John 1:16 For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

When he was in highschool, once a year, for two weeks, he dedicated every ounce of his strength to one goal - making the basketball team. Then the day came when the coach posted the list of who made the team. The process left him with the understanding that to get anything in life, he would have to sacrifice, sweat, and give it all he had - and then some.

We are pros at performance. God is a pro of grace. From God's fullness, He gives us - unworthy sinners - not just grace. Grace upon grace!

There are other options than grace. We might try salvation by sincerity. "It doesn't matter what you believe, just as long as you're sincere." Yet we've all been sincerely wrong about a lot of things! Then there's salvation by subtraction. If being saved wasn't doing anything, then everyone in nursing homes would be saved. You don't do a lot in these places! Or how about salvation by service? Do good. Be nice. Help people. None of this works. We will never generate enough sincerity, subtraction, or service.

Remember The Little Engine That Could? "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." Grace isn't for the little engine that could. Grace is for the little engine that couldn't. Grace is for the little engine that turned out to be a massive train wreck! God's magnificent grace in Christ's cleansing blood is His gift to you!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

When we hear the word glory, we might think of beauty and power, majesty and might. We might think of Jesus walking on water. Jesus feeding the five thousand. Jesus raising Lazarus. Christ's glory must mean that He walked just an inch above the ground, that He was surrounded by angels and archangels, that He emitted a glowing, heavenly light. Right? Wrong.

In JOhn's Gospel, Christ's supreme and ultimate glory is His suffering and death. On Palm Sunday, Jesus says, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (John 12:23). Right after Judas Iscariot leaves to betray Him, Jesus says, "Now is the Son of Man glorified" (John 13:31). Just before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus says, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son" (John 17:1). Christ's glory in John's Gospel is His bitter passion and God-forsaken death.

Christ's greatest glory, then, is to love us, forgive us, and come to us right where we are. He is the Jesus of the dying marriage. The Jesus of the divorced and the desperate. He is the Jesus of the bitterly broken. The Jesus of the soiled and the shamed. He is the Jesus of those who are sickened by what they see going on in their life. Do you see Him? Do you see His glory? He did it all for you.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

The first memory I have of hearing of John the Baptist in Sunday School was the he ate locusts! Can you imagine eating locusts? Talk about heartburn! Pass the Rolaids! A few years ago, a man from Bloomington, Minnesota, made national news by eating thirty locusts. He ended up in the hospital with a rash all over his body.

John the Baptist did more than eat locusts and wild honey. God appointed him to point people to Jesus. "He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light" (John 1:7). John uses the word witness fourteen times in his Gospel to refer to John the Baptist.

John's witness was straightforward. John wasn't the message; John was the messenger. "He was not the light" (John 1:8). "I am not the Christ" (John 1:20). "I am not Elijah" (John 1:21). Nor was John the Prophet (John 1:21). "His sandal I am not worthy to untie" (John 1:27). No wonder John the Baptist says, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). "He?" That would be Jesus.

Christ's cross demonstrates that God knows us intimately. God accepts us unconditionally. God loves us passionately. God has seen every tear that's fallen, every success we've had. He has witnessed our every joy, regret, jealous thought, envious thought, heartbreak, and sin. God knows the good, the bad, and the ugly; yet He still chooses us and redeems us. That's John's witness about Jesus - and ours as well!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

John 1:5  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

What is it for you? A missed opportunity? A flunked exam? Did your marriage go south? Did your husband die? Did your business go under? Did you make a bad decision? What is your dark cloud that refuses to go away?

All of us are acquainted with life's dark clouds. Loneliness. Depression. Shame. Guilt. Emptiness. Anger. Cancer. Death. Sometimes things become dark - very dark. Then, just when we aren't expecting him, the Prince of Darkness, Satan, shows up, pointing his accusing finger at us - mocking our feeble discipleship, our failed relationships, and our fatal attractions.

When we're in the dark, we have the light! "The light shines in the darkness." There is gold in the verb shines. It's a present-tense verb. John doesn't write "the light shone" or "the light will shine." No. John writes, "The light shines in the darkness." The light of God's love shines in our darkness, in our deep darkness, in the darkest hours of our life.

"The darkness has not overcome it." With these words, John prepares us for Good Friday. Talk about a dark day! There were the people: Judas. Annas. Caiaphas. Pilate. Barabbas. Herod. There was so much torture. Nails. Blood. Sweat. Tears. Darkness. Oh, my, the darkness! Three hours of darkness! Then death. But three days later, the light shines (present tense, shines!).  The darkness will never overcome Jesus. The darkness will never overcome us!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Luke 16:13  No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

In his explanation of the First Article of the Apostle's Creed, Martin Luther gives a lengthy list of blessings from the hand of our gracious Father. The greatest gift He has given us is the gift of redemption through faith in Christ Jesus, our priceless treasure. With our eyes focused on Him, all other blessings fall into their proper place. Money, or material blessings, will be left behind when we close our eyes in death. Our higher good, Christ Jesus, offers life eternal in heaven for free to those who believe in Him. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). Yes, we should love and trust in God above all things, loving Him who first loved us.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Luke 15:20  So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
 

Joan and Sally argued, said hurtful words, and broke off a three-year friendship. Although they each missed the other, neither would pick up the telephone to apologize. The breach lasted six long months.

One day Joan heard from a mutual friend that Sally's daughter was seriously ill and near death. Without a minute's hesitation, Jona grabbed her car keys and drove to the hospital. Sally looked up as Joan entered the little girl's room and saw that Joan's eyes were filled with love and concern. Sally reached out to Joan and the two women hugged. "I'm sorry," Joan whispered.

"Me, too," Sally responded, regretting the lost six months of her friend's companionship and support.

How often do we let petty issues create a rift in precious friendships? Our pride may keep us from apologizing or forgiving or both. So few of the issues we argue or disagree about are of eternal significance. Jesus said that we ought to reconcile with one another. He said that before we worship God we need to ensure that all is right between us and others. And often, when we do reach out or give in a little, we find that the other person is ready to resume the relationship. If you have a relationship that needs repair, begin the effort of reconciliation right away.

There was a rift between us and God; but Jesus reconciled the relationship through His death on the cross. We have His forgiveness to strengthen us as we forgive others.

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Luke 15:10  There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

It is Sunday morning. In the early service, identical twins are baptized. At the late service five adults are accepted into membership. As God's people, are we ecstatic and happy? Are we concerned about the length of the service? Are the angels rejoicing?

Although I don't have a complete understanding or clear picture of what is meant by "rejoicing in the presence of the angels," this verse is sandwiched among the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son. In each of the parables there is great concern or sorrow over the loss and great joy and excitement over finding the lost item or person.

It would seem that the greatest party on earth would be appropriate when a person who was lost is found just like the party the father had for the prodigal (lost) but found son. For is, does that happen when a person is called into a saving relationship with Christ by the Word or through Baptism? As God's people, do we rejoice when the lost are found? There are parties for school graduations and weddings. It is most fitting that we have parties for Baptisms and confirmations.

Let us join in the biggest and best party with the angels as each and every person is added to the Book of Life.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,