Pastor's Corner
Rev. Dr. Edward Grimenstein
Our Refuge & Strength
“. . . Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ, and saying: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Confession and Absolution, Divine Service IV
The recent war between Hamas and Israel was a shocking surprise for many. As the invasion passed and the stories of Israelites were told, horrible details came to light of how Hamas treated them. One thing I found particularly shocking is that the Israelis would hide in shelters which are designed to be a refuge for them from rocket and mortar attacks which, sadly, are frequent. Many Israelites ran to these shelters seeking refuge from the invasion. But Hamas knew this. In some cases, Hamas would set these bomb shelters on fire, other times fighters would toss grenades inside, in other cases they would indiscriminately shoot the people seeking refuge inside these bomb shelters. These concrete refuges supposed to be “safe spaces,” ended up being a concrete tomb for the people inside.
When life or death comes at us, we seek shelter, a place of refuge where we will be safe. But it doesn’t matter sometimes, does it? Sometimes it seems like no matter what we do, there is no safe refuge that we can build with our human hands. Bomb shelters in Israel failed to keep the people safe. Even less dramatic refuges we seek can also fail. If you are caught in a sudden downpour of rain outside only to seek refuge under an awning, the awning might have holes that still let the water drip on you. If a blizzard suddenly hits, people could take refuge in a house seeking comfort, only to find the house has no electricity. No electricity means no heat. We can seek all kinds of refuges in this world from all kinds of threats. But for us Christians only one refuge is eternal, and always standing; the refuge we find in the forgiveness of our sins.
When the weight of our sin weighs us down, when the devil himself attacks us with guilt, or when our sinful nature is pestering us yet again, where do we go for refuge? Concrete bunkers? Awnings? Warm houses? Of course not! We go to our Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone we, “take refuge in the infinite mercy of God, our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ.” And there in Christ, we are safe, we truly are safe, and no one and no thing can touch us! During this month when our attention often turns to those things to be thankful for, I pray we are thankful every single day for the safe refuge we each have in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
