Dear Family at Christ Community,

     We will begin our new sermon series The Pilgrim Letters: 1st and 2nd Peter this coming Sunday. It is good for us to be nourished by the bread and cup as we begin this journey to remind us of what ultimately defines us both now and in the resurrection to come. Edmund Clowney in The Message of 1 Peter: The Way of the Cross describes us as transient pilgrims who travel about this world with great purpose and hope in Christ alone. He writes:  

The theme of Christian pilgrimage stands over against the wandering of an unbelieving world. Christians are transients here, but they have an eternal home. They are aliens by faith, because by faith they are citizens of the city of God. Peter’s letter eloquently presents the sure hope of the Christian pilgrim; hope in a salvation already sealed in Christ, a present as well as future possession.

     The Lord’s Table reminds us of the fixed and finished work of Christ that serves as our sure hope as elect pilgrims in exile. The broken bread declares that we are not defined by our guilt and shame born of aimless wandering and grasping at whatever might makes us feel something, anything or even nothing. The overflowing cup provides what is needed for us to walk in purposeful newness of life to the glory of God and our joy. The perpetual nature of this meal serves as but a foretaste of the greatest meal yet to come when Christ returns. Our hope is nourished both now and in preparation for the glorious not yet that is to come.

     As you prepare for worship this week, give thanks to the Lord for inviting you on this redemptive journey with Him. Meditate on how you are no longer defined by the brokenness of or the mistakes you have made in this chaotic world. Take joy in your identity in union with Christ, looking not to the things of this fallen earth but to Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for you. Know that you don’t travel alone, giving thanks for the community of people that walk alongside you. Forgive those who have grown weary of traveling or have veered from the path making sure to let them know one more time that they are not forgotten or forsaken just as Christ reminds you of the same every week in worship.

In Christ,
Cameron