The Image of God

Father, we ask that you would gently but deeply pour out the Holy Spirit upon us.

Father, we give you thanks and praise that as the gospel becomes more clear and more dear to our heart,

and as we begin to know you better, that we can begin to know ourselves better,

ourselves as we truly are, but in a way that also means that we know that we are deeply loved by you.

So, Father, do a wonderful work in our hearts and minds as we think of your word.

I ask, Lord, that people will not remember so much what I said,

but that they will have your word be more real and deeply held in their hearts.

And I ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Saviour. Amen.

Please be seated.

Thank you.

So, I guess it was in early October, I was working at one of my favourite coffee shops,

and a fellow that I'd just gotten to know over the last couple of months, just slightly,

I almost said his real name, but his name, of course, is Bob.

Everybody I've talked to, if they're a guy, they're Bob, and if they're a woman, they're Sue.

So, Bob, I sit down, Bob comes and sits down, just sort of near me,

and he says, George, I have a question for you.

And he doesn't usually ask me questions, so I said, oh, what?

He said, what do you think about the fact that the Russian patriarch just said

that any Russian soldier who dies in the war in Ukraine will have all of their sins forgiven?

He asked me that question, he smiled at me.

Now, I hadn't heard this, by the way.

I don't know, I was living in a cave or something like that, but I hadn't heard this.

So, without any prompting, I just said, that's completely and utterly reprehensible.

It's completely, utterly reprehensible, and it's an offence to the Christian faith.

Now, he was really surprised at my quick and very confident answer.

So, we ended up having this very, very brief little bit of a discussion about it.

We didn't get to the forgiveness of sins bit, but we did get to this other part about,

he said, well, how, you know, like, how can you say that?

And this guy's a really wonderful guy, research scientist who's now retired.

I happen to know, because of some other earlier conversations, that he had no, he's a, you know,

just, he's a guy that you'd love to have as your neighbor, friendly, smart, good listener,

good conversationalist, you know, and I said, you know, the idea of the separation of church

and state, that's something that the Bible teaches, and it's a Christian idea.

And he was very surprised at this, and I said, you know, people think it's something

that comes from, like, reason, but it actually doesn't come from reason.

Jesus was the first one who said anything about this.

He introduced this brand new idea into human consciousness.

He said, give on to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.

And he was fascinated with this.

He had never heard that in his entire life.

He said that he just assumed that that was something that, like, secular people came up

with to protect secular people from the church.

And he just, he was blown away.

In fact, he asked me if I would send him the Bible text to show that this was, in fact,

originally a saying of Jesus.

Now, we're going to look at this text, and we're going to look at it in a way that's not

just for political geeks, although I know there are a lot of political geeks and nerd types

in the room who are interested in questions of public policy.

And we'll talk a little tiny bit about that.

But fundamentally, one of the things which is so interesting about this story is that

Jesus doesn't just sort of answer this query that comes from his enemies, but he talks

about it in such a way that, he talks about this in such a way that he also talks about

issues of human identity and how we can have a secure sense of who we are.

So if you were, want to turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 12, verse 13 and following,

Mark 12:13

we'll look at the story.

And if you're using these Bibles, it's on page 74.

Mark chapter 12, verses 13 to 17.

Mark 12:13–17

And so as you heard just a little bit before this, if you're coming to this just for the

sermon, you won't know this, so I'll say it again.

This story, this little incident is taking place in the context of the story.

Mark is one of the ancient biographers of Jesus, giving an eyewitness account of what

Jesus actually said and did.

And Jesus had predicted and prophesied that he was going to die on a cross in Jerusalem.

And then he was going to rise from the dead.

And we're now in Jerusalem.

And Jesus knows that in a couple of days, he's going to die on the cross.

His disciples have heard him prophesy, but they don't believe it.

And in fact, all of the evidence would appear to be the contrary of what Jesus has predicted.

