By: Justin Dillenschneider, Director of Student Life
Week of October 25th, 2021
Dignity can be defined as the formal reservation or seriousness of manner, appearance, or language reflecting the worth or quality of being. There is still something incredibly profound about reflecting on being created in the imago dei and its implications. To say you are created in the image of the God of the universe is to say that you are unbelievably, innately valuable. We know that all have fallen short of the glory of God and are dead in our sin (Romans 3), but God had compassion on us and sent His only Son Jesus to live a perfect life, die a brutal and humiliating death, and raised Jesus up on the third day conquering sin and death so that we would have the free gift of grace and eternal life if we place our faith in Him alone (Ephesians 2:1-10). What greater demonstration of bestowing dignity could there be than the almighty creator of the universe valuing those whom He created in His own image and likeness so much that He would sacrifice His own Son?
Continue contemplating dignity by looking at this week’s scripture reading from
John 13:12-17 CSB:
“12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you. 16 “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master,[a] and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
We want to encourage you to have a conversation this week about the virtue of dependability. Consider these discussion prompts together:
- What tempts you to gloat? Where do you see this vice taking hold in your life?
- Where have you seen people fall into debasement? Where are you tempted to do so?
- What are some ways you see Christ correcting debasement or gloating in Scripture? What are some ways you see him dignifying those around him?
- How do we see the apostles and the early church modeling and celebrating dignity?
Hymn to Sing Together: Amazing Grace