The Endurance of the Saints

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Confession approves honors to the saints. For here a threefold honor is to be approved. The first is thanksgiving. For we ought to give thanks to God because He has shown examples of mercy; because He has shown that He wishes to save men; because He has given teachers or other gifts to the Church. And these gifts, as they are the greatest, should be amplified, and the saints themselves should be praised, who have faithfully used these gifts, just as Christ praises faithful business-men, (Matt. 25:21, 23). The second service is the strengthening of our faith; when we see the denial forgiven Peter, we also are encouraged to believe the more that grace truly superabounds over sin, (Rom. 5:20). The third honor is the imitation, first, of faith, then of the other virtues, which every one should imitate according to his calling.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXI:4-6

On this day, we honor the memory of the blessed saints who have gone before us in the faith. So, it is only fitting that we should consider in what manner we ought to remember them.

What is Truth?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus proclaims, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Great. This is good news for any human ears. Freedom through truth appeals to just about everybody. We like to believe in truth. After all, truth is what keeps our world in order.

You and I are hard-wired to believe in truth. It is much more difficult to understand the idea of a lie than the truth. From the time of birth, children are automatically programmed to believe what they hear. This is why advertising on children's television is so successful. Tell a child that he needs this robot, and he will believe it. How many parents have been manipulated into buying ridiculous things for Christmas and birthdays, because the people on TV convinced their children that whatever it was was vitally necessary to their continued health and well-being?

"An Eternal Gospel to Proclaim"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.'”

St. John saw the angelic messenger of the Lord flying in the mid-heavens, proclaiming the eternal Gospel to all the people who dwell on earth. The angel's message is that of all Scriptures and every preacher of the Gospel: “Fear God and give Him glory.” That is, believe the Word of God, and honor Him in repentance and faith.

But that is not the message that so many preachers of this world proclaim. There are so many “gospels” out there, each claiming to save us from our enemy, each naming a different ill of our age as your obstacle to true happiness. If you look long enough and hard enough, you will find something that soothes your itching ears.