The Side of Truth

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

“You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.” This is an idiom that is often repeated these days. Or it can go this way, “You want to be on the right side of history.” Both ways have the same meaning, which is to persuade the person to follow the prevailing winds of the culture.

 

But what about being on the side of truth? Truth is never mentioned. Instead, truth is replaced by feelings, which is opinion. What about remaining loyal to the one true God?

 

In today’s secular world, the truth has been replaced by opinion. These days, immoral living is seen in a positive light, while moral living is not. What has happened?

 

The Pew Research Center in December 2021 released its findings from a study on religious affiliation in the United States. In the study[1], Pew found that the secularizing shifts in the United States are not going to slow down any time soon as it found that self-identifying Christians now outnumber religious “nones” by a ratio of a little more than two-to-one. Back in 2007, Pew found that Christians outnumbered “nones” by almost five-to-one.

 

As more and more people are no longer affiliated with Christianity, society’s change has become more secular. As America becomes more secular, the more the culture’s morality has deteriorated. And among practicing Christians, according to this Pew study, only 26 percent said they attend a religious service at least once a week.

 

Now, none of this is a shock. We all live in 2022. But, this is alarming. Where is truth to be found? God is truth. Jesus is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No person is saved from sin, death, and hell apart from Christ.

 

In the world we live in today, there is a search for truth, but this search does not include Jesus Christ. In a world without truth, we don’t know who we are. In a world without truth, grammar is destroyed in order to apply “my pronouns.” In a world without truth, nothing matters. This is a world of nihilism where nothing has meaning.

 

But we do matter! God says we matter! God created mankind in His image as He created us all male and female. He created us, because He loves us. He knitted us together in our mother’s wombs. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made by God and He never makes mistakes.

 

God not only created us, but He also redeemed us from the powers of sin, death, and Satan through Him becoming man as He suffered, died, and rose from the dead — for us! This is the truth! And we all need to hear this wonderful truth as much as we can, or else we could fall away.

 

We are being catechized every second of our lives. The only question is how are we being catechized? Are we being catechized by the secular world (with waiting with bated breath as daytime co-hosts discuss “hot topics,” with idolizing rose ceremonies, and joining TikTok challenges), which always ends in despair and nothingness. Or are we being catechized by the one true God, who gives us hope that is sure and certain. We certainly live in the secular world, but don’t let the secular world become your false idol of worship. Always remember that the secular world’s goal is to sway us away from truth.

 

Just like we matter to God, truth matters. It is so easy to give in to popular trends, but in the end truth prevails, because God prevails. God is truth.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen

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[1] https://www.pewforum.org/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/

Sermon for Epiphany 3: "Fulfilled in Your Hearing" (Luke 4:16-30)

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

Imagine the son of the congregation coming home. Imagine how delighted everyone would be when the seminary graduate returns to his home congregation. Many in the congregation would recall this adult man as a child sitting with his parents in the pew, attending Sunday School and Youth Group.

As he enters the church building, he would be greeted with smiles, handshakes, and conversation: “How was seminary?” “What did you learn?”

This is likely how it would have been when Jesus returned to Nazareth – except He didn’t return from seminary, since He is God in human flesh. But He would have been greeted with smiles, pleasant conversation, and instead of handshakes, he would have been kissed on the cheek. You see, this was a great day for the synagogue in Nazareth, since their son of the congregation has returned to the place where he had been brought up.

And as it is custom for a seminarian or recent seminary graduate, a rabbi would also be invited to preach at his home congregation. And as the son of the congregation would preach, everyone in the pews would look in amazement at the man they once knew as a child. But for Jesus, He was returning to Nazareth as a renown rabbi, especially for His miracles, as His name had spread throughout Galilee and beyond. He – who left Nazareth as a man who did not appear out of the ordinary – returns as a recognized rabbi of divine truth.

Today on this Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Jesus returns to where He spent every Sabbath of His childhood and youth.

[That Day in Nazareth]

Now, it is certainly Jesus’ custom to go to a synagogue every Sabbath. He would maintain this custom throughout His life and travels. On this particular Sabbath, Jesus likely attends with family, friends, and neighbors to worship in His hometown synagogue.

Notice that Jesus does not seek to worship God in His own way, choosing to be somewhere else, but as God desires – in God’s house and on the Sabbath day. We might imagine that, being the Son of God, Jesus would not benefit from attending such a worship service. Yet, this is precisely what He does! He sees hearing His Word as precious!

