This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
[Name], child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.
Holy Baptism
LBW, p. 124
In the fiction series Left Behind, readers are exposed to a theology where God's patience and grace runs out, where the "rapture" takes place, and where all the "good" people are safely sequestered while the rest of humanity quite literally goes to hell. The popularity of this theology is no doubt due in part to the fact that it mirrors so closely the values and economics of our society and the world at large. Salvation is portrayed as a function of good deeds vs. bad deeds and being saved vs. being a sinner. The message of the Gospel, proclaimed through baptism, is that we will never be "left behind" - that we are, in fact, marked with the cross of Christ forever. The theology of quid pro quo is replaced with a theology of mercy and love. A god who kills his people is replaced by a God who dies … for humankind. This God - our God - never leaves us behind.
Connection: Let go of what we think we deserve or what we think others deserve. God certainly has. When we baptize an infant we make the bold statement: "Whoever you will become, however your life unfolds, know that you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever."
Prayer: We thank you, O Lord, for your faithfulness and love. It is in your nature to always be present with us and to be our nurturing Parent. May your love shape us to be reflections of that love to a world ruled by the fear of being left behind. Amen.
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