I have always been "church people"

I was born into the church. I was baptized as a month old infant. My parents were always very involved with all things church. I'm a good Lutheran through and through. Well, pretty much.

So, when people start asking me questions like -- When were you saved? When did you receive Christ as your Lord and Savior? and others like that -- I am always honest and open. I was baptized as a Child of God as an infant, I fully understood and accepted that as an "Affirmation of my Baptism" in 8th grade.

But it goes way beyond that. I am doing sermon prep for next Sunday. When Pastor is away on business or vacation and there is not a supply Pastor who can easily step in, I am called on to lead the service. It is something I enjoy doing and lets me conquer some challenges and learn a little more about scripture in the process.

So, while looking through one of the readings for next Sunday, Titus 3:1-8, I was reading the side questions that went with the verses. "What were you like before God showed you his mercy?" Hmm... interesting thought. I believe God has always showed me mercy. I believe as a child of God, I have always had that infinite grace. Then I scratch the surface of the question and whole worlds open up.

We all have times in our lives where we have been "less than perfect." We all have some moments of our lives that really are not things we enjoy talking about. They may not be skeletons in the closet stuff but they are still parts of our lives that we really want to keep in storage, not visible to the human eye.

I think coming out of the dark times of our lives is definitely when God shows us mercy. We are shown that even in those ugly times, God is still there and still loving us -- eventhough we don't really want that love.

We are to "slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all people." (Titus 3:2)Those are tough words but they are so easy. My junior year in college, I was coming from one of those dark places. I tested the waters alot my sophomore year and found many raging currents that I never want to go back to. So coming into my junior year I reclaimed what I knew to be God's love. I started going to church / chapel again. I held down a job. I passed all my classes. These should have all been little things but they were so much more. During that time, I realized who I wanted to be and who I wanted to leave in the past. I graciously accepted God's loving arms where I found safety.

I don't know if any of this will make it into next weeks sermon, but it definitely found a place in my soul today.

AMEN