Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

Jesus: The Mediator of the New Covenant


Jessica Ann George
St. John’s MTC, New York

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; 29 for indeed our God is a consuming fire.

 

The covenant God promises us is unfathomable. Often times, it is this very fact that makes our faith so difficult to hold on to. Sometimes we long to believe in something simpler, that is easier to apply in the complex society we live in, or at least less difficult to wrap our heads around.

In today’s passage, we read a portion that is addressed to Jewish converts who were considering reverting to Judaism. The author encourages these converts to stay firm in their faith in the new covenant and differentiated from the old covenant. He highlights how when God gave Moses the law at Mount Sinai, the Israelites had to follow rigid rules and restrictions, and keep their distance from God’s presence. However, in the new covenant, believers are welcomed in worship with thousands of angels and their names written in heaven. While Moses was the mediator of the old covenant, God uses His own Son as the mediator of His new covenant. With Christ as the intermediary, believers of the new covenant receive a covenant “that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (v. 24). While the blood of Abel sought justice and retribution, Christ’s blood symbolizes forgiveness and reconciliation.

Our faith in the new covenant is shaped through Christ’s mediation in our lives. God’s promise focuses on a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and we receive it through a mediator who not only institutes God’s promises, but also guarantees that His promises are fulfilled. It is difficult to reconcile our concerns about our inadequacies or our anxiety about how our faith fits into the world we call home. However, when we allow God’s gift of Christ’s sacrifice to mediate for us, God gives us the answers we need to understand His promise for our lives. Much like the Jewish converts, we need to openly receive the covenant God graciously extends to us through His Son, and approach His throne with awe and reverence in order to receive the guidance we desire.

PRAYER

Father, please help us to seek You first in our times of confusion and doubt so we can live out the new covenant in a way that is pleasing to You.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Though we tend to complicate our lives, when we seek out God’s mediator, we get a glimpse of eternity to put things into perspective.

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind who are evil by nature, give good gifts t
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tell a child as to why they’ve been a
Read more