Lent Book: https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/an-ocean-of-grace
My jottings:
(Comments welcome)
Ocean of Grace (33): SUNDAY – A Rich
Store Abounds In Him (p112ff)
It’s a wonderful text from Colossians 2, isn’t
it? “… full riches of complete understanding… the mystery of God, namely,
Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2v2f).
God is infinite and we are finite so he will
always remain mysterious, Other, incomprehensible. We can never totally comprehend
or tie down or box in the eternal Uncreated One.
But God has revealed himself. In the Bible, a
mystery often has that sense of something that was hidden but is now revealed
(in particular, God’s plan for the gentile nations to be included in Christ on
equal terms with Israel, as Ephesians and Colossians emphasise).
Whilst we can’t know God fully and completely
(any more than my dog can fully understand me, I assume), God has revealed himself
so that we can truly know him. We were made in his image for relationship with
him and he has made himself known in Christ.
All the fullness of God is found in Christ in
human, bodily form. He is God as man.
Jesus is God revealed and made known, God with
us and for us. When we see him we see the Father for the Father and the Son are
one in the bond of the Spirit.
So Christ is an infinite treasure: the eternal,
infinite, uncreated I AM WHO I AM. He is the pearl of great price. We can never
come to the end of his riches, or worth, or beauty, or value. There is always
more of him to know and adore. He more than perfectly meets all our needs.
Like those in today’s gospel, John 12, we
would do well to pray that we might see Jesus afresh. He will meet us in his
Word in the power of the Holy Spirit if we prayerfully seek him there in
repentance and faith.
* * *
Perhaps there are aspects of Jesus’ life,
incarnation, death, resurrection, reign in heaven and return which we don’t
often think about?
This brief excerpt from The Litany of The Book
of Common Prayer (1662) might help us to reflect on some of these things:
By the mystery of thy holy
Incarnation; by thy holy Nativity and Circumcision; by thy Baptism, Fasting,
and Temptation,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By thine Agony and bloody Sweat;
by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious
Resurrection and Ascension; and by the coming of the Holy Ghost,
Good Lord, deliver us.
In all time of our tribulation;
in all time of our wealth; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgement,
Good Lord, deliver us.
(The whole Litany
can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/litany)
Has some aspect
of the person or work of Christ stood out to you afresh today? Make this the
basis of prayer and praise.
Hymn: I will sing
the wondrous story
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDPCFbAysBc
Words: https://hymnary.org/text/i_will_sing_the_wondrous_story_of_the
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