Given the massively popular entrance into Jerusalem that he had just had, it would be inconceivable

to them that Jesus was going to die on the cross in a couple of days.

Whatever he meant by it, I'm guessing they would have thought that maybe he meant some

type of spiritual or metaphorical thing that will happen in the future.

But they wouldn't know that they were just a couple of days away from Jesus dying on a

cross.

But Jesus knows this.

And just before this, he's had yet another conflict with the elites.

The elites.

And in a sense, all of the principal elites in Jewish society, he has had a conflict with

them.

And the story continues here with verse 13.

And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians to trap him in his

talk.

And, you know, there's an old saying that just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that there's

not some time when people are out to get you.

And I think most of us here probably don't believe in conspiracy theories.

But sometimes there really are conspiracies.

I mean, sometimes there are conspiracies that happen.

And we see here Jesus in the midst of conspiracy.

Not that he's involved with this conspiracy.

He's the one that conspiracy wants to get.

And when it says here, they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians

to trap him in his talk.

First of all, the word trap in the original language doesn't just sort of involve like

playing tag after church with the kids and you trap them in the corner and you touch them

and you get them.

No, the image is a violent image.

It's a murderous image.

It's to trap and kill, to trap and to destroy.

And the second thing is the they is referring to the elites.

The elites, the intellectual, the cultural, the spiritual, the political, the economic,

the elites of that society.

All of the elites except one are involved in this conspiracy.

And that final elite in that society will be involved within a couple of days so that

Jesus will die on the cross.

So the elites have sent these two groups to go as a united front to ask them questions.

And we can't appreciate the significance when it says Pharisees and Herodians, but it would be as if you...

I think I've been sort of out of it because I was at a big event for four days and another big meeting.

I think Elizabeth May.

She's become the head of the Green Party again.

Is that correct?

So to understand this, imagine that you hear that Donald Trump and Elizabeth May go somewhere to ask somebody a question.

Or Trump and Singh, the head of the NDP, or Trump and Trudeau.

They show up to ask somebody a question.

Now you'll know something weird is going on here.

Right?

They don't come all buddy-buddy, high-fiving each other to come and speak to somebody together.

And that's sort of...

This is completely different groups, generally quite hostile towards each other.

And they've come together from the elite to try to trap Jesus in his talk.

I guess another...

Anyway, I won't keep multiplying.

Ask odd couples.

So what do they say?

So what they do, of course, is they lie and they flatter.

Because, of course, no matter how much we might say that we don't like flattery, we all love flattery.

And so they come to flatter him and they come to lie through their teeth.

Here's what they say, verse 14.

And they came and said to him, teacher, we know that you are true.

Actually, they think he's a no-good liar, false prophet, destroyer.

But we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion.

And they might actually think that was true of Jesus.

And that's one of the reasons they hate him.

Because he doesn't care about their opinion.

He was a good guy.

He would care about their opinion.

Right?

And then for you are not swayed by appearances once again.

That's sort of true.

And that's another reason why they hate him.

He doesn't care about appearances.

If he did, he wouldn't be doing the things he was doing.

But truly teach the way of God, which they believe the opposite.

They don't believe he's truly teaching the way of God.

So they flatter him.

And then here's the two questions.

And by the way, there's at least two lawyers in the room.

And I'll try to give a brief analogy about this.

But they can explain the distinction which is implied here in the questions.

It's a very, very clever.

You can see that these came from the legal elite.

Sent them to make sure they asked the question in a particular way.

And when it says here lawful, by the way, of course it's the law.

He means in terms of God's law.

So they're not talking about secular law.

It was according to the triune God, according to the God, or not.

Should we pay them or should we not?

Okay, now it seems like it's two questions.

But what it is, it's the difference between what the law says and what...

Oh, I'm going to get this.

I should have written it down.

It's not just what the law says.

It's the facts of the case.

Right?

It's both the law and the facts of the case.

