Do you have songs that remind you of certain settings? For Valorie and me, we try to pick an album for special occasions, like anniversary trips, that will remind us of those moments every time we hear one of those songs.
When our kids were young, Saturday mornings were always set aside for cleaning house. The whole family would get to work on sweeping floors, cleaning bathrooms, washing windows, etc. And of course, we had some specific high energy tunes to help the work along. Even now, if I hear “Surfing USA” by the Beachboys, it makes me just want to pick up a mop and go to town! OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it definitely brings back good family memories.
This Sunday we’ll be looking at the familiar story of Jesus’ cleansing of the temple in John 2. But this event went deeper than getting the cobwebs out of the corners or coffee spills out of the carpet. It had to do with far more difficult stains – the darkness of the human heart. Yes, Jesus “cleaned house” that day, but he also communicated a profound message about His mission as the Messiah and our need for a savior.
Despite our assumptions of him being red-faced and angry (like we would be), I believe Jesus was totally at peace while he was driving out the moneychangers. Unfortunately we usually aren’t able to separate our anger from our ego, personal identity, pride, and selfish interests. Christ knew all those things (and more) are bound up in our hearts, and he still came to save us anyway. Amazing!
See you Sunday, Lord willing.
In Christ,
Kurt