"The Calling to Which You Have Been Called"

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

You have often heard me say that Christian life consists in these two things: in faith and then in good works; that after coming to faith a person should be pious and lead a visibly good life. Most depends on the first part, on faith, and the second is not at all equal to the first in importance, although the world thinks more and better of it than it does of faith, preferring good works to faith (What Luther Says, para. 645).

This is how Luther briefly describes the relationship between the two parts of the Christian life. Faith and good works. Faith is the chief thing, but good works must follow. However, faith is always the deciding point, the hook upon which the Christian life hangs.

Your salvation rests on Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice, and not on your own merit or worthiness. While you were yet sinners, Christ died for you. In the fullness of time, the Father of all mercies sent His only-begotten Son into the flesh to bear your sins and be your savior. The Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, has taken away the condemnation of your sins and guilt. His blood has washed you clean and made you pure and holy.

"Pray, Then, Like This"

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

“God's own child, I gladly say it, I am baptized into Christ!” (LSB 594.1) Thus we sing out the glad news that each of us is a child of God. And what wonderful news that is! God has chosen you as His own, and has made you His beloved child.

You were conceived and born in sin, a product of the sinful will of flesh and blood. You were born as spiritual orphans, adrift in the great tide of darkness and death that washes over this world. No one was your father, no one was your provider or your protector. No one was there to hear your cries for help.

Sufficient for the Day

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

This world has an awful lot of troubles these days. As of mid-2010, the average American has about $44,000 in personal debt, including secured debt like mortgages. According to some sources, the average household in this country has about $8,000 in credit card debt. The US national debt, as of this past week, is over $14 trillion.

The Wisconsin legislature is in its second week of protests regarding the collective bargaining rights of state workers, and has recently passed the bill in the House. However, if the fourteen state senators hiding in Illinois do not return to work, the matter will stall in the Senate. If the matter is not settled, the governor has said that 1,500 state employees will be laid off by June. The national unemployment rate continues to hover over 9%, and, as of December 2010, the Iowa unemployment rate was 6.3%.

Bodies continue to be discovered in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the catastrophic earthquake there this past week. The death toll is rapidly approaching 100 there, and many more left injured and homeless. Protests in Libya are leading to deaths daily as people demonstrate against the government.

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Sufficient for the day is its own troubles, but sometimes it feels like there is an overabundance all at once. It is difficult not to worry about tomorrow when there is so much of today's trouble that seems to send ripples into tomorrow and the next day and the next generation.