Two years ago our theme for Lent was “But for me it is good to be near God.” (Psalm 73:28a ESV). The next part of Psalm 73:28 says, “I have made the Lord God my refuge.”
But how do we practically do that? When we more fully explore the gospel, we see that it’s ultimately an invitation to God Himself. It’s an invitation to be united with Christ, the ultimate refuge.
Union with Christ is the biblical teaching that Christ is in us (“…the riches of this glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27b ESV)and we are in Christ (“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV).
This year we are making our Lenten focus to be "Union with Christ" and are journeying together in one single class during the education hour. (Feb 26 - Apr 1).
We’re exploring more fully what union with Christ means: 1) how Christ’s benefits are ours, 2) how we share in His death and life, 3) how the Trinity is essential for understanding union with Christ 4) how union with Christ is the path to transformation and 5) much more. We’ll be looking at some significant people in our heritage on union with Christ: 1) Augustine of Hippo, 2) Bernard of Clarivaux, 3) John Calvin, 4) John Owen and 5) Isaac Ambrose. Perhaps most helpfully, how do we practically press into the experience of union with Christ. We’ll be revisiting and expanding on the spiritual rhythms that we explored two years ago.
Finally, we’ll be using the image of a ladder to pull it all together on the final week…but you’ll just have to come to find out what that means!
