On April 8, 1521 (it was a Monday), a German monk by the name of Martin Luther stood before the most powerful man in the world, the Holy Roman Emperor, and played a game of theological chess. It was possibly not the wisest thing to do since he was putting his life on the line. It was like a pawn, all on its own, trying to beat the king!

“Here I stand, I can do no other”, he said.

On that day Luther stood against the wisdom of the world (which was basically the same as the wisdom of the church at that time), a wisdom that said eternal salvation came from God’s grace plus just a little bit of human effort (like choosing Jesus, or being kind, or showing love). Luther’s stand sounds brave, but I think he literally meant what he said: he could do no other. It wasn’t a choice. He was held captive by another kind of wisdom: God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom that told Luther salvation came from God’s grace alone. Nothing else added. God’s grace alone. This was a wisdom that didn’t make sense to human wisdom (surely we can do something?) But, Luther knew there was no other way.

O, that we might be held captive by that same wisdom.

~ Pastor John Strelan

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Matthew 22:21 “Well then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.”

You may not think about it, but we make decisions all the time throughout the whole day. For example when you drive a car, just arriving at your destination safely requires you to make a multitude of decisions as you drive.

Now some decisions we make in life are quite small, like what will I do this weekend? Some decisions are quite large and possibly stressful. For example, if it relates to the likes of finances or your future, a lot could be riding on what you decide.

There are many things that can influence our decision making and there are times it can be difficult if you decide to stand against the tide. It can appear much easier just to swim with the tide.

~ Colin Archibald (Lay Reader)

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Aren’t weddings wonderful? They are an important time for the bride and groom to make a public declaration of their love and commitment to each other. They are also a time to create lasting memories.

Weddings can bring out the best and also the worst in people. Unfortunately, many of us have experienced wedding disasters or faux pas, and not just the bridegroom forgetting the wedding rings.

Have you ever experienced a situation when invited guests have not bothered or refused to attend a wedding feast? In today’s Gospel, a king had planned an A-lister event to celebrate his son’s wedding and still none of those invited turned up. The king then opens the invitation up to everyone his servants could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

This parable shows the immense generosity of the king, of our heavenly Father. Even the rejection of His offer does not stop the Father from sending out His invitation again and again. We can all rejoice in receiving His good gifts of forgiveness, and life, and salvation.

~ Malcolm Haynes (Lay Reader)

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