Fixing What’s Broken

A friend of mine shared this story last week. He was planning on going for a bike ride. He got dressed, put on his helmet, and headed out the door. When he pulled his bike off the rack, he noticed that one of the tires needed some air. He keeps his pump nearby. “No problem,” he thought. Unfortunately, after a few pumps he realized his pump was not working. It was broken. No pump…flat tire…no ride. He went back inside, plopped down on the couch and stewed while he watched another rerun.

There are very few people who have not had a similar experience. You had your heart set on accomplishing some task, making some trip, or preparing some meal; only to discover that something essential to your endeavor was not up for the task. It was broken.

Sometimes it seems brokenness is everywhere you look. Cars on the side of the road on your way to work. Computer equipment piled up in a corner of the supply closet. A drawer full of dead cell phones. It’s so bad that most people are not surprised when a new device doesn’t work when they first pull it out of the box.

There is another brokenness that is much more troubling—it’s the growing number of people who are broken. Children who are labeled as problems. Youth who have abandoned their dreams. Young adults who have been betrayed. Young couples who have been ensnared in deceptive schemes. Adults who have been cast aside by employers who accept no responsibility for their own bad choices. Older adults who feel abandoned by their families as they face their challenges alone. There is brokenness everywhere you look.

As Jesus begins his ministry, you should notice that he spends much of his time with broken people. You should also notice his response. He doesn’t spend much time analyzing the conditions that have led to their brokenness. He doesn’t try to identify who is to blame for their brokenness. He doesn’t make excuses for them and ask others to give them the benefit of the doubt. What Jesus does is act decisively to restore them to wholeness. Jesus heals the sick. Jesus casts out demons. Jesus teaches the truth. And Jesus does it everywhere he goes.

As followers of Jesus we face the challenge of how to respond to the brokenness we encounter. God is working to restore all of creation. The question is whether the community of faith will accept its role in being the place where people experience the restoring power of God’s Holy Spirit.

May God work among the followers of Jesus that wherever they gather, it may be a place of restoration.