Just how “for us” is God?

The mission of God involves the transformation of our identity. Rather than living with the sense of being rejected, abandoned, alone, losers or failures–God names us God’s beloved sons and daughters.  The lies of the Accuser continually bind us in shame and defensiveness. We desperately seek to assert or protect the shreds of our self-created sense of worth. The Lenten journey is the opportunity to reject these lies and receive again the Spirit breathing God’s love into us.

“From the straw of the manger in Bethlehem—to the wooden cross of Golgotha,

From the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost—to the gifts of the Eucharist to us and the Spirit in us,  

God bears our sin, carries our sorrows, offers the perfect obedience we can’t give, and comes to make God’s home in and with us.

Jesus is Immanuel—God with us.

Jesus is Messiah—God for us.

Jesus is the Incarnate Son—God as us.

The Spirit, the Father and Son abide in us—God in us.

This radical replacement of our broken humanity with Jesus’ perfect human life in us creates joy, freedom and ever-deepening eagerness to live in him. How sad that the best theology some Christians hear is that we need to try as best we can to live like Jesus. Of course we are to live like Jesus—but that is only possible because the life of Jesus is in us. The God of steadfast kindness not only loves us, God lives in us.”

(Beyond Duty: A Passion for Christ, A Heart for Mission (2013: 49-50). Available on Amazon US, UK, India, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain.)

A friend in Juneau recently sent the link to this music video, “Remind me who I am”, by Jason Gray. He captures it beautifully.