Profound

As I was checking my e-mail and the daily news this morning there was a background picture of a couple out on a sail boat. Over the years I have not been able to spend a lot of time sailing, but the times I have, it has been extremely enjoyable. It is slow. It is quiet. While at the same time one must think about where they're going, knowing that more than half the journey will be into the wind.

I guess it sounds like I'm headed toward some kind of moral lesson, and for theologians it may sound like an error toward semi-pelagianism, e.g., keep your head up, enjoy life and you will reach your destination. But that was not my intent or thoughts. I thought of Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see."

It is not our journey or our focus in life which brings us back home against the wind. Life pours out a mixed bag of joy and sorrow at best. Yet in opposition to all that, it is only Christ who conquers sin, death, and the devil, by pouring out His blood so that all may be certain of their salvation.

Now that I spent a whole paragraph failing to wax eloquent with my disconnected thoughts, listen to what Luther says in just a few words...

AELW3:75 (Genesis 17:1 - "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him: I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless.")

"But when quiet reigns and there is freedom from danger, God comes and explains the earlier promises concerning Abraham’s descendants in a new sermon and completely excludes Ishmael from the promised inheritance. Thus the promises are gradually unfolded and become clearer."(emphasis mine)

To which God trumps by the hand of the apostle St. Paul...

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. "(Phil. 4:7)