This week's devotions are written by Vicar Steve Bond.
First, a word of introduction about what we’ll be using for devotions. The next week and a half or so worth of material will come from an essay by a Methodist theologian and ethicist named Stanley Hauerwas entitled, “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics,” in which he dialogues with Lutheran theologian Robert Jenson. That may sound like a lot of people’s thoughts packed into one day’s devotions, but it’s got a lot of good stuff, too. Let’s give it a whirl, anyway…
“Theology is thinking what to say to be saying the gospel….” Theology is therefore the ongoing activity of the church to explore the prescriptive grammar required by the presumption that to be known and to know the one God of all requires that the God Christians worship is the decisive fact about all things.”
That’s a mouthful! The point, however, is profoundly simple: God matters. And theology, rather than being solely the task of trained professionals, not to be attempted at home, is the call to all believers to work out in life how it is that God matters. What’s more, the character of the God we know if Jesus Christ re-orients all of how we live, speak, and act. Because we know God’s goodness and mercy in Jesus, and most clearly in his cross and resurrection, we are not bound by fears of being worthy enough to earn God’s favor or worries that God is uninterested in us, nor are we constrained by other people’s judgments about us. God’s claim on us is truer, God’s grace more real, and God’s love for us is fiercer than any other claims the world makes on us.
Connection: The claim that God matters at least means that before my own brokenness or other people’s assertions define me, Jesus has already re-defined me as his own. What would it look like if I lived this day in the freedom of knowing that God’s claims on me truly matter?
Gracious God, you have claimed us as your own before we knew you, and your love holds onto us through each day. Open our eyes this day to live in the freedom of knowing that before all else, you have made us your own daughters and sons. We ask it in the name of your Son, Jesus.
Romans 14:8—“If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Monday, August 30, 2004
Tuesday, 31 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
For the next three months, several people will be contributing to these devotions.
The sine qua non of the transformation is, as we have claimed, “union with Christ.” Christ is the one who transfers a sinner to Christ himself and who changes the sinner. The transformation also means that Christ hides the Christian from God’s wrath until it has passed. But we are hid in Christ throughout our earthly life, because sin is always present in a Christian. A Christian can be saved only under the condition that he or she has the gift of faith, through which one can be hidden under the protection of Christ.
One note I have written in the margin next to this piece is “no one can deny the faith of another person or deny one’s relationship in Christ.” Trusting that God acts in such a profound way on our behalf so as to have us sheltered in Christ – in any time and in all situation –means that God places each of us above the condemning words and actions of others. Who is to be a judge among us? No one…not one of us. The power in the community of Christ is that we trust what God does for us…all of us…in Christ. Within that power is a freedom that lets our hearts rest and our lives begin to blossom from the deep soil of God’s gracious will for us. Yes, there are plenty of ways to claim to build up a church on the bases of a litany of nit-picking demands and restrictions, but in all of them, the transformative power of God is boxed up and put away. In union with Christ, we are let lose in the world and we are both blessed by the presence of others and we become a blessing to all.
Connection: Where in this day will the freedom of God’s love take you as your life interacts with others?
Lord God, sometimes we wear masks that hide the beauty you see within us and sometimes, we do not take off those masks and we too never are able to see ourselves as you see us. Give us the courage to see as you see and to trust in your love so that we will be free to share ourselves with the world. Amen.
For the next three months, several people will be contributing to these devotions.
The sine qua non of the transformation is, as we have claimed, “union with Christ.” Christ is the one who transfers a sinner to Christ himself and who changes the sinner. The transformation also means that Christ hides the Christian from God’s wrath until it has passed. But we are hid in Christ throughout our earthly life, because sin is always present in a Christian. A Christian can be saved only under the condition that he or she has the gift of faith, through which one can be hidden under the protection of Christ.
One note I have written in the margin next to this piece is “no one can deny the faith of another person or deny one’s relationship in Christ.” Trusting that God acts in such a profound way on our behalf so as to have us sheltered in Christ – in any time and in all situation –means that God places each of us above the condemning words and actions of others. Who is to be a judge among us? No one…not one of us. The power in the community of Christ is that we trust what God does for us…all of us…in Christ. Within that power is a freedom that lets our hearts rest and our lives begin to blossom from the deep soil of God’s gracious will for us. Yes, there are plenty of ways to claim to build up a church on the bases of a litany of nit-picking demands and restrictions, but in all of them, the transformative power of God is boxed up and put away. In union with Christ, we are let lose in the world and we are both blessed by the presence of others and we become a blessing to all.
Connection: Where in this day will the freedom of God’s love take you as your life interacts with others?
Lord God, sometimes we wear masks that hide the beauty you see within us and sometimes, we do not take off those masks and we too never are able to see ourselves as you see us. Give us the courage to see as you see and to trust in your love so that we will be free to share ourselves with the world. Amen.
Monday, 30 August, 2994
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
This is the next to last devotions from this resource.
Luther’s doctrine of justification contains a conception originating in the mystical tradition that a Christian might be caught up (raptus) in Christ. It means not only that a Christian is joined with Christ but that he is in this union transformed into a likeness of Christ. This change is a process, and it creates in the Christian the same form (forma) as Christ.
So whenever you hear that popular word the “rapture” among some portions in the Church, don’t think in terms of those “Left Behind” books. Think…caught up as a reality that we live here. We are caught up and live in union with Christ. There is no flying away. There is a staying in place and living as fully as Christ…here and now…for our living is caught up in reign of Christ, Jesus. Don’t fall for the stories that tell of an end in which some will be “caught up” and removed from this world. Instead, be caught up in that story that tells of Jesus, the beloved child of God, who does not fly away but stays with us unto death…all the way, for this is the life God created for us. There is nothing about our created humanity from which we must run. Rather, we are called to be caught up in its fullness as it comes to life in Christ.
Connection: So, how will you be caught up within the life of Jesus today?
Lord God, when you bless us, it is for life. Continue to shower upon us the beautiful reign of your Beloved, Jesus, and pull us into his story of life. Amen.
This is the next to last devotions from this resource.
Luther’s doctrine of justification contains a conception originating in the mystical tradition that a Christian might be caught up (raptus) in Christ. It means not only that a Christian is joined with Christ but that he is in this union transformed into a likeness of Christ. This change is a process, and it creates in the Christian the same form (forma) as Christ.
So whenever you hear that popular word the “rapture” among some portions in the Church, don’t think in terms of those “Left Behind” books. Think…caught up as a reality that we live here. We are caught up and live in union with Christ. There is no flying away. There is a staying in place and living as fully as Christ…here and now…for our living is caught up in reign of Christ, Jesus. Don’t fall for the stories that tell of an end in which some will be “caught up” and removed from this world. Instead, be caught up in that story that tells of Jesus, the beloved child of God, who does not fly away but stays with us unto death…all the way, for this is the life God created for us. There is nothing about our created humanity from which we must run. Rather, we are called to be caught up in its fullness as it comes to life in Christ.
Connection: So, how will you be caught up within the life of Jesus today?
Lord God, when you bless us, it is for life. Continue to shower upon us the beautiful reign of your Beloved, Jesus, and pull us into his story of life. Amen.
Friday, August 27, 2004
Friday, 27 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
…Luther goes on to argue that a Christian is provided with two firm and immensely strong foundations or supports, namely grace and gift. Because of them the still remaining and real sin is not able to bring damnation to a Christian.
In sum, Luther’s understanding that God the Father is favorable to a sinner and that Christ renews a sinner is based on the idea of “union with Christ.” This same idea explains why grace and gift are necessary to each other. Gift is not only a consequence of grace, as is usually emphasized in Lutheran theology, but it is in a certain sense a condition for grace as well.
