God's Mercy

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9–14 (RSV)

Nothing the Pharisee said as he 'prayed' was untrue. There was no lie in any of his words before the Lord. He was not like others. He zealously kept the Commandments, fasting, and tithing to boot. It was all true and absolutely useless.

We may commend the Pharisee for his great desire to follow the Law. We can congratulate him on his apparent success in his efforts. We also would do well to pray for his redemption, for he was far from it. The Pharisee regarded God as a spectator, cheering on his spiritual achievements. He had no real need of God. He had it under his control.

The Pharisee was also correct about the tax collector. The man was a spiritual train wreck. He had nothing to lay before the Lord that would remotely be considered holy. The Pharisee knew it, as did the tax collector. The man had no excuse, no spiritual gold medals to offer. All he could do was weep over his sins.

We call it 'virtue signaling,' doing all your good deeds to be seen by others. The Pharisee probably got the praise he wanted. Folk may have commented about his exemplary piety. He was farther from God than the tax collector, who could only hope that God would be merciful.

What will you rely upon, your holiness and piety? Or will you trust the mercy of God?

Jesus, Our Kingdom

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." Luke 17:20–21 (RSV)

The Pharisees were correct in seeking the Kingdom of God. They longed for its coming, and for that purpose, they were zealous for the Law. It was believed that if a mere ten kept the Law perfectly, the Messiah would come. They had not succeeded yet, but they kept their vigil.

Their zeal blinded them to the fulfillment of the very promise they sought. The Messiah they sought, the kingdom of God they prayed would come, was right in front of them. God's kingdom is not a place. The kingdom is Jesus.

The Pharisees' mistake is one we often make as well. We are looking for a place, a kingdom when the promise of God is we will be in Him and He in us. If we content ourselves with heaven, we miss the One who is our life and salvation.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He brings us to the Father. Our eternity is to live in the love of the Holy Trinity. We speak of a place, for our words are not adequate to describe the joy that is to be ours. Words may fail us now, but our praises will be sung in the kingdom.

Give Thanks

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."

Luke 17:11–19 (RSV)

'As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by His command, and by His authority, I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.' LBW p. 56

How long does this great blessing from God the Father linger in your thoughts once the words are past? Do we offer praise and thanksgiving to God once the absolution is proclaimed, or have we moved on in the liturgy? We receive this great mercy every time we gather to hear the Word and receive the Holy Supper, but does it linger beyond a brief moment?

Perhaps it makes sense that the nine lepers he healed did not return to offer Him praise and thanksgiving. Just as we move quickly from that beautiful moment when we hear the absolution to other things, so the nine lepers moved on.

It is a great miracle as Jesus liberated ten lepers from a lingering death. It is an even greater miracle than the one turned back to Jesus, the source of his healing. May we never forget the One who has healed us.

To Be Reconciled

So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:20–21 (RSV)

St. Paul pleads with the Christians at Corinth to be reconciled to God. It is a plea that has no hope of fulfillment if it is to come from us. To be reconciled means to repair that which has been broken. Sin has broken our relationship with God. How can we repair it when our sin is ever before us?

We cannot restore what we have broken. We may long to do so, promising God all manner of repentance and holy living, we know it will not happen. St. John reminds us, 'if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.'

In the act of love, the Father sends His only Son to bear in Himself what we cannot. Jesus, the sinless One, become sin, our sin, taking it into Himself, and by His death on the cross, breaking its power over us. As the Father raised Jesus from the dead, the victory over sin and death is complete. God has reconciled Himself to us through Jesus.

We enter this reconciliation through our baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ. The Holy Spirit calls us to live by faith in the righteousness given to us through the reconciliation we have received from our Father.

Reconciled, we become ambassadors of Christ, sharing this Good News through all we say and do. We make Jesus known to all who can receive it and bless God for so great a gift.

Who Is Righteous?

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Matthew 13:47–50 (RSV)

We forget that we are not the ones who will be deciding who will be among the righteous and who will not. A superficial reading of this parable would suggest a selfish heart will have some say in the matter. We do not, and we condemn our hearts if we think we do.

