Hebrews 11:13  “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

Who am I, Lord?

The world we live in tells me that my identity is my most valuable possession 

That I can be whoever I want to be

That who I am determines my destiny

That I can have whatever I want, be whoever I want, and do whatever I want with no consequences or ill effects

That anyone who warns me is just being hateful and ignorant, and the greatest tragedy imaginable is me not laying hold of everything the world offers

But even in the saying of it, it all rings hollow

People are born into this life, they spend their days grasping at the sand running down all around them, and they slip into eternity empty-handed and desperate

For it is the wrong question we have been asking all along.

Who are You, Lord?

By faith we see Your holiness, and it is more precious than gold

You are the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

Your salvation was foreknown before the foundation of the world

Your Word remains forever, though the grass withers and the flower falls

There is none who can say to You, “What have you done?”

It is by Your wounds that we have been healed

And You will surely bring all things to Your righteous judgment

With honor and holy fear we will bear the name of Elect Exile, for in You we lack no good thing

Teach us to live as people who are free, longing for Your Kingdom to come. Amen