1 Peter 1:23-25

“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” - 1 Peter 1:24-25

The Lutheran understanding of God’s word is not limited to the written word only in what we call The Bible. God’s word is revealed to us also in the spoken word, such as, in preaching. The word of God is also the very person of Jesus the Christ that we see in the Gospel of John in his prologue, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:1, 14a).

The writer of the letter of 1 Peter tells us that the word of the Lord does not fade like the grass or like flowers that can wither and fade. God’s word endures forever.

Words can be quite powerful. For instance, in an old fashioned proposal of marriage when a man asks a woman to marry him, is something that can be life-changing. Or the words, “I love you” softly spoken to another out of affection for the other is transformative. Words can also tear down and destroy. The words, “I hate you,” spoken in anger can never be taken back, once they are spoken. The relationship is broken down.

When God created the heavens and the earth , that we hear about in Genesis, God spoke things into being. That is the power of God’s word. And the good news of God’s word is that it endures forever - the promises, once spoken, are not taken back by God, but lasts forever.

Let us pray: Your Word, O God, continues from one generation to another. For this we give you thanks and praise. Amen.