Prayer: Jesus, our Lord, help us to remember to keep You close to our hearts and always in our conversations so that we may spread the good news of Your righteousness and grace. In Your name we pray. Amen.
Reading: Romans 10:5-13 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: Paul’s letter to the Romans is one of my absolute favorite books of the Bible because Paul wrote it to them with a focus on righteousness. It is no easy task to explain God’s righteousness- it exceeds what we can understand because we are sinners. I believe Paul’s reference to and paraphrasing of Moses in this passage is an excellent explanation and it is mind-blowing! The name for this act of amazing grace is “righteousness by faith,” and it is one of God’s most powerful and overarching gift to us. This righteousness is completely unmerited by those (sinners) receiving it. Paul says that righteousness by faith is found in those who believe in their heart and profess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord will be saved. At camp we recently had a worship experience during staff training, where we reflected on this passage as an alternative text for the theme of the day and found the graceful simplicity in this righteousness. During the campfire worship service we alternated between loud and quiet periods of worship to practice professing with our mouths and believing in our hearts. The worship was extremely contemplative and joyful, including a “J-E-S-U-S” cheer and a time of silent reflection of God’s provision in our lives. This was a wonderful reminder of how grateful I should be towards the availability of God’s grace! So take a moment, shout to the mountaintops that Jesus is Lord, and keep it close to your heart, always. --Anne Harshbarger
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