what God has done for us: 8th week tuesday 2013

We are still in the fourth article of faith – Jesus who was conceived by the power of the Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.

Today, God in Jesus as it were is staking his claim of ownership on us when Jesus said that we give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give back to God what is God’s.  This claim is not just founded on the fact that we were created in the image and likeness of God.  This claim is even more wondrously established when Jesus redeemed us by accepting death for our sake.  Thus the ancient hymn the priest sings during Easter says, “O happy fault of Adam that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer.”  Kay kon wala nagpakasala si Adam kag si Eba wala kita pinana-ogan sang Dios, wala kita kontani makakilala kay Kristo kag wala kita kontani kahibalo kon ano ka daku ang paghigugma sang Dios sa aton.  sa Latin sini nga kanta nagsiling sia O certe necessarium peccatum Adae – certe necessarium, truly necessary, kinahanglanon gid nga sala ni Adan.  Amo ina nga ang Good Friday, the celebration of Good Friday is a triumphant celebration – ang kamatayon ni Kristo ginakabig ini nga kadalag-an, indi ini masubo kundi triumphant.  And that is how we should also view the crucifixes that we place in our houses, in our offices and business establishments – it is the triumph of the love of God, and as such, I am now owned by God, my dignity comes from God, my self-esteem comes from God who loved me even unto death.

Many times we anchor our self-esteem on what we can do, on what we can achieve.  And many times we go into depression because many times we fail.  But int he bible self-esteem is not founded on what we can do but on what God has done for us.

To be redeemed means to be bought back, to be claimed again as one’s own.  This is what Christ did for us and precisely the stake of God as it were is upped, because he did not only create us but he also redeemed us when we were lost to sin.  And our redemption is not just a buying back in money or exchange of goods but the buying back was done in exchange for a life, that is, the life of the only Son of God.  Jesus was crucified, died and was buried.  Jesus, for love of us, gave up his life that we may have our lives back in God.

Every human life from the moment of its conception is made in the image and likeness of God, it was redeemed and paid for by God, it is a life willed and loved by God, and God owns that life.  Amo ini ang kamunuan sang tanan naton nga paghangop nahanungod sa tawo, nahanungod sa aton kaugalingon.  We do not own our lives.  We cannot just simply say I can do with my life as I please.  No we cannot do that.  We cannot just simply accrue to ourselves the power as to who lives and who dies.  We cannot abuse our bodies to the point that it becomes sick.  No, we cannot do whatever we want with our lives or with our bodies because we do not own it, God owns it – God created it, God redeemed it, God died for it and therefore it should be lived in a manner pleasing to God..