02
Apr
2026

A message for Holy Week

I came across a message in my files. For Holy Week, I’ll share this devotion that my father preached in the spring of 1998. It is fitting for a Good Friday observance, and for our contemplation at any time of year.

Christ’s words of forgiveness

by Donald C. Sellnow

Holy Week is the time of year we go up to Jerusalem with Jesus. For him, it was a journey to the cross. For us, it is a spiritual journey that reminds us how completely our Lord was willing to give himself for us. It is a demonstration of God‘s amazing grace.

We have made this journey to Jerusalem often over the years, as we have listened to the Passion history and found joy and strength in the gospel of our Lord. It is a journey we will want to make again and again so long as God gives us the opportunity to do so. 

When we go to Calvary, to stand in spirit beneath the cross of Christ, we  listen to our suffering Savior speak. He spoke seven times from the cross. His words tell us what his mission there was all about. His words give us guidance, comfort, and hope for our journey through this life to the life that never ends. The first words spoken by Jesus from the cross were words of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

It had been a long hard night for Jesus, from his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane to his trials before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate. Now it was Friday morning and time for the execution of the death sentence imposed upon him. The Romans had not invented crucifixion, but they had perfected it as the cruelest and most hideous punishment they could devise. It was never inflicted on Roman citizens, but was reserved for slaves, pirates, and political or religious rebels—whose deaths were to be a public warning to others. On that Friday morning, the Son of God incarnate was crucified at the place called “The Skull” (Golgotha in Aramaic, Calvaria in Latin). Roman soldiers nailed his hands and feet to wooden beams and then lifted him up to hang him there on that cross, between two criminals, until he was dead, while they gambled for his clothes.

How did Jesus respond to what was done to him? We might expect someone in his situation to scream in anger, to curse his executioners, to ask God to rain down punishment on them. Who in the world would blame Jesus if he wanted revenge? Who would say that he wasn’t justified if he asked God to damn his abusers to hell? After all, he was innocent. He had been framed, falsely accused. He had been beaten, bruised, crowned with thorns and crucified—though he didn’t deserve any of it. Why not lash out at those who had done all of this to him? Why not vent his rage at them?

But wonder of wonders, the first words that Jesus spoke from the cross were not words of anger and revenge, but of love and pardon. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And let’s be sure that we know who Jesus means by “them.” “Them,” of course, means the soldiers who hammered spikes through his flesh to affix him to the cross. But it also includes the men higher up, such as Pilate and Herod and Jewish leaders and judges who condemned him. Peter, the apostle, later told his countrymen that they had crucified Christ, as they had clamored for his execution. “This man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed” (Acts 2:23). “You rejected the holy and righteous one …. You killed the author of life” (Acts 1:15). Jesus’ prayer, “Father, forgive them,” includes all of them—all who in any way brought the Messiah to the cross. And the Savior’s prayer includes also you and me. For what, after all, was it that laid the Lamb of God upon the altar of the cross? What was it that moved him to endure sufferings and crucifixion? It was the enormity of sin that we in this world had fallen into. Each of us says, along with the hymnist: “Ah, I also, and my sin wrought your deep affliction. This indeed the cause has been of your crucifixion.”*

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Thus Jesus prayed for forgiveness for the soldiers who were carrying out orders, but didn’t know that they were crucifying the Lord of glory. Thus Jesus prayed for the people and their rulers who did not recognize him as the promised Messiah. Thus Jesus prayed for us, who also were by nature enemies of God and of Christ and his Spirit.

Not only do we see Jesus praying for our forgiveness, we also see him achieving our forgiveness, redeeming us by his sacrifice. We don’t have to wonder whether there are sins and offenses that remain on our record and separate us from God. Christ took upon himself every sin every one of us has committed. Hanging on the cross that day, he was enduring all judgment for the sins of all the world. He was taking our place. He was suffering for us, dying for us. “Upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

What a great exchange we see taking place there at the cross! Jesus took on all of our infirmities, all of our weaknesses, all of our sins … and we got all the good, all the blessings, all the grace that brought us forgiveness, life, and salvation. One writer put it well when he said, “Jesus suffered, that we might be comforted. He was rejected that we might be accepted. He was separated from the Father, that we might be forever with him. He wore the shame of our sin and suffered the death of the cross that we might be rid of sin and shame forever. His garments were taken from him that we might wear the robe of his righteousness.” 

Jesus died that we might live. And so we say, “Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, dearest Jesus, unto thee!”**

********

“Father, forgive them.” The Savior who spoke those words wants us to speak such words too. We find that hard to do. Our sinful nature rebels at the thought of forgiving others. We want to take revenge. It seems more natural to nurse a grudge, to keep score of someone else’s faults, to rub it in, to be spiteful, to find a way to get even. In the home, on the job, in our private and professional lives, in our immediate family and in the larger family of church and community, it isn’t easy for us to pray, “Father, forgive them.” We want the Father to forgive us our trespasses, but we struggle to forgive those who trespass against us.

Yet though forgiving isn’t easy, it is something we can do, through Christ. When we look at Christ on the cross, we see our sins and all of their consequences, and we know in faith that Jesus covered our sins with his holy, precious blood, and with his innocent suffering and death. In turn, the love of Christ compels us to be forgiving. From now on, therefore, let us regard no one from a human point of view, because God has reconciled himself to us in Christ. We have been reconciled to God, and through him find reconciliation with one another. (Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21.)

May we daily look to the Savior and his cross for the forgiveness that we need so very much. May we keep on hearing his word and partaking of his sacrament—through which our faith is strengthened, our love grows, and we are enabled to forgive one another, just as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us.

“Father, forgive them.” Thank God, for this word from the cross—a word that is a continuing comfort and a powerful motivation for us, the forgiven, to forgive. 

Prayer:

  • Heavenly Father, you have forgiven me all that I have done. Every sinful word, thought, and action is cleansed by the blood of Jesus. So often I pray, as Jesus taught me, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us”—but forgiving others is not easy. Work within my heart that I may willingly and joyfully forgive others. Forgive my spirit of revenge and help me overcome it. Draw my attention back to the cross of Jesus, that I may learn to forgive as he did. Amen.

