Yes, Lent is right around the corner. The season of penitential reflection and baptismal remembrance begins Ash Wednesday, February 21st. Luther may not have had the season of Lent on his mind when he wrote his explanation of the daily significance of Baptism in the Small Catechism, but his words are appropriate.
"What does such baptizing with water indicate? It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever." (“Baptism, Part IV,” Small Catechism)
Daily sorrow over sins and turning to Christ in repentant trust is certainly not limited to Lent. The emergence of new life in our hearts through the forgiveness of sins does not end on Good Friday. This occurs in Advent, Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost, too. But Lent is a special 40-day journey that helps us to focus like a laser beam on all that gets in the way of our relationship to God...and to recall and rejoice in all that our Savior did for us in breaking through the obstacles of sin, death, and hell so that our relationship with God is restored.
Now is the time to start making plans for your Lenten reflection. Certainly it will involve time spent in God’s Word with your fellow believers at Messiah and alone at home. Lutheran Service Book has a year-long schedule of readings that you may wish to use on page 299 that begins on Ash Wednesday. Read through some of the wonderful hymns in the sections for “Lent,” “Holy Week,” “Redeemer,” “Justification,” “Confession and Absolution,” and the new section entitled “Baptismal Life.” Or maybe read through the Small Catechism and its Explanation again as part of your Lenten devotion. The Small Catechism is a great summary of the shape of the Christian life.
Join us also for our midweek Lenten services this year. This year’s theme is “Our Suffering Savior” based on what is known as the “Suffering Servant Song” in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. This portion of Scripture gives one of the clearest depictions of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on behalf of the sin of the world. It will be read in its entirety each week so we can have ample time to reflect on the words. Each sermon will deal with a different portion of the “Suffering Servant Song” as we consider and trust in “Our Suffering Savior.” Please refer to the schedule of services on the church website and mark your calendars.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
New Resource Link
Considering that last post, I thought I ought to add a link in the "Resource" section of the blog for Pregnancy Resource Centers of Snohomish County. If you know of anyone facing a crisis pregnancy or considering abortion, this is the place to direct them.
News from Pregnancy Resource Center
In the past, our congregation has supported the Pregnancy Resource Center of Snohomish County. Here's the latest news from them. Looks like they will be moving to a new location. They are also in need of volunteers. Read on for more information.
From Alicia Champine of PRC Snohomish County:
"Hello to all of our amazing church ministry partners~ We are praying that your 2007 has begun well and that the Lord is continuing to do life-changing work through your church.
As a start for our 2007… the PRC is beginning some awesome new ventures! Along with some exciting personnel changes, our Everett Center was purchased by Everett Community College and we will be relocating later this spring to a new building in Everett. We are so excited for this new adventure!!! Please keep us in your prayers during this transition time… we know that the Lord is going to do even more great things through the PRC this coming year!
With this new change ~ our need for volunteers is greater than ever. And we’d like to ask you, our church families, to post this need at your church; in your bulletins, from the pulpit and anywhere else the Lord leads.
We are having an upcoming Volunteer Orientation, and we’re hoping you’ll make a call to your congregation to join us J Below is a blurb with all the pertinent information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail me. Thank you so much for answering this call to action! J We are truly blessed by your faithful and commitment to our ministry.
The Pregnancy Resource Centers of Snohomish County is holding a Volunteer Orientation on Saturday, March 17th from 9am to 3pm at our Everett Center, and would love for you to attend. It is planning to be an exciting and fun day, to learn more about the PRC and all the different volunteer opportunities that are available. It is a free orientation and lunch will be provided. No applications are required beforehand, but RSVP’s are needed. Please RSVP to emily@realchoices.com or 425-339-2175. We hope you’ll join us!
Because HE Lives!
Alicia Champine
Marketing/Development Associate
Pregnancy Resource Centers of Snohomish County
425-339-2398 Admin
425-339-2175 Front Line
www.realchoices.com
www.myspace.com/realchoices"
From Alicia Champine of PRC Snohomish County:
"Hello to all of our amazing church ministry partners~ We are praying that your 2007 has begun well and that the Lord is continuing to do life-changing work through your church.
As a start for our 2007… the PRC is beginning some awesome new ventures! Along with some exciting personnel changes, our Everett Center was purchased by Everett Community College and we will be relocating later this spring to a new building in Everett. We are so excited for this new adventure!!! Please keep us in your prayers during this transition time… we know that the Lord is going to do even more great things through the PRC this coming year!
With this new change ~ our need for volunteers is greater than ever. And we’d like to ask you, our church families, to post this need at your church; in your bulletins, from the pulpit and anywhere else the Lord leads.
We are having an upcoming Volunteer Orientation, and we’re hoping you’ll make a call to your congregation to join us J Below is a blurb with all the pertinent information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail me. Thank you so much for answering this call to action! J We are truly blessed by your faithful and commitment to our ministry.
The Pregnancy Resource Centers of Snohomish County is holding a Volunteer Orientation on Saturday, March 17th from 9am to 3pm at our Everett Center, and would love for you to attend. It is planning to be an exciting and fun day, to learn more about the PRC and all the different volunteer opportunities that are available. It is a free orientation and lunch will be provided. No applications are required beforehand, but RSVP’s are needed. Please RSVP to emily@realchoices.com or 425-339-2175. We hope you’ll join us!
Because HE Lives!
Alicia Champine
Marketing/Development Associate
Pregnancy Resource Centers of Snohomish County
425-339-2398 Admin
425-339-2175 Front Line
www.realchoices.com
www.myspace.com/realchoices"
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (January 28, 2007)
“Putting the World Back Together Again” (Luke 4:31-44)
Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
That’s not our sermon text this morning...as if I needed to tell you. That’s a nursery rhyme. I did an internet search to see if I could find out some hidden meaning behind that well-known children’s poem. I found many theories, but no firm answers. Our cracked-egg friend is found in many literary and cultural references in which he is a symbol of the decline and fall of societies and empires, which no matter how hard they try, “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men” can’t put them together again. Elsewhere, Humpty Dumpty is used as a symbol for the Fall of Mankind into sin. Indeed, “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men” could never put Humpty together again. Government is never the answer to solving the ills of society...the ills that are brought on because we live in a broken world.
A Broken World
In today’s Gospel lesson...which IS our sermon text today...we see instances where that brokenness is manifest. First, we see an example of demon possession. It seems as though Satan and all his evil angels kicked their campaign into high gear when the Son of God set foot on the earth. Their demonic insurgency was a sort of spiritual terrorism...invading the actual body of an individual and terrorizing them, their family, and their community. Ever since Jesus rose in victory over death and the devil, we don’t see Satan operating in quite the same way as he did in the Gospels. But he is still a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. His tactics involve more stealth and subterfuge, tempting us in subtle ways, causing us to rationalize our sinful behavior, making what is bad seem good or at least excusable in our own minds.
But there were also less supernatural goings-on, too...mothers-in-law with high fevers, others who were sick with various diseases. The brokenness of our world brings these problems to us, too, including broken hearts full of fear, depression, and anxiety over our circumstances. When you are sick, you think to yourself, “Will I ever get better?” And when you are well, you may think to yourself, “When am I going to come down with something?”
The influence of Satan is a result of the fall into sin. Adam and Eve listened to him and the human race has been listening to him ever since. Disease and death are a result of the fall into sin, and the human race has been suffering ever since.
Moreover, people have always wanted to see Jesus as only a healer of bodies and not primarily of souls. That’s not just a problem today, with all the kooky faith-healers on TV today. That appears to be a first-century problem, too. At the end of our text today, St. Luke writes “the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them.” You can probably assume that they wanted him to stick around and heal all their infirmities, sort of like the way that crowd of 5,000 wanted to make him king so that they could have a constant supply of bread. Is that all we are after? Are we sometimes tempted to see Jesus as only a healer? As someone who only gives me earthly goods? Is that the focus of our prayers? “Dear God, I need this and this and that...” without any thought of confession and thanksgiving? And are we tempted to get angry or give up on God if things don’t exactly go our way or we don’t get well right away?
The King Who Puts the World Back Together Again
Jesus proved that he was truly God in the flesh when he cast out demons and healed people of their afflictions. All of these things manifest to us that Jesus came to reverse the effects of the fall into sin. He came to make creation whole again. HE is the king who is truly able to put the world back together again. But his primary task was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. That’s what he told the crowds when they sought to detain him, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And what is the good news of the kingdom? You know...the forgiveness of sins...the death of Christ for the sins of the world...his rising to life again to prove his power over death and the devil...becoming a part of that kingdom by baptism and by faith. Healing the sick and casting out demons were certainly one aspect of Christ’s loving work on behalf of the world. But forgiving sins is the most important thing he came to do. And preaching the forgiveness of sins is the most loving thing anyone can do, because that is what gives eternal life.
Jesus came to make creation whole again, but his work in Judea and Galilee of casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead will come to final fruition on the Last Day. In the meantime, all creation groans, as St. Paul wrote in Romans 8: “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the whole creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:22-23) The earth groans with earthquakes and tsunamis, with floods and foul weather. Christians are not immune to their effects. And Christians still get colds and the flu. Christians still get diabetes and cancer. But when Jesus returns as he promised, Satan and all his cohorts will be cast into the lake of fire once and for all. Believers in Christ will rise to eternal life, where there will be no more sin nor sickness nor sorrow. Our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies, will be made manifest before all creation, as we stand right along with all the risen saints, including Job who said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and...in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19:25-26)
When we are well, we can remind ourselves who is responsible for our good health. Yes, we can take care of our bodies by a proper diet, exercise, letting go of unhealthy habits. Yet how many times have you been shocked to learn that a certain person who appeared so healthy has suddenly come down with cancer or had a heart attack. My mom was one of those people. She eats right. She exercises. She looks at least 10 years younger than her age. She forwards newsletters to me about what to do to avoid getting cancer. And what happened? She gets diagnosed with cancer. In spite of the many ways in which we try to take care of our bodies, it is really God who gives us good health. And for that, we can give proper thanks to our Creator. When we are sick, we can pray to be made well. God may not heal us miraculously. Then again, he might. But normally, he uses those whose vocations are in the healing professions, such as doctors, surgeons, nurses, manufacturers of medicine, pharmacists, and so on. Even if these people do not acknowledge it, God is still using their hands to serve us with his healing.
But even if we are not made well, we can know that our hearts have already been made well because the good news has been preached to us. Jesus may not heal our bodies in this life. But he will in the resurrection on the Last Day. In the meantime, whether you are afraid, depressed, anxious...or whether you are lying on your sick bed or your death bed...you can be assured that Christ is still present with his love and care because the good news of the forgiveness of sins has been preached to you...you are a part of his kingdom by virture of your baptism and your faith in him, however weak that faith may be at any given moment for whatever reason...and he feeds you with his body and blood to preserve and strengthen you in both body and soul until your life’s end.
