Psalm 71:1-14, Isaiah 49:1-7, I Corinthians 1:18-31, John 12:20-36

Now that the Son of God is here, there has been a shift– a true turning point– towards a new way of being. In His ministry, Jesus challenged the world’s wisdom with the Lord’s. So often we find ourselves so insistent on the manifestation of our own plan that we ignore the truth of God’s call for God’s Kingdom. As we become less interested in our own wisdom and strength, we become more susceptible to the voice of God in our life.

Isaiah 49 established that there is a change coming. Israel, as God’s chosen people, is to prepare as servants of the Lord in excited anticipation for God, the Redeemer and Holy One, to restore Israel. What this means is that God’s children are to put their trust in God. Psalm 71 reminds us of the faith we can have in the Lord for righteousness, rescue, and refuge. With this knowledge, we can look towards Jesus’ ministry, and the major change that took place with the manifestation of God’s plan. We are called to mirror Jesus’ faith in God’s seemingly crazy plan. Just as Jesus urged his followers to pursue a life of light in the gospel of John chapter 12, in our modern context we can pursue God fiercely.

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul explains that Jesus’ death on the cross is certainly not what most would have predicted for our supposed savior. However, Paul’s words capture the character of God in the sacrifice of God’s son perfectly: “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” When we know God intimately, we may grow in our knowledge of God’s strength. When we are confident in God’s strength, we may walk in the confidence of God’s almighty power, goodness, and plan. Through this, we become saved and sanctified and made new, for God’s plan is that we are in relationship with Jesus, and we are confident in God’s boundless love for God’s children.

Kaela Buggy, Class of 2022

College of Theology and Christian Ministry