Day 87 of 90 Devotion

Dearest e-votees-

Day eighty-seven of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. We have completed Jude. (65 down, 1 to go) If you want to see the readings for our trip through the Bible you can follow this link:

www.christthegoodshep.org/biblein90days.html

Peace,
Karl

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Day 87 Readings: Jude 1-Revelation 17:18

Included in today's reading is the following:

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Jude 20-21, NIV

The exhortation is for the reader to remain in God's love. Where do we find God's love? How do we keep ourselves in it? Perhaps that is like the questions of the Reformation when they were trying to decide what was necessary for church to be acceptable.

Article VII of the Augsburg Confession says:

1 It is also taught among us that one holy Christian church will be and remain forever. This is the assembly of all believers among who the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel.

2 For it is sufficient for the true unity of the Christian church that the Gospel be preached in conformity with a pure understanding of it and that the sacraments be administered in accordance with the divine Word. (Tappert).

God's love is found in the right and healthy practices of the church: in Word and in Sacrament.

As we linger in God's Holy Word (and not just a 90-day sprint at a time but over a lifetime) we are reminded of the good and faithful promises of a loving God that find their enthusiastic answer in Christ.

As we are baptized into the cross and the empty tomb we are brought into the fullness of God's love. It was for that very love that God sent Jesus to the cross. It was through that very love that God emptied the tomb and attached us to the resurrection promise.

As we come to the holy meal we are reminded that Jesus' body and blood was given for us and for the forgiveness of sin (see Luther's Small Catechism). God's love heals, restores and renews our faith every time we partake of the meal.

Lastly, we find expressions of God's love in the gathering of God's people. Where two or more are gathered in Jesus' name Jesus is there too. When we pray and sing and encourage one another (even when stammering and off-tune and inelegant) God's love is to be found. We continue to gather and all the more as we see the Day approaching (see Hebrews 10:25)


God, keep us in your love. Pour your mercy into our lives again and again even unto eternal life. Amen.