Washing on the line
Carel tells the following story that he heard in a small village in Natal:
It is about a small congregation. On a Sunday the church members sat approximately 14 rows deep along the middle aisle in front of the pastor. Obviously, if one of the regulars missed a day, the pastor would certainly notice.
One Sunday when one of the most faithful old ladies didn’t arrive, the pastor decided to check on the Monday morning if something was wrong. He found her hale and hearty, busy with the many things that had to be done on a Monday.
The pastor had hardly sat down when she started telling him about the wonderful radio service she had listened to the previous day and how deeply it had touched her. But when the pastor asked her what the sermon was about, she couldn’t remember anything at all. Somewhat embarrassed she had to acknowledge that she couldn’t remember, only that the pastor had been so serious and that she had been deeply affected by it.
Looking rather embarrassed, she suddenly noticed the washing on the line outside blowing in the wind and she said to the pastor: Do you see the washing on the line, Reverend? Early this morning I hung the washing on the line and the wind blew all the water from the washing. Now the washing is cleaner than the water flowing through it.
This is a lovely story that helps us understand what happens to us when we hear the Word of God. We don’t always remember all the sermons and the many times we walked through the Bible, but it helps us to remove the dirt from our lives so that we can hang cleanly on the line of life.
Paul also brings this to the attention of the young congregation of Corinth. Look, these guys were still quite rough and did not know how to behave as young Christians. They took one another to court, some became sexually promiscuous, worshipped false gods, stole one another’s possessions, and some became drunkards. But, said Paul, this behaviour belonged to the past. It doesn’t belong to a child of God. Jesus didn’t die on the cross for only these sins. 11Since then, you’ve been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.
Jesus died on the cross for all our sins. God washed away all the dirt and the punishment for our sin was erased. Now it is our responsibility to ensure that the dirt doesn’t come back. We must make sure that we never play in the mud again, because it is right there where our foot slips and we become dirty. Don’t play on the slippery floor, because it is very easy to slip.
Let’s rather spend more time on what matters to God. Put a good sermon in the car’s CD player or download a Bible programme on your cell phone and listen to God’s Word while you drive. Maybe you won’t remember everything, but in a way God’s holy water will wash through you and He will wash away the dirt. Now you can live fully for Him. You can avoid the mud pools and make a real difference in His kingdom.
Reflection
What needs to be cleaned up in your life?
How can you clean it up?
Do you believe that Jesus had died for all that dirt?
Prayer
Our Father in heaven, thank you for coming to earth. Thank you that Jesus died for all my sin on the cross. Without that I certainly would never have made it to heaven. Thank you for washing me clean. Now I no longer want to play in the mud, Father. Walk with me every day to keep me from doing those ugly things again. Amen
Have wonderful day!
Gerjo Ben
It is about a small congregation. On a Sunday the church members sat approximately 14 rows deep along the middle aisle in front of the pastor. Obviously, if one of the regulars missed a day, the pastor would certainly notice.
One Sunday when one of the most faithful old ladies didn’t arrive, the pastor decided to check on the Monday morning if something was wrong. He found her hale and hearty, busy with the many things that had to be done on a Monday.
The pastor had hardly sat down when she started telling him about the wonderful radio service she had listened to the previous day and how deeply it had touched her. But when the pastor asked her what the sermon was about, she couldn’t remember anything at all. Somewhat embarrassed she had to acknowledge that she couldn’t remember, only that the pastor had been so serious and that she had been deeply affected by it.
Looking rather embarrassed, she suddenly noticed the washing on the line outside blowing in the wind and she said to the pastor: Do you see the washing on the line, Reverend? Early this morning I hung the washing on the line and the wind blew all the water from the washing. Now the washing is cleaner than the water flowing through it.
This is a lovely story that helps us understand what happens to us when we hear the Word of God. We don’t always remember all the sermons and the many times we walked through the Bible, but it helps us to remove the dirt from our lives so that we can hang cleanly on the line of life.
Paul also brings this to the attention of the young congregation of Corinth. Look, these guys were still quite rough and did not know how to behave as young Christians. They took one another to court, some became sexually promiscuous, worshipped false gods, stole one another’s possessions, and some became drunkards. But, said Paul, this behaviour belonged to the past. It doesn’t belong to a child of God. Jesus didn’t die on the cross for only these sins. 11Since then, you’ve been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.
Jesus died on the cross for all our sins. God washed away all the dirt and the punishment for our sin was erased. Now it is our responsibility to ensure that the dirt doesn’t come back. We must make sure that we never play in the mud again, because it is right there where our foot slips and we become dirty. Don’t play on the slippery floor, because it is very easy to slip.
Let’s rather spend more time on what matters to God. Put a good sermon in the car’s CD player or download a Bible programme on your cell phone and listen to God’s Word while you drive. Maybe you won’t remember everything, but in a way God’s holy water will wash through you and He will wash away the dirt. Now you can live fully for Him. You can avoid the mud pools and make a real difference in His kingdom.
Reflection
What needs to be cleaned up in your life?
How can you clean it up?
Do you believe that Jesus had died for all that dirt?
Prayer
Our Father in heaven, thank you for coming to earth. Thank you that Jesus died for all my sin on the cross. Without that I certainly would never have made it to heaven. Thank you for washing me clean. Now I no longer want to play in the mud, Father. Walk with me every day to keep me from doing those ugly things again. Amen
Have wonderful day!
Gerjo Ben