April 16, 2016

“I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

“What does this mean?
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.” (Martin Luther’s explanation of the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed – Small Catechism)

“If now you are asked, What do you believe in the Second Article of Jesus Christ? answer briefly: I believe that Jesus Christ, true Son of God, has become my Lord. But what is it to become Lord? It is this, that He has redeemed me from sin, from the devil, from death, and all evil. For when we had been created by God the Father, and had received from Him all manner of good, the devil came and led us into disobedience, sin, death, and all evil, so that we fell under His wrath and displeasure and were doomed to eternal damnation, as we had merited and deserved. There was no counsel, help, or comfort until this only and eternal Son of God in His unfathomable goodness had compassion upon our misery and wretchedness, and came from heaven to help us.” (Large Catechism)

When we confess that we believe in Jesus Christ, we confess that we trust that Jesus is the Son of    G-d – and was crucified, died and rose again for our redemption. It is through Jesus Christ that we are saved from Sin, Death, and the Devil. G-d created all things. Jesus Christ redeemed all of creation through the events of the cross. It is to the feet of Jesus, as he hangs upon the cross, that we hold all of our hope for redemption. It is no minor thing to profess our hope, our faith, and our future in Jesus Christ.

And it is a mystery for us to believe – from the virgin birth to the many miracles and teachings, to his death on the cross and the resurrection. Through the relationship we have with Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we should learn to love G-d more than life itself. And the answers to how we do that are in the details of that relationship. Are you willing to follow Christ our Shepherd no matter where that takes you? Are you ready to feed his sheep and tend his lambs? Are you ready to think of yourself last instead of first? The details are made clear through the mystery of the cross event, and our willingness to be in relationship with Christ our Shepherd. Are you ready to give all you have and all you are and all you will ever be to the Shepherd who gave his life for you? And are you ready for the depth of the mystery of how much this Shepherd loves his sheep?

This is the Jesus that we believe, trust and place our hope for eternal life.

Pastor Dave