Before I close, I want you to notice one more thing. Notice how Jesus told the demons to shut up. He did not want them confessing that he was the Holy One of God. Not that it wasn’t true. It was and still is today. The thing is, Jesus didn’t want the demons confessing his Holy Name with fear and curses. They are hell-bound. It’s blasphemy for them to take the name of Jesus upon their lips. Instead, Jesus wants his Church to confess his Holy Name with faith and confidence. You and I are heaven-bound. It’s a blessing for us to take the name of Jesus upon our lips and to confess it to this broken world. He’s the king who puts things back together again...and you are the king’s men and women sent to preach the good news of the Cross of Christ that meets people in their brokenness and makes them whole again.
You may feel like Jeremiah at times. “Ah, Lord God!” he said. “Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” Now, youth may not be your problem, but you certainly know how it feels: “I do not know how to speak.” But remember God’s promises to him, “I am with you to deliver you...I have put my words in your mouth.” That promise is for you, too. God is with you to give you strength to confess his name. His words are in our ears and in our mouths today in hymns and liturgy. Let those words assist you as you tell others the good news of the kingdom of God... “If we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”...”Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”... “Jesus has come as the King of all glory! Heaven and earth, O declare his great pow’r, Capturing hearts with the heavenly story; Welcome him now in this fast fleeting hour! Ponder his love! Take the crown he has for you! Jesus has come! He, the king of all glory!”
Amen.
“Putting the World Back Together Again” (Luke 4:31-44)
Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
That’s not our sermon text this morning...as if I needed to tell you. That’s a nursery rhyme. I did an internet search to see if I could find out some hidden meaning behind that well-known children’s poem. I found many theories, but no firm answers. Our cracked-egg friend is found in many literary and cultural references in which he is a symbol of the decline and fall of societies and empires, which no matter how hard they try, “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men” can’t put them together again. Elsewhere, Humpty Dumpty is used as a symbol for the Fall of Mankind into sin. Indeed, “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men” could never put Humpty together again. Government is never the answer to solving the ills of society...the ills that are brought on because we live in a broken world.
A Broken World
In today’s Gospel lesson...which IS our sermon text today...we see instances where that brokenness is manifest. First, we see an example of demon possession. It seems as though Satan and all his evil angels kicked their campaign into high gear when the Son of God set foot on the earth. Their demonic insurgency was a sort of spiritual terrorism...invading the actual body of an individual and terrorizing them, their family, and their community. Ever since Jesus rose in victory over death and the devil, we don’t see Satan operating in quite the same way as he did in the Gospels. But he is still a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. His tactics involve more stealth and subterfuge, tempting us in subtle ways, causing us to rationalize our sinful behavior, making what is bad seem good or at least excusable in our own minds.
But there were also less supernatural goings-on, too...mothers-in-law with high fevers, others who were sick with various diseases. The brokenness of our world brings these problems to us, too, including broken hearts full of fear, depression, and anxiety over our circumstances. When you are sick, you think to yourself, “Will I ever get better?” And when you are well, you may think to yourself, “When am I going to come down with something?”
The influence of Satan is a result of the fall into sin. Adam and Eve listened to him and the human race has been listening to him ever since. Disease and death are a result of the fall into sin, and the human race has been suffering ever since.
Moreover, people have always wanted to see Jesus as only a healer of bodies and not primarily of souls. That’s not just a problem today, with all the kooky faith-healers on TV today. That appears to be a first-century problem, too. At the end of our text today, St. Luke writes “the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them.” You can probably assume that they wanted him to stick around and heal all their infirmities, sort of like the way that crowd of 5,000 wanted to make him king so that they could have a constant supply of bread. Is that all we are after? Are we sometimes tempted to see Jesus as only a healer? As someone who only gives me earthly goods? Is that the focus of our prayers? “Dear God, I need this and this and that...” without any thought of confession and thanksgiving? And are we tempted to get angry or give up on God if things don’t exactly go our way or we don’t get well right away?
The King Who Puts the World Back Together Again
Jesus proved that he was truly God in the flesh when he cast out demons and healed people of their afflictions. All of these things manifest to us that Jesus came to reverse the effects of the fall into sin. He came to make creation whole again. HE is the king who is truly able to put the world back together again. But his primary task was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. That’s what he told the crowds when they sought to detain him, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And what is the good news of the kingdom? You know...the forgiveness of sins...the death of Christ for the sins of the world...his rising to life again to prove his power over death and the devil...becoming a part of that kingdom by baptism and by faith. Healing the sick and casting out demons were certainly one aspect of Christ’s loving work on behalf of the world. But forgiving sins is the most important thing he came to do. And preaching the forgiveness of sins is the most loving thing anyone can do, because that is what gives eternal life.
Jesus came to make creation whole again, but his work in Judea and Galilee of casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead will come to final fruition on the Last Day. In the meantime, all creation groans, as St. Paul wrote in Romans 8: “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the whole creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:22-23) The earth groans with earthquakes and tsunamis, with floods and foul weather. Christians are not immune to their effects. And Christians still get colds and the flu. Christians still get diabetes and cancer. But when Jesus returns as he promised, Satan and all his cohorts will be cast into the lake of fire once and for all. Believers in Christ will rise to eternal life, where there will be no more sin nor sickness nor sorrow. Our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies, will be made manifest before all creation, as we stand right along with all the risen saints, including Job who said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and...in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19:25-26)
When we are well, we can remind ourselves who is responsible for our good health. Yes, we can take care of our bodies by a proper diet, exercise, letting go of unhealthy habits. Yet how many times have you been shocked to learn that a certain person who appeared so healthy has suddenly come down with cancer or had a heart attack. My mom was one of those people. She eats right. She exercises. She looks at least 10 years younger than her age. She forwards newsletters to me about what to do to avoid getting cancer. And what happened? She gets diagnosed with cancer. In spite of the many ways in which we try to take care of our bodies, it is really God who gives us good health. And for that, we can give proper thanks to our Creator. When we are sick, we can pray to be made well. God may not heal us miraculously. Then again, he might. But normally, he uses those whose vocations are in the healing professions, such as doctors, surgeons, nurses, manufacturers of medicine, pharmacists, and so on. Even if these people do not acknowledge it, God is still using their hands to serve us with his healing.
But even if we are not made well, we can know that our hearts have already been made well because the good news has been preached to us. Jesus may not heal our bodies in this life. But he will in the resurrection on the Last Day. In the meantime, whether you are afraid, depressed, anxious...or whether you are lying on your sick bed or your death bed...you can be assured that Christ is still present with his love and care because the good news of the forgiveness of sins has been preached to you...you are a part of his kingdom by virture of your baptism and your faith in him, however weak that faith may be at any given moment for whatever reason...and he feeds you with his body and blood to preserve and strengthen you in both body and soul until your life’s end.
Before I close, I want you to notice one more thing. Notice how Jesus told the demons to shut up. He did not want them confessing that he was the Holy One of God. Not that it wasn’t true. It was and still is today. The thing is, Jesus didn’t want the demons confessing his Holy Name with fear and curses. They are hell-bound. It’s blasphemy for them to take the name of Jesus upon their lips. Instead, Jesus wants his Church to confess his Holy Name with faith and confidence. You and I are heaven-bound. It’s a blessing for us to take the name of Jesus upon our lips and to confess it to this broken world. He’s the king who puts things back together again...and you are the king’s men and women sent to preach the good news of the Cross of Christ that meets people in their brokenness and makes them whole again.
You may feel like Jeremiah at times. “Ah, Lord God!” he said. “Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” Now, youth may not be your problem, but you certainly know how it feels: “I do not know how to speak.” But remember God’s promises to him, “I am with you to deliver you...I have put my words in your mouth.” That promise is for you, too. God is with you to give you strength to confess his name. His words are in our ears and in our mouths today in hymns and liturgy. Let those words assist you as you tell others the good news of the kingdom of God... “If we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”...”Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”... “Jesus has come as the King of all glory! Heaven and earth, O declare his great pow’r, Capturing hearts with the heavenly story; Welcome him now in this fast fleeting hour! Ponder his love! Take the crown he has for you! Jesus has come! He, the king of all glory!”
Amen.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
A Classic from Cyberbrethren
A classic from Paul McCain's Cyberbrethren blog. You've probably seen one version or another of this one. It's always a funny-bone tickler.
How many people to change a light bulb?
Charismatic: Only 1
Hands are already in the air.
Pentecostal: 10
One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.
Presbyterians: None
Lights will go on and off at predestined times.
Roman Catholic: None
Candles only.
Baptists : At least 15.
One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken .
Episcopalians: 3
One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks and one to talk about how much better the old one was.
Mormons: 5
One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.
Unitarians: We choose not to make a statement either in favour of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, you are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.
Methodists: Undetermined
Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Bring a bulb of your choice to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish to pass.
Nazarene: 6
One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.
Lutherans: None
Lutherans don't believe in change.
Missouri Synod Lutherans: 11
One to change it, and ten consultants to tell us how
ELCA Lutherans: 101
Ten ten-member task forces to meet and issue reports and studies on the subject of changing light bulbs until everyone agrees its ok, one person to change it.
Amish: What's a light bulb?
How many people to change a light bulb?
Charismatic: Only 1
Hands are already in the air.
Pentecostal: 10
One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.
Presbyterians: None
Lights will go on and off at predestined times.
Roman Catholic: None
Candles only.
Baptists : At least 15.
One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken .
Episcopalians: 3
One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks and one to talk about how much better the old one was.
Mormons: 5
One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.
Unitarians: We choose not to make a statement either in favour of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, you are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.
Methodists: Undetermined
Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Bring a bulb of your choice to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish to pass.
Nazarene: 6
One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.
Lutherans: None
Lutherans don't believe in change.
Missouri Synod Lutherans: 11
One to change it, and ten consultants to tell us how
ELCA Lutherans: 101
Ten ten-member task forces to meet and issue reports and studies on the subject of changing light bulbs until everyone agrees its ok, one person to change it.
Amish: What's a light bulb?
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
New Resource & Recommended Blog
I added two new links to the sidebar. The first is in the "Recommended Blogs" section. It's called "GetReligion," a collaborative effort by several journalists (including one Missouri Synod Lutheran) who analyze how the press covers religious issues. If that doesn't sound very interesting, check it out anyways. The authors usually have interesting insights on the news items they cover.
The other new link is in the "Resources" section. It is an online version of the Book of Concord. It's searchable and includes other resources for further reference.
The other new link is in the "Resources" section. It is an online version of the Book of Concord. It's searchable and includes other resources for further reference.
God on the Gridiron
You know me...baseball's my game. But football, of course, is on many people's minds now because of the upcoming Super Bowl. And it's refreshing to see the media cover this particular angle. Click here to read this post from GetReligion.org.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
News from LHF
Pastor Rick Sawyer of Vox Visuals is traveling overseas filming some promotional videos for the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. To read his latest email update, click "Read more..." below.
