March 16th, 21

What is this accusation of foolishness? What seemed foolish and ineffective was Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross. This was deemed foolish. Yet, when we children of faith, look at his death on the cross, we see the fulfillment of all the law and the prophets. It was according to the Scriptures, and this foolish death was the defeat of death itself. Jesus was defeating sin, death and the grave. He was demonstrating his love for us. He was showing the universe the self giving radically forgiving, co suffering, love of God, he became the spotless Lamb of God, the perfect atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. He atoned for us on the cross. Atonement literally means at-one-meant on the cross. He was at one with you, with me, with the whole world, and he was uniting himself to us. 

Not when we were falling before him in worship. But when we were lifting him up on a cross to crucify him, when we were at our lowest and darkest, that's when he unites himself to us. When we were enemies of God, He died for us, he reconciled us to himself. The only thing that remains for us is to trust him. And that is foolishness to the Greeks. And it's weak and ineffectual to the Jews before us who are being saved. It is our very life and our hope. It is the message that we preach the truth that we cling to the freedom that we walk in.

Christ has united Himself to you. He did that. Ours is to wake up to the freedom and the forgiveness that we now live in, to be witnesses to the self giving, radically forgiving, co suffering, love of God to be his hands and his feet in this world now. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's a prayer that I have for my family for my wife, and my daughters and my son. And that's a prayer that I have for you. May it be so

You are loved!