So you might ask a lawyer, is it lawful to do this or not?

And they might say yes.

But inwardly they're saying, but the facts of the case mean you don't have to do it.

Right?

So it's a very, very clever question.

What is the law?

Taxes to him or not?

And in the original language, you can't get it in the English.

The tax, it's a very specific type of tax which is mentioned.

It's not just taxes in general.

It's a tax to the imperial power.

So Jesus, these people have conquered us.

They think the emperor is semi-divine, that his dad was a god and his mom was human.

They've conquered us.

What do you think God's word says about paying taxes to them?

And by the way, given the facts of the case, should we actually do it?

So what does Jesus say?

They think they've got him, by the way.

This is a gotcha question.

This is, I've cornered you.

I've got you.

This is a question hoping that you see, you know that look when people ask you a question

you don't want.

It's like the deer with, you know, the deer in the headlights.

They want to see him squirm.

They're hoping that all of a sudden his knee is tapping and there's sweat underneath his

arm.

You know what I mean.

That's what they're hoping.

That's what they think they've done.

So what does Jesus do?

Look at verse 15.

And one of the things which is so interesting is that Jesus's answer is grace-filled.

Jesus's answer is not only grace-filled.

It's very, very wise.

And it opens the door to what it means to be human.

Like he doesn't just say, I'm just going to use this opportunity to get them back so they're

all look big and they'll look stupid.

No, he doesn't do that.

He could have.

He doesn't do that.

His answer is an opportunity for them to repent.

And his answer is an answer that opens the door to what it means to be human.

Like it's a far-reaching answer.

So what does he say?

Verse 15.

But knowing their hypocrisy, he's not fooled.

He said to them, why put me to the test?

And the word test there implies a test you know I'll fail, right?

It's like asking me to jump over the Grand Canyon.

That's the test, George.

The test is you jump over the Grand Canyon.

It's a test I'll fail, right?

So why do you put me to a test you think that I will fail?

Bring me a denarius, which is a silver Roman coin.

And in that day and age, it was the average wage.

It would have been, if you took what the average wage in Canada was, is, okay, whatever that is,

and you took it for what that guy would make in, or gal would make in one day, that's what a denarius was.

One day's work for the average working person in the world at the time.

It's a silver Roman coin.

So he says, bring me a denarius and let me look at it.

Okay.

And then they say, verse 16, and then it's verse 16, they brought him one, and he said to them,

whose likeness, and the original word there in the original language is the word we get icon from.

Okay.

Whose icon and inscription, you know that little thing like in, you know, in God we trust or something like that, right?

In this one, there's a very clear reference to the gods and goddesses and Caesar's divine power.

That's the inscription on it, right?

So whose icon and inscription is this?

And they said to him, Caesar's, the emperor's.

And now listen to this answer.

Jesus said to them, render to Caesar's, the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the things that are God's.

And they marveled at him.

Now, this is a, I mean, on one hand, as my very, very secular friend didn't realize,

this simple little saying of Jesus was launched into the world and has changed how human minds think.

This uneducated guy who dies under Roman occupation in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago

changes how virtually all educated people in the world now think.

Not all accept it.

If you were in some parts of the Muslim world, it would be a sign of Christian decadence to make some types of statements like this.

In totalitarian countries, totalitarian and atheistic regimes, it would be a hateful, wrong statement.

But it's now something that's there.

It's natural for human beings to think, if you think about it for a second, why wouldn't, if we know the best,

if we know wisdom, and whether that's a spiritual wisdom, whether that's a religious wisdom,

whether it's a tribal wisdom, whether it's just ancient wisdom, whether it's secular wisdom,

if we know wisdom, shouldn't wisdom rule?

And if wisdom comes from Islam, it should rule.

If wisdom comes from Christianity, it should rule.

If wisdom comes from Judaism, it should rule.

If wisdom comes from being progressive, it should rule.

If wisdom comes from Marx, it should rule.