The Holy Angels will accomplish this. You and I have no say in the eternal destiny of anyone. We may look upon another person and see the most wretched, vile sinner ever to walk upon the earth. What Jesus sees is another matter. We would do well to remember that our hearts are never pure while we live in this present darkness.

It is by grace through faith in the mercy of God that any will come to the Kingdom. The Christian heart has no room for any pleasure in losing anyone whom the Father sent His Son to redeem. Yes, some will not enter the Kingdom. They will have chosen that judgment; thus, they will have what they think they want.

Let us take care that we daily seek after the Lord, pray for the Spirit to open our eyes to our sin, and discover anew that it is only by the grace of Christ do any of us enter the Kingdom.

Clay Jars

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

2 Corinthians 4:7–12 (RSV)

A clay jar is an ordinary thing in the first century. Like a used CoolWhip container today, it is for storage of whatever needs to be kept. If it breaks or falls apart, no matter, it is just a clay jar.

Still, a clay jar, or a CoolWhip container, can hold gold bars or precious jewels. It then becomes a thing of great value for what it has within. It becomes the means by which the treasure is kept, protected, and held for proper use.

St. Paul understood that the message of the Risen Christ is the greatest treasure of all time. It is the will and purpose of God that this greatest of all treasures be kept within the clay jars of human beings. It is kept within us for its purpose of being made known to the whole world.

Our Lord has given the Gospel proclamation to the sinners it redeems. The world can see that ordinary people, sinners, have been made new in Christ. Seeing this great wonder of salvation, they hear and trust the Word. They then become the next clay jar to contain and share the Good News.

Finding Grace

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:4–6 (RSV)

Luther entered the monastery in the hope of finding peace with God. God is holy beyond any human ability to receive. Jesus was the righteous judge who will hold the sinner to account for their every transgression.

Luther understood human frailty all too well. He saw his sin with a clarity that terrified him. As a monk, he kept all the rules, fasts, vigils, and disciplines demanded by his order. He found no lasting peace in all these things. He hoped that confessing his sins would give him relief. He would confess his sins for hours, only to discover more sin as he left the confessional. An exasperated confessor once declared, "Murder your father, so you have some real sin to confess!"

The way of the Law and human effort gave no release. The Law demands 'do this,' and it is never done. This Luther knew all too well.

His assignment to teach and preach on the Scriptures that the Spirit opened his heart to God's grace and mercy. The Word revealed to him the God whose love for the world was shown in the dying and rising of His Son. Once Luther saw that it is by faith in what Christ has done that we are saved, he was free from the terror of God.

St. Paul and Luther witness to us that we have no confidence in our righteousness. Our confidence is in Jesus alone, who has fulfilled the Law. Joined to His dying and rising through our baptism into His death, we now are confident of salvation.

The Father's Love

And he said, "There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. Luke 15:11–14 (RSV)

I suspect that anyone reading this passage from St. Luke will be able to finish the parable from memory. It is one of the most familiar and cherished teachings of Jesus in the New Testament.

We tend to focus on the son who wanders off. The parable is commonly called the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In reality, it the father who is the proper focus of this parable.

The father's actions at first glance seem off. His son comes to him, demanding his share of the father's wealth. The son is saying, 'Dad, I wish you were dead.' What could have been the beginning of a bitter estrangement ends with the father dividing 'his living' between his boys. He gave away what he needed to live on, his life if you will.

Shortly after, the younger son leaves, taking his share of the father's living with him. The father lets him go. It is among one of the most painful things to watch a child make a mistake that will hurt them as a parent. The father has already absorbed the hostility of the son who demanded his cut. He now watches as his son turns his back, walking away.

The father loves his son. He loves him and, because of his love, will let his son go his own way. He could have refused to give the inheritance. He could have demanded the son stay. He could have kept the son at home. The father knew he would lose his son if he denied his son. The father loved his son so much that he was willing to let him go.

Our Father in heaven loves us with a love that will risk losing us rather than forcing Himself on us. His love is such that He will let us wander to the far country of sin if we think it is where we will find our freedom.

