Mosaic Lincoln

God is doing something in you and calling you to a unique path to walk. Something that is good, beautiful and true that you can bring into the world.

Jesus death invites us to be set free from spending so much of our energy in oppositional ways and pulls us into invitational energy. To invite the world to see all that is good, beautiful, and true.

Jesus' final words in the book of John were "IT IS FINISHED." Finished? Do we end the story of Jesus on the cross uttering finished? What did Jesus finish? What is John trying to get us to see in his writings that Jesus finished?

This week we dive into what Jesus finished on the cross and how he is bringing us into something new. Jesus didn't just die for people to go to heaven. It so much bigger and better than we could have ever hoped for or expected.

Why exactly did Jesus have to die? Why did God orchestrate things that way? Why blood? Did God kill Jesus instead of killing me?

Many times we jump to conclusion about God or Jesus based on limited information. This week we address the hard to understand parts of the cross and how God is always on a mission to live among his people.

This week we dive deep into the ancient practice of animal sacrifice, The Day of Atonement, the Tabernacle, and how it all points to amazing grace and fulfillment in the cross.

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For further information see sources below.

Dr. Eric Smith - "Jesus Prequel" book and Pillar Podcast (http://www.pillarseminary.org/podcast/2017/10/1/breaking-the-old-testament-with-the-new-abraham-isaac-and-the-atonement)

N.T. Wright - "The Day the Revolution Began"

The Bible Project - Animal Sacrifice (https://thebibleproject.com/blog/animal-sacrifice-really/)

The Bible Project - Ransom Debt / Tabernacle Cleansing (https://thebibleproject.com/blog/old-rituals-new-realities/)

Bible Project (video) - Atonement and Sacrifice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_OlRWGLdnw)

Bible Project (video) - Holiness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9vn5UvsHvM&t=299s)

Commentary - Gordon Wenham - "Exploring the Old Testament. A Guide to the Pentateuch"

Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to die? Why did God set it up that way? Could there have been a different way?

Well if you have then you’re in good company. Jesus’ followers asked the same tough questions.

We want to step into the tension. Why were the disciples confused when Jesus said he was the Messiah and that he had to die? It's almost as if they were on two totally different wave lengths regarding His purpose as Messiah. This week we are looking at the history of the Israelite people and their hope for a Messiah. What Jesus' accomplished as Messiah was so much bigger than the disciples expected. They wanted a savior for Israel and what they got was so much more.

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:28

“If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.” - St. John of the Cross

In 361 AD Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate spoke of Christians living in his kingdom. “Atheism (Julian’s pejorative term for Christianity) has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead. It is a scandal that there is not a single Jew who is a beggar and that the godless Galileans care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help we should render them.”

As we explore Jesus parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) how does it speak to Jesus work of transformation through our wit(h)ness.

"Life is full of mystery. The deepest, richest and most complex theories that science can ever come up with only serve to highlight the fact that there is still a depth of mystery which goes way beyond it all.” NT Wright

The difference between the church and the world is not spacial (i.e. God is here and not there). There is no in here and out there. Instead, the church experiences God’s presence now. The whole world will experience it eventually. We, the church, put it on display now in our present time. It’s all a matter of timing. We experience his presence ahead of time and put it on display for the world. We are future people in the present time. But, how? That’s what this series is all about.

Our world runs on antagonisms, but Christ’s love compels us to something new. Discover 7 ways to become People of Reconciliation and tend to God’s future that is here now.

What can Zechariah's song teach us about the tension of waiting on hope. Zechariah thought he knew his story until God showed up and changed his life forever. As we wait in the tension of hope, and are we open and willing to allow God to change our story.