Christian Reflection and Prayer

Verse

Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become
like wool.
Isaiah 1:18

Voice

Every time God forgives us, God is saying that God's
own rules do not matter as much as the relationship
that God wants to create with us.
Richard Rohr

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, that you never abandon us to our
hopelessness. There is always room at your table for
those who feel forgotten, or who have been cast out.
Train us in such hospitality. Amen.
Common Prayer

... By grace you have been saved -- and raised us up with
Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show
the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward
us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved
through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift
of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we
should walk in them. Ephesians 2:5b-10

Thornton Fractional North High School is located in
Chicago.

As is true for most high schools, Thornton recently had
its commencement service. As you might expect,
Thornton's graduation was a time of excitement and joy.
There was a blend of emotions. For the students there
was an eagerness to get to the future, an eagerness that
was balanced out by a sadness at saying farewell to old
friends and pleasant memories.

This year Thornton's commencement had another dimension.
Most certainly the students were thrilled at moving on, but
they were also mourning for one of their classmates: football
quarterback, 18-year-old Aaron Dunigan. On the previous
Saturday, Dunigan, riding in a car as a front-seat passenger,
had been killed in a head-on collision.

Understandably, his absence was on everyone's mind.

Dunigan's football coach said, "If you are looking for a way to
honor Aaron, do it by going out and living life to the fullest,
taking advantage of your opportunities, and not sitting on the
sidelines, and watching life pass you by."

Other similar comments were made in this moving ceremony.
But the most emotional part of the graduation came during the
awarding of the diplomas. When Dunigan's name was called,
his mother, dressed in Aaron's cap and gown, ascended the
platform and received her son's graduation certificate.

I suppose some might object to her getting a certificate she
hadn't earned.

Some might, but I'm not one of them. You shouldn't be either.
We shouldn't object because we have also been beneficiaries
of the work of someone else. On Judgment Day, the day we
graduate from this world and enter the next, those who have
Jesus as their Savior, will be declared "innocent and free from
sin."

We will graduate with perfect grades not because of our own
abilities and hard work. On our own we had flunked out. On our
own, we were losers. But on that day we will graduate with
highest honors and move into heaven because of the life, death
and resurrection of our Savior.

We will receive something we hadn't earned.

And will there be any objectors to that? You bet. The devil is
going to howl and carry on, but he can't change what has happened.

Because of Jesus we are saved.

THE PRAYER:

Dear Lord, I give thanks that even though I have failed miserably at
keeping the Commandments, You still sent Your Son to save me.
May I always give thanks He accomplished all that I never could.
Further, may I share this good news with others who are still in
danger of flunking out. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.

Pastor Klaus
(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Scripture:

"But the things that come out of the mouth come from
the heart, and these make a man unclean"
(Matthew 15: 18).

Reflection:

Brushing one's teeth and gargling with mouthwash may
be as close as many people ever come to getting clean
on the inside. But brushing and gargling do not come
close to reaching the heart of the problem. Instead
Jesus prescribes is the "heart washing"--the cleansing
work of the Holy Spirit.(Titus 3:5).

And a clean heart is the only cleanliness that can truly
lead to godliness!

Prayer:

Oh Lord, may I always experience the cleansing work of
the Holy Spirit. May my heart be cleansed in your sight.
Amen