A look at the heart behind 1517’s year-end theme, reminding us that in Christ’s death and resurrection, every sinner is brought safely home.
Our parenting goals over the years have been simple: that our children know God’s love for them through Christ Jesus. That they love each other and others. And that we see them safely home.
Keeping that list short and focused has always been a blessing, but I’ll confess that the third item on that list has always given me a lump in the throat and a tightening of the chest - seeing them safely home.
We saw all four of them safely home, each in their own time, when we first brought them home after their respective births.
We’ve seen them safely home thousands upon thousands of times at day’s end.
The hardest homecoming to consider, however, is death itself. Should the LORD remain patient in his second coming, in the course of time, we will die and our children will die. And if any or all of our children should die while we still live, well then, it is our parental goal even on those dying days that they die as they live today - trusting in Jesus, His accomplished work, His gifts, and His promises.
Yet between the day of birth and the day of death, there are many difficult homecomings. I think of the days when we have hurt each other through our thoughts, words, and deeds. I’m thinking of the days when, despite the hurt and pain, guilt and shame, anger and fear, there still must be a coming together. I’m thinking of the days when, having been hurt, we have the choice to exact payment, get back, or draw blood, so to speak. We can choose to do those things, or we can choose to apply the blood of Christ to the offender, even to the one who has offended and sinned against us.
For those of us in Christ Jesus, there really is little choice. We experience what I will call here a happy resignation. For we live not in and by our own wills, but we live within the will of the one who purchased and won us with the very body and blood of His Son.
And so the happy resignation goes like this: As I have been forgiven… As I am forgiven daily… Now I forgive those sinners around me, even those who have sinned against me. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
In the death and resurrection of Jesus, my God constantly welcomes me home through the absolution of His blood.
In that same death and resurrection of Jesus - through that same blood - God uses me and you to welcome all the other sinners home too.
Here at 1517, our mission is to declare and defend the Good News that we are forgiven and free on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus alone. And here at the end of 2025, the theme of our fundraising campaign is “Give thanks. Give hope. Welcoming sinners home.”
We love how well these two go together. We love our mission and work. We give thanks to God that He uses this mission and work to proclaim His Gospel, which both brings us into His church and keeps us in His church.
And we love the thousands of people who partner with us in our mission and work financially - you!
Between now and the end of December 2025, we are endeavoring to raise $800,000 to “keep the lights on” and continue the mission and work into 2026 and beyond. This is only a portion of our yearly fundraising needs, but it represents the dollars we need to close out 2025 with strength. The waypoints to this goal of raising $800,000 are pretty straightforward:
- $200,000 raised by the end of October
- $200,000 raised by the end of November
- $200,000 raised by 1,000 unique donors on Giving Tuesday - December 2
- $200,000 raised by the end of December
As of this writing, we are in the last 4 days of October and are well more than halfway to our goal of raising that first $200,000. Yet we need your help to achieve our goals.
Has the ministry of 1517 been a blessing to you today and in the past year? Then we invite you to Give Thanks with a financial gift.
Are you interested in helping 1517 to proclaim the Good News of Christ with more and more people today and in the future? Then we invite you to Give Hope with a financial gift.
We Give Thanks. We extend Hope. And Jesus Christ faithfully welcomes sinners home!
To give a financial gift, you can click here today.
To find out more about the advantages of giving non-cash gifts (stock, crypto), to find out more about giving through foundations, funds, DAFs, and Qualified Distributions, or to connect with someone on our Development & Relations team, you can go here today.
We give thanks to God for our mission and work, and we give thanks to God that you partner with us in that mission through your financial gifts. Together, we share the Good News of Jesus with all, even as He welcomes sinners like us home, where He clothes us with His righteousness and calls us His saints.
