Following Jesus Together - October 6, 2021
Dear Friends,
One of the most helpful and humbling meditations on being made in the image of God comes from C.S. Lewis’ essay, “The Weight of Glory”. You should be able to hear the echoes of Genesis 9:6 and James 3:7-12 in his words, calling us to see our neighbors as God does – made in His image and likeness. And that reality ought to control how we speak and treat others. Lewis writes this:
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.”
He goes on to say that this glorious burden, interacting with other humans made in God’s image, is so heavy that only humility can carry it. Can you feel that burden?
See, humility starts with this brutal reality: Jesus Christ, the fully human image of the invisible God, His beloved Son, came into this world, taking us and our sin seriously. He was killed for our sin even as He cries out for the forgiveness of his unjust killers. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Even as Jesus was being cursed and killed, He was honoring the image of God in everyone, both friend and foe.
So as you go through this week, remember the work God started in you through faith in Jesus. God is changing you into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. Since He loved us loved us while we were yet enemies (Romans 5:8), how then should we treat the extraordinary image bearers of God in our lives?
Sunday School 9:00am – Glorified, Yet Denied – Come learn about Jesus from Bible teacher Sinclair Ferguson – Come enjoy the discussions after as well!
Worship – 10:15am – “Made in God’s Image” – Genesis 1:26-31 – One of the more well known catechism questions goes like this: What is the chief end of man? In other words, what are you created for? What are you primarily here on planet earth to do?
Last Sunday we saw that God created us to enjoy Him, to be enjoyed by Him. This Sunday, we see that God created us to represent Him as His image bearers, being made in His likeness. So when people see how we rule, love and care for our world, they see how God rules, loves and cares for the world. We are created for God’s glory.
We don’t do that perfectly or well, which is why we need Jesus, the perfect human, to obey for us. Even more, we need to be remade into Jesus’ image. So, what is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Come and see how Jesus did that for us this week!
Small Group 6:00pm at the Church – We are continuing through Gentle and Lowly. There is plenty of room in the sanctuary for anyone to join us!
See you Sunday!
Grace and peace,
Nate Thompson
www.hopechurch.us