Martin Luther was fond of saying that we humans are, at the same time, both saint and sinner. It was his way of affirming the call to wholeness. We need not fear our failures, he would say, for God continues to love in spite of our shortcomings.

Do you understand the power that can give you?

Go out and love the world! Sure, you will be rejected...sure, you will fail...sure, you will be hurt...but none of that will affect God’s love for you.

Are you struggling with a particular doubt? Pursue it to the limit. Grapple with its ramifications. Form a new theological understanding. None of it will affect God’s love for you.

We are both saint and sinner. We have our dark side and our bright one. We succeed and we fail and none of it stops God’s love for us.

That is the Good News.