In Need of a Little Exercise

Scripture Verse that Caught my attention today: 2 Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you,

Observation: Paul was regularly occupied with interest in spreading the word of the Lord.

Application: I think Lutherans have gotten soft. Or maybe I’ve just gotten soft.

I’m currently at the Northwestern Ohio Synod Assembly at Bowling Green State University. It’s a yearly gathering of clergy and laypersons from each of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) congregation’s in Northwestern Ohio. Here we are being inspired to consider the real work and mission of the church. Here we are being reminded again of our heritage, of the treasure that has been given to us by God through Christ.

This treasure is not of self-sufficiency but of Christ’s sufficiency. This treasure is not the self-help mantra of I can be all that I want to be but rather the confidence of being able to say, “by the grace of God I am what I am.” This treasure is not something that is rooted in us but, rather, through our baptism into Christ we are rooted in this treasure. To use Christ’s imagery, we are branches of the vine of Jesus, not the other way around.

This perspective itself is a treasure. It has lasting value and staying power.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for exerting personal effort. I’m all for harnessing our gifts and abilities for service. There is joy to be found in such things. But only when the purpose for all the efforts and the sharing of gifts and abilities is for a cause greater than our own…Greater than self…preferably in response to seeing that the treasure we have (as Scripture describes it) is in clay pots so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power does not come from us.

Lutherans know this. It’s our heritage. And although the Apostle Paul lived long before there was such a thing as a Lutheran, he inspired such thinking. His concern and passion was not for self but that word of the Lord would spread…and spread rapidly.

I’m thankful for gatherings such as this that remind us of such things. A quote that this year is serving as sort of a tag-line for what we are called to be about comes from Martin Luther himself:

"Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a [person] could stake [his/her] life on it a thousand times."

It’s time to exercise our faith, get rid of the softness. Not in some “I know it all and you don’t” kind of fashion. Not with some 4-point tract that we can have printed up and distributed to people with the attitude of “so there!” No, it’s time to start living with such daring confidence in God’s grace that we could and would stake our life on it over and over again. That’s the kind of faith that is likely to inspire and spread rapidly through the very demographic of people that are largely missing from our churches.

It’s liable to inspire us as well. Wouldn’t it be nice to actually participate in the long-awaited answer to the Apostle Paul’s prayer!

Prayer: Lord, the opportunities you place before us are incredible. Give us grace to see and pursue them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: 1 Kings 4-5, 2 Chronicles 2, Psalm 101, and 2 Thessalonians 3)