Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”  -- Matthew 18:21(ESV)

Scandalous. When we hear this word associated with church, we all cringe. Another story. Another fall. Another blight. But what if it wasn’t. What if scandalous didn’t refer to our sin but God’s grace? God’s grace is so big, so extravagant, so freely given that it has been referred to as scandalous. Often this scandal isn’t seen or felt when God’s grace is applied to us. (Because if we were really honest, we feel we deserve it). But when God’s grace is applied to someone else, especially those we think fail the most, we think of God’s grace as scandalous.

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matthew 13:10-11(ESV)

Some stories stick with you. Do you know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare? Or have you heard the one about the Little Red Hen? These childhood stories are cute but they are meant to teach greater lessons like persistence and hard work. Through the plot and characters of narratives like these, we come to learn valuable lessons.

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. -- Luke 10:29-30 (ESV)

Who is your team? Until I moved to the south I would have answered this question with a casual nod to a NFL or MLB team. But on moving here, I was forced into a decision. I had to pick a side. If I didn’t, I would be considered an outsider, forever. But once I picked, people rooted for or against me. And to be honest it’s been a lot of fun.

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. -- 2 Peter 1:16 (ESV)
 
We live in a world of competing voices. You will define yourself and your story against other narratives around you. Who are you? What will you value? How do you know what is right? We would like to think that these are 21st century issues amplified by our connections to our world. But actually, these are questions that have resonated in the human heart since the the beginning with the fall.

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I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder -- 2 Peter 1:13 (ESV)

One of my fears is succumbing to dementia. With a history of it in my family, there is a real possibility of it happening to me. And having recently seen the effects of it first hand, I can attest that it is a living death. At some point, however, the sufferer is spared by no longer understanding what is happening. But I also think there is an amnesia that is a greater danger - Gospel Amnesia.