First Meeting in New Space!

This past Sunday we had the first meeting at our new location, 122 East 83rd St. between Lexington and Park Avenues. A great time was had by all and we hope you'll visit soon!

I preached on Romans 8.31-39 (text below) but forgot to record it:(

The premise of the talk was that, in the midst of lives that are often very difficult, it's sometimes hard to believe that God is, as St. Paul writes, "for us".

In fact, the only proof/evidence/inkling we have that God may be, in fact, "on our side" is Jesus: who he is, what he says and what he does. Jesus is alone among religious/moral/ethical leaders in that he does not tell us how to solve our own problems, but rather saves us by taking our problems upon himself. Jesus isn't a "life coach," he's a body double (in the stunt man or Presidential security sense:).

Every other conception of God/life tells us that if we're having problems, it's up to us to overcome them, but Jesus is unique in that he takes all of the "against-ness", "condemn-ation" and "separation" (in Paul's words) we so often feel and returns only "for-ness." Only in Jesus can God be said to be truly "for us."

Finally, Jesus is so radically for us that he says:

I am for you even when you are against me.
I accept you even when you condemn me.
I cling to you even when you reject me.

I love you even when you hate me.

Romans 8.31-39 (ESV)

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.