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More About Our Vision

More About Our Vision

Christ treasued above all things throughout Metrowest Boston and in every corner of the world.

Vision is what we hope to accomplish. It’s a picture of where we are going and the impact we hope to make by God’s grace. Our vision is Christ treasured above all things throughout Metrowest Boston and in every corner of the earth. It is both local and global in scope, recognizing our regional footprint as a congregation, which is our primary mission field (“throughout Metrowest Boston”), and also the global nature of the church’s mission (“in every corner of the earth”). But most exciting is the central imagery of “Christ treasured above all things.”

(Click here for Pastor Brandon's sermon on our vision)

Why the language of “Christ treasured above all things”?

Vision WEB sermonThe picture of “Christ treasured above all things” summarizes the kind of impact we want to have as a church. It paints a God-centered picture of what that transformation looks like, emphasizing the incomparable value of Christ, the passionate desire of his people, and the unparalleled satisfaction he alone can offer in this broken and unsettled world.

The Scriptures often use the imagery of a treasure to communicate God’s infinite value and the desire and satisfaction of his people. For instance, Jesus describes God’s kingdom “like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matt. 13:44), or like “a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt. 13:45-46). In other words, Christ and his kingdom are so incomparably valuable that when someone sees them for what they truly are, they will joyfully pay any price to have them, even if it means losing everything else. Incomparable value, passionate desire, unparalleled satisfaction.

Therefore, a vision to see Christ treasured above all things focuses first on God and his worthiness—his incomparable value. There is nothing in heaven or on earth that deserves such glory, such allegiance, such passion, love, devotion, and faith. The reality is that everyone worships something. We all treat something as ultimate, worthy of our highest honor and praise. But as heaven testifies, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:12). We want to see Christ treasured above all things because he alone is worthy.

Treasuring Christ also expresses the passionate desire for him that ought to fill our hearts. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. . . .” (Ps. 42:1-2). People are passionate about whatever they worship, and those passions shape our lives. As Jesus says in Luke 6:45, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” We want to see Christ treasured above all things because passion for Christ changes lives and shapes the way we live.

Finally, the language of treasuring Christ speaks not only to God’s worthiness and our desire, but also to the unparalleled satisfaction that Christ alone can give. There is nothing better for us, for Metrowest, or for the world than knowing Jesus. The apostle Paul expresses this idea in Philippians 3: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. . . .” (Phil. 3:7-8). Simply put: Jesus is better than anything this world can offer, and so satisfying that he’s worth losing everything in the world for.

This is a vision for something that truly has the power to change us. When Christ is treasured above all things in our hearts, he is glorified and we are satisfied. We find our value and identity in him. We find meaning, purpose, and significance in him. We enjoy love and intimacy with him. We find meaningful community in him. We are secure and stable, free to love others and lay down our lives to serve others whatever the cost.

But this is also a vision for something that has the power to bring change throughout the Metrowest and in every corner of the earth. Imagine families, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces treasuring Christ above all things. Imagine how that might redirect the desires and stories that prevail over our culture, or how it might address the variety of problems and challenges so many people face: the rootlessness of so many young people, the false gods people look to for life and happiness, the busyness and consumerism that cloud life and relationships, the crises that mark society today. What happens to these when CHRIST is treasured above ALL things? When people recognize his incomparable value? When he becomes the center of their passionate desire? When they find in him an unparalleled satisfaction? When they realize that the gospel of Jesus tells a better story than all the other stories that surround and shape us?

Dreaming about the answers to those questions is what excites us about this more specific vision. It’s what motivates us to give ourselves to our eight core commitments, through which we long to see this vision realized—to God-centered worship, biblical exposition, prayer, life-on-life discipleship, Christ-centered community, local outreach, church planting, and global missions. We want to see Christ treasured above all things throughout Metrowest Boston and in every corner of the earth.

Please join us in praying and trusting God to this end.