Furthering Thoughts for April 8th 2019

“You miss makes it easier to miss another”.

Can we survive on our own? That’s the question. It always reminds me of the movie “Into the Wild”. Based on a true story, Chris McCandless desired to escape the world by traveling to Alaska to live in the wild. It seemed everything was going well. He was hunting, eating, and for a moment there, we believed that he could actually survive on his own. But as nature became more harsh, soon he became vulnerable to the elements. Eventually due to various dangers, he could not escape, and he died alone in the lonely wilderness of Alaska.

The danger of the lone ranger. We can’t do it alone. And though on the outset all is well, we live as we please, and go on our way, but “in time, being cut off from God in Sunday morning worship can lead to believing there is no God”.

Cut off. And when we begin to live in isolation, we go by way of the flesh, and off the path we go….

But we must ask ourselves, why do we go to Church? For the longest of time, I believed it was to give my time to God or some pious exercise to fulfill the quota, after all, “It’s the Christian thing to do!” or so I thought. A great misconception this was for myself!

And likewise, on the final exam for the confirmation students, I ask the question, “Why do you go to Church?”. For when we understand why, in faith, we know there is no other place to be.

It is the most precious time of our week where God brings to us His Word [Rm10:17, Col3:16] and the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus in the Sacrament of the Altar. The feeding we need that gives us “strength to face our problems” [namely, our sin] by the giving of the forgiveness of sins. Through preaching, through confession and absolution, through praise, and of course the Lord’s Supper, all of it is centered on Christ , the Gospel, God giving you the forgiveness of sins. A blessed time as we unite together encouraging one another praying for one another, having fellowship with one another all in the name of Christ.

There is no other place to be.

I pray you all have a blessed week!

+PrJ