Having just returned from our trip to Germany and the villages where Martin Luther lived and taught, it is difficult to read anything without seeing in the verses something of the Reformation message.
This morning I was directed to Romans 10:1-13. Here, Paul makes his statements about salvation coming as a result of a conviction in our hearts and a confession on our lips. Salvation (he insists) does not come through our own attempts at righteousness but through the righteousness of God.
One of the things I saw on this trip that I had not seen before was the recently opened "Luther Death House" in Eisleben. I commented that it's mood was unlike anything I have ever seen in Germany. It is very interactive (a feature which will appeal to children and impressed our young adults on the trip.) This style of museum will hold the intention of the intended audience. It will pull them into the message of the Reformation and Luther's conviction that trusting in God rather than obedience to some code is what sets us free and saves us. Impressive. Well done. And the simplicity of the message surely one that all communities faith need to offer in an increasingly non-believing world.
Fearing God and even obeying God differs from trusting God. Loving God is tough when we allow ourselves to be at odds with a God who has something we want and seems reluctant to give it to us.
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