Weekly Greeting - May 2, 2025
Greetings friends,
In my devotional reading this week, I was reminded that in ancient times signet rings were used to show three things: belonging, authenticity, and protection. Letters and covenants were sealed with the weight of a signet ring, marking both the giver and the receiver with the weight of a promise.
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he describes the Holy Spirit as the one who seals us in our covenant with God:
In him, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined, according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him we’re sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
—-Ephesians 1:11-14
Paul reminds us with those words how the Holy Spirit empowers us to honor our covenant with the God who promises to love us and protect us and lead us into the true way of life.
If you are wearing a ring, let it remind you of the function of signet rings in ancient times and of the love God has for us in giving us the Holy Spirit. We are Easter people, we are people of the resurrection who have been given the most awesome gift imaginable. If you know someone who may have forgotten just how much God loves them, make a special effort to remind them of the new covenant Jesus brought to us. This Sunday during worship, we will be celebrating holy communion. We will also be observing the sacrament of baptism.
We will be celebrating God’s love for us all, in the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John when he said:
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me .”
—John 7:37
Let us come to God, let us come to worship, let us give God thanks for the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives !
Blessings,
Craig
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