HURTS, HANG-UPS & HABITS FINDING FREEDOM ON FRIDAY NIGHTS by Kaleb Amos
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” A wonderfully provoking story is found in the seventh chapter of the gospel of Luke. Here’s the scene: Jesus gets invited to eat at the home of a member of the Pharisees. This was a group of people who practiced strict observance of the Law found in the Torah, a.k.a. the first five books of the Old Testament. Needless to say, these were some pretty uptight and fairly self-important religious folks. People never scared Jesus, though, so He enters the home and sits down to spend some time with them and talk over a good meal. All of a sudden, a woman with a really bad reputation shows up. She’d made some awful life choices that hurt herself and others. Despite all of this, she knows Jesus has something she needs, and when she hears Jesus is in town, she walks into the home of the Pharisee. In an incredibly scandalous moment, she pours a vial of expensive ointment on Jesus’ feet while she weeps and dries his feet with her hair. This was a symbolic and repentant act of love that the Pharisee, whose name is Simon, just can’t understand or deal with; he is floored Jesus would allow this.
moneylender forgives both of their debts, which Jesus uses to show Simon that people who are forgiven of a whole lot tend to love the one who forgives them a whole lot. The encounter closes with Jesus offering some words for those watching, and most beautifully, some liberating words for the woman. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little”... And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:47, 50) What’s so awesome is Jesus hasn’t stopped restoring like this. He’s doing it today. We all have struggles we’re facing. A few of us are just really good at hiding them. For some, those struggles could be things like impatience, anxiety, anger, or bitterness that are dominating the way they live. Maybe for others, bad habits or substances could be the things bringing life to a complete standstill. In the moments where people are desperate for understanding, love and support, Celebrate Recovery steps in.
Sensing the disgust of the Pharisee, Jesus tells him a story Celebrate Recovery describes themselves as “a Christof two people: one who owed someone a lot of money, centered, 12 step recovery program for anyone struggling and a second person who only owed him a little bit. The with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind.” Since 1991,
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