For Sunday the 17th June - 8.30am

This coming Sunday (17/6) all three of our readings for the Divine Service confront us with the reality of our own sinfulness and need of forgiveness. The message is obvious - by ourselves we are lost in sin and need help from "outside" us. Thanks be to God that each of these readings also point us to the wonderful and free gift of forgiveness that is offered through faith in Christ Jesus.

I've always loved the way this altar painting from the church of Sts Peter and Paul in Weimar sums up this central teaching of the faith, proclaiming in pictures what we will be hearing from St Paul this Sunday. If you'd like to read a wonderful explanation of the imagery Cranach the Younger has used here, check out this entry in Pastor Paul McCain's excellent Blog: http://cyberbrethren.typepad.com/cyberbrethren/2008/04/i_have_been_cru.html#more

Here are the readings:

• 2 SAMUEL 11:26 - 12:10,13-15
• GALATIANS 2:15-21
• LUKE 7:36 - 8:3

As you prepare for Service this week you might like to reflect on these readings in light of Article IV of our Augsburg Confession:

Our churches teach that people cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merit, or works. People are freely justified for Christ's sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favour and that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake. By His death, Christ made atonement for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His sight (Romans 3:21-26; 4:5) Quoted from Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, page 59, CPH, 2001.

God's peace be with you,
Pastor Matt Anker