Good morning: In our country’s infancy Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” He was right. Nothing on earth is certain. A skyscraper which has stood for decades is destroyed in seconds by an earthquake. Tomorrow’s forecast may predict a 100% chance of sunshine. Yet the reality could be clouds and rain. The reliable car which has never failed you may suddenly grind to a stop on the freeway. Even people who can always be counted on no matter what may let you down. The disciple Peter was once absolutely sure of himself. He told Jesus he would never ever deny him. “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (Matt. 26:33). We know what happened. Peter did deny the Lord and learned a lesson on humility. We too have nothing to boast about. We haven’t been reliable followers of Jesus. What we can be sure of is that we daily sin against the Lord more times than we know. However, what we can also be sure of is God’s unchanging mercy. We don’t have to wonder whether God loves us today or whether he will still love us tomorrow. There is no question about who Jesus is or what he accomplished by his death on the cross. He paid for sins once and for all. There is no doubt that he rose from the grave on Easter. These are all sure things today, and will be for the rest of our lives and for as long as the world stands. “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39). There is a lot that is unsure about today. We don’t know what lies ahead. But we can be sure of one thing: The Savior who died for us now lives to bless us with his love. And that is all that matters. Be sure! In Christ, Pastor Our service tomorrow is at 9 a.m. Holy Communion will be celebrated. Sunday school and adult Bible class are at 10:15 a.m. The Bible class will be looking more closely at what the Lord means when he calls himself the Good Shepherd.
