Defined—by Litha Myataza
Litha Myataza • January 9, 2023
Sermon summary:
*Something inside us yearns to to understand what it means for us to exist.
- God defines who we are. If you don't get this, you'll search endlessly for the meaning of life and existence. When God looks at you he sees (Genesis 1:26–3) a being that is very good. For us to experience it we need to journey towards him. The world doesn't care about us except what we can do or produce. Move away from a world that doesn't see or care about you. Ask yourself: What kind of life can you live with the God who has already defined you?
- What are we defined by?
Romans 8:35–39 Nothing can separate you from God's love, and how he defines you. We believe that hardship, persecution, etc make God turn away from us. We do the same to others to define others.
What do you allow yourself or others to be defined by? - Defined with one another.
God defines us together, not separately. So if we want to live fulfilling lives, defined by the wholeness of God, then our only option is to do it together.
Genesis 2:15– "Tov" – something that exists as it's meant to do
God sees on our own we won't fully
You need someone to see yourself as you are.
It's not about being strong enough/ love yourself on your own.
Matthew 18:20 God's plan is about community. You can't figure yourself out by yourself.
Psalm 139: 13–14 God put you together fearfully and wonderfully.
You don't need to give anything else the power to define you.
Watch the full service
here (the sermon starts at 41 mins)
Because Jesus reconciled us to God through the cross, we are called to pursue reconciliation with God, one another, and the world around us.
Jesus reconciles us to the Father and teaches us to extend his grace, helping us forgive one another, heal relationships, and walk together in peace.
The physics of the pendulum Picture an old grandfather clock in a quiet hallway. Its long brass pendulum swings steadily: tick, tock, tick, tock. Now give that pendulum a hard shove to the right. It does not simply glide back to the center and stop. It races right past the middle and sways just as far to the left. Left to its own momentum, a pendulum never rests at either extreme; it finds peace only when it hangs still at the center, held by gravity and its fixed point. The church behaves in much the same way. Push her too far toward one side of a truth and she does not gently settle into balance, she swings. Often for a whole generation toward the opposite error, and then back again, wounding people at both ends of the arc. And here is the crucial thing the clock teaches us: the pendulum comes to rest not by being frozen in place, but by being held. Balance is not the absence of force; it is the fixed point that keeps opposing pulls in tension so that the weight can finally hang still.