A story caught my eye as I was checking the news in the Milwaukee area where I attened Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. The story reads, "An alleged shoplifter with a bottle of whiskey in his pants decided to take one more gamble before leaving a Washington County liquor store: filling out a raffle ticket."

Talk about a not-so-smooth criminal.

Since the raffle box had recently been emptied, they store owner didn't even bother chasing after the crook. He simply let him leave, found his raffle ticket (complete with address), and gave it to the police who found the thief at home.

Sometimes a criminal gives us a good laugh like that. We wonder how anyone could be so stupid. We point and chuckle, thankful that we aren't that senseless.

Or are we?

You would have a hard time convincing me that the Old Man in each of us is bright at all. Sure, there are some sneaky, crafty criminals. Sure, even people who don't break the law can become quite skilled in covering up their sins from others. But who of us can honestly believe that we can sin and escape God's notice? Who of us can believe that we can get away with anything from the Lord? The sinful self has to be utterly blind to think that it need not fear the wrath of God. That blindness has shown itself ever since Adam and Eve thought they could hide from God in Eden after the fall. God doesn't need a raffle ticket with our info to find us. He sees everything we do.

We are criminals too, and not very smooth ones at that. But God has chosen to do something amazing. In sending his Son Jesus to live, die, and rise again for us, he has paid the penalty for our sins. And because nothing escapes his notice, not a single one of our stupid sins ever gets by him, we know that he didn't miss any. God's not going to find some overlooked infraction against his law that Christ forgot about on the cross. He has saved us completely.

There's no need for theft here. He gives us that forgiveness freely.

Pastor Jansen