As a teenager I remember seeing a Youth Leader take a $50 note and ask the group if anyone wanted it. Of course everyone shot up their hand and began shouting in excitement at the thought of getting their hands on that shiny yellow note. But what he did next was take that note and dip it in a can of baked beans! After the cries of disgust had died down, again the question was asked, who wanted the $50? Of course the response was the same, yes! And so the demonstration continued, from baked beans to toothpaste, all the way to a bucket of mud and even the threat of dog poo! No matter what the $50 was rubbed in, the answer was always the same; yes! Give me the money. It didn’t matter what the note looked like, we all wanted it because despite the messy exterior, we all knew exactly what that note was worth.
As with most teenagers, I battled anxieties around body image, peer acceptance and self worth. That simple demonstration struck a real cord with me in showing that no matter what I looked like, no matter what mess I may be in, no matter how the world viewed me or how I viewed myself, there was nothing I could do to make Jesus love me more, and nothing I could do to make Him love me less….. In fact Romans 8:38,39 says For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So this Easter in the midst of eggs, food, church and a long weekend, won’t we all stop for a moment and consider that such is your worth that God sent His only Son to die for you, so you could freely enter into a relationship with Him. You are worth something just the way you are. You don’t need to shower off events from the past or the anxieties of today to earn the love of God. It is done. You just need to accept it as the gift it is; undeserved and simply astonishing.
This Thursday at 10.00am, PCS will meet for our annual Easter Assembly. I love this school event. What a significant time it is for us as a school community to stop and reflect on what Jesus did for us, and to encourage our students to see just how valuable they are to God, mess and all.
You are so welcome to join us.
Have a happy Easter everyone and a safe holiday PCS. Be blessed.
Glen