This is not merely a way to see one’s own life. This is the way to view others. How would it be if we in the Church could look across the aisle and not be so consumed by what is wrong or “sinful” about those-over-there, and instead, give thanks to God who brings us all into union with the Christ? We find much to limit the abundant grace of God and by that; we become a people whose graciousness is diminished to the point of being completely hidden to the world.
Connection: What a gift we are to the world. By grace we can leap into this day and offer ourselves as gifts to those around us and in that whole event, the one who gift’s us with new life is seen by all around us. Take the chance and leap into the promise of God’s love today.
Keep us mindful of your love, O God, so that as we again face what will be, we will be filled with your love and that love will begin the wonderful transformation of each of us and the whole world. Amen.
…Luther goes on to argue that a Christian is provided with two firm and immensely strong foundations or supports, namely grace and gift. Because of them the still remaining and real sin is not able to bring damnation to a Christian.
In sum, Luther’s understanding that God the Father is favorable to a sinner and that Christ renews a sinner is based on the idea of “union with Christ.” This same idea explains why grace and gift are necessary to each other. Gift is not only a consequence of grace, as is usually emphasized in Lutheran theology, but it is in a certain sense a condition for grace as well.
This is not merely a way to see one’s own life. This is the way to view others. How would it be if we in the Church could look across the aisle and not be so consumed by what is wrong or “sinful” about those-over-there, and instead, give thanks to God who brings us all into union with the Christ? We find much to limit the abundant grace of God and by that; we become a people whose graciousness is diminished to the point of being completely hidden to the world.
Connection: What a gift we are to the world. By grace we can leap into this day and offer ourselves as gifts to those around us and in that whole event, the one who gift’s us with new life is seen by all around us. Take the chance and leap into the promise of God’s love today.
Keep us mindful of your love, O God, so that as we again face what will be, we will be filled with your love and that love will begin the wonderful transformation of each of us and the whole world. Amen.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Thursday, 26 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
For those who are in Christ, there is no damnation despite the fact that they still are more or less sinful (Romans 8:1). Luther says: “The reason why there is no condemnation is not that men do not sin…but because – as Paul says – they are in Jesus Christ; that is, they repose under the shadow of his righteousness as do chicks under a hen. Or as is said more clearly in Romans 5, they have grace and the gift through his grace.”
Here is that wonderful notion of the rest that comes from God alone. It would do us all well to consider the fact that we can begin and end our day “under the shadow of (Christ’s) righteousness. The metaphor of the hen and the chicks is always one that brings clarity to me about the place Jesus puts himself for us. What is seen is the hen alone. When we are “in Christ” that is what informs us each day so that we can both be assured of our status before God and we can know how we will begin this day as we set out to be among others.
Connection: Today will be filled with opportunities to let the light of Christ shine even when we are persistently falling into the trap of our brokenness. Remember, you are given a light to let shine under all conditions.
You, O Gracious Lord, are the one who holds us and gives us a place to rest and then sends us off with a way to take on the day. When we stumble, remind us of your presence and your power to renew us. Amen.
For those who are in Christ, there is no damnation despite the fact that they still are more or less sinful (Romans 8:1). Luther says: “The reason why there is no condemnation is not that men do not sin…but because – as Paul says – they are in Jesus Christ; that is, they repose under the shadow of his righteousness as do chicks under a hen. Or as is said more clearly in Romans 5, they have grace and the gift through his grace.”
Here is that wonderful notion of the rest that comes from God alone. It would do us all well to consider the fact that we can begin and end our day “under the shadow of (Christ’s) righteousness. The metaphor of the hen and the chicks is always one that brings clarity to me about the place Jesus puts himself for us. What is seen is the hen alone. When we are “in Christ” that is what informs us each day so that we can both be assured of our status before God and we can know how we will begin this day as we set out to be among others.
Connection: Today will be filled with opportunities to let the light of Christ shine even when we are persistently falling into the trap of our brokenness. Remember, you are given a light to let shine under all conditions.
You, O Gracious Lord, are the one who holds us and gives us a place to rest and then sends us off with a way to take on the day. When we stumble, remind us of your presence and your power to renew us. Amen.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Wednesday, 25 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
According to Luther, baptism does not just guarantee the death of sin and the Christian’s resurrection on the first day of eternal life. Its meaning is realized through a firm faith already in this life. Baptism initiates through faith the realization of death and resurrection, joins us with God, and empowers us to struggle against sin.
As we are empowered through our baptism to faithfully consider the reality of death and resurrection, we are lifted up into this day with a new vision for what is at hand. I like the word “already” when we talk about baptism and with that death and resurrection because it implies no waiting…no task to accomplish…no some day to come. Rather, baptism is a power for life now also. In our Baptism we are given the power to trust what God says about us and does for us. That power is able to face death and to expect and begin to live within the glory of the resurrection…already. Already…means not merely on our death bed…but also during every day we awake to whatever the day may bring. Already it is a day of resurrection and death is conquered.
Connection: And then…today can be a day in which we do not see and do not hear any evidence of resurrection or the power of the Good News over death. And yet, we pray that the “already” of God’s love will take us along through all we may encounter.
Take us up Lord and help us to see the wonder of your love and how your promise of new life can and does overcome all other words that may be spoken to us and all events that may try to dismantle the hope we have in you alone. Amen.
According to Luther, baptism does not just guarantee the death of sin and the Christian’s resurrection on the first day of eternal life. Its meaning is realized through a firm faith already in this life. Baptism initiates through faith the realization of death and resurrection, joins us with God, and empowers us to struggle against sin.
As we are empowered through our baptism to faithfully consider the reality of death and resurrection, we are lifted up into this day with a new vision for what is at hand. I like the word “already” when we talk about baptism and with that death and resurrection because it implies no waiting…no task to accomplish…no some day to come. Rather, baptism is a power for life now also. In our Baptism we are given the power to trust what God says about us and does for us. That power is able to face death and to expect and begin to live within the glory of the resurrection…already. Already…means not merely on our death bed…but also during every day we awake to whatever the day may bring. Already it is a day of resurrection and death is conquered.
Connection: And then…today can be a day in which we do not see and do not hear any evidence of resurrection or the power of the Good News over death. And yet, we pray that the “already” of God’s love will take us along through all we may encounter.
Take us up Lord and help us to see the wonder of your love and how your promise of new life can and does overcome all other words that may be spoken to us and all events that may try to dismantle the hope we have in you alone. Amen.
Tuesday, 24 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
The essential idea in Luther’s theology of baptism is that baptism is a merciful and consoling union in which God joins himself with the sinner and becomes one with him or her. Thus, baptism is not just a covenant or an agreement between two partners bound together to function or act for the same purpose, the salvation of the baptized. It is much more: through the sacramental act of baptism God binds himself ontologically to a sinner and is one with him through his whole earthly life, if he adheres to Christ in faith.
The “if” at the end here seems to have a conditional bent to it. But look at it again. God’s gift to us is the very faith to trust the proclamation of the Good News. So the “if” serves as more of a reminder to us of what God has given us…our faith. God puts forth and creates the union with us and Christ. We are invited to live within that union and to see how it will be unveiled for us each day. There is no need to contemplate the effectiveness of baptism. It is a sure reality and we need rise to any specific level of life to be a part of it. The reality has already been set in Christ, Jesus. We need only rest upon it in all times.
