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Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

A sister and her little brother went to spend the Summer with their grandparents. The Grandfather made a slingshot for the boy and told him he could have it if he promised never to shoot rocks at people or animals. The boy made a solemn promise, and the next days were spent firing rocks at trees and cans and make believe enemies. Then one morning, far across the pond, he saw his grandmother’s pet duck. Not really aiming, he let a rock fly. It arched through the air and hit the duck squarely on the head, killing it instantly. The little boy, fearing the wrath of his grandparents, looked for a place to hide the dead duck. He thought the woodpile next to the barn would conceal his crime perfectly. No sooner had he finished hiding the duck there when he saw his sister watching him from the front porch. She said, “Lunch is ready, Johnnyyyy!” The way she held out his name let him know she had seen everything.

All through lunch he sat silently. His food sat in his stomach like lead. He waited for his sister to reveal his secret, but she just smiled and ate her sandwich. Then grandmother asked, “Sally, will you help with the dishes?” “I would, Grandma, but Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?” He was thinking about whether or not he should protest, but his sister walked past, leaned over and whispered, “Remember the duck!” Right then, he knew bad days were ahead.

The next week was a nightmare for Johnny. He skipped a fishing trip so he could make supper. He ‘graciously’ let Sally lick out the fudge pan by herself. After many days of doing his sister’s chores, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Grandma,” he tearfully confessed. “I didn’t mean to, but I killed your duck.” “I know,” she said, hugging him. “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. But I had to wait until you were ready to come to me and ask forgiveness. I wondered how long you would let your sister keep you a slave.”

Years ago I read an article by Dr. Wallace Schulz of The Lutheran Hour. He wrote about a man who at the age of 19 had been tried and convicted of a double murder and subsequently sentenced to life in prison. After 30 years behind bars, the guilty prisoner was granted freedom by the governor. This was fantastic news. However, during his many days behind bars, and even after he was pardoned by the Governor, the devil kept reminding him of his past sins. The only way he could find any peace was to read and reread the official document from the governor announcing the Good News of His pardon. No matter how often he read it, the message of his pardon brought joy to his heart.

That is you and I should feel each time we read or hear the Gospel, the Good News of what Jesus did to set us free from our sin. We are just as much in bondage to our sin as that man was is prison, but we are not as aware of our predicament as that convicted man was. We all rightly deserve the death penalty because of our sins. If we really understood how totally our sins condemn us before God and how hopeless our situation is without Christ, you and I would be eager to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ again and again and again.

He comes the prisoners to release in Satan’s bondage held
The gates of brass before Him burst, the iron fetters yield.
(The Lutheran Hymnal #66 stanza 2)

Acts 2:22-36 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: “`I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “`The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ‘ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

When Peter preached his Pentecost sermon in Jerusalem, he reminded the crowd of all the things that God, the heavenly Father, had put on Jesus, His Son. The Father had lovingly put His blessing on Jesus at His Baptism when he declared, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” But the Father also placed the heaviest burden of all on His Son. He placed the weight of the cross on His Son’s shoulders. While “evil men” certainly played a part in the passion and suffering of our Lord, it was all part of the divine plan of the Father to sacrifice His Son for the sins of the world. That is what God had foretold through His servant Isaiah: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)  The iniquity of us all was put on Jesus even though it belonged to us!

The way our sin was put on Jesus was for Him to be put on a cross. The death penalty was called for, and there would be no last minute reprieve or stay of execution from the governor. If there had been, He would have rejected it. He wanted our sin to be put on Him so He could pay the penalty in our place. He wanted to be our reprieve. That is what He was, and that is what He did.

After the heavy weight of the cross was put on Jesus, after Jesus was placed on that cross and killed, Peter pointed out that the Father then put something else on His Son: new life. God raised Jesus from the grave. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Peter continues his Pentecost sermon by describing how after that, the Father called His Son home to heaven and exalted Him to the highest place. The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” After all of this took place, after Jesus had done everything required to earn your forgiveness and had ascended to heaven, the Spirit came. The Father had put the Spirit on the Son so that He could pour it out on all people, something else Isaiah had foretold: Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.  (Isaiah 42:1)

Because the Father put all those things on Jesus, our Father now puts his blessing on us, His children by faith.

Ever felt like you didn’t fit in? Have you gone somewhere and come to the conclusion “I don’t belong here?” Most of us have. I’ve felt that way at some social functions. I’ve felt that way in an unfamiliar city. I’ve felt that way when I’ve been surrounded by people acting and speaking in a way contrary to how God would have us live. Sometimes I’ve felt that way in church.

1 Peter 1:1-2  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Peter tells us it is natural to feel like we don’t fit in this world. Followers of Jesus are identified as “strangers in the world.”  Other translations render the word as “exiles” or “those who reside as aliens.” In the original language this word has the meaning of living more or less ‘permanently’ in a country that is not your own. Some people use the term “sojourner.”

But notice that this first verse of this epistle also identifies us as something else: God’s elect. This is a translation of the same word that is usually renered as “church.” Believers are those who have been called and chosen by God. Yes, we live in this world, but this is not our home.

Building 429 has a song entitled “Where I Belong” that has this refrain:

All I know is I’m not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

The last hymn of the hymnal used when I was growing up, The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH #660), published over 70 years ago, began with these words: “I’m but a stranger here, Heaven is my home.” Throughout the hymn those four words were repeated over and over again: “Heaven is my Home.”

(BTW: I have to chuckle when I hear people criticize “contemporary Christian Music” for  being too repetitive. Have you paid attention to our liturgies and the hymns we sing? Repetition is not necessarily a bad thing.)

You belong in The Church, the body of Christ, even though you don’t deserve to be there. None of us deserve to be there. But God wants you there, and has done what is needed to bring you there. That is what Peter was describing when he wrote “the sanctifying work of the Spirit.” He calls, invites, instructs and leads you to know who Jesus is and what He has done for you. The Spirit works faith in you, allowing you to believe that Jesus is your Savior, and that His life and death and resurrection assure you of forgiveness and life everlasting.

You and I are the elect, the called, the chosen. “Chosen…for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood.” His blood cleanses us from all sin, motivating us to respond with lives that strive to do His will. Even though this world is not our home. While we are here, waiting to go home, we need to focus on living for Jesus and telling others about Him.

Cheryl and I have been blessed with three beautiful daughters. We were able to gather them and their families all together in our home just after Christmas for a celebration. We learned long ago that each of them is unique. They have their own interests, talents and needs. And we are so grateful to have them in our lives and as our family.

I was remembering the years we all lived under the same roof and they were growing up. I placed many things on those three. It started with changing diapers, putting on those little outfits with the snaps, even trying to put those little barrettes and bows in their hair when mom wasn’t around. I think all of us are glad those days are over! I remember putting a flower on them for special occasions, putting a cool cloth on their foreheads when they were sick. I remember putting a flute in Rachel’s hands, a volleyball in Bethany’s hands, and countless books in Leah’s hands. I recall many times of putting my hands on them to try to ease a hurt or comfort a disappointment. I was privileged to put water and the Word on Leah’s head when she was baptized – the other two were baptized by their grandfathers. I put my hand on each of their heads to offer a blessing when they were confirmed. And then, as each of them held the hands of the man they had pledged to live with in marriage, I put my hand on top of their joined hands and spoke another word of blessing.

I also remember when the time came to send them out on their own. We did our best to prepare them (and ourselves) for that day. We tried to place things on them and in their hearts to equip them for what lay ahead. We gave them correction, encouragement, and shared the message of God’s Word with them. We tried to share God’s love and forgiveness in words and in actions. We did not do a perfect job, but we tried to give each of them the foundation they would need to be able to make it on their own.

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

If we feel this way about our children, imagine how much our heavenly Father feels about those He created. His love surpasses what we are capable of. He gives us all we need to support our bodies and lives, but that is not the best part. So that you and I would be able to make it through life, He put the heavy burden of our sins on His Son and the joy of His salvation on us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

That is the only way for us to make it through this world and then enter into His kingdom. So that all this might happen, so that we would not have to try to make it on our own, He has put His Spirit in you to lead you to faith, to guide your in your living, to be with you always, and assure you of His unending love.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Today is the day of Epiphany! January 6 is the day we celebrate the coming of the Magi, the Wise Men, to worship the Christ child, as described in Matthew 2.

Thinking about those travelers we call “the Wise Men,” something that impresses me is their resolve. They made a resolution to find the Christ, the one born King of the Jews, no matter how far they had to travel. It could not have been an easy journey. We don’t know exactly where they came from, but it was likely a great distance. Their journey would have been dusty and dirty and difficult. Yet they were so committed to this, they were so determined to find this king, they were even willing to stop and ask directions! That should tell you something about their resolution: Guys known for their wisdom who were willing to stop and ask directions!

