10-28-2023 3:13pm

Strong spirits: caught!

Photo: Peter van der Sluijs

Have you ever been caught? Either caught doing something you shouldn't, or caught in or by something that is hurtful to you? Being caught can be very devastating.

Once, some religious leaders brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. They said to Jesus, "... this woman was caught in the act of adultery... Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" (John 8:4,5). They didn't care about the woman. They wanted to catch Jesus saying something wrong.

What he did say is famous, and caught them by surprise: "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her." (John 8:7) And they all walked away. Jesus told the woman that he didn't condemn her, and that she should go home and stop sinning. He set her free. But he also caught her with his love.

We are all sinners. We are all prone to getting caught in our sins and bad decisions. Jesus came to set us free from all of that as only he could. What's got you caught? Why not let him set you free? Why not let him catch you with his love?

Besides serving as pastor at Caledonia Congregational Church, Gary Schwerin is the Spiritual Development Minister for the YMCA of the Rock River Valley and Executive Director of Bridge Ministries of Rockford. Prior to launching Bridge Ministries, Gary spent many years in leadership with Young Life. His columns appear here every Sunday - to see them all, subscribe to our daily email.

Most Sunday mornings just before 11 a.m., you can watch Gary live on Zoom. Contact him for a link.