Bruised & Bruising, Blessed and Beloved

Notice the purple around the sanctuary this time of year. One grieving mom, returning to church in Lent, said, “The church looked how I felt: bruised.” Can you resonate? Do you feel bruised? You’re not alone. Church is a hospital for sinners, not a country club for saints.
I remember more than my own bruises. Purple is a color of penitence. I am a sinner. I bruise others. I’m both bruised and bruising. Can you talk to Jesus about the bruises you bear and the bruises you cause? Can you rest in God’s healing mercy?
Purple points to God’s healing mercy for you, as you are, because purple is also a color of royalty and riches. So you are not just bruised. You are not just bruising. You are also richly blessed and a beloved child of the King of Love.
As Christ is both crucified and risen, so you are bruised and blessed, bruising and beloved. I’ve wasted a lot of time, energy, and breath trying to prove I’m one but not another. What wondrous, liberating healing to simply be all of the above. 
​Pastor Clark