  *From the hymn Jesu, deine Passion, by Sigismund von Birken (17th century), translated by August Crull.
**From the hymn Jesu, meines Lebens Lebe by Ernst Homburg (17th century), translated by Catherine Winkworth.

Scripture quotations, except where otherwise indicated, are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow, 0 comments
14
Mar
2026

12 years of The Electric Gospel

A dozen years of blogging

The Electric Gospel blog began with its first post on March 15, 2014 (on the Blogger platfrom at that time). It was a continuation of sorts, going back to email messages I’d written for church members and other subscribers during my days as a pastor. The blog project was a part of my mentoring students in their spiritual writing when I was teaching at a ministry college, using it to post some of their devotional pieces. You can read more of the “origin story” of The Electric Gospel (if you want) at the “About” section on this website.

In observance of the blog’s anniversary, I’ll share here links to a dozen items from the past dozen years. I scrolled back through things and selected one from each year to highlight here. If a particular title catches your eye, click whichever link you’d like and read on.

– David Sellnow

Posted by David Sellnow
02
Mar
2026

“Love your neighbor” means more than being nice

Niceness isn’t enough

by David Sellnow

In Minnesota, where I live, there has long been a reputation that people are “Minnesota nice.” There are mixed emotions about what that means. Positive connotations point to politeness, courteousness, and goodwill. But there are negative undertones: sticking to small talk and surface-level relationships while burying deeper concerns, keeping people in their place and leaving inequities unchallenged, exhibiting airs of judgmentalism and passive-aggressiveness. It can be more about the appearance of niceness—wanting others to think we are nice people—than it is about genuine commitments to kindness.

“Minnesota nice” was deeply challenged recently, as thousands of federal immigration enforcement agents descended on the Twin Cities and their suburbs, and then expanded to Saint Cloud, Rochester, Mankato, and other cities in Greater Minnesota. Many Minnesotans were motivated to move from being “nice” and avoiding conflict to standing up for their neighbors and their communities. Niceness isn’t enough when people’s lives are at stake. Mutual aid networks sprang up in neighborhood after neighborhood, to get groceries to people scared to leave their homes, to do laundry and run errands for them, to give rides to work and medical appointments, to raise money to help affected families pay their rent. 

Niceness isn’t enough in a world where the poor, the marginalized, the outsiders are pushed down and shoved out  When persons in power have overstepped their authority and have begun to abuse and demean and dehumanize the people underneath them, God‘s prophets have not kept quiet or stayed passive. Prophets like Micah spoke out forcefully to heads of state and rulers, saying, “Should you not know justice?—you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin off my people and the flesh off their bones” (Micah 3:1,2)? He excoriated them for abhorring justice and perverting all equity, for building their country with blood and wrongdoing (Micah 3:9,10), warning that by practicing cruelty and heartlessness they would cause the ruin of their nation. Zechariah set before the people the right path: “Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy, do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against others” (Zechariah 7:9,10). Isaiah added: “If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday” (Isaiah 58:10).

Scripture’s instruction to us is not, “Be nice and non-confrontational.” Rather, we are asked to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). That command concerns all neighbors—all the persons around us, not just those who look like us or share the same heritage. God told his people, “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself” (Leviticus 19:33,34).

God’s people too easily can forget that once we were not his people, but were welcomed by him. Once we had not received mercy, but were brought into his mercy (1 Peter 2:10). We ourselves were “aliens and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11), but have been brought into his kingdom by God’s limitless compassion. God demonstrated his love for us  “in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

God’s glory is seen most evident in Christ’s ultimate act of sacrifice on the cross. Jesus did not enter our world proclaiming religious nationalism or asserting a dominant group’s position and beliefs over all others. The way of Christ is much different than the way of those who would push out or push down minority groups and individuals whom they view as substandard. The way of Christ is one of giving ourselves to others. In Christ, we seek to lift all up equally as fellow human beings, all of us together having value as objects of God’s grace.

Let this Lent be a time not just for giving up some bad habit to make ourselves feel nicer or more virtuous. Niceness isn’t enough. Let us embark on a pattern of committed love in action, guided by the love we have known in Christ. Let us love not merely “in word or speech but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18).

A recent blog post here that you may have missed:  What’s in a name?

For a previous Lenten message here on The Electric Gospel, see:

* “A Point of View: I Am Uncomfortable with ‘Minnesota Nice,’” The Inclusion Solution (5/8/2017).
** “The Eeriness of Minnesota Nice,” CrimeReads (10/12/2021).
*** “In Minneapolis, Community Care is the Model for Resistance,” Prism (2/16/2026).

“Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow
04
Jan
2026

What’s in a name?

The Holy Name of Jesus, and Thoughts for the New Year

by David Sellnow

“What’s in a name?” That was a question Shakespeare famously asked. It’s a question I’d like us to consider today. 

I remember a particular name from years ago, when I was a ministry intern at a large city church. A young mother asked us for baptism for her baby. I can’t recall her last name anymore, but I’ll always remember her son’s first name and middle names. The boy was to be called 

Derambo Jabarray Earl. I asked her about the name, and she showed me a sheet of paper on which she’d written multiple variations stemming from the name Rambo—which came from a Sylvester Stallone movie they liked. They’d settled on Derambo, liking how that sounded. Jabarray was chosen as a middle name, because it sounded good with Derambo. And they added the father’s name, Earl, to make the child’s name complete. Derambo Jabarray Earl. I quite like that name!