+ Information for Confess And Teach For Unity's eList Subscribers +
Greetings!
Just wanted to say a quick Hello from the LHF complex here in Nairobi, Kenya.
We've safely travelled more than half-way around the world so far, and have had a successful shoot. I met up with our entourage in Deroit, MI and we set off on our journey last Wednesday.
Rev. Ted Nathalang accompanied my brother and I and our camera man to Bangkok, Thailand, where we met up with Rev. Rahn of Lutheran Heritage Foundation. The five of us then travelled to Siem Reap, Cambodia for a day's video taping of the Angkor Wat temple area. We got some very good shots of the ancient temples, and several young Buddhist monks were quite accomodating. We wanted to establish the pagan religion of that part of the world, so as to provide a backdrop for the important work of LHF.
The next day, we travelled to Phnom Penh. Quite an experience to see the poverty - not to mention driving in traffic! Our driver was quite adept at honking and swerving precariously close to whole familes on scooters! We held our breathe, watching dads, moms and babies on motor-bikes passing only inches from our van! Amazing that so many people in motion - constant, like ants in ever-moving, undulating columns - all without benefit of stop signs, traffic lights or anything (every intersection is a perpetual round-about!) - it was amazing to see absolutely no accidents in the time we were there. Just one evening of rush hour traffic back home is almost guaranteed to produce at least one fender-bender slow-down. Asside from some constuction, the traffic kept flowing in Cambodia, a melange of pedestrians, scooters and other vehicles!
While in Phnom Penh, we shot at the Killing Fields and Touslang museum, memoria to the horrible loss of life under the Khmer Rouge and Polpot. Quite sobering. The head of the Southeast Asian Lutheran Hour Ministry (no affiliation with the LHM back home) accompanied us and was intervied by me for our LHF video. He had been a soldier during the Polpot regime, and told of his experience in the work camps. Out of 7 siblings, he lost all but three to the Khmer Rouge, along with his parents.
The people in Cambodia were quite cordial. We were glad to be hosted by the local Good Shepherd Ministries (non-Lutheran), but which has a very eager working relation to the LHF. A local pastor who translates for LHF was very helpful in getting some of our shots and I must say - he brought a reverence to his part in the video which makes me confident that he will carry on with his studies and one day be a Lutheran pastor to the people here. He has the Small Catechism in Khmer to work with (thanks to LHF) and seeing him in action as he instructed a class was quite a delight - despite the unbearable heat! Very little AC here - but the beer isn't bad! Had some Singha in Bangkok and some Angkor beer in Cambodi. OK - I had several! :-)
We left Cambodia late Monday night, after getting some wonderful footage - of boys in boats harvesting Morning Glory (used as feed for pigs and people!) - and of a Budhhist Temple (I was surprized to see electric flashing lights adoring the big statue of Buddha - their version of "contemporary worship" - and was told the monks had become influenced by Hollywood and were trying to "spice things up." Must have gone to a church-growth seminar or something!). While at the temple, we even got to video a Budhhist funeral, complete with public burning (they lit the fire, but doors closed so that the body was created safely). I worried that we might be infringing on a private family moment, but we were told that the announcer of the ceremony told the assembly that "this body is honored to have the funeral filmed," and members of the grieving family began to bring us bottled water. They were quite hospitable in their grief. So sad that they grieved as those who have no hope, and not as those wh
Anyway - after getting many wonderful shots, we headed out for Nairobi. We went back through Bangkok and then on to Dubai. We just arrived in Kenya this afternoon, and have been warmly received by Rev. Anssi Simojoki, whom some of you may know. Rev. Simojoki is hard at work translating the Book of Concord into Swahili. Well, not right NOW! Right NOW, he's getting things set up for our Vox and Snowbird crew, along with Pastor Rahn to have some cigars and beer on this pleasant African night! It's cooler here than it was in Cambodia. I hear that Nairobi is about a mile above sea level. Tomorrow we'll shoot some interviews here in the LHF complex. The next day we travel to a Massai village. We wanted to video tape in the city and get some shots of Muslims at prayer, but the police have told us that is too dangerous right now. We're contacting a local mosque (outside the city) to see if we can video there. On Friday, we will be going to the Nairobi game preserve to get some "safari shots."
That's a run down - for those interested. Lord willing, I'll write a shorter email on my return. Sorry to have missed the Symposia. God's peace, and please keep us in your prayers.
In Christ,
Pr. Rick Sawyer
www.VoxVisuals.com
________________________________________________________________________
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Greetings!
Just wanted to say a quick Hello from the LHF complex here in Nairobi, Kenya.
We've safely travelled more than half-way around the world so far, and have had a successful shoot. I met up with our entourage in Deroit, MI and we set off on our journey last Wednesday.
Rev. Ted Nathalang accompanied my brother and I and our camera man to Bangkok, Thailand, where we met up with Rev. Rahn of Lutheran Heritage Foundation. The five of us then travelled to Siem Reap, Cambodia for a day's video taping of the Angkor Wat temple area. We got some very good shots of the ancient temples, and several young Buddhist monks were quite accomodating. We wanted to establish the pagan religion of that part of the world, so as to provide a backdrop for the important work of LHF.
The next day, we travelled to Phnom Penh. Quite an experience to see the poverty - not to mention driving in traffic! Our driver was quite adept at honking and swerving precariously close to whole familes on scooters! We held our breathe, watching dads, moms and babies on motor-bikes passing only inches from our van! Amazing that so many people in motion - constant, like ants in ever-moving, undulating columns - all without benefit of stop signs, traffic lights or anything (every intersection is a perpetual round-about!) - it was amazing to see absolutely no accidents in the time we were there. Just one evening of rush hour traffic back home is almost guaranteed to produce at least one fender-bender slow-down. Asside from some constuction, the traffic kept flowing in Cambodia, a melange of pedestrians, scooters and other vehicles!
While in Phnom Penh, we shot at the Killing Fields and Touslang museum, memoria to the horrible loss of life under the Khmer Rouge and Polpot. Quite sobering. The head of the Southeast Asian Lutheran Hour Ministry (no affiliation with the LHM back home) accompanied us and was intervied by me for our LHF video. He had been a soldier during the Polpot regime, and told of his experience in the work camps. Out of 7 siblings, he lost all but three to the Khmer Rouge, along with his parents.
The people in Cambodia were quite cordial. We were glad to be hosted by the local Good Shepherd Ministries (non-Lutheran), but which has a very eager working relation to the LHF. A local pastor who translates for LHF was very helpful in getting some of our shots and I must say - he brought a reverence to his part in the video which makes me confident that he will carry on with his studies and one day be a Lutheran pastor to the people here. He has the Small Catechism in Khmer to work with (thanks to LHF) and seeing him in action as he instructed a class was quite a delight - despite the unbearable heat! Very little AC here - but the beer isn't bad! Had some Singha in Bangkok and some Angkor beer in Cambodi. OK - I had several! :-)
We left Cambodia late Monday night, after getting some wonderful footage - of boys in boats harvesting Morning Glory (used as feed for pigs and people!) - and of a Budhhist Temple (I was surprized to see electric flashing lights adoring the big statue of Buddha - their version of "contemporary worship" - and was told the monks had become influenced by Hollywood and were trying to "spice things up." Must have gone to a church-growth seminar or something!). While at the temple, we even got to video a Budhhist funeral, complete with public burning (they lit the fire, but doors closed so that the body was created safely). I worried that we might be infringing on a private family moment, but we were told that the announcer of the ceremony told the assembly that "this body is honored to have the funeral filmed," and members of the grieving family began to bring us bottled water. They were quite hospitable in their grief. So sad that they grieved as those who have no hope, and not as those wh
Anyway - after getting many wonderful shots, we headed out for Nairobi. We went back through Bangkok and then on to Dubai. We just arrived in Kenya this afternoon, and have been warmly received by Rev. Anssi Simojoki, whom some of you may know. Rev. Simojoki is hard at work translating the Book of Concord into Swahili. Well, not right NOW! Right NOW, he's getting things set up for our Vox and Snowbird crew, along with Pastor Rahn to have some cigars and beer on this pleasant African night! It's cooler here than it was in Cambodia. I hear that Nairobi is about a mile above sea level. Tomorrow we'll shoot some interviews here in the LHF complex. The next day we travel to a Massai village. We wanted to video tape in the city and get some shots of Muslims at prayer, but the police have told us that is too dangerous right now. We're contacting a local mosque (outside the city) to see if we can video there. On Friday, we will be going to the Nairobi game preserve to get some "safari shots."
That's a run down - for those interested. Lord willing, I'll write a shorter email on my return. Sorry to have missed the Symposia. God's peace, and please keep us in your prayers.
In Christ,
Pr. Rick Sawyer
www.VoxVisuals.com
________________________________________________________________________
Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
+ + + Confess and Teach for Unity
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Sunday, January 21, 2007
Sermon for Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Third Sunday after the Epiphany (January 21, 2007)
“Gladly Hearing God's Word” (Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Luke 4:16-30)
There are three solemn occasions before us today. The first took place some 450 years before the birth of Jesus. The second took place in the first century AD. The third occasion takes place right now, today, the morning of January 21, 2007. All three occasions involve a group of people gathered to hear the Word of God read and explained.
Let's look at that first gathering. It's described in today's Old Testament lesson. It is a gathering of Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon. They had just finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, destroyed around 140 years earlier. In thanksgiving for this milestone event, the people requested that the Law of God be read to them. Standing in a public square before the eastern gate called the Water Gate, Ezra the priest stood to read the Book of the Law of Moses ... probably the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.
In that reading, they heard their whole history as a people...the creation and fall into sin, God’s promise to send a Savior, the flood of Noah, the covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They heard how God had saved the Israelites through Joseph, even though his brothers had sold him to a caravan heading for Egypt. They heard how their people had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. They heard about Moses, the plagues, the Passover, the Exodus and the parting of the Red Sea, and their 40 years of wilderness wanderings. They heard about God’s instructions to build the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant where he would dwell in their midst. They heard about the 10 Commandments and all the other laws God gave to them as his own people and by which they would be a holy nation, dedicated to God. They heard about all the sacrifices they were to offer to the Lord, in particular the annual sacrifice on the Day of Atonement to cover over the sins of the people committed during the past year.
The text says that Ezra read from “early morning until midday,” probably around six hours. At certain intervals the reading must have stopped for a time so that some of the Levites could speak to the people and interpret what was just read to them. When the people recognized that they had not carefully kept the Word of the Lord, they wept tears of repentance. They also may have wept because they remembered how beautiful Jerusalem and its temple were before the Babylonians came and destroyed them. The new rebuilt temple and the new city walls were a far cry from Solomon’s glorious building projects. But Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest told them not to mourn or weep. Instead, they were to celebrate and to remember that ... in spite of your current situation ... “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
That was the first occasion. Now let’s look at the second one. This one is described in today’s Gospel reading. It takes place in a synagogue in Nazareth. Synagogues were places of worship built for those Jews who lived far away from the temple. Psalms were sung there, prayers were offered there, but above all, God’s Word was read and explained there. This service in our Gospel lesson was no different from all others, except for one important detail. The Lord Jesus was the preacher. He had returned to his hometown synagogue as the visiting rabbi. It’s as if the vicar has come home to preach in his home congregation, and everyone is so proud.
