A Bigger Conflict, A Better Hero
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]
Holy Wednesday
John 19:28-42
Who is the hero of your life story?
A recent ad for a vitamin company urges viewers to imagine their lives as a movie, and to live as if they are the movie’s hero. “Set goals, build momentum, you can do it,” the speaker says directly into the camera. Set over a techno soundtrack, it’s pretty motivating.
In most stories, the hero is the one who resolves the central conflict. The idea behind the vitamin ad is that the central conflict of your life story is that you’re under-performing and out of shape. This probably isn’t true, but I did buy the vitamins.
“It is finished,” Jesus says from the cross (19:30). That “it” is a very important “it.” He’s talking about the work God the Father gave Him to do (see also 17:4). He’s talking about His mission to accomplish what the Bible calls justification.
That “it” is the big “it.” The central conflict of your life story and mine is our need for justification—our need to know that when our life is weighed in the balance, it will be found acceptable.
Often when we’re sharing selfies and buying new cars and running marathons—both literal and figurative—we’re really trying to justify ourselves. We’re trying to be the hero. And the trying is endless. You can wear holes in your shoes chasing self-justification. You can work your hands raw. Many of us do. And we find that this conflict is too big for us. Our lives need a much better hero!
“It is finished,” Jesus says (19:30). He’s resolved the central conflict, so you don’t have to. He’s the true hero of your life story, so you don’t have to be.
Where in your life are you trying to be the hero? How might these areas be transformed by the words: “It is finished”?
Dave Navarro is Co-Lead Pastor at South Langley Church in Langley, BC. [/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_button size=”regular” block=”true” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”http://mbseminary.ca/believe” title=”Believe” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]Believe
Main Page[/x_button][x_gap size=”50px” class=”cs-hide-xl”][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_image type=”none” src=”https://www.mbseminary.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Amazon-buy-button.png” alt=”” link=”true” href=”https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06WWJ2KBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487976890&sr=8-1&keywords=mb+seminary” title=”” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_share title=”
