Thursday 13 September 2007

Today we continue with the idea of faith as participation in Christ.



Because to Luther faith denotes a real union with the person of Christ, his understanding of faith is directly anchored in Christology. Christ and faith belong together "essentially."

...Hence, because faith means a real union with Christ, and because in Christ the Logos is of the same essence of God the Father, therefore the believer's participation in the essence of God is also real. This is what Luther means when he speaks of Christ as a "gift." Christ is not only the favor of God, that is forgiveness, but also, in a real manner, a "gift."



This Sunday the gospel will be two parables: the lost sheep and the lost coin. The focus of both is on the one who does the searching...the one who longs to find the lost. The lost are found. They do nothing. This is what our God does. Our God does all that can be done to bring us into God's embrace. What a gift! For now...even when we are the lost ones we always seem to be, we are in a real union with Christ. We are the found and we are a part of the real presence of the one who finds us. We do not do anything to be found. We are found. We are forgiven. We are brought into union with the Christ and in that, with God. Now, we are invited to live within this gift. It means nothing else needs to be added. It means we begin the day in the favor of our God and we have this great gift that is the ground and the way for life. There is no need to look back. We need only this gift and life is new. Yes, it is easy to keep thinking about what needs to be done...but all things have been done...we can live as though that is the truth for us....ah...faith.



Connection: I am easily swayed by many things within the day. It is so often because I lose focus...I suffer from amnesia. In other words, I suffer from un-faith. Today is always the beginning of the time of faithfulness for the gift is present.



You, O God, love us beyond our imagination. We need your Spirit to open our eyes to how real you are present with us and for us and ready to bring our life to its fullest. 'Come, Spirit, Come and take us up into your power of life. Amen.