Escaping the Wrath...Experiencing the Peace

When I was in the 6th grade at St. Catherine's parochial school, I would at times get in some "mischief" with my buddies. We rode our bikes together to school each day. On our way home from school, occasionally we would do some squirrely things (okay, maybe it was often) . No major violations of the law, but enough to make some folks pretty mad. One afternoon in particular stands out.

We stopped off at Ted Mayr's funeral home, rode our bikes down this hill and run into this tall wall of ivy hanging over an covered drive-through attached to the funeral home. It was so much fun that we decided to do it over and over. Finally, an employee came out the door and chastised us for what he saw was damaging their property. He asked us to give him all our names. We did -- but we lied. After he let us go, we hopped on our bikes and thought we were free. Then one of my friends turned around and yelled, "They're fake names!" Immediately, this man jumped in his car and started to chase us. We took off down the street -- scared but a bit excited about this "adventure." We ended up at the Catholic Church where some of us were altar boys. After jumping off our bikes we ran into the sanctuary (we didn't realize it but maybe we thought this building was like a city of refuge in the Old Testament).

After hiding out for awhile, we peeked out the door, saw no one around, jumped back on our bikes and headed to our homes. I thought we had escaped getting in trouble. Then came the phone call late that afternoon. It was Sister Rita Jane, my sixth grade teacher. She told me that this man from the funeral home came to see her and mentioned our names. It turned out that he read our names on the books on the racks of our bikes. We were busted! Guilty! Now it was payback time. My teacher told me how serious this was and that there will be some consequences.

When I got off the phone, I felt so scared. "What's going to happen to me? Will I go to Juvenile Hall? (the jail for youth in our city)?" That thought especially frightened me because a neighorhood kid told me that if you go there, the guards will stick you in a room and turn a fire hose on you. I had believed him. I feared the wrath of the nuns, my parents, the police, everybody!

When my Dad got home he could tell something was wrong with me since I was moping around the house with a furred brow. "What's wrong, Jimbo?" I burst into tears and yelled, "I got in trouble at Ted Mayr's funeral home and I'll probably go to Juvenile Hall."

My Dad just laughed. He knew Mr. Mayr and probably realized that if we just went and apologized to the man everything would be all right. It turned out to not be such a big deal. I can't recall the details, but I think we all told him we were sorry and everything went back to normal quickly.

As I read Isaiah 1 this morning, I thought of that forty-year old memory. Whenever I got in trouble, I knew that some sort of punishment would be coming. Although I tried covering up my sins and violations of the law, if I got caught all I could do was admit I was wrong, take the consequences of what I did and plead for mercy.

Even after having all God's love and care lavished upon them, because of the sinful bent of mankind, Judah and Israel continued turning away from the Lord. And out of His deep love for His people, He sends prophets like Isaiah with a strong word from the Lord, such as:

Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool. If you will only obey me and let me help you, then you will have plenty to eat. But if you keep turning away and refusing to listen, you will be destroyed by your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken!” -- Isa. 1:18-20

Although we don't like thinking about it or talking about it, if we've read much of the Bible we know that God's wrath is upon those who refuse to come to Him in repentance and faith. There is a judgment, there is a hell. There will be severe consequences for those who stubbornly refuse to accept the gift of His Son. You read about God's anger and wrath all through the book of Isaiah. And yet you also read the pleas of a God who longs for His people to return to Him. As Philip Yancey says, so much of the Bible is the story of a God who is like a jilted lover. He is wooing us. He wants to forgive us, cleanse us, bring us into His arms of love.

There's nothing like being forgiven. I knew that I was guilty for running into Ted Mayr's ivy and for lying to that man about our names. All I could plead for was mercy. And I got it.

And I'm just wondering if we would appreciate so much more what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross and the Father's amazing love and mercy if we were more aware of God's wrath. If we got ahold more of how holy God is and how unholy we are without Christ. And that He must punish sin. And that we don't deserve a thing but damnation because of our sin. But praise His blessed name that through faith in Jesus we are pardoned, forgiven and welcomed into God's arms of love. He makes us holy. And now we don't need to run from Him, be scared of Him, nor dread judgment day. By dwelling in the city of refuge of the cross of Christ, we are protected from God's wrath and secure with Him forever.

I think I got a glimpse of this feeling of being pardoned that evening when my Dad said he'd talk to Mr. Mayr and work this out. Dad was like my advocate. What an even greater feeling to have an advocate like Jesus who, through the cross, has dealt with our guilt and shame and now is our advocate before the Father.

By the way, I highly recommed you read Mike Cope's blog today -- preachermike.com It's titled "Putt-Putt Christians." Great quotes from Dallas Willard