In our culture, often we choose names we like the sound of or names that have some sentimental or family attachment for us. In biblical times, names were given with a meaning, sometimes reflecting circumstances about their birth. When Rebekah had twin sons, the first to come out was ruddy and had lots of hair, so she named him “hairy” (Esau, in their Semitic language). The second boy came out holding onto the firstborn’s heel, so she named him Jacob (meaning heel-grabber). Later in life, he was given a new name, Israel, which means “wrestles with God.” After insisting God give him a blessing, Jacob was told, “Your name shall be Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 

Sometimes names expressed hopes or aspirations for the child. Jacob’s grandfather had been named Abram when he was born—an Akkadian-Babylonian name (from the region where the family was living), meaning “beloved father.”  Maybe Abram was called “father” from birth because he was the oldest child, with the hope that he would carry on the family line. That name later seemed a cruel joke when Abram and his wife Sarai remained childless into their old age. But the LORD made a promise that came with a new name, telling Abram he would be a father. Indeed, “I will make you the father of a multitude of nations,” God said. He would be Abraham—”exalted father,” the patriarch of Jewish and Arab peoples and father in faith to all who trust in the Messiah descended from Abraham.*

When that Messiah—the promised one—came, what would his name be? Isaiah had prophesied a child to come who would be “Immanuel”—God with us. Jeremiah had prophesied he would be called “The LORD our righteousness.”. When Mary was found miraculously to be with child, an angel told her betrothed, Joseph, what the child’s personal name should be. And so, eight days after the child was born and it was time for his naming ceremony, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel. In English we say Jesus, from the Greek and Latin forms of the name. In Aramaic (the language spoken by the Jews in Jesus’ time), they would have said “Yeshúa”—a shortening of the Hebrew name Yehoshúa (or “Joshua,” as we would say it.) It means, “The LORD saves”—exactly what God was doing for us through the incarnation of Christ in our world.

We’ve come to know Jesus by many names that describe who he is and what he has done for us. The title “Christ” or “Messiah” designates him as the Anointed One—set apart to be our priest, our prophet, our king. He is also called “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He is the Light of the World; following him we do not walk in darkness. He is the Bread of Life; whoever comes to him will never be hungry.

Do you notice something in Jesus’ name and the descriptions that are spoken of him? We are included in the meaning of his names. Jesus means “the Lord saves”—he saves us. Immanuel—God is with us. He is the Bread of Life for us, to feed our spirits; the Light of the World for us, to light our way. The name of Jesus—the identity of our God—is placed upon us and identifies who we are. Think of what we do each time we gather, sending you out into the world with the blessing of God’s name placed upon you. Just as God told his people long ago, he enfolds you in his name, saying:

The LORD bless you and keep you;
 the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. 

That is how God puts his name on us as his people and promises he will bless us.

In Jesus’ time and Jewish culture, it was customary to give a baby boy his name on the day of his circumcision, which was a religious rite with sacramental significance. In Christian history, baptism has that same kind of sacramental meaning. In early eras of the church, when adult converts came to believe in Jesus, often they were given a new name, their baptismal name, at that time. And children, given their names at the time of their birth, have their names sanctified and included in God’s family in their baptism. Scripture promises us that God sent his Son, Jesus, in order to redeem us and make us his own. We are adopted as God’s children. As his children, we also are his heirs. Through Christ, we have all spiritual blessings and an eternal inheritance.

Whether our names are Jim or Judy or Casey or Quinn, every child of God from the creation of the world to the very last day has their names written in the Book of Life belonging to Jesus Christ. We are new people with Jesus’ name attached to our names, new creations in Christ. 

Your name is part of your identity, who you are. Your personality, your thoughts, your passions, the things that are important to you—those are all part of your identity too. Your faith shapes your identity in significant ways. You are a person of God in Christ. Your plans, your priorities, your purpose will move in directions that God’s Spirit moves you. We may not always know where exactly life is taking us, but we have God’s words directing our way, asking us to acknowledge him in what we do. God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, and he helps us in our weaknesses. We may not even know how to pray as we ought, but Christ’s Spirit intercedes and helps us in ways words cannot express. 

The beginning of a new year often is a time we think of reasserting our identities, establishing new goals and purposes for ourselves. We make New Year’s resolutions to make new persons of ourselves—to quit a bad habit or start a good habit, to eat healthier, to be more physically active, to manage our time better or manage our finances better, etc. Of course, quite often we fail. Recent research has shown that just 9% of Americans actually keep their resolutions throughout the year. 

Probably we miss living up to our resolutions because we try to make the changes on our own, by ourselves, of our own willpower. And we’re not very forgiving with ourselves. If we resolve to cut down on sweets, and by January 18th we just can’t resist that Sunday morning donut, then we say, “Forget it!” and stop working at the resolution anymore. We give up on ourselves.

What if we saw any good, new intentions we set for ourselves not so much as New Year’s resolutions but as spiritual goals? What if we saw them as prayers, as hopes connected to our identity in Christ? We may not be very forgiving or patient with ourselves, but our gracious God is endlessly forgiving and patient with us. Long ago, when the LORD was giving his law—his word and commandments—to the people of Israel, in doing so he proclaimed his name to Moses. He declared himself as “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” That is the name, the identity, the truth of the Lord God whom we know and trust. As people claimed by him and baptized into his name, we also can be full of patience and generosity to ourselves and to others. Our lives are enriched with all sorts of meaning and value as lives of faith in Jesus’ name.

We don’t have to wonder about our worth or question our lives’ purpose. Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, whoever we’re with, we are God’s children. We bear his name and carry his name with us in our world. New Year’s resolutions often are like trying to assert a new name, a new you, a new way of being. If we stop and think, though, we already have that newness as persons, because we have been baptized into the name of Jesus, our Savior. We are his. We are loved. We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us. So, in the new year, in Jesus’ name, let us resolve as Scripture urges us—that whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, excellent and worthy of praise, we think about those things and rejoice in the Lord always. And each day, each week, each month, if we have times when we slip up and fail or make mistakes, we know that we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world.

Blessings to you in Jesus’ name, as people wrapped up in all the strength and hopes that his name brings. We all share a family name together as Christians, so we will encourage one another and build each other up as God’s people, considering how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. May your new year be filled with grace and goodness, knowing that Christ’s Spirit goes with you each step of your way. The LORD will put his name on you, and he will bless you. 

