Not the Journey You Expected?

Have you ever had a great start and then found the rest of the journey was not what you expected? I think we all have. Sometimes our pseudo-spiritual mumbo jumbo makes life even more confusing. Church talk and kilokole loves simple answers to complex problems. Instead, a life of faith is full of complications.

Last week we saw the story of Jesus' baptism (if you'd like a copy of my sermon notes just send a request). It started great. Heaven opened and God spoke to affirm His love of of His Son. My instincts want to think, "Now we'll have a great powerful victorious story." Instead, Mark tells us that "At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert 40 days being tempted by Satan."

Can you imagine this? Instead of the Spirit leading Jesus to the "Victorious Christian Life" we always hear about at church, the Spirit led Jesus to a lonely, hungry season of temptation.

Though I can't get my mind around God's purposes it does tell me that Jesus of Nazareth must surely be able to understand me when the journey is not what I expected.

This week, we are going to look at another story of Jesus in which he starts calling men to follow him. Would you like to follow a man who knows the journey of the unexpected? If so, join this journey with me.

Dave