The Doctor is in
The British rock group Coldplay released their 8th studio album on the 22 November 2019. They played it live from Jordan and it was steamed around the world via YouTube. Over the last few months I have been listening to it and loving the eclectic mix of song styles and distinctive vocals. The second track is called ‘Church’ and this line that jumped out at me:
'Cause when I'm hurt, then I'll go to your church’
I have been reflecting on this, as I think there is a lot of truth in it. In my experience, many people say they don’t need or want God and find the idea of ‘going to church’ irrelevant. Life today is filled with work, family, hobbies, sport, or whatever. I’m not saying that any of these are bad, of course they are not, but they can consume all of our time and energy.
However, sometimes, life does not always go as we want it to. Things can happen that dramatically change us. It could be a serious accident, a redundancy or the death of a loved one. It’s when these unexpected things happen that everything changes, and the bigger questions arise. Is there more to life than this, is there a God? Or as Coldplay imply: ‘when I'm hurt, then I'll go to your church’. It was just the same in Jesus day, and he had something to say about it...
“It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to invite good people but sinners to change their hearts and lives.”
Jesus saw that life goes on, but when people realise they are ‘sick’ that’s when they turn to a doctor for help. He likens himself to a doctor. He is there and can help. We don’t use the word ‘sinner’ these days, but it simple means someone who does something morally wrong! Yikes, that includes me then, as I’m not perfect!
I make mistakes, mess it up and do the wrong thing. There have been many times that I have needed help from ‘doctor’ Jesus! I have known and received his love, forgiveness, joy, peace and hope. At other times He has helped me to both give and receive forgiveness from others.
Now here’s the best news: there is no waiting list to see this doctor, you can make an appointment and talk to Jesus immediately, it’s called prayer! Do you need to make an appointment?
God bless you!
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader