5 October 2005

One more day of Luther on Baptism in Luther's Works.

This faith of all things is the most necessary, for it is the ground of all comfort. (He) who does not possess such faith must despair of (his) sins. For the sin which remains after baptism makes it impossible for any good works to be pure before God. For this reason we must boldly and without fear hold fast to our baptism, and set it high against all sins and terrors of conscience. We must humbly admit, "I know well that I cannot do a single thing that is pure. But I am baptized, and through my baptism God, who cannot lie, has bound (himself) in a covenant with me. (He) will not count my sin against me, but will slay it and blot it out. (LW.35, p.36)

What a powerful image to keep close to our hearts when we doubt or find fault in all that we do or can only see the brokenness of our world - "God, who cannot lie, has bound (himself) in a covenant with me." The world may not look better. The situation at hand may not be resolved so that everything turns out just the way we would want it. And yet, this God of ours makes life where death rules and promises that no power will win the day because God rules in all days even forever. It is because of this action of God that everything that could and does and will bring us down and try to defeat us and make less of us - can be dismissed because just one thing is true - the covenant made with us in baptism. This is the same God who has a long history of rescuing and delivering and liberating and suffering and dying and rising again. We are a part of that history as it unfolds with us acting each day with words of promise holding us up and sustaining us even when there is no evidence that would show us that God is indeed here. And yet, this God of ours...does not lie. That is a bold statement that I cannot make about anyone else.

Connection: So if that is the truth - we are baptized in Christ Jesus - then we all the more need to let no other word pull us along its ways. Rather, we need to learn to speak that truth to ourselves and to others. I am baptized. You are baptized. We are baptized. From there the day can take on another dynamic in the middle of the same-old, same-old.

Lord of All Truthfulness, we long to be liberated - daily - from the powers that attempt to step in and act as though they can rule us and move us and direct our lives. Just as you have promised, touch us with the words of your promise of new life in your presence. Amen.