This fall the uber-popular “Wicked” (a musical prequel to “The Wizard of Oz”) is scheduled to come to Oklahoma City’s Civic Center Music Hall. This musical is one of the most successful stage shows of all time. “Wicked’s” recipe for success includes a clever (surprisingly thought provoking) script, familiar characters, and outstanding music.
One of the key songs in this musical is a duet between two aspiring witches: Elphaba and Glinda. These two very different people are reflecting upon how their lives have impacted each other. In the song “For Good,” these two sing these words:
Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?
Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.
Truly our lives are impacted by those around us, altering our reality and shaping who we are. I cannot imagine me being me without the imprint God has stamped into my life through my parents, sister, wife, son, and so many others. Like the song says, I do believe I have been changed for good by these people.
In 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, the Apostle Paul takes this idea to the next level . . . arguing that believers in Jesus Christ have been changed definitively for the better and certainly for good through their connection with their Savior. When a person trusts in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, their very identity changes. I may have a bit more of a drawl in my speech because I grew up in Oklahoma, but if we have trusted in Christ, we begin to LIVE in a new dialect, as our inner person is transformed into a part of the Body of Christ.
This union with Christ changes Christians for the better, and it also brings to light a number of implications for the ethical lives of those who follow Jesus. One such implication relates to the sexual life of the Christian. This Sunday (July 14) at Wildwood, we will reflect more on these verses in part 4 of our series Lego Church: Built to Be Together. In these verses, we will see how we are together with Christ . . . and how this changes us for good. I look forward to worshipping with you this weekend in our 9:30 or 10:50 worship service!
As we have done each week, we are asking families (if interested) to bring some items to a station in our Gathering Hall to help us remember the key points of each week’s message. This week, theming out of 1 Corinthians 6:20, we are asking people to bring play/toy money and drop it off a the designated “Week 4” station. Dropping these things off will hopefully spark conversations between you and those you live with about the reality of the message we are reflecting on from God’s Word for that week. Hope to see you there!
For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:20
Oh my word. He’s such a little man with those on! So cute! Are you ever going to grow his hair back into those long curly bondle locks? I just reluctantly cut Talin’s bowl cut. *sniff* I know it was outdated, but he was so cute!