Come and Get it

Gathering together at church, with other believers, is important. The gifts of the Holy Spirit edify the person using the gift, but when other believers see someone using their gifts, it edifies the body of Christ.

Today, we are in 2 Samuel 4:4, the account of Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, son of King Saul. When Jonathan and Saul were both killed, Mephibosheth was 5. His nurse heard the news and hurried away but she dropped Mephibosheth and he became crippled. Have you ever dropped something? Our first children were twins. With twins, both mom and dad are on all the time. When our girls were newborn, I fell asleep feeding Ava, our first born twin. My hands went limp and Ava rolled off my chest onto the floor. She is ok - graduated in the top of her class this year. It wasn’t intentional. She is precious and valuable to me, but I fell asleep. We do this in life. There are things we drop or lose unintentionally because we fall asleep or lose focus. 

Mephibosheth wasn’t dropped intentionally. But he was crippled, and as he grew, he tried to figure out where he fit in. We can relate. Even in our adulthood, we can still be the proverbial middle schooler, walking in with our lunch, trying to see where we fit, where we belong. Well, you belong here, in the body of Christ. It doesn’t matter your level of faith. Grace is the foundation of Christianity and the essence of salvation. We are broken, but God is perfect and beautiful. We are all broken in common and we are all blessed in common. 

In 2 Samuel 9:1-13, King David asks if there is any member of Saul’s house he could show kindness to for his best friend Jonathan’s sake. The servant Ziba told David that Jonathan had a son. He didn’t use his name but he described his problem; he was messed up and broken. The king said “Where is he?” Ziba was thinking, maybe if the king knew Jonathan’s son was broken, he wouldn’t want him. But even in Mephibosheth’s brokenness, the king still wanted to know where he was. We pull ourselves away from others, even our God, in our brokenness and pain.  But, we have a king who wants us even though we are broken. 

Mephibosheth was presented to King David and bowed low, probably thinking it was the end of his life as he once was a rightful heir to the throne. But the king said “Do not fear.” Mephibosheth was positioned for one last plea for mercy. But David had planned kindness for him. A lot of us are in a dark place, far from knowing our value and worth in Christ, but the King (Jesus) calls us to Himself.

David restored all Saul’s lands to Mephibosheth and invited him to sit at the King’s table - always. Mephibosheth asked why. He had the mindset of a poor and disabled orphan, a dead dog. He couldn’t forget that he was broken and ashamed of who he was. Can you relate?  Don’t excuse yourself from the King's invitation. 

Church is not a place for perfect people. Don’t walk through the world looking for evidence that you fit in or have worth. Know who you are in Christ. Sometimes we look backward while trying to run forward and it cripples us. Do not negotiate who you are with another person and lose yourself that way, crippling yourself in the process. As long as you’re good with God, you’re good. 

We each have scars. It’s not our fault. We were just dropped. Some are more broken than others. We have scars all over. But, scars show we made it through, that we were not defeated. Thomas asked Jesus to show him the scars on His hands and side. He wanted to see victory. It was not doubt, it was destiny. 

If you’re hurt and broken, you can be restored and receive help. Ephesians 2:3 is the truth, that we were born with evil natures, under God's anger like everyone else. We are beat up on the outside but no one can destroy what’s on the inside. God did great things with Moses the murderer, Rahab the prostitute, Saul the Christian killer and Peter the Denier of Christ. He can do great things with us. 

Church is community in your life. In community, when I fall, my friends, brothers, and pastors will catch me. Do you know where I meet my friends, brothers and pastors? At church! Insecurities would keep you from building relationships, but you have to have relationships to stay safe. We stay outside because we’re afraid of what our past reflects on us. But, it is not our past that disqualifies us. Mephibosheth was able to come into the king’s presence because of who his father was. It’s your father that leads you into your destiny. David invited Mephibosheth because David wanted to bless Jonathan's family. Romans 5:17-19 states we are provided abundantly with grace and righteousness because of Christ. You do not have to live in the shadow of your past or generational curses. 

Before you accept Christ, your spirit is dead. Jesus came to make dead things alive. There’s a place for you in the house of God whether you are broken, blessed, lame or living large. Mistakes and shortcomings accepted. You belong here. We’ve got a seat for you at the table. Your damage doesn’t define you. God has a plan and purpose for your life. It didn’t matter who Mephibosheth was. It mattered who his father was. Damaged doesn’t mean undeserving. Mephibosheth was seated at the king's table. When he sat down, his brokenness was covered because his lameness was in his feet. Come sit at the table so that everything that is wrong with you is covered. The name Mephibosheth means “idol breaker, exterminator of shame”. Like a crumpled box that has been mishandled in shipment, you are “Damaged but Still Deliverable”.  What is on the inside is still a tr