“There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is outside of God’s power and creative work. As the Gospel of John says, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” And again, as St. Paul says in First Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” Following the sacred scriptures, Luther gives full voice to the simple, yet profound fact that everything is a gift— our life, our time, our talents, our family, our goods— everything.”

“…We can recognize that God gives food and drink so that we can have good health and energy for the day. God gives clothing and shoes for our protection and modesty. He gives house and home for shelter, security, and hospitality. He gives family and friends to help us bear one another’s burdens. And he gives land and animals, work and livelihood, for our sustenance, labor, and edification. All this he gives by ordering all of creation— the angels, parents, government, land, weather, etc.— so that it serves and blesses us. God’s good gifts always come to us through means, and the means that he works through for our created good is creation itself….”

“With Ephesians 2:10 also in mind, Luther confesses that we are God’s “workmanship” (Greek: poema), and thus God as the worker is our “poet” and the poet of all creation. The Christian confession of what it means to be human, then, is that I am God’s creature, his creation, his poem. And God has created us humans as bodies and souls, man and woman, in the image of Christ, in order to speak with God and one another.”

“The ear is the organ of the saint, whereas the eye is the organ of the sinner. The eye sows lust and discontent in the heart, but the ear creates faith and thankfulness in the heart, and from these fruit is born according to their kind. But the root of all works, whether evil or good, is in the heart.”

“While we would like to imagine that this sin is only broken in the online world or in the real world by others far away, it also and especially is broken in the church. There is nothing more common and so destructive for a church than gossiping and spreading rumors. Loose lips sink ships and the ark of the church is no exception.”

“There’s no record of what they spoke about, but we do have an important record of the impact of Jesus’ visit. Zacchaeus promises to give half of all his wealth to the poor and all those that he’s defrauded he promises to restore their money four times over. On account of Christ’s visitation Zacchaeus is transformed from a thief, a cheat, and a fraud into a philanthropist. His entirely self-centered orientation is flipped inside out by Christ so that he is oriented toward others with his money and possessions.”

“To collect it all into one sentence, then, marriage is a one-flesh union established by God’s word between one man and one woman for mutual service, joy, procreation, and the nurturing and raising of children.”

The positive element of “help” and “support” is ably demonstrated… also by Romans 12 which also takes up the theme of “offering your body” as a living sacrifice for the sake of the neighbor. This has been memorably put by one theologian as “dying in the most useful way possible for your neighbor.”