Main scriptures for the Feast of the Name of Jesus: Numbers 6: 22-27, Galatians 4: 4-7, Luke 2:15-21

Additional Bible verses mentioned in this devotion (in order as the references occur): 

Genesis 32:8, Genesis 17:5, Isaiah 7:14, Jeremiah 23:6, John 1:2, John 8:12, John 6:35, Ephesians 1:3-6, Revelation 12:8, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Isaiah 30:21, Proverbs 3:6, Romans 8:26, Exodus 34:6, Philippians 4:1,8,13,  1 John 2:1,2,  1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 10:24

*For research on Abraham’s name, see this article: What Does the Name ‘Abraham’ Really Mean? | ArmstrongInstitute.org 

Posted by David Sellnow
25
Dec
2025

The Christmas gospel

The Reason for the Season is Christ

When a man named Mark sat down to write about Jesus’ life on earth, these were his first words: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1 NIV). Mark’s gospel biography of Jesus doesn’t include a lengthy account of his birth. (The Gospel writer Luke gives us that.) Mark’s gospel biography doesn’t inform us of the worshipful visit young Jesus received during his infancy by wise men from the East. (The Gospel writer Matthew tells about that.) Mark’s history of Jesus doesn’t sketch out Jesus’ genealogy (his family tree of human ancestors). Matthew and Luke each give such details. Mark simply begins with a statement of the main theme he wants his book to convey: This is the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Those few words say a lot. The whole message is about a person—a very special person who is, in fact, more than just a human person. He is the Son of God. His name is Jesus—a name that means Savior, the one who rescues us. He is called the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek). That title of “the Anointed One” refers to the central figure in human history, the one who is both God and man, the one who bridges the gap between God and human beings, the one whom the heavenly Father appointed before time began to be the Redeemer of the human race (cf. Ephesians 1:3-14).  

In the fullness of time, in the birth of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of God’s promises had begun. It is the gospel—the glorious good news that all our troubles and woes have been met with an answer by a loving God. The LORD never stopped loving us, his people, even through times we’ve wandered from him and haven’t followed his ways. That is good news, that sinners such as ourselves, frail and fallible humans that we are, have hope. Salvation has come in the person of Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, the Son of God.

As you observe Christmas and carry on celebrations of this season, remember what it’s all about. It’s not just about decorating our homes and neighborhoods with lights and wreaths. It’s not just about festive meals and eggnog and holiday traditions. The reason for the season is Jesus—Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. As angels sang on the night of Jesus’ birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV). We, like the shepherds who first heard the angels’ song, are simple, ordinary folk. But we have received news of an extraordinary, wonderful truth. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and we have hope forever through him.

Merry Christmas!

Posted by David Sellnow
01
Dec
2025

Resending a link to last Sunday’s post

Advent greetings to you, Electric Gospel readers. There may have been a glitch with the email notification about last week’s post for Christ the King Sunday. So, I’m sending out this additional message with a link to last week’s message:

Christ is our King. We are at peace, and we spread his peace.

If interested, you could also review this related post from a few years back:  The King who Inscribes his Character on Us

Remember also that you can access previous posts at any time by going to the Posts link at The Electric Gospel main page.

Posted by David Sellnow
23
Nov
2025

A message for Christ the King Sunday

Christ is our King. We are at peace, and we spread his peace.

by David Sellnow

Readings …  Jeremiah 23:1-6, Colossians 1:11-20, Luke 23:33-43


I am not royalty. I’m not a VIP. I’m just an average guy, and I have more demerits than accolades on the report card of my life. Who am I to stand in the presence of Christ the King as someone speaking for him? 

Yet that’s just the thing, isn’t it? Christ “is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). But he does not hold himself out of reach, out of touch above us. He descended down to us. He walked among us as one of us. He called himself “the Son of Man”—a human person, like you and me. He said (and demonstrated by his life): “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Ultimately, he laid down his life for us, his death atoning for our sins; his resurrection vindicating us (Romans 4:25). Jesus does not push us down, as people beneath him. He lifts us up, to be his people and serve alongside him. That’s the kind of leadership Jesus provides us. 

What kind of leadership do we frequently see in this world? We see bossiness, bullying, and belittling. We see intimidation, aggressiveness, and oppression. We see pettiness, pickiness, and bean counting. 

By “bean counting,” I mean paying more attention to reports and spreadsheets of every little detail rather than asking, “Are we meeting the needs of the people we serve?” A former deputy in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy described the problem as holding civil servants accountable for strict compliance with complex rules and requirements rather than evaluating the success of public services provided. There’s no holistic view of whether agencies are effective and helpful. It’s all about making sure workers jump through the prescribed procedural hoops (The Atlantic, 6/12/2023).

It can happen in more dramatic fashion too. In recent history, we’ve seen a government department head publicly post a memo that said: “All employees will receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week [listing five accomplishments]. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” That strategy lasted only a short while and did NOT inspire the workforce (Just Security, 2/22/25).

We live in a world where bad leadership happens repeatedly. Our culture is saturated with the knowledge of that reality. Books and movies and TV series abound that tell of toxic work environments and maniacal corporate figures (Succession, Mad Men, Horrible Bosses, WeCrashed). Horrible handling of political leadership has been portrayed in shows such as House of Cards, The Regime, Scandal. Art is imitating life. In real life, examples of ruthless leaders span across the globe, from the likes of Hitler and Mussolini and Stalin to others like Muammar Gaddafi, Idi Amin, Pol Pot. Those are only some of the names from the past 100 years, with many more from the centuries that came before. Think of great epic sagas in literature or film, like The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. Even in visions of mythical lands long ago or galaxies far, far away, we can’t imagine life apart from a struggle against tyrants and warlords and evil empires.

The Scriptures tell us what the pattern of leadership and governance is like in this world.  Nations are constantly in an uproar and kingdoms totter (Psalm 46:1). Those who are supposed to be shepherds often “destroy and scatter the sheep” (Jeremiah 23:1). They are supposed to lead the people but instead “have driven them away and have not attended to them” (Jeremiah 23:2).

