The Lord takes Delight in You

23 January 2013

With the Holy Eucharist

The Gathering of the Community

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
And also with you.

The Collect for Purity

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect

Almighty God, your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the light of the world. May your people, illumined by your word and sacraments, shine with the radiance of his glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Hymn: Praise my soul the King of Heaven (v. 1, 2)

Theme: The Mystery of Christ

Topic: The Lord takes Delight in You

Reading: Isaiah 62:1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
   and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
   and her salvation like a burning torch.
² The nations shall see your vindication,
   and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
   that the mouth of the Lord will give.
³ You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
   and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
⁴ You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
   and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
   and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
   and your land shall be married.
⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman,
   so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
   so shall your God rejoice over you.

Introduction

We know and believe that the Son of God came that we may have life and have it more abundantly, however, the reality is that sometimes we feel the opposite.  In the natural it appears as if God has forsaken us, and has failed to keep His promise to us; His promise of peace, abundance and comfort, His promise to be with us at all times.  Well, the truth remains that nothing takes God by surprise; we may not understand why go through tough and/or challenging times but He knows, and will bring us through them.  We serve a God who is bigger than our problems, and stronger than our enemies; the love God has for us in Christ is stronger than our weaknesses and shortcomings.  Although the circumstances may not make sense to us, God has perfect understanding of every situation.  He takes delight in us, has our best interest in mind, and will rescue us.  He is delighted to call us His children- works of His hands; He will leave no stone unturned to bless and make us holy.  God will never withhold any good thing from us, and will use events that may have caused us pain to bless us and glorify His Holy Name.

Questions/Discussion

1. How do we know that God takes delight in us? 
Jeremiah 29:11-14
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. ¹²Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.¹³When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, ¹⁴I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Matthew 7:7-12

‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? ¹⁰Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? ¹¹If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! ¹² ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

2. Share some landmark events in your life that point to the depth of God’s love for you.

Joshua 3:9-17
Joshua then said to the Israelites, ‘Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God.’ ¹⁰Joshua said, ‘By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: ¹¹the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. ¹²So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ¹³When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.’ ¹⁴ When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people.¹⁵Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, ¹⁶the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing towards the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

Joshua 4:1-18

When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, theLord said to Joshua: ²‘Select twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, ³and command them, “Take twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you camp tonight.” ’ ⁴Then Joshua summoned the twelve men from the Israelites, whom he had appointed, one from each tribe. ⁵Joshua said to them, ‘Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, one for each of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶so that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, “What do those stones mean to you?” ⁷then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial for ever.’ ⁸ The Israelites did as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord told Joshua, carried them over with them to the place where they camped, and laid them down there. ⁹(Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.) ¹⁰ The priests who bore the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan, until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people crossed over in haste. ¹¹As soon as all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of the Lord, and the priests, crossed over in front of the people. ¹²The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the Israelites, as Moses had ordered them. ¹³About forty thousand armed for war crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for battle. ¹⁴ On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him, as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life. ¹⁵ The Lord said to Joshua, ¹⁶‘Command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant to come up out of the Jordan.’ ¹⁷Joshua therefore commanded the priests, ‘Come up out of the Jordan.’ ¹⁸When the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet touched dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

3. What holds us back from living in the promise of God?  How do we overcome the drawbacks? 

Isaiah 59:1-2, 9-16
See, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save,
   nor his ear too dull to hear.
² Rather, your iniquities have been barriers
   between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
   so that he does not hear.
⁹ Therefore justice is far from us,
   and righteousness does not reach us;
we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness;
   and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
¹⁰ We grope like the blind along a wall,
   groping like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
   among the vigorous as though we were dead.
¹¹ We all growl like bears;
   like doves we moan mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
   for salvation, but it is far from us.
¹² For our transgressions before you are many,
   and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions indeed are with us,
   and we know our iniquities:
¹³ transgressing, and denying the Lord,
   and turning away from following our God,
talking oppression and revolt,
   conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart.
¹⁴ Justice is turned back,
   and righteousness stands at a distance;
for truth stumbles in the public square,
   and uprightness cannot enter.
¹⁵ Truth is lacking,
   and whoever turns from evil is despoiled. 

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
   that there was no justice.
¹⁶ He saw that there was no one,
   and was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm brought him victory,
   and his righteousness upheld him.

