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Faith in Action

This past Sunday, we read Matthew 16:13-20. Jesus had been traveling around teaching about the Kingdom of God and performing miraculous deeds, like feeding the 5,000 and healing people. The religious leadership were unsure of him and did not believe he was from God. In the midst of all this, he took a moment to ask his disciples who they thought he was. When he asked this question, Peter gave that incredible statement of faith, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (16:16).

Wow! In the midst of all the evil going on in their world and all the naysayers to Jesus’ ministry, Peter boldly proclaimed these words. In response, Jesus gives thanks to his “Father in Heaven” for revealing this to Peter, and then he does something I still find fascinating. Jesus says, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (16:18). On the faith of a man who Jesus will soon call “Satan,” on the faith of a man who will deny Jesus three times in his greatest hour of need, Jesus says he will build his church on such a faith, and 2,000 years later, that church is still here.

You and I are much like Peter. We come to church each week and we proclaim Jesus is the Messiah, and then we quickly deny him, reject his ways and turn from the lifestyle he came to call us into living. Yet, Jesus’ church, the church we love, continues to thrive. We may have our troubles and we make mistakes all the time, but our faith is in Christ, the Rock of the Church, and as long as we focus all we do on Christ, His church will grow.

If you are like me, you have been shocked by the amount of rain that has fallen in the Houston area this week. To help us understand the amount of water that has fallen there, experts tell us that the amount of water that fell could have filled the Lake of the Ozarks twice. One article I read said that the amount of rain that fell there can only be described as biblical proportions. In the midst of this natural disaster, even with our incomplete, rocky faith, the church is called to respond.

We can pray for all those affected. We can donate money. We can donate needed supplies. When the time is right, we can go and serve where needed. As the rains come to an end and the waters recede, like in the days of Noah, the church is now called to leave the safety of its “ark” and go rebuild and offer healing to all.

As I have noted, there are many ways we can help, but one way we can respond immediately is to donate to Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). LDR strives to help the church continue to be church in the midst of disaster — following Christ’s call to bring hope and healing to our neighbor in need. If you can find it in your heart to support this incredible ministry, please go to Salem’s website and click on the article about LDR. Your generosity will once again bring Christ’s healing presence to those in need.

Shalom, Pr. Dave

Tags: Weekly Word