We Begin a New Series: Exploring Our St Luke’s Values
1. We value the Lord Jesus Christ
We confess the supreme worth of Jesus
At St Luke’s we trust and love the Lord Jesus Christ more than anyone or anything else. His love and holiness, power and authority, have been revealed through his victory over the grave. In response to this revelation we treasure him more than any other priority in this life.
We rely on the redemption only Jesus brings
Humankind tends to live independent self-centred lives, though we were made for so much more. Jesus Christ took our selfishness upon himself on the cross, died for it, and rose on the third day. Because of this great achievement all our true human desires can be satisfied in Christ- either in this life or in the new world to come. Whether we desire true love and acceptance, forgiveness and freedom from guilt, significance, new life, or hope beyond death- Christ is the answer. So at St Luke’s we centre our shared life and witness on the message of Christ, the Gospel.
Reflection Questions
- Read Matthew 13.45-46, the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value. What or who is the Pearl of Great Value?
What clues are there in Matthew chapters 13-15 that show the surpassing value of Jesus? - What might it mean to count Jesus as supremely precious in our quests for: (i) identity; (ii) a sense of personal value that doesn’t depend on our usefulness; (iii) our need to find freedom from guilt; (iv) our feelings of disempowerment?
- Using your understanding of Paul’s writings and the New Testament, write down or discuss the meaning of two for the titles laid upon Jesus in Colossians 1.15-20.
- How do we sometimes live like the crippled man in Acts 3, looking for too little from the Name of Jesus?
- is that worthy pearl. Acts 3, the healing of the man lame from birth at the beautiful gate, Christ the Author of Life, forgiveness, hope in Jesus’ Name all these many ways our desires satisfied in him. Colossians 1.15-20, supremacy of Jesus including as firstborn from the dead.