January 2019

Beginning this Sunday, January 20th, we’re going to start a new series on the “drama” we see unfold in the pages of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Some call it the “big story” or “grand narrative” of the Bible. It’s the plotline of Scripture, and it’s also the plotline of human history. It’s a story Creation, Fall, and Redemption. Before that story begins, there is the eternal God, who is “from everlasting to everlasting.” This eternal God created everything—time, space, matter, and, in fact, all of reality—out of nothing at all. Everything God created was good, and God created humankind in his image. The goodness of creation and the image of God in humankind have been marred—not erased—by the Fall of humankind into sin. Our “fallenness” affects everything about us: the way we experience life, the way we think and behave, the way we relate to other people and to God. The Fall even affects creation itself (see Romans 8). But God has a plan. It’s a plan to fully redeem and restore what was lost in the Fall. Central in this plan is the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth, lived, died, rose again, lives eternally, ascended to the Father’s right hand, and will someday return. Redemption is available now for those who know and trust Jesus Christ. Full redemption and restoration—not only of fallen humanity but also of creation itself—will become reality when Jesus Christ returns. In the meantime, God is inviting us to be part of this story, to live as redeemed people who participate in God’s project of redeeming and restoring humanity and all of creation. When we enter God’s story through faith in Christ, we become agents of God, who go out into this broken world to help transform this world—through Gospel words and Gospel actions—for the better and, ultimately, for God’s glory. I hope you’ll join us for this series!