During the service, Scripture is read and expounded by the leader of the synagogue or by a guest. On this day, Jesus is invited to read the appointed lectionary text and to address the congregation with words of instruction and admonition to them.

Now, we do not know if Jesus was asked in advance to do the reading. In fact, it was not necessary. A synagogue custom was to allow any visiting rabbi that honor.

So, on this particular Sabbath day, Jesus stood up to read. As He came forward, the attendant, known as a chazzan, gave Jesus the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah, likely because this is where the reading from the previous Sabbath left off.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and scanned it to find where He would begin reading and spoke:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
      to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
   and recovering of sight to the blind,
      to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19 from Isaiah 61:1-2a).

He then rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the chazzan and sat down. It may seem odd that Jesus would sit down, but this was the custom then as the rabbi would sit down to address the people.

Every eye in the synagogue was fixed on Him. Everyone was thinking, “What is our son of the congregation going to say?” They were all waiting in expectation.

Then Jesus began His sermon saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Jesus certainly said more, but this was the bombshell of His sermon. This was the vocal pipe bomb they heard. These are the words that caught everyone’s attention. These are the words that remained in everyone’s mind: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

What does this mean? What is Jesus saying? What exactly was fulfilled in their hearing?

Jesus came this particular day in order to read Isaiah 61 and to declare that the messianic era of salvation has now begun in Him. By Him reading Isaiah 61, He is revealing who He truly is and what He is all about.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed me” (Luke 4:18). Does this sound familiar? Here, Jesus is referring to His Baptism by John in the Jordan River. With these words, Jesus fulfills how He has been publicly appointed as the Christ, the Messiah of the world, as the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove and how God the Father spoke from Heaven saying, “You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22a-b).

But wait, there’s more! Jesus continues from Isaiah 61 saying the Trinitarian plan of salvation is “to proclaim good news to the poor” (Luke 4:22c). The plan of salvation is to preach. You see, preaching is the most important thing Jesus does. Everything else Jesus does comes as a result of His preaching.

Jesus continues, “He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18d-19). Here, Jesus says He was sent as God the Father’s first Apostle. As God the Father’s Apostle, He has come to release the captives. This means He has come to bring liberation from the bondage of sin, sickness, and Satan. At times, this liberation would involve physical healing, exorcism, and rebuking of destructive forces of nature. But ultimately, Jesus has come to forgive sins.

Here, Jesus is announcing that through Isaiah’s text that the Messiah is now present to complete the prophetic pattern of preaching and miracle working.

To all of this, Jesus says: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

With this in their mind, the congregation looks intently at Jesus. At first, this is neither positive nor negative. They just “wonder” and “marvel” at the gracious words that were coming from His mouth. Maybe for a few seconds, the crowd saw Jesus as just an adult man, whom they never met. Then there is a surprised confusion. They came to the realization that they knew Jesus. They remembered Jesus as a boy. Many in the crowd began saying, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22)

Jesus, then knowing what was on everyone’s mind, then began speaking: “Doubtless you will quote Me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well” (Luke 4:23).

You see, Jesus’ fame had spread. He knew that this congregation would demand the types of miracles He had done in Capernaum. He knew they wanted Him to prove Himself as a miracle worker. But He did not come this day to ultimately do that, He came this day to do His most important task, which is preaching.

But they didn’t want to hear His preaching! They wanted to see miracles! They wanted to see with their very eyes of what had been reported of Jesus “through all the surrounding country” (Luke 4:14).

Jesus, who came to preach of who He is and what He is about, then says, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in His hometown” (Luke 4:24). He then continues speaking of how Elijah and Elisha were also rejected for preaching God’s truth to the people of Israel. So, God sent them to Gentiles, like the widow of Zarephath and to the leper Naaman.

Even nearly 2,000 years later, people still despise preaching and His Word. Each Sunday many people do not want to be invited by God to rest and reflect on His Word and receive His forgiveness through His Means of Grace in order to strengthen their faith in Him.

At the same time, many come and do not like what was preached, because it does not scratch their “itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). Instead of hearing about God’s Law and how they have sinned against God and their neighbor through their thoughts, words, and actions, many would rather hear and be affirmed on how good they are. They don’t want God’s forgiveness. They only want to be affirmed that they are a good person without hearing anything about Jesus.

Today, pastors are to be faithful to God and His Word by preaching, teaching, and giving the Sacrament. In doing so, sometimes pastors in order to be faithful to Christ will suffer when preaching the truth.

