Good Morning Friends,
Many churches avoid honest self‑examination. Yet Scripture calls us to face the truth about sin, purpose, and mission. God’s covenant with Israel is not an allegory to be dismissed but a promise that shapes the church’s calling. And if we are grafted on to the rootstock of Israel we would be wise to take notice of the Covenants. Evangelism to the nations and the opening of Jewish eyes remain central to God’s redemptive plan. Even the redemption of the people of Iran as well. Peter’s vision in Joppa reminds us that the gospel’s expansion to the Gentiles, meaning anyone who was not Jewish, was not a replacement of Israel but an extension of God’s love. The early church grew through ordinary relationships in gateway cities—Joppa, Caesarea, Corinth, Ephesus—where believers lived out the call to love God, love others, and make disciples. We too are to be gateway cities building covenant relationships in Community. Are You Feeling Part Of A Cruciform Community Shining Forth Christ’s Covenant Love?
Scripture Commentaries
John 19:26-27
In our own sanctuary, the third east stained‑glass window depicts a moment of profound covenant love: “Woman, here is your son… Here is your mother.” Even from the cross, Jesus forms a new community shaped by sacrificial care. The church’s purpose begins here—with a Savior who entrusts us to one another.
Acts 2:14, 36–41
Peter proclaims that Jesus—crucified yet risen—is both Lord and Messiah. His hearers are “cut to the heart,” and Peter calls them to repent, be baptized, and receive the Spirit. The promise is for Israel and “for all who are far away,” and three thousand respond.
1 Peter 2:20–25
Christ suffered innocently, leaving us an example of patient endurance. He bore our sins so that we might live righteously. Once wandering like sheep, we have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls.
Acts 11:1–18
Peter recounts his vision in Joppa: what God has made clean must not be called unclean. The Spirit falls on Gentiles just as on Jewish believers, and the church recognizes that “God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
John 10:1–10
Jesus is the true Shepherd and the Gate. His sheep know His voice; false shepherds exploit and destroy. Christ comes that His people—Jew and Gentile—may have life abundantly.
Psalm 23
The Lord shepherds His people with provision, protection, and presence, leading them into His everlasting dwelling.
Luke 23:32–43
Luke gives us another window into this cruciform community. In that Jesus hangs between two criminals. One mocks Him, but the other reaches toward Him in faith: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus, even while dying, opens the door of mercy: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
Message: At the cross, Jesus suffers in ways deeper than physical pain. Yet even in His agony, His attention turns outward—to the people around Him, to the community He is forming, and to the future of His followers. In John 19:26–27, Jesus looks down and sees His mother and the beloved disciple. With His strength fading, He speaks words that create a new kind of family: “Woman, here is your son… Here is your mother.” At the very moment when He seems most alone, Jesus binds His followers to one another. The church’s life together begins not in triumph but in shared suffering and mutual care. Here at the cross, we see the shape of the worshipping community Jesus creates:
- A community formed by grace, where the undeserving thief is welcomed.
- A community held together by love, where Mary and John are given to one another.
- A community that bears one another’s burdens, because our Lord bore ours first.
The cross is not only the place where Jesus saves us; it is the place where He gathers us. A worshipping church is a caring church—one that looks at one another the way Jesus looked at Mary and John, and one that welcomes the broken the way Jesus welcomed the thief.
And So, at the foot of the cross, we learn who we are: A people bound together by the suffering love of Christ, called to care for one another as He has cared for us. And at the center stands the cross.This is not sentiment but mission. The church is born at the foot of the cross—a community of mutual care, sacrificial love, and shared purpose. Abundant life is not ease but alignment with God’s purpose. It is the life money cannot buy: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self‑control, and a heart that still loves the people of Israel. It is freedom found only in Christ.
Pray we embrace the cause of Christ with clarity and courage. Pray the Keys of the Kingdom open a gateway to abundant life. Pray we fix our eyes on Jesus, our Shepherd and our Gate. Pray we love both Jews and Gentiles as one family at the foot of the cross. Pray we run the race with purpose, shaped by the law of love. Pray we discover that the darkness cannot overcome the light of Christ. Pray we take the next step with Jesus into the life that truly is life.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 