Recall what God said about rulers in this world when the people of Israel said they wanted a king to govern them, like other nations (1 Samuel 8:5). The LORD told the prophet Samuel to grant their request, but also to “solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king[s] who shall reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:9). Kings would be less concerned about them, the people, than they’d be about building up their own armies and power, their own palaces and ballrooms and court attendants, their own wealth and prestige.

When we speak of Christ as our King, we are not thinking according to the pattern of kings and bosses and rulers in this world. 

Christ, our King, does not speak from the skies or come to us in our dreams to demand of us, “What five worthy things did you accomplish this week?” Rather, he speaks to us invitingly, saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens … for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Christ, our King, is not eager to eradicate his enemies, eliminate anyone who isn’t obedient to him, or condemn those who’ve gotten into trouble. When Jesus’ enemies commanded soldiers to nail him to a cross, he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). To a criminal crucified alongside him, who asked, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43).

A true king, a devoted king, is not one who stands above the people and looks down on the people. A true king, a devoted king, is one who lives for the sake of the people, who suffers with and for the people. Jesus dying on the cross is what a true, devoted king looks like.

Jesus’ kingdom is a different kind of kingdom. He doesn’t lead by pomp and circumstance, even though he is Lord of the universe. He welcomes everyone into his kingdom—welcoming criminals and sinners—by granting forgiveness of sins. He doesn’t seek power and domination, because everything is already under his dominion. His kingdom is about making wars cease, about breaking the weapons of war (cf. Psalm 46:9). Jesus gives us peace of mind and heart that the world cannot give (John 14:27). He assures us, “Be still, and know that I am God.” He is with us as our refuge and strength, our help in trouble (Psalm 46:1,10,11). Jesus makes us “strong with the strength that comes from his glorious power,” so we may have all endurance and patience.” In Christ’s kingdom, we are rescued from the power of darkness and have redemption (Colossians 1:11-14).

Think of what Jeremiah prophesied. God would raise up a Righteous Branch from the family tree of David, who would reign as the true King. The name by which the Messiah would be called is “The LORD—our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:5,6). That name proclaims how Christ saves us and makes us secure. He gives us righteousness. He absolves us. When Jeremiah says that through him we will be saved, he used the same word that formed the basis for Jesus’ name. The angel announcing Christ’s birth said, “You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The salvation Jesus brings is not merely some political promise. Jesus saves us eternally. The safety and security that Jesus provides can never be shaken. As the psalmist said, some trust in horses and war chariots, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm (Psalm 20:7-8).

So, if our hearts are raised up in faith in Christ and we stand firm in hope in him, how then do we live? Will we be narcissistic, self-serving, rude, and dismissive? Certainly not. Yes, we are fallible and flawed. Yet Christ lifts us up and makes us his chosen people, a holy nation, people belonging to him (1 Peter 2:9). Jesus has “freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom” (Revelation 1:6), saying that we now are “kings and priests” in his name and that “we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10 NKJV). The Lord makes us his representatives, his spokespersons. He emboldens us to be agents of his mercy and peace, to go against the grain of all the bullying and browbeating and abusiveness that occurs in this world. We “are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). We entreat others on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God and to one another.

Whether we think so or not, we all are leaders in the lives that we lead. Parents are constantly molding and shaping their children. Brothers and sisters are examples and influences for one another. We show our neighbors and friends the kind of life we believe is worth living. We model integrity and commitment in how we serve in our workplaces. Everywhere we go, we are showing to others the life that Christ has awakened in us. 

Martin Luther said we are like “little Christs” to others in the way that we live toward them. In his booklet, On the Freedom of a Christian (1520), Luther wrote:

  • A Christian will think: “Though I am unworthy, my God has given me in Christ all the riches of righteousness without any merit on my part, out of pure, free mercy. Therefore, I will give myself as a Christ to my neighbor, just as Christ offered himself to me.”
  • We do not serve so that others feel obligated to us. We do not distinguish between friends and enemies or anticipate their thankfulness or unthankfulness. We simply extend ourselves and what we have for others, without worrying about whether we gain any reward. 
  • When we recognize the great and precious things given to us by our heavenly Father, our hearts are filled by the Holy Spirit with the love that makes us joyful servants of our neighbors—each of us becoming, as it were, a Christ to the other, and Christ may be the same in all, and we may be truly Christians.  

Christ is the King who served us with his life. Christ calls us to serve alongside him in his kingdom, sharing his peace in this conflicted, difficult world. While the kings of this world lord it over people, we are not to be like that. Rather, Jesus said, the greatest among you must become like the lowest and the leader like one who serves (Luke 22, 25,26). Jesus led like that, getting down on the floor and washing his disciples’ feet (John 13). He came to our earth as one who serves, and he calls us today to serve others in his name. May we see ourselves daily as ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom of grace and hope, bringing the message of Jesus’ love and peace everywhere we go, to everyone we meet, in all that we do. 

Scripture quotations, except where otherwise indicated, are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow
27
Oct
2025

All of God’s people are saints through faith

This week, people’s attention is focused on Halloween. Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, was the evening before the Christian celebration of All Saints’ Day, or “All Hallows” in Old English. All Hallows’ Eve was sometimes called “Mischief Night,” when folks would “get together, have some fun, tell stories and have opportunities for bad behavior, a sort of licensed misrule.” However, English Heritage notes that All Hallows’ Eve also was a socially acceptable time “for poorer members of the community to visit their richer neighbors asking for charity.”[1]

Here on The Electric Gospel, I’d like to focus our thoughts this week on the festival of All Saints—and the understanding of who we are as saints. We are called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified together with the whole Christian Church on earth, united by faith in Jesus Christ.

We believe in the communion of saints

by David Sellnow

The Bible tells us that the “prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective” (James 5:16). With that being true, do you suppose a prayer said by Jesus, God’s own Son, is an effective prayer, obtaining the blessing which he asked for? Most certainly the Father answers Jesus’ prayers!