It is just the natural default way that the human mind and imagination works.

And Jesus says the natural way that our human imagination and mind works is wrong.

There's a difference, and the difference matters.

You give to that wisdom, you give to Caesar, what is Caesar's?

You give to God, what is God's?

It now is seen, in fact, as my secular friend thought, he thought, I guess, I don't know,

that Rousseau or Hume or Kant or something like that had thought this up,

or Plato or Aristotle, he didn't realize that the idea comes from Jesus.

But he also does something in here which starts to put into...

It's also an invitation for him to these guys to reconsider what they're doing.

Because if you think about it for a second, even once you understand that you should give to God,

you render to God the things that are God's, and you render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,

most of us would say, well, what should we render to God?

Right?

It's one of the things which is so powerful about this idea.

I'm not going to spend much more time on it, because it's not a...

You know, maybe if I was speaking on Parliament Hill or something,

or a group of policy geeks, we'd look at it.

Jesus' statement just says there's going to be a division between the state's power and God's powers over it,

but the state still has power.

But it doesn't actually draw specific...

It's not legalistic.

It works at the level of the imagination and all of that.

But even if we think about it at a very simple level, we would say...

Most people would say, well, what should you give to God?

Like, probably if you just went to a Tim Hortons or a Starbucks or a Bridgehead or some trendy place

that old guys like me have never heard of, because I'm not trendy or hip,

you'd say, well, I don't know.

Like, you should...

To God?

If there was a God?

I don't know.

You should be...

What should you give to God?

Well, you should be honest, kind, nice.

None of which these guys are.

None of them are that.

They're dishonest, lying scoundrels.

Claiming they're serving God where they don't render him a single thing that any reasonable person says they should.

And the irony is that when Jesus asks for a denarius, he has to ask,

because he doesn't have a denarius.

And these guys who think they're so godly do have an image of the semi-divine Caesar in their pocket.

They're rendering everything to Caesar and nothing to God.

And that's an opportunity for them to go, oh, maybe I should reconsider the path I'm on.

Maybe I should reconsider the path I'm on.

Now, in terms of some, you know, pushback...

Okay, so...

Oh, here's the other thing about it.

No, I'll talk about it in a moment.

Okay, George, you might say that Jesus is...

That's a really good example.

Like, many people in Canada would say that Jesus is wise, that he was a good teacher.

And they'd say, wow, I didn't know that.

I didn't know that.

Like, that's a really cool idea.

Like, it's a really cool idea.

And I didn't realize it came from Jesus.

But I've always sort of thought that Jesus was wise, that he was a good teacher.

George, the problem is that you go overboard with it.

Like, you become religious.

I'm not religious.

I don't see the point of religion.

Like, it's fine to have Jesus being a wise teacher and saying a couple of wise things

that we can sort of take in, and it's helpful to society and all of that type of stuff.

But, you know, all this other stuff about dying for your sins and him being God,

like, that's just not right.

You know, the fact is that if you push into most people, the fear they have about worshiping God

or knowing the triune God is that he'll crush them.

He'll crush who they really are.

Like, why does a...

He'll crush who they really are.

That he'll make them do things which we hate.

And it doesn't...

And it's just a very common...

It's a very common fear.

Like, it could be the very secular neighbor who says,

Oh, gosh, if I become a Christian, I have to get up early on a Sunday morning.

I've got to go to church.

I've got to give some money.

And I just...

I don't know.

I can't sit around in my pajamas all afternoon drinking beer and watching football.

Like, you'll frown upon it.

You know, or the trans person, the gay person, the person in adultery.

Like, it's a very common type of fear.

And for many people in our culture, they think that, you know, something like Christianity

just is one of the main things that creates outsiders and insiders.

And that, in fact, it's just a tool of powerful people to oppress powerless people

and keep them in their place.

And that it creates this type of terrible, boring uniformity.

Like, look at The Handmaid's Tale.

