God’s people doubt his love, and so give him their ‘seconds’. And to begin, God reassures his people that he loves them—just look at their history!
We can often assume the same about God—and God reminds us that he loves his people—just look at your history! There, on a hill, outside Jerusalem, is an empty cross… and nearby is an empty tomb… God loves his people!
So, amidst all that seems hard and tough and wearing and broken, this fact stands: God loves his people, Jesus is not in the tomb or on the cross!
We live in an amazing world – sunsets of unimaginable colours, mountains with peaks dusted in snow, waves that roll and dump and foam in shades of blue and white, birdsong sweeter than Dame Nellie – and all point to the glory of God.
But to know God, we need his words – and his words lead to life. In fact, his words bring not just life, but exposure – they reveal our sin, and our desperate need for forgiveness of those sins.
Psalm 19 captures these truths for us, in a simple and profound way. And then we ask, ‘How does Jesus fulfil this poem?’ Jesus IS God’s word, the perfect revelation of God who confronts our sin, and saves us from our sins.
Where do children fit in God’s creation, and especially within His mob?
Children bear the image of God. They are the fruit of the command of God to be ‘fruitful’. They are given the context of the family as the place for their birth, growth and maturing.
Children, as humans, are sinful from conception. They desire to be God instead of God.
Children are members of God’s people. They are spoken to in the commandments at Mt Sinai. They are spoken to as members of the church. They are welcomed by Jesus. They are saved by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Children are a trust from God, to their parents, and the community of God. They are to be taught the good news of God’s love in Jesus, and the faithfulness of God to His people. This is primarily and principally in their families, and reinforced within the community of God’s people.
Children are a blessing from God.
