This morning in the Treasury of Daily Prayer, we were blessed with a writing from Walther that says, "Today, the cross is still a terror-but only to hell. It shines upon its ruins as a sign of victory over sin, death, and Satan. With a crushed head, the serpent of temptation lies at the foot of the cross. It is a picture of eternal comfort upon which the dimming eye of the dying longingly looks, the last anchor of his hope and the only light that shines in the darkness of death."

 Isn't this great. The cross is not a sign of terror or threat for us, but rather the anchor of our hope. Why? Well, because on that cursed tree Jesus claimed every single one of our sins. There isn't a sin that Jesus didn't pay for on the cross for us. There isn't one transgression that Jesus didn't drown in His blood that flowed from every stripe of His passion. There isn't one failure that Jesus didn't assume as His very own and pay for under the wrath of His Father for us there on Calvary's Cross. This is the Gospel. This is what Church is all about and why the Holy Spirit gathers you with your fellow saints every Sunday, Wednesday, or whatever day of the week it is. Jesus paid for your salvation in full, and your salvation is sealed in His blood for all eternity. May this comfort you, matter what you are going through, be it spiritual struggle or temporal anxiety. May the comfort of the cross assure you that Jesus loves you and will never leave you nor forsake you. 

Peace be with you. May the devil be silenced, the world be hushed, and the Old Adam be drowned anew so that you hear only the peaceful voice of your Savior Jesus who says, "I forgive you. I love you. I claim you as My own forever," Amen.

Jesus' Sheepdog,

Pastor Hull