Back nearly 2,000 years ago, after Jesus preached that He is the Promised One who has come to liberate the people from demons, sickness, sin, and death through Him forgiving sins – and that He has come as the Messiah to the Gentiles too – all in the synagogue were filled with wrath! The mood changed. Instead of seeing Jesus as the son of the congregation, they are extremely offended. “How can Joseph’s son claim to be the Messiah?” “This imposter came from down the street, not from heaven!” “How dare He claim to be God!” “Only God can forgive sins!” “We are God’s chosen people, not the Gentiles!”

What they fail to consider is that Jesus is – in fact – the very Son of God. He is the fulfillment of God’s promises, just as He said. This will be the same conclusion that Caiaphas and the other Jewish leaders will use to justify Jesus’ crucifixion. It’s just too much to believe that this ordinary hometown Jewish Man is the very Son of God.

These people asked for a miracle. They demanded a miracle! Filled with wrath, they rose up and drove Jesus out of Nazareth and brought Him to the brow of the hill, so they could throw him down the cliff in order to kill Him.

Steeped in their sin, only violence was their response to the truth Jesus has preached to them. “But passing through their midst, He went away” (Luke 4:30). There is the miracle! Jesus eludes the crowd and they don’t fulfill the evil in their hearts.

But others will accomplish it, but only at the time appointed by God. The Jewish leaders will eventually crucify Jesus despite their own custom of providing liberty to a captive at Passover. A captive will go free, but Jesus goes to the executioner.

“They all cried out together, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas – a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. … They kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify Him!” (Luke 23:18-19, 21).

In the end, evil will fail to triumph over Him. Jesus will triumph over evil when He is raised from the dead!

[Today]

On that day in Nazareth, Jesus came to announce to His home congregation that He is the Messiah – the Christ – who has been sent to Teach and be the Miracle Worker. As He stood reading God’s Word, He is the One who inspired Isaiah to write those very words. He is the Word made flesh reading His very own Word!

What happened in Nazareth that day is still happening now! Jesus came to teach and to be a miracle worker! Today! Right now! This has been brought to your fulfillment to your ears that Jesus is the Messiah through His Word! The people then asked for a miracle. Here, we witness miracles with Baptisms, with God’s absolution, and in turning mere bread and wine into Christ’s very Body and Blood as those who commune see, touch, and taste the forgiveness Christ won for you on the cross!

Today, in this place, Jesus proclaims good news to all who are poor in spirit. Here, “the Spirit of the Lord” is upon us, to release us from the oppression of our sin and guilt. Here, Jesus offers “recovering of sight” for spiritual blindness, so all might see Him clearly as their Savior, whose forgiveness sets them free from fear and death. You see, today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing! Amen!

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Funeral Sermon: "The Lord Provides" (Psalm 23)

Family and friends of Craig:

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

[Intro]

Throughout his life, Craig was blessed by God. He was blessed with a daughter, Brianna. He was blessed with grandchildren. He was blessed as he created lasting memories with them. According to Brianna, he enjoyed trying out new restaurants when traveling with his grandchildren to the Cities. He cherished every moment he had with his daughter and grandchildren. As Craig was himself a giver, all throughout his life, he was always being cared for by the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Through the Psalmist, God informs us about how He always provides our needs, our comfort, and our assurance. In a world that is full of distress and doubt, these words of Psalm 23 give us hope in three ways: that God leads us, that God is always present, and that God always provides.

[The Lord Leads]

“The Lord is my shepherd;
   I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
   He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
   He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3).

In the first three verses of Psalm 23, we hear how the Good Shepherd leads us. The Good Shepherd cares for all the needs of His flock. In doing so, He cares for every human need: physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Under the care of the Good Shepherd, we shall not want. Now, this doesn’t mean that we will never have any desires. Rather, all of our needs are met. The Good Shepherd supplies the basics through His daily bread: food, drink, and protection.

Each day of our life and in the life to come God provides for us abundantly. He leads us to “lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2a) where we are free to rest. These green pastures are His Means of Grace – Word and Sacrament – where He provides us pasture and sustenance, so that we may be refreshed and strengthened.

The Good Shepherd also “restores [our] soul” (Psalm 23:3a). Christ tells us: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). You see, He restores our soul as He sacrifices His life for His sheep – you and me.

The Good Shepherd also leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. This path of righteousness is “the right path.” You see, Jesus will never lead us to a place of slaughter. He leads us to eternal life and salvation. Along the way, He leads us along safe paths to heaven through His Word. He leads us to heaven, for the Good Shepherd is the only Way (John 14:6) to travel the righteous path.

