Lent Day 19:Words of hope

Each day during Lent I will be updating my blog, focusing on WIGIAT? or Where is God in all this? 

Today, God was in the insight of someone at a discussion we were having at the church on traditional ways of education, especially Lutheran education. Our little group was discussing that we were all trained to memorize Luther's Small Catechism. As I was poking a little fun at this method of learning, especially in light of the fact that none of us could remember what we had memorized, this person brought up that this type of memory work was how the faith was taught to so many people that didn't know how to read. 

For myself, that comment dissolved some of my own snark, in new appreciation for the faith that had been handed down this way, not only in ancient times, but up until the very recent past as well. What a treasure the words of grace and faith must have meant to people throughout time that didn't have all the resources that we have today to really explore what those words mean, but only hold fast to them and trust in the grace they offered on their own merits. The Small Catechism, and in larger part many of the words of scripture, have not come to us today simply by chance, but by the desire and work of many people to long for and grasp a word of hope that they could not come up with themselves. 

God came to me in the light of this insight I received. And through this light, God came to me even more in thinking about all who have simply trusted in the words of faith handed down to them, not as a way to fulfill a duty, but as a gift of hope, that was given to them in a way they could pass on to others.