It is too small a thing that you should just be my servant

to raise up only the tribes of Jacob

and to restore the ones I have preserved in Israel.

Isaiah 49:6

Imagine if Christ had come for the Jews alone. There would be no atonement for Gentiles, no

righteousness, no holiness, no forgiveness, no hope. Imagine how this would change our lives.

Because there would be no grace in Christ, we would have no desire to be gracious to one

another. Because there would be no forgiveness of our sins, we would have no desire to forgive

others. Because there would be no good news, we would only have bad news to share with

others, news of God’s wrath, news of our sin debt, news of our coming damnation.

Ah, but Christ did come to save all, both Jew and Gentile. We hear God’s promise about Jesus

through the Prophet Isaiah: I will appoint you to be a light for the nations, so that my

salvation will be known to the end of the earth. Christ has come to be a light for every

nation, tribe, language, and people. He was born into the Jews but lived and died for all people.

This was the will of the Father and the mission of Jesus.

What joy this brings to us. The God of all creation, from all eternity, had our individual salvation

in mind. He not only sent His Son into this world, but He worked out all the details that were

necessary for us to come to grace. For some, that would come from generation after generation

of faithful believers continuing in His word. For some, that would come through the sending of

family or friends or even strangers to share His word. God would have none of us die eternally

and be forever separated from His grace.

Now, for a brief moment, consider where we started our devotion. Did it make you

uncomfortable to consider what your life would be if Christ had only come for the people of

Judea? Did you shudder at the thought of life with no atonement, no righteousness, no holiness,

no forgiveness, no hope? Consider then that this is the state of the people of this world. They

have been born outside of the nation of God, outside of His family, outside of His grace. Ignorant

and unaware of what lies ahead of them, it is our calling to share Christ with them. It is our

privilege to call them into His family. Let us join in building the enduring Kingdom of our God one

lost heart at a time.

Blessings as you serve in His mission field,

Frank Van Brocklin

Principal/Staff Minister

Coming up this week at Immanuel Lutheran School:

❖ Friday, January 13 AR Ice Skating Field Trip

❖ Monday, January 16 No School - MLK Day