Broken...Needs Fixed!

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then He said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." (Rev. 21:5)

It's called Pittsburghese! It's a language all its own. Only in Pittsburgh do educated people (people who know better) leave out the verb to be. The car needs fixed. The lawn needs mowed. The house needs cleaned.
Broken ... needs fixed! That's true Pittsburghese! It's a true diagnosis for the South Hills of Pittsburgh and beyond. We are all broken! We all need fixed!
Our usual response to brokenness is to want to rewind (like in a movie to bring all those shattered pieces back into an unbroken whole) - to fix brokenness in all its forms right here, right now. It's the cure, the remedy, the solution, the restoration to reverse the brokenness - that's the goal!
In The Passion of the Christ* Jesus speaks from His cross to His mother Mary, Woman, I make all things new! His body - broken, bleeding and sinking into death by suffocation - the King of Kings and Savior of the World speaks triumphant words, I make all things new! The words are out of place in the Biblical frame (they don't show up until Revelation 21:5) but they fit in the theological frame.
It is ONLY because of Jesus' death that we have the promise of restoration - being made new!
Long, long ago a man and woman in a garden made a terrible choice to disobey God's one rule: Don't eat from that one tree in the center of the garden. (Gen. 3:6) They were a bite away from terrible brokenness and they bit. Because of that bad choice they made and all the ones we continue to make, we all are broken. Some of us cover up, fix up, dress up, clean up and think we can hide our brokenness. The fact is: we are all broken beyond repair except for Jesus' startling promise: I make all things new!
He speaks from this side of His cross and the promise is true: I make all things new!
*movie produced by Mel Gibson

A Being-Restored Heart in a Twisted Body

J. Paul Getty left a legacy of art and architecture. On canvas and in stone he left treasures to wow the world. He made his fortune in the early to mid-20th century amassing billions.

I visited "The Getty" (J. Paul Getty's museum) the other day. It sits high atop a hill in southern California. There are more than five multi-storied buildings to house Getty's collection of rare and beautiful treasures, exotic gardens and waterfalls around the spacious central plaza.

There must be something fundamentally wrong with me because I'm finding a little art, pieces of furniture, manuscript pages, sculpture and pottery go a long way.

One of my companions on this "field trip" is a fabulous young man named Amos. Amos challenges me to my core. Amos is touring "The Getty" on a skateboard today. That's just how he gets around!

When Amos was born, the doc twisted his hips in the birth canal during delivery. The twist broke Amos' back and permanently damaged his spinal cord. Amos' body is twisted from his lower chest down. He cannot walk. He has a different way of sitting. Pretty much the practicalities of living I mostly take for granted are challenges for Amos.

I overheard Amos say: "I'm not handicapped. I'm not disabled. I just have a twisted body."

Amos isn't angry. Amos isn't bitter. Amos knows and loves Jesus! Amos' heart is being restored by God's love and grace! Someday God will untwist Amos' body, too. For now, Amos is just rolling along through life with Jesus! My heart won't be the same after meeting him. Just spending time getting to know him and learning his heart has "blessed my socks off"!