It paid off for them. They were directed to Bethlehem, where they found the one they were seeking, the Christ-child, and they rejoiced in God’s goodness to the world. Even though they were not part of the chosen people through whom the Savior had come, they knew that Jesus had come for them as well. His birth was heralded as “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Sometimes your journey may also be long and dusty and dirty. You have obstacles to overcome and have to stop for directions from time to time. You decide to make a New Year’s resolution to come closer to God in some way, but your own efforts are not enough and you fail. People and circumstances work against you in your resolve to live as the redeemed child of God you are. The good news for you again today is this mystery and miracle of your faith: because Christ Jesus came, and died to pay for your sins, you also are able to approach God. Paul wrote about it this way: In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Eph. 3:12)

You are “In Him” by virtue of your connection to Jesus through Baptism. Scripture tells us that Baptism connects us to Jesus in His death and resurrection, so much so that God sees His death as your death for sin, so that you will also share with Him in His resurrection (Romans 6). You are “In Him.” Working through the Word, the Holy Spirit invites you to share in all the riches God has provided for you: forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Everything earned by Jesus is yours for the taking if you will only believe. And that is what is meant by faith, through faith in Him: believing though you have not seen, standing on the promises of God’s Word, confessing Jesus as Lord with your mouths, believing in your hearts.

Think back to those Wise Men. They are a model for us. They had a star that led them to Jesus. You have I are led by the power of the Holy Spirit to Christ. When the Spirit enables us to “find” Jesus, then in Him and through faith in Him we have the freedom and confidence to approach God!

In all of this, the Church has a central place. Even though it is made up of sinful people who sometimes hurt each other, even though the church has sometimes caused harm, the church is something God established and is His chosen instrument for bringing people into fellowship with one another. What needs to be remembered is that Christ is the head of the church, not people. The church is the joining together of those Jesus redeemed, Jews and Gentiles, as a united people in one body. This is God’s plan and purpose for His church. The thing that unites believers everywhere is Jesus. The things that don’t matter are the ethnic origin or color of one’s skin, the language they speak or where they live, poverty or wealth. What unites us is the knowledge that when God sent His Son into this world it was to for the purpose of saving all people, reconciling all men to Himself. Jesus lived the life that God demanded, keeping every requirement of the Law and never sinning. He offered that life in your place. Because of Him, you have peace with God. The angels told us that: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men…

When you contemplate the one who is in charge of everything, the one who made the heavens and the earth, you might be tempted to think “What right do I have to approach the throne of Almighty God, much less imagine doing so with confidence?” But the answer is simple: Because of Jesus, that little toddler the Magi sought. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven

Today is the end of the Christmas Season. Some people call it the Twelfth Day of Christmas. The church year instructs us that the celebration of the birth of our Savior deserves to be our focus for more that just one day. That is why all the decorations that point us to His birth are still up in our churches, as they are in our home and in many of yours, too. Tomorrow Cheryl and I will start taking them down and storing them until the end of this year when they will be put out again. A time and a season for everything.

We are moving on to a new season with the arrival of Epiphany. While our focus changes, we do not forget what we know and what has happened. The church year is designed to help us remember that Jesus was born for us, Jesus lived for us, Jesus died for us, and Jesus rose from the dead for us. Our lives are to be lived in the context of and in response to this Good News.

One season ends today and another begins tomorrow. While the birth of Jesus will not be our focus in the coming season, it is still a reality in our lives that brings us good news of great joy. Merry Christmas to you all.

A friend of mine, who is also a retired pastor, has shared this story several times. He has a friend who was a missionary who worked among a tribe of people who did not have a written language. One of the strategies of working with such people was to develop a written language for them so that they could have the Word of God in their own tongue.

This can prove to be a challenging endeavor because you will often have trouble finding the proper word to express a certain thought or concept. This missionary was having a hard time finding a word in this tribe’s language for “faith.” They did not seem to have any word that he could use to convey the thought of putting your complete trust and confidence in what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. This is a crucial word if you are going to put the Scriptures into another language. Faith in the death of Jesus to pay for your sin is what gives you the forgiveness He earned for you. Faith in His resurrection from the dead is what assures you that you also have eternal life.

As the missionary continued to live among these people and interact with them daily, he continued searching for the word for “faith.” One day he was walking with them and they came to a very rickety looking suspension bridge. One by one the members of the tribe walked across the bridge, but the missionary was reluctant to do so. The tribal members all encouraged him by shouting a word to him, a word he was not familiar with. He finally walked across the bridge, and then asked them what that word was they were shouting. They explained that it meant “to put your full weight on it.” He had discovered the word he needed for “faith.”

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

We all put our faith in things on a daily basis. We trust that our car will start, that the lights in our home will come on when we flip a switch, that our home will be standing when we return to it. Most of the time, those things are true, but not always. That is why it is hard for some folks to believe something that sounds too good to be true. Can I really be forgiven for all the wrong I have done in my life, and even get a reward I did not earn?

