getting out the WORD

the sixth sunday of easter

the PRAYER. . .

Bountiful God, you gather your people into your realm, and you promise us food from your tree of life. Nourish us with your word, that empowered by your Spirit we may love one another and the world you have made, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

the READING. . .

Jesus answered [Judas (not Iscariot),] “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them ….”

John 14:23-29

the DEVOTION. . .

I know it’s only in brackets. That the phrase isn’t original. It’s been added to make things clearer. But it struck me how unfair the whole thing is: [Judas (not Iscariot)]! To be forever confused with [Judas (the one who was about to betray him)]! Known not for who you are, but for who you aren’t! Known not for what you’ve done, but for what you didn’t do!

But then, again, that’s what faith is like. As Luther puts it, “For by a wonderful exchange our sins are now not ours but Christ’s, and Christ’s righteousness is not Christ’s but ours.” Christ swaps his reputation with us! Christ takes ours and we’re given Christ’s! Guilt by association. That’s what my mom would have called it. At least, from Jesus perspective. For us, it is innocence by the same way… by association! Christ becomes the guilty, we the blameless. Christ the sinner, we the saint. Neither of us known for who they are or what they’ve done, but for who the other is and for what the other has done! As the good doctor writes, “This is the mystery of the riches of divine grace for sinners!”

Bob Barndt, pastor

Midland Lutheran Church
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