Day of Praise

Sa, Jun 8, 20th Day of Pentecost, "Day of Praise" (Thank you to Kristen Ferrier who is serving "Day of Praise" while I have some vacation time with my children.)

"Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, 'This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.' For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, 'Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:9-10

Have you ever wept over your sin? I think if you asked my oldest son he would tell you that I did that very thing today. But he would also tell you that I wept over the great and mighty act that God has so graciously done for me – namely that effectual work of baptism – the forgiveness of my sins and eternal salvation.

In today's passage that work of baptism is the very thing that Nehemiah and Ezra remind the people of; they communicate the Gospel to their people by reassuring them of the joy of the Lord. Now, hopefully most of you recollect Pastor Chris's sermon on this very thing not too many weeks ago; it was a powerful one for sure and something that I can never hear too much. Think prodigal son – the Lord our God longs for nothing more than to be reunited with us through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is available to us and close to us, so that, though we may mourn and lament over our own sin, we can even moreso be comforted, encouraged, and reassured in the gift of eternal life. So the next time you encounter your own sin or the confession of someone else's sin, then remember, and remind yourself and them that One has come to free us from sin and guilt so that we can live now in the joy of the Lord which is our strength.

Praise God!




Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson