As a parent of four children of color, I feel I must comment on Barack Obama's historic victory yesterday. Forty years ago, George Wallace was a third party candidate who ran on a segregationist platform: "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever," he once said. And he actually won 5 states, receiving 46 electoral votes. Now, 40 years later, America has elected an African American as it's next president. Conservative and Liberal politics aside, I am amazed at how far our nation has progressed in my lifetime. And as a parent of four Ethiopian-born children, it is a joy to be able to concretely show them that in America, skin color doesn't disqualify you from anything -- even the highest office in the land. As John McCain said in his eloquent concession speech: "we have come a long way from the injustices that once stained our nations reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of citizenship." God bless America as we seek to emerge from these challenging times and allow those struggling now to once again share in this nation's many rich blessings.
Forgive ... Forgiven
Today, we finish our brief series on forgiveness from the Large Catechism. And our focus today is the practical application of forgiveness. There are two important parts of forgiveness. One is the forgiveness we receive from God. The other is the forgiveness we receive from our neighbors. And both are essential to our faith and life in the community. When people come to me with a guilty conscience, I ask them if they would like a word of absolution. Sometimes, though, I can see that before they are forgiven by God, they need to seek forgiveness from their spouse, child, parent, neighbor, or friend. Other times, they have been forgiven by the person they’ve wronged, but they cannot forgive themselves. Other times, still, they have offered the sincerest apology they can and have not been forgiven. And a strong word of forgiveness from God is needed – and we pray that the one they have wronged will forgive them in time. S...
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