You look at series like that.

It's just going to crush people.

And it creates this uniformity and this sameness which...

So it's one thing, George, to think that Jesus is a wise teacher.

I think he's a wise teacher.

But that's just sort of where it stops.

And to go anything beyond that is to sort of get into a territory which is a little bit creepy.

Jesus, in his answer to the question, opens the door to something that shows how wise and sane

and grace-filled and freeing and strengthening the gospel is.

Two weeks ago when I was speaking at the church in Hamilton,

in the context of the sermon, I was praying a lot about how to...

In fact, they wanted me to speak on...

Believe it or not, they wanted me to speak on the Bible and the gospel

and the LGBTQ plus movement.

And I was stressed out a bit about it.

And God gave me a song.

I was really trying to figure out how to express it in a way which is both clear

and shows the wisdom and the sanity and the grace of the Christian teaching

and why once you start to get to know the gospel,

there's something very beautiful and powerful about it

that we need to try to model better and communicate clearer.

And there's this hymn from the 1600s,

My Song is Love Unknown.

And I'm just slightly paraphrasing one of the lines that has this wonderful line.

I'm just paraphrasing it.

Love came and died for the loveless.

Sorry.

Love came and died for the loveless,

that loved and lovely you may be.

Love came and died for the loveless,

that loved and lovely you may be.

And this little incident,

Jesus opens up this window to something.

And you remember that Jesus is saying this.

He knows that in a couple of days he's going to be on a cross dying.

And he knows why he's dying on the cross.

He's dying on the cross.

He's dying for the loveless,

that loved and lovely,

you and I,

and those people even trying to trap him,

that they may be.

And he opens up this little window

on his way to the cross.

And it's by this simple word,

icon.

And for the people who are there listening,

they would have instantly known

that Jesus is using the exact same word

as is used in the very beginning of the Bible.

When God says that he makes human beings,

he makes every man and every woman equally,

in his icon.

That's the very, very, very, very beginning of the Bible.

Before there's any sin or evil in the world,

God makes every single human being,

man and woman, male and female,

humanity, every human being,

in his icon.

And this,

just if you think about it first,

there is no greater equity imaginable

than being made in the icon of God.

There is no greater equity imaginable

than being made in the icon of God.

What is this saying?

Doesn't matter if you're born in Africa,

America or Asia or North America or Europe.

You're made in the icon of God.

It doesn't matter if you are the world's strongest woman or man.

It does not matter whether you are the world's fastest

or most brilliant human being,

or if you have Down syndrome.

You are made in the icon of God.

It does not matter if you are 107

and you don't have very many days left,

or if you are a baby in a mother's womb.

You are made in the icon of God.

And the strongest and wisest

and most beautiful and most powerful

are not more in the icon of God

than the weakest.

The baby in the womb,

the Down syndrome child,

the severely handicapped infant.

I just overheard just a terrible,

terrible, tragic story.

I was in a two-day meeting

before the conference

at which I helped organize

in an indirect way and spoke at.

And we were going around the room

getting to know each other

because we're talking about this potential venture,

hopefully, that is of God

that could help spread the gospel in Canada.

And we're going around

and one of the fellows shared

how, I won't tell all of the details

to protect the privacy of them,

but basically a month or two

before the baby was born,

they discovered that the baby

had a severe, severe medical issue

that meant that within hours

of the baby being born,

the baby would die.

And so he told us the date

that his baby was born

and the date the baby died.

Bill Gates does not bear more

of the image of God

than that baby.

There is no more profound equity

than this teaching.

Your identity,

and here's the thing,

your identity and worth

comes because you are made

in the image of the triune God.

The dignity and greatness

of human beings

is because they are made

in the image of the triune God.

And it explains so much

about human experience

because the Bible,

if you go and you'll look

from Genesis 3

and then the Bible teaches something

which is the most true thing

about human beings.

And that is that we do evil,

that evil comes from within us,

that we choose to do what is wrong.

