Household Armageddon
The scary stuff in the Bible seemed to have been prophesying our household that afternoon. It seemed that nothing was going right; Armageddon was ensuing. The kids were screaming, the house was in disarray, and everyone had an angry, nervous tick of the eye. The Doomsday Clock was at 11:59 and if given the chance, anyone in the house would’ve pushed the red button. After some tears and talks, we understood that we were enacting our own improvisation that was playing out very poorly. The daily dredge of life began to take its toll. The long hours, the monotony, and the routine became the central focus. We were distracted and began living solely out of our roles, rather than living out of our identity in Christ. We all play many different roles: father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, employer, employee, teacher, student, etc. We find comfort and ease in merely performing the role rather than living out our identity in Christ. The role is easy because it can be successful and even bear fruit. However, the fruit produced from living out of our roles are no different than if we were merely to staple some apples and oranges to an oak tree. It looks good and won’t go bad right away, but the fruit is superficial. Eventually, it will rot. That is where we found ourselves that afternoon. Our roles alone could not sustain the vitality of our family’s unity, relationship, and love. Enter repentance. Within the Drama of Redemption, it is essential to the people of God. Repentance is the acknowledgement that we are in sin, living life apart from God by confining ourselves into our roles. Like Adam and Eve, we believe that we will reach our full potential outside of our relationship with God. However, this lie only results in sin, pain, and brokenness (e.g. near-apocalyptic meltdowns). To live out of our identity is to embrace our union with Christ, which will result in a loving and gracious posture in whatever role we perform. Repentance is the two-fold act of leaving behind our self-centered nature that rebels against God and embracing our new identity within God’s story. The vignette our family played that afternoon was a microcosm of the larger narrative. Just as our family dynamic and peace was broken by our sinful actions, so also this entire world is estranged by the results of sin. The only cure possible for the world and our home is by the love and grace of God in Christ. For the Father lovingly sent His Son into the midst of the chaos, monotony, and dredge of life to communicate His love. The Son identified with the broken world, and in love, he gladly paid the penalty for our sin to give us a new identity in his name. His identity enables us to fulfill our roles, bear fruit for His Glory, and incarnate the Gospel every day. written for this week’s gracenotes