That is exactly what God promises you in His Word. Jesus earned your forgiveness, not you. Jesus gives you the reward of heaven as a gift. You can put your full weight on that.

Psalm 22:5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

My last devotion reminded you that Jesus is the Light of the World that overcomes the darkness. To those groping in the darkness of sin, Jesus said I am the Light, the one, true, saving Light.

Through His suffering, death and resurrection He brought life and light to any and all who would, by faith, believe in and follow Him. Whoever followed Him, he promised, would never walk in darkness, but would have the light of life. His light would shatter the darkness blackening the lives of people, penetrate them, and become their personal possession. All of this is possible only because the Holy Spirit is working the light of faith in the hearts of men and women and children of all nations.

Today and every day you and I can give thanks to God that the Light shines in us. God has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. The Holy Spirit has enlightened us with His gifts. He dispels the darkness of ignorance, unbelief and sorrow and lights us up with His forgiveness, grace and love.

When Cheryl and I were in Germany, we visited a lot of cathedrals and churches. There were so many beautiful stained glass windows. I took lots of pictures, but they don’t do justice to the beauty of those windows when the light was shining through them. I was reminded of the little girl who visited a large cathedral with her mother and was fascinated by all the beautiful surroundings, especially the stained glass windows. She asked, “Who are all those people in the windows?” Her mother answered, “Those are the saints.” “The saints?” she asked, still puzzled. She continued looking at the windows trying to figure out who those people might be. Then her face brightened as she said, “Oh, I get it — the saints are the people who let the light shine through them!”

My dear fellow saints, those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, those on whom the light has shined— be the people who let the light shine through you!

As a young man, Benjamin Franklin composed a master list of 12 resolutions, later tacking on a killer 13th (“Imitate Jesus and Socrates”). He had particular difficulty, he notes in his Autobiography, with Resolution No. 2 (“Silence – Avoid trifling conversation”), No. 3 (“Order – Let all your things have their places”) and No. 5 (“Frugality – waste nothing”). Ben kept track of his performance in a small book in which he entered a black mark each day for each resolution broken. He had intended to reuse the little book, eventually erasing old black marks as his performance improved. It didn’t. So many black marks appeared on top of black marks that the little book developed holes. He had to resort to keeping his records on a piece of ivory, from which the accumulated black marks could be tactfully mopped off with a wet sponge.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have a wet sponge wipe away the black marks of the past year, leaving a clean slate for the future? Many see the start of a new calendar year as a time for a fresh start, putting the past behind us. Wouldn’t it be nice if it were true?

The truth is that the calendar changing from one year to the next does nothing to right past wrongs. They are still there. The black marks that cover you and bore into your memory tell you that you cannot get rid of them. If only you could just use a wet sponge to clear away all your sins, the depravity that is inside each of you. If only you could simply wash away the hate and hurt and anger and bitterness and greed and envy and lust and doubt that is in your heart. Then you would truly have a clean slate, a chance to start anew, a rebirth. But it’s not that simple. We echo the words of David: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. (Psalm 51:3) You can’t clean your own slate. Just as young Mr. Franklin discovered with his little book, that is a losing proposition, one you will never be able to win.

In the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, God had made the simple proposition: I will be your God, you will be my people. He did the hard part. He rescued them from danger and slavery and armies and so on. All they had to do was love Him and follow Him. Yet they couldn’t do it. The black marks kept adding up. God had a plan for fixing this situation, one He had first announced to Adam and Eve and repeated through His prophets.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, ” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

There is a way to have a clean slate. But it doesn’t come from your own efforts to erase the marks or wipe things clean. It is God’s doing. It comes from Him taking all your black marks and placing them on the one who had a clean slate on His own, Jesus Christ. God allowed the black marks for all people to be placed on Him, a weight too awful for us to ever imagine. Those black marks were so numerous that He developed holes, holes in His hands and His feet, being nailed to the cross to make payment for them all. He did that for you. And then He rose again to proclaim that He has won the victory, offering a clean slate to all who believe in Him.

Notice that nowhere in Scripture does it say that sin does not matter, or that God will ignore sin or not look at it. That is not the solution. Sin does matter. God dealt with it. He sent His Son for that very purpose. Forgiveness is not overlooking or ignoring. It is facing the problem head on and providing the solution. Your sins was put on Christ and the penalty was paid. Through faith in Him, that payment becomes yours. You are then given a clean slate.

So go ahead and make those resolutions, today and every day. Make them with the confidence that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. You have a clean slate. God has declared I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. What a way to start not just a New Year, but every day.