We have a family member at the heart of God
Listen to this daily worship
Hebrews 1: 5-12 (NRSVA)
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
‘You are my Son;
today I have begotten you’?Or again,
‘I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son’?6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’
7 Of the angels he says,
‘He makes his angels winds,
and his servants flames of fire.’8 But of the Son he says,
‘Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever,
and the righteous sceptre is the sceptre of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’10 And,
‘In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like clothing;
12 like a cloak you will roll them up,
and like clothing they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will never end.’
One of the great contributions to our thinking about God comes from the great 20th century theologian Karl Barth. In his writings he reveals the great truth that at the heart of God is the man — Jesus Christ. This of course is what the writer of Hebrews says in the introduction to the Epistle of Hebrews. And it is what Paul reminds us of when he says in 2 Corinthians 5: 19 “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself”. This kind of biblical teaching should encourage us to take heart. In the midst of all our trials and struggles God is reaching out to us seeking to put things right in our lives by actively involving himself in the story of our lives.
God is not a distant deity, pointing the finger at us. God has made us a member of his family calling us to be reconciled to himself and to each other. The great news is he has shone a light into our darkness calling us into the light. There is so much joy to be had when we begin to uncover the clues that lead to the light.
Here is a link to a song Iain Jamieson and I wrote performed by the Bogle Band. It sums up the unexpected joy of discovering the light. Listen to ‘Light of the World’ on the Sanctuary First site: sanctuaryfirst.org.uk/video/watch/light-of-the-world
PRAYER:
O God,
Son of man
Father of creation
Spirit of grace and peace
You totally amaze me
I stand in wonder at the creation
And in fear of its future
I wrestle with the inner turmoil of my life
And the beauty and brokenessess of the world
Yet I know I have an inner blindness
Shutting me out into the cold
Oblivious of the love clues
You leave for my enjoyment
Re-calibrate my thoughts
Turn my head to the light
My feet to face the right direction
Speak to the true humanity within me
That I might recognise
Your heart in my soul
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