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Rev Moss
Chaplain

We want to be close to the things we love. I felt this strongly over the holidays; the time away was great, but eventually I just wanted to be home among the things and the people I love. The opposite is true as well. We want to be far away from the things that we dislike. You only have to see my daughter’s reaction to a cockroach to know it’s true.

We see this play out in the life of Jesus many times. In Luke 7, Jesus is invited to Simon’s house for dinner. Simon is described as a Pharisee, a man who takes his religion seriously. Simon has a desire to be holy. He’s focused on getting his behaviour right and distancing himself from bad things and bad people. So, when a prostitute walked in for the dinner party, you can imagine his reaction. Simon had invited Jesus to his house for a meal and we are told that while they were reclining at the table, a woman ‘who had lived a sinful life’ walked in and started to treat Jesus in a way that would have made the whole room uncomfortable. Verse 38 reads:

“As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.”

For Simon, the fact that Jesus knew who the woman was yet didn’t distance himself from her was an obvious sign that he was not holy. However, Jesus demonstrates to us that separation is an inappropriate model for holiness.

God doesn’t separate himself from us; he comes close, lives with us, once in the person of Jesus and now through his Spirit. He doesn’t leave us alone in our sin. In fact, Jesus put on our sin so that we can come to him in a real relationship.

This year, life will not work out the way you have planned it. It might get messy. You will make mistakes and come close to the wrong things. But never think that your mess is too messy for God or that your sin would repel God from your life.

He has come near to wash you clean and give you a new identity and a new home. He wants to be close to the ones that he loves and, amazingly, that includes you.