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Today on HT-Radio, Pr. Borghardt and Stan remember Maggie Karner, talk about what’s going on in Higher Things, updates on their favorite sports teams, Pope Francis visits the US and Pastor Borghardt’s recent blog post: “The Dehydrated Law and Watery Gospel.”
Rev. William Cwirla
Exodus 12:1-14
The little one at the table got to ask the questions. The little ones love to ask questions. ”Papa, why do we do this every year? Why do we sweep the house all week? Why do you kill that poor little lamb? Why do you paint his blood on the doorposts? Why do you roast him beyond well done? Why do we eat the lamb and these bitter herbs and this unleavened bread? What does this mean?”
And the father of the house would teach the household: “It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses. It is the Lord’s Passover.”
The Lamb stood in place of the firstborn son, including the firstborn of Pharaoh. Life for life. The Substitute Sacrifice. The Vicarious Victim. Like the ram caught in the wood who saved Abraham’s son Isaac from the knife and the fire. The blood was the sign, the wood the signpost. Where the blood was painted on the wood, there death passed over.” The firstborn was spared. The Lord had spoken and promised it. “It is the Lord’s Passover.”
Israel walked into freedom through bloody wood, doorposts and lintels soaked in blood. They were a blood-bought people. A Passover people. They were no better than the Egyptians, no less deserving of slavery and death. But they were a bloodied people. A Passover people. God’s people.
“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” There in the Jordan River is God’s unblemished, sinless Lamb, washed for the sacrifice.
He did nothing wrong, and you can do nothing right. He deserved to live, and you deserve to die. He is innocent, you are guilty. He is spotless, you are marred beyond measure. He is free, you are as bound and dead as an Israelite in Egypt. But God made you alive in the Lamb. His blood brings you life and freedom. The blood is the sign, the cross is the signpost, the doorpost and lintel of the world. Behold God’s Son, God’s Servant, God’s Lamb, who lays down His life for your life, who sheds his blood for your blood, who bears your sin, who dies your death.
“Where the blood, there death passes over.” “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Jesus’ Body and His Blood go with you wherever you go – your home, your work, your worship. To your grave. And from the grave, He will raise you, for He will not deny His own Body and Blood. Death cannot contain Him, nor can it hold you who have His Body and Blood.
Why then do we do this every week? Why do we take this bread and eat it? Why do we take this wine and drink it? What does this mean?
Here’s why. Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread. And when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples and said, “Take, eat. This is my body which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. In the same way also, He took the cup after supper. And when He had given thanks, He gave it to them and said, “Drink of it, all of you. This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.”
It is the Lord’s Passover. And you are His Passover, bloodied, holy people.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
Rev. Gaven Mize
Johann Sebastian Bach. Few are confused as to who he was or what he did for a living. His name has been spoken in many pipe smoke-filled rooms by men with patches on the elbows of their favorite sports coat and listening to a lovely sonata, while discussing the third movement in the Brandenburg Concerto. But, that’s not how most people know him or discuss him. Ask many people in our congregations if they know who Bach was and they will probably say that he was a German of some kind. Ask the lady in who always sits in the third pew if she knew that he was a Lutheran and you will get an, “Of course!” But, is that all that we should know about one of the greatest (if not the greatest) musicians of all time?
Perhaps we could wonder if he was influenced more by those in northern or southern Germany. But, to understand what it was that enlightened the heart and motivated Bach a better question would be, “Did Bach’s theology and piety play an important role in his composing?” Again, “When he composed works for the church were they composed for the sake of the music alone or for the sake of highlighting the reality of what scripture confesses regarding the Christ, the son of the living God?” We could, of course, continue with such questions for hours and barely scratch the surface of Bach’s catalog. However, we can take an in-depth, although brief, look at Bach’s theology and how he influenced the church of his day and even the German church in America today.
Some biographers have tried to link Bach to a sense of national Germanic spirit, however this remains a tall task to prove. The fact of the matter is that Bach and his music were constantly tied directly to the liturgy. It’s impossible to throw Bach into a bucket of other classical composers and pull out a Bach that is separated from the church. It simply can’t be done. For Bach, Lutheran orthodoxy was the centrality of his work. The liturgy and the Gospel could not be separated in the work of Bach any more than they can be separated from one another in corporate worship. That is to say that they (liturgy and the proclamation of the Gospel) are synonymous and build upon each other in an expression that was natural for Bach. Even when we look at the smallest notes from Bach’s work we find a kindly confession to the faith that he held so dearly. The famous J. J. (Jesu Juva=Jesus, help) and SDG (Soli Deo Gloria) notes were but small indications of the faith of Bach and also how dearly he held to the work of the Reformers. I suppose one could argue against such small notes made at the beginning and ending of Bach’s pieces, though what was placed between these notes highlighted the subject matter.
From Bach’s work coming out of Luther’s Deutsche Messe (German Mass) to his work with “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” it is clear that his piety and devotion to orthodox Lutheranism was front and center. Regarding his Deutsche Messe, Luther once wrote, “In the first place, I would kindly and for God’s sake request all those who see this order of service or desire to follow it: Do not make it a rigid law to bind or entangle anyone’s conscience, but use it in Christian liberty…” This, however never meant that Luther didn’t respect the liturgical form or its content. Quite the opposite, in fact. Germany was in many ways able to keep its liturgical form and content even as the western Christian world was dismantling it during the age of enlightenment and the plague of pietism. And for Bach the liturgical form and content was the jumping off point from which his works were built. Robin Leaver wrote in regard to Bach’s formation and fortification under the Deutsche Messe, “While this process had begun during Bach’s lifetime, traditions of liturgical worship remained strong in Leipzig. Thus much of Bach’s music was written to be heard within the liturgical framework and context that owed much to Luther’s Deutsche Messe.” Following Leaver’s thoughts here it is clear that Bach was not only a wonderful artist in his own right, but also took from theologians from the Reformation era and even from the spirit of the Reformation itself. For Bach, the Christian liberty Luther spoke of regarding the Deutsche Messe was not a liberty of destruction or dismantlement, but a brilliant use of liberty and the practice of piety and reverence.
Regarding Bach’s theological prowess and piety, Hans Metzger wrote, “The importance of his really being at home in the worship of the congregation we must view as the central force for his creativity and for his piety.” Along with this as the “central force,” the theologians in Leipzig helped to shape Bach’s texts as well as the liturgical works that he produced. There can be no doubt that Bach, while not a theologian in the professional sense, was certainly a theologian in the musical sense. The theology that he so dearly loved shaped him into the musician that he was. If one were to take the theology out of Bach’s experience he would be left with empty chords. As it was, theology lifted Bach’s heart and filled his notes with joy. Proper orthodox theology and piety leaps from his pages.
While it certainly is true that Johann Sebastian Bach stands as a giant in the musical world, it is also true that he stands on the shoulders of the theologians from the German Reformation church. For Bach, Christ’s atonement on his behalf filled his work and his heart. So, from Jesu Juva to Soli Deo Gloria, Christ was proclaimed by Bach. May our hallowed halls of worship be filled with the proclamation of Christ that was dug out from the Reformation and painted most beautifully on the pages of the competent theologian and musical genius that is the work of Johann Sebastian Bach.
“We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.”
At each Divine Service, we pray a Collect of thanksgiving following the Holy Supper. Did you realize that that you are praying to the Lord about your vocations?
This prayer thanking our heavenly Father reminds you that the saving Gift of Christ’s Body and Blood continues to forgive and sustain you after the Supper is over. In addition, it reminds you that your whole life is one of continual worship, as you serve the Lord in faith and serve your neighbor in love. That’s right! The Divine Service is primarily about God’s giving His Holy Gifts, and you receiving them by faith. Outside of the Divine Service, your actions to serve others (wherever you are) give worship to Him.