So what about this prayer, which Jesus offered while gathered with his disciples on the night before he died?  Jesus prayed for the future church, the church of believers which would come into being by means of the apostles’ writing and preaching. Jesus said:

  • “I pray … that they all may be one, even as you, Father, you are in me and I in you, that they may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one, I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one, that the world may know that you sent me and loved them, even as you loved me”  (John 17:20-23).

Jesus prayed for all the church to be one, for all believers to be brought to complete unity.  Has this prayer of Jesus been answered?  Has this prayer of Jesus been powerful and effective? …  Does it seem sometimes that this prayer of Jesus has been ignored or denied?

One encyclopedic source lists approximately 300 branches of denominations within Christianity and adds, “This is not a complete list.”[2] The Center for the Study of Global Christianity breaks down the data more narrowly, to each individual group within those various branches and estimates as many as 47,000 specific denominations across the globe today.[3] Over the course of its history, Christianity has undergone various divisions and subdividions.  If Jesus’ prayer for unity has been heard and answered—if a prayer for Christian unity by the very Son of God was powerful and effective—how is it possible that Christianity can be divided into thousands of subgroups and splinter groups?  Is there indeed unity?  Are we any way one, as Jesus and the Father are one, as Jesus prayed?

If we are thinking that all Christians on earth must come together outwardly in one visible organization, one ecumenical church body, we miss the point of Jesus’ prayer. The unity for which Jesus prayed goes beyond anything our eyes can see. He wants us to be one in faith, which is deep within us. He wants us to be one in him and one with the Father and Spirit, which is a matter of the heart. Certainly it is a blessing too when visible gatherings of believers can be one together in their confession of faith, but the truest form of fellowship happens at a level even deeper than our outward expressions. The Lord knows those who are his, and assures us that there is indeed a body of believers that share one hope, one calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one  God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Here is a miracle: In spite of the fact that in this world we struggle to walk together and are torn and tempted and often divided, yet we have the Lord’s promise. All who, by his Spirit, are brought to believe in his name are united in that one name, and it is a perfect unity. It is a unity that goes beyond what is outer and surface and seen to what is inner and of the soul, unseen.  It is a unity whereby God can look upon a Lutheran and a Baptist and a Catholic and Russian Orthodox believer and—within all those whose hearts trust in Christ—God can and does create a unity that transcends anything we ever realize fully on this earth.  As much as we can realize it on earth, it is a witness to the rest of the world of the power of God’s message. Yet even when we find ourselves divided from one another by a number of different barriers between believers, we are confident that God is working his miracle of unity in our hearts. In the Apostles’ Creed, we confess that we believe in the holy, catholic (universal) church—the communion of saints. It is a miracle to believe it because we can’t so readily see it in the here and now. Yet we know it exists, for our Lord has promised it. And upon the last day, what has remained elusive to our eyes here will become vivid and glorious in the light of heaven. As Jesus put it in his prayer, “Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).  As believers, we will one day see Jesus in glory with ALL fellow believers, from whatever denomination they may come, as we join together in the heavenly circle of praise.  That choir will be as the apostle John later saw it in a vision:

  • “I looked, and behold: a great multitude which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. They cried with a loud voice:  ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10).

By God’s grace, and only by God’s grace—not by our doing or our denominational affiliation or by any other human design or detail, but solely by God’s grace—we will be among that great throng of saints arrayed in gleaming robes and singing that never-ending refrain. Salvation belongs to God. Salvation comes from Christ. The prayer of Jesus, which we know is being answered already now, even though we have such a hard time seeing it, will become a prayer finalized in joyous fulfillment when all his people stand hand in hand, recognizing one another and praising their same Savior, one with each other and one with the Lord.  We press on earnestly today in faith, and await that fulfillment of faith together with all the saints.

Prayer:

  • Lord Jesus, gather the hearts of all your people on earth in unity with you and the Father, already today, even when we don’t see it well. Help us to be more united and unified as your people on earth, not at the expense of your truth but rather through your truth. Sanctify us by your truth; your word is truth. Keep all your believers—those whom you know are yours, those whose hearts are joined to you by faith—keep us all by your Spirit until the day we see one another in glory in your presence. Jesus, as your own bride, we your people long to be brought to our heavenly home, where we will stand in joy beside you. Amen.

From The Large Catechism of Martin Luther (1529):

  • There is upon earth a congregation of pure saints, under one head, Christ, called together by the Holy Spirit in one faith, one mind, and understanding, with manifold gifts, yet agreeing in love, without sects or schisms.I am also a part and member of the same, a sharer and joint owner of all the goods it possesses, brought to it and incorporated into it by the Holy Spirit by having heard and continuing to hear the Word of God. Until the last day, the Holy Spirit abides with the holy congregation (or Christendom), by means of which he fetches us to Christ and which he employs to teach and preach to us the Word, whereby he works and promotes sanctification, causing this this community daily to grow and become strong in the faith and its fruits.[4]

 

Bible quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain).

[1] https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/halloween-saints-souls/

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations

[3] https://omsc.ptsem.edu/the-annual-statistical-table/

[4] https://bookofconcord.org/large-catechism/apostles-creed/

Posted by David Sellnow
22
Sep
2025

Summer evangelism series (conclusion)

Seeing that today is the autumnal equinox (when astronomers start calling it fall), I suppose I’m late on wrapping up the evangeism series I started this summer. But, since school is in session, a lesson on outreach is a good thing to post now too.

Jesus’ own method for evangelism

by David Sellnow

Jesus himself provided a model for how to share spiritual thoughts and gospel hope with others. It was when he met a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in Sychar.  [See the Bible record of this in John 4:3-26.]

There are several things to notice about what Jesus did in witnessing to that woman.

He did not let barriers get in his way (John 4:4-8).

