Jesus came to give light to the world. His light is the light of freedom from sin and the joy of being connected to God.

Sadly, our world is not interested. God is pushed away, and his ways are ignored and ridiculed.

Even worse, we have participated in rejecting God. Our sins are real. We know the guilt and shame of our failures. You’ve probably read the Bible or heard a Scripture Lesson in church and thought, “That is a sin too? I do or say that all the time.” Even long-time Christians can become accustomed to the darkness of sin.

“Light has come into the world.” Jesus brings you the light of forgiveness and renewal. He restores to you what your sins have destroyed. He shines the light of God’s love into your heart and declares to you that you are a member of his eternal kingdom.

You see too much darkness as you watch our world fight against God. You even see that darkness in yourself.

But focus on the light of Christ. He is your Lord and Savior. He claims you as his own. He loves you. Bask in the peace of his light and be light in what you do and say.

John 3:19–20 (NIV) “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

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Lent is a somber time when we gather for worship. Hymns are often in minor keys. We do not sing “Alleluia.” The readings call for repentance or focus on the death of Jesus. At the same time, we know how this season ends. The cross of Jesus is not actually a sign of defeat, but a sign of conquest and victory.

The bloody cross of Jesus is a place of glory because of who Jesus is and what he did. “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.” In other words, the One who dead on the cross is the same One who made the universe. He controls all things and with a single word can do anything!

That One, the Lord of All, allowed himself to be hung on a cross. He accepted the horrible punishment for every sin ever committed. He endured torments that he never deserved.

Because Jesus was on the cross, it is the most significant event in all of history. God intervened in our world to take away our sins and save us.

If you ever wonder what God is up to in the world, look at the cross. He is a God who saves. If you wonder if God is interested in you, look at the cross. He died for you so you could be with him forever. Through the cross we see and know God for who he really is. We know all we need to know about God.

The cross is not the possibility or potential of anything. It is the reality of God’s love directed at every moment of your life – “making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” You are at peace with God. Live in that confidence today and always.

Colossians 1:19–20 (NIV) "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

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Lent has arrived. Many focus on spiritual things by “giving something up for Lent.” This practice can be useful if it helps us focus on what matters most.

But giving up movies, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, or anything is relatively easy. Jesus invites us to do something far more drastic. He does not ask us to give up something, but ourselves.

Human beings are not wired for this. We excel at being selfish and asserting ourselves.

Our way of living is not Jesus’ way. He does not want us to deny ourselves because he wants to hurt us or rob us of anything, but because he wants to heal us. Jesus does not want you to have a cheap imitation of real life – an earthly life that is trying to hide the reality of sin and death. Jesus wants you to be set free from the bondage and slavery of sin to enjoy the glorious freedom of life in his Kingdom.

So today, Ash Wednesday, we repent. We confess to our God our failures and our willingness to live like this world is our home. Today we admit that by ourselves we are trapped in selfishness that is directed at others and, worse, causes us to ignore God.

But as we repent, we do not stop with confession. We also turn to our gracious Savior and trust his promises. He takes away our sin. He gives us clean hearts and renews a right spirit within us. His forgiveness is real, and it is ours through faith.

As we give up our sinful selves, we find our new selves in Jesus. His love fills us and shapes us. We live in the peace of forgiveness and with the desire to turn from sin to live a full life – a God-pleasing life of service.

This Lenten season, be renewed as you look to Christ and see all that he has done for you.

John 12:23–25 (NIV)
Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

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“By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” 1 Corinthians 15:10

Paul’s call to serve as a missionary and apostle was an act of pure grace on God’s part. Acts 8:1 and 9:1-2 tell us how much Paul hated Christianity. Later in Acts 26:9-11 Paul confessed that same thing about himself — he had previously hated Christians.

Jesus changed that by appearing to Paul and calling him to faith. Paul was graciously appointed to be an apostle to the Gentiles. He was zealous in carrying out his work to preach the gospel.

What was true of Paul is true of you! By the grace of God you are who you are. He has changed you too. By calling you to faith your sins are forgiven and all your gifts and abilities can now be used to serve your Savior. Whatever your calling may be, you are serving Jesus was you use your gifts to serve others.

His grace to you was not without effect. The Christian parent who patiently loves and guides a child is serving Jesus. The Christian spouse who fills his or her role in a marriage is showing the effect that God’s grace has on the Christian life. The Christian who uses his or her gifts to help another (even when paid for doing it), or who encourages someone facing trials, or who shares the gospel in a private conversation is doing so because God’s grace has an effect.

The reward for these acts often isn’t what we’d like. You may not get recognized or thanked (although sometimes we do). Jesus has prepared an eternal reward of even greater grace for us in heaven. This is our greatest reward!

Like it did for Paul, the grace of God has changed you. Your life is a life of service to the Triune God in heaven. Your moments matter.

By the grace of God, be the child of God that he has made you to be and carry out the work that he has given you to do. That is the Christian faith in action.

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Baptism is easy to overlook. Your own baptism may not register in your memory banks because it happened when you were an infant. Or the simplicity of the rite of Baptism and the act of Baptism can make it seem like a minor or simple event. In our minds it can become a routine event — like a graduation — that everyone goes through.

Nothing could be further from the truth! At your baptism, you were changed.

According to God’s promise you were connected to Jesus’ death and resurrection in your baptism. You are free from sin’s curse and prepared for eternal glory. You are empowered to live a new life as a Christian by your baptism.

