What your tongue is for

 ...the forgiving and retaining of sin.

Verse for the week: “The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
² Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.”  Psalm 19.1-2

Prayer for the week: Lord, your law is perfect and pure, and Christ alone is the fulfillment of it. Conform me and your whole church to his image, through the same Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: John 20.19-23  On the day of his resurrection, Jesus walks right in through locked doors to free his disciples from themselves and give them the whole purpose for their tongues.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

 Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you:

For not allowing our fears to lock you out…

For the peace that is ours only in Christ crucified and raised for our forgiveness…

For the given yet not commoditized gift of your Holy Spirit.

My tongue is not for my incendiary use; it is for your purpose: the forgiving and binding of sin. So Lord, keep walking in on me and your whole church and sending us out for your purpose. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mLa0Z2YM4U&ab_channel=AndrewRemillard

What is the “office of the keys”?

It is that authority which Christ gave to his church to forgive the sins of those who repent and to declare to those who do not repent that their sins are not forgiven.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said to his disciples: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20.23

And: “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  Matthew 18.18   (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.