Thanksgiving

It is truly meet, right, and salutary, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy LORD, Almighty Father, Everlasting God.

What should a creature, made of dust, do? What should a creature, whose dust came from nothing, say? This creature is you. You are made of dust, and that dust came from nothing by the Word of the LORD. You received the breath of life through that same LORD.

It is hard for you to think about this, because time and the pressures of life have a way of drowning out what is written about you in the Book of Life. But it is most certainly true that all you are, and all you have, came from nothing by the grace of God in Christ Jesus.

As the Holy Spirit, Who has drowned you in the waters of Holy Baptism, teaches you the truth about your origin, being, and destination, your heart will do nothing more than rejoice greatly and give thanks at all times.

In case it has escaped you, how much you have received from Above, here is a list of things to consider, as drawn and paraphrased from Johann Gerhard's writings:

Your formation in the womb and birth into this life.
God's constant preservation of your life.
The redemption God provided for you in Christ Jesus.
The incarnation of Christ Jesus for your sake.
The innocent suffering and death of Christ Jesus for you.
That your Father in Heaven called you by the Gospel.
That your Father in heaven shows great patience toward you.
Your conversion from death to life eternal.
A clear conscience through Christ Jesus.
That your Father in heaven keeps you in His grace.
All the blessings of this body and life.
Your baptism into Christ Jesus.
The ongoing benefits of Christ's holy body and blood.
Protection from every evil.
The eternal promise of salvation.

With these things in mind, each of which may be amplified considerably, you may happily endure each moment of each day and its various trials, knowing that all things are done for your good, because you abide in your dear Lord Jesus, for Whom all things were made, Who suffered for you, and suffers with you.

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Timothy

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. -2 Timothy 2:1

Timothy was not St. Paul's son according to the flesh, but because both he and Timothy share the same LORD Jesus Christ Who came in the flesh to save poor sinners, they are related in manner the world overlooks.

In this case the sonship has first of all to do with the Apostle's teaching. It was through the Gospel of salvation, both taught and demonstrated by Paul for Timothy, that Timothy became both a son of Paul, and second of all, a child of God, or son, in Christ Jesus.

There is great endearment here. Such is the case because love abounds where there is forgiveness of sins. That love is no more clearly demonstrated than in the flesh of Christ crucified and risen for the sin of the world.

Here the Apostle enjoins his "son," Timothy, to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." This strength is not of the sort one would typically count as the world counts strong. Much meekness and outward weakness attends to abiding in Christ Jesus and His grace.

At yet because the grace of God in Christ Jesus preserves both body and soul for the resurrection at The Last Day, it is a source of strength that exceeds the laws of physics as you have come to experience them. It is a strength no earthly power, no matter how great, can overcome.

This grace is in Christ Jesus because it is He who made atonement for sin and rose again from the dead, and then made way for that same atonement and resurrection to be applied bodily to all who believe and are baptized.

He established His Holy Supper that you may regularly participate in His benefits unto eternal life; His holy absolution so that you may regularly hear with your ears the everlasting mercy that has entered into this fallen creation.

You are made strong in the same grace shared by the Apostle Paul and his "son," Timothy. Since you share in the same Christ Jesus as sons, you share in the same resurrection, which is not afar off as some might think, but as near as the Word made Flesh, who dwells with you bodily and in truth.

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Taking Heed

If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. -Luke 17:3b

If only we had an eraser that could rid the Sacred Scriptures of these words, we could be at ease and not even have to think about rebuking anyone, or even noticing how, when, or where they sin. Sin, rebuke, repentance, and forgiveness are all totally alien to this world’s way of thinking.

In the Church, however, the right to privacy is not extolled so much as it is in the world. There is an invasion of privacy intended to draw you away from this world and into the life of the world to come, where true joy is to be found.

A good many have gone about erasing or ignoring the plain and clear words of Christ, even though His sole intent is to win poor sinners to Himself. Together with the sinful nature we carry the burden of Cain who asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

It is not as if sisters are excluded, or as if there is a condition under which your brother will never sin. We are altogether lumped into this condition whereby our obedience as slaves is subject to review and correction. The thought is exceedingly frightening, especially when we consider Who ultimately set the standard of righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

The burden would be too much were it not for the fact that the same One who set the standard and enjoins you to rebuke your brother, is He who obeyed the Law to its most perfect demands. Not only so, but He made payment for both you and your brother by taking upon Himself the punishment deserved by all the sons of disobedience. And if that were not enough, He is joined to you in His very flesh so that He is at work in your to will and to do that which is good.

The Holy Spirit teaches you to deal with your brother in true Love, so that whatever assessments are made on his behalf are in accord with the Truth, and are expressed not in a manner that demeans or brings self-righteousness into the mix, but uplifts and edifies.

Since it is your brother, he is of one mind with you, for your dear Lord says to us together, “Take heed to yourselves.” So together in love we watch out, admonish, build up, and therefore speak up, whenever one of us “goes off the deep end,” as it were. It is simply part and parcel of being joined to Christ Jesus that you do not let your brother go on in sin without speaking up.

Since you have the mind of Christ, He will teach you what to say, how to say it, and when, as you work out your salvation with fear and trembling under the mighty hand of God who has saved you from all that would harm you.
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