What a pre-Christmas treat we had on 22nd December from Mark Meynell unwrapping Isaiah 7 for us in his sermon.
We explored this further after the 11am service when we had the monthly Question Time session. This is where we have the opportunity to ask questions—whether that is about the talk, the passage or how to apply God’s word to our lives today.
I don’t know about you but as the passage was read for us, I had no idea how Mark’s talk would point us to Christmas. But as Mark unravelled the complexity of names and places the hidden gems came into view. Mark posed a question to us, ‘What if God is searching for us on his terms rather than us searching for him on our terms?’
This is not any old question; it’s a well-thought-out question that exposes the heart of a truth we might not have considered. It is a question that exposes the ultimate sin of humanity……who actually reigns on the throne of your life?
Whenever we read a book, we put ourselves somewhere within its pages, we share the journey with the other characters, we become part of the story. If we’re honest most of us put ourselves as the hero, the protagonist who wins at the end, the one who overcomes all that the world throws at them.
This is the heart of humanity—we are the one who rescues us, we are the one who has the power to overcome, to reject what we deem is against us and accept what makes us flourish.
As we journeyed with Mark through Isaiah we were taken to the birth country of Jesus, the place where they heard the promise of the one to come 700+ years before he came. Unfortunately many of their descendants refused to accept that Jesus was the promised one because what was required was not only a mindset change but a change of world view.
And if we are willing to see life through Christ’s world view, we discover that the thing that seemed hidden was always in plain view. Why? Because the word of God ends up leading us home. He is our rock and our redeemer.
Do come and join us every fourth Sunday—bring your coffee with you for our Question Time sessions encouraging one another to dig deeper into God’s word.