Connection: It is not easy to rest within the arms of our baptism…unless, of course, we trust what God is all about for us…for then, there is always the opportunity to settle back, rest, and then, rise to new life in Christ every day…even today.
When you hold us, O God, we are comforted and renewed and begin to see beyond the limits we place ourselves and others. Hold us this day and send us off with your loving touch so that our world will be transformed. Amen.
The essential idea in Luther’s theology of baptism is that baptism is a merciful and consoling union in which God joins himself with the sinner and becomes one with him or her. Thus, baptism is not just a covenant or an agreement between two partners bound together to function or act for the same purpose, the salvation of the baptized. It is much more: through the sacramental act of baptism God binds himself ontologically to a sinner and is one with him through his whole earthly life, if he adheres to Christ in faith.
The “if” at the end here seems to have a conditional bent to it. But look at it again. God’s gift to us is the very faith to trust the proclamation of the Good News. So the “if” serves as more of a reminder to us of what God has given us…our faith. God puts forth and creates the union with us and Christ. We are invited to live within that union and to see how it will be unveiled for us each day. There is no need to contemplate the effectiveness of baptism. It is a sure reality and we need rise to any specific level of life to be a part of it. The reality has already been set in Christ, Jesus. We need only rest upon it in all times.
Connection: It is not easy to rest within the arms of our baptism…unless, of course, we trust what God is all about for us…for then, there is always the opportunity to settle back, rest, and then, rise to new life in Christ every day…even today.
When you hold us, O God, we are comforted and renewed and begin to see beyond the limits we place ourselves and others. Hold us this day and send us off with your loving touch so that our world will be transformed. Amen.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Monday, 23 August,2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
According to Luther, union with Christ is effected in baptism. The necessary precondition of baptism is always the preaching of God’s word. The sacrament of baptism achieves validity when the Word of God, that is, Christ, joins himself to natural water… It is Luther’s conviction that everything which comes into existence through baptism is totally God’s work. Christ is given to the baptized as well as the personal faith through which she receives Christ. Both are God’s gratuitous gifts.
We need not boast about being one of the faithful, for being faithful, trusting in what God had done and is doing for us, is not of our own doing. We walk and live within a word of life that cannot be grasped nor can it be owned and operated by us. As saints of God we call ourselves the baptized and we live our lives on a promise and that promise is the power to stand up and be exactly who we are – the beloved of God. There is no room in the Church for the petty pickiness that attempts to set up a hierarchy of worth for individuals. If your wet from that water upon which the Word of God has been spoken, don’t let anyone try to say you have less worth than any other or must sit at the back of the bus or must not even enter and join in the fullness of Christ’s body. Beloved, you are a gifted bunch and by the power of God’s love, we may all come to see that truth and hear its beautiful music.
Connection: Walk around today remembering what it is to be a gifted by God…you a gift…you a gift to this world. How does a gift go through an ordinary day?
When you lift us up out of the water of baptism, O God, you call us forward into a love that will be our foundation forever. Be our courage so that we will indeed trust in your promises and live boldly as followers of Jesus. Amen.
According to Luther, union with Christ is effected in baptism. The necessary precondition of baptism is always the preaching of God’s word. The sacrament of baptism achieves validity when the Word of God, that is, Christ, joins himself to natural water… It is Luther’s conviction that everything which comes into existence through baptism is totally God’s work. Christ is given to the baptized as well as the personal faith through which she receives Christ. Both are God’s gratuitous gifts.
We need not boast about being one of the faithful, for being faithful, trusting in what God had done and is doing for us, is not of our own doing. We walk and live within a word of life that cannot be grasped nor can it be owned and operated by us. As saints of God we call ourselves the baptized and we live our lives on a promise and that promise is the power to stand up and be exactly who we are – the beloved of God. There is no room in the Church for the petty pickiness that attempts to set up a hierarchy of worth for individuals. If your wet from that water upon which the Word of God has been spoken, don’t let anyone try to say you have less worth than any other or must sit at the back of the bus or must not even enter and join in the fullness of Christ’s body. Beloved, you are a gifted bunch and by the power of God’s love, we may all come to see that truth and hear its beautiful music.
Connection: Walk around today remembering what it is to be a gifted by God…you a gift…you a gift to this world. How does a gift go through an ordinary day?
When you lift us up out of the water of baptism, O God, you call us forward into a love that will be our foundation forever. Be our courage so that we will indeed trust in your promises and live boldly as followers of Jesus. Amen.
Friday, August 20, 2004
Friday, 20 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
According to Luther, union with Christ is effected in baptism. The necessary precondition of baptism is always the preaching of God’s word.
The quote I wanted to use for today is a bit longer than this so I will put the whole thing down on Monday. For now, I wanted to stop with the comment that the “necessary precondition of baptism is always the preaching of God’s word.” It is not the telling of some well thought out and rational argument. It is the announcement…the good news announced without qualification. That Word, has the power to bring people to the water for in that announcement is a promise that carries no condition. The Word of God is a word for us in a world that is so against us. The Word pulls us into the water and in that action by God through the word of promise; we are joined in that “union with Christ.” No, if, ands, or buts, about it.
Connection: Sometimes it is important to listen to the power word that is spoken to our children. It is enough…enough to offer us a whole new life. Don’t wait for something more, in the word and the water, the whole Reign of God is here for us to enter within a new life.
By your love for us, Gracious Lord, we are moved into the eternal embrace of your promise for life. Open up our ears that we may hear your promises again and again. Amen.
According to Luther, union with Christ is effected in baptism. The necessary precondition of baptism is always the preaching of God’s word.
The quote I wanted to use for today is a bit longer than this so I will put the whole thing down on Monday. For now, I wanted to stop with the comment that the “necessary precondition of baptism is always the preaching of God’s word.” It is not the telling of some well thought out and rational argument. It is the announcement…the good news announced without qualification. That Word, has the power to bring people to the water for in that announcement is a promise that carries no condition. The Word of God is a word for us in a world that is so against us. The Word pulls us into the water and in that action by God through the word of promise; we are joined in that “union with Christ.” No, if, ands, or buts, about it.
Connection: Sometimes it is important to listen to the power word that is spoken to our children. It is enough…enough to offer us a whole new life. Don’t wait for something more, in the word and the water, the whole Reign of God is here for us to enter within a new life.
By your love for us, Gracious Lord, we are moved into the eternal embrace of your promise for life. Open up our ears that we may hear your promises again and again. Amen.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Thursday, 19 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
Gift…constitutes the Christian’s internal good, and it opposes his internal evil, that is, the corruption of human nature. Gift means righteousness and faith of/in Christ. It is donated with the purpose of conquering sin that remains as a corruption of the Christian’s human nature. Gift effects in a sinner his real renewal, because it replaces sin with the righteousness of Christ and purifies a sinner from sin… Luther describes this renewal with the help of metaphors (e.g., leaven, Matthew 13:33). One should also notice that the good deeds of a Christian are good “fruits” provided by gift; that is, they are consequences of receiving the gift.
I think it is important to note that “internal evil” is called a “corruption of human nature.” This evil is not the way we are intended to be who we are. Unfortunately, it is a quick turn and we then become consumed with ourselves rather than fulfill ourselves. This Gift given to us is the door that is open to new life in which we can be the beloved that we are called by God. Being loved in Christ, Jesus, is already the power for life to become a gift to and in the world. Again and again we hear how God’s first action for us is the fuel that ignites lives that reflect the depth and great expanse of God’s love for the world. Therefore, the gift does indeed make for a gift.
Connection: What is the gift we will unwrap for the world today as we begin to interact within God’s Reign?