Jesus stood to read from the prophet Isaiah. Specifically, he read from chapter 61 which has the promised Messiah saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Everything was going well until Jesus began his sermon. He sat down ... since that’s what you did back then as the preacher ... and his opening statement was: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Do you realize what Jesus was saying? He was flat out saying, “I am the Messiah ... I am the Savior promised from of old.” The people responded superficially. St. Luke records that “all spoke well of him.” You can just imagine them saying, “Oh, isn’t this nice. This is Joseph’s son. Don’t you remember when he was growing up here? He was such a nice little boy ... perfect, in fact. Never gave his parents or anyone any trouble. And now here he is, all grown up, and preaching in the synagogue. What a nice day this is!”
How quickly things changed. Jesus knew that they did not believe what he was saying, and so he chastised them. This so incensed the hometown crowd that not only did they drive him out of town ... they tried to kill him by throwing him off a cliff. I’m glad to report that no one has ever responded to one of my sermons that way.
Now, of course, our third occasion is this gathering here today. You have gathered in this place to hear God’s Word. A preacher stands before you reading and explaining God’s Word. And I assume that the reason you are here is that you have listened to Dr. Luther’s explanation to the Third Commandment, which says, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” But I can’t be sure. I can’t look into your heart and know the real reason why you are here. Only God knows if you are like the ones in the crowd before the Water Gate in Jerusalem listening to Ezra, or whether you are like the ones in the synagogue in Nazareth listening to Jesus.
It may be more common than you think for people to hear God’s Word superficially. They like the nice stories that the pastor tells in his sermons. It makes them feel good. Church, in their view, is simply for teaching their children good morals and values. They make surface judgments about the pastor and the people gathered together. They choose a church on the basis of how many people go there. Is it a small congregation? “That’s great ... I like the family feeling and the sense of intimacy.” Is it a large congregation? “That’s great ... I like having more programs and a variety of services to choose from.” Or there are those who choose a church because the stained glass windows are so beautiful, or because the pastor is so handsome and debonair ... sorry folks, you won’t get either of those here. People choose churches because they like the pastor or they like the people. In and of themselves, those aren’t necessarily bad reasons, but you have to ask yourself ... am I here above all else because God’s Word is proclaimed here in all its truth and purity ... because Law and Gospel are rightly divided ... because yes, I am confronted with my sin and my need to repent, while at the same time I am always assured here of the grace of God and of his forgiveness in Christ?
And let me ask you this: Would you be willing to sit and listen to six hours of Scripture reading with sermons interspersed during that six hours, like the people in Ezra’s day? Not likely. We have a hard time focusing if the sermon goes 15 minutes or more. Our culture is so bombarded with fast moving visual images that we have lost the ability to listen well and assimilate what we hear. Some churches have tried to adapt to our culture and have brought video screens into the sanctuary and use movie and video clips as part of the message. Why don’t we? Well, first off, I think it’s kind of nice to be here and escape the frenzied, hectic world outside and to get more than a worship service full of thirty-second sound bites. And it will always be important for God’s Word to be preached from someone’s mouth, since God has arranged that to be the means by which faith comes, as St. Paul says in Romans 10, “How are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’...So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” (Romans 10:14-15, 17)
If we despise God’s Word like the people in Nazareth, we will be judged by God's Word. Jesus reminded the people in the synagogue of other prophets who were not accepted by their own people and so they “bestowed their favors on foreigners.” (Barnes) Elijah didn’t go to any widows in Israel but brought the Word of the Lord to the widow of Zarephath in the pagan territory of Sidon. Elisha didn’t heal any lepers in Israel but sent the Word of the Lord to the leper Naaman in the enemy territory of Syria! When the Word of God is rejected, God takes it away and sends it to others. Remember how Jesus told his disciples to shake the dust off their feet if a town rejects their message and go on to the next one. (Matthew 10:14)
But when we gladly hear the Word of God and are attentive to it like the people who celebrated the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem, then the joy of the Lord is truly our strength. No wall or city gate can protect you from evil. No wall or city gate can save you from your own sinful nature. The joy of the Lord first and foremost is the joy he takes in loving, serving, and forgiving you. Recall last week’s Old Testament lesson, where Isaiah declared, “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5) And remember how the author of Hebrews told us to look to “Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) The joy of the Lord Jesus that was set before him was you and your salvation, for which he was willing to go to the cross as the sacrifice for your sins and mine. The joy of the Lord is his gracious work of forgiving sin. That is why we can truly say that, in spite of whatever situation we find ourselves in, “the joy of the Lord is [our] strength.”
The joy of the Lord gives us strength to hold his Word sacred and gladly hear and learn it. The joy of the Lord gives us strength to be attentive to his Word, for we know that through his Word God works repentance and faith in our hearts. The joy of the Lord restores us to fellowship with God as we are united to the death and resurrection of God’s Son in Holy Baptism. The joy of the Lord motivated him to institute the meal in which he gives us his body and blood.
The joy of the Lord is our strength. It brings joy to our hearts. And it strengthens us for service to one another.
Let us praise the Word Incarnate, Christ, who suffered in our place.
Jesus died and rose victorious That we may know God by grace.
Let us sing for joy and gladness, Seeing what our God has done;
Let us praise the true Redeemer, Praise the One who makes us one. (LSB 849)
Amen.
“Gladly Hearing God's Word” (Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Luke 4:16-30)
There are three solemn occasions before us today. The first took place some 450 years before the birth of Jesus. The second took place in the first century AD. The third occasion takes place right now, today, the morning of January 21, 2007. All three occasions involve a group of people gathered to hear the Word of God read and explained.
Let's look at that first gathering. It's described in today's Old Testament lesson. It is a gathering of Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon. They had just finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, destroyed around 140 years earlier. In thanksgiving for this milestone event, the people requested that the Law of God be read to them. Standing in a public square before the eastern gate called the Water Gate, Ezra the priest stood to read the Book of the Law of Moses ... probably the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.
In that reading, they heard their whole history as a people...the creation and fall into sin, God’s promise to send a Savior, the flood of Noah, the covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They heard how God had saved the Israelites through Joseph, even though his brothers had sold him to a caravan heading for Egypt. They heard how their people had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. They heard about Moses, the plagues, the Passover, the Exodus and the parting of the Red Sea, and their 40 years of wilderness wanderings. They heard about God’s instructions to build the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant where he would dwell in their midst. They heard about the 10 Commandments and all the other laws God gave to them as his own people and by which they would be a holy nation, dedicated to God. They heard about all the sacrifices they were to offer to the Lord, in particular the annual sacrifice on the Day of Atonement to cover over the sins of the people committed during the past year.
The text says that Ezra read from “early morning until midday,” probably around six hours. At certain intervals the reading must have stopped for a time so that some of the Levites could speak to the people and interpret what was just read to them. When the people recognized that they had not carefully kept the Word of the Lord, they wept tears of repentance. They also may have wept because they remembered how beautiful Jerusalem and its temple were before the Babylonians came and destroyed them. The new rebuilt temple and the new city walls were a far cry from Solomon’s glorious building projects. But Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest told them not to mourn or weep. Instead, they were to celebrate and to remember that ... in spite of your current situation ... “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
That was the first occasion. Now let’s look at the second one. This one is described in today’s Gospel reading. It takes place in a synagogue in Nazareth. Synagogues were places of worship built for those Jews who lived far away from the temple. Psalms were sung there, prayers were offered there, but above all, God’s Word was read and explained there. This service in our Gospel lesson was no different from all others, except for one important detail. The Lord Jesus was the preacher. He had returned to his hometown synagogue as the visiting rabbi. It’s as if the vicar has come home to preach in his home congregation, and everyone is so proud.
Jesus stood to read from the prophet Isaiah. Specifically, he read from chapter 61 which has the promised Messiah saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Everything was going well until Jesus began his sermon. He sat down ... since that’s what you did back then as the preacher ... and his opening statement was: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Do you realize what Jesus was saying? He was flat out saying, “I am the Messiah ... I am the Savior promised from of old.” The people responded superficially. St. Luke records that “all spoke well of him.” You can just imagine them saying, “Oh, isn’t this nice. This is Joseph’s son. Don’t you remember when he was growing up here? He was such a nice little boy ... perfect, in fact. Never gave his parents or anyone any trouble. And now here he is, all grown up, and preaching in the synagogue. What a nice day this is!”
How quickly things changed. Jesus knew that they did not believe what he was saying, and so he chastised them. This so incensed the hometown crowd that not only did they drive him out of town ... they tried to kill him by throwing him off a cliff. I’m glad to report that no one has ever responded to one of my sermons that way.
Now, of course, our third occasion is this gathering here today. You have gathered in this place to hear God’s Word. A preacher stands before you reading and explaining God’s Word. And I assume that the reason you are here is that you have listened to Dr. Luther’s explanation to the Third Commandment, which says, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” But I can’t be sure. I can’t look into your heart and know the real reason why you are here. Only God knows if you are like the ones in the crowd before the Water Gate in Jerusalem listening to Ezra, or whether you are like the ones in the synagogue in Nazareth listening to Jesus.
It may be more common than you think for people to hear God’s Word superficially. They like the nice stories that the pastor tells in his sermons. It makes them feel good. Church, in their view, is simply for teaching their children good morals and values. They make surface judgments about the pastor and the people gathered together. They choose a church on the basis of how many people go there. Is it a small congregation? “That’s great ... I like the family feeling and the sense of intimacy.” Is it a large congregation? “That’s great ... I like having more programs and a variety of services to choose from.” Or there are those who choose a church because the stained glass windows are so beautiful, or because the pastor is so handsome and debonair ... sorry folks, you won’t get either of those here. People choose churches because they like the pastor or they like the people. In and of themselves, those aren’t necessarily bad reasons, but you have to ask yourself ... am I here above all else because God’s Word is proclaimed here in all its truth and purity ... because Law and Gospel are rightly divided ... because yes, I am confronted with my sin and my need to repent, while at the same time I am always assured here of the grace of God and of his forgiveness in Christ?