Our Father's treasure is His Son, Jesus. He gives His Son for our salvation. We may squander this treasure by turning away from Him. However, the Father never ceases to love us. He longs to have us return and rejoices when we finally come to ourselves and return home.

Lost Sheep

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

So he told them this parable: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.' Luke 15:1–6 (RSV)

One of the main things that prevent people from seeking to become Christian is Christians. I know it sounds harsh, even judgmental, but it is more accurate than I would admit. Like the Pharisees and scribes, we too quickly see the flaws in others, ruling them out of fellowship. All they could see were sinners who had no place in God's Kingdom.

Jesus knows that the tax collectors and sinners have wandered from God. He knows that they have made a wreck of their lives. He also knows that scolding them for their spiritual state will not turn their hearts to the Father. Nor does He wait for them to come to their senses and come crawling back. He goes after them.

He does not stop seeking until He has found the lost. Once found, He rejoices that He has found 'my sheep,' which was lost. He carries them back to the flock, calling others to join in the rejoicing. He does not forget the sheep was lost, but His joy over their being restored is greater than anger or judgment in His heart.

Can we be so joyless that we cannot celebrate another lost lamb has been restored? We may forget that we have been lost to the Lord, probably more than once in our lives. Each time, He has come looking for us to restore us to His flock. He does this with joy that we are His once more.

Jesus

"I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!  I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." Luke 12:49–53 (RSV)

This is not the Jesus we sometimes imagine. We give in to the mistaken notion that Jesus is a passive, docile person who would not disturb anyone. The 'peace' this Jesus offers is peace on our terms. We like the idea of a savior who does not distress or upset our lives.

We may like this, but a savior like this will redeem nothing. He will not bring forgiveness or undo the power of death. We may be undisturbed while we live, thinking that death and the grave will come for others, but not us. The only peace we will find with such a 'savior' is the peace of the grave.

Jesus comes to confront the lies of the evil one, take upon Himself the world's sin, and by His death, will shatter the power of death. His resurrection will signal the beginning of the Kingdom's coming in all its fullness. The peace Jesus will bring will call us out of our delusions into His life.

The peace of God the Father is in faith in Jesus and Him alone. He will lead us out of the broken, dying ways of this world into only true peace. We will become new creations in Him, leaving behind all that pretends to be of God.

The Church's Treasure

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12:32–34 (RSV)

St. Lawrence, Deacon 225-258 - Martyr

The Roman Emperor Valerian decreed persecution of Christians in Rome in 257 AD. Among the first victims was Pope Sixtus II. Sixtus assigned Lawrence to distribute the Church's treasure among the poor rather than surrender it to the Imperial treasury.

After Sixtus was martyred, the governor of Rome demanded that Lawrence recover the treasure. Lawrence asked for three days to complete the task. At the end of the third day, Lawrence came before the governor. He brought the destitute, the disabled, the elderly, the outcasts, presenting them to the governor.

'Here is the treasure of the Church." Lawrence announced. Enraged, the governor executed Lawrence. He did not find the silver and gold Lawrence had given away.

The silver and gold St. Lawrence gave away was long ago melted down and lost. It was not the treasure for which Jesus gave His life on the cross. We are His treasure, even the very least of these.

Inspired

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (RSV)

Scripture is 'God-breathed. God formed the universe with a word. When God made Adam out of the dust of the earth, He breathed into him the breath of life. This life-giving Word became flesh, alive among us, full of grace and truth.

Scripture is more than ink on paper. It does more than relate events long past. Scripture is the living witness of all that God has done. It reminds us of what God is now doing. It promises what God will do as the ages unfold.

The Church lives in the Scriptures. It is not a relic of some bygone era. It is the very breath in all we do and are. God's love is spoken to us through its pages. The Holy Spirit is at work as we read and hear it, creating faith for salvation.

Scripture is our witness. It forms our proclamation of our Risen Lord as we fulfill our Lord's command to bring the Good News to all the world.

