Everyone Means Everyone
This is the message I preached on Sunday, March 10 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was Romans 10:8b-13 . In the reading from Romans, God is the ultimate, enamored lover-who draws us to God’s self with grace before we were ever aware of God. Love and grace are lavished upon us, God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves—that is, making us right with God. Jesus restores broken relationships with the Father. Today the Apostle Paul invites us to engage our entire being—body and soul in response to God’s action. God’s word is on our lips and in our hearts. This word is not for us alone, but for everyone. On top of that, God’s word is chock full of promises: the word is near you, you will be saved, no one who believes on Christ will be disappointed, there is no distinction, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Everyone. Israel is reassured that God’s covenant was not remote in Deuteronomy 30:14. In Christ, God is faithf...