Creekside Church, Sunday, May 14, 2023
Messy and Abundant
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
Proverbs 14:4
Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but increase comes by the strength of an ox. (NIV)
Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. (TNIV)
Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. (NLT)
---
You can have a clean, safe, controllable life and it will be boring and empty. Or you can embrace messiness, uncertainty and complexity and discover abundance.
---
TRUE IN LIFE
Being on a team
Being in small groups
Being in community
Being in relationships
Creating something new
Relationships are messy
Leadership is messy
Creativity is messy
Church is messy
Life is messy
You can have a clean life - and it will be boring and empty.
Or you can welcome in some oxen and enjoy the fullness of life that God has created for us.
---
TRUE OF GOD
We shouldn’t shy away from messiness and complexity because God doesn’t either.
Where the manger is empty…God stays clean…
But oh the salvation that will come from him getting his hands dirty.
Where the cross is empty…there is no pain…no suffering…
But oh the abundance that can come…oh the redemption that can come when the cross isn’t empty.
---
Mark 2:17
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Imagine a doctor who didn't want to deal with the messiness of sick people?
That seems to be how the religious leaders of Jesus' day operated.
---
TRUE OF DISCIPLESHIP – FOLLOWING JESUS
Discipleship is messy
Re-write Proverbs 14:4 replacing Spirit in place of Ox
Where there is no spirit – you can keep your life simple, under control, safe – but you will miss out on abundance.
Avoiding messiness is a lack of faith. An attempt at control.
---
DECIDE TO EMBRACE THE MESS/UNCERTAINTY/COMPLEXITY
THAT COMES WITH THE OX
Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but increase comes by the strength of an ox. (NIV)
Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. (TNIV)
Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. (NLT)
---
You can have a clean, safe, controllable life and it will be boring and empty. Or you can embrace messiness, uncertainty and complexity and discover abundance.
---
TRUE IN LIFE
Being on a team
Being in small groups
Being in community
Being in relationships
Creating something new
Relationships are messy
Leadership is messy
Creativity is messy
Church is messy
Life is messy
You can have a clean life - and it will be boring and empty.
Or you can welcome in some oxen and enjoy the fullness of life that God has created for us.
---
TRUE OF GOD
We shouldn’t shy away from messiness and complexity because God doesn’t either.
Where the manger is empty…God stays clean…
But oh the salvation that will come from him getting his hands dirty.
Where the cross is empty…there is no pain…no suffering…
But oh the abundance that can come…oh the redemption that can come when the cross isn’t empty.
---
Mark 2:17
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Imagine a doctor who didn't want to deal with the messiness of sick people?
That seems to be how the religious leaders of Jesus' day operated.
---
TRUE OF DISCIPLESHIP – FOLLOWING JESUS
Discipleship is messy
Re-write Proverbs 14:4 replacing Spirit in place of Ox
Where there is no spirit – you can keep your life simple, under control, safe – but you will miss out on abundance.
Avoiding messiness is a lack of faith. An attempt at control.
---
DECIDE TO EMBRACE THE MESS/UNCERTAINTY/COMPLEXITY
THAT COMES WITH THE OX