To My Neighbor in Christ

Dear Neighbor Who Shares with me in the benefits of Christ Jesus-

I, just like you, wrestle with the demands of the Law and weakness in my flesh. There are ups and downs, but mostly downs. I want you to know the loving embrace your Father in Heaven has for you. I lift you up in prayer often with that request, especially as my weary body enters into sleep.

Alas, however, I am often more a reminder to you of the Law than of the grace and mercy found in Christ Jesus alone. I represent to you on occasion demands you cannot attain, and yet I am so weak.

Together we are given to hear and receive that Christ Jesus is now our flesh and life, because He in our stead has rendered true obedience to the Father and lives to intercede for us as our Advocate.

You, like me, are very much down on yourself when others excel at this or that. Yet you are absolutely beautiful in every way, even if certain actions and reactions may not be within your best ability or mine. By virtue of what the Creator has spoken and accomplished it is okay.

Together in Christ Jesus we are forgiven, and we live. Together we go through life as one, built into His body through faith, Baptism, and Supper. In Christ Jesus together we are fine. Apart from Him we are totally lost. Totally. Lost.

I know you know that of which I speak, because Christ Jesus has brought us into perfect agreement. We bear with one another because, Truth be told, we are nothing without the grace of God in this crucified, living Son of God.

Our bearing with one another also bears the semblance of a cross, which is to say it has not any glorious appearance, but an appearance the world does not know or recognize. Not yet, anyway. But it will in the life to come, because God Himself has promised it. He has spoken this to us and taught it to us from an early age, yes, even from the beginning.
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To the World

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. - Galatians 6:14

No one invites himself to his own crucifixion. Such a notion is beyond reason or strength, let alone contrary to the desire of any person. The Crucified and Risen One, however, graciously invites all human flesh to participate in His, because He is both True God and True Man, able and willing to help in every time of need.

By participating in Him through faith a crucifixion takes place, whereby earthly desires are cast aside and fruits of love and service abound. Since it is participation in a crucifixion, and one known only through faith as kindled and sustained by the Holy Spirit, it goes beyond human understanding and is not evident to the eyeballs except perhaps in small ways.

No one invites himself into this process, but all are called by the Holy Spirit, and all enter through the narrow Door of the Sheep. He has made provision for His death and life to be applied concretely to failing, poor sinners through His Gospel and Sacraments.

The former sounds out into all corners of the earth, and the latter, being connected to the same, is lavishly bestowed through the simple means of speech, water, bread, and wine.

O LORD Jesus, out of a pure love established before the foundation of the world, You made way for poor sinners to be joined to You and rejoice with inexpressible joy. Strengthen the faith of all who abide in You, and let your Word of Truth sound out into this world of darkness and death. Amen.

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To Us He Speaks

"Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the Way, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?" -Luke 24:32

Christ Jesus by His Holy Spirit is anxious and delighted to expound Moses and the prophets because it is by this Word that you are saved from sin through faith in Him: His life, death, and resurrection on your behalf.

Today He expounds the Scriptures chiefly through faithful pastors and teachers in His Church, whom He gives as gifts. They do not introduce new teachings or mince words, but by the grace of God they remain true even though it hurts.

Is it not true that, when you hear a faithful pastor or teacher pointing you to Christ Jesus as your only Savior from sin - indeed the sin of the whole world - that your heart also burns within you?

Sometimes we are so cautious and guarded that we may inclined to throw water on this fire when in fact it needs to be kindled. The kindling and fire is found precisely where Christ Jesus expounds His Word and thereby reveals His love and will for you.

Where the Word of God is preached in it's truth and purity, and the merits of Christ Jesus are dispensed lavishly and concretely upon poor sinners, there is great reason for the heart to leap for joy and to burn within.

That's how it was for Moses, the Prophets, the Apostles, the Evangelists, the saints of old who have gone before, and how it is for all who abide in Christ's pure love by grace. The hearts burns because it is being refined and recreated according to the riches of God's mercy in Christ Jesus.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary. -Psalm 107:1-2

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True Love

The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness." -Jeremiah 31:3

In all my days I have yet to hear someone say "I love you" and not mean it. Whenever those three words are spoken, even if only in passing, they do not pass lightly. The same may be said for the words "I'm sorry," because even when spoken in passing, the speaker acknowledges weakness.

In extreme and absurd situations one might say these things in sarcasm and fakery. Language has this incredible capacity to bespeak truth, falsehood, and many shades of gray.

Yet no matter how earnest one may be, our condition as creatures often has us saying "I love you" and "I'm sorry" without considering the full import of the words.

Take it up another notch to, "I forgive you." These words encompass sorrow and love in full measure. This is the language of God, the Creator, and from it comes life.

The nature and expense of saying these words is true and deep because they have their origin in the innocent suffering and death of Christ Jesus Who, as true God begotten of the Father from eternity and true Man, born of the Virgin Mary, laid down His life for His enemies and took it up again so they may live with Him.

It is in view of this truth that, to the extent we are cognizant of the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's perfect love and forgiveness, we receive the Sabbath rest in joy, and are given to treat the sacramental words, "I forgive you," in a manner that places them above whatever the world otherwise offers.

To be "drawn with lovingkindness" is nothing less than to participate in the benefits of Christ's merits through faith, and thus to have the words "I forgive you" inscribed inside and out.

O LORD Jesus Christ, have mercy on us, forgive us, and lead us, even as you have called us to be your children and joined us to You by Word and deed.
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