A new take on clothing tags, and wisdom from the pen of Luther

Take a look at the photo below, and tell me what you see:


If you said "clothing tags," take a look again! Those, my friend, are art supplies! And I need more of them. So as you purchase clothing for the change of seasons, for yourself or other family members, collect up those little promotional tags attached to the price tags and send them my way. I'm also in need of Scrabble pieces, by the way, so you can send those as well. (If you're one of the few people who read this blog who don't know how to contact me, leave a comment with your e-mail address and I'll send you my address!)

So enough with the craftsy stuff. Onto more serious topics:

Last week, as Steven and I met for Bible Study (via telephone) with our World Harvest friend and mentor, Meredith Elder, I mentioned to him how frustrated I get with myself over my sin. My trouble, Meredith said, is that I expect myself to be different than I actually am. I expect myself not to sin, because I don't really realize just how pervasive the sin nature is. And, hence, I don't grasp at all the pervasiveness of God's forgiveness and love toward me. I have the same ailment as a friend of Martin Luther, to whom he wrote the following in a letter:

" ... my faithful request and admonition is that you join our company and associate with us, who are real, great and hard-boiled sinners.

You must by no means make Christ to seem paltry and trifling to us, as though He could be our Helper only when we want to be rid from imaginary, nominal and childish sins. No, no! That would not be good for us.

He must rather be a saviour and Redeemer from real, great, grievous and damnable transgressions and iniquities, yea, from the very greatest and most shocking sins; to be brief, from all sins added together in a grand total....

[Luther, quoting another]
Aha! you want to be a painted sinner and, accordingly, expect to have in Christ a painted Savior. You will have to get used to the belief that Christ is a real Savior and you a real sinner. For God is neither jesting nor dealing in imaginary affairs, but He was greatly and most assuredly in earnest when He sent His own Son into the world and sacrificed Him for our sakes."

O, that I might know more fully both the depth of my need and the depth of his love. May I kneel in awe and wonder at this very Real Jesus, who lived, died and reigns for this very Real Sinner.