As you turn us out into this day, O God, encourage us to give ourselves away to others…as a gift. Remind us that as we give there is a great potential for surprises and wonder and miracle to abound beyond our own lives. Amen.
Gift…constitutes the Christian’s internal good, and it opposes his internal evil, that is, the corruption of human nature. Gift means righteousness and faith of/in Christ. It is donated with the purpose of conquering sin that remains as a corruption of the Christian’s human nature. Gift effects in a sinner his real renewal, because it replaces sin with the righteousness of Christ and purifies a sinner from sin… Luther describes this renewal with the help of metaphors (e.g., leaven, Matthew 13:33). One should also notice that the good deeds of a Christian are good “fruits” provided by gift; that is, they are consequences of receiving the gift.
I think it is important to note that “internal evil” is called a “corruption of human nature.” This evil is not the way we are intended to be who we are. Unfortunately, it is a quick turn and we then become consumed with ourselves rather than fulfill ourselves. This Gift given to us is the door that is open to new life in which we can be the beloved that we are called by God. Being loved in Christ, Jesus, is already the power for life to become a gift to and in the world. Again and again we hear how God’s first action for us is the fuel that ignites lives that reflect the depth and great expanse of God’s love for the world. Therefore, the gift does indeed make for a gift.
Connection: What is the gift we will unwrap for the world today as we begin to interact within God’s Reign?
As you turn us out into this day, O God, encourage us to give ourselves away to others…as a gift. Remind us that as we give there is a great potential for surprises and wonder and miracle to abound beyond our own lives. Amen.
Thursday, 19 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
Gift…constitutes the Christian’s internal good, and it opposes his internal evil, that is, the corruption of human nature. Gift means righteousness and faith of/in Christ. It is donated with the purpose of conquering sin that remains as a corruption of the Christian’s human nature. Gift effects in a sinner his real renewal, because it replaces sin with the righteousness of Christ and purifies a sinner from sin… Luther describes this renewal with the help of metaphors (e.g., leaven, Matthew 13:33). One should also notice that the good deeds of a Christian are good “fruits” provided by gift; that is, they are consequences of receiving the gift.
I think it is important to note that “internal evil” is called a “corruption of human nature.” This evil is not the way we are intended to be who we are. Unfortunately, it is a quick turn and we then become consumed with ourselves rather than fulfill ourselves. This Gift given to us is the door that is open to new life in which we can be the beloved that we are called by God. Being loved in Christ, Jesus, is already the power for life to become a gift to and in the world. Again and again we hear how God’s first action for us is the fuel that ignites lives that reflect the depth and great expanse of God’s love for the world. Therefore, the gift does indeed make for a gift.
Connection: What is the gift we will unwrap for the world today as we begin to interact within God’s Reign?
As you turn us out into this day, O God, encourage us to give ourselves away to others…as a gift. Remind us that as we give there is a great potential for surprises and wonder and miracle to abound beyond our own lives. Amen.
Gift…constitutes the Christian’s internal good, and it opposes his internal evil, that is, the corruption of human nature. Gift means righteousness and faith of/in Christ. It is donated with the purpose of conquering sin that remains as a corruption of the Christian’s human nature. Gift effects in a sinner his real renewal, because it replaces sin with the righteousness of Christ and purifies a sinner from sin… Luther describes this renewal with the help of metaphors (e.g., leaven, Matthew 13:33). One should also notice that the good deeds of a Christian are good “fruits” provided by gift; that is, they are consequences of receiving the gift.
I think it is important to note that “internal evil” is called a “corruption of human nature.” This evil is not the way we are intended to be who we are. Unfortunately, it is a quick turn and we then become consumed with ourselves rather than fulfill ourselves. This Gift given to us is the door that is open to new life in which we can be the beloved that we are called by God. Being loved in Christ, Jesus, is already the power for life to become a gift to and in the world. Again and again we hear how God’s first action for us is the fuel that ignites lives that reflect the depth and great expanse of God’s love for the world. Therefore, the gift does indeed make for a gift.
Connection: What is the gift we will unwrap for the world today as we begin to interact within God’s Reign?
As you turn us out into this day, O God, encourage us to give ourselves away to others…as a gift. Remind us that as we give there is a great potential for surprises and wonder and miracle to abound beyond our own lives. Amen.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Wednesday, 18 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
Grace is the external good that opposes the greater evil, God’s wrath. Grace is God’s mercy and favor. This favorable and friendly attitude toward a sinner is an attitude that God has in himself. When God shows his grace, a sinner encounters not a hostile God but a merciful and favorable God. God’s favor effects in the sinner a conviction that God is gracious, and his conscience becomes joyful, secure, and fearless. According to Luther, then, grace is God’s favorable mood effecting in a sinner confidence in God’s forgiveness and benevolence. Furthermore, grace is by its nature always comprehensive: either God is favorable toward a sinner or he is not.
We can be calm and at rest for our God is merciful….because God is merciful. Unlike any of the other places and relationships in our lives that call for performance in order to gain favor, we are embraced favorably by our God…by God choosing. What a liberating place to be. Let people wage war over whether or not people can or cannot be “in the Church.” For us, it has all been left up to the mercy and favor of God whose attitude toward us is as a gracious Lord. This may be one of the reasons Luther latched onto the reality of his baptism. For in that rite, Luther, and all of us, can face the world and its many voices – and the many voices in the Church – and we can say “I am baptized” and there be embraced for life. But know again, the powers of the world don’t accept this notion of a gracious God for all.
Connection: It may be difficult to remember the power and beauty of God’s grace for life…but remember that it is always there like a treasure that is ours…ready to be used for the living of these days. Ahhh!
When our minds wander along the pathways of the many voices of our world, we can go quite mad. But you, O God, make your voice an unending love song that can move us into a new vision for life even when we can see no where to go from hear. Thanks to you this day. Amen.
Grace is the external good that opposes the greater evil, God’s wrath. Grace is God’s mercy and favor. This favorable and friendly attitude toward a sinner is an attitude that God has in himself. When God shows his grace, a sinner encounters not a hostile God but a merciful and favorable God. God’s favor effects in the sinner a conviction that God is gracious, and his conscience becomes joyful, secure, and fearless. According to Luther, then, grace is God’s favorable mood effecting in a sinner confidence in God’s forgiveness and benevolence. Furthermore, grace is by its nature always comprehensive: either God is favorable toward a sinner or he is not.
We can be calm and at rest for our God is merciful….because God is merciful. Unlike any of the other places and relationships in our lives that call for performance in order to gain favor, we are embraced favorably by our God…by God choosing. What a liberating place to be. Let people wage war over whether or not people can or cannot be “in the Church.” For us, it has all been left up to the mercy and favor of God whose attitude toward us is as a gracious Lord. This may be one of the reasons Luther latched onto the reality of his baptism. For in that rite, Luther, and all of us, can face the world and its many voices – and the many voices in the Church – and we can say “I am baptized” and there be embraced for life. But know again, the powers of the world don’t accept this notion of a gracious God for all.
Connection: It may be difficult to remember the power and beauty of God’s grace for life…but remember that it is always there like a treasure that is ours…ready to be used for the living of these days. Ahhh!
When our minds wander along the pathways of the many voices of our world, we can go quite mad. But you, O God, make your voice an unending love song that can move us into a new vision for life even when we can see no where to go from hear. Thanks to you this day. Amen.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Tuesday, 17 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
According to Luther the gospel proclaims and teaches that God gives a sinner two goods to oppose his two evils, the wrath of God and the corruption of the Christian. These two goods of the gospel are grace and gift.