How is this service done? That depends. Each of you has been given a number of different vocations. Service as a son or daughter usually includes household chores or helpful acts your parents ask you to do. Service as a student involves paying attention to teachers and professors, doing your homework to the best of your ability, and encouraging fellow students to do the same. Service in extracurricular activities means conscientiously training, keeping the schedule, and being helpful to all involved. Service as an employee means showing up on time, doing your best, and cheerfully helping co-workers and customers. Service as a newly-licensed driver means being especially careful to practice the safe, responsible, and defensive driving techniques you learned. You get the picture.
In these ways (and in your many other roles of service) you are actually serving God! Your worship goes beyond faithfully receiving Jesus in Word and Sacrament on Sunday. It means carrying out your faith in daily life. It means being a willing servant to all and doing your best to put others first, out of love and service to God and others.
Everything you do has its foundation in the faith He has given you in Baptism and nurtured with His Supper and His Gospel. In your vocations, you live your life as one giant “thank you” to the Lord. It all continues through the week as you lovingly serve others around you, just as our Lord Jesus would have you do.
Will you live out your vocation perfectly? Absolutely not! But that’s where Jesus Christ’s vocation as your Holy Savior makes all the difference. He cleanses the stain of your sin. He changes your unwilling and obstinate heart, granting joyful service to your neighbors. He sends His Spirit to fill you with His Means of Grace, that you may overflow with the Light of the World to all in your various vocations.
God has placed you in your “station” in life. You probably have a variety of different roles or responsibilities. These are your many vocations. And in each and every one of them, as a baptized child of God you honor and worship your heavenly Father. All that you say and do, you do it “in faith toward [God] and in fervent love toward one another.”
So continue in your sacramentally-centered life – flowing from and returning to Christ’s altar every chance you get. Serve “in faith toward God and in fervent love toward one another. ” Live a life of worship, rejoicing in the One who serves you forgiveness, life, and salvation in His Divine Service!
by The Rev. Rich Heinz
Rev. Tab Ottmers
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
A few names for you, Alexander the Great, Frederich the Wise, Elvis the King. People who are known for their accomplishments. These folks have a name that connects them to accomplishments any mother would be proud of. Accomplishments that identify. These names give us reasons why we should follow or listen to a person. This is the wisdom of men. This is how the world works. This is the way of the law. This is the way the Old Adam in us loves because it feeds our pride.
St. Paul writes to the Corinthians. They are people just like us. The Corinthians are impressed with lofty language, displays of wisdom. Think Plato, Aristotle and the like. These are people who based the truth of a message on how eloquent the speaker was or how the speaker made them feel. A reputation followed. A person identified by their accomplishments.
These last few days you have seen this too! Perhaps it was the long van ride here or the dreaded bus trip. You have met or gotten to know others by their accomplishments. You know, like John the stinky. Susan the babbler. Pastor the boring. Stacy the nerd. Brandon the jock. Yes we judge people according to how they make us feel. This is the wisdom of man. This is an identity from the law.
However, when we are on the receiving end it’s not always so great is it? To be identified by our accomplishments is not so great because the law ultimately shows us we are far from perfect. The very thing, the law, which promises us an identity, the very thing that promises us life, this law finally becomes our death in showing us our sin.
Someone points out how weak or unimpressive you are and it stings doesn’t it? Let’s be honest though, the things that people see, those outward things we maybe don’t even like about ourselves are nothing compared to what we harbor in our hearts! You may be able to restrain your lips in calling others out, but what about how you identify others in your heart?
Maybe you get upset at other when they point out your faults because it hits you too close to home. Too close to the truth you know in your heart that it’s not just that you are Daniel the shy, or Lucy the loud, but you are the sinner. The rebel against God.
You who because others aren’t as perfect as you. You who know and call others names because that is lofty language. Lofty language in a sense that it lifts you on a pedestal. That is a very attack on God who alone is to be worshipped. Our sin, that is the accomplishment we all know too well. Too often we trust in lofty speech, impressive displays of wisdom that enables us to celebrate ourselves. We look to comfort ourselves in the language of the law. Lofty language that trains and develops a faith in ourselves. Repent.