Matthew 17:14-21

When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him,¹⁵and said, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water.¹⁶And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.’¹⁷Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.’ ¹⁸And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. ¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ ²⁰He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’

Mark 6:1-6

He left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him. ²On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ³Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offenceat him. ⁴Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ ⁵And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. ⁶And he was amazed at their unbelief. 

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ²Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ ⁴And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ ⁵His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ ⁶Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it.⁹When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom ¹⁰and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ ¹¹Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Intercession/Worship

Conclusion

The Almighty God loves us and takes delight in us.  May we live in His promise all the days of our lives, confident that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion.

Confession and Absolution

The Peace

We will gather around the table.

The Celebration of the Eucharist

The Prayer over the Gifts
The Great Thanksgiving - Eucharistic Prayer 1
The Lord’s Prayer
The Breaking of the Bread
The Communion

Hymn: Praise my soul the King of Heaven (v. 3, 4)

Prayer after Communion
The doxology
Blessing
Dismissal

Christ, Our Peace

16 January 2013

Opening Prayer/Worship

Hymn: When Peace Like a River

Theme: The Mystery of Christ

Topic: Christ, Our Peace

Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7

But now thus says the Lord,
   he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
   and the flame shall not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
   Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
⁴ Because you are precious in my sight,
   and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
   nations in exchange for your life.
⁵ Do not fear, for I am with you;
   I will bring your offspring from the east,
   and from the west I will gather you;
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
   and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
   and my daughters from the end of the earth—
⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
   whom I created for my glory,
   whom I formed and made.’

Introduction

At times in life, God allows challenges and trials to come our way.  The encouragement we have at such moments is that He has made us a promise- neither to leave us nor forsake us.  No matter how strong the storm or painful the loss/trial, God knows, and has promised to bring us through it.  When we go through challenging times, it is very easy to give up, no wonder the Scripture reminds us in several passages, neither to fear nor be afraid; rather that we should trust the promise of God, that when we put our trust in Christ we are rest assured that He will deliver us.  Christ died not only to set us free from the bondage of sin, satanic attacks and fear of death, but that we may live a life of abundance-  abundance in our health, career, relationships, walk with God, finances and so much more.  Although it is a mystery how God did it, Christ died that we may have the Peace which passes human understanding.  No matter what may come our way, let our song be “it is well”. 

Questions/Discussion

1.   What is the essence of the encouragement in Scripture- ‘do not fear’?  

      How will you define fear? 

Isaiah 41:10, 13-14

¹⁰ do not fear, for I am with you,
   do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
   I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. 

¹³ For I, the Lord your God,
   hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear,
   I will help you.’ 

¹⁴ Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
   you insect Israel!
I will help you, says the Lord;
   your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

2. Discuss some of the factors that cause us to fear when we go through challenging times. 

Deuteronomy 20:1-4

When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots, an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. ²Before you engage in battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the troops, ³and shall say to them: ‘Hear, O Israel! Today you are drawing near to do battle against your enemies. Do not lose heart, or be afraid, or panic, or be in dread of them; ⁴for it is the Lord your God who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory.’

3. How do we apply the promise of God’s deliverance in our lives? 

Psalm 107:10-22

¹⁰ Some sat in darkness and in gloom,
   prisoners in misery and in irons,
¹¹ for they had rebelled against the words of God,
   and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
¹² Their hearts were bowed down with hard labour;
   they fell down, with no one to help.
¹³ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
   and he saved them from their distress;
¹⁴ he brought them out of darkness and gloom,
   and broke their bonds asunder.
¹⁵ Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
   for his wonderful works to humankind.
¹⁶ For he shatters the doors of bronze,
   and cuts in two the bars of iron. 

¹⁷ Some were sick through their sinful ways,
   and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
¹⁸ they loathed any kind of food,
   and they drew near to the gates of death.
¹⁹ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
   and he saved them from their distress;
²⁰ he sent out his word and healed them,
   and delivered them from destruction.
²¹ Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
   for his wonderful works to humankind.
²² And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
   and tell of his deeds with songs of joy. 

Isaiah 43:1-2, 54:14-17

But now thus says the Lord,
   he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
   and the flame shall not consume you. 

54:14-17

In righteousness you shall be established;
   you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
   and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
¹⁵ If anyone stirs up strife,
   it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
   shall fall because of you.
¹⁶ See, it is I who have created the smith
   who blows the fire of coals,
   and produces a weapon fit for its purpose;
I have also created the ravager to destroy.
¹⁷   No weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper,
   and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgement.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
   and their vindication from me, says the Lord.