And the Bible says

that what that means

is that the image of God,

the icon of God

that each one of us,

in a sense, bears,

that it's bent,

it's twisted a little bit.

And so we do evil.

And you see,

here's why it is

that we're so often

a mystery to ourselves.

First of all,

we're a mystery to ourselves

because we have a sense

of the greatness

and the dignity

and the worth

and the value

of every human being.

We have a sense about that.

Even when people try to shame us

or people say

that we're losers

or we're not good

or we're outcasts,

that we know

that there's something within us,

that those are lies,

that that is not true,

that we don't have

the grammar and the logic

of most people in the world

to understand

what the Bible teaches,

that they are sensing

something is true,

that we are made

in the icon,

the image of God.

And at the same time,

we can't just look within

to figure out

what our true identity is

because if we look within,

we cannot distinguish

just by looking in

from that which is bent

and broken within us

and that which is truly

and utterly of God.

We need God to speak to us

from outside

to clarify these things.

And if you and I

are made in the icon of God,

we will never know

who we are

unless we know the God

in whose image

we are made.

You will never know

who you really are

if you're made

in the icon

of the true triune God

unless you know

the one in whom

you were truly made.

People might say,

but, okay, well, George,

that's, wow,

I didn't sort of get that

in the text.

And remember what I said,

love came and died

for the loveless

that loved and lovely

you may be.

And so people wonder

about Jesus.

Well, here's the wonderful thing.

Jesus is putting this idea

in the apostle's mind

a couple of days

just before they go

and they go,

he goes to the cross

and he's reminding them

of the fact

that human beings

are made in the icon of God.

And what they're going

to understand later on

after the resurrection

is that when they're looking

at Jesus dying on the cross,

they are looking at the one

in whose icon we are made,

dying for all

who bear his icon.

And if you think about it

for a second,

there is no way

that Jono dying on the cross,

that he could cover

anybody's sin

or Alex

or Victor,

Harold,

Victory,

or George.

I'm just,

we're just one bloke

or one gal

really only dying

for ourselves.

But if every human being

is made in the image

of God

and that very one,

that the image itself

that we bear,

only the image itself

can stand for all

who bear the image of God.

And that is why

only what Jesus does

in his life and death

and resurrection

can stand

for people in Africa,

for people in United States,

for people in Asia,

for people in the first century,

for people today,

for babies in the womb,

for the aged.

His death can stand for all.

I mean,

if you think about it

for a second,

there is no greater inclusion

than Jesus died

on the cross for you.

There is no greater inclusion.

We receive it by faith.

Even how we enter

into what he has done for us,

not all of us

can answer complicated crosswords.

Not all of us

can run a four-minute mile

or many of us

probably couldn't run

a ten-minute mile

or answer complicated math questions.

But you know what?

Everybody can be humble.

Everybody can receive.

But what about this idea

that he crushes?

You see,

that's once again

the brilliance

and the wisdom

of his answer.

You see,

he doesn't say,

I mean,

what's going on here

is that,

so this little coin,

it bears the icon

of this guy

who thinks he's semi-divine,

but he's not.

He doesn't bear

the image of God

any more than you or I.

And the people

listening to this

all know that the Bible

is telling them

that they walk around

bearing the icon of God.

That's who they are.

Icon bearers,

so to speak,

of the triune God.

And Jesus says,

but he doesn't say

that Caesar doesn't have a place.

You see,

it isn't that

when you put your faith

and trust in the triune God

that God's desire

is to crush diversity.

Not at all.

He's saying,

you know what?

I always intended,

in a sense,

that there'd be

lots of diversity.

That's why I made

people with different

hair colors,

eye colors,

skin colors,

heights,

ages.

This beautiful diversity.

And in my kingdom

and under my rule,

it's not that I squish

and quash diversity.

It's not that all of a sudden

I'll take away

all of your fingerprints

being unique

and make them all the same.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

There's going to be governments.

