Postcards from the Edge | A Letter to Independent People | Rev 3:14-22 | Week 8

Good morning.  We are on the last Sunday of an eight-week series, where we've been studying the letters that Jesus writes, through the Apostle John, to the churches in the book of Revelation (chapters 2 and 3).  This final letter is written to the church at Laodicea.  Open your Bible to Revelation 3:14.   As we've done in each letter, we've given the church that Jesus is writing to a title.  I've tried to summarize who they are, their ethos, their DNA as a church.  This letter I'm entitling as the letter to "Independent People."  Some form of independence is really good. When my kids move out of my house, my hope is that they're independent, which means they don't come back and live with me again.  If they do, they'll be welcomed back with open arms and rent to pay.  But some forms of independence aren't that healthy.  Some forms of independence actually prevent us from getting where we want to go.  I saw a Pepsi commercial a while back that I think summarized it well with a little phrase that you'll hear repeated throughout the commercial --- I'm good!  {Commercial shows accidents and injuries to someone, but they're "good."}  Have you ever been there:  Your arms are full of grocery bags and someone says, "Hey, can I help you take those to the car?" and you respond with, "I'm good."  Or maybe, if you're married, and men you may be able to relate to this, and you're sharing with your spouse the ailment you're trying to walk through.  She says, "You should probably get that checked out.  There's a whole branch of professionals that deal with sickness."  Most guys respond with. . . . ."I'm good."   {My wife says, "Then don't complain about it anymore, if you're not willing to go and get it checked out."}  Or. . . ."Do you need help with that problem in school that you're wrestling with?"  "I'm good, I'm good."  The marriage is sorta getting on the rocks, but. . . . ."We're good."  I think all of us have something in us that we rely on and in moments of trepidation, in moments of fear, we resort to that and we go, "I'm good."  I'm a hard worker. . . . .I'm good.  I know how to make money. . . . .I'm good.  I've got this web of relationships; we've got a strong family; I've got people that care about me. . . . .I'm good. 

In 1875, the British poet, William Ernest Henley, wrote a famous poem.  At the end of it, he wrote this stanza: "I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul."  Essentially he goes, "I'm good.  I'm good."  If you're familiar at all with the Biblical narrative, the story that as followers of Jesus we would say that we find ourselves in, in the very beginning of the Scriptures, you have this incident between Adam and Eve, who God creates perfectly and places in a garden, naked, in order to be in relationship with Him.  There's a serpent that comes in and says listen, I know God said you can't eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but you should eat from that so that you can become like God, knowing good and evil.  The relationship that Adam and Eve are designed to have with God is one of dependence.  One where they run to Him, one where they go to Him.  This movement towards this tree is a movement of independence.  God, we don't need you.  God, we can figure this out on our own.  God, we're good, thank you very much.