7.13.25 Living the Covenant: Forgiving Hearts
Colossians 3:1-4, 11-17, Ephesians 2:11-22
Dear Trinity Family & Friends,
This Sunday, we continue our Living the Covenant journey with a message titled “Forgiving Hearts.” As we explore how the covenant takes root in everyday life, we turn to the wisdom of the New Testament letters: practical guidance for living with one another in light of what God has done for us.
In these passages, we see how the work of God through Christ redefines reconciliation. First, we are reconciled to God (a vertical relationship) through the cross. That healing and grace then overflow into how we relate to others (a horizontal relationship). This order matters. When we begin with God, we are changed – and that change empowers us to live with compassion, patience, and forgiveness.
Colossians 3 calls us to “clothe ourselves with love,” which binds everything together. It’s not just about being nice. It’s about allowing the love and mercy of Christ to shape how we show up in every relationship. And Ephesians 2 reminds us that Christ breaks down the dividing walls between people. Christ’s sacrifice doesn’t just cover individual sin. It creates one new humanity, a community where peace is possible.
As you prepare for worship this week, reflect on these questions:
- Where are you being called to forgive, to let go, or to trust that God’s grace is enough?
- Are there places in your life where you’re trying to fix the horizontal before being grounded in the vertical?
- What changes when we believe that the cleansing power of forgiveness is real, even for us?
Episode 14: Reconciled
Daily Reading:
Day 1: Philemon
Day 2: Philippians 1 - 4
Day 3: Colossians 1:1-3:17
Day 4: Ephesians 1:1-5:20
Day 5: Colossians 3:18-4:1; Ephesians 5:21-6:9
Day 6: Covenant Meditation on Philemon 1:4-7
Day 7: Group Meeting Experience with
Ephesians 2
Small Group Discussion Questions:
- What does reconciliation with God mean to you personally? How does that vertical relationship shape your life?
- What makes forgiveness hard? What practices or reminders help you move toward healing and wholeness?
- Ephesians 2 speaks of the “dividing wall of hostility” being torn down. What does that look like in today’s world, and in your life?
- What role does the church play in being a reconciled and reconciling community? How can we support one another in becoming people of peace?
This week’s worship experience will include a meaningful invitation to respond physically and spiritually, bringing the pieces of our brokenness, shame, and struggle to the cross, trusting that God meets us there with grace. It’s more than symbolism, it’s a moment of grace. The act of laying things down can open the way for something new to begin.
Because we can’t do this on our own. We need God. And we need God’s people.
May we be a community of forgiving hearts, rooted in grace, bound together in love, and shaped by the reconciling power of Christ.
Blessings,
Pastor Carrie
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