27 Jesus went on with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they answered Him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 He asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered Him,
“You are the Messiah.” 30 And he sternly ordered them
not to tell anyone about him.
Mark 8:27-30
Jesus has quite the resume! Born of a virgin, walking on water, turning water to wine, and living a sinless life. Pretty impressive! Maybe you’ve seen impressive resumes, and some of us have even written pretty impressive ones. But ask any HR person and they will tell you that a good resume isn’t good enough. The resume is a good start, but it doesn’t tell the entire story.
Jesus has an awesome resume (the Bible) and we have many testimonies of people who give Him a great reference, such as the disciple Peter who called Jesus the Messiah, which means the Christ. But Peter didn’t get his response from a resume. He didn’t Google Jesus or look Him up in a commentary. No, the best kind of intel comes from a personal interview. Getting to know the person on an intimate level. Only then was Peter able to say that Jesus is all that He proclaims Himself to be. It was not from a book or a song, but from experience.
As we spend more time in the Presence of Jesus, we too will gain vital intel. We will know Him as fully God and fully man. God incarnate, which means God in flesh and blood. The One who knows the pain that we go through because He has suffered pain in the flesh. The One who knows what it’s like to have someone break your heart because His heart was broken a few times (remember Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial?).
One could say that Jesus was Divinely Human – 100% God and 100% man. How? That’s the great mystery; baffling yet beautiful, confusing but also the cornerstone of our faith. And it is by faith that we believe it to be true. We have His resume, testimonies of witnesses to His life, and our own internal witness because of His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who lives in us. So, the question remains as relevant today as when Jesus walked this earth, “Who do you say Jesus is?”
Join us this Sunday as we talk about Jesus’ humanity in the sermon: Fully Human. We will also celebrate Holy Communion together. See you there!
Book Drive Thank you to all who participated in the book drive. Your generosity will bless many children who may not have adequate reading resources. To God be the Glory!
Lenten Bible Studies Two Lenten studies are offered at WOW (Wednesdays at 6:30p, meal at 5:45): Forgiveness (taught by Lea Doyel) and Outcasts (taught by Rod Harris). Both are based on books written by Rev. Adam Hamilton. A third study is held on Tuesdays at 10:00am: Habakkuk (taught by Pastor Linda). I pray that your Lenten studies are thriving and that you are taking the Take 13 Challenge to read your Bible for 13 minutes a day!
Vision for 2024:
A House United:
Strong Faith, Strong Families, Strong Future!
Blessings,
Pastor Linda
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