And let me ask you this: Would you be willing to sit and listen to six hours of Scripture reading with sermons interspersed during that six hours, like the people in Ezra’s day? Not likely. We have a hard time focusing if the sermon goes 15 minutes or more. Our culture is so bombarded with fast moving visual images that we have lost the ability to listen well and assimilate what we hear. Some churches have tried to adapt to our culture and have brought video screens into the sanctuary and use movie and video clips as part of the message. Why don’t we? Well, first off, I think it’s kind of nice to be here and escape the frenzied, hectic world outside and to get more than a worship service full of thirty-second sound bites. And it will always be important for God’s Word to be preached from someone’s mouth, since God has arranged that to be the means by which faith comes, as St. Paul says in Romans 10, “How are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’...So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” (Romans 10:14-15, 17)
If we despise God’s Word like the people in Nazareth, we will be judged by God's Word. Jesus reminded the people in the synagogue of other prophets who were not accepted by their own people and so they “bestowed their favors on foreigners.” (Barnes) Elijah didn’t go to any widows in Israel but brought the Word of the Lord to the widow of Zarephath in the pagan territory of Sidon. Elisha didn’t heal any lepers in Israel but sent the Word of the Lord to the leper Naaman in the enemy territory of Syria! When the Word of God is rejected, God takes it away and sends it to others. Remember how Jesus told his disciples to shake the dust off their feet if a town rejects their message and go on to the next one. (Matthew 10:14)
But when we gladly hear the Word of God and are attentive to it like the people who celebrated the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem, then the joy of the Lord is truly our strength. No wall or city gate can protect you from evil. No wall or city gate can save you from your own sinful nature. The joy of the Lord first and foremost is the joy he takes in loving, serving, and forgiving you. Recall last week’s Old Testament lesson, where Isaiah declared, “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5) And remember how the author of Hebrews told us to look to “Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) The joy of the Lord Jesus that was set before him was you and your salvation, for which he was willing to go to the cross as the sacrifice for your sins and mine. The joy of the Lord is his gracious work of forgiving sin. That is why we can truly say that, in spite of whatever situation we find ourselves in, “the joy of the Lord is [our] strength.”
The joy of the Lord gives us strength to hold his Word sacred and gladly hear and learn it. The joy of the Lord gives us strength to be attentive to his Word, for we know that through his Word God works repentance and faith in our hearts. The joy of the Lord restores us to fellowship with God as we are united to the death and resurrection of God’s Son in Holy Baptism. The joy of the Lord motivated him to institute the meal in which he gives us his body and blood.
The joy of the Lord is our strength. It brings joy to our hearts. And it strengthens us for service to one another.
Let us praise the Word Incarnate, Christ, who suffered in our place.
Jesus died and rose victorious That we may know God by grace.
Let us sing for joy and gladness, Seeing what our God has done;
Let us praise the true Redeemer, Praise the One who makes us one. (LSB 849)
Amen.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Good Apologetics Resource
The Rev. Bob Liichow is a regular guest on Issues, Etc. He has dedicated himself to exposing aberrant teaching in contemporary Christianity. If you ever want to investigate the teachings of any particular teacher or preacher you hear on television or the radio or whose books you see in the local Christian bookstore, go to Liichow's website for Discernment Ministries International. I have also added a link to his website in the "Resources" section in the sidebar. (Note: Liichow is not a Lutheran. He is a Calvinist, so I can't vouch for all details of his theology. Nevertheless, from what I have read and heard from him thus far, he does a fine job defending Trinitarian, credal Christianity in opposition to the heresies espoused by those he analyzes.)
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
"Idol" Thoughts
Back in 2005, I wrote a newsletter article after watching the season premiere of "American Idol." Well, I watched this season's edition last night and thought I'd post the article online. What I wrote then still applies today. Here goes...
"Idol" Thoughts
(From Messiah's Messenger, Feb. 2005)
I said I wasn’t going to do it. I said I was NOT going to watch “American Idol” this season. Last season, my wife and I got hooked from the get go. We watched every episode. We cringed at the awful performances. We rooted for our favorites. We even (I’m embarrassed to admit it) voted by phone…sometimes several times (illegal in elections, legal on “American Idol”).
The night of this season’s premiere rolled around, and I was home alone. Sitting down to read a book, my hand involuntarily and inexplicably reached for the remote, turned on the television, and flipped over to “American Idol.” Two whole hours of excruciatingly bad singing awaited me. I don’t think I’ll get as hooked this year. It’s entertaining, that’s for sure. But I’m not going to let it run my life…I’ll let other things do that!
Believe it or not, while I was watching, I started to see some theological implications of “American Idol.” Here are some of my “Idol Thoughts.”
So many of the auditions are absolutely horrible. There may be some who know they are bad but just show up to get on TV. However, there are others who genuinely seem to think they are extraordinary performers. When the three judges tell them how awful they really are, they refuse to believe them. Outside the audition room, they yell at the camera and cuss out the celebrity panel. Others break down in tears, despairing over hearing the truth that they lack singing talent.
This is a snapshot of human nature. The “American Idol” is the SELF. Most people think that they are genuinely good people. When the “judge” of God’s Law tells them how bad they really are, they refuse to believe it. They go on their merry way, appalled that they ought to confess that they are truly a “poor, miserable sinner.” Others go away in despair, wondering if they will ever be able to measure up to God’s holy standard.
The three different approaches of the judges are also instructive. Simon Cowell, the snotty Englishman, often laughs and mocks the bad performers. Randy Jackson, although he chuckles once in a while along with Simon, is a bit more diplomatic in the way he breaks the news to people. Nevertheless, he still tells it like it is. Former singer and dancer Paul Abdul is the kindest of the three. She usually tries to be nice and sweet to even the worst performers, while still being honest with them that maybe their talents lie in other areas.
Like Simon, we might be tempted to ridicule “those sinful people” out there, forgetting that we, too are sinful and in need of forgiveness. Mockery and ridicule might get people to see the folly of their ways, but too often it hardens people to a further hearing of God’s Word. Maybe when proclaiming God’s Law, our approach should be more like Randy’s approach: telling it like it is…proclaiming God’s Law in all its severity and honesty so that people might come to realize that they need a Savior: “No one is righteous, no, not one,” St. Paul reminds us (Rom. 3:10). And to those sinners who are already beaten down by their disobedient failures, our approach can be like Paula’s… which is sort of like what her apostolic namesake once instructed, “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).
The honest treatment of the bad performers is to point them in another direction. Encourage them to find another genuine talent they may have. Maybe it’s drawing or painting. Maybe it’s acting. Maybe it’s working on car engines. Maybe it’s working with computers. But don’t leave them hanging. Point them in another direction.
Likewise, we don’t leave people who have “performed badly” in this life hanging with the Law…especially those whose egos have been deflated over their sinful inability to measure up. Instead, we point them in another direction. We point them to the One whose performance was perfect, flawless, the best there ever was and ever will be. We point them to Christ, who was perfectly sinless in our place, and who, through faith in his atoning death at the cross, justifies us. The “perfect performance” of Christ is credited to our account, and God sees us as righteous and holy. “By the one man’s [Christ’s] obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom. 6:19).
Bet you never thought there was so much theology on “American Idol,” huh? Well, that just goes to show you what us pastors do when we’re alone at home…look for sermon illustrations and newsletter topics so we can justify the time spent watching television. Hey, I’m just “speaking the truth.”
"Idol" Thoughts
(From Messiah's Messenger, Feb. 2005)
I said I wasn’t going to do it. I said I was NOT going to watch “American Idol” this season. Last season, my wife and I got hooked from the get go. We watched every episode. We cringed at the awful performances. We rooted for our favorites. We even (I’m embarrassed to admit it) voted by phone…sometimes several times (illegal in elections, legal on “American Idol”).
The night of this season’s premiere rolled around, and I was home alone. Sitting down to read a book, my hand involuntarily and inexplicably reached for the remote, turned on the television, and flipped over to “American Idol.” Two whole hours of excruciatingly bad singing awaited me. I don’t think I’ll get as hooked this year. It’s entertaining, that’s for sure. But I’m not going to let it run my life…I’ll let other things do that!
Believe it or not, while I was watching, I started to see some theological implications of “American Idol.” Here are some of my “Idol Thoughts.”
So many of the auditions are absolutely horrible. There may be some who know they are bad but just show up to get on TV. However, there are others who genuinely seem to think they are extraordinary performers. When the three judges tell them how awful they really are, they refuse to believe them. Outside the audition room, they yell at the camera and cuss out the celebrity panel. Others break down in tears, despairing over hearing the truth that they lack singing talent.
This is a snapshot of human nature. The “American Idol” is the SELF. Most people think that they are genuinely good people. When the “judge” of God’s Law tells them how bad they really are, they refuse to believe it. They go on their merry way, appalled that they ought to confess that they are truly a “poor, miserable sinner.” Others go away in despair, wondering if they will ever be able to measure up to God’s holy standard.
The three different approaches of the judges are also instructive. Simon Cowell, the snotty Englishman, often laughs and mocks the bad performers. Randy Jackson, although he chuckles once in a while along with Simon, is a bit more diplomatic in the way he breaks the news to people. Nevertheless, he still tells it like it is. Former singer and dancer Paul Abdul is the kindest of the three. She usually tries to be nice and sweet to even the worst performers, while still being honest with them that maybe their talents lie in other areas.
Like Simon, we might be tempted to ridicule “those sinful people” out there, forgetting that we, too are sinful and in need of forgiveness. Mockery and ridicule might get people to see the folly of their ways, but too often it hardens people to a further hearing of God’s Word. Maybe when proclaiming God’s Law, our approach should be more like Randy’s approach: telling it like it is…proclaiming God’s Law in all its severity and honesty so that people might come to realize that they need a Savior: “No one is righteous, no, not one,” St. Paul reminds us (Rom. 3:10). And to those sinners who are already beaten down by their disobedient failures, our approach can be like Paula’s… which is sort of like what her apostolic namesake once instructed, “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).
The honest treatment of the bad performers is to point them in another direction. Encourage them to find another genuine talent they may have. Maybe it’s drawing or painting. Maybe it’s acting. Maybe it’s working on car engines. Maybe it’s working with computers. But don’t leave them hanging. Point them in another direction.
Likewise, we don’t leave people who have “performed badly” in this life hanging with the Law…especially those whose egos have been deflated over their sinful inability to measure up. Instead, we point them in another direction. We point them to the One whose performance was perfect, flawless, the best there ever was and ever will be. We point them to Christ, who was perfectly sinless in our place, and who, through faith in his atoning death at the cross, justifies us. The “perfect performance” of Christ is credited to our account, and God sees us as righteous and holy. “By the one man’s [Christ’s] obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom. 6:19).
Bet you never thought there was so much theology on “American Idol,” huh? Well, that just goes to show you what us pastors do when we’re alone at home…look for sermon illustrations and newsletter topics so we can justify the time spent watching television. Hey, I’m just “speaking the truth.”
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Brave Leaders Out of Africa
World Magazine each year selects certain individuals as their "Daniels of the Year." Named after the Biblical prophet, this annual award highlights people who have shown Christian courage in the face of persecution or challenging circumstances. The 2006 award went to two Anglican clergymen in Africa, Peter Akinola, Archbishop of Nigeria, and Henry Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda. Both are opposed to the liberalizing influences of the American version of Anglicanism in the Episcopal Church USA, including radical interpretations of Scripture and the ordination of homosexual clergy. They have made themselves available to provide spiritual oversight to American congregations who are leaving the Episcopal Church. To read more about this, click here to read the article from the December 16, 2006 issue of World Magazine.
