… so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  

Isaiah 55:11

Our churches teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God [John 1:14], assumed the human nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary  (AC III).

When Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg in 1517, he started a reformation that had far reaching ramifications. Historians and commentators have highlighted the many political, educational, and social changes that took place in and around the reformation. New technologies such as the Gutenberg Press enabled the work of Luther and early reformers to be spread quickly and effectively.  (Just imagine Luther with a laptop and the internet!)

What may be overlooked or diminished is that always at the heart of the reformation was the work of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross that all people may be saved. The primary work of the reformation was the proclamation of the Gospel so people might repent of their sins, receive the forgiveness of sins, then the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8).

Isaiah exhorts God’s people to seek the Lord while he may be found.  Today many people speak of being spiritual but not religious, or some variation on that theme. We hear it from movie and music stars, and this may be mimicked by your friends and family also. It suggests a keen desire to chart one’s own course, but to have a mystical someone or something to fall back on if things get difficult.

Against worldly thinking, Isaiah sounds a clear warning, ‘seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near’ (Isaiah 55:6). The living Word is incarnate through the person of Jesus Christ.  We have ready access to Jesus through His Word and through the sacraments. In baptism we are joined with Jesus into the one true and apostolic church, the family of God. Through Holy Communion we receive the true body and blood of Jesus which we carry into the lives of our family and friends.  This is our faithful witness.