“But of the Son [God] says… ‘You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” —Hebrews 1:8a, 9 This passage refers to an earlier passage in Psalms (45:6–7), applied here to refer to Jesus as the Messiah. (In the time of the Hebrew Bible’s writing, kings were anointed with oil.) Christians understand Jesus to be a different kind of “king” than earthly monarchs. In the kingdom of God, power is not maintained by the strong over the weak. There is no hierarchy of royal positions, ranging from princes on down to serfs. The last are first, and the first are last. This is not good news for those who have gained power by force, and keep it at the expense of those who live in poverty and oppression to maintain the wealth of a privileged few. But Jesus came to preach good news to the poor—not the wealthy, who have already received more than enough. Jesus calls the Church to live as the foretaste of ...
“But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ* for all who believe.” —Romans 3:21-22a *Alternately, through the faith of Jesus Christ. “Righteousness” is a word that often carries a negative association today. When someone is self-righteous, they believe that their understanding is better than that of others in a superior way. But the righteousness referred to here has to do with being “made right” with God. Because of Jesus’ life, sacrifice on the cross, and resurrection, we have a new way to be right with God. We can trust in God, following the way that Jesus shows us. An older meaning of “conversion” is “to turn.” Conversion to Christianity means turning toward the way of God, through Jesus Christ. It is a continual process. But when we do the daily work of putting our hearts, eyes, minds, and actions to the way of Jesus, we can trust that our works wil...
“Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” —1 Peter 2:4 Christians are not meant to be alone. In this passage, believers become a house, and a holy priesthood. Christian life is meant to be lived communally. Yet congregations can be difficult and pain-making places. Too often they fail at the task of welcoming all who come to follow Jesus. If you do not feel at home in your church, or you do not even have a church to call home, know that Jesus is still with you. We are all beloved children of God. Trust that God will answer your prayers to find a community that accepts you for all of who you are.
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