The Only Resolution that Matters
Some people make New Years resolutions. They touch upon a variety of subjects but many revolve around a persons’ physical life. Sometimes they might touch upon the spiritual realm of life. The simple truth is that many times we fail to keep our New Years resolutions!
Recall for a moment the words from Joshua 24:15ff. “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice.” Those are commitments which were made but not kept. They were resolutions that failed.
We have the same failed resolutions before us when we look at people who are no longer living by the vows which they took on the day of their confirmation. Confirmation is a continuum of one’s baptism. Hear the questions being answered by the confirmand. “Do you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully?” “Do you intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to death? “Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?’
Where one is no longer living according to those vows, that person needs to be called to repentance. When repentance is made, absolution will come from Christ Jesus through the voice of the called Pastor. What a blessing that is!
Let us recall for a moment God’s resolutions. First to Adam and Eve: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15. Christ Jesus would come to crush and defeat Satan through His perfect completion of all of God’s resolutions, to the point of death itself, even death on the cross.
The separation between God and mankind has been “resolved” through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. It was said of Jesus: “And it came about, when the days were approaching for His ascension, that He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51. Nothing could keep Jesus from His gracious and merciful work of redemption on behalf of all mankind. Salvation is an accomplished reality. It is God’s resolution to deal with our sin and its guilt that really matters; for through His work we are forgiven and freed to serve our neighbor through our good works.
As we resolutely come to the “Divine Service,” God brings us His gifts, most especially the forgiveness of all of our sins. We are sent forth from the Divine Service to “resolutely” love our neighbor as our self, and to communicate to them God’s wonderful accomplished work of redemption in His Son Jesus Christ.
