Holy Week with the Apostolic Fathers

"O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation! that the wickedness of many should be hid in a single righteous One, and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors!"
-The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus 130 AD

Holy Week with the Apostolic Fathers

"Let us then continually persevere in our hope, and the earnest of our righteousness, which is Jesus Christ, 'who bore our sins in His own body on a tree,' 'who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth,' but endured all things for us, that we might live in Him."
-The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians 110-140 AD

Holy Week with the Apostolic Fathers

"How the one love of God, through exceeding regard for men, did not regard us with hatred, nor thrust us away, nor remember our iniquity against us, but showed great long-suffering, and bore with us, He Himself took on Him the burden of our iniquities, He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One for transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible, the immortal One for them that are mortal.  For what thing was capable of covering our sins than His righteousness?  By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son of God. 
-The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus 130 AD

Holy Week with the Apostolic Fathers

"Let us look stedfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God, which, having been shed for our salvation, has set the grace of repentance before the world"
-The First Epistle of Clement 90 AD

oh rick...

once again he beats me to the punch...
http://www.ocregister.com/news/church-237227-easter-saddleback.html

Enjoy The Weather

Yesterday I came across this cool quote from Luther concerning the beauty of God's creation.  He writes that creation is:

our Bible in the fullest sense, this our house, home, field, garden, and all things, where God does not only preach by using his wonderful works, but also taps on our eyes, stirs up our senses, and enlightens our heart at the same time...  Learn to strengthen your belief in the resurrection of the dead by means of the work that God exercises daily toward his creatures through his omnipotence.
-Sermon of May 25, 1544 on 1 Cor. 15:66

I thought this was an inspiring sentiment to reflect on as the sun finally begins to poke through the winter sky!

Luther Quote!

Here's an awesome snipped from Luther that I came across in Walther's "Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel." Luther writes:

Thou, my Lord Jesus art my Righteousness; I am Thy sin. Thou hast taken from what is mine and hast given me what is Thine. Thou didst become what Thou wert not and madest me to be what I was not. Beware of your ceaseless striving after a righteousness so great that you no longer appear as a sinner in your own eye and do not want to be a sinner. For Christ dwells only in sinners. He came down from heaven, where He dwelt in the righteous, for the very purpose of dwelling in sinners also. Ponder this love of His, and you will realize His sweetest consolation.
-Martin Luther's Letter to Spalatin

Peace,
Shawn