Good morning and a most blessed Thursday to you. It was an interesting conversation I shared with someone recently about being in God's Word. And not only being in God's Word in a daily living sort of manner, but every week coming to the house of the Lord, hearing the Word proclaimed and preached. And we were talking about how interesting it is that we come to engage with God in His Word through various devotions and previous saints. And as we were hearing His Word proclaimed, we are hearing the law, that we are sinners, and through that we repent and we turn to the Lord. And then we hear the Gospel that we are forgiven, that our sins are forgiven in Christ, in Christ alone.

And as I was having this conversation, the gentleman I was speaking with, he said, "You know, it's the same thing that we hear, but why don't we just get it? You know, we hear it, but we just don't get it and keep it." And he wasn't meaning that we don't ever understand it, but more like it's almost like we walk out of the church doors and we forget everything that we've heard or we forget that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit, that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to love one another, to forgive one another, to encourage one another, to serve one another. And I said it's kind of like we have spiritual ADD. It's like we are hyper focused-in when we know that we're in the presence of a church service, we're worshiping together, we're hearing His Word preached, we're receiving the sacrament and then we walk out the doors and it's like we get distracted by all the things in the world around us and that are calling us and all the shiny objects and, and it's like we just can't stay focused.

And so by God's grace we are called back again on Sunday morning to gather around Word and Sacrament and we hear again that we are sinners and we repent and we confess our sin and we turn to the Lord again and we hear that we are forgiven sinners. And it's an ongoing thing because we always need to hear that and we always need to be strengthened in it week after week, day after day. I was flipping through Scripture and just finding various verses that really bring that gospel home for any moments where I might find myself in that distracted time. One of them, of course, is from John chapter 3:16-17 "For God. So loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him." So we know salvation comes through Christ. 

In Romans chapter five, "While we were still weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely anyone, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person. Though perhaps for a good person, someone might actually dare to die. But God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. If while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more surely having been reconciled, will be be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus, through whom we have now received reconciliation."  We are reconciled to God through Christ, to God the Father, through Christ. Really, we're reconciled to God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, through Christ.

Because it is Christ who redeems us and who draws us or opens that door for us to be drawn in by the Holy Spirit to the Father. Ephesians.... Always a go to for me to remember if I'm getting distracted and I need to just bring it right back into a focal point. Ephesians 2: 8 8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not the result of works. So that no one may boast." Page after page, verse after verse, chapter after chapter, book after book within Scripture, over and over we hear how God is the one to redeem, God is the one to forgive. And when we forgive one another, it is God who empowers us to do so.

And so, while we may be distracted in the world, and we may be distracted from the moment we walk out of those church doors, we may be even distracted when we walk through the doors. But, every week I praise the Lord that you are there to hear that you are a sinner, that you are there to confess your sin and to repent and turn to the Lord. And that you are there to receive the forgiveness of Christ, knowing that it is for you.

Because God is good and he loves you. And as we go on into the world and we have our spiritual disorders, you know, our spiritual frantic, chaotic distractions. Come back to His Word. Know that His Word is for you, that His Word is true, it is real, and his love for you is real. So I encourage you this week until Sunday to find those verses that help you to hone in as especially in those times when you find yourself distracted.

And I look forward to worshiping with you where we get to really focus in on who God is, how much he loves us, and sing praise to him for being the God that He is. 

Heavenly Lord, we thank you so much for your Word. Your Word is truth. We thank you so much that you write it in our minds, write it in our hearts and that you would use our lips to claim it.  Lord, we thank you that even when we get distracted, you are never distracted. You are always super focused on your love for your creation. And we thank you that even today we know your love is for us, Lord, we ask that you would use us to share your love with others, to serve others, and to expand the kingdom so that we may all be in the presence of your glory for all of eternity. Lord, we lift this to you, trusting you and praising you and thanking you for being the God that you are, the God who has created us, redeemed us and sustain us, sustains us now and forever. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. 

Have an amazing rest of your week and I will look forward to hyper-focusedly praising the Lord with you this Sunday. God Bless.

Pastor Malinak