In Remember Who You Are: Baptism, A Model for Christian Life, William Willimon writes:
Who tells you who you are: Your parents, your children, your nation, your job, your friends, your school, your back account? If you allow others to tell you who you are, they will be only too happy to tell you. But that is a dangerous way.

Through Baptism, a Christian first and finally learns who he or she is. It is the rite of identity. Baptism asserts rather than argues, it proclaims rather than explains, it commands rather than requests, it acts rather than signifies, and it involves rather than describes. When you ask in desperation, “Who, in God’s name, am I?” baptism will have you feel the water dripping from your head and oil oozing down your neck and say, “You are, in God’s name, royalty. God’s own, claimed and ordained for God’s serious and joyful business.” (pp. 27-28)

God proclaimed, at your baptism, that you matter to him! Let that water wash your soul and fill you with the joy that God intends for you to know.

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:26–27)

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"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Ephesians 4:1 (NIV)

“Worthy” in the verse above pictures a balanced scale. On the one side of the scale is “the calling you have received.” You have been called to faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Through faith in him, you are forgiven for your sins and a member of God’s kingdom. This calling was given to you in the water of your baptism and through God’s Word that creates and sustains faith. All of this was God’s work done in you because he is gracious and loves you.

On the other side of the scale is “live a life worthy.” Our conduct should match our calling. Because we are purified of sin, we turn away from sin and do not want to live in it. This is repentance. We look to Jesus for forgiveness – which he already won for us at the cross! In him, we seek to do things that are pleasing to God. We do not look for or make excuses for sin. We look for ways to reflect the reality that we belong to the holy and perfect Savior.

Seek balance in your life as you trust in Jesus and receive from him the grace he promises to all who believe. Then live in a way that reflects the purity that is in you.

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A frequent theme in the Bible is that we humans are weak. Our sin makes us weak; the ease with which the devil can lead us away from God’s will demonstrates that we are weak; our inability to control the events in our lives further proves that we are weak.

Another frequent theme in the Bible is “the all-surpassing power” of God who has saved us! By Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are set free from the guilt of our sins; death has been destroyed by Jesus! We live in the constant certainty of eternal life. We live in the assurance that our guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ and God is not angry with us – not even a little bit!

Paul wrote about these themes in the verses above. We are “jars of clay.” We appear incredibly fragile and unsuitable to be used for anything glorious. And yet, we see the depth of God’s love in ourselves. The troubles – not even death – do not and cannot win! Jesus has claimed you to be a vessel that displays his love for humanity. His forgiveness fills you.

For the rest of your days on earth you will continue to be a “jar of clay.” And for the rest of eternity, you will loved by God and he will fill you with life. Live in the peace of knowing how you are because of God’s grace.

2 Corinthians 4:7–12 (NIV) "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you."

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"Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." Acts 8:4 (NIV)

The above verse follows the account in Acts 7 in which Stephen was killed for his testimony about Jesus. The other believers faced persecution and so they “scattered” from Jerusalem.

Notably, they “preached the word wherever they went.” Persecution did not damper their faith. In fact, God used the hatred and persecution they faced in Jerusalem to spread the gospel to new people.

This mission work was accomplished, not through the Apostles or other trained workers. God used the lay people.

Nothing has changed. God still uses lay people – you – to spread the gospel. You can speak about what you know. You know the peace and joy that comes from the forgiveness of sins that you have through faith in Jesus. You know the certainty that death has been defeated by Jesus’ resurrection. This means that you will live in heaven! You can tell people about this life-changing perspective that you have. You don’t have to stand on a street corner (or in the pulpit). You can talk in private conversations wherever God’s leads you.

God’s distribution plan for the gospel has always involved all of his people. Like the earliest Christians, be ready to speak about your Savior wherever you go.

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Today is “National Sanctity of Life Day.” While much could be written about the sin of abortion, take a few moments to think about the verse from Isaiah:
"Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight." Isaiah 5:20–21 (NIV)

At its heart, abortion comes from those who do not see evil for what it is. They twist the truth or allow human wisdom to reign over God’s Word. God has graciously revealed the truth to you through the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. You know the truth because God has created faith in your heart. Be on guard against excuses for sin that “make sense” to you. Our hearts, while enlightened by God’s Word, are not immune from temptation. While abortion may be easy for us to see as an evil that is contrary to God’s will, other sins can take root in our hearts – sins that “make sense” to us. Cling to Jesus and listen to his Word for strength.

And as you have opportunity, speak out against the evil of abortion. The innocent, who cannot speak for themselves, need someone to speak. There may be moments when that voice will be yours.

Pray. God has promised to hear his people – that means you. Among the countless concerns you can bring to God in prayer, continue to pray for God to curb all wickedness in our society – including abortion.

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“This is my body given for you. . . . This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:19-20). Don’t let your eye miss what only your faith can see in the Lord’s Supper: Jesus is giving you a blessing! Martin Luther reminds us that the Lord’s Supper is a work of God, not us.
No greater shame and disgrace can be heaped on the most venerable Sacrament than merely to consider it a good work; for a good work is something I can do to another, and it must be an act I perform. But the Sacrament is not my work but God’s work, with which I merely let myself be served and from which I receive a blessing. (What Luther Says, p. 808)

Receive the Lord’s Supper in true faith that God keeps his promises. Because we take the Lord’s Supper regularly, it can become routine. Or because we may not feel anything miraculous, it can seem ordinary. But because God is at work in the Lord’s Supper, nothing could be further from the truth. We get a foretaste of heaven. We commune with the true God. As God works in the Sacrament, let your heart be thrilled to receive his blessings!

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