Day 33: In Christ: Union with God

In our final episode of In Light of the Cross, we wrap the series around God’s long-standing desire to be with his people—an intimate union that doesn’t erase our individuality, but brings real communion with him now and perfectly in our resurrection destiny. We linger on John 15 and especially Jesus’ prayer in John 17, where he asks that we would be one with God the way he is one with the Father: we in Christ and Christ in us. We talk honestly about how this can be mysterious and easy to oversell, while still being something we can practice on this side of heaven. We explore spiritual practices—especially Scripture and prayer (including contemplation), along with Jesus’ rhythms of solitude, community, fasting, and worship—and we end by asking what it looks like to organize every part of our lives around knowing and loving God, then close with the Lord’s Prayer. 00:00 Final Episode Setup 00:34 God With His People 01:04 Union Not Absorption 01:30 Abide in Christ 02:16 Jesus Prayer for Oneness 04:03 Mystery of Being In Christ 04:45 Organize Life Around God 06:05 Realistic Expectations 07:01 Spiritual Practices and Openness 08:23 Scripture and Prayer Basics 09:13 Prayer as Contemplation 09:57 Jesus Model of Practices 11:27 Wrap Up Questions and Story 14:13 Thanks and Lords Prayer