Honey, I Shrunk the Cross

I watch Remember the Titans at least once a year. It was most definitely Denzel Washington’s best work. You can filter much of life through the lessons presented in this epic movie. In fact, I recommended RTT again this week to our staff. They moaned with the pain that comes from the lead pastor’s regular and relentless repetition.

Now before September 23, 2000 (the illustrious date of RTT’s release), I was fully committed to another film: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Perhaps because I could relate to Rick Moranis, I went to the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids vault often for sermon illustrations.

On Sunday, I will go back to the future and pay tribute to the great Rick Moranis and his classic character, Wayne Szalinski. Szalinksi boasted of his shrinking machine, “If this thing works, it will put us right up there with the invention of electricity!” The machine did work. In fact, it worked too well. It shrank his kids and almost killed them in many adventurous ways.

Do you think we ever shrink the cross of Jesus?

The Gospel Grid, we are learning from Robert Thune and Will Walker in The Gospel-Centered Life, emphasizes who we are and who God is. There’s a huge gap between the Creator and the created. To bridge the gap, our only hope is the cross. Our great call is to keep the Gospel and the cross significant in our lives. We are to weigh, examine and stand foundationally on the Gospel and the cross. When we shrink the cross, it could kill us in many mundane ways.

When we shrink the cross in our lives, we move into the awkwardness of pretending and performing. How much pretending and performing do you think you do? On Sunday, we’ll challenge each other with such prickly questions. Do you ever wonder where God is? Do you ever ask why your working and doing making you feel more exhausted and less approved? “Honey, maybe you shrank the cross!”

Let’s talk on Sunday. Our “Gospel-Centered Life” series continues with our second installment. These are excellent Sundays to invite a guest. They will be challenged creatively, practically, and artistically with the good news that causes good news!

I’m excited to be with you and teach. I’m also very excited about our men’s and women’s “Gospel-Centered Life” table groups on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Over 100 men and over 80 women have joined. On Sunday nights, the teens are also going through Gospel-Centered Life material. How cool is it that God is driving this deep into so many hearts? Make sure you jump in!

See you Sunday… at our 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. gatherings.

Blessings, y’all!
Alan

Weekly Giving | $51,630 9/19/2017
Weekly Need | $41,300