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“When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent,’ He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”

This quote was the first of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, written in 1517. It was his opening salvo, if you will, in which he hoped to start a theological discourse for the betterment of the Church. Well, I doubt it turned out the way he had hoped, what with the fracturing of Christianity into oft-wrangling denominations. Still, in my humble and optimistic opinion, I believe it was an ingenious way to begin a theological discussion. It propelled forward the Christian faith, mostly for the good, and so I have decided to use it as the launching point for my blog. 

Who am I, you ask? That is a fair question. My name is Sean Nonn. I am a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Brookfield, active in a number of our ministries, and most relevant to our discussion, a Bible study leader and a confirmation teacher. In other words, I am often pouring over the Bible with study tools in hand. At times, I come across something in my studies that sends me thinking in a new direction, one that may not fit the focus and scope of the class I am preparing. Those are thoughts I would like to share with you, along with the pieces of Scripture and bits of the Lutheran confessional documents that helped give such musings life.

But this will be a discussion, not a place where I lecture. After all, this is a blog, designed for the reader to give their comments. In truth, I have found that I learn best during class, when those I am leading speak their thoughts, sparking conversations that often shed a new light on the subject before us. In those moments, the Holy Spirit touches us, strengthening as it deepens our Christian foundation, helping to push us forward into the work that God wishes us to do. Is that not what Jesus spoke of in Luke’s Gospel? “I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built” (Luke 6:47-49).

So I am asking you to take this ride with me, to join in the conversation. And I am asking this of all of you, those from different denominations, those who question their faith, those from different faiths, even those who have little faith at all. If we work together, are honest and respectful of each other, I bet we’ll build a few houses along the way.

I am ready, are you?

Peace be with you, my friends. Next time we will revisit my opening quote, and discover what it can mean for us today.

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