Summer courses, webinar

For those who have an interest in spiritual writing, two workshops will offered online this summer through the Continuing Education program of Martin Luther College.  Look for courses with a THE prefix (for Theology) in the summer course list.  Devotional Writing (THE8508), focused on writing spiritual devotions, articles, stories, etc, will run June 8-26.   Constructing and Conducting Bible Studies (THE8511) is scheduled for June 29 - July 17.   You also might also be interested in a course on Connecting Young Adults to the Church (THE8113), July 15-26, or also a short webinar and discussion on Teaching the Faith (WEB0801), July 27 - August 3.

If you're interested in any of the online summer offerings from Martin Luther College, you can find information at the MLC Continuing Education page for summer 2015.

“I’m a Christian” – What Does This Mean?

by Kyara Grunst

        “I’m a Christian.” This is something I’m sure we would all be willing to say. But let’s ask what our catechism would ask:  What does this mean? What makes us “Christian?” You could say that’s an easy question. Of course it’s Christ that makes us Christian. But again, what does that mean? First, let’s take a look at what Christianity isn’t.

      When I think of a Christian, I will admit that I usually think about a person who does good works. I think of someone who donates money to church and to charities, someone who volunteers a lot, someone who hold doors open for others, someone who does good things. However, this attitude, called legalism, is not, in essence, Christianity. Legalism is all about the law. It creates a “Christ and…” mentality where we feel like we need to add something to the work of Christ. We try to save ourselves by either keeping all of the rules or by making up our own rules.

      Even if the rules we aim to follow are all doctrines of the Bible, we cannot earn our way to heaven by keeping them.  We are not capable of this. We cannot keep all of the laws of Scripture. We break commandments every day, multiple times each day. And so being a Christian does not, ultimately, mean obeying the rules as best as we can to try and earn our way to heaven because that is an impossible task for us.

      Christianity also does not solely mean being a good person. We often think that as we become better Christians, we gain better qualities and we become better people. We think that we need to have a certain number of good traits to be truly Christian. Again this puts the work on us. It is our duty to become better people so we can be better Christians. And again, no. With this mentality, Christianity is about our work, not Christ’s. Besides, what are works without faith?

      So what then is Christianity? Christianity is all about Christ. It is about his work for us. Christ humbled himself and came to earth. He didn’t come as a prince in pomp and earthly glory, but instead he came to us in a lowly manger. He lived a perfect life for us, not sinning even once. He did not give in to any temptation the devil put in his way, but stood firm and resisted them for our sake. He then willingly suffered death on the cross and took upon himself the sins of the entire world. He died for us.

      And that is not the end of the story. Jesus’ death is not meaningless, because he also rose from the dead. Christ gained for us the salvation we could not and cannot obtain on our own. He did what we cannot because he is the perfect and holy Son of God. This is why being a Christian means we are Christ-centered.

      Christ is the reason for everything we do. Because he has done what we cannot, there is nothing for us to do except thank him continually. And so we do just that. We thank and praise him with our lives and with our words and actions. Everything we do is for his glory and to spread the word of what he has done. Our sole work is to preach Christ crucified and risen. Through him, we have become new persons. We were born again in our baptism and have done away with the old self. We are now blameless in God’s eyes because when he looks at us, he sees Christ’s holiness.

      That is what it means to be a Christian. It means living our lives as a testimony to Christ and his saving work. For without him, we are nothing. Instead of asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” we instead ask ourselves, “What has Jesus done?” Our identity as a Christian comes through Christ and through the salvation he won for us. It means that we are firmly rooted in him and in his Word so that our lives are permeated with the joyful message of what he has done. Being Christian means casting aside who we are and what we have done and instead living in what Christ has done and who he is – our loving Savior.

      Being a Christian, then, is not exclusive to a single denomination or group of people. But rather, the church—the holy Christian community—is filled with people from numerous congregations and from every race and people. Ultimately, being a Christian is not dependent on us having the same sort of religious organization or the same norm of worship style. Being a Christian is fully dependent on having saving faith in Christ and in Christ alone. That is what it means to be a Christian.

A Glorious Easter Creed

by Taylor Swanson

Taylor wrote this to be used as a personal reflection for Easter Sunday morning. 
I am glad to share the confession with you via The Electric Gospel blog.

Have a blessed Easter week.
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On this glorious Easter morning,

we come together in full confidence of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We confess we are wholly sinful human beings,

dead in our transgressions.

But by faith, given by the Holy Spirit, in the death and resurrection of Jesus, 

we are made alive in Christ.

Our sins are washed away and we shine like the sun in God’s eyes.

On this day we are especially thankful for the resurrection of our Lord.

God the Father sent his One and Only into this sin-stricken world.

Jesus lived a perfect life, was crucified, died and was buried.

But it did not end there.

He rose.

But what does all this mean?

The fact that Jesus rose means that he defeated death and the power of the devil.

It means that we will live even though we die.

Our bodies will be made to be like Christ’s,

perfect and glorious, and raised up to heaven to be with our Savior.

There will be no more pain or sadness and no more death,

for Christ has arisen once and for all.

May we forever sing hallelujah to the Victor over death.

He is risen.

He is risen, indeed. Hallelujah.