Here’s my column from our Fall 2023 Stronger Together joint print newsletter introducing our fall sermon series, Practicing Faith. Read the CTK version of the entire newsletter here.
PRACTICING FAITH
If Lutherans had to pick one key verse in the Bible, it would probably be what Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Martin Luther’s central contribution to the Christian faith was his insistence with Paul that salvation comes only through God’s grace, not through our works. We’re never going to do enough to save ourselves; salvation is always a gift of grace from God.
And yet, the Bible insists that faith always leads to action. (See James 2 – a passage Luther famously hated!) If our faith is genuine, it will affect the way we live. Good works are not a litmus test of whether someone is a Christian or not, but they are a natural, inevitable result of faith. As a gift from God, our faith might get us to heaven, but God intends more than that. God calls us to do something in this world too. God cares about how we live! As Luther also once wrote, “God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does.”
Allowing faith to make a difference takes practice. Faith is a gift from God, but it doesn’t do much earthly good unless we unwrap the gift and daily put it into use and practice. And of course, God is still involved in that too. The Holy Spirit is always nudging, encouraging, and empowering us to use our faith. It’s a little bit like a coach pushing us on to keep practicing.
This fall, I hope you’ll join us for a five-week worship series on Practicing Faith. Beginning with our joint service on September 10, we’ll look each week at one of the promises in the baptismal covenant, the promises we affirm at confirmation and when new members join our congregation:
- Live among God’s faithful people
- Hear the word of God and sharing in the Lord’s supper
- Proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed
- Serve all people following the example of Jesus
- Strive for justice and peace in all the earth.
Together, these commitments in the baptismal covenant are a framework for us to live out our faith, open ourselves more and more to God’s work, and make a difference in the world around us. See you in church!
In Christ,
Pastor Daniel