"Preparing the Way for the King"

Jon Hasselbeck Through life, we may experience moments of pain and hurt – moments that will make us feel like a reed that has been bruised. However, God does not waste any of our hurt. He uses it to reveal His divine light and transform us to what He has already made us. On Sunday, Pastor Jon used a model of a light-bulb to illustrate how God uses broken reeds to be the light. The filament of the first successful incandescent light-bulbs were made of bamboo (broken reed). However, running electricity through bamboo quickly burns it up. By covering bamboo with carbon and creating a vacuum, the filament can burn for long-periods of time. In much the same way, God takes the broken life that we have and covers us with his "carbon", changes the atmosphere around us, and turns us into lights when we plug into God's power. Peter's life is a prime example of this. Throughout the Gospel, we see accounts of mistakes Peter has made interlaced with flashes of brilliance. However, despite his mistakes, God still calls him to pastor His church. Likewise, God will use our failures to shape us and bring us from glory to glory.