Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.
What can separate the Christian from God's love in Christ? Not even the year 2020. The eve of the circumcision of Christ is also civil New Year's Eve, a time when many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, consider new beginnings. Things that went wrong in the past? Well, maybe we can do better in the future.
Christians may face disappointment. No, actually, Christians are no strangers to disappointment. We endure turmoil, cycles of poverty, loss of income and businesses, loss of wealth, and death of family members and friends just like everybody else. But there's a special hope the Christian has.
All the troubles Paul mentions in Romans 8? We face them, but we know that Jesus has faced them already, for us. He has not only faced them, but he died for them. Then he was raised from the dead, victorious over all of them.
The Christian has a living hope of resurrection. No matter the trials, and Paul lists an impressive pile of trials, Christ has overcome them and he can bring us right through them to the end, our resurrection.
We are not just conquerors. We are more than conquerors, because Jesus has loved us. Nothing will separate the Christian from God's love in Christ. Nothing.
We remember that when our Lord was circumcised on the eighth day, he was named Jesus, the one who saves from sin. Compared to that, nothing else is a problem for him. The Christian stands in Christ's love. Beloved and rescued. That's us. It's all the hope we need.
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