LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 94

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We’ve become so adept at it we find ourselves alone even when we
are surrounded by crowds. No one understands. No one cares. If
I don’t watch out for myself, no one will.
We’ve mastered the pathetic art of life alone.
Something in our nature cries out for more than this. We feel the
emptiness and try to fill it in various ways. But so often, attempts
to fix our loneliness simply show how broken we are. We fill time
with endless busyness hoping to distract ourselves from the feeling
of abandonment. We crave meaningful relationships and community. Sometimes we make a good effort. But often we settle for
casual, superficial relationships. We speak of acquaintances as if
they were friends. We confuse mere contact with another person
with something more substantial. How many of us do not know
our neighbors, even their names? And in our churches, we may see
familiar faces but have no real knowledge of the person—no true
relationship. Have we settled for the illusion of companionship
when we really are alone?
Or perhaps we substitute virtual relationships for the real thing.
Now I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon that smugly derides
relationships made or maintained through technology or social
media. Relationships—even meaningful ones—can be mediated
by technology just as there can be relationships between pen pals
or connections maintained and strengthened by telephone. But an
online “friend request” is not, by itself, a relationship. It may not
even be an acquaintance! Have we allowed the number of people
willing to click a simple link to be an indicator of self-worth? By
themselves, such things do not satisfy our need for community.
Alone, we’ll do anything to avoid this truth. We’ll even lie to ourselves to dull the isolation.

Christ Restores Koinonia
God is not satisfied. He knows that, left to ourselves, we would
continue to isolate ourselves and wallow in loneliness and despair.
When someone is truly cut off, the only way to reach him is to go
to him. You cannot wait for him to come to you—you have to seek
him out. God does not wait for us to climb to Him. That could
never happen. He comes to us. Romans 5:6–10 says:
While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the
ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—
though perhaps for a good person [that is—someone who
has been good to you—a benefactor] one would dare even
to die. But God shows His love for us in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now
been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by
Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much
more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.
God deals with our self-chosen isolation by coming to us—to the
unlovable. The Son of God became human to reach those who did
not and could not seek Him. He came for those who actively opposed Him. He came to people who made themselves His enemies.
That’s who He wants—that’s all there is! He comes for sinners and,
by His holy life and sacrificial death, justifies them and reconciles
them to God. Our crucified, risen Lord declares life together with
God once more.
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2 0 1 3 C o n v e n t io n P r o c e e d i n g s

Ephesians 2:12–19 further describes how Jesus Christ deals with
us—seeking to restore the relationship that we have broken. Writing
to Gentiles who were feeling isolated from the Jews, Paul backs up
to first deal with the real problem:
Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ,
alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to
the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God
in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far
off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He
Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has
broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by
abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances,
that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the
two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God
in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
And He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both
have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no
longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with
the saints and members of the household of God.
Life together isn’t just about God and me. That’s wonderful, but
God, who is Love, does even more. His reconciliation forges horizontal relationships. It can heal and overcome divisions caused
by sin. He unites us with one another.
Christ Jesus redeemed us and reconciles us with the Father. He
covers us in His righteousness, as Galatians 3:27 says: “As many
of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
When God looks upon us, He sees Christ and His holiness. He
sees us as His own children. Knowing myself, it’s hard to believe,
but He sees Christ and tells me that His verdict stands. He sees
Christ when He looks at you. He sees Christ when He looks at all
the baptized.
Colossians 2:12 reminds us that “having been buried with Him
in baptism … you were also raised with Him through faith in the
powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” We
died in our Baptism and, as we return to our Baptism each day, we
die again with Christ, and daily that new creation rises.
We rise not only forgiven but alive and with restored relationships.
We step into the water as isolated individuals; we rise reborn into
God’s family. That family is not one child and God but is a multitude of His people. We rise from the water as the Church—the
Body of Christ—placed by God into life together.
In mercy, God established Baptism in such a way that it is readily
accessible. Baptism requires only water, the Word, and people. I’ve
been called to bring Baptism to frail infants in neonatal intensivecare units. I’ve seen adults who have little hope of leaving the hospital
baptized in their beds. God worked as He promised, and these
brothers and sisters, clothed with Christ, are our family in Christ.
Yet there is a reason why, in the life of the Church, we baptize in the
presence of the saints whenever possible. I have had adult converts
request private Baptism, feeling embarrassed that they had not
been baptized when they were younger. Their church wants to be
part of their Baptism and rejoice with them. I’ve spoken to parents
seeking private Baptism with just their family in attendance. Their
whole family wants to be involved—their family in Christ.
C o n v e n t io n E s s ays