Also, Lutheranism in Africa is not without her bold leaders. Back in 2005, the Rev. Walter Obare, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya, consecrated a pastor as bishop of a "mission province" in Sweden, founded as a conservative alternative to the theological liberalism in the Swedish Lutheran Church. Click here to read more about this from a previous post on Paul McCain's blog. Our Ft. Wayne seminary website also has Bishop Obare's sermon from that day online here if you are interested in reading it.
Also, Lutheranism in Africa is not without her bold leaders. Back in 2005, the Rev. Walter Obare, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya, consecrated a pastor as bishop of a "mission province" in Sweden, founded as a conservative alternative to the theological liberalism in the Swedish Lutheran Church. Click here to read more about this from a previous post on Paul McCain's blog. Our Ft. Wayne seminary website also has Bishop Obare's sermon from that day online here if you are interested in reading it.
Sermon for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Second Sunday after the Epiphany (January 14, 2007)
“Plenty of Wine” (John 2:1-11)
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have you ever been to a party or to a gathering that was a real drag? The conversation is boring. The food stinks. All there is to drink is water. There's nothing very entertaining about it. It's no fun at all. You nudge your spouse and give her the look that says, “Let's get out of here. This is excruciating.” Everything is falling flat for the guests, and the hosts are extremely embarrassed.
No Wine
That may have been how the guests felt in that wedding feast described in today's Gospel. There was no wine. Why? What happened? We aren't told. Marriage feasts in those days often lasted up to a week. Did they run out after only a few days? The bridegroom evidently forgot this detail. He's the one who would have been in charge of this. You can just imagine the new bride at the head table, grumbling and seething that her new husband already has blown it, and they haven't even been married for a week.
Wine was a necessary part of a first century Jewish wedding reception. It warms the heart. It loosens the tongue for convivial conversation. Psalm 104 says that God gives “wine to gladden the heart of man.” This is not a defense of drunkenness. But used properly, wine is certainly a part of God's good creation that adds to the good cheer of a special occasion. And at this particular feast under consideration, it would have been shameful in the eyes of the guests and the community to run out of wine.
In the Bible, the joy of heaven is often compared to a marriage feast with all kinds of wine and food. For example, Isaiah 25 says, “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine...and he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever.” (Isaiah 25:6-8) And in the book of Revelation, the angel says to St. John, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:9) All who are baptized in Christ and who trust in his saving death and resurrection have a seat prepared for them at that feast of eternal joy.
But in spite of the fact that we are God's forgiven children, that joy somehow eludes us on this side of the veil. The little details of our lives create big problems for us. We are all too aware of the ways in which we have fallen short of God's holy Law. We don't feel very joyful. It seems as though our Christian life has “fallen flat.” We know we should be joyful because we are Christians. But that only makes us feel worse. It's like a vicious cycle. I discovered this about myself a few years ago. I found myself feeling blue at Christmas time. And I felt guilty about this. I thought to myself, “It's Christ's birthday, and you are Christian, and you are a pastor, for Pete's sake. Why don't you feel more joyful?” I came to realize that I was having a taste of that seasonal depression that is so common around these parts. But feeling guilty about being a Christian who isn't joyful is like being in an airplane in an out of control downward spiral, almost impossible to pull out of. And for someone with a mild case of the blues, I can only imagine what it must be like for someone with serious clinical depression.
Also, this account of the wedding at Cana is sometimes used to talk about how Jesus sanctions and blesses marriage by his presence at this wedding in Cana. This is certainly one way you can look at this text. But that's not much encouragement to those who have been single for most of their life...and not by choice. Nor is it much encouragement for those who have had difficult divorces or who are in challenging marriages right now. Loneliness, pain, grief, and anger keep joy far away from their hearts.
Jesus turned water into wine there at Cana. St. John writes that in so doing, Jesus “manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” Don't you wish Jesus would manifest a little bit of his glory in your life? It would sure be a lot easier to believe in him if we could just see something like that with our own eyes...like water turning into wine.
Plenty of Wine
But Jesus didn't come just to be a miracle worker. In fact, the word used here is “sign.” This was the first of his “signs” that pointed to him as the Messiah. His public ministry as the Messiah began at his baptism in the Jordan River. After that, he immediately entered into battle with Satan in the wilderness and withstood his temptations. And in this, the first of his “signs,” he showed the world his first steps toward setting up the Messianic Kingdom, which the prophets describe as a rich feast “with well-aged wine”...or as a place where “the mountains shall drip sweet wine” (Joel 3:18)...or as in the words of today's Introit, “He welcomes me to his banqueting table, and his banner over me is love” (Song 2:4)... “They feast on the abundance of your house and you give them drink from the river of your delights.” (Psalm 36:8) In other words, that eternal feast in heaven will be one of celebration and joy. The end of all things has come, including death and sorrow and grief and pain. We will then be face to face in the eternal presence of God.
So Jesus turns water into wine at this wedding. In a sense, he takes the place of the bridegroom at Cana, the one who should have provided the wine. And in so doing, Jesus foreshadows how he is the Bridegroom of the Church who provides for us, who cares for us, who gives his life for us, who welcomes us to his banqueting table, and who gives us a foretaste of the day when the wine of his love and joy will flow unceasingly.
Notice, too, when this “sign” occurred. St. John says it was on the third day...perhaps the third day after the events previously described or the third day of the wedding feast. But something else happened on another “third day.” On the third day after the one on which he died for the sins of the world, Jesus the Messiah rose to life again, manifesting his glorious power over death and hell so that you and I can have a place a place at that eternal, joyous feast.
And Jesus does indeed manifest his glory among us today. The same Lord who turns water into wine also delivers his body with bread and his blood with wine. The same Word of the Lord that turns water into wine also forgives you of all your sin. Like Israel in Isaiah's day, you may feel like your name is “Desolate” and “Forsaken.” (Isaiah 62:4) But you are a member of God's Holy Church by Baptism and by faith. By God's grace, he names his Church, “My Delight is in Her.” (Isaiah 62:4) Therefore, the Lord delights in you. “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5) When you know and believe that God loves you and rejoices over you as his baptized, forgiven child, then you, too, can be joyful regardless of all those things that try to drain your joy from you.
The bridegroom of Cana forgot about the details. There was not enough wine. They ran out. But the Bridegroom of the Church stepped in and showed that he cares about all the little details of our life. Mary informed him about the situation, and Jesus could have said, “Mom, it's just wine. It's not a big deal. They'll survive. Soon I'll begin healing people of leprosy, making the lame to walk and the deaf to hear. Soon I'll begin casting demons out of people. Those are the things that really matter. But don't bother me about this.” But that's not what happened. He chose as his first miracle to turn water into wine at a wedding feast. In this way, Jesus shows us that not only does he forgive us and give us eternal life, but he truly does care about everyday things, like marriage, family, food and drink, family celebrations. Don't think that you can't come to Jesus in prayer over these issues. You can. He cares about them, even as you do. He gives us our daily bread and then blesses us with his gracious presence, even as he blessed that young couple in Cana. And when he is present with his forgiving grace, he takes our guilt and shame away and replaces them with the wine of his joy. In this way, he manifests his glory among us...and by grace, we believe in him.
Amen.
“Plenty of Wine” (John 2:1-11)
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have you ever been to a party or to a gathering that was a real drag? The conversation is boring. The food stinks. All there is to drink is water. There's nothing very entertaining about it. It's no fun at all. You nudge your spouse and give her the look that says, “Let's get out of here. This is excruciating.” Everything is falling flat for the guests, and the hosts are extremely embarrassed.
No Wine
That may have been how the guests felt in that wedding feast described in today's Gospel. There was no wine. Why? What happened? We aren't told. Marriage feasts in those days often lasted up to a week. Did they run out after only a few days? The bridegroom evidently forgot this detail. He's the one who would have been in charge of this. You can just imagine the new bride at the head table, grumbling and seething that her new husband already has blown it, and they haven't even been married for a week.
Wine was a necessary part of a first century Jewish wedding reception. It warms the heart. It loosens the tongue for convivial conversation. Psalm 104 says that God gives “wine to gladden the heart of man.” This is not a defense of drunkenness. But used properly, wine is certainly a part of God's good creation that adds to the good cheer of a special occasion. And at this particular feast under consideration, it would have been shameful in the eyes of the guests and the community to run out of wine.
In the Bible, the joy of heaven is often compared to a marriage feast with all kinds of wine and food. For example, Isaiah 25 says, “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine...and he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever.” (Isaiah 25:6-8) And in the book of Revelation, the angel says to St. John, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:9) All who are baptized in Christ and who trust in his saving death and resurrection have a seat prepared for them at that feast of eternal joy.
But in spite of the fact that we are God's forgiven children, that joy somehow eludes us on this side of the veil. The little details of our lives create big problems for us. We are all too aware of the ways in which we have fallen short of God's holy Law. We don't feel very joyful. It seems as though our Christian life has “fallen flat.” We know we should be joyful because we are Christians. But that only makes us feel worse. It's like a vicious cycle. I discovered this about myself a few years ago. I found myself feeling blue at Christmas time. And I felt guilty about this. I thought to myself, “It's Christ's birthday, and you are Christian, and you are a pastor, for Pete's sake. Why don't you feel more joyful?” I came to realize that I was having a taste of that seasonal depression that is so common around these parts. But feeling guilty about being a Christian who isn't joyful is like being in an airplane in an out of control downward spiral, almost impossible to pull out of. And for someone with a mild case of the blues, I can only imagine what it must be like for someone with serious clinical depression.
Also, this account of the wedding at Cana is sometimes used to talk about how Jesus sanctions and blesses marriage by his presence at this wedding in Cana. This is certainly one way you can look at this text. But that's not much encouragement to those who have been single for most of their life...and not by choice. Nor is it much encouragement for those who have had difficult divorces or who are in challenging marriages right now. Loneliness, pain, grief, and anger keep joy far away from their hearts.
Jesus turned water into wine there at Cana. St. John writes that in so doing, Jesus “manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” Don't you wish Jesus would manifest a little bit of his glory in your life? It would sure be a lot easier to believe in him if we could just see something like that with our own eyes...like water turning into wine.
Plenty of Wine
But Jesus didn't come just to be a miracle worker. In fact, the word used here is “sign.” This was the first of his “signs” that pointed to him as the Messiah. His public ministry as the Messiah began at his baptism in the Jordan River. After that, he immediately entered into battle with Satan in the wilderness and withstood his temptations. And in this, the first of his “signs,” he showed the world his first steps toward setting up the Messianic Kingdom, which the prophets describe as a rich feast “with well-aged wine”...or as a place where “the mountains shall drip sweet wine” (Joel 3:18)...or as in the words of today's Introit, “He welcomes me to his banqueting table, and his banner over me is love” (Song 2:4)... “They feast on the abundance of your house and you give them drink from the river of your delights.” (Psalm 36:8) In other words, that eternal feast in heaven will be one of celebration and joy. The end of all things has come, including death and sorrow and grief and pain. We will then be face to face in the eternal presence of God.
