Debt is not automatically sinful, nor is being debt-free a badge of righteousness. Scripture speaks with truth and mercy. Borrowing can serve love and vocation, yet it can also quietly bind us. This week, we consider when debt is wise, when it becomes slavery, and how Christian households can walk in honesty, responsibility, and hope.

Ash Wednesday is not merely about dust. It is about dust claimed by God. It is about sinners marked not only with ashes but with the cross. The same forehead that hears, “Remember that you are dust,” was once washed with water and the Word. In Holy Baptism, you were buried with Christ and raised with Him. The ashes do not erase that. They intensify it.

Thesis 9: “To say that works without Christ are indeed dead but not mortal sins seems a perilous rejection of the fear of God.”

Thesis 10: “Indeed, it is very difficult to see how a work can be dead and at the same time not a culpable, or mortal sin.”

Thesis 11: “Arrogance cannot be avoided nor can true hope be present, unless the judgment of damnation is feared in every work.”

Thesis 12: “As a consequence, in the sight of God sins are truly venial when human beings fear them as mortal.”

The blind man did not analyze mercy; he received it. He cried for it and received it. So also here. At the altar, mercy is distributed in the most concrete way possible. At the altar, sinners who confess, “Have mercy on me,” are given Christ. Sins are forgiven. Faith is strengthened. Eyes are opened again and again. And this changes you.

If the tree is bad, fruit inspection will not save it. The tree must be made new. Christ does not merely trim branches. He dies. He rises. He gives His Spirit. He creates a new heart.

The parable of the workers in the vineyard pokes right at our instinct for comparison and grievance. Christ doesn’t train us to negotiate God’s generosity—He teaches us to receive it, and then to live out that same generosity toward our neighbor.

Now the good soil. Jesus does not define it by natural aptitude, as though some people are born spiritually receptive. He defines it by what happens to the Gospel: “hearing the word, hold it fast” (Luke 8:15). They keep Christ. They keep the Gospel. They do not move on from it. They do not treat it as the starter course before “deeper things.” The deeper thing is always the same: Christ for you. Christ crucified for you. Christ risen for you. Christ preached into you. They hold Him fast when they feel strong and when they feel weak, when life is calm and when it is chaotic. And they bear fruit with patience.

Thesis 7: “The works of the righteous would be mortal sins were they not feared as mortal sins by the righteous themselves out of pious fear of God.”

Thesis 8: “All the more are human works mortal sins when they are done without fear and in unadulterated, evil self-security.”

The greatness of God hides itself here—under weakness, humility, and need. This is not a strategy for influence. This is a theology of the cross. Christ prepares us for this truth by stripping away our illusions. It reminds us that the kingdom of God is not built by human excellence or sustained by spiritual achievement. It is given. Freely. To the unworthy. 

“Do not steal” reaches further than obvious crimes. God protects your neighbor not only from robbery, but also from the quiet, respectable ways we can take—through dishonesty, carelessness, or taking advantage. And Christ frees us to live differently: with clean hands, open hearts, and practical love.

Real renewal will not come by whipping the workers harder. Real renewal will not come with “butts in the pew” or “capital campaigns.” Real renewal is throwing wage-thinking into the fire and letting the whole parish live from gift-thinking. Everything good in this place comes from what Christ hands out. The Church is not built by spiritual overtime. The Church is built by Christ giving himself—again and again—in Word and Sacrament.

Thesis 5: “The works of human beings—we speak of works which appear to be good—are thus not mortal sins as if they were crimes.”

Thesis 6: “The works of God—we speak of those that are done through human beings—are thus not merits as if they were sinless.”

Nazareth couldn’t handle Jesus—not because He was flashy, but because He was too close: “just the carpenter.” That’s the old sin in us too: we want a manageable God, not a Lord who calls us to repent. Romans 2 cuts through our excuses—“God shows no partiality” (Romans 2:11)—and exposes our habit of judging others to dodge our own guilt. The good news: the righteousness God demands is the righteousness God gives in Christ. Stop treating Jesus like background noise. Receive Him where He actually gives Himself—His Word, forgiveness, and gifts—and live as an adopted heir, not a self-justifying critic.

Prices aren’t a judgment on your worth, and they aren’t an excuse for greed. They’re one of the ordinary ways God lets people coordinate life in a world with limits—so needs get met, work gets rewarded, and neighbors can deal with one another honestly.

The Transfiguration teaches you how to be in church. It teaches you what to expect: not entertainment, not novelty, not spiritual fireworks—but Christ, hidden and given. It teaches you what to fear: not long readings, not a slow sermon—but ignoring the Son. It teaches you what to desire: not the pastor’s charm, not the congregation’s warmth, not a fog machine of “experience”—but the clear, saving voice of Jesus.

Thesis 3: “Although the works of human beings always seem attractive and good, it is nevertheless probable that they are mortal sins.”

Thesis 4: “Although the works of God always seem unattractive and evil, they are nevertheless really immortal merits.”

When Scripture speaks about “calling,” it usually doesn’t mean chasing the perfect job or discovering a hidden destiny. It means something steadier and better: God places you where neighbors can be loved—through ordinary work, daily responsibilities, and quiet faithfulness.

Today, Christ is revealed as the Messiah for sinners. Today, He speaks. Today, He gives His Spirit through the Gospel. Today, He puts His favor on you. Today, in your hearing, He is doing what He promised: forgiving, freeing, opening eyes, lifting the poor, strengthening the weak, sustaining the bruised.

From empty jars to an overflowing cup. That is not your doing. That is His. He did it at Cana. He promised it through Amos. He delivers it here. “In this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast,” Isaiah says. Today, that mountain is right here at this altar. Today that feast is for you. And for Hudson. And for all who have no wine and dare to say it to Jesus.

Thesis 1: “The Law of God, which is the most beneficial doctrine of life, is not able to advance man toward righteousness but rather stands against him.”

Thesis 2: “Much less could the work of men, that is to say even works which are done over and over again with the help of natural law, move someone toward righteousness.”