“Houston, we have a problem.” No disrespect to Jack Swigart or the rest of the crew of Apollo 13, but they are not the only ones with a problem. All of humanity has a shared problem. We are alienated from God, from ourselves, from one another, and from the world. It has been so since the very first two people walked the earth, and it continues thus to this day.
Our problem includes three distinct manifestations. First, we want to be like God, in that we want to determine good and evil for ourselves, instead of relying upon God’s word. Second, we blame others for our troubles, rather than take responsibility for our own lives. Third, we feel we need to defend ourselves, rather than seek the common good.
In our sermon this Sunday, we will look at this problem that affects all people, and it’s place in God’s plan to reconcile the world to himself. We will leave the solution to the problem to another day, but for now, we offer two hints of hope. First, God has set boundaries in creation to protect ourselves from our own bad ideas. Second, God cares and provides for us in our vulnerability, even as we wait for him to solve our problem.