Gee... I figured it was just original sin!

Interesting article about a study that claims babies begin lying as early as six months old. Click here to read it.

Catching Up

What follows are two posts to catch up on some commemorations I missed.

Irenaeus of Lyons, Pastor (June 28)

Irenaeus (ca. A.D. 130-200), believed to be a native of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey), studied in Rome and later became pastor in Lyons, France. Around 177, while Irenaeus was away from Lyons, a fierce persecution of Christians led to the martyrdom of his bishop. Upon Irenaeus' return, he became bishop