This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of talking with the Adult Sunday School group about what it means
to be a Lutheran. I mentioned Daniel Erlander's excellent resource "Baptized We Live: Lutheranism as a
Way of Life," in which Erlander describes Lutheranism as "a way of seeing, a way of hearing, a way of teaching, and a way of following." As Lutherans, we see the world through lens of the cross, we hear God's voice in the scriptures, we teach a set of traditions informed by the Bible and the Augsburg Confession, and we follow the way of the cross, attempting as best we can to follow in the footsteps of our Savior.

I think Erlander is right about those things, and he explains them more eloquently than I do. As we ponder those things, it's important that we remember why they are central to our faith. We cling to this way of seeing because we have been seen ourselves; God made you and claims you and loves you just as you are. We cling to this way of hearing because we have been heard ourselves; God listens to our prayers and is near to us in every time of trial. We cling to this way of teaching because we have been taught well; God continues to speak not only through scripture, but through voices all around us that lift up truth in the midst of chaos. We cling to this way of following because we have been followed; there is no length to which God would not go to find you, and no place you can go where God's grace cannot reach you.

That word, "grace," is one of those central Lutheran things. And grace is an active, flowing thing. We receive it continuously from a God who loves without limits. And as we receive it, we are to live it out, showing and sharing grace with those around us. It calls us to search for those the world often fails to see. It calls us to listen to and amplify the voices of those the world would rather not hear. It calls us to seek understanding from those who are willing to teach us new perspectives. It calls us to go to the same great lengths as our God in pursuit of justice, reconciliation, healing, and hope.

To be Lutheran is to be saturated by grace. And grace is a dangerous thing. Because when we practice this way of seeing, hearing, teaching, and following, it changes us. It sets us on a path following the footsteps of a God who loved this world to hell and back and bids us do likewise. The more we are willing to commit to this way of life, the more it will change us; the more it changes us, the more we change the lives of those around us.

Lutheran, may you be saturated by grace, and may you be bold to walk the dangerous path of reckless love, until the whole world has been changed by grace. And as you do, may you know that you are seen, that you are heard, and that you are loved beyond measure.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Will