Stop looking at yourself! Look to Christ for your identity. For look where St. Paul points the Corinthians and us. Not to ourselves. Not to our words. Not to the law. Not in words of wisdom or lofty speech that impresses the world. We find our identity in Christ and him crucified. Our identity is in His accomplishment. Crucified for you! Crucified for your sins. Crucified for your love of the wisdom of men. Jesus Christ and him crucified for your sins. Not Jesus the wise. Not Jesus the cool. Not Jesus the popular, but Jesus Christ and him crucified. That is what our faith rests in. The power of God to die, to be crucified for you! To live the sinless life, to become your sin and be crucified.
Now through the crucifixion of Christ, his accomplishment, God sees you not according to your sinful life, not as Matthew the liar or Sally the adulterer. You are John the forgiven! Lisa the forgiven. Stephanie the forgiven. Your sins are forgiven! You are a child of God. That is your identity. Jesus Christ and him crucified for you. God identifies you with the accomplishments of Christ.
St. Paul says it like this, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” “As many of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
You were in baptism put to death in Christ. Your old self that loves to find identity in the law was drowned and you were raised with a new identity, none other than the very identity of Christ. St. Paul bases the truth of his message on the identity of Christ and him crucified.
Christ now gives you a man, your pastor. Pastor the absolver. Pastor the forgiver. Pastor who stands with the authority of Christ forgiving your sins. He’s not someone who feeds you empty platitudes but someone who declares to you the reality of who you are in your baptism into Christ.
It is not your achievements or eloquent words of wisdom that identify you or make you God’s child. If that were the case we would all be lost forever. You have been baptized. You are absolved in Jesus Christ and him crucified, for you! Amen.
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HT-Radio kicks off the Advent season with Episode 112. Pr. Borghardt kicks of the episode with a monologue on the Gospel Reading for Advent 1. For the rest of the episode he is joined by Rev. Rich Heinz of St. John Lutheran Church in Chicago, IL. Pr. Heinz talks about all things Advent – the readings, colors, and the coming of Jesus!
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2016 Issue of Higher Things® Magazine. For more great articles like this subscribe today!
Rev. Mark Buetow
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” – 1 Peter 4:8
You’ve probably seen them on the interwebs: people exposing those awful people who do mean things. The waitress posts a copy of the receipt where there is no tip, just a nasty note. Or those oh-so-helpful social media posts “to the person who took up two parking spots outside my apartment.” It’s a dangerous move to attempt to shame someone publicly because there’s a good chance you’ll be shamed right back and with a vengeance! This is the way our warped world thinks: If you are mean and nasty to others, that’s really awful and the just punishment is that others get to be mean and nasty to you. But it’s wrong to bully the bullies. And it’s wrong to shame the shamers. The new man in Christ is not called to expose the sins of others but to cover them with love, as the Apostle directs us to do. But that’s pretty difficult. It’s hard not to rejoice when some jerk gets his just desserts by having his jerkiness exposed for all to see. That’ll teach ‘im! But it doesn’t. What’s really going on is what Jesus was exposing when He told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14).
There, the Pharisee prayed, “God, I thank you I’m not like all the other sinners out there, especially that I’m not like this tax collector.” Usually our first reaction to hearing that story is to laugh at the Pharisee’s hypocrisy and say, “I’m glad I’m not like that Pharisee!” Do you see what Jesus did there? He got us! He exposes in us what we hate in others-namely, that we, too, are hypocrites and shamers.
If we mess up or do something stupid, we don’t want it made known to everyone. But if someone else does, it’s so easy for our sinful flesh to attribute horrible motives to him and go for the jugular in shaming him and showing everyone what a bully and fool he is. But ask yourself: What could God expose about you? What does He know about what you’ve done that He could bring to light and make you the butt of a nasty social media post? What bullying and shameful behavior have you done that deserves to be spread abroad and mocked?
