How are You Being Fed?

By Pastor Peter Adelsen
First Ev. Lutheran Church, Glencoe

McLeod County Chronicle's Pastor's Corner

“[Jesus] said to [Peter] the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep’” (John 21:17).

Today, the sheep are worried and frightened. The network evening news leads each broadcast with these similar words: “Crisis in America. Hospitals over-run in New York City. Violence in Chicago. Racism in Minneapolis. The Climate in Crisis.” The network news leads each story this way to get us to worry and keep watching.  Who is to blame? Are we to blame for all these problems and countless other problems? Well, not exactly. The one to blame is Satan himself, who convinced Adam to sin in the Garden. From that moment, we, who are descendants of Adam have become dead in our sin. Sin is the root cause of every problem in the world. Instead of being content in peace, we are attracted to all sorts and kinds of sin. One of those sins is worry.

The duty of news is to cause us to worry. Why would they do this? From my experience in my previous career as a journalist, they do this for ratings, clicks, sales, and advertising revenue. You see, as long as people are scared enough to watch, listen, or read, they are included in the ratings, clicks, and sales. Due to our sin, bad news attracts our attention. Good news is just ignored.

Instead of the constant crisis and fear, we need hope and assurance! We need the power of sin defeated! We need life! This hope, assurance, sin’s defeat, and eternal life can only be found in Jesus! Now, where is the place where this happens? It is the Church, as we are among fellow believers in Christ and hear Christ’s doctrine rightly taught. Yes, we can read about Jesus at home in your Bible, but it is only in God’s House where we receive His forgiveness as we confess our sins and fears to God the Father and receive Christ’s true Body and Blood for the forgiveness of our sins. In response, God the Father removes those sins and doubts through the merit and work of His only Son Jesus Christ. It is only through the Church and through the stead of Christ’s pastors that the sheep are fed with the sure and certain hope that Christ alone gives: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

Christ reassures us saying: “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27) So, why worry? Christ is with us always! In our life now, we will experience persecution, pain, sorrow, and heartache. Did Christ promise that His followers would have their best life now? No! He alone gives us the assurance of the sure and certain hope of life everlasting! “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).

Through the atoning death and bodily resurrection of Christ alone, the sheep are truly fed with the sure and certain hope of forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation!