I grew up in a small town in Tennessee and thought I wanted to be a garbage man. They got to ride around all day on the back of a big garbage truck; dump people’s cans full of trash in the back; and pull the lever that took all that garbage out of sight. Besides that, they could keep anything they found in the trash. It would be great working outside and doing something that helps people!
It never occurred to me that taking away other people’s trash wasn’t a good job. It was a manual labor job that didn’t pay much money. Working outside and riding on the back of that truck meant they were cold in the winter, wet when it rained, and hot in the summer. In those days we didn’t use plastic bags or trash cans with wheels to make the job easier. The heavy cans had to be carried and lifted to be dumped. Besides all that, garbage stinks! By definition, garbage is what people don’t want and is what’s left of what was good. It needs to be removed because it takes up space and looks or smells offensive. As I got older, I realized those garbage men weren’t respected, even they performed a service we all needed.
These days taking away our garbage is called “waste management.” With recycling equipment to do the hard work and rules to make trash less offensive, you might think trash isn’t as bad as it used to be. Actually, it is just as offensive as before and must be taken away. Let a labor strike or bad weather interrupt the removal process and you will see how quickly the mess accumulates. When those plastic bags tear open, you are reminded that garbage still stinks.
Sin, like our trash, needs to be taken away! In times past we could plainly see the stinky, offensive mess in our life, and we looked to the LORD to take it away. The people who helped us find the LORD weren’t highly paid and had to endure many hardships. Ministers were often the butt of jokes and derision because people didn’t want to admit they had “sin” that needed to be taken away. These days, a type of “waste management” has made sin seem less offensive. People aren’t told they must change. Altars are gone from the Church, so nobody must come to the front and let others see they need help or wrinkle their nice clothes by kneeling in prayer. Forgiveness is handed out, even before sin is removed. You might think sin isn’t as bad as it used to be.
The problem is that sin hasn’t changed. Sin is so offensive that JESUS had to die on the cross so our sin could be taken away. We must turn away from sin and accept JESUS and that precious gift of forgiveness. Only then will our sins be “cast into the sea.” That is the ultimate in “waste management.”
Wayne Lance – That’s Good News to Share!