Luke 12:6-7

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. ⁷But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

John 14:25-27

‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Intercession/Worship

Conclusion

Christ is our perfect Peace.  When trials and challenges come our way, may our song be ‘it is well with my soul’, always.

Closing Prayer (Collect for the Baptism of the Lord)

Eternal Father, who at the baptism of Jesus revealed Him to be Your Son, anointing Him with the Holy Spirit, keep Your children, born of water and the Spirit, faithful to their calling; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

A New Beginning

9 January 2013

Opening Prayer/Worship

Hymn: Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

Theme: The Mystery of Christ

Topic: A New Beginning

Reading: Ephesians 3:1-12

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for^* Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—²for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given to me for you,³and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words,⁴a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.⁵In former generations this mystery^* was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:⁶that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ⁷ Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.⁸Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ,⁹and to make everyone see^* what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in^* God who created all things;¹⁰so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.¹¹This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,¹²in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.^*

Introduction

The word mystery or mysterious implies that which is incomprehensible, inexplicable, extraordinary, and so on; and can only be understood through revelation from God.  We know through the Scriptures that everything regarding Christ is a mystery; He is God’s gift, atonement for our sins, and demonstration of God’s immense love for mankind.  The immaculate conception of Christ, His ministry while here on earth, sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension are events that cannot be explained based on human understanding.  According to our Scripture reading for today’s study, it is a mystery how Christ, through His death and resurrection, adopted everyone into the family of God, co-heirs with Himself and God’s chosen nation, Israel.  That marked a new beginning for all people.  Everyone is loved by God; Christ died for the whole world, and we are all one in Him.  Knowledge of this mystery of the gospel of Christ will enable us see in others, the love of God; and treat everyone as God will want us to- loved, redeemed, precious, priceless and extremely beautiful.

Questions/Discussion

1. How is the mystery of Christ a new beginning for humanity?

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

¹ Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
² May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
³ May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
⁴ May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.

⁵ May he live^* while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
⁶ May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
⁷ In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.
¹¹ May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.

¹² For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
¹³ He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
¹⁴ From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.

Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
² For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
³ Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

⁴ Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
⁵ Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,^*
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
⁶ A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences.¹²We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart.¹³For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.¹⁴For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.¹⁵And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. ¹⁶ From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;^* even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view,^* we know him no longer in that way.¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,^* not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.²¹For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2. What lessons and strength are there for us in the knowledge of the mystery of Christ?

Galatians 3:15-29, 4:1-7

Brothers and sisters,^* I give an example from daily life: once a person’s will^* has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it.¹⁶Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring;^* it does not say, ‘And to offsprings’,^* as of many; but it says, ‘And to your offspring’,^* that is, to one person, who is Christ.¹⁷My point is this: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.¹⁸For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise. ¹⁹ Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring^* would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator.²⁰Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God is one. ²¹ Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law.²²But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ^* might be given to those who believe. ²³ Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.²⁴Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian,²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.²⁷As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.²⁸There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring,^* heirs according to the promise.

 

4:1 My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property;²but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father.³So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits^* of the world.⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,⁵in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.⁶And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our^* hearts, crying, ‘Abba!^* Father!’⁷So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.^*

3. How do we apply the knowledge of the mystery of Christ in our lives?

Hebrews 2:1-18

Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.²For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty,³how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, ⁴while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will. ⁵ Now God^* did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels.⁶But someone has testified somewhere, ‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them, ^*or mortals, that you care for them?^{* 7} You have made them for a little while lower^* than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honour, ^*8 subjecting all things under their feet.’ Now in subjecting all things to them, God^* left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them,⁹but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower^* than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God^* he might taste death for everyone. ¹⁰ It was fitting that God,^* for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.¹¹For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.^* For this reason Jesus^* is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,^*12saying, ‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, ^*in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’ ¹³And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.’ And again, ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given me.’ ¹⁴ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.¹⁶For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham.¹⁷Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters^* in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.¹⁸Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Intercession/Worship

Conclusion

Christ died, reconciling all people to God and has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation.  Let us always remember that we are ambassadors of Christ, and live such that through the presence of the Holy Spirit in us, our words, thoughts and actions will reflect the love God has for everyone in Christ Jesus.

Closing Prayer (Collect for Epiphany Sunday)

Eternal God, who by a star led magi to the worship of Your Son. Guide by Your light the nations of the earth, that the whole world may know Your Glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.