The people of Judea and Galilee despised the people in the territory of Samaria that lay between them. They would travel miles out of their way to go the long way around and not travel through Samaria. Jesus didn’t do that. He went straight through Samaria, traveling in a direct line, willing to meet anyone where they might be in life.

We can do the same—we can step outside our usual comfort zones, break the ice with neighbors and acquaintances, even be a little intrusive (but in a nice way)—like Jesus asking the woman if she would draw a drink from the well also for him. (That was huge, because of the cultural tensions between Jews and Samaritans, and even common rules for interactions between men and women in those days.)

Don’t be afraid to speak of spiritual things (John 4:9-14).

Jesus and that woman spent some time talking about the cultural taboos he was breaking. She asked him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” Jesus answered in a way that moved toward water as a picture of something bigger, eventually saying he could offer living water that leads to eternal life. Honestly, it may have been a segue that confused her, but it piqued her interest.

Our own conversations with others may end up somewhat awkward sometimes too, and that’s okay. If it’s clear our intentions are heartfelt and meaningful, we’ll build better bridges with people than if we have some tightly scripted formula we follow and try to make them listen to our speeches. It’s better to have conversations, to listen and respond.

Be bold enough to speak of sin and struggles (John 4:15-18).

Jesus took the conversation in a direction that got at the reason why this woman had come to the well at a time when no one else was there. She was an outcast in town because her marital/relationship situation was, shall we say, complicated. Jesus had more than powers of perception, of course. As God come down from heaven, he knew the woman’s life situation before she had said anything about it.

We don’t have divine powers to know in advance what people are dealing with or struggling through. But we can be perceptive. We can ask people how they’re doing. We can be open and non-judgmental. We can be  good listeners. We can take time for people to trust us, so that we can talk together about difficult things.

Don’t major on minor issues  (John 4:19-24).

As soon as the woman realized Jesus had some sort of ability to see things, that he was some sort of prophet, she started debating religious differences. She said, “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain [in Samaria], but you [Jews] say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus didn’t dwell on that peripheral topic. He emphasized that worship goes beyond places and spaces, saying the time had come when “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,” for “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

We needn’t feel ready to delve into any and every topic of religious practices with people. We want to focus on the more basic message—knowing Jesus, and worshiping God in spirit and truth.

Ultimately, point to Jesus (John 4:25-26).

The woman was spiritually-minded enough to say then to Jesus, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.”  Jesus responded point blank by telling her, “I am he—the one who is speaking to you.” He is the one who teaches us the things we need, the one who provides answers to our  hearts’ yearnings.

Our message with others is just as straightforward. Point to Jesus. He is the Messiah. He is the one who teaches us all we need to have life in our souls, the one who gave himself up to save our bodies and souls.

Prayer: 

  • Jesus, you are our life and strength and hope. Embolden us by your Spirit. Give us the courage and compassion to speak in your name and share your good news with others—naturally, freely, as part of our daily lives. Amen.

See previous posts in this series:

Posted by David Sellnow
01
Sep
2025

Which goals and influences do we follow?

In lectionary readings this past month, some common themes have recurred.
This message incorporates scriptures from various readings heard in services in the month of August.
***************

Chasing prosperity vs. walking in the way of the cross

David Sellnow


Jesus said, “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Scripture says repeatedly, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (*1)  But we don’t like to be humble. We want to be great. We want the best seats in the house. We want life to be smooth sailing and full of good fortune. And we’re inclined to listen to voices in this world that tell us things will be easy, comfortable, financially secure, problem-free.

In the days of the prophet Jeremiah, there were preachers telling people what they wanted to hear, promising good times and earthly glory were ahead. The Babylonian empire had besieged and attacked Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, carrying off many of the sacred temple vessels. The Babylonians deposed Judah’s king and placed their own governor in the land (cf. 2 Kings 25). Preachers like Hananiah offered comforting lies, predicting that within two years God was going to “break the yoke of the king of Babylon” and bring everyone and everything back home (Jeremiah 28:1-4). Don’t worry, Hananiah said, God was going to make Judah great again. 

Jeremiah cautioned that such promises were like straw, of no nourishment to people’s souls (Jeremiah 23:28) Jeremiah delivered the Lord’s truthful word that things were going to get more difficult—Judah’s people would experience an exile that would last 70 years. God was disciplining their hearts, encouraging spiritual seriousness and committed faith. 

People didn’t like that message. They felt entitled to be prosperous and were convinced they should not have to undergo suffering. They preferred other voices (like Hananiah’s ) that offered false hopes of security. Jeremiah was persecuted and ridiculed for his message, while the false prophets gained popularity and influence. 

People were that way in Jesus’ day too. They resisted hard truths. Jesus told them, “When you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat” (listening to weather warnings—but they ignored spiritual warnings. They kept expecting peace and prosperity, while Jesus brought a message of repentance and forgiveness. So, many people would not accept his message and became divided against those who did. (See Luke 12:49-56.)

It is a natural human tendency to want greatness and success in this world. Bible messages telling us to be humble and bear our burdens in life are not what our itching ears want to hear. (*2)

Back before the days of streaming services on our TVs, I used to flip channels to various religious stations included on basic cable, curious what the so-called prophets and televangelists were saying. I remember one captivating preacher who sat at a synthesizer keyboard, with a recurring slogan he would chant (and get his audience chanting with him): “I see you somewhere in the future, and you look much better than you look right now.” He wasn’t speaking about our eternal future. His prophecies focused on our lives in this world now. I thought to myself,“In the here and now, can you really promise everyone they will have a future better off than they are now?” Our futures on this earth are likely to have all sorts of problems (just like our past and present). An inevitable part of our futures is that we will end our days in death. As a matter of fact, that prophet whom I had watched—he died when he was just 60 years old, due to complications from pneumonia and a brain bleed, following a battle with an autoimmune disease.

