Minister’s Note 12 January 2020
With the release of Matric results stories of learners who excelled dominated the headlines. Others were disappointed. One journalist overheard a parent saying to their child “not what we were hoping for”.
It’s miserable to feel like you are a disappointment to your parents. A couple of years ago our confirmation candidates shared with us that they most feared being a disappointment. That’s a widespread fear; according to an article in the Economist the current generation of young people are “stressed, depressed and exam obsessed”[1]. To believe that we are acceptable on the basis of our achievements is to live under a terrible bondage.
In Jesus God sets us free! The first thing Jesus heard at the start of his ministry was: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life” (Mt 3:17, The Message). The Father delighted in Jesus before Jesus had “achieved” anything; he’d not yet fasted 40 days, nor preached the Sermon on the Mount, nor healed the sick. Jesus lived as he did because he knew Father’s pleasure. He didn’t first have to prove himself.
The same is true for us. As James Smith puts it, we are nourished by this truth: “I am one in whom Christ dwells and delights”[2].
God Bless,
Sean
[1] https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/02/27/generation-z-is-stressed-depressed-and-exam-obsessed
[2] Smith, James Bryan. The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows