Have you ever felt stuck? I have. Several times:
- I once was stuck in an elevator in a dormitory in Volgograd, Russia. No cell phone, no one there who spoke English (except me . . . and I did not speak any Russian). I had no idea how I was going to get out of there.
- I once was stuck in traffic in Dallas . . . actually I have been stuck in traffic MANY times, but this time was particularly notable because it made my 25 minute commute a 3 hour stay on I-30 . . . and I had to go to the bathroom before I got in the car. I was so uncomfortable to be stuck there.
- I once was stuck on a rooftop of a house in Grand Prairie. I was washing windows, and climbed up, but could not reach the fence top to hop down off the roof. I was scared to move!
Many of us have similar silly stories of times we were stuck. The fact that I am writing this blog post means that I got out of that elevator, off of the highway, and down from that roof! But there are other times of being stuck that we all share as well . . . and they are not so silly.
- Sometimes we feel stuck in an addiction to a destructive behavior. We don’t know if we can quit!
- Sometimes we feel chained to a misdeed from our past. A mistake from years ago (we feel) is branded on our chest, and we don’t know if we can get it off.
- Sometimes we feel locked in a holding cell awaiting eternal judgment . . . after all the wages of sin is death (and I’ve sinned a lot).
Sometimes we just feel stuck!
Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a way to get “unstuck” from these more serious situations. Far more than just making us uncomfortable, confused, or scared, there are things that oppress and depress us. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Someone were able to unchain us from these sins? Wouldn’t it be awesome if some how, some way, Someone would/could turn on the light so we could see straight and leave the dungeon of our despair?
Guess what? There is a “Someone” who can illumine and unlock our lives. He is Jesus Christ, and this work of His was described 700 years before His birth in Isaiah 42:1-7 in what is called a “Servant Song.” Right after Jesus was born, an old man named Simeon sang this “Servant Song” as one of the first “Christmas Carols” ever sung over Jesus (see Luke 2:29-32). This Sunday at Wildwood, we will look at this song and celebrate the freedom it points to. See you Sunday . . . and invite your friends to worship with us at 9:45 or 11:00. Let’s get “unstuck” from our sin and free to follow the Savior!