"....God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27, NIV)
This is another, "mystery," spoken of in Colossians. This wonderful Jesus, "the mystery of God," is now, because of His Blood in His Cross and our surrendering of our lives to Jesus, "Christ in you...." Jesus is, "Christ in you," in the Church, and because you and I are in the Church, members of and in His Body, the glorious revelation of, "this mystery," is now Jesus Himself in you and me. This is, "the hope of glory," and the hope of humanity.
Glorious, "mystery," and both mysteries mentioned in the Colossian Epistle are centered in Jesus, as the title of one of Bonhoeffer's books states it, Christ the Center. Jesus is your "Center". Jesus is my "Center". Jesus is the Universe's "Center". I recently read the definition of "center," as in "to be centered," by a humanist. "Being centered means having a reference point, a place to come back to when life and emotions and stress push you off balance. Think about those wobbly toys that kids play with; you knock them down and they bounce right back. They have the kind of balance that we wobbly humans often wish we possessed! They have such a strong sense of what their 'center' is, that they effortlessly go right back to it, no matter how many times or which direction you push them." I rest my case.
Father, in Jesus' Name, this "wobbly human[]" thanks You for "Christ [my] Center." Amen.
This is another, "mystery," spoken of in Colossians. This wonderful Jesus, "the mystery of God," is now, because of His Blood in His Cross and our surrendering of our lives to Jesus, "Christ in you...." Jesus is, "Christ in you," in the Church, and because you and I are in the Church, members of and in His Body, the glorious revelation of, "this mystery," is now Jesus Himself in you and me. This is, "the hope of glory," and the hope of humanity.
Glorious, "mystery," and both mysteries mentioned in the Colossian Epistle are centered in Jesus, as the title of one of Bonhoeffer's books states it, Christ the Center. Jesus is your "Center". Jesus is my "Center". Jesus is the Universe's "Center". I recently read the definition of "center," as in "to be centered," by a humanist. "Being centered means having a reference point, a place to come back to when life and emotions and stress push you off balance. Think about those wobbly toys that kids play with; you knock them down and they bounce right back. They have the kind of balance that we wobbly humans often wish we possessed! They have such a strong sense of what their 'center' is, that they effortlessly go right back to it, no matter how many times or which direction you push them." I rest my case.
Father, in Jesus' Name, this "wobbly human[]" thanks You for "Christ [my] Center." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
