Tuesday, April 17, 2007
AN OPEN DOOR TO NEW LIFE
Mark 16:4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.
Yesterday we learned that the rolled away stone of Jesus' tomb opens the door to hope. TODAY WE LEARN THAT IT ALSO OPENS THE DOOR TO A NEW LIFE! In other words, the resurrection makes us new and different people. St. Paul explains: "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:4).
Notice that two amazing things happened to us when we were baptized. When we were baptized we were, firstly, brought into Christ's death in a personal way. His death became our death in that our sins were put to death with Him and buried in His grave. When we were baptized we were also brought into His resurrection in a personal way. His resurrection became our resurrection in that we were given the power to live a new and different kind of life!
Later Paul explains in more detail what this new life involves: "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness" (Romans 6:11-12).
Luther expressed these truths in the catechism when he wrote: ". . . the old Adam in us should be drowned by daily contrition and repentance and die with all sins and evil desires . . . that a new Man should daily appear and arise, who lives eternally before god in righteousness and purity."
Baptism connects us to the power of Jesus' resurrection. Baptism opens the door to living a rich and fulfilling life to the glory of our Risen Savior! Let us eagerly step forward each new day into this new life we have been empowered to live! Praise and glory to the One Who died and rose again to give us new and never-ending life!
