This is an excerpt from the introduction of Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Christopher Richmann (1517 Publishing, 2026).
We can bring our troubles, griefs, sorrows, and sins to Jesus, who meets us smack dab in the middle of our messy mob.
Confession isn’t a detour in the liturgy. It’s the doorway.

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In Christ we are freed to be for our neighbor without fear of sin and damnation falling upon us.
We are forgiven for Christ’s sake. Losers set free to trust in God’s promises.
My parents will be the first to tell you, I can really put my foot in my mouth. I often don’t say the right thing.
Luther contends that even our best spiritual, theological, and moral efforts are insufficient to save us.
God created Israel to be the vessel into which he would place both his Law and his Son.
As I came to read the Reformers, I found their words comforting. I started to hope again.
This book tells of my long and brutal journey. From married to divorced. From a seminary professor and pastor to a disgraced, bitter truck driver in the oil fields of Texas. From a man at war with God to a child redeemed by grace.
In the face of all the misunderstandings on the part of the world and all the errors which have arisen within Christendom, let us make this point absolutely clear: the task of the church in the world consists uniquely and alone in the preaching of the Word of God and in administering the Sacrament.
Rather than presenting Christ’s words as a rule or a threat, Luther reveals it to be the promise of God.
Jesus’ life and work is now ours through faith.
The cross presents us a radically different standard. In God’s justice executed in the cross of Christ, nobody gets what they deserve.
But where love is necessary we pray for our enemies and bless them in the hope that God will repent and convert them to the Gospel.