Mended, cleaned, and pressed
Advent is right around the corner, but our culminating journey with Jesus through this Pentecost season brings us three closing parables: The Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1–13), Talents (Matthew 25:14–30), and the Final Judgment (Matthew 25:31–46).
When Jesus teaches, He continually brings hearers back to Himself and His work. This work is, of course, nothing but gift to us. Free. Paid for fully by another. Nothing of ourselves adds to this gift or can do anything to earn it.
But our fallen ears sometimes lack trust. “Surely, this isn’t all there is? You mean there is nothing I do? It’s just Jesus for me?” That is it, friend. Pure Jesus and all Jesus, for you.
And to straighten us all out and make sure we don’t fall into licentiousness and libertinism, Jesus shows us what it means to trust when He teaches these three parables. Capon describes it so well this way:
Quietism, you see – do-nothingism – is not a viable option. And it is not viable for one simple reason: Jesus’ reconciled version of all relationships is the only version that really counts – the only one that in the end will be real at all. When we die, we lose whatever grip we had on our unreconciled version of our lives. And when we rise at the last day, the only grip in which our lives will be held will be the reconciling grip of Jesus’ resurrection. He will hold our lives mended, cleaned, and pressed in His hand, and He will show them to His Father. And His Father, seeing the only real you or me there is to see, will say, “Wonderful! Just what I had in mind.” He will say over the Word’s new creation of us at the last day exactly what He said over the Word’s first creation of us on the sixth day: “Very good!”
That is the final answer to quietism. And therefore the best of all possible forms of the first question is, “Since He has already made me new – since there really isn’t any of the old me around to get in my way any more – why should I be so stupid as to try to go on living in terms of something that isn’t even there?” Faith, you see, is simply taking His word about what really is and trying our best to get all the unreal nonsense out of our lives. Strictly speaking, faith does not save us; He [Jesus] does; but because faith, once given, inexorably leads us to try to stop contradicting what He has done, it becomes the only instrument of salvation that we need to lay a hand to.1
Dear friends, you are the one who was made new. Jesus made you new in your Baptism. He gave you His death and resurrection. And in that, we go about our days striving not to live in the ways of what Jesus got rid of, but living in Him, abiding in Him, and resting in Him.
Dear Friend in Christ,
At Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), our mission is clear: to support the growth and prosperity of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and its ministries. But we can’t do it without you.
That’s why we are excited to introduce a new, limited-time investment opportunity that not only contributes to your financial future but actively supports, sustains, and strengthens the mission and growth of LCMS ministries.
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NID Fall Ministry Update
From President Buss:
Thirty-five years! That was the milestone Marie and I celebrated this summer. June marked 35 years of marriage and we were, in fact, married in Northern Illinois. This summer we celebrated with a cruise … on Lake Geneva … Wisconsin, not Switzerland … with our children and a significant other.
It is important to look back on such occasions for we see the mercy and faithfulness of God for us sinners. What milestones have you celebrated lately in your congregation, community, family, or even your birthday?
Every journey has highs and lows. We look back and we look forward and because of God’s promises in Christ, the best is yet to come! And remember the rear-view mirror is smaller than the windshield!
Read the Fall Ministry Update here!
Capon, Robert - Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus © 2002 - p. 493
LCEF is a nonprofit religious organization; therefore, LCEF investments are not FDIC-insured bank deposit accounts. This is not an offer to sell investments, nor a solicitation to buy. LCEF will offer and sell its securities only in states where authorized. The offer is made solely by LCEF’s Offering Circular. Investors should carefully read the Offering Circular, which more fully describes associated risks. Neither LCEF nor its representatives give legal, accounting or tax advice. Consult your tax advisor as to the applicability of this information to your own situation. UMB Bank n.a. serves as the custodian for the LCEF IRA program. Rates as of November 2023. Balance restrictions apply. Rates subject to change. Visit lcef.org for details.