Occasionally, we will reprint prior devotions that now reflect on the coming lectionary texts. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on October 30, 2013.
Prayer: Help us, Lord, to live in the good of your grace. Amen. Reading: Ephesians 2: 8-9 (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: When Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church, his biggest argument for the Reformation was that it is through grace that we are saved, not by good works. Grace is unconditional. God saves us because God loves us, not because of anything we can do. To his contemporaries, Martin Luther probably was going off "the deep end." The teachings of Luther went against what they had been taught in their church. Luther suffered great persecution because of what he said. But what he was was true. We are justified by faith. As Christians, we should engage in good deeds to glorify God, but they are not required of us to receive salvation. No earthly acts will get us to heaven. All we need to do is believe and accept God's riches that are so freely given to us! --Chad Hershberger, Camp Mount Luther Director
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