August 8, 2017 (Tuesday)
It is recorded in the gospel that when crowds of people saw and heard Jesus, the question arose, “Who is this?” That question is still being asked today. The story of Jesus must be told.
Let us consider two ways to tell the story of Jesus. First, with an animated Bible Lesson for Children by Aaron Glenn Miller. Then with an incomparable description of Jesus from the Book of Colossians.
JESUS – THE CHILDREN’S STORY
JESUS
COLOSSIANS 1:15-23
Who Christ is, and what he has done
Now Christ is the visible expression of the invisible God.
He existed before creation began,
for it was through him that every thing was made,
whether spiritual or material, seen or unseen.
Through him, and for him, also, were created power and dominion,
ownership and authority.
In fact, every single thing was created through, and for him.
He is both the first principle and the upholding principle
of the whole scheme of creation.
And now he is the head of the body
which is composed of all Christian people.
Life from nothing began through him,
and life from the dead began through him,
and he is, therefore, justly called the Lord of all.
It was in him that the full nature of God chose to live,
and through him God planned to reconcile in his own person,
as it were, everything on earth and everything in Heaven
by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross.
And you yourselves, who were strangers to God,
and, in fact, through the evil things you had done,
his spiritual enemies,
he has now reconciled
through the death of his body on the cross,
so that he might welcome you to his presence
clean and pure, without blame or reproach.
This reconciliation assumes, of course,
that you maintain a firm position in the faith,
and do not allow yourselves to be shifted away
from the hope of the Gospel, which you have heard,
and which, indeed, the whole world
is now having an opportunity of hearing.J. B. Philips New Testament Translation
COLOSSIANS 1:15-23
Who Christ is, and what he has done
Now Christ is the visible expression of the invisible God.
He existed before creation began,
for it was through him that every thing was made,
whether spiritual or material, seen or unseen.
Through him, and for him, also, were created power and dominion,
ownership and authority.
In fact, every single thing was created through, and for him.
He is both the first principle and the upholding principle
of the whole scheme of creation.
And now he is the head of the body
which is composed of all Christian people.
Life from nothing began through him,
and life from the dead began through him,
and he is, therefore, justly called the Lord of all.
It was in him that the full nature of God chose to live,
and through him God planned to reconcile in his own person,
as it were, everything on earth and everything in Heaven
by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross.
And you yourselves, who were strangers to God,
and, in fact, through the evil things you had done,
his spiritual enemies,
he has now reconciled
through the death of his body on the cross,
so that he might welcome you to his presence
clean and pure, without blame or reproach.
This reconciliation assumes, of course,
that you maintain a firm position in the faith,
and do not allow yourselves to be shifted away
from the hope of the Gospel, which you have heard,
and which, indeed, the whole world
is now having an opportunity of hearing.