This morning Toni and I worshiped at St. John's Lutheran Church in Howard Lake. We heard a great message by Pastor Swedberg and received God's grace through the Lord's Supper and the prayers of caring Christians who safely surrounded and touched us with loving hands.
One thing I treasure about the Lutheran Church is its understanding of Baptism and the Lord's Supper as two of the ways in which God approaches us. It's not just words, it's not just prayers, it's not just songs. God has chosen to give us his Word with physical signs of his love. The Word is given with water and bread and wine. And, thinking of the loving pray-ers that surrounded us after church, Martin Luther lifted that up as another "means of grace": the "mutual conversation and consolation of the saints."
God knows us and loves us from head to toe. He knows we are physical, emotional and spiritual beings. We are often afflicted and need to be healed and set free. So he speaks through these physical words: baptism, communion and loving conversation--and, admitting we are sin filled and powerless on our own, we are touched with God's forgiveness, God's blessing, God's peace.
I'm thankful that God understands us so well.
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