We give our lives to our children. Our love for them propels us forward. I was reminded of this when I heard Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber preach, “God’s voice is a warm, singsong of a mother to her newborn. The one that says, ‘You are mine.’ God’s voice calls us worthy, and there’s a word for that, and that word is ‘grace.’”
God loves us like that? I’ve been Lutheran for 32 years. This idea changed everything for me. On Sundays at my congregation, we pray “…Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us…” I know the words by heart. Reciting them is a comfort.
They remind me that God comes to us with the open arms of a parent and believes us when we say we’re sorry. God loves us even when we turn around and commit the same sins over and over again.
This message is an excerpt from “Worthy” by Erin Strybis in the May 2019 issue of Gather magazine. Please pray for voting members making decisions at the churchwide assembly in Milwaukee this week.
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