Psalm 118, and "Salvation"

This is often the appointed psalm for Easter Sunday, and it was a psalm at Laura's and my wedding. It always fills me with joy. 

I've been thinking a lot this week about how God is our "salvation." In last Sunday's Gospel, Jesus tells the Samaritan Leper, "your faith has saved you." Yesterday at our Bishop's Leadership Retreat, Dr. Tim Wengert encouraged preachers to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation by making a special effort every Sunday, for a whole year, to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ--that only God saves us, and no effort on our own part can participate in, contribute to, or complement that salvation. Only God saves. Even trying to come up with a good "response" to that salvation, that pure gift of God, starts to shift our focus onto ourselves, which will ultimately disappoint us. Yes, faith does produce good fruit--works of healing and justice, lives that look like Jesus' life--but not because we made a decision or took control. Rather, it's because we really heard and believed the truth, that we are captive to sin, cannot free ourselves, but God saves us anyway. That's our starting point and finish line. God saves. Only God saves. 

God, thank you, now and always, for saving me. Amen.