In the next two days, we will look at grace and gift. For now, I think it is simply marvelous to be caught up in the reality that is promised. This reality is that God is so for us and so far on our side that God announces a reality that counters anything that may cause us to fear and doubt. Good News always takes us up and saves us so that we can enter into the life set before us this day with an assurance that makes this day new and creative even when we are being tempted to fear what appears to be ahead and slink back into the power of death. The Gospel “proclaims” this reality…it doesn’t attempt to convince us…it “proclaims” it because it is truth in spite of any other influences that may press up against us and try to turn our hearts in other ways.
Connection: Don’t think “what if” today. Contemplate, “Yes, God is so for us today this day is wide open to new visions of life!” And then…live!
Open us up to the expansiveness of your Reign, O God. Amen.
According to Luther the gospel proclaims and teaches that God gives a sinner two goods to oppose his two evils, the wrath of God and the corruption of the Christian. These two goods of the gospel are grace and gift.
In the next two days, we will look at grace and gift. For now, I think it is simply marvelous to be caught up in the reality that is promised. This reality is that God is so for us and so far on our side that God announces a reality that counters anything that may cause us to fear and doubt. Good News always takes us up and saves us so that we can enter into the life set before us this day with an assurance that makes this day new and creative even when we are being tempted to fear what appears to be ahead and slink back into the power of death. The Gospel “proclaims” this reality…it doesn’t attempt to convince us…it “proclaims” it because it is truth in spite of any other influences that may press up against us and try to turn our hearts in other ways.
Connection: Don’t think “what if” today. Contemplate, “Yes, God is so for us today this day is wide open to new visions of life!” And then…live!
Open us up to the expansiveness of your Reign, O God. Amen.
Monday, 16 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
Luther found it most important…to relate grace and gift closely to each other, and to understand them both as given to a Christian through Christ” “But ‘the grace of God’ and ‘the gift’ are the same thing, namely, the very righteousness which is freely given to us through Christ.” …grace and gift are given not only through Christ, but in Christ and with Christ. For whatever distinction Luther makes between them, he also always keep them together. …Luther points out that grace and gift are in Christ and they become ours when Christ is “poured” into us.
I wanted to use this piece because I was taken to a portion in the Prayer of Thanksgiving that we use in the Holy Communion liturgy. I one liturgy we sing “through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit…” In another one we actually repeat the word Christ… “through Christ, with Christ, etc." Within those words we simply sing or speak by memory, is a depth of language that attempts to remind us of the wonder-filled participation we have in the name of the one we call Christ, Jesus. More and more I find it odd that in a community sharing the Lord’s Supper and using such language as this that we can even think of dividing the house of issues of the day. No issue, no item on the social agenda, can over ride the way in which we are ALL partaking in the benefit of life “poured” into us and shared among us. We may fear a bunch of stuff that goes on in our world and be a bit anxious about what this or that may do in our lives, but we are shaped and gifted by a power that forms us and transforms us as freely as God chooses.
Connection: So…we are a “gifted” people in Christ Jesus. How in the world will that giftedness become a part of the reality of your day? How might all things change…even if for just a moment in time?
Lord of the New Day, transform us with your love and lift us up to see the wonder of life that is available through, in, with….and all around the one we call the Christ, Jesus. Amen.
Luther found it most important…to relate grace and gift closely to each other, and to understand them both as given to a Christian through Christ” “But ‘the grace of God’ and ‘the gift’ are the same thing, namely, the very righteousness which is freely given to us through Christ.” …grace and gift are given not only through Christ, but in Christ and with Christ. For whatever distinction Luther makes between them, he also always keep them together. …Luther points out that grace and gift are in Christ and they become ours when Christ is “poured” into us.
I wanted to use this piece because I was taken to a portion in the Prayer of Thanksgiving that we use in the Holy Communion liturgy. I one liturgy we sing “through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit…” In another one we actually repeat the word Christ… “through Christ, with Christ, etc." Within those words we simply sing or speak by memory, is a depth of language that attempts to remind us of the wonder-filled participation we have in the name of the one we call Christ, Jesus. More and more I find it odd that in a community sharing the Lord’s Supper and using such language as this that we can even think of dividing the house of issues of the day. No issue, no item on the social agenda, can over ride the way in which we are ALL partaking in the benefit of life “poured” into us and shared among us. We may fear a bunch of stuff that goes on in our world and be a bit anxious about what this or that may do in our lives, but we are shaped and gifted by a power that forms us and transforms us as freely as God chooses.
Connection: So…we are a “gifted” people in Christ Jesus. How in the world will that giftedness become a part of the reality of your day? How might all things change…even if for just a moment in time?
Lord of the New Day, transform us with your love and lift us up to see the wonder of life that is available through, in, with….and all around the one we call the Christ, Jesus. Amen.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Friday, 13 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
Luther writes: …as I have said often enough, faith makes us lords; through faith we even become gods and partake of the divine nature and name, as Psalm 81 says: “I have said, you are gods and children together of the highest of the high.” But through love we become like the poorest of the poor. According to the faith we need nothing and yet have complete abundance. Through faith we receive good from above from God. Through love we release them from below to our neighbor. Just as Christ according his deity needed nothing, but in his humanity served everyone who needed him.
Our faith is not merely for ourselves. Rather, through faith we participate in that wonderful Reign of God in which we embody the character of the one who give us our daily bread and our very breath. Through love we take what is given to us and make it a gift that is passed on to those around us – the stranger – the enemy – the friend. And there in that participation in God’s love others enter into the same participation. Next thing you know, there is a beloved community living in a way that is quite contrary to the ways of the world. There is an old camp song that I have sung too many times while working at camps years ago…Pass it on. How simple and yet profound are the words… “that’s how it is with God’s love, once you experience it…you want to pass it on” This is not just a handing over of the love, it is making that love our love and handing over something very real and concrete.
Connection: What will you be releasing to your neighbors as you, in faith, participate in the Reign of God today?
Most High God, you lift us up as your Spirit encourages us to trust in you alone. We give you thanks for the depth of your love that fills us up and then overflows so that your love may be encountered by the world through us. Amen.
Luther writes: …as I have said often enough, faith makes us lords; through faith we even become gods and partake of the divine nature and name, as Psalm 81 says: “I have said, you are gods and children together of the highest of the high.” But through love we become like the poorest of the poor. According to the faith we need nothing and yet have complete abundance. Through faith we receive good from above from God. Through love we release them from below to our neighbor. Just as Christ according his deity needed nothing, but in his humanity served everyone who needed him.
Our faith is not merely for ourselves. Rather, through faith we participate in that wonderful Reign of God in which we embody the character of the one who give us our daily bread and our very breath. Through love we take what is given to us and make it a gift that is passed on to those around us – the stranger – the enemy – the friend. And there in that participation in God’s love others enter into the same participation. Next thing you know, there is a beloved community living in a way that is quite contrary to the ways of the world. There is an old camp song that I have sung too many times while working at camps years ago…Pass it on. How simple and yet profound are the words… “that’s how it is with God’s love, once you experience it…you want to pass it on” This is not just a handing over of the love, it is making that love our love and handing over something very real and concrete.
Connection: What will you be releasing to your neighbors as you, in faith, participate in the Reign of God today?
Most High God, you lift us up as your Spirit encourages us to trust in you alone. We give you thanks for the depth of your love that fills us up and then overflows so that your love may be encountered by the world through us. Amen.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Thursday, 12 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
…the example of love is prefigured here in Christ with the leper. For here you see how love makes him a servant , so that he helps the poor man freely and for nothing, seeks neither pleasure, favor, nor honor thereby, but only the good of the poor man and the honor of God the father. For which reason he also forbids him to tell anyone, so that it be absolutely pure work of free, kindly love.
