27 December 2010

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

The church does not make itself church.  The disciples do not make themselves disciples.  Ministers do not make themselves ministers.  They are all given to be what they are from the Alpha Christ by the Omega of His forgiveness, surely delivered by the called ministers of Holy Absolution with the words given them to speak by the Lord Jesus.  -- Dr. Norman Nagel, CJ July 1988, p. 287.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

If Christ is both the Alpha and Omega
then forgiveness earned on the cross
of Calvary is always available to
the repentant. I do not follow Dr.
Nagel's sentence about this process.

William Weedon said...

Always available and always DELIVERED concretely by those whom Christ has put there for its delivery. Forgiveness not as an idea, but as a real gift, really delivered, "daily and richly" into our lives through His Word and Sacraments.