This Sunday at Waypoint was a powerful moment where the daily impact of the Gospel shown through folks’ lives. We were challenged by a young mother who showed us embodied Paul’s claim in Philippians that “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

The Good News of Jesus is that he did not come to keep our lives safely in place like a magician pulling the table cloth out from under a beautiful place setting, but He entered the world as a disrupter.  His mission was to offend us with the Good News of the cross.

The cross offends our sensibilities because it requires us to view ourselves as a

• Sinner–nothing we do is good enough
• Helpless–nothing we do can fix the mess
• Surrenderer^–so we must stop trying harder

Because on the way to the cross, Jesus:

Surrendered His will:  

Jesus fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

Became Helpless: 

[Having been challenged to save himself] Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father into your hands I commend my spirit.'” (Luke 23:46)

Taking on All Sin

“Because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the three, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”   (1 Peter 2:21-25)

This is why the first report report of the messiah’s (Matthew 2:3) arrival disturbed Herod and Jerusalem. The people in the places of power were disturbed by this infant child because He came to disrupt the cultural sensibilities.

The cross offends us because it disrupts and shatters our picture perfect place settings thereby making a mess, but there in our mess we discover the good news of Christ that even though we are not good enough Christ died for us.

^I often share this story by Patrick Morley to explain why I preach surrendering ourselves to Christ rather than committing ourselves. Surrendering is a daily attitude that goes against every fiber of my being, while committing seems to focus more on a singular decision. Through Surrendering, we begin the journey towards Christ as we echo his prayer “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)