But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. –
(John: 1:12-14)
“To know a community is to know its food.” – (Gil Marks)
“From every stormy wind that blows; From every swelling tide of woes, There is a calm, a sure retreat; ‘Tis found beneath The Mercy Seat. There is a place where Jesus sheds the oil of gladness on our heads. A place that all besides more sweet; it is the blood bought Mercy Seat.” – (Hugh Stowell – 1828)
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord. – (Leviticus 23:26-27)
“God uses no magic wand to simply wave bad things into nonexistence. The sins that he remits, he remits by making them his own and suffering them. The pain and heartaches that he relieves, he relieves by suffering them himself. These things can be shared and absorbed, but they cannot be simply wished or waved away. They must be suffered.”
― (Stephen E. Robinson, Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News)