Sparrows

"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:4–7 (RSV)

Five sparrows for two pennies is still overpriced. One would think it ought to be reversed; pay me two pennies to take five sparrows off your hands. I am not sure what value a sparrow may have had in the days of Jesus, but in NE Iowa today, you could not sell a sparrow if your life depended on it.

Yet the Father does not forget a single, useless little bird. We hardly notice a sparrow, let alone mourn its death. God does, and as Jesus reminds us, we are of greater worth the Father than many sparrows.

Death is not within the Father's purpose for sparrows or us. He has given His Son to redeem the whole of creation. I have no insight as to the eternal destiny of a sparrow. The Father, who notes the fall of a single tiny bird, opens the gates of heaven for our salvation.

Fear not; you are of more value than name sparrows.

He Is Faithful

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory. The saying is sure:

If we have died with him, we shall also live with him;

if we endure, we shall also reign with him;

if we deny him, he also will deny us;

if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:8–13 (RSV)

If we are faithless, he remains faithful; should every person living on the planet suddenly become an unbeliever, Jesus would still be the Savior. The salvation won for us through Jesus' death, and resurrection does not depend on us.

God's Word does not fail because we do not keep it well. His promise of salvation is eternal and cannot be undone by any power in the universe. This truth kept St. Paul from despair while imprisoned for preaching Christ. This promise has sustained countless generations as they faced persecution for Christ.

As we come out of the pandemic, returning to 'normal,' we may be tempted to think less of Christ as new demands on our time arise. After 9-11, many filled the pews; as the shock and fear faded, so did the devotion to the Lord.

Remember, our Lord is faithful to His Word. He calls us to follow Him as He leads us to the fullness of grace. Should we stumble or fall away, His love will seek us out, restoring us to Himself. Pray in these 'new days' that we are faithful to the eternally faithful One.

The Holy Spirit

"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."

Luke 11:24–26 (RSV)

We rarely speak of demons, even less of possession, though I am confident that both are realities. The lesson to learn from the words of Jesus still very much applies to us today.

Sin inhabits our lives and possesses us as would a demon. We cannot rid ourselves of sin or its effects on our lives. It is the condition which we cannot escape on our own. Sin must be driven out by a power greater than ourselves. It takes an act of mercy and grace to relieve us of its hold on us.

Jesus brings forgiveness to us through His death and resurrection. It is by His victory over sin that we are set free from its corrosive effects. We know that sin will return if given a chance.

Like a demon, sin is always looking for an opportunity to return. Even though we are free of sin for a time, if our souls are not filled once it has been cast out, sin will return, often with a significant impact on our lives.

The Holy Spirit has come to create faith so we might trust the promises of God. The Spirit would reside in us, filling the place where sin once held sway. The Spirit works sanctification in our lives so we might become more and more like our Lord.

Should we ignore the Spirit's work within us, then sin, like a demon, will return, seeking to repossess its old place within us. We are forgiven so that we might become more and more like Jesus. The Father's desire for our sanctification is at work as the Holy Spirit indwells within us. As the Spirit is working in our being, there will be less and less opportunity for sin to take hold.

Why Will You Die?

"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says the Lord GOD; so turn, and live." Ezekiel 18:30–32 (RSV)

God takes sin seriously. He created us as free creatures able to know and love Him. Human beings have used that freedom to exalt themselves above God. We choose sin over the love of God. Our race lives under the mistaken notion that we are only truly human when we do whatever we want.

Living as if God does not matter or is unconcerned with sin is to choose death. We may enjoy what the world calls a 'good life' while here, but the grave cares little for our bank accounts.

'Why will you die?' The Father asked this of Israel, but it is His question to us all. Why do we choose eternity cut off from Him when He longs for each of us to be His forever?

The Father has no joy in the death of even the most wretched sinner. He would rather they repent of their sin and live. He gives His only Son to take sin and death into Himself so that sinners can be redeemed and forgiven. He gives the Holy Spirit to create and sustain faith.

Why will you die? It is so unnecessary, therefore repent and trust in the Father's promise of grace and mercy in Christ.

