Disconnected

Dear Faith Family,

Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world, (Ephesians 2:12). 

They look nice.  Technologically appealing.  Clean.  Inviting.  Just plug the Apple earphones into a nearby iPhone or iPad and “wah-lah” you’ve got…wait for it…nothing.  No sound.  No music.  Nope, nothing. 

I pulled the earphones out of our recently retired Camry and placed them in the kitchen for my wife’s prerogative.  Upon closer inspection, I discovered that although the actual plug was pristine and the earbuds at the opposite end were peachy, the wire in between?  Well, not so much.  Not pristine.  Not peachy. 

Instead, the wire, once neatly packaged, had been disassembled, dissected.  How does that even happen?!  Like, who does that?  The middle of the wire resembled the work of a surgical wanna-be but shouldn’t be.  Dr. Lucy was the actual surgeon.  She’s a feline with no formal training but some failed surgical experience operating on pre-existing iPhone cords, otherwise known as victims. 

The result?  A disconnect.  All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put earphones back together again?  Ok, maybe a skilled surgeon could reconnect what Dr. Lucy did disconnect. 

It’s an illustration.  A picture of Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:12.  The disconnect / separation occurred in Genesis 3.  Disobedience disassembled the connection.  And then, aware of the “frayed wires”, Drs. Adam and Eve attempted their hand at fig leaf skin grafts.  Failure!   Try though we might, our attempts at a reconnect fall short, Romans 3:23. 

But now…, (Ephesians 2:13).  Now Jesus.  Now the crucifixion.  Now the resurrection!  Jesus has performed the spiritual surgery necessary to reconnect us to our Creator, our Redeemer, our God!  He has reconnected the disconnected!  Namely us in Christ Jesus. 

Consider hitting your pause button.  Take an honest look at the disconnect.  Survey the damage of your own sin.  Evaluate your failed surgical efforts at reconnection (“I’ll try harder.”  “I’ll make up for the failure. I can do better.”)  But don’t stop there!  Replay the work of your Great Physician.  Take time to marvel at His ability to do what no one else could do.  He reconnected the sinner (us) with the sinless (the living God). 

Insert a “hallelujah” here!  Take time to praise Him.  Thank Him.  Sing to Him. 

Reconnected,

Pastor Karl