“One in Christ” - Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29 Devo

 May 16th, 2021

Devotional

“One in Christ” - Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Foolish” - Gal 3: 1-6

  No one amongst us likes to be called foolish, yet that is exactly what Paul calls the Galatians when he hears that they are starting to doubt that they are now part of the family of God - even though they are Gentiles.

Last week we talked about the folks who were confusing the people in Galatians and how Paul felt, but Paul was equally dismayed that the people in Galatia had been so easily led astray. 

Often when we talk about being led astray it has to do with people leading people away from Godly things. But for Paul, the Galatians are being led astray by people trying to heap even more requirements on them in order to be Godly. He has people who are eager to follow God and others who are more than happy to add stipulations on to what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Sometimes in our zeal to follow God, we forget what it means to follow Christ alone. We add more and more rules onto the plate of Christianity, to the point where we forget who we are following in the first place and how he has set us free. 

What does freedom in Christ mean to you?

Prayer: God, we thank you that through your son, Jesus Christ, you have opened up wide the gates to your Kingdom. Forgive us for times we try to narrow your reign or the meaning of your freedom in our lives. Let us live for you, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Justify the Gentiles” - Gal 3: 7-9

  I grew up taking typing classes. The first ones I fully remember were in middle school, where we learned about justifying your words - lining them up and setting them right. 

Why it may be hard for us to wrap our minds around how God justifies us and what it fully means in our lives, we do understand setting something right. Especially when it is something out of place or that has been wrong.

The Gentiles had never before heard that they could be justified - be made right - by faith in God. No additional requirements. No need to become a Jew. To simply be welcomed as part of the covenant because of Jesus. 

To be honest, some of the Jews had not heard and understood this as well. They got caught up in the mechanics of justification instead of the gift of grace.

What has God justified, or made right, in your life? How is this a gift of grace?

Prayer: God, we thank you that our lack of understanding does not limit your grace. Let us live lives that are aligned with you and proclaim your goodness, love and truth, we pray. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Law” - Gal 3: 23-24

Paul grew up as a Jew. In fact a Jew among Jews and a Pharisee among Pharisees, if you remember what he wrote last week. So Paul understands the law. He understands the importance of the law of the Abrahamic covenant. And he also understands that no one has ever kept the law perfectly, nor has the law alone  saved any one. 

So Paul is taking all of his knowledge of the law and saying, yes, it had its place but its place was to point us to God and now, we no longer need that because God has come to us in the flesh in Jesus. If we keep trying to go back to what once was trying to reveal God’s heart and way to us, we minimize the Good News of Jesus Christ.

There are times when looking back is important, but if we get stuck in the past we can miss what God is inviting us to in this moment. 

How does Paul weave together the past and the present to point to the future?

Prayer: Almighty God, when we could not fulfill your covenant and keep your laws, you sent us a new way, a perfect way, through Jesus Christ. Let us live as people who are marked by the cross and the empty tomb every day of our lives. Amen.  

Thursday: “Clothed in Christ” - Gal 3: 26-27

Baptism is an important outward sign of the inward work of grace in our lives. There is a good work that began in you. It began long before your baptism – the time when we publicly proclaim it as a church. It was known in the Heavens before you took your first breath on this earth. Because God created you. We live in a world that tempts us to forget that message, that we are God’s very own. That the creator of the universe called Jesus out of the waters with the Heavens proclaiming that he was God’s beloved, and the same claim is laid on each of our lives every day. We stand as witnesses in the tradition of the Saints and Jesus Christ saying that God has a purpose for our being, and we will surround all of those around us with love. We will let our lives be examples, like Jesus’ was for us, of the walk of faith – triumphs, joys, sorrows, struggles, and everything in between. We will nurture those around us to make disciples for the transformation of the world. And most importantly, we hold each others hand and proclaim that we are one family, united by one true Holy Spirit that has laid claim to each of our lives and calls us “Beloved”. 

How do you claim being God’s beloved in everyday life?

Prayer: God of Grace and God of Glory, you do not leave us alone. You have given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead us and the community of faith, the body of Christ, to support us, as we are clothed together in Christ. Amen and amen! 

Friday: “One in Christ Jesus” - Gal 3: 28-29

  Sometimes we don’t get the “one in Christ Jesus” part of our faith down very well. We understand cognitively that there is one Lord, one Body broken for our sins. We understand that there is one church universal, where we should hypothetically be accepted because of our relationship with Christ wherever we go, but we also know that what we understand with our head we don’t always put into action. 

What is God’s vision for the church, as presented by the apostle Paul in this particular scripture verse? What prevents us from making this a reality? 

Prayer: O loving God, make our church be known as a church where everyone is treated equally because they are your child a reality. Help us set aside anything that may block your Kingdom vision for our Church. Amen. a new beginning, marked by repentance. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Pentecost” - Acts 2:1- 4; Galatians 4:1-7