“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!”  That was in 1 Timothy.

Our psalm for today said “O God, blot out the stain of my sins.  Wash me clean from my guilt.  Purify me and create in me a clean heart, O God.”

This is Barabas.  He is wearing his most favorite shirt that he got at Camp Nawakwa this summer.  Everyone likes Barabas.

Not that he is perfect, far from it, because as lovable as Barabas is, he has made some pretty big mistakes.  You see, even the very best of us . . . is sinful. 

So, my story is about our sinfulness and God’s love and forgiveness.

When we do something that we are ashamed of, it kind of leaves a dirty mark on us.  Not on the outside where we can see it, but the dirty mark is on the inside of us, where only God can see.  But for the sake of this story, I will make the dirty marks on Barabas’s favorite shirt.

Let’s say that at breakfast this morning Uncle Floyd asked if Barabas had taken his dog Jeter out in the back yard to “do his business”.  And Barabas lied and said “Yeah.” but he really didn’t take out the dog.  I will make a dirty mark on the outside of Barabas to demonstrate how that lie makes Barabas dirty on the inside.

And then on the way to school, Barabas laughed at Running Chairs and called her “Stupid” because she was talking so much she didn’t watch where she was walking and she fell down.  That would leave a dirty mark too.  (mark shirt)

And then at school Barabas looked at Elizabeth’s paper to get the answer to number 7 on the spelling test.  He cheated on a test!  That might make a mark like this!  (mark and cut shirt.)

If Barabas would continue to behave in ways that show no love, his inside part that God sees would be just as stained and torn as this shirt is on the outside. 

Look at this shirt!  It is ruined!  I don’t think any amount of soap or any amount of thread can mend this broken shirt. 

But this is the marvelous thing that God does for us; God is like a wonderful mommy who will wash and scrub and blot and mend and sew and find our lost and broken parts until we are made clean and whole.  And he does this marvelous cleansing on the cross of Christ Jesus.

Now, watch this dirty, torn shirt.  (Remove shirt from Barabas and place at crucifix. Lift clean shirt and place on Barabas)

The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!

“Wow!” exclaimed Barabas.  “ . . . Wow!”  Barabas vowed to work harder at being a boy who does kind and good deeds. 

THE END

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