Rev. Brian Johnson
Scripture: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Philippians 2:5-11; Other options: 1 Corinthians 15:3-23
Christian faith is grounded in a person – Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, Son of Adam and Son of David, fully human and fully divine, God-in-the-flesh, God-with-us. Christian faith begins with the confession that Jesus is Lord – that this man from Nazareth is also the one who hung the stars in the sky; that his life is the ultimate authority for our lives. The story of Jesus is continuous with the story of the people of Israel – it is the God who liberated Israel from Egypt who raises Jesus from the dead and invites us gentiles to participate in Israel’s story as adopted children – and it also transforms that story, helping us to see it (and ourselves) in a new light.