08/21/22 Praise Service

When you think about it, it is a silly question: “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” (Luke 13:23). Why do you think you need to know that anyway? Maybe such a person is worried for others—for their family, for their children. Or maybe they are looking for a loophole for themselves. Of course, our Lord sets us straight by turning the question back so that we ask, “Am I going to be saved?” To answer that question, we almost automatically fall into the temptation to believe that the answer has to do with the sufficiency of our own merits or good works. The “narrow door” and Jesus’ requirement to “strive to enter” seem to suggest some evidence of effort on our part. The surprise, however, is that there is no effort required; one only receives the work, the merit, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. In Holy Baptism, you receive that new status of “child of God,” bearing the righteousness of Christ. The striving and effort are but the daily dying and rising by repentance and faith by the power of your Baptism. The strength to persevere is nourished by the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Keep entering through the open door, Jesus Christ, our Lord.