I think this kind of unbound love is rare. To risk and act for the welfare of another…just because of our love which attempts to bind together the separated and estranged…is too often set within stories of “make-believe.” So…that must mean that what we are invited to do is to “make-believe” that Christ does dwell among us and participate in the love we express today. In that way, we are not simply left sitting and thinking about a love, rather we stand in the middle of it. We become instruments of a love that loves without condition and without the need for recognition or honor. That may take some grand “make-believing” but it is well within the Reign of Christ’s rule of love and peace.
Connection: For free….love for free…love unbound by all the strings. We can wait for it to happen to us or we can risk the adventure of following in Jesus’ steps.
By your love, O God, you lead us into a realm of human life that far transcends any plan for the day we try to manufacture or manipulate. By your grace, move our hearts to a new experience of your loving presence. Amen
…the example of love is prefigured here in Christ with the leper. For here you see how love makes him a servant , so that he helps the poor man freely and for nothing, seeks neither pleasure, favor, nor honor thereby, but only the good of the poor man and the honor of God the father. For which reason he also forbids him to tell anyone, so that it be absolutely pure work of free, kindly love.
I think this kind of unbound love is rare. To risk and act for the welfare of another…just because of our love which attempts to bind together the separated and estranged…is too often set within stories of “make-believe.” So…that must mean that what we are invited to do is to “make-believe” that Christ does dwell among us and participate in the love we express today. In that way, we are not simply left sitting and thinking about a love, rather we stand in the middle of it. We become instruments of a love that loves without condition and without the need for recognition or honor. That may take some grand “make-believing” but it is well within the Reign of Christ’s rule of love and peace.
Connection: For free….love for free…love unbound by all the strings. We can wait for it to happen to us or we can risk the adventure of following in Jesus’ steps.
By your love, O God, you lead us into a realm of human life that far transcends any plan for the day we try to manufacture or manipulate. By your grace, move our hearts to a new experience of your loving presence. Amen
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Wednesday, 11 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
The decisive insight is that a human does not make himself empty… It is God who effects this. Before God gives himself to a person, he performs his “nihilizing work” on human beings. God makes them “empty” and “nothing.” This…of course does not imply a total annihilation. It refers only to the destruction of the person’s constant effort to make himself god and to justify himself.
Again, it is out of this “nothing” that God make for life. We do not have to add up to something in order to be something in the Reign of God. In the Cross, all is nothing…all is nothing…and up from the grave or out of the tomb or out of the destruction of life as we would like to have it, comes the new creation. We are a part of the new creation through our baptism for through that dying and rising, we walk now with God in the flesh once crucified and now alive. Therefore, we can always count on the bottom line: God is with us as we are in union with Christ and no power can change that…add to it…make less of it. What a fellowship divine…!
Connection: We live within a day that shares in the wonderful reality that we are people who walk with Jesus up from the grave and into a new life. Yes, sometimes it is difficult to shake away some of the dirt left over from death’s domain, but today is always a new opportunity to go for it.
Lord of the Resurrection, before we act you act for us…before we try to claim the day, you have claimed it and hand it to us as a gift. Open up our hearts to the marvels of your power and life. Amen.
The decisive insight is that a human does not make himself empty… It is God who effects this. Before God gives himself to a person, he performs his “nihilizing work” on human beings. God makes them “empty” and “nothing.” This…of course does not imply a total annihilation. It refers only to the destruction of the person’s constant effort to make himself god and to justify himself.
Again, it is out of this “nothing” that God make for life. We do not have to add up to something in order to be something in the Reign of God. In the Cross, all is nothing…all is nothing…and up from the grave or out of the tomb or out of the destruction of life as we would like to have it, comes the new creation. We are a part of the new creation through our baptism for through that dying and rising, we walk now with God in the flesh once crucified and now alive. Therefore, we can always count on the bottom line: God is with us as we are in union with Christ and no power can change that…add to it…make less of it. What a fellowship divine…!
Connection: We live within a day that shares in the wonderful reality that we are people who walk with Jesus up from the grave and into a new life. Yes, sometimes it is difficult to shake away some of the dirt left over from death’s domain, but today is always a new opportunity to go for it.
Lord of the Resurrection, before we act you act for us…before we try to claim the day, you have claimed it and hand it to us as a gift. Open up our hearts to the marvels of your power and life. Amen.
Monday, August 9, 2004
Tuesday, 10 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
…theosis (participation in God) and the theology of the cross do not exclude each other. On the contrary, they belong inseparably together. The theology of the cross is the necessary context of the idea of participation in God.
This is where God meets us…at death’s door…at the very worst of what life can hand us…in the complete and utter experience of abandonment. Our lives can be ripped open quite easily. They can be torn apart by comments or actions that treat us as though we are of little or no worth. When we say that God dies on the cross…that Jesus, suffered the death of an ugly crucifixion, we are saying that our God does not stay at a distance from us. This “God with us”…the “Immanuel” that we sing about in the season of Advent as Christmas approaches…is not some alien who drops in to see what it is all like here on planet earth. Our God fully participates in what it is to be me and you and those we would call enemy and scum. Sometimes I think we are afraid to see our God so tied to us and with us. It is as though we would push God away from us even though God never leaves our side.
Connection: Not far from your fears and pains and disappointment and greatest joys is the God who brings all things into existence and make all things new. That is some wonderful involvement in your life!
By your Gracious Love, O God, you continue to abide with us and we are strengthened by your loving presence. Amen.
…theosis (participation in God) and the theology of the cross do not exclude each other. On the contrary, they belong inseparably together. The theology of the cross is the necessary context of the idea of participation in God.
This is where God meets us…at death’s door…at the very worst of what life can hand us…in the complete and utter experience of abandonment. Our lives can be ripped open quite easily. They can be torn apart by comments or actions that treat us as though we are of little or no worth. When we say that God dies on the cross…that Jesus, suffered the death of an ugly crucifixion, we are saying that our God does not stay at a distance from us. This “God with us”…the “Immanuel” that we sing about in the season of Advent as Christmas approaches…is not some alien who drops in to see what it is all like here on planet earth. Our God fully participates in what it is to be me and you and those we would call enemy and scum. Sometimes I think we are afraid to see our God so tied to us and with us. It is as though we would push God away from us even though God never leaves our side.
Connection: Not far from your fears and pains and disappointment and greatest joys is the God who brings all things into existence and make all things new. That is some wonderful involvement in your life!
By your Gracious Love, O God, you continue to abide with us and we are strengthened by your loving presence. Amen.
Monday, 9 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
…Luther’s idea of Christ as the form of faith and his doctrine of justification are inseparable. The Reformer says, “Christ who is grasped by faith and who lives in the heart is the Christian righteousness, on account of which God counts us righteous and gives us eternal life as gift… Therefore faith justifies because it takes hold of and possesses this treasure, the present Christ.”
Do you notice how we are, in many ways, out of the picture when it comes to justification? It is not about us. It is about the one in whom we place our trust…the one who is a gift to us. Yesterday we took a look at how “justification by grace through faith” plays a central part in our discussion and consideration of same-sex unions and the blessing of those in the church. If we start from the gift that is given to us all and begin to go at the tough discussions of life as though we are all in union with Christ, we may not agree on how we view something or even how we want to act…but we may be a bit more gracious in our conversations and in the day to day life we share together. What a gift we have…and yet how often we leave it behind when we walk together in the Church.