But the Lord doesn’t do that, because He doesn’t see your faults. His love covers a multitude, and more-all of your sins! In fact, Jesus goes the way of the cross to do that. And if there was ever a shaming to be had, it was of Jesus. “He saved others! He can’t save Himself!” Can you just see the clickbait headlines? “Son of God gets nailed to a cross and can’t get down.” “This Guy saved everyone else but what happens next will blow your mind!” “You’ve never seen anything this gross and shameful: Jesus!” And so it could go. And that’s exactly what happened. Jesus let all the shame and mockery get heaped upon Him by a world that loves to point out how bad other people are. We do that to hide our own behavior and to make ourselves look good and popular. But Jesus takes it on to save you. He wears all the shame the world has to pile on Him to take away your shame. Because of the cross, you will never, ever, have to stand before God, ashamed of what you’ve said or done. Not a single sin will cause God to mock you because all your sins are paid for.
Even the sin of shaming the shamers and bullying the bullies and picking on others for their differences and mistakes and faults and inadequacies has been wiped out by the blood of Jesus. And so it is with YOUR sins in laughing at the sins of others. So are your sins of pointing out the sins of others. The love of God in Christ Jesus, washed on you at the font and given to you to eat and drink with the flesh and blood of Jesus – this love covers a multitude of sins. Covers their sins. Covers your sins.
Now you are so free in Christ you can pause when you’re out and about in the world for real or on line. Don’t take pleasure in someone’s meanness being exposed. Don’t pass on that juicy story about the jerk who got what they deserved. Don’t passively-aggressively vaguebook about the person who wronged you in some way. Instead, as the new man in Christ, speak well of others, defend them, and explain everything in the kindest way. Not only will that go a long way in making you a happier person, it will be a great blessing to others who no longer have to fear becoming an object of ridicule because of your reaction to something they’ve done.
And if that doesn’t work? If the shame you would cover comes back to you? If your patience and covering of someone’s sins backfires and they let loose on you? So what? You’re covered by the perfection of Christ. You can never be shamed before God. And even if you are shamed before the world, you are so free as to rejoice in suffering and bearing the name of Jesus that way. Jesus died and rose. What can bullies and shamers do about that? Nothing.
There is a place in this world for shame and scorn. That place is upon Jesus. All the shame and the scorn are His. That way all the smiles and good things to say are said about you by God the Father for Jesus’ sake. And, by extension, in confessing our sins, we lay our shaming on Jesus and go joyfully to the work of speaking well of our neighbors and covering their offenses with the love of Christ. Jesus’ tomb is empty! You won’t believe what happened next: Their sins were forgiven and they loved their neighbors and were kind to them.
Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, Illinois and serves as the deputy and media services executive for Higher Things. He can be reached at buetowmt@gmail.com.
By Monica Berndt
The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is His new creation by water and the Word, from heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her and for her life He died (LSB 644 v.1).
This image of Christ and the Church has been stuck in my head for a while now. It is a wonderful image to think about- that Christ gave up the glory of heaven to come down to earth to redeem His bride, the Church, from the powers of sin, death, and the Devil. However, as the first stanza of this hymn points out, the price to redeem the Church was high, so high that the almighty, immortal God had to be sacrificed on the cross to buy back His bride.
Why? Why go to all that trouble? The Church is made up of people, and it’s not as though church people are better than other people and deserve to be saved. In fact, often we look at what goes on in the Church and see a bunch of miserable, sinful people constantly hurting each other and running after all kinds of idols. Like the children of Israel, we are so quick to run to God when trouble occurs, but the minute everything is going well, we turn away yet again to our own selfish desires. So, why did God want to save us?
Jesus gives us the answer to this question in the Gospel of John. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16. God loves us poor, miserable, unfaithful sinners. Jesus came down to earth to suffer and die because He loved us too much to let us die in our sins, separated from God. He comes and seeks out His bride, the Church, and holds fast to her though the waves of sin, death, and the Devil threaten to tear her away from Him.
In all this trial, in all the pain of sin and being hurt by sin, the Church’s foundation is and always will be Christ. Yes, we are still sinful and yes, we will still hurt each other and sin against God, but Christ has bought us back. He has already sanctified us with water and His Word in our Baptism, and strengthens us for the fight with His own body and blood. We need nothing else, for Christ has done everything that we might be with Him.
