 Consider for a moment these words from scripture, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ…” (Ephesians 1:3-5).
Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus is, in part, addressing an identity problem. Who are we? It’s a fundamental question humans have asked throughout our history. I agree with a commonly articulated idea that suggests our answer to this question often begins with I. The statement ‘I can….’ assigns an identity based on our abilities. I can play the piano, therefore I must be a musician. Or perhaps it might begin with ‘I have…’. How many young men have found their identity in a fast car? My first car was a 1967 VW bug and so my identity was challenged by anyone faster than me. Which, sad to say, was literally anyone with a car! Another example is ‘I am…’ Fill in your country of origin, gender, race, political affiliation or cause and you get the point. At our core, who are we really? This passage in Ephesians suggests that we were known before we were ever born. Our heavenly Creator has known us long before we decided on a sports team, career or home address. Long before the ordering of our DNA and the nurturing of those who have shaped us. Our true identity cannot begin with ourselves, but with Him. Our heavenly Father informs our identity. Who are we? There are perhaps many starting points to this question, but here's where the apostle Paul begins, we are Chosen. Think about this for a moment. You were chosen by God. Say it quietly to yourself, I was chosen by God! The God of the universe, the God who spoke creation into existence, the God who controls the seas and holds the universe together, the God who uses the earth as his footstool. This infinite King chose you, before the earth was formed. This is remarkable. While camping at an elevation of 11,000 feet in the Colorado Mountains, I stepped away from the campfire long enough to let my eyes adjust and I saw something amazing. The Milky Way sprawled across the night sky. A ribbon of glowing light that represents only a fraction of the estimated 100 Billion stars that we once believed to be the extent of the universe. Away from the light pollution in the city, I was reminded of the words of the psalmist who writes, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4) It’s a good question! Consider the 8 billion people that live on this amazing little planet and marvel at this reality, He chose you! Who are you? You are the one God lovingly chose. The question may legitimately be asked, chosen for what? As Paul continues in Ephesians we read that we are chosen to be part of His family! Those in Jesus have been adopted into his family, into his kingdom. When we surrender our life to Jesus Christ, we are not joining a country club or a Costco membership. When we give our life to Christ we are not even joining a particular church or denomination, it’s much sweeter than that. We have been adopted into God’s family as His precious child. Romans 8:15, “…the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Abba is a term of endearment often translated as Daddy, or Pappa. You are His child…and the Father delights in his children. With this adoption comes all the blessings of being called his child. In Roman times, adoption meant that you were free from whatever debts you owed in the past. You were also legally entitled to your Father’s inheritance as if you were a natural child. Through Jesus, all of those debts incurred as a result of our own sin, have been completely forgiven. God lovingly chooses us to be an intimate part of his family, where we enjoy the blessings of our heavenly Father’s protection as well as his resources and ultimately, an inheritance that will never perish, spoil or fade. I know who I am, a chosen child of God! Who are you? In HIm Together, Pastor Chris
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 This artwork is found in a 6th century church in Ravenna, Italy, the Basilica of San Vitale. The scene depicts the famous Old Testament narrative where Isaac is challenged to sacrifice his son at God’s request. Isaac is of course saved by the hand of God, who then provides a ram in the wood to serve in Isaac’s stead. (Genesis 22) This is a foreshadowing of God’s love for us in the sending of Jesus, the lamb of God, to rescue us.
This story is among the most meaningful events in scripture. But it's the form of storytelling that I find so interesting here. It is a remarkable example of mosaic art. The practice of painstakingly placing hundreds, even thousands of small pieces in just the right spot. Each individual piece, perhaps unremarkable in isolation, serves a grander picture. Having been manipulated by the hands of the artist, the individual becomes an essential part of something previously unrealized. Something bigger, something beautiful. Something intentional and moving. The bible describes each of us as an individual piece. A living stone. A living stone in the hands of the Master Artist. 1 Pe 2:5–6 “you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. I’ve had my share of accolades and awards I suppose, but I often wonder about my value in the big picture of God’s Kingdom. Like the individual stone in a mosaic, I feel as if I am quite plain. Unremarkable. One proverbial grain on an endless beach and the kingdom wouldn’t notice my absence. But as I zoom out in my own self reflection, I begin to see my contribution to a larger whole. I begin to understand myself as part of something beautiful. That God has chosen me for a unique role, one that no one else can fill. And in even the largest mosaic’s, one missing stone is easy to notice. Recently, I was crossing a high mountain stream, with layers of river rock underneath the shallow water. One rock in particular caught my eye. Brilliantly colored, it stood out from among the rest. This is how we look at rocks, looking past the ordinary in favor of the exceptional. God sees them all as worthy of attention, after all… he made them! The world may see me as plain, but In His sight, I am precious. You are too. We are in the hands of the Great Artist, and He is building something beautiful. Our gaze is not upon ourselves, rather we rejoice in the singular mosaic he has designed. As we settle into this spiritual house that he’s created, we begin to see that the beauty of his mosaic is only a dim reflection of a more beautiful artist. There is something about His creation that leads us ultimately to the worship of the Creator himself. May we never neglect the worship of our Father who has chosen us (all of us!) to be an integral and essential part of his Kingdom building on earth. On mission together for His glory! Pastor Chris
Our passion to serve like Jesus requires the newness that Jesus brings. But what of our old hearts? Frankly, they need to die. In this passage, we find two old things destroyed, both the garment and the old wineskin. Neither are adequate to move forward with the addition of something new. In the context of the New Testament, The old ways are not compatible with how Jesus is moving forward. In the gospels, Jesus is bringing something fresh. Something that tears away at the old way of thinking. The old ways may have been admittedly comfortable, it’s what we are used to. Like your favorite pair of jeans at home, or that shirt you had since college that your wife threatens to throw away. We enjoy the familiarity of the status quo. In the gospels, Jesus is bringing something completely different and it requires something completely different to contain it. It’s been said that, “Christianity is not just sewing Jesus into your old habits.” You can’t sew Jesus into your life and expect to continue your old worn out ways. Jesus pulls at the old self and demands change. Not just change, but ultimately a complete transformation of our hearts. Jesus continues his teaching with an analogy about wineskins. New wine needs to be put in flexible skins so the skin has room to expand as the wine ferments. If new wine is put into an old, brittle skin, it will burst the skin. Jesus is like new wine that must be put into an entirely new vessel. As we consider the heart of an active servant we see that it begins with a whole new heart and a whole new way of thinking. This is absolutely necessary if we are to move forward with Jesus. There are values and convictions in place at Cornerstone that must never change. Change for the sake of change isn’t necessary or helpful. That being said, we might consider how God is moving our church in new and exciting ways. As the Holy Spirit stretches our comfort level, as we reach out in obedience to a culture that is unrecognizable to many of us, let us have the courage to ask this question; What changes might we embrace for the sake of the Kingdom? What do new flexible wineskins look like? Are there old wineskins that we need to retire? Are there meaningful things we can change for the sake of God’s mission here in Wellington? I have seen many churches in the embracing of what’s new, tear away at the fabric of what was before. This is not our heart. Our heart is to bring as many people into the presence of Jesus as possible. With wisdom and discernment, we can embrace the changes necessary to engage God’s mission in building His Kingdom. On mission together for His glory! Pastor Chris |
AuthorPastor Chris Middleton 
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35 Carlson Blvd, Johnstown, CO 80534
Church Services begin at 10:30 am Sundays
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