[The Lord is Present]

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
   Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

Even in the most frightening situation in our life, the Good Shepherd is present. So, we can always be confident of God’s guiding presence.

Even in “the valley of the shadow of death,” the Good Shepherd is with us. He is always present with us. The Good Shepherd never sends His sheep into places He will not go. He is always with us in our lives.

[The Lord Provides Forever]

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
   Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
   and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:5-6).

These verses tell how the Good Shepherd always provides for His sheep.

He prepares a table before us. This shows how the Good Shepherd is hospitable to His sheep. The Good Shepherd not only gives us our daily bread – all the needs of our body, such as food, clothing and shelter – but He also gives us the gift of salvation that He won for us through His suffering and death upon the cross.

The “cup runneth over” is the grace that we have received by faith in Jesus Christ. For although we were dead in sin, He took on the death we deserve upon that cross, so that we would be made righteous by grace through faith in Him. For although we sin much in thought, word and deed, God’s grace is the cup that is always runneth over. So, when we repent and confess our sins, we are forgiven.

The Good Shepherd gives all who believe in Him this goodness and mercy all their lives.

[Dwelling in the House of the Lord Forever]

For everyone who dies in Christ, they experience the ending of Psalm 23: “And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6b).

As soon as those who know the Good Shepherd enter heaven, they are no longer sinners, but only saints. So, while they are in the presence of the Good Shepherd, they “hunger no more, neither thirst anymore” (Revelation 7:16a). While in heaven, the Good Shepherd continues to provide.

Yet, for us here this evening, we are experiencing sorrow and grief. We experience grief, because death separates us from our loved ones. We grieve because death is not our friend. Death is in fact our enemy! But we ought not to grieve like others do who have no hope, because Jesus has conquered the power of death on our behalf and because He lives, all in Christ also live!

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is always with us! He leads us and He provides forever! Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T 

Craig Giese's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/craig-h-giese/

Sermon for the Baptism of Our Lord: "The Best News of All" (Luke 3:15-22)

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

We have all heard this saying: “The only news is bad news.” It is likely that you have said the same sentiment. Each time we open a newspaper, turn on the television news, or read the news online, we see a “crisis” in every headline or lede. Each day, we learn of the newly discovered ways that we are going to die: through war, crime, weather, terrorist attacks, the food we eat, the medicines we ingest or inject, and on and on.

We like to blame the news industry for holding back the good news. We like to imagine that there is a grumpy editor who uses his power to rain woe, grief, and despair on us all. But the thing is, the news publishes and broadcasts bad news, because it sells. As a former journalist, I know this to be true. If the news business thought a story about Sally getting a pony on her birthday would bring in revenue, they would publish it above the fold on page one or as the leading story on the evening news.

You see, the news business gives us what our old Adam – our old sinful nature – wants. Our sinful nature actually enjoys news about death, war, and famine. We want to read the stories that reveal the sickness of human nature first, and that’s why it’s always the top story. We revel in sickness, disaster, and death.

Ever since sin was unleased, man’s evil state has never changed. The Psalmist David wrote: “The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:2-3).

You see, on our own, we can’t change our evil and sinful condition. This is because the enduring reality of our existence is that we are sinful. Though sin is not part of the very essence of being human, it is the situation we find ourselves in for all of us who were born after the Fall with original sin – the sin we inherited from Adam and Eve. Because of this, we are sinful from the moment we first exist as human beings. Sin is in the air we breathe. We are attracted to sin. We can never escape sin in this life.

Due to sin, we live in a natural state of unbelief as we do not trust in the One true God. Due to sin, we have hardened hearts as we live in absolute rebellion against God. Due to sin, we have a stricken conscience as the Law was written on our hearts and our hearts know we’ve violated it. Due to sin, we are helpless. Due to sin, we are either left in despair – if we know our situation – or pride – if we don’t.

But when we realize the full extent of our rebellion against God, it is God’s Law doing the work. It is then that we realize that we can do nothing about our situation. Left on our own, due to sin, we get what we deserve, that is, eternal death. This is certainly bad news, but is it really news if we know in advance?

This is the situation that Jesus enters. This is what brought Jesus down from heaven. This is what caused God to become man. This is what brought Jesus to get in line to be baptized by John. John was calling sinners to repentance. He was boldly confronting people with the truth: they were sinners who needed help and rescue. They were sinners who needed to repent. But all of this seems rather strange. Why would Jesus, who knew no sin, need to be Baptized? Well, He made Himself to be a sinner, so that in our Baptism, we could be saved from sin’s power so that He might make us clean saints.

