Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
“Why are you afraid, O you of little
faith?” (Matthew 8:26).
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious
about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body,
what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than
clothing? … But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive
and tomorrow is thrown in to the oven, will he not much clothe you, O you of
little faith?” (Matthew 6:25, 30).
“O you of little faith, why did you
doubt?” (Matthew 14:31).
Over and over again, Jesus rebuked His holy apostles saying,
“O you of little faith.” We are not much different from Christ’s holy
apostles. We doubt. We doubt that God will provide. We worry about money and
finances, especially during times of Inflation. Often, our worries are inward
focused – on ourselves – instead of where they ought to be as outwardly
focused on God.
We often find ourselves playing the role of the rich
fool, who would rather store up his goods, so we can say, “Soul, you have
ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke
20:19). After all, that is the American way, right? We store up goods, instead
of giving back what rightfully belongs to God.
But what always happens, despite our doubting? God
always provides for our needs. God is always faithful, even when we are “of
little faith.”
Each Sunday, we confess our faith using the Creed
(from Credo meaning, “I believe”). We confess, “I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and
invisible” at each communion Divine Service (First Article of the Nicene
Creed) or, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and
earth” at each non-communion Divine Service (First Article of the Apostles’
Creed). But what exactly are we confessing?
Martin Luther noticed that during his time, many parishioners
were just going through the motions and never gave much thought on what they
were actually confessing. In his Large Catechism, Luther wrote[1]:
“Here much could be said
if we were to describe how few people believe this article. We pass over it; we
hear it and recite it, but we neither see nor think about what the words
command us to do. For if we believed it with our whole heart, we would also act
accordingly, and not swagger about and boast and brag as if we had life,
riches, power, honor, and such things of ourselves, as if we ourselves were to
be feared and served. This is the way the wretched, perverse world acts,
drowned in its blindness, misusing all the blessings and gifts of God solely
for its own pride, greed, pleasure, and enjoyment, and never turning to God to
thank Him or acknowledge Him as Lord or Creator.
“Therefore, if we
believed it, this article should humble and terrify all of us. For we sin daily
with our eyes, ears, hands, body and soul, money and property, and with all that
we have, especially those who even fight against the Word of God. Yet
Christians have this advantage, that they acknowledge that they owe it to God
to serve and obey Him for all these things”
So, what are all these things? What exactly are we
confessing in the First Article of the Creed?
Well, we confess that God is the giver of all things.
He always provides. We only receive. We don’t earn anything by our own merit.
God is the giver of all wealth. God is the giver because He is the Creator of
heaven and earth.
Luther again writes in his Large Catechism[2]:
“What is meant by these
words or what do you mean when you say, ‘I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator,’ etc.? Answer: I hold and believe that I am God’s creature, that is,
that He has given me and constantly sustains my body, soul, and life, my
members great and small, all my senses, my reason and understanding, and the
like; my food and drink, clothing, nourishment, spouse and children, servants,
house and farm, etc. Besides, He makes all creation help provide the benefits
and necessities of life – sun, moon, and stars in the heavens; day and night;
air, fire, water, the earth and all that it yields and brings forth; birds,
fish, animals, grain, and all sorts of produce. Moreover, He gives all physical
and temporal blessings – good government, peace, security. Thus we learn from
this article that none of us has life – or anything else that has been
mentioned here or can be mentioned – from ourselves, nor can we by ourselves
preserve any of them, however small and unimportant. All this is comprehended
in the word ‘Creator.’”
In the First Article of the Creed, we confess that God
provides. God always provides! Great is His faithfulness to us! He provides our
temporal needs (food, clothing, shelter, and the like) to all people, believer
and unbeliever alike, and He provides our eternal needs (forgiveness of sins,
which begets eternal life and salvation) to all who trust in Jesus Christ
alone!
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my
soul,
“therefore I will hope in him” (Lamentations 3:22-24).
In Christ,
Pastor Adelsen
