Hey Gloria Dei!
I hope you’ve had a great week and a great summer! Please pray for our second round of middle schoolers heading back home from NeSoDak camp today. Also, please pray for our modestly intrepid (in the most Scandinavian, midwestern, unpretentious way possible, of course) group of Norway travelers as they make their way around the country for the next week and half or so.
Speaking of traveling, for the past couple of weeks in worship we’ve been on a tour through time, looking back at that the namesake of our denomination, Martin Luther. We’ve explored some of the Scripture that inspired his faith and the movement he unwittingly began, now known as the Reformation. Pastor Tim began our series with a look at Luther’s Small Catechism, a piece of writing that Luther developed to help parents teach their children the Christian faith. Pastor Heidi then introduced us to a central Lutheran understanding of freedom: that in Christ we are freed from the powers of sin, death, and evil; and we are freed for loving our neighbor in need.
This week, we’ll learn about the key that God used to unlock Luther’s heavy heart from the burden of self-righteousness. As a monk, Luther came to know God as a wrathful, burdensome taskmaster, demanding that humans prove themselves worthy and righteous through their good works.
However, in Ephesians 2:8 (and in many other Scripture passages) Luther found a God of favor and not wrath: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Salvation is a gift from God who looks on us with favor and does not demand self-righteousness from us. Being self-righteous, in this context, doesn’t mean being ‘smug’ or ‘sanctimonious.’ It means being made right before God by what we do. As Luther discovered, with God there is no room for self-righteousness. Instead, we are made right before God because of what God has done through Christ on the cross.
There are so many things I can and want to teach you about this passage and Martin Luther. I’m hoping you can join us in worship this weekend, whether in-person or online. You’re always welcome with us. Please, come as you are. Feel free to read Ephesians 2:1-10 to prepare for worship.
See you there!
Pastor Chris
