Week of June 3, 2002
Pastor Dan

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."
Matthew 7: 21

This particular verse has haunted me and lingered in my prayers for an entire week! Does it mean that verbal witness to the faith is not really necessary? They'll know we are Christians by our love. Does it mean that those who think they've got this Christian life thing down pat shouldn't be so presumptuous? Does it mean that there might be folks out there who are kind of quiet and not often present in the life of the church who may be more committed than we think? Theologians call them "anonymous Christians."

Beyond the deeper questions, what troubles me about the verse is this whole matter of the relationship between word and deed. Does Dan Whitener "walk the talk?" Do I make promises to the Lord and others that I fail to keep? Does my deficient faith at times lead me to chicken out when it comes to doing the will of God?

Scathing statements like the aforesaid one from Matthew lead us to confession of sin. God who is gracious and merciful invites us to confess our loose and raveled connections between word and deed, inner motivation and outward commitment. In the moment of confession, God forgives us our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. -- that includes all our false, empty, and unkept promises.

Lord, give us the courage and strength today to wed confident faith with committed action. Help us to mean what we say in your name and to live out the meaning and application of what we say in the concreteness of our lives. Amen

Contributed by Pastor Dan
Published Monday June 3, 2002
Week 27 of Liturgical Year A