LIVING ON THE EDGE

I love the Hebrew teaching about the ancient rabbi’s wings.

A rabbi would regularly wear a prayer shawl—commonly called his wings. On the edges or “kanaf” of his wings were tassels called tzitzits. The tassels would have five knots tied into them. Each knot was a reminder of the books of Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Are you following this ancient Hebrew path so far?

Then… you find this great verse in Malachi 4:2: “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.” (The Hebrew word of wings is “kanaf”)

The prophecy is about Jesus coming with healing in his wings… the edge of His prayer shawl.

If you know this bit of incredible Hebrew wisdom, then the story of a bleeding woman in Luke 8 really begins to pop. She was an ostracized outcast. She was forced to live life on the edges, but she was desperate to touch the edge (kanaf) of Jesus’ prayer shawl where she knew there was healing. And there was healing! As soon as she felt the tassels on the edge of Jesus wings… the desperate woman was immediately healed. Isn’t that incredible!

I love how creative, integrated, and historically rich the Word of God is. And then there is application for us.

We were living on the edge of sin, death, hell, and disease — and Jesus healed us. We reached out to Jesus, and he saved us. He healed us. There is still healing in his wings.

On Sunday, we’re back in our dynamic “MVMNT” series with Joshua chapter two. You won’t believe who Jesus saved and healed. Her name is Rahab. She was living on the edge too. She found life and hope by reaching out from the edges to the edge of Jesus.

Who are the Rahabs we’re surrounded by? Who’s living on the edge and needs the same healing touch of Jesus that many of us have had? Are we making room for people on the edge?

The MVMNT of Cumberland to South Cobb and Church Street is all about lost people living on the edges. We are literally moving to make room for more lost people to touch the healing wings of Jesus. It’s a big move. It’s a big decision. HE is a big God.

Y’all… Sunday at CCC is going to be powerful. Many churches concede that summer never bodes well for the church. Many believe growth, challenge, and Kingdom expansion can’t possibly happen during the summer months. At Cumberland, we believe the exact opposite.

We’ll be gathering at 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. Please invite a friend for this one. Grab someone on the edge and make room.

Blessings,

Weekly Giving: $35,108 6/3/18
Weekly Need: $45,714