I recently had to go to an orthopedist for a shoulder injury incurred when I fell off my bike. Paulette and I couldn’t help but laugh at a sign posted in his waiting room that said, “Unattended children will be given a sweetened espresso coffee and a free puppy!” It was funny in its own right, but it also brought to mind a sweet story told to us by Shirley Reents.

One day Shirley’s daughter came in the house carrying a little kitten with her face beaming. She said, “The Smith’s cat had kittens, and they let me have this one. And it was FREEEE!” God didn’t play fair when he made puppies, kitten, and babies; Shirley and Jack let her keep the kitten. It grew up and had kittens of its own, which they gave away. And they were FREEEE!

Last year in the Discipleship Bible study taught by Charlie Meier we read through the book A New Reformation: From Luther’s World to Ours. We learned that Luther was greatly influenced by his study of the book of Romans. He said, “Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith.” As Lutherans today we believe that we are justified by faith and not by works. That is, God’s grace is a gift and is not something we earn.

Please read Romans 3:24-28 to learn more about how we receive grace through God’s sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for our sins. God’s gift of grace can strongly reminds us of His unconditional love for YOU and me. And it’s FREEEE!

Jim