Richard Dawson, 17 April 2015

I am continually amazed by the way the Christian faith proves the reverse logic of the crucifixion. Jesus died at the hands of a deeply religious establishment and a world power. Both should’ve upheld His innocence but they didn’t. He, the Son of God, perhaps the most powerful human being who ever lived chose to accept death by human hands so that we might have life. He chose the low path that we might have a way back to heaven. He was humble that we might find ourselves and find hope. And the same thing operates today in our lives and in our community. I continually find that I see Christ in people whom the world chooses to discount—the unemployed, the depressed, the mentally challenged and ill, the forgotten, the discarded, the rejected. More and more I find myself at peace with these sorts of people because somehow Christ shines in them and through them.
There are many people hurting at Leith but we will never get to know about their hurt until we seek them out. For various good reasons they usually don’t ‘lead with their limp’ to quote Dan Allander. Somehow or another however, their lives provide a window into heaven and into God’s heart. To experience it, we have to make ourselves available to these people—to risk a relationship which is, in one sense at least, one sided and to risk our ego and pride because to be seen in relationship with such people is often not great for our CV’s if you know what I mean. Can I encourage you to think about gently working at a relationship with someone who isn’t going to add to your reputation today.