[Jesus said,] "Look at My hands and My feet. It is I myself. Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

. . . let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

II Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Acts 1:3

After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

Love is patient, love is kind . . .

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

[God] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

What is Confession?

Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness,

from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.

What sins should we confess?

Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer;

but before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts.

Which are these (sins)?

Consider your place in life according to the 10 Commandments.

Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or worker?

Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy?

Have you been hot-tempered, rude, or quarrelsome?

Have you hurt someone by your words or deeds?

Have you stolen, been negligent, wasted anything, or done any harm?

What is the Office of the Keys?

The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.

Where is this written?

This is what St. John the Evangelist writes in chapter twenty: The Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said,

"Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven." [John 20:22-23]

What do you believe according to these words?

I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command,

in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation

and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better,

this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.