"Oceans"
by Hillsong is a really moving song that makes Christians all over the
world want to go out and do great things for the Lord. I know I've heard
these lyrics, "You call me out upon the waters//The great unknown where feet may
fail//And there I find You in the mystery//In oceans deep//My faith will
stand" and prayed for God to move me where my feet would fail and faith would prevail, preferably to some exotic country where I am of course, very needed, and can see great sights and experience Deep Things, because God's a real chum like that, you know, and these scary things should also be conveniently packaged and posted to Instagram.
But what if those lyrics were less about a millennial-styled faith and more about a quieter, bolder-than-comprehensible faith?
Imagine the great unknown that the woman in Luke 7 encountered as she
walked into a Pharisee's house to find Jesus and weep at his feet. Hear
the sobs emanate from her rib cage to rack her body as shame radiates
out of her very core because she was "a woman of the city" in the
presence of a very holy Son of God. Feel the quaver that continually shivers through each leg and makes every step seem nearly impossible as she ignores the gapes from these important, honored men sitting around the table with Jesus.
This isn't just a pretty little story about a woman who used her most expensive perfume to lavishly anoint the feet of Jesus.
This is a story of consummate courage and faith.
She found Christ in the mystery of that home -- in oceans deep of shame -- and He forgave her of her sins.
Shame was her identity when she entered the house;
redeemed was her identity when she left.
Sometimes I think it takes a lot of courage to admit that we are not who we want or ought to be. It's hard to admit that there are things we are ashamed about, because that means admitting that there is something about us that is broken. It can all be so embarrassing; being broken is terrifying. It takes a lot of guts to be vulnerable in order to be restored -- to admit we are rotted through with sin and need a redeemer in so many aspects of our lives that we're not even sure where the sin ends and we begin. Sometimes it seems that if we tug on the string of sin, it will unravel out of control and we will be in need for so long. Surely it would all be too much.
Luke 7 would show us that we'd find Christ in the mystery of where that dark brokenness meets vulnerability.
I think it's worth it.
