Dear Faith Lutheran Church and School,
Each year at the end of October, we celebrate the Reformation. It’s not only an opportunity for a history lesson, but also a great time to refocus our attention on the “eternal Gospel” proclaimed by the church and the angels (Revelation 14:6).
In the middle of a world that is in constant flux, forever changing due to the whims of leaders and influencers, God’s Word is eternal and unchanging. As we read in Isaiah 40:6-8
A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said,“What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
The Word of the Lord endures forever. This phrase (more specifically, the Latin version, Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum) became a motto for the early Lutherans. As they faced persecution from religious and spiritual authorities, they trusted not in their own strength or wisdom, but in the enduring, unchanging Word of the Lord.
For us, too this is a fitting motto. There is so much cause for worry, doubt, and fear in our world. We can perceive our own weakness and the power that sin, death and the devil wield over us. And the more we look at ourselves and at the world, the more we are overcome by grim and despairing thoughts. We see the truth that we are grass, fading and withering under the oppression of our enemies.
But then we hear the Word of the Lord. The Word of the Lord that endures forever, comes to us and proclaims the eternal Gospel. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, our eyes turn away from our own weakness and sin, and away from the troubles of life in this world, and we are firmly fixed on Christ and Him crucified for us and for our salvation.
This Good News of Jesus dispels the darkness and enlivens us with confident hope, even in this broken and sin-filled world. As Luther writes in the great Reformation hymn: “Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpower us. This world’s prince may still scowl, fierce as he will. He can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; On little Word can fell him.” (A Mighty Fortress is Our God – LSB 656:3)
One little Word can conquer sin, death and the devil. One little Word can bring us forgiveness, life, and salvation. It is the little Word, born to Mary and laid in a manager. The Word made flesh for us: Jesus Christ. With Him by our side, we have nothing to fear. He is our mighty fortress; and even the most difficult of circumstances, and fiercest of enemies are conquered by His great power. For the grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of the Lord endures FOREVER! Amen.
– Pastor Shaun