Connection: Yes, Christ is present…and we are invited to share in the wealth of the day as he continues to be Lord of all things.
Lord, as you continue to bring us into an encounter with your gracious Reign, open our hearts that we will trust the power of your presence throughout this day. Amen
…Luther’s idea of Christ as the form of faith and his doctrine of justification are inseparable. The Reformer says, “Christ who is grasped by faith and who lives in the heart is the Christian righteousness, on account of which God counts us righteous and gives us eternal life as gift… Therefore faith justifies because it takes hold of and possesses this treasure, the present Christ.”
Do you notice how we are, in many ways, out of the picture when it comes to justification? It is not about us. It is about the one in whom we place our trust…the one who is a gift to us. Yesterday we took a look at how “justification by grace through faith” plays a central part in our discussion and consideration of same-sex unions and the blessing of those in the church. If we start from the gift that is given to us all and begin to go at the tough discussions of life as though we are all in union with Christ, we may not agree on how we view something or even how we want to act…but we may be a bit more gracious in our conversations and in the day to day life we share together. What a gift we have…and yet how often we leave it behind when we walk together in the Church.
Connection: Yes, Christ is present…and we are invited to share in the wealth of the day as he continues to be Lord of all things.
Lord, as you continue to bring us into an encounter with your gracious Reign, open our hearts that we will trust the power of your presence throughout this day. Amen
Friday, August 6, 2004
Friday, 6 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
...according to the Reformer’s description, faith is like the cloud in the most holy place of the Temple of the Old Covenant in which God wanted to dwell (cf. 1 Kings 8:12: “Then Solomon said, ‘The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness’”). It is in the darkness of faith that Christ sits on his throne in all his reality and reigns, just as God did in the darkness and cloud in the most holy place of the Temple.
We trust that Christ is with us. Like that “cloud” or “smoke”, we cannot see him but we trust that we are in the presence of the power for life that will sustain us and shape us. But for us, the cloud is not limited to a holy place like the Temple. Rather, it is here, right where I sit at this moment and right in the middle of your activities within this day. We do not merely have faith that Christ was somebody or did something, we have faith that Christ is present now and the faithfulness of our Lord is the faithfulness in which we carry on.
Connection: We are invited to step into the cloud of faith…it is a cloud filled with the likes of the Lord who has led generations before us and who now leads us through the pathways of this day. Sure we may not see a thing…but we are encouraged to trust that our God in Christ is with us and for us….now.
Open up our hearts, Loving Lord, so that we will not lose sight of your never-failing love that sustains us and becomes for us the food that fills us up for life as you have faithfully lived before us. Amen
...according to the Reformer’s description, faith is like the cloud in the most holy place of the Temple of the Old Covenant in which God wanted to dwell (cf. 1 Kings 8:12: “Then Solomon said, ‘The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness’”). It is in the darkness of faith that Christ sits on his throne in all his reality and reigns, just as God did in the darkness and cloud in the most holy place of the Temple.
We trust that Christ is with us. Like that “cloud” or “smoke”, we cannot see him but we trust that we are in the presence of the power for life that will sustain us and shape us. But for us, the cloud is not limited to a holy place like the Temple. Rather, it is here, right where I sit at this moment and right in the middle of your activities within this day. We do not merely have faith that Christ was somebody or did something, we have faith that Christ is present now and the faithfulness of our Lord is the faithfulness in which we carry on.
Connection: We are invited to step into the cloud of faith…it is a cloud filled with the likes of the Lord who has led generations before us and who now leads us through the pathways of this day. Sure we may not see a thing…but we are encouraged to trust that our God in Christ is with us and for us….now.
Open up our hearts, Loving Lord, so that we will not lose sight of your never-failing love that sustains us and becomes for us the food that fills us up for life as you have faithfully lived before us. Amen
Wednesday, August 4, 2004
Thursday, 5 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
We do not understand Luther’s concept of faith correctly if we regard Christ merely as an object of faith. Rather, Christ, as the object of faith, is present himself; thus, he is, in fact, also the “subject” of faith. Luther says that Christ is the object of faith, but not merely the object; rather, “Christ is present in the faith itself.” Faith is knowledge that “sees nothing.”
This Sunday the second lesson will offer us this opening line: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Christ is present, that is to be sure. We simply do not put Christ into a place in which we can say “That is what we believe….we believe in Him.” Rather, or in addition, in Christ we see the form of our faith. We cannot see where it will take us. The path of that journey is still like a cloud…a darkness through which we will walk as Christ walked…confident in God’s abiding presence. Faith is that step in the way of Jesus who is with us to walk with us and lead us into his faithfulness.
Connection: It is so unfortunate that so many people want their “faith” to tell them the answers to everything. When that is the case, we never have to step forward as Jesus and with Jesus at our side. We may as well simply have a list of rules and forget about the graciousness of the Reign of God that comes in Christ, Jesus. Yes, today may look dark and out of control and short on answers…but step forward into it with Christ and into an adventure that will take your breath away and bring you a fresh burst of divine wind.
Lord of this day, be present with us as we move through the waters of our baptism trusting that our lives are shaped with your loving touch and refreshed by your faithful acts of mercy, justice and peace. Amen
We do not understand Luther’s concept of faith correctly if we regard Christ merely as an object of faith. Rather, Christ, as the object of faith, is present himself; thus, he is, in fact, also the “subject” of faith. Luther says that Christ is the object of faith, but not merely the object; rather, “Christ is present in the faith itself.” Faith is knowledge that “sees nothing.”
This Sunday the second lesson will offer us this opening line: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Christ is present, that is to be sure. We simply do not put Christ into a place in which we can say “That is what we believe….we believe in Him.” Rather, or in addition, in Christ we see the form of our faith. We cannot see where it will take us. The path of that journey is still like a cloud…a darkness through which we will walk as Christ walked…confident in God’s abiding presence. Faith is that step in the way of Jesus who is with us to walk with us and lead us into his faithfulness.
Connection: It is so unfortunate that so many people want their “faith” to tell them the answers to everything. When that is the case, we never have to step forward as Jesus and with Jesus at our side. We may as well simply have a list of rules and forget about the graciousness of the Reign of God that comes in Christ, Jesus. Yes, today may look dark and out of control and short on answers…but step forward into it with Christ and into an adventure that will take your breath away and bring you a fresh burst of divine wind.
Lord of this day, be present with us as we move through the waters of our baptism trusting that our lives are shaped with your loving touch and refreshed by your faithful acts of mercy, justice and peace. Amen
Tuesday, August 3, 2004
Wednesday, 4 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
In his early Christmas sermon Luther elucidates the core of his doctrine of participation in the properties of God…
“Just as the word of God became flesh, so it is certainly also necessary that the flesh may become word. In other words: God become man so that man may become God. Thus power becomes powerless so that weakness may become powerful. The Logos puts on our form and gestalt, our image and likeness, so that it may clothe us with its image, its gestalt, and its likeness. Thus wisdom becomes foolish so that foolishness may become wisdom, and so it is in all other things that are in God and in us, to the extent that in all these things he takes what is ours to himself in order to impart what is his to us.”
It is a strange participation. It is an upside down reality that some may say looks nothing like God. And yet, here…not somewhere else…God abides and we are pulled into a participation in the fullness of God’s Reign…some may even say God being. Don’t be afraid of such talk. This does not mean that we are trying to be more than ourselves, it means we are being called to be wholly ourselves…just as God, in Christ, was with us and is pour over our lives in our baptism – always inviting us to take part in this adventure so wonderfully drawn in the form of the babe in the manger.
