Daily Word of Grace: March 25, 2020
One of my favorite rock artists ever is the late great Tom Petty, whom I had the privilege of once seeing live in an Atlanta concert with a few of my kids and my awesome friend Mike Tanner. The second track on his 2006 album Highway Companion is a gem called “Square One”-a gentle, comforting song about starting over, about hitting the reset button in your life. In the chorus Petty sings,
Square one, my slate is clear,
Rest your head on me, my dear
It took a world of trouble, took a world of tears
It took a long time to get back here
In this time of stress in our current “world of trouble” and “world of tears” the gospel of God’s forgiving love remains the same. The great Old Testament prophet Isaiah connects this forgiving love of God directly with your life-“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). This is possible because Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). On Good Friday, as he took up his cross Jesus also took your world of trouble and world of tears upon himself, and then shed his scarlet blood to turn your sins white as snow, shed his crimson blood to turn your sins white as wool-“for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This brings you back to square one and means your slate is clear. This also means that today, right now, God’s words to you are, “rest your head on me, my dear.”
Love and Prayers,
Dave
(The “Daily Word of Grace” runs Monday through Friday)