Bad Boys of Easter | Part 1 | My Private Nation | Chris Voigt

My Private Nation
The Bad Boys of Easter
April 3, 2022

Control. We like it. It feels good.

We get irritated when our plans go awry, when we’ve got an agenda or timeline and someone or something gets in our way and slows us down, or completely blows up our carefully crafted plans.

While there are some things that you can control, ultimately, control is an illusion. Sure, there are choices you can make; but the truth is, our ability to control is limited. I might choose to go to bed at a time that allows me to get enough sleep, only to toss and turn until it’s time to get up again. Our ability to control is limited. And yet, we as humans seem driven by the desire to be in control.

If you look up the word ‘surrender,’ you’ll find a definition that is full of negative sounding words and a list of synonyms such as: abdicate, capitulate, acquiesce, relinquish, and succumb. Sounds fun, huh? When it’s painted that way, no wonder we resist surrender and pursue control. Those words are not on anyone’s list of life goals.

Even as followers of Jesus, there are places in our lives where we resist surrender. We want to be in control. I know what’s best for me, because I know me. Because trusting in someone or something we cannot see, touch, understand or control, is scary.

This week, we’ll be looking at Caiaphas, the high priest who finds his way into the story of Jesus. He too struggles with control and surrender. Even though he’s on the wrong side of history, there are valuable things we can learn from his story.

Believe it or not, and contrary to popular opinion, there are benefits to not being in control and blessings to be found in surrender. I hope you’ll join us as we explore those ideas together.