Connection: “God with us” (Immanuel) is not like a banner we carry that gives us rights over and against others…a righteous poll to bash others over the head. “God with us” is the unfolding of the tender compassion of our God who humbly and yet boldly steps into the dilemma of this day. God is with us!
We cannot see you with us and yet we hear that you are indeed here…always…with us. Loving God, by your grace you shower over our lives the reality of your Reign and you promise that it is unfolding, even now. Come, Loving Lord, Come. Amen.
In his early Christmas sermon Luther elucidates the core of his doctrine of participation in the properties of God…
“Just as the word of God became flesh, so it is certainly also necessary that the flesh may become word. In other words: God become man so that man may become God. Thus power becomes powerless so that weakness may become powerful. The Logos puts on our form and gestalt, our image and likeness, so that it may clothe us with its image, its gestalt, and its likeness. Thus wisdom becomes foolish so that foolishness may become wisdom, and so it is in all other things that are in God and in us, to the extent that in all these things he takes what is ours to himself in order to impart what is his to us.”
It is a strange participation. It is an upside down reality that some may say looks nothing like God. And yet, here…not somewhere else…God abides and we are pulled into a participation in the fullness of God’s Reign…some may even say God being. Don’t be afraid of such talk. This does not mean that we are trying to be more than ourselves, it means we are being called to be wholly ourselves…just as God, in Christ, was with us and is pour over our lives in our baptism – always inviting us to take part in this adventure so wonderfully drawn in the form of the babe in the manger.
Connection: “God with us” (Immanuel) is not like a banner we carry that gives us rights over and against others…a righteous poll to bash others over the head. “God with us” is the unfolding of the tender compassion of our God who humbly and yet boldly steps into the dilemma of this day. God is with us!
We cannot see you with us and yet we hear that you are indeed here…always…with us. Loving God, by your grace you shower over our lives the reality of your Reign and you promise that it is unfolding, even now. Come, Loving Lord, Come. Amen.
Monday, August 2, 2004
Tuesday, 3 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
According to the “Hebrew manner of speaking,” the properties of God constitute the essence of God…
The properties of God, which at thee same time form the essence of God, are, for example, righteousness, wisdom, power, holiness, joy, peace, eternal life – and especially love. All of these properties of God, which are at the same time the essence of God, are present in their abundance in the person of Christ. The believer, having on the basis of God’s agape-love a share in Christ, also thereby partakes of the properties of God’s being.
It is stuff like this that makes it sound like we are being pulled into a story much greater than our own. It is easy to say, ‘But, I’m only me!’ And yet, that me is a person blessed and called by God into a story in which the those wonderful attributes of God’s essence is let lose to flow over us. I am not saying that we turn this wonderful reality into the beginning of some measuring stick by which we start to judge ourselves and others (for we so easily fall into that guilt-ridden pathway). Rather, we have someplace to turn – always. Within the brokenness and bitterness and shortfalls of our day, we are, by our baptism in Christ, Jesus, pulled through the water into new life…it is always within the wealth of treasures offered to us in Christ.
Connection: Sometimes people may say give us more than the simple promise that God loves us. I wish I could…but from this promise all things are possible…so let’s give ourselves the freedom to jump out into the promise and begin following the one who continues to be our light.
Blessed Lord, you do not step back from us. Instead, you pursue us and long to walk with us as we walk within your loving Reign. Encourage us and empower us to live according to your promises. Amen.
According to the “Hebrew manner of speaking,” the properties of God constitute the essence of God…
The properties of God, which at thee same time form the essence of God, are, for example, righteousness, wisdom, power, holiness, joy, peace, eternal life – and especially love. All of these properties of God, which are at the same time the essence of God, are present in their abundance in the person of Christ. The believer, having on the basis of God’s agape-love a share in Christ, also thereby partakes of the properties of God’s being.
It is stuff like this that makes it sound like we are being pulled into a story much greater than our own. It is easy to say, ‘But, I’m only me!’ And yet, that me is a person blessed and called by God into a story in which the those wonderful attributes of God’s essence is let lose to flow over us. I am not saying that we turn this wonderful reality into the beginning of some measuring stick by which we start to judge ourselves and others (for we so easily fall into that guilt-ridden pathway). Rather, we have someplace to turn – always. Within the brokenness and bitterness and shortfalls of our day, we are, by our baptism in Christ, Jesus, pulled through the water into new life…it is always within the wealth of treasures offered to us in Christ.
Connection: Sometimes people may say give us more than the simple promise that God loves us. I wish I could…but from this promise all things are possible…so let’s give ourselves the freedom to jump out into the promise and begin following the one who continues to be our light.
Blessed Lord, you do not step back from us. Instead, you pursue us and long to walk with us as we walk within your loving Reign. Encourage us and empower us to live according to your promises. Amen.
Monday, 2 August, 2004
The opening piece is from “Union with Christ” – The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther.
Luther says, “And so we are filled with ‘all the fullness of God’. This phrase, which follows a Hebrew manner of speaking, means that we are filled in all the ways in which God fills a man. We are filled with God, and He pours into us all His gifts and grace and fill us with His spirit, who makes us courageous. He enlightens us with His light, His life lives in us, His beatitude makes us blessed, and His love causes love to arise in us. Put briefly, He fills us in order that everything that He is and everything He can do might be in us in all its fullness, and work powerfully.
It is no wonder that Luther thought so highly of his baptism. No power in any place and in any time could tear down the gift of life that comes as one is baptized in Christ, Jesus. It is there in the water that God makes us “courageous.” But the adventure doesn’t stop there. Luther would insist I think that everyone who is baptized takes part in the divine properties given to each person who trusts the acts of God in the water and the Word. Isn’t it odd these days that so many people have such a low view of baptism and cannot see the God’s participation in lives that are not just like ours. We are made courageous in our baptism and yet we fear the freedom of God’s reign for all who are baptized.
Connection: It is good to pause and remind ourselves of the fact that we live within the gracious Reign of God. Our baptism is a power for life that gives us a life this day.
By your grace, O God, you grant us many gifts so that we may live under the banner of your love and share with others the many gifts you offer to each of us through our baptism. Unleash in us that love and life. Amen.
Luther says, “And so we are filled with ‘all the fullness of God’. This phrase, which follows a Hebrew manner of speaking, means that we are filled in all the ways in which God fills a man. We are filled with God, and He pours into us all His gifts and grace and fill us with His spirit, who makes us courageous. He enlightens us with His light, His life lives in us, His beatitude makes us blessed, and His love causes love to arise in us. Put briefly, He fills us in order that everything that He is and everything He can do might be in us in all its fullness, and work powerfully.
It is no wonder that Luther thought so highly of his baptism. No power in any place and in any time could tear down the gift of life that comes as one is baptized in Christ, Jesus. It is there in the water that God makes us “courageous.” But the adventure doesn’t stop there. Luther would insist I think that everyone who is baptized takes part in the divine properties given to each person who trusts the acts of God in the water and the Word. Isn’t it odd these days that so many people have such a low view of baptism and cannot see the God’s participation in lives that are not just like ours. We are made courageous in our baptism and yet we fear the freedom of God’s reign for all who are baptized.
Connection: It is good to pause and remind ourselves of the fact that we live within the gracious Reign of God. Our baptism is a power for life that gives us a life this day.
By your grace, O God, you grant us many gifts so that we may live under the banner of your love and share with others the many gifts you offer to each of us through our baptism. Unleash in us that love and life. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)