Rahab

You may be reading this thinking he just misspelled rehab, but no, this is about a member of the faith hall of fame, Rahab the prostitute. While many may wonder how a harlot is enshrined in Hebrews Chapter 11 with folks such as Moses, Abraham and other legends, she herself should tell us something about God.

At the Statue of Liberty these words are a powerful welcome to those coming to America, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore. They could very well be the words of the Lord as he opens his arms to us to join him on a journey to freedom. Or maybe the title to a Clint Eastwood movie would fit here,  The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. 

There is such a misconception in the world of Christianity as to who is called to serve as an example to others.  Yes, it is certainly exemplary to be good, and we don't want to lift up the bad behavior as a model, or consider those blessed to be pretty to be better than those considered ugly, but the fact is that is what drives our thinking as to what a good Christian should be.

But Rahab, or the woman caught in adultery, or the five time married woman at the well who exemplify badness turned out to be superstars in the Bible as an example to others such as you and I. God is really excited about goodness, the ability of those with life long pursuit of righteousness, but he is also just as excited about lost sheep and prodigal sons who come home.

What that means to you and I is that no matter how far out we have been, no matter how ashamed of what we have done,  no matter how many people have scorned us or put us down, Jesus opened the door for us to find a seat at his table. As crazy as that sounds, we may also have a seat next to Rahab who is part of God's rehab.

And then we will really know the truth, that truth that has set us free!