What was it like to be pregnant with the Son of God? Have you ever considered what it was like for Mary? Being a male, I don’t have the privilege or the joy of experiencing pregnancy. Those of you who are mothers have a bond with one another that is greater than anything we males can lay claim to. Carrying life within your own body is an amazing miracle of creation.

Lutherans have seldom, if ever, taken a public position on vaccinations one-way or the other. We are thankful for every valid advancement in modern medicine to prevent and treat terrible diseases and sicknesses. But we tend to see vaccinations as a private matter of Christian liberty, just like everything else pertaining to personal health. Of course, we know all medical tools are imperfect and certainly no substitute for our ultimate hope and confidence in Jesus Christ alone.

In 1815, Napoleon was defeated in the battle of Waterloo. The hero of that battle was the Duke of Wellington. Interesting is that one the duke’s more recent biographers claims to have an advantage over all the other previous biographers. His advantage was that he had found an old account ledger that showed how the duke spent his money. This, says the biographer, was a far better clue to whatthe duke thought was truly important, much more than just reading his letters or his speeches. It is a curious claim.

Do you show animals at your county fair? It would be odd if someone took a lame, unkempt animal to show. Yet this is how we are judged before Almighty God. Left in our sins, we stand before Him as unkempt, filth-ridden, diseased, death-bound human beings. His standards are absolute perfection. Sadly, try as we might, the “best” we can muster will only “show” our imperfections even more.