I greet you in the name of Christ as we enter the month of August. I’m focusing my remarks on some Bible verses. From the ESV translation, they are:
Acts 17:26 – God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth…”
Acts 10:34-35 – “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”
As you well know—our nation, our world, is in considerable turmoil. The coronavirus is front and center in our way of life going into its sixth month. But it shares the stage with the response of anger, violence, and evil swirling around the reality of racism. Slavery to that kind of sin didn’t happen recently; nor did it begin a couple centuries ago. It started in the Garden of Eden with the fall into sin. Remember, we all have common enemies: the devil, the world, and our sinful human nature.
And I hasten to add that certainly NOT ALL of the response is angry, violent, and evil. I’m praying that my response is a good and godly one. I’m praying that your response is as well. I’m praying that we as the body of Christ here at Cross wake up and rise up—look into the mirror of the Law with sincere and full repentance of all sin…and then continue to respond to the Gospel. That we would breathe grace to one another with the forgiveness and love that freely and abundantly flow to us from the Lord Jesus. And flows for each and every human on the planet.
Peter said in Acts 10, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone… (emphasis added). In the Greek New Testament the word for partiality is a powerful one. It is literally translated “face-grabber”. God isn’t a face-grabber—the outside of someone—color, race, ethnicity—indeed of all people, is all the same to Him: equally loved. The sinful inside of all people is all equally condemned by Him. That’s apart from Jesus Christ. In Christ everyone in the world is forgiven.
Let’s be clear: In and because of Christ, no nation, no race, no ethnicity or group of human beings is more loved or more favored by God. That is the awesome and amazing grace of God, because that means—we’re in! We are loved and forgiven by Jesus, and empowered by His Spirit—working through Word and Sacraments—to share that forgiving love with all. ALL. Indeed and in fact—that is precisely what it means to be the body of Christ in ministry at Cross Lutheran Church and School—one in Christ; one in Ministry; one in Mission—for all. And, as I this month begin my 23rd year of serving you as pastor, I continue to rejoice that this is so! And encourage you to do the same!
That’s it from me for this month! God’s blessings to you!
In the name of the Lord Jesus, and giving thanks through Him,
Pastor Don Fraker – Colossians 3:17
