A WORD FOR TODAY, October 30, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, October 30, 2025
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love, having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved. In him we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him. We were also assigned an inheritance in him, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will, to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ. In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation - in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:3-14, WEB
We have been remodeling our home. We had plans to make a new, more comfortable and private room for guests, but our son temporarily returned home, so our plans were put on hold. He flew the coop a few weeks ago, so have made the planned changes. We painted the room, bought new curtains, picked up new art for the walls and linens for the bed. I also had the carpet cleaned professionally.
We have the same company come each year to do the house, refreshen the living and dining room. They do a great job, are affordable, and it saves me from doing the hard work. I have a small home carpet cleaner for smaller jobs, but I confess I’d much rather have them do it. I needed the new room ready so we could move the bed, then I could do the whole floor in the old room without obstacles. My plan was to have them clean one end of our house (four rooms) and I would do the other end, which included the master bedroom and the old guest room. I knew it would be hard work, but I also knew I could do it.
As it turned out, it took more than twice the time to do less than half the work, and it wasn’t quite as good as the professional did on the rest of the house. My equipment works, but it is smaller and less convenient. The professional cleaner is connected by hoses to water and catch basins for the dirty water. I had to refill my clean water and empty the dirty water a dozen times. I used good soap, but I’m sure it was not quite as good as the professional products. Also, my cleaner is only about a foot wide, about half the size of the professional. The rooms are clean, but I am sure they would have been better if I’d had them done by the professional.
During the four hours it took to clean two rooms, I thought about the times when we really can use the help of others, especially professionals who know how to do the work quicker and better. How often do people try to fix plumbing only to discover a bigger problem they can’t solve? Or try to paint difficult walls, leaving behind spots or drips that make the walls look poorly done. Unfortunately, poor craftsmanship by an amateur can make the job bigger and more expensive. In the end, it is often cheaper and better to just call the professional.
This is true of matters of faith, too. I had a friend who once thought that she had to make herself “right” before she could go to church. “I’m not good enough, yet, and I come when I am.” She was trying to do the work herself, but like my self-cleaned carpets, she would never be good enough. She doesn’t have the right “equipment” because she was relying on her own righteousness, which is filthy as rags. We learn in Isaiah, “For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6) And Paul reminds us that we can’t be justified by the Law, only Jesus is able to make us right with God. (Romans 3) We have to let Jesus do the work for us, and that happens when we gather together with other sinners in worship and grace. Yes, that happens at church.
We meet Jesus through the Word preached and the Sacraments, in the fellowship of the saints. We learn about Jesus in Bible study with other believers and see Him in the faces we serve. He transforms us by His Spirit, giving us everything we need to become the people He is calling us to be. We can’t do it on our own. We need the “professional.” We need Jesus to make us right with God, to make us “clean enough” to stand in His presence. We need the “equipment” of Jesus to be made new. It is through His grace in Baptism that we have faith, that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, that we inherit our place in God’s Kingdom, adopted by our Father to glorify Him now and forever.
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