Perfectly Imperfect

Me

So, as usual I was on Instagram and I found this page called Canadian Throwbacks, its a page of older kids TV shows that I watched when I was a kid. This page brings back lots of memekorues, also makes me feel ike i againign but im only a few years older than you guys, crazy right?

Anyways, one of teh shows that popped up there was one called “Mr. Dress up” its a very old show, but it would play on CBC and man I loved that show. HAs anyone ever heard of it before?

In case you havemt, here is a short few minute clip.

*Play video*

One thing about Mr.Dress up is that He always did art, now if you know me well, I am absolute trash at drawing. Can’t do it for the life of me. I’ve never been able to, yet when I would follow along with Mr. Dress up it didnt seem like he overly cared if I was perfect at art or not, he was jsy more concerned that I tried.

I feel like God is the same way.

We

There is an artist named Salvador Dali, very quriky person, but he once said “Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.”

How encouraging, right? If you’re a perfectionaist liek me, you will try every way to be perfect. Adn when we don’t reach that level of perfection we beat ourselves up. Any “flaw” we have discredits us from being good enough.

Have you ever been there?

By the way, I’m not saying don’t try, dont put effort in. What i am saying is this, strive for excleence, don’t get caught up in perfection.

Here’s the thing friends: what we see as our flaws, God can use as foundations.

It’s only when we understand that we aren’t perfect and that we do have flaws that we are able to be fully open with God and ourselves.

Here’s the thing, we aren’t perfect, we all know it. Ask anybody what their strenghts are, they will go blank, but ask them about their weaknesses, they could write a novel. Yet, we strive to be perfect for God, for church, for others.

Freinds, God Doesn’t require perfection, he asks us to follow him.

Story

There’s this ancient story of a woman at a well. It’s in the middle of the day, the hottest point of the day too. There she is, throwing her bucket into the well jsut to try and ger some water.

Then she looks up and sees a figure, a man, approching her. HE looks tired, weary form a long journey. He walks u the well, and sits by it. Exhausted, He looks at her, with a smile on his face, and asks “Could please you give me a drink?”

The woman, shocked that this man would ask for such a thing, says “You are a jew, I am a samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”

Back then, Jews didn’t associate with Samaritan people.

The man looked at her, smiled an laughed “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” He replied.

Okay, a little cocky wouldn’t you say?

The woman, looked at him scoffed, also a lite puzzled. She put down the bucket and saud, “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

Boom roasted! Basically this woman said, ‘Boy, who do you think you is”

Gently, the man leaned closer to well, looking into it he paused. As he is looking into is he says “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

The woman, taken back by such a bold stament, leans clsoer in. Her voice, trying to break through the pain and hurt, says “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

“Go and get your husband,” The man says.

17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied very quickly.

The man said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— 18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

Shocked, the woman beings to freak out inside. “How does he know? Who is this guy?

She looks at him, with tears beggining to build up in her eyes and her voice quiciving from the internal hurt of past experinces. She says, you must be a prophet and they discusss the differnce between Jews and samaritans.

Towarsd the end of teh conversation, The woman says, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then the man, looked into her eyes, began t smile and laugh, he stood up and exclaimed, “I am the Messiah!

27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

God

I love this story becasue, it’s a beautiful picture of how God works.

But inoder to properlay understand it we need to shift ourpersctive to see life through the womans eyes.

You see, when the woman came to the well, it was unusual because most women came in groups, either in the morning or at dusk when it was cooler. This was certainly because she was known as an immoral woman (4:18) and would have been shunned by the others (cf. Burge); she came when she could be alone.

Have you ever felt lonely? Felt shunned, cut out by people, so did she.

Let’s keep going.

The woman, not understanding Jesus, asked for this living water so that she would never have to be thirsty or come to the well again (4:15). She exhibited no awareness of the spiritual reality Jesus was addressing. Then Jesus made an abrupt change of direction—but again it was carefully calculated, for it forced her to come face to face not only with who she was (she already knew that) but with who he was. He began by asking her to get her husband, leading her to admit that she was not married. She probably thought that would end the discussion, but Jesus was digging ever more deeply into her true spiritual condition. Before she could drink the living water, she had to come to grips with her moral condition.

Here’s thing thing, for so long this lady had been going to well that could never satisify. Time and time again she was drawing form a well that was empty. From husband to husband, she was tossed around like a useless object. By the way, legally back inthat day she had no right to divorce a man. So thatvmenas that htis woman, was used and abused by six differnt men.

Imagine how she felt about herself. Each realtionship being broken, part of her being stripped away. Imagine, this woman trying to pick up the pieces of her shatterd heart time and time again.

Object lesson

Maybe you’ve felt the same way. That through your life you felt like every mistake broke you, chipped away at who you are and now you are saying, “that you arne’t lovebale or worthy of care”

*Take out the hammer and plate*

Lets get even more real. For some of us,

It’s a secret addiction *Hit plate*

Mistakes you made with your significant other *hit plate*

Trying to find your value in other people’s opinions *Hit plate*

Depression *Hit plate*

Anxiety *Hit plate*

Eating disorders *Hit plate*

Maybe for some of you, you feel like your life is like this. Shattered in a million pieces.

*show mess of plate*

But here is the amazing thing.

God isn’t put off by our mess, he comes in, helps us gehter all the pieces, puts them back togther. So that we can look like this

*show completed plate*

You

See friends, what you see as a flaw, God can use as a foundation.

Author Ernest hemmingway once said “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in teh broken places”

Friends, you and I aren’t perfect, but here’s the thing God isn;t looking for perfection, he’s looking for effort.

Yet, Jesus in matthew 5:48 says “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect”

So what does that mean? Well what Jesus is referring to here is that

What is involved in becoming perfect is uprightness and blamelessness in consistently obeying God’s laws

Don’t be fake. Be real, be forgiving, be love.

We

For some of us in this room, we feel like the woman at the well. Broken beyoind repair, but eres the amaizng thing. One encounter with Jesus changed all of that. She didn’t need to know all the pereffect answers to chrsitainty, she didnt need tohavea bible collge degree. No, with one encounter she ran to everyone she met and said “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him”

She didn’t go to church for years, she wasn’t your typical church person. No! But for the first time she was known, not for her mistakes or what she brought to the table, but for who she actually was. So she ran to streets and invited people in to encoutner who Jesus is. See here statment, ‘could this be?” is a drect open invitation to learn together.

One encounter changed her life. She didn’t know all the answers, all she knew was Jesus. No perfect arguaments, no perfect church attendance,, just perfect love.

Friends, you never know the impact you can have on one person’s life with just one simple invitation.