That preacher had made all sorts of predictions about happenings he foresaw in this world in our lifetimes. Many of his “prophecies” pertained to prosperity and success in America. His messages frequently referred to various kinds of political events and were often quite vague. Some things happened—maybe, partially (depending on how you interpreted his rambling statements). Other predictions were clearly wrong. He responded to his critics by saying, “Some of my prophet compatriots have taken it upon themselves to tear this apart and say, ‘Well, he wasn’t that correct. He said many things that didn’t come to pass.’ So did you. I made mistakes, and so did you.” (*3) 

To me, that seemed an admission that he (and the other ‘prophecy compatriots’ he mentioned) were not given their visions by God, but were making their own claims. As God revealed through one of his genuine prophets, many prophesy lies in God’s name, saying, “I have dreamed! I have dreamed!” when really their ideas stem from their own unreliable hearts (Jeremiah 23:25,26). 

Even if someone predicts something about the future accurately, that doesn’t mean they are a prophet of God. As the first books of the Bible instructed us: If prophets or dreamers predict things that do take place, but then say, “‘Let us follow other gods’ (whom you have not known) ‘and let us serve them,’ you must not heed the words of those prophets” (Deuteronomy 13:1-3). They are steering your hearts away from God’s truth.

It is not a faithful speaking of God’s truth to say that God’s goal for your life is success in this world, making sure you always have a great seat at the table and honors and privileges. It is not a faithful speaking of God’s word to have you put your hope in any earthly, political entity—like the United States of America—as if God’s intention is the greatness of some earthly nation or kingdom. Those sorts of promises are an invitation to follow another god, another goal, other than what the LORD our Redeemer has called us to follow. A lot of the messages you hear on televised “evangelism” broadcasts are not so much Christ’s gospel, which urges us to take up our cross and follow him. Rather, they are voices of a different gospel, a prosperity gospel.

Kate Bowler, a scholar of American Christianity (*4), has described prosperity gospel as a religious movement which “expects that believers have faith as a kind of spiritual power” for speaking into existence the things they want in their lives. Prosperity gospel preaches that if you’re sick, you should say, “I’ve been healed,” and expect healing. If you’re struggling financially, you should give a “seed faith” gift to the prosperity preacher’s ministry and trust God will reward you financially. (*5) Prosperity gospel makes the measure of your faith equivalent to the state of your physical health and the balance in your bank account. It can make people who have cancer or other diseases question whether they’ve had enough faith. Kate Bowler said, “If you’re one of the many people who take medicine and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, it makes you into a failure as a believer, someone who has lost the test of faith.”

Faith actually, she said, abounds in people who know “what it feels like to come undone.” The eyes of Christ-centered faith stay focused on the cross, which shows us “a suffering Jesus, to remind us that we’re in our bodies, that Jesus was in his body … that our suffering is not an affront to God and that the world isn’t as it should be.” The gospel’s central story—of Good Friday and Easter—reminds us continually that “the world has come apart and only God can put it together.” The gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection points our hope to a new kingdom—”a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1). If we focus our attention on health and wellness and prosperity in this life, we don’t see that we need a new kingdom. But we definitely do. (*6)

The gospel of Christ’s kingdom is not about making you healthy and wealthy and wise with your investments or popular on social media. God’s mission is not about your earthly glory. Nor, for that matter, is it God’s mission to make America great in this world. (Or any other country or kingdom or political party.) It is God’s mission to enshrine Christ as king in our hearts and have us understand that his kingdom is not of this world. We may experience prosperity at times in this life, yes, and in this country, yes. But life with God is not about prosperity in this life now, in this country now. 

What is God’s purpose for us in this life? What did he say? Jesus said, “Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). It is not about “serving your own interests or pursuing your own affairs” (Isaiah 58:13). It is about being rich toward God (Luke 12:21). It is about using whatever earthly resources we have to give justice to the weak and the orphan, the lowly and the destitute (Psalm 82:3,4). Those who are rich toward God are people who deal generously and lend, who distribute freely and give to the poor. They show hospitality to strangers, they remember those who are in prison. They invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind to eat and drink with them. They do not neglect to do good. They share what they have and are content with what they have, trusting that God will never leave them or forsake them. People who are at rest and content in Christ are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord. (*7)

Throughout the history of faith, God’s people have not routinely enjoyed prosperity and lives of ease in this world. Scripture tells how God’s faithful people have suffered torture and mocking and flogging and chains and imprisonment. There were those who were stoned to death, those who were killed by the sword. Many lived their lives destitute. The Lord commended them for their faith, but in their earthly lifetimes they did not receive the inheritance that was promised. The world was not worthy of them, Scripture said. But what God had in store for them was something better, something everlasting, something moths and rust can never destroy, something thieves can never break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-21).

May we follow the example of those heroes of faith, considering the outcome of their way of life and, like them, running “with perseverance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1; 13:7). We can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6). We don’t need to fret about success in this world, about prosperity in this life, not even about whatever disabilities or diseases may befall us. Why? Because we know that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). We know that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). With Jesus, we have an eternal home promised to us. Like our ancestors who persevered in the faith, we confess that we are “strangers and foreigners on the earth” who are desiring “a better homeland—a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:13-16). 

Our dear Lord has prepared an eternal inheritance for us. We lift our hearts and our hopes up above this world. While in this world, we help one another and our neighbors, and any and all who need help. We keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), confident that we will be more than repaid for anything we lacked in this life when we are joined with Christ “at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14). That is the life we live as people who know the cross of Christ, and who know the new life, the new creation, the resurrection that we have in him. 

  • (1) James 4:6, cf. also Psalm 138:6, Proverbs 3:34, Proverbs 29:23, Luke 1:52, 1 Peter 5:5.
  • (2) See Ephesians 4:2, James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:5, Luke 9:23, 14:27; 2 Timothy 4:1-6.
  • (3)  TUKO News, 2/12/2025.
  • (4) See Wikipedia for info and references: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Bowler
  • (5) See article on “Seed Faith Giving.”
  • (6) See Kate Bowler article on The Christopher Blog, 4/29/19.
  • (7) Cf. Psalm 112:5, Luke 14:12-14, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16).
Posted by David Sellnow
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