But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:33-34)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

Sola Scriptura…Sola Fide…Sola Gratia…Sola Christus…Sola Dei Gloria.

Word alone…Faith alone…Grace alone…Christ alone…to the glory of God alone.

The five ‘solas’ – the pillars of the Reformation – the petals of the Luther Rose – the battle cry of the 16^th century. They are more than slogans. They are a synopsis of this amazing life of faith God has given us.

God has blessed you with the Holy Scriptures – the stories of the generations that came before us. We are given His stories of interaction and involvement in the world and in the lives of His (often times flawed) people. He blesses us with their songs, His wisdom, their letters, and the proclamation of His Son.

God has blessed you with the gift of faith. He puts His faith within us through the power of the Holy Spirit, making us able to trust Him with our whole heart. “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1) By this gift of faith, we are made right with God. God turns sinners into saints.

God has blessed you with His amazing grace. “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14) You are forgiven. You are freed from the bounds of sin and let loose into the world as God’s child.

God has blessed you with the gift of His one and only Son. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God sent His Son into this broken world in order to give it life. God let His Son be killed in order to make this broken world whole. God gave His Son for you.

All this is to the glory of God. We are responsible for none of it, but undeserving recipients of God’s generous blessing and power. God has given and continues to give you blessing upon blessing. To Him be the glory forever and ever.

The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the crucified and risen Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

…they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Romans 3::24)