Toy Story 3 - 28/07/10
By Emma Kearns
I know that when my non-Christian friends ask me about the weekend I’ll happily tell them about the friends that I met up with, work or my soccer games − then maybe at the end I might mumble something about church on Sunday night. And when we talk about the holidays I’ll tell them about the great books that I’ve read, how amazing Toy Story 3 is or about my rollerblading expedition. But if I’ve only done that, then I haven’t mentioned the most important and significant part of my holidays – Mid Year Conference.
This year was my third MYC, and for the third time I was totally thrown from the understanding of God that I was holding onto. The intensity of MYC challenges us to dig beyond the superficial knowledge that we have of Christianity as a whole. From the somewhat lengthy talks by Phillip Jensen on Ephesians to delving into the depths of the bible in seminar groups to puzzling over John 18-20 I was thoroughly challenged in my perception of the cross of Christ – the topic for this year.
Through sin, humans have chosen to spend an existence separate from God. The punishment that we deserve is a life without God – a life without hope, without love, without goodness. Yet the death of Jesus has reconciled us to God, allowing mercy and justice to reign together. It goes beyond words to describe the love that is demonstrated by God in this action. It seems so incomprehensible that God would sacrifice this much, that he would be so willing to love me this much. It is compelling for us to accept this undeserved gift, the grace of God.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2: 4-7
And not only are we reconciled to God, but we are also reconciled to one another. Both Jew and Gentile form together a united church with one hope in Christ Jesus. In Ephesians 3 Paul describes this as a mystery revealed. God’s immense love for us was so powerful that he united two hostile enemies. The consequences of this are far reaching. As the body of Christ, united in the love of God, we need to show this love to non-Christians. For through our love for one another we are able to demonstrate the love of God. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-5
What is the best way for us to respond to the grace of God in light of the cross? Paul encourages us in Ephesians to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Eph 4:1). Unfortunately for us, sin prevents this from being as easy as it sounds. However, we have the perfect role model to look to – Jesus. Humility, gentleness, patience and love are to be the characteristics that we are to adopt. Furthermore, we are able to pray to God the Father, that he may strengthen us with his spirit so that Christ may dwell within us (Eph3:14-17).
By walking in the ways of Christ it becomes possible to be able to live as a united church, building each other up in love, equipping one another for the work of ministry. So here at ECU, in our bible studies and at our churches we should seek to facilitate one another’s growth towards maturity in Christ. Reciprocally, I think that we should also ensure that we are open to such growth. This could range from seeking opportunities (such as MYC!) to simply making sure that we are listening in sermons. And once we’re being equipped for the work of ministry? We minister. It is essential that we put into practice the things that we have learnt.
So for those of us who spent the week at MYC, I want to encourage you to tell your friends about the things you learnt at MYC, why they’re so important. For those of you that didn’t make it to MYC I look forward to seeing you there next year! But most importantly, I pray that we will be imitators of Christ, walking in love, as a united body.
Emma Kearns is third year Arts/Law. She likes eating sundried tomatoes and thought that Toy Story 3 really was a great movie.
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