Several years ago now there was a television show called That Seventies Show. Perhaps some of you have seen it. While the credits ran each week as the show opened, the cast was shown sitting in the car that belonged to the main character on the show. And the entire cast sang a song about hanging out with each other and being there for each other as best friends. And at the end of the song, the cast sang loudly, forcefully, in a chanting, sing-song style, “We’re all alright! We’re all alright!”
A re-run of that show was just coming on the other night when I turned on my television, and I heard that song, and I thought about it a little bit. And I realized: I’m not alright. I’m not. I do things that are wrong. I am a committed Christian. I am called by God as a minister of the Gospel of Christ. I really try to live my life in the right way. And yet, I still sometimes do things that I really don’t understand why I do. Sometimes I have bad thoughts. Sometimes I say things I should not say. Sometimes I act in wrong ways toward others. I am not alright. Not at all. And lest there be any doubt, let me tell you right now: neither are you. Neither is anybody. You sometimes do things that you know are wrong, too. We all need to be redeemed. We all need to be made alright. We all need to be saved.