VISION: Transformed Together
In Ezekiel 37, we see God promise to demonstrate his reconciling power by reuniting Israel and Judah as one nation. This is significant because of the insurmountable hatred that they had for one another. But God shows himself as graciously doing the impossible by reconciling Israel and Judah, and later, by breaking down the division between Jew and Gentile. Today, we have the gift and opportunity to demonstrate God’s Gospel by being united—black and white, asian and hispanic—as one in Christ Jesus.
VISION: The Power of God
In Ezekiel 37, God gives Ezekiel a ghastly vision of a valley of dead, dry bones. Though it seems these corpses are gone and dead for good, God shows Ezekiel that he is powerful to raise them from the dead and breathe new life into them. God then promises that he will do this with the nation of Israel even though their situation seems hopeless. Today, when we look around our city, we see a similar landscape. There is hopelessness and death all around us but God is powerful to raise the dead and breath new life into those we care deeply for.
The Church
As Paul closed his letter to the church in Rome, he penned warm greetings to those whom he had previously labored in the Gospel with. We often pay less attention to these greetings in Paul’s letters but to do this will cause us to miss out on something incredibly important. We see here in the plethora of names listed that the people sharing life together in Rome are a very diverse group of people, united in the Gospel. It is made apparent that the only thing that can cause such unity in the midst of diversity is this Gospel that Paul has preached in his letter to the Romans. And Paul applies the Gospel with the last few verses as he erupts with worship to the eternal and wise God who strengthens us according to his Gospel.
A Son Is Given
We are all by nature people marked and shaped by expectation. And during this season, our expectations grow as we think about the Advent of the Messiah, but when God promised to give us a Child to inaugurate his kingdom, he broke all of our expectations. But what’s incredible is that this Child is our Wonderful Counselor who breaks our burdens, the Mighty God that can handle our doubts, and the Everlasting Father who tenderly takes away our burdens for perfection.
A Light Has Shined
In the midst of all of our darkness, a great light has shined. Often we forget the significance of the Advent season and look to traditions and events that are mere shadows of what this time of year is really about. So this Advent we want to be reminded of that fact that though things are very dark and very broken, Jesus has come and his coming has brought joy, life, truth, and peace.
Written Reminder
It is easy for us to be blind to the work that God is doing in the body here at Veritas, but God is moving among us. There are stories of multiplication, redemption, and hospitality going on all around us. There is a lot to celebrate, but we still need bold reminders of the call to become doers of the theology that Paul has laid out for us in his epistle to the Romans. Do our lives tell the story of redemption communicated in the scriptures? Are we, like Paul, living our lives as a liturgy to God in serving his people and our city?
Christian Hospitality, Part 1
As those who have been given grace from God through Jesus, we are now obligated to serve and build up our brothers and sisters who are struggling. Believers have often been marked by abusing others with their strength but Jesus used his strength to serve us in our weakness. God has given us the gospel, the scriptures and prayer that we might endure and be encouraged in hope. We are transformed not through good moral lessons but through the centrality of Jesus and the power of the gospel. Looking to him, we have a foundation for pursuing unity and serving one another and living out our ultimate goal of glorifying God in all things!
Christian Liberty, Part 2
What are the responsibilities of the strong to the weak? According to Paul, the Gospel and the Kingdom inform the way the strong relate to the weak concerning secondary issues. Christ died for our brothers and sisters, so we shouldn’t seek to offend them; and the Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, peace, and joy. So we should joyfully lay down our rights for our brothers and sisters and seek peace with them—even in areas of disagreement. *We apologize for the quality of this recording.
Christian Liberty, Part 1
Non-essential issues can often be a point of division among christians, but it doesn’t need to be this way—it shouldn’t be this way. So instead of division and quarreling, Paul calls us to welcome and love one another. For those who are weaker, he calls us to not judge or despise those who are stronger. For those who are stronger, we are called to not cause the weaker to stumble. No matter what the issue is, we are called to deal with it in love.