Jesus says: “The one who conquers [by Baptism] will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life” (Revelation 3:5). About half a year ago I told you about a homeless lady in our neighborhood with whom I sometimes chat (see my post from April 4, 2024). She has been gone all summer, but now that it’s getting chillier, she’s back. Last Sunday morning I saw “Katrin” in an unusual location, not shivering on a bench but walking around in our pedestrian zone. I asked her how she was doing. She shared about her struggles with the local authorities. In Germany no one needs to live on the streets because everyone is entitled to a roof over their head—albeit not necessarily in a room to your liking. Katrin told me at great length that she had been assigned a space in a women’s shelter, together with three drug addicts—something she deemed unacceptable. She went back to the government agency and informed them that she could not accept that accommodation. At that point, the official turned to her computer and deleted Katrin’s name from a database. Katrin was appalled. “How dare you strike me from that list?” she blurted out. “Remember how you once shared with me that you are baptized?” I asked her. “Yes, I remember,” she replied. “You are upset that your name was removed from that government list, but there is a more important list than that one.” “Which one is that?” she wanted to know. “When you were baptized your name was entered in the Book of Life. At that point, Jesus covered all your sins and guaranteed you eternal life. He will never, ever delete your name from *that* list.” “Hmm…” she responded, gazing into the distance. Indeed, that is something we can all cling to: no matter what role you may have been deleted from—an employment list, a best friend list, or a good credit list—if you are baptized, the Lord will never blot your name out of the Book of Life—the most important list there is. Praise God!
The Tiews in Germany 