So Jesus turns water into wine at this wedding. In a sense, he takes the place of the bridegroom at Cana, the one who should have provided the wine. And in so doing, Jesus foreshadows how he is the Bridegroom of the Church who provides for us, who cares for us, who gives his life for us, who welcomes us to his banqueting table, and who gives us a foretaste of the day when the wine of his love and joy will flow unceasingly.
Notice, too, when this “sign” occurred. St. John says it was on the third day...perhaps the third day after the events previously described or the third day of the wedding feast. But something else happened on another “third day.” On the third day after the one on which he died for the sins of the world, Jesus the Messiah rose to life again, manifesting his glorious power over death and hell so that you and I can have a place a place at that eternal, joyous feast.
And Jesus does indeed manifest his glory among us today. The same Lord who turns water into wine also delivers his body with bread and his blood with wine. The same Word of the Lord that turns water into wine also forgives you of all your sin. Like Israel in Isaiah's day, you may feel like your name is “Desolate” and “Forsaken.” (Isaiah 62:4) But you are a member of God's Holy Church by Baptism and by faith. By God's grace, he names his Church, “My Delight is in Her.” (Isaiah 62:4) Therefore, the Lord delights in you. “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5) When you know and believe that God loves you and rejoices over you as his baptized, forgiven child, then you, too, can be joyful regardless of all those things that try to drain your joy from you.
The bridegroom of Cana forgot about the details. There was not enough wine. They ran out. But the Bridegroom of the Church stepped in and showed that he cares about all the little details of our life. Mary informed him about the situation, and Jesus could have said, “Mom, it's just wine. It's not a big deal. They'll survive. Soon I'll begin healing people of leprosy, making the lame to walk and the deaf to hear. Soon I'll begin casting demons out of people. Those are the things that really matter. But don't bother me about this.” But that's not what happened. He chose as his first miracle to turn water into wine at a wedding feast. In this way, Jesus shows us that not only does he forgive us and give us eternal life, but he truly does care about everyday things, like marriage, family, food and drink, family celebrations. Don't think that you can't come to Jesus in prayer over these issues. You can. He cares about them, even as you do. He gives us our daily bread and then blesses us with his gracious presence, even as he blessed that young couple in Cana. And when he is present with his forgiving grace, he takes our guilt and shame away and replaces them with the wine of his joy. In this way, he manifests his glory among us...and by grace, we believe in him.
Amen.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Issues, Etc. January Broadcasts
Here's the lineup for the rest of January's upcoming Issues, Etc. broadcasts. As you may already know, Messiah Lutheran Church sponsors Issues, Etc. locally in the Puget Sound region. It airs Sunday nights from 8-9 pm on KGNW 820 AM. You can also listen live on the internet or listen to archived programs of both their weekend and weekday broadcasts by going to their website www.issuesetc.org. You can also go to the KFUO St. Louis website at www.kfuo.org. KFUO is a broadcast service of the LC-MS.Sunday, January 14
"Justification: Christ's Righteousness, Not Yours"
Dr. Rod Rosenbladt of Concordia University-Irvine, CA
Sunday, January 21
"Evangelical Feminism"
Dr. Wayne Grudem of Phoenix Seminary
Sunday, January 28
"Eternal Rewards"
Rev. Brent Kuhlman of Trinity Lutheran Church in Murdock, NE
The link below contains the latest information on Issues, Etc. topic and guests.
http://issuesetc.org/shows.htm#December_3_
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Crisis in the Episcopal Church
Here is an article from the Washington Post written by the rector of a large parish in Virginia and one of its members, who is a well-known Christian author. It gives the reasons why they and their congregation are leaving the Episcopal Church USA and summarizes the present crisis (and accompanying apostasy) in the Episcopal Church.
God forbid that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod ever reaches this state. We have some serious problems, that's for sure. We are a divided church body in many ways, and a few pastors, members, and congregations have found reasons to leave in the wake of some recent events and decisions at the last synodical convention. But thanks be to God that it hasn't reached the point where there is wholesale denial of such central articles of orthodox Christian faith as the Trinity and the Incarnation and Resurrection of Christ, such as in many liberal denominations today. As Luther declared in his explanation to the First Petition of the Lord's Prayer, "anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!"
Why stay? Click here for one LCMS pastors' opinion, one with whom I agree.
God forbid that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod ever reaches this state. We have some serious problems, that's for sure. We are a divided church body in many ways, and a few pastors, members, and congregations have found reasons to leave in the wake of some recent events and decisions at the last synodical convention. But thanks be to God that it hasn't reached the point where there is wholesale denial of such central articles of orthodox Christian faith as the Trinity and the Incarnation and Resurrection of Christ, such as in many liberal denominations today. As Luther declared in his explanation to the First Petition of the Lord's Prayer, "anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!"
Why stay? Click here for one LCMS pastors' opinion, one with whom I agree.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Stem Cell News
Saw this story online this morning, regarding the discovery of stem cells available in amniotic fluid. This is pretty exciting stuff for those who hold dear the sanctity of life. We can only hope that this will be another step away from the demands for embryonic stem cell research, which involves the destruction of human embryos.
If you want to read more about stem cell research from the point of view of medical doctors and bioethics professors who reject the use of embryonic stem cells, check out Do No Harm: The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics. I have found their articles and resources helpful when studying this issue. This website was also a key resource for me when I gave a presentation in Sunday Bible Class a number of years ago on stem cell research. You might also want to check out the website of Lutherans for Life, a pan-Lutheran pro-life organization.
If you want to read more about stem cell research from the point of view of medical doctors and bioethics professors who reject the use of embryonic stem cells, check out Do No Harm: The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics. I have found their articles and resources helpful when studying this issue. This website was also a key resource for me when I gave a presentation in Sunday Bible Class a number of years ago on stem cell research. You might also want to check out the website of Lutherans for Life, a pan-Lutheran pro-life organization.
Lutheran Paraphernalia
If you've never been to oldlutheran.com, now's the time. Lots of fun stuff...plus t-shirts on sale for $10! Click around and enjoy.
www.oldlutheran.com
www.oldlutheran.com
Correction from Sunday AM Bible Class
I wrote down the wrong website on the board during Sunday Bible Class. I wrote www.biblemap.COM, when what I should have given you is www.biblemap.ORG. It's correct here on the blog in the "Resources" links at the right, but I just wanted to highlight this for you. The one with the .com ending is pretty worthless...just a bunch of ad links.
So here it is one more time...
www.biblemap.org
So here it is one more time...
www.biblemap.org
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Sermon for the Baptism of Our Lord
The Baptism of Our Lord (January 7, 2007)
“Worthy and Well-Pleasing” (Luke 3:15-22)
Yesterday was an important day, but a day that sadly gets overlooked. It was the Epiphany of Our Lord. Epiphany means “manifestation.” On the day of Epiphany, January 6, we celebrate the day when Wise Men from the East came to worship the newborn King and to present him with gifts fit for a king. That moment was the first time when Gentiles came to worship the Christ. Therefore, Epiphany is celebrated as the first time when the Light of the Good News of Jesus was manifested to the world.
Now, here we are, a day later, and we jump ahead in the story close to 30 years. What gives? Yes, Luke also records one other incident in the life of the young Jesus...when he was a 12-year old boy in the temple, confounding professors and parents alike. But as far as our Church Year goes, within a period of one day, we go from his infancy and toddler-hood to the day when he was baptized around the age of 30 (as Luke 3:23 informs us).
St. John wrote at the end of his Gospel, “Now there are many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) Similarly, there are not enough Sundays in the year to include every detail from the life of Jesus. We'll save that for Bible Study. But we need to move ahead. We can't stay for long gazing at the sweet little baby in the manger. We can't stay for long in the temple, listening to the young boy who is wise beyond his years. We can't stay for long in Nazareth and be amazed at the complete obedience of this carpenter's apprentice. No, we need to forge ahead and hear more about his life and ministry.
NOT WORTHY
But before we do, we need to hear a bit more about someone we heard about during Advent and now once again in the season of Epiphany...the great prophet and forerunner of the Savior, John the Baptist.
John was a powerful figure out there on the banks of the Jordan River, with his strange, hairy appearance and his bold preaching of repentance. I wonder if people acted toward John like you and I might act when we meet a celebrity. I remember one time in particular when I met the comedian Gallagher. He's not as popular now as he was then. If you don't remember him, he's the guy who likes to smash watermelons and other assorted produce on stage with a big sledge hammer. I was in high school and in those days I read a lot of science fiction and was interested in space travel and astronomy. I signed up for a weekend class at UCLA called “Black Holes and Warped Space Time.” Arriving at the auditorium early on Saturday morning, I sat right in front of this guy with a striped shirt, floppy wool hat, mustache, and long hair. I did a double-take and realized I was sitting in front of Gallagher! Back then I thought he was hilarious and thought it would be cool to meet him. Nervous and tongue-tied, I turned to him and said, “You're Gallagher, right?” He replied, “Yes, I am.” I then asked, “What are you doing here?” He answered, “I'm taking a class on black holes and warped space time,” but he said it in a tone of voice that meant, “Leave me alone, you stupid kid.”
Now, of course, there's no comparison between John the Baptist and Gallagher. My point is that when we are in the presence of the powerful or popular or the famous or filthy rich, we sometimes get nervous and tongue-tied. We think to ourselves that we are not worthy to be in their presence. We fall all over ourselves and stumble over our words when we meet someone whom we idolize...like celebrities or sports stars.
Or, as in the case of the people who came out to hear John...when you meet someone whom you consider a prophet or whom you think is the long-expected Messiah. Luke tells us that “the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ.” It seems as though the people who came out to see John put him on a higher pedestal than John himself knew he deserved.
Although Jesus later said of John, “among those born of women none is greater than John,” (Luke 7:28)...still, John knew he was not worthy of being compared with the Messiah, the Christ. John knew that his ministry was only preparatory to the greater ministry of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world...the son of God whose baptism would also be accompanied by the Holy Spirit and fire. And so he said, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
Part of the confession in this morning's Divine Service says, “let us first consider our unworthiness.” Do we really believe this? Do we truly confess that, because of our disobedience of God's commandments, that we are not worthy to stand before him? Are you prepared to fall down on your face and kiss the dusty, dirty, sweaty, calloused feet of your Savior, seeing that you, too are not worthy to untie his sandal straps?
I think we all have too high an opinion of ourselves. We think we are worthy...or at least a little more worthy than the next guy. We will always find someone to compare ourselves to and secretly think to ourselves, “I'm better.” Didn't you feel that way when you heard about Saddam Hussein going to the gallows? Don't you feel that way when you hear about some criminal on the news? Do you sometimes feel that way when you think, “I'm the only one left in my family who still goes to church”?