Yet she on Earth has union, with God the Three-in-One and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won. O blessed heavenly chorus, Lord save us by your grace! That we like saints before us, may see you face to face. -LSB 644 v.5
My husband and I began our journey as foster parents more than two years ago. After many conversations and prayer, we decided that fostering would be something that would be good for our family to do. Our children were growing up, we had space for one child and taking care of children was something we have naturally done over the past 21 years. Our county was (and still is) in need of foster parents, so we decided to attend an informational meeting.
It is not easy to be licensed by the state, although there are people to help you achieve that goal. We had to fill out many detailed questionnaires about our entire lives, provide the address of every place we lived since the age 18, provide copies of birth certificates for the entire household, release school transcripts on all our children, go through physicals, provide detailed income and spending information regarding our household, sign forms on what we will do and not do regarding a child placed in our care, and provide proof of insurance on the house and our vehicles. On top of all that, my husband and I had to go through 36 hours of training. After all these things were done, we became licensed, and within a few days, we received our first placement, a six-week-old boy.
I cried the moment he was placed in my arms. He was to be our first foster son. I was so happy to have him and also filled with such sorrow that such a tiny little child could already be in need of foster care. I wondered how I would respond to having someone’s child entrusted to my care 24 hours a day. Would I be able to love this child as my own while he was with us? My answer came in the wee hours that first night. On that first night, and many nights after, as I fed him, I sobbed, and prayed, and knew in my heart that it would not be a burden to be this child’s mother, for a time.
As a new foster mom, those first months were very hard. I was very emotional and cried many times for our foster son. I cried being thankful for my own children. And I cried when the van driver would pull up in front of our house to pick up our foster son for a visit with his parents. Sometimes there would be other children in the van . . . beautiful children of all skin colors, boys and girls, infants and teens and everything in between. It broke my heart to know there were so many children staying with so many foster families and I also knew I wasn’t the only foster mommy sending a child on a visit.
Many new people entered our lives in the months to come. We were assigned a social worker and our foster son had his own social worker. These people would need to meet with us to get to know us and would provide us with details of our foster son’s case. There were van drivers assigned to picking him up and dropping him off after visits. There were therapists providing care for him when he failed to achieve milestones. And there were many lawyers helping to sort out the things that were going on in the court room. And, finally, we were able to get to know his parents and a sibling.
This was, perhaps, one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but also one of the most fulfilling. It requires trying to stay in control of one’s emotions when you really just want to scream. You have to be nice, even when you don’t want to. I still have my moments, but for the most part, I am glad that I can speak with both of his parents. Sometimes I write notes about their child; sometimes I send pictures. Both of his parents are genuinely thankful for the kindness extended to them and they, in return are kind to me and my family. If our foster son is ever returned to their care, I will know them and hopefully be allowed to have some contact with their son. And if we are able to adopt their child, they will already have a relationship with us.
Our greatest privilege and joy, though, has been bringing our foster son to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since he was a tiny baby he has consistently heard the Word of our Lord in Divine Service. He says, “Amen” and is learning to fold his hands in prayer. He is learning Luther’s Evening Prayer and Luther’s Table Prayer. He joined my class for Sunday School and loves to listen to Bible verses set to music. It is my fervent prayer that he is raised knowing Christ is his Savior . . . and finally this month (it took awhile to get permission) he was baptized into God’s family by his foster father with his father and myself witnessing this gift of God. Whatever the future holds for this little one, it is good to know he had a good start in life and has become God’s child in baptism.
We have just renewed our license and have also been approved for adoption. (If a child came into our home and became available for adoption, we would be able to adopt.) That little boy that came into our care at six weeks is still with us and is now a talking two-year-old. Our entire family (and our friends) have grown to love him.
In human knowledge, his future is uncertain. Yet God knows, and He will determine just where this child should live out his days. It is not easy, at times, watching that plan unfold. Sometimes things happen and we wonder why? But, like many things in life, the Lord uses these situations to lead us to trust in His good and gracious will. He “gifts” us to treasure the days we have with a foster child . . . which also reminds us to treasure our time with each other as well. Thanks be to God, who in Baptism has adopted us, treasuring us as His own dear children!
by Laura Koch, Foster Mom
