Post on 31-Dec-2015
God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength (CCC 1).
*The Story
* “Still the Israelites groaned and cried out because of their slavery. As their cry for release went up to God, he heard their groaning and was mindful of his covenant … He saw
the Israelites and knew…”
* The people tried to keep the law for awhile, but alas they could not…
Israel Serves
the Lord
Israel is enslave
d
Israel cries out to the
Lord
God raises up judges to lead the
people back to Him
Israel is delivered
Israel falls into the sin of
idolatry
*And when the kings left their
relationship with God and led the people
astray, He called people to lead them back
to Himself
* The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a
New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of
Judah… I will place my law on their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my
people… All, the least from the greatest, shall know me…
for I will forgive their evil doing and remember their sin
no more (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
* He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he
humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8).
* Death is swallowed up in victory.Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?(1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
* Now, to bring it to the whole world…“Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations…”
(Matthew 28:19)
* And, one day, in a field in Toronto, Canada, these words rang out…
We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.
…and I was in the crowd - listening to those words…