We Love God the Son

Opening Prayer: 

You, God, commanded Israel to love you with exclusive loyalty. Likewise for us, loving the Lord Jesus Christ means that we steadfastly affirm that he alone is Saviour, Lord, and God. The Bible teaches that Jesus performs the same sovereign actions as you, God alone. Christ is Creator of the universe, Ruler of history, Judge of all nations, and Saviour of all who turn to him. He shares your identity in the divine equality and unity of the Trinity. Just as you called Israel to love you in covenantal faith, obedience, and servant-witness, we affirm our love for Jesus Christ by trusting in him, obeying him, and making him known. Amen.

Reflection:

We trust in Christ. We believe the testimony of the Gospels, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the one appointed and sent by God to fulfill the unique mission of Old Testament Israel, that is, to bring the blessing of God’s salvation to all nations as God promised to Abraham. We believe::

1. in Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, God took our human flesh and lived among us, fully God and fully human. 
2. In his life, Jesus walked in perfect faithfulness and obedience to God. He announced and taught the kingdom of God, and modeled the way his disciples must live under God’s reign. 
3. In his ministry and miracles, Jesus announced and demonstrated the victory of the kingdom of God over evil and evil powers. 
4. In his death on the cross, Jesus took our sin upon himself in our place, bearing its full cost, penalty, and shame, defeated death and the powers of evil, and accomplished the reconciliation and redemption of all creation. 
5. In his bodily resurrection, Jesus was vindicated and exalted by God, completed and demonstrated the full victory of the cross, and became the forerunner of redeemed humanity and restored creation. 
6. Since his ascension, Jesus is reigning as Lord over all history and creation. 
7. At his return, Jesus will execute God’s judgment, destroy Satan, evil, and death, and establish the universal reign of God. 

We obey Christ. Jesus calls us to discipleship, to take up our cross and follow him in the path of self-denial, servanthood, and obedience. ‘If you love me, keep my commandments,’ he said. ‘Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things I say?’ We are called to live as Christ lived and to love as Christ loved. To profess Christ while ignoring his commands is dangerous folly. Jesus warns us that many who claim his name with spectacular and miraculous ministries will find themselves disowned by him as evildoers. We take heed to Christ’s warning, for none of us is immune to such fearful danger. 

We proclaim Christ. In Christ alone God has fully and finally revealed himself, and through Christ alone God has achieved salvation for the world. We therefore kneel as disciples at the feet of Jesus of Nazareth and say to him with Peter, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,’ and with Thomas, ‘My Lord and my God.’ Though we have not seen him, we love him. And we rejoice with hope as we long for the day of his return when we shall see him as he is. Until that day we join Peter and John in proclaiming that ‘there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved’. 

Closing Prayer: 

We commit ourselves afresh to bear witness to Jesus Christ and all his teaching, in all the world, knowing that we can bear such witness only if we are living in obedience to his teaching ourselves. Amen.

Call upon God for such an outpouring of his Spirit that we, his people, will be assured of his love through his Word.