Today on this Baptism of Our Lord Sunday, the Triune God proclaims the best news of all – that through the obedience of Jesus – He has opened heaven to all the faithful through our Baptism into Christ!

[While Jesus was Praying]

Oddly enough, in Luke’s telling of this salvation event, Luke’s gospel does not focus on John the Baptist, nor does this gospel focus on the actual Baptism of Jesus. Instead, the focus is on what happened after Jesus was Baptized, while He was praying.

As Jesus was praying, “the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:21-22). What a sight and what a sound! Here, we have the entire Godhead revealed as heaven opened to declare that Jesus is the Son chosen to accomplish the messianic work of salvation.

Here, Jesus is named as the Christ, the anointed One, who has come to give sinful humanity – this same humanity that doesn’t seek after God and is utterly corrupt – salvation from the powers of sin, death, and the devil!

As God the Father spoke, “You are My beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22), it would be remissed not to see the sacrificial overtones in Jesus’ Baptism. Recall, God testing Abraham when He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love … and offer him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). But unlike Isaac, who was spared, God the Father would not spare His own beloved Son.

Here, at His Baptism, as God the Father puts His seal of approval upon Him, Jesus takes our place by becoming a poor, miserable sinner as He submits to a Baptism of repentance. Through a sinner’s baptism, Jesus who knew no sin of His own, now takes humanity’s place to receive the wrath against sin that we all deserve.

From this moment, Jesus stands in solidarity with sinful humanity. He gives all sinners hope! He, therefore, stands for us under the wrath of God, the wrath that will culminate in a Baptism with fire with His bloody Baptism in His crucifixion for the sins of the world.

[Becoming a Child of God through Baptism]

In being Baptized, we experience a change! Outside the Church and to the unbelieving world, Baptism is just a mere bath. Nothing more. Nothing less. But as we know, Baptism is so much more.

We know that Baptism is a bath that is different from any other bath, since in Baptism, the water is combined with God’s Word. This water also puts God’s name on us as the pastor pours water upon the one to be baptized as he says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” At that moment, although we can’t see it, the heavens open as God says, “This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”

Instead of washing away dirt, like a normal bath, Baptism washes away sin and replaces it with a new birth as a child of God. Baptism gives faith, and through that faith, Baptism delivers the forgiveness that Christ won for us on the cross.

Baptism changes everything! At one time, we were all dead to sin and doomed to eternal torment, because of our sinful nature. But through Baptism into Christ Jesus, God comes to us brining the best news of all since we were buried with Christ by our Baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life as God’s beloved child (Romans 6:4).

So, what do we do in this newness of life? Well, we remember our Baptism with the words “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – the trinitarian invocation. When we use those words of God’s Name, we recall and confess before heaven, earth, and hell that our identity is in Christ and that in Baptism we receive: victory over death and the devil, forgiveness of sins, God’s grace, the entire Christ, and the Holy Spirit with His gifts.

Now that we are baptized into Christ, shall we “continue in sin” like the unbelieving world “that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1) “By no means!” says the Apostle Paul. As Christians, we are to reject the notion that we should ignore God’s will and deliberately sin, knowing that He will forgive. Instead, we live in repentance and faith in the Triune God, who made us His beloved child. We do this when we trust in God above all things and treat our neighbor – everyone we meet in our daily life – as we would like to be treated. And when we fail by not living the Christian life of repentance and faith, we ask God and our neighbor for forgiveness.

Even if we may find it difficult to forgive and forget others, God does that very act! He forgives and forgets as that sin is completely wiped away and He says: “This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”

Imagine there was a doctor who said he could save people from death, or even if the person died, the doctor said he could restore them to life and live forever. I’m sure this doctor would soon be wealthy beyond our imagination as people would flock to him. But the thing is, we have this great gift already! In Baptism, everyone receives this good news of eternal life. You see, through Baptism and faith as we live a life of repentance, we receive the medicine that utterly destroys death and preserves all people alive.

All this happened since through our Baptism into Christ, we are linked to Christ’s Baptism by John and linked to Christ’s bloody baptism as He hung on the cross. Through Baptism and faith in Christ, our condition has changed, since He took upon Himself our dirty sin and replaced it with His righteousness, so that He could make us clean saints!

We will still read and watch the bad news around us, but through Holy Baptism, we have received the best news of all that through Christ, heaven is open to you and me, since our sin is forgiven! Now set free from sin, we are now alive to God in Christ Jesus!

Our condition has changed! Because of this, God the Father now says of everyone who is baptized and trusts in His Son: “This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.” Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T