Religion and Relationship

Many years ago, as a young woman, I was visiting with my grandfather in his later years.

We were having a heart-to-heart talk. In the course of the conversation, I thanked him for sharing his Lutheran faith with our family.

I thought what I had said would please him, but to my amazement, he shook his head and looked sternly at me. In his strong Swedish accent he replied, “No, no, Jan! It is not Lutheran. …. It is Jesus!”

Now let me be clear here. My Grandfather loved his church and was in the pew every Sunday. As a young man, he brought his deep-rooted faith with him from Sweden.

As the years went by, he always stressed the importance of the church in our lives. However, at that moment, Grandpa felt it necessary to remind me that we should not let anything overshadow our relationship with our Lord and Savior.

Our focus should not be on Lutheran or any denomination. Our focus should be on Jesus!

Colossians 1:18 tells us, “He (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.” Do we always give Jesus first place in our lives or do we sometimes get so busy that we often forget?

When we put Jesus first in our lives, we grow in our relationship with Him. It is an ongoing process! It is through faith and grace that we know of His great love for us and in turn we love and trust in Him. As we grow in that relationship with Jesus, we can better serve His Church and all mankind.

My grandfather felt it crucial to remind me to keep my eyes upon Jesus. I think that was a word of wisdom for us all.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Jan Knicely Associate in Ministry emeritus