The point Luther made, again and again, was that distance between God and sinners is collapsed when the crucified Christ himself comes to sinners through a preacher.
The promise here is that God is present with us in our troubles, issuing commands to save us before we ask. God does not ignore our suffering and cries.
It is precisely from the cross that the glory of God shines most brightly into our lives, as dark and sinister as Golgotha appears from a sinful distance. Cross trumps crisis.
Men and women are all caught in the universal machine of suffering that chews people up and spits them out. And in their respective griefs and fears, they are all wondering if God sees them, hears them, knows them.
What does the Prince of Peace mean when He says, "I've come not to bring peace, but a sword?" In sending out The Twelve, Jesus reminds us all of just Who is our very identity.
On episode ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN Wade and Mike sit down with Rev. Raleigh Sadler and Rev. Dr. Josh Branum while at the 2019 Here We Still Stand Conference. Dr. Branum is pastor at Faithbridge Church in Jacksonville, Florida and serves with Rev. Sadler at the Let My People Go ministry. Rev. Sadler is the founder and executive director of Let My People Go and author the book Vulnerable.