Snakes and Scorpions

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17–20

I joke about skipping class at seminary when they taught about pastoral ministry during a pandemic. I know I missed the snake and scorpion treading class.

Lutherans do not lift one passage of Scripture and build a theology around it. We read the Bible as a whole, allowing its witness to speak to us. We do believe that Jesus has given the Church authority to accomplish many things. Our chief authority is to proclaim the Gospel, forgive sins and administer the Holy Sacraments.

If snake and scorpion treading or speaking in tongues at every worship were the best way to make Jesus known, we would be doing it. We recognize that some may have these gifts, but the main gift we have is telling others about Jesus.

The greatest wonder we can perform is our faithful, daily devotion to our Lord. We share the faith God has given us through the Holy Spirit. It is a miracle above all others.

The Harvest

After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Luke 10:1–2 (RSV)

The harvest is plentiful. Of the nearly seven billion people on the planet, about one-third are Christian. While that is an impressive number, it is not everyone. Jesus is the Savior of the entire human race and longs for all to hear the Good News.

You and I have been commissioned to do precisely that, tell others about Jesus. It is essential to understand; our job is to speak, to announce, that Jesus is the Lord. He has died and been raised for the redemption of all.

We trust that the Holy Spirit will be at work in our witness to create the faith needed to believe the Good News. The Spirit can and does work wonders with the Word. Have confidence that He can use your words about Jesus as well.

Will everyone who hears you come to faith? Sadly, no, human beings are often quite stubborn when it comes to trusting God. We are curved in on ourselves, at times so completely that we will not allow anything to disturb us.

Jesus will continue to send His Word through our witness. The Spirit will encourage faith. The Father will not cease to pour out His love for all. We continually and joyfully proclaim the Gospel until all have heard the Good News.

Jerusalem

As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Luke 9:57–62 (RSV)

The final battle has begun. Jesus has come down from the Transfiguration, setting His face to go to Jerusalem. Once there, He will lay His life on the line for the salvation of the world.

Jesus has set aside home and comfort. He has let go of everything, save His purpose for being in the world. He has no time to bury the dead as He must confront death itself. He has no time for farewells.

Jesus has already counted the cost of Jerusalem. With a determination born of His trust in the Father, will not turn aside from what lies before Him. He cannot afford any distractions, lest His heart fails the coming trial.

Jesus went to Jerusalem, there won our redemption. He surrendered all for the sake of those created in the Father's image. He placed His trust in His Father's love which is greater than death itself.

We have been entrusted with the message of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. We are engaged in the ongoing struggle against the darkness of unbelief. We have been called to give our witness to the world. Let us not be turned aside, instead follow He who, for our sake, went to Jerusalem.

Law and Gospel

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8–10

I owe Tim Damm a debt of gratitude. I am confident that he has forgotten our conversation from ages long past, but it is a significant factor in who I am today.

We were fifth-grade classmates when Tim was sharing his latest Sunday School knowledge. It seems that getting to heaven, and avoiding hell, was dependent on keeping the Ten Commandments. He assured me that if I didn't keep the Commandments, I had a 'devil of the spirit' and was hell-bound.

I had trouble sleeping for some time after that conversation. How could I keep commands from God when I had no idea what they were? It only was worse once I found a copy of the Ten Commandments. I wasn't sure if I would ever sleep peacefully again.

How could God give such commandments, expect us to keep them perfectly enough to merit heaven? What kind of God would do such a thing? Did He get some perverse pleasure out of asking the impossible, then punishing us when we failed?

It was because of this hopelessness of ever saving myself that when Pr. Jolivette shared the Gospel in confirmation class; I could hardly believe it possible. Trying to save myself was beyond anyone's ability. The path of the Law had no hope within it.

"By grace, you have been saved, Jolly explained. God has done the work of salvation, and if that were not enough, He has given us the faith to trust this promise. The gates of heaven opened, and I could enter without fear.

I owe Tim a debt of gratitude, for if he had not preached the Law to me before I heard the Gospel, I might have labored under the foolish notion that my salvation was somehow dependent on my choices. I did not have to accept Jesus. He had already chosen me.