Spark Cast Spark.Church

Paul concludes his letter with a bold appeal to his Jewish and Gentile readers that belonging to Jesus means belonging to each other, which means sacrificing ourselves for the good of the other, with our money, time, and effort.

The Roman Empire believed it was living in a time of peace, something they called Pax Romana. But Paul and the followers of Jesus knew differently. They knew the Roman sword was not idle. And yet, Paul encouraged the Jews and the Gentiles to be a people of love and demonstrate to Rome a peace that passes all understanding.

In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul instructs the community of believers on how to offer up themselves as living sacrifices, and these instructions are not for the faint of heart. Loving our enemies is a very difficult command, to say the least.

Paul's beautiful exhortation in Romans 12 is to offer ourselves up as living sacrifices, set apart for God's perfect will.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Palm Sunday is also Lamb Selection Day. Matthew 21 is full of symbolism and the crowds are missing it and we are missing it too. Jesus is the Lamb, the once and for all lamb, the rejected and lovesick lamb who comes to wash away, not just some people's sin, not just some people's wrongdoing, but is here for all of us.