Legacy of Love, Chris Heuertz

Saturday Morning General Session

Word Made Flesh practices the presence of God among child soldiers and other exploited children around the world.

“The greatest commandment is love. Love will never fail, but how much time do we spend truly loving others with our lives? Chris’ life and ministry is an inspiration to this love, visible through his global work with refugees, orphans of war, women trapped in prostitution, sex trafficking and building many other incarnational communities to the poorest of the poor.”

Humilty allows for community.

Celebrate simplicity.

It doesn’t matter what our context is. We’re still called to a life of love.

Opened with a prayer: “Make me a girl who is … [going to be exploited and misused, that I may know you].”

Apologized for not being a preacher - his worst grade in college was in speech — he’s more of a story-teller.

There’s a lament we have as evangelicals: an informed continuity of what’s come before us. Our friends have legitimate reasons to question the reality of a good God. We need to share and pass on, that legacy by loving them.

[Listen to podcast stories/testimonies...]

As he learned to love others, he was changed. He became a receptor of as much as a giver.

We need to rediscover a theology of Christ that is human as well as divine. He came to restore our humanity. In Genesis, God created us good, very good. Jesus came to redeem that goodness.

We have become so disembodied in a hyper sexualized, media saturated, techno driven culture. Christ becomes flesh and blood. He reaffirms our need for relationships, as well as our uniqueness.

What are the missional marks of the incarnation?
+ It’s restorative.
+ It’s communal.
+ It’s identification.

Do we identify with the mutilation and amputation of Sierra Leone? Can our gospel commune and restore the terror and horror of genocide? Does the incarnation relate to war ravaged refugees?

When our limbs are severed, we’ve lost our capacity to be whole. Still, we must love. The truest legacy of love is woundedness. There were wounds on the corpse of Jesus — disguesting, grotesque wounds. Still, those who loved him bandaged those wounds. During Sabath, they prepared the spices to treat his corpse — two days after his death! The Sabbath is a symbol for their contemplative posture. Then they arrive at the tomb to dress the decaying, wounded body. Instead they discover him resurrected and whole.

Thomas’ doubt is crucial to rediscover the incarntaional legacy of love. Do we have the courage to touch those wounds? In the scarred wounds of Christ’s resurrected body, we can find healing for the open wounds in the body of Christ.

God, give us courage to discover those open wounds, and the love to touch them, and treat them, and pursue wholeness.

Podcast here