Hello Castle folks!
This weekend was a great one. We had around 30 people for our Cross-Walk and had a very meaningful experience commemorating Jesus' sacrifice for us.
Easter Sunday was also great!
This coming Sunday we are finishing up our mini-series on these important "why" questions about Jesus. On the 13th, we talked about "models" (different understandings) of the atonement (the theological word for the way Jesus deals with our sin). We were critical of one called "penal substitution" because the assumptions it has about God are in stark contradiction with the person of God which Jesus Christ reveals. We landed on a view of atonement called "Christus Victor" or "Identification." That message was, "Why Did Jesus Die?"
On the 20th, we celebrated Easter by asking "Why Did Jesus Raise?" We talked about the importance and meaning of the Resurrection for our lives. We boiled it down this way: If Jesus' death was his identification with our sin and death, and if we identify our lives with his life and death, his resurrection means that we, too, will identify with that resurrection! It means we have hope beyond this life--hope that helps us continue to do the work of the Kingdom--hope to bear our own crosses!
If you missed either one, these two sermons are available to listen on iTunes (search the store for "Castle Christian Church"). You can also listen to them here.
This coming Sunday (the 27th), we are finishing this series with "Why Did Jesus Ascend?" We want to discover what the purpose is for the ascension story in Acts. Therefore, we will spend some time in Acts chapter 1, as well as a few gospels.
I hope to see you there!
Later!
Jason
