Rev. Dr. Jonathan Blanke, Senior Pastor
Pastor’s Corner for August 9-15, 2026
“Faith” in Our Ears, Our Hearts, and on Our Lips
(Romans 10:5-17)
When people think about how to live in such a way that they do what is right and good, they generally think of successfully living according to a set of rules or laws. And if they think of goodness in the context of religion and faith, they may also consider doing what is right involves getting close—or at least closer—to a holy God who is far away. St. Paul short-circuits that entire way of thinking. He says that righteousness starts with Jesus. And the good news is that Jesus is NOT far away. We do NOT have to climb up to heaven to get to Him; Jesus has come down from heaven to heal and forgive and give up His life for the sins of the world. Nor do we have to go “down” to the place of the dead either; Jesus has RISEN from the dead! Jesus is alive and is with His disciples always to the very end of the age (Matt 28:19). His voice resonates in and around us in the world wherever the Word of God is proclaimed. It is there that we encounter the “Word of faith” (the “Word of Christ” [10:17] … Jesus’ Word!) in our ears, on our lips, and in our hearts. It is not the result of our own efforts. It is, rather, the result of God’s initiative in dealing with the world He loves!
Once that short-circuit in ordinary human thinking has occurred, the new light of God’s love and what His Word truly DOES makes sense. Whether a mom reading a Bible story about Jesus to kids at home, an ordinary church member reading a Scripture reading (like this one) in a worship service, or the pastor preaching, God is at work creating and nurturing faith wherever the “Word of Christ” is heard. People hear Jesus’ voice. Their faith comes into being or is strengthened. And their trust in God and confession of faith follows. We might be tempted to think of it as the other way around (I trust in God…I have faith…so I go to church to hear God’s Word.) St. Paul flips that script. He shows that the miracle of faith starts with the Word of Christ. Faith starts in the ears, travels to the heart, and is reflected in faith confessed…faith that is active…faith that makes a difference in the way lives are lived.
Who is adequate for the task of handling a treasure like the Word of Christ? None of us! Yet St. Paul calls all of us—both hearers and speakers of the Word of Christ—to immerse ourselves in this precious gift from God. Let’s listen again to the Word of Christ this week that we might live with Jesus’ Word ringing in our ears, planted deep within our hearts, and ready to be spoken on our lips. It will not only make a difference in our OWN lives. It will be just what this world God loves so much needs, too!
Peace and joy in Christ,
Pastor Jonathan
Pastor Jonathan Blanke grew up in Richmond, Virginia. He received his Bachelor's degree from College of William and Mary in Virginia and attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biblical Studies, Book of John. He served as a Vicar at Messiah Lutheran Church in Richardson, Texas.
The Blanke family lived in Japan while he served as pastor and missionary to Okinawa Lutheran Church and taught Biblical Studies at Japan Lutheran College in Tokyo.
Pastor Jonathan lived in southern Maryland from January 2014 to November 2019 and was thankful to have served as the Sole Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington Park, Maryland.
He and his wife, Juli, have two grown children. In his free time, Jonathan likes to travel, "play around" on the piano, and enjoy the outdoors.
Click HERE to view a brief video from Pastor Jonathan.