In a sermon by John Huffman, he says: Jim Birchfield told about Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest who works with gang members in East Los Angeles. Father Boyle has put together a team of physicians trained in laser technology of tattoo removal. The team is part of a program that takes the tattoos of ex-gang members and wipes the slate clean. For many, it is as crucial a service as it is merciful.
To a former gang member, the gang tattoo fosters the attitude that the gang's claim on that person's life is permanent. It is a mark of ownership as much as identity. The process of tattoo removal is extremely painful. Patients describe the laser procedure as feeling like hot grease on their skin. Yet the waiting list grows of those who will put up with whatever pain it takes to be transformed, to receive a new identity.
That’s what Easter is all about: Because Christ loved you enough to go to the cross and pay the price of your sin, and because God vindicated Him on the third day by raising Him from the dead, you can know your life can be transformed through Christ. (Click here to read the full sermon.)
View more sermon illustrations for inspiration for your next message.