Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We all need someone we can trust no matter what.  With all that goes on around us … with so many different tasks to accomplish – and only one of us to do them – we need help to be in more than one place … doing more than one thing at one time.  That’s what the “right-hand man” does for us.  Historically, the “right-hand man” is the person a leader most trusts to do their will in their absence.  The leader sits them their right-hand.  We all need a “right-hand man” we can trust without reservation to help us when we can’t help ourselves.  The key to a “right-hand man” isn’t just the trust … it’s the trust that they will actually DO something when needed.

Hebrews 10 describes how Jesus, the Son of God, is God the Father’s right-hand man.  The writer of Hebrews says, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”  (Hebrews 10:12) The Father selected His Son, His co-equal along with the Holy Spirit, to sit at His right-hand.  But, before this, the Father first sent Jesus into His creation to redeem it from the sin that had corrupted and separated it from Him.  Jesus faithfully discharged His Father’s call to Him.  He willingly gave up His rightful place to the right-hand of His Father to lower Himself to live among us.  Giving up all His glory in heaven, He exchanged His life for ours as He suffered a horrific death to overcome the effects of sin and death separating us from God.  Having faithfully served His Father, His Father glorified Him by returning Him to the seat of honor at His right-hand.  But … Jesus won’t just be sitting there, luxuriating in the glory of heaven.  He’s still working on our behalf!

As Jesus sits at God’s right-hand, He continues to work through the promised Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit … one might call Him “Jesus’ Right-hand Man” … “bears witness to us” (Hebrews 10:15) and gives us Words to speak as He works through us in these difficult days (Mark 13:11).  He’s the one who enables us to believe God’s Word and promises.  Especially the incredible promise that “‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” (Hebrews 10:17-18) We are forgiven … not because of more sacrifices and offerings for our sins, but because Jesus made the one and only sacrifice, giving His body and blood for ours.  All who believe in Jesus’ saving work, will be saved from the power of sin and death (Mark 16:16).

One day Jesus’ will finish His work.  As we wait for this Day, He calls us to continue meeting to celebrate and worship, to encourage each other through difficulties, and to do works of love for each other and those in our midst. (Hebrews 10:24-25) Then, when He returns, we will join Him and all who have endured to the end.  He will save us by bringing us into eternal life with Him as He reigns eternally at God’s right hand. (Mark 13:13)

                                                                                                        In the Love of Christ,

                                                                                                        Pastor Jim