Theological Thursday

THE HOPE OF THINGS TO COME 

“Your testimonies are my heritage forever; for they are the joy of my heart.” Ps. 119:111

“The promises of God gladden the heart of those who believe & hope in them. Therefore in the meanwhile we rejoice in faith & hope of things to come which God has promised us. We rejoice, however, because we are certain that He does not lie but will do what He promised & will remove from us every evil of body & soul & will grant us every good thing, & this without end.” Martin Luther Psalm by Psalm, Concordia Publishing House, 2017.

PRAYER

"The miracle of prayer is not that it always grants what is asked for, but that it changes the one who prays. It turns our fears into hope, our doubts into faith, & our worries into peace." [column by Sharon Randall, Norfolk Daily News 4/23]

A CLOISTERED LIFE

"Obviously, then, a cloistered life cut off from the world is inherently antithetical to the calling of a Christian. This world & the things--& people--of this world matter to God, so they also matter to God's people. Christians strive to be good spouses, diligent parents, helpful neighbors, loyal employees, fair employers, & upright citizens of a nation, knowing all the while that they ultimately belong only to God & will never accommodate the evil & decadence of the world." ["In Christ & in the World," Joel Biermann, The Lutheran Witness Mar 2019]

DANGEROUS TO BE A CHRISTIAN? 

"The Easter bombings of churches & hotels in Sri Lanka remind us that it is dangerous to be a practicing Christian today in many part of the world . . . 

"Every month on average:

• 345 Christians are killed for faith-related reasons.
• 105 churches & Christian buildings are burned or attacked.
• 219 Christians are detained without trial, arrested, sentenced & imprisoned . . . 

"It' strange that people think it's dangerous to be a Christian. It's dangerous not to be a Christian. It's dangerous not to be a Christian in the world today because in physical danger or mental danger or other kinds of danger, God protects those who belong to Him, that love Jesus. So being outside the scope of that love, that is dangerous." ["On Targeting of Churches & Christians," Jerry Newcombe, Townhall 4/25 *]

* Newcombe quotes extensively from Brother Andrew, found of Open Doors.]