This becomes even more clear when we suffer in any way. Our first thought is often, “I don't deserve this.” Who says so? We deserve so much more because of our sin. We are fit only to be baptized with the fire of God's anger over sin. We are fit to be burned up “with unquenchable fire” like the useless husks left over after the wheat harvest is gathered in.
WELL-PLEASING
The only thing that can put out that fire is water...and there's a lot of water here before us today. When Jesus stepped into the water of the Jordan to be baptized by John, he didn't do it because he needed it. Jesus had no sin to forgive. Jesus was baptized so that he could step into our place. Everyone who stood in line to receive John's baptism did so because they acknowledged their unworthiness before God. Jesus stood right in line with all of us there at the Jordan, as if to say, “As the sinless Son of God, I do not need to be baptized. But I do this in order to step into your shoes, to act as if I DID need this, and in so doing to bear the sins of all people from here all the way to the cross, where I will face my Father's burning wrath over sin so that you don't have to.”
There at Christ's baptism, the Triune God's saving action is “manifested.” The Son of God stands in the water, anointed as the Messiah who would bear the sins of the world. The heavens are opened. The Father's voice resounds, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” And the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove, perhaps to remind us of another time when a sinful world was destroyed through water and when 8 people were saved in an ark upon the water. Noah sent forth a dove to see if the waters of the flood had receded, and it came back with an olive branch in its mouth. Since then, the dove with an olive branch has become a symbol for world peace. But that peace should never be separated from the peace that only God can give...the peace between God and man earned by our Savior Jesus. And this is not just pious talk about Baptism. It's a reality. In 1 Peter chapter 3, St. Peter talks about Noah's flood, and talks about those “eight persons” who “were brought safely through water.” He goes on to compare this to Baptism, and says, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Now, we can have a good conscience because we are forgiven. Our sin and guilt and shame before God are washed away. We don't need to fear God's judgment any longer. Isaiah's words from today's readings are for us today, too: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” That's what happens in Baptism. God redeemed you at the cross. In baptism, God calls your name and makes you his very own. All that Christ accomplished for you at the cross and empty tomb are poured out upon you. St. Paul writes, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:4-5)
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,” God says to you through the prophet Isaiah. You have passed through the water of the font, and you cling to God's gift of baptismal grace by faith. God was with you then, and he will continue to be with you today and always. “When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” There still may be fiery trials you have to face in this life, but you will not be burned, because in Christ Jesus you have escaped the fiery wrath of God over sin.
United to Christ Jesus in Baptism, the heavens are opened for you. The Holy Spirit descends upon you and gives you faith that trusts in the blessings and power of Baptism. And God the Father now says to YOU, “You are indeed worthy of my love, because of what my Son has done for you. YOU are my beloved son. YOU are my beloved daughter. With YOU I am well pleased.”
Amen.
“Worthy and Well-Pleasing” (Luke 3:15-22)
Yesterday was an important day, but a day that sadly gets overlooked. It was the Epiphany of Our Lord. Epiphany means “manifestation.” On the day of Epiphany, January 6, we celebrate the day when Wise Men from the East came to worship the newborn King and to present him with gifts fit for a king. That moment was the first time when Gentiles came to worship the Christ. Therefore, Epiphany is celebrated as the first time when the Light of the Good News of Jesus was manifested to the world.
Now, here we are, a day later, and we jump ahead in the story close to 30 years. What gives? Yes, Luke also records one other incident in the life of the young Jesus...when he was a 12-year old boy in the temple, confounding professors and parents alike. But as far as our Church Year goes, within a period of one day, we go from his infancy and toddler-hood to the day when he was baptized around the age of 30 (as Luke 3:23 informs us).
St. John wrote at the end of his Gospel, “Now there are many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) Similarly, there are not enough Sundays in the year to include every detail from the life of Jesus. We'll save that for Bible Study. But we need to move ahead. We can't stay for long gazing at the sweet little baby in the manger. We can't stay for long in the temple, listening to the young boy who is wise beyond his years. We can't stay for long in Nazareth and be amazed at the complete obedience of this carpenter's apprentice. No, we need to forge ahead and hear more about his life and ministry.
NOT WORTHY
But before we do, we need to hear a bit more about someone we heard about during Advent and now once again in the season of Epiphany...the great prophet and forerunner of the Savior, John the Baptist.
John was a powerful figure out there on the banks of the Jordan River, with his strange, hairy appearance and his bold preaching of repentance. I wonder if people acted toward John like you and I might act when we meet a celebrity. I remember one time in particular when I met the comedian Gallagher. He's not as popular now as he was then. If you don't remember him, he's the guy who likes to smash watermelons and other assorted produce on stage with a big sledge hammer. I was in high school and in those days I read a lot of science fiction and was interested in space travel and astronomy. I signed up for a weekend class at UCLA called “Black Holes and Warped Space Time.” Arriving at the auditorium early on Saturday morning, I sat right in front of this guy with a striped shirt, floppy wool hat, mustache, and long hair. I did a double-take and realized I was sitting in front of Gallagher! Back then I thought he was hilarious and thought it would be cool to meet him. Nervous and tongue-tied, I turned to him and said, “You're Gallagher, right?” He replied, “Yes, I am.” I then asked, “What are you doing here?” He answered, “I'm taking a class on black holes and warped space time,” but he said it in a tone of voice that meant, “Leave me alone, you stupid kid.”
Now, of course, there's no comparison between John the Baptist and Gallagher. My point is that when we are in the presence of the powerful or popular or the famous or filthy rich, we sometimes get nervous and tongue-tied. We think to ourselves that we are not worthy to be in their presence. We fall all over ourselves and stumble over our words when we meet someone whom we idolize...like celebrities or sports stars.
Or, as in the case of the people who came out to hear John...when you meet someone whom you consider a prophet or whom you think is the long-expected Messiah. Luke tells us that “the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ.” It seems as though the people who came out to see John put him on a higher pedestal than John himself knew he deserved.
Although Jesus later said of John, “among those born of women none is greater than John,” (Luke 7:28)...still, John knew he was not worthy of being compared with the Messiah, the Christ. John knew that his ministry was only preparatory to the greater ministry of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world...the son of God whose baptism would also be accompanied by the Holy Spirit and fire. And so he said, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
Part of the confession in this morning's Divine Service says, “let us first consider our unworthiness.” Do we really believe this? Do we truly confess that, because of our disobedience of God's commandments, that we are not worthy to stand before him? Are you prepared to fall down on your face and kiss the dusty, dirty, sweaty, calloused feet of your Savior, seeing that you, too are not worthy to untie his sandal straps?
I think we all have too high an opinion of ourselves. We think we are worthy...or at least a little more worthy than the next guy. We will always find someone to compare ourselves to and secretly think to ourselves, “I'm better.” Didn't you feel that way when you heard about Saddam Hussein going to the gallows? Don't you feel that way when you hear about some criminal on the news? Do you sometimes feel that way when you think, “I'm the only one left in my family who still goes to church”?
This becomes even more clear when we suffer in any way. Our first thought is often, “I don't deserve this.” Who says so? We deserve so much more because of our sin. We are fit only to be baptized with the fire of God's anger over sin. We are fit to be burned up “with unquenchable fire” like the useless husks left over after the wheat harvest is gathered in.
WELL-PLEASING
The only thing that can put out that fire is water...and there's a lot of water here before us today. When Jesus stepped into the water of the Jordan to be baptized by John, he didn't do it because he needed it. Jesus had no sin to forgive. Jesus was baptized so that he could step into our place. Everyone who stood in line to receive John's baptism did so because they acknowledged their unworthiness before God. Jesus stood right in line with all of us there at the Jordan, as if to say, “As the sinless Son of God, I do not need to be baptized. But I do this in order to step into your shoes, to act as if I DID need this, and in so doing to bear the sins of all people from here all the way to the cross, where I will face my Father's burning wrath over sin so that you don't have to.”
There at Christ's baptism, the Triune God's saving action is “manifested.” The Son of God stands in the water, anointed as the Messiah who would bear the sins of the world. The heavens are opened. The Father's voice resounds, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” And the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove, perhaps to remind us of another time when a sinful world was destroyed through water and when 8 people were saved in an ark upon the water. Noah sent forth a dove to see if the waters of the flood had receded, and it came back with an olive branch in its mouth. Since then, the dove with an olive branch has become a symbol for world peace. But that peace should never be separated from the peace that only God can give...the peace between God and man earned by our Savior Jesus. And this is not just pious talk about Baptism. It's a reality. In 1 Peter chapter 3, St. Peter talks about Noah's flood, and talks about those “eight persons” who “were brought safely through water.” He goes on to compare this to Baptism, and says, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Now, we can have a good conscience because we are forgiven. Our sin and guilt and shame before God are washed away. We don't need to fear God's judgment any longer. Isaiah's words from today's readings are for us today, too: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” That's what happens in Baptism. God redeemed you at the cross. In baptism, God calls your name and makes you his very own. All that Christ accomplished for you at the cross and empty tomb are poured out upon you. St. Paul writes, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:4-5)
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,” God says to you through the prophet Isaiah. You have passed through the water of the font, and you cling to God's gift of baptismal grace by faith. God was with you then, and he will continue to be with you today and always. “When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” There still may be fiery trials you have to face in this life, but you will not be burned, because in Christ Jesus you have escaped the fiery wrath of God over sin.
United to Christ Jesus in Baptism, the heavens are opened for you. The Holy Spirit descends upon you and gives you faith that trusts in the blessings and power of Baptism. And God the Father now says to YOU, “You are indeed worthy of my love, because of what my Son has done for you. YOU are my beloved son. YOU are my beloved daughter. With YOU I am well pleased.”
Amen.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Online Bible Maps and Satellite Pics
This is pretty cool...even on dial-up here at the house. I can't wait to try this out at church with our DSL service. Thanks to Paul McCain for linking to this.
www.biblemap.org
www.biblemap.org
Monday, January 1, 2007
The Execution of Saddam
We had a discussion about this in Bible class on Sunday morning. Here's The Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer's comments from his blog The Burr in the Burgh. He puts things well and succinctly. Rev. Stiegemeyer is Director of Admissions at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN and was also a classmate of mine at the sem.
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to you! Today in the Church Year we also commemorate the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus. The picture to the left is an engraving by Albrecht Durer (d. 1528) depicting this event in the life of our Lord.Every Jewish male was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth and publicly named at that point. Joseph had already been told by the angel in his dream that the child to be born of Mary was to be given the name Jesus, since he would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). The name Jesus, or Yeshua in Hebrew, means "The Lord Saves." On this day we remember how the Lord who saves first shed his blood for us on his way to keeping the Law on our behalf and shedding his blood at the cross to win forgiveness and life everlasting for all who trust in him.
May the name of Jesus continue to be in your heart and upon your lips as you trust in him and confess him in 2007 and always.
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