There's going to be families.

There's going to be marriages.

There's going to be churches.

There's going to be single people.

There's going to be big families

and small families.

There's going to be babies.

And you know that we're having

all this diversity?

Yeah, good grief.

There can be a stamp collecting club,

which isn't a thing anymore,

I guess.

That's like an old-fashioned analogy.

And you know,

there can be a mountain biking club

and there can be a quilting club

and there can be all this diversity.

And it doesn't...

Jesus doesn't sort of come

to squish us

and make all of us

like identical marbles

or all like identical

little Lego pieces

all the same color.

In his answer,

he's saying,

no, there's going to be government.

And in fact,

actually,

if you think about it

in his answer,

he's even saying,

listen,

he's looking down the ages

and he says,

those of you in Canada,

you're going to have your Caesar.

Those of you in China,

you're going to have your Caesar.

Those of you who are my children in Iran,

you are going to have your Caesar.

Those of you in Florida,

you're going to have a seat.

He's calling us to be...

He knows that he's going to call

ordinary people

out of every tribe

and nation

and language group.

We're not going to have

a Mecca.

We're not going to have

a Jerusalem.

We're not going to have

a Moscow

or a Washington

or an Indian subcontinent

upon which our identity

is based

and it's not going to be the case

that real followers

are all going to learn

the same language.

Keeping our language,

keeping our culture,

these things are all reformed

and reordered

and rejuvenated

in God's kingdom.

It is a most excellent

and most awe-inspiring

diversity.

One of the things,

just in closing,

that's so wonderful,

if you ever have the privilege

of going to Jerusalem,

not because Jerusalem,

on one hand,

is the center

of the Christian faith,

but it is interesting

to go there

and know that

it was on stones

underneath us

that Jesus walked.

But one of the things

which is more wonderful

than that

is seeing

the Christian pilgrims

from China

and Nigeria

and India

and England

and Australia

and Argentina

and Chile

all coming to see

where Jesus had lived.

And hear the wonderful

dozens and dozens

and dozens of languages

of people

who called Jesus

their Savior

and the Lord.

There is no greater diversity.

There is no greater equity

than in the gospel.

There is no greater inclusion

than in the gospel.

And there is no greater diversity

than in the gospel.

And he wants to include you.

I invite you to stand.

Bow your heads in prayer.

Father,

you know,

we confess

that sometimes

we get worried

about equity

or we get worried

about inclusion

and we get worried

about diversity.

And Father,

I know that on one hand

there are certain ways

that that's talked about

in our post-post-modern world

that should worry us.

That some modern forms

of diversity

actually create sameness

and some modern forms

of inclusion

actually create exclusion

and some forms

of modern equity

do in fact

create disequity

and disorder.

But Father,

we give you thanks

and praise

that in your gospel

you call us

to a true

and deeper

and greater equity

and inclusion

and diversity,

Father.

And we ask,

Lord,

that you would help us

to be so gripped

by the gospel

that it would be

so real to our heart

that we would have

a secure identity,

Father,

in you,

that knowing

that you have made us

to bear your image

and your son died for us

and that he is now,

when we put our faith in him,

he is our savior

and our Lord

and he is fitting us

for a new heaven

and a new earth

that he is not going

to erase us

or destroy us

or crush us.

He will take away

our sin

and our idols

and our shame

and make us more fully

and truly ourselves,

beginning to understand

the mystery

and riddle

of who we are

as we understand you better

and can look at ourselves

more clearly

in light of the gospel.

And we ask,

Lord,

that you would do

this wonderful work

of the Holy Spirit

deep within us

to make the gospel

more real to our heart

that we might live

free

and unafraid

in this world

for your glory.

And so,

Father,

we ask that your Holy Spirit

would do this wonderful work

within

and we ask this

in the precious name

of Jesus,

your son

and our savior.

Amen.

Amen.