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“Christ does not hide his wounds. He offers them. He does not shame the doubter. He invites them deeper. The wounds have not been erased by the Resurrection. They have been redeemed. Still there. Still gaping. But now, full of life.” -Donovan Riley
Scars tell a story.
When I was a little boy, I would often ride my bike through the neighborhood. I pedaled my way up the cul-de-sac sidewalk, whizzing by our neighbor’s mailboxes. I would cruise up one driveway and descend swiftly to the next, on the concrete between the two. One day, I was cruising too close to the parked cars along the road, so close in fact that my left handlebar struck the side mirror of a small sedan. Instantly, there was blood everywhere. The mirror was caught outside its plastic housing and was in the perfect position to slice my middle finger and my left ring finger wide open. I ran inside, where my mom helped stop the bleeding and wrapped up the wound. This new injury would have been no big deal, but I was stressed because it was my birthday later that week, and I had chosen an indoor water slide with friends as the only place in the whole wide world I wanted to go. (It had two tube slides and was located in a local mall, but to a small boy, that was paradise).
Would I still be able to go? Would mom let me? Would the waterpark allow me to ride the rides I had always dreamed of? I won’t leave you in suspense. Mom said I could go, and the teenage lifeguards didn’t seem to care. I remember, because I still have the scars- the scars remind me what happened. I am sure you have scars, too- scars from surgeries or scars from accidents. If someone were to notice and ask what happened, you could tell them the story.
Jesus is no exception. Our Lord Jesus Christ has scars, too, and he does not hide from his disciples. The Apostle John tells us that, after he was raised from the dead, Jesus “showed them his hands and side” and the disciples were “overjoyed” because they knew that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead. (see John 20:19-20).
Jesus shows his wounded hands and side because his scars tell a story- the story of salvation for all who believe, and those scars are for you.
See you Sunday as we ponder the incredible story of two sons and a forgiving father. - I can’t wait!
Pastor Austin
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