the mirror. God sees them. We would spend an eternity seeing them and being reminded of them if not for Christ. You see, the world we live in plays games with us. While it wants us, it scars us and makes us outcasts so it can destroy us for eternity. It makes fun of what it itself does to us, scarring us.
We have a scarred face before God. However, unlike the intolerant townspeople in the film, God sees beyond our scars. He wants us and others to see beyond the scars as well. He wants us to be made fully whole again. So, He sent Jesus to take our lashings, to take the scarring that should have been ours for eternity, as it is prophesized in the Isaiah verses. As Christ was beaten, scarred; we are healed. If we accept Christ, we accept the giving of our scars to Him, and we are healed.
When we are redeemed and saved, we get that momentary rush, that yes we have been healed. Others see us as this new creation, but the world still sees our scars, our mistakes, our miscues, our inadequacies, and so do we. We still look in the mirror and see our past hurts, and it can bring us down. We cannot just take the gift and sit on it in our little havens. We must go back out into the world.
McLeod only forgot about his scars when he was working to help Nordstadt. Likewise, as we are used by God to help others and to help the ministry, we no longer see our scars as much. We look in the mirror and see the developing of that new creation. Yes, there are still some scars which remind us of the past, but it is no longer about the negative, but about the positive future. The scars no longer have power over us, they have healed over. Yes, they may be there, but they no longer grip our lives and determine who we are. We are more than that, much more, being made more perfect and getting closer to God day by day. As we are used, we are healed as well.
It is like when we learn anything. We don't want to mess up. Yet, the first time we do something, like riding a bike, we mess up. We fall and bust ourselves. We then have a choice. Do we be defined by the failure of not riding, or do we get up and go again and be defined by the success? If we are in Christ, the answer is obvious--we are defined by the success. Christ himself was made whole after being scarred. Now, for Him, it took just three days. For us it takes a while longer. But, our scars are being healed day by day, to the point where we just remember them, they don't hold that grip. And the day will come when we look at each other in Heaven and say, "I don't see the scars anymore. I just see the perfect creation of God, as it was meant to be." But, we must take the plunge even as we are being made perfect to serve God and follow His will, even though it may make us subject to misunderstanding and ridicule. Because, in the end, we will be healed, made fully whole, and in full fellowship with God.
# posted by Mark : 1:54 PM
