Announcement

"I was made a minister of this gospel," Ephesians 3:8.

Says who? Says Paul. Well, says God, actually. God took Paul unceremoniously, gave him a good shake, turned him to a new path, and gave him a precarious job: Go Preach. Make the Good Announcement! What announcement? the gospel. Announcement: Jesus went around doing good, but people killed him, but God raised him up from the dead, and calls all to obey him. So why preach? so that the ethnics can come to know the bottomless depth of Christ's love. So that everyone could see the light of God's mystery. So that God's plan would now be told all over the place. God established this purpose from for ever ago and into for ever to come. But why did that need to be announced? because God planned his plan for grace on human preaching. Preaching the gospel of Christ. And preaching obedience to him. Yeah. That announcement.

Having heard the preaching, we meet with a brother or sister today in praise of God's grace. And, recipients together of grace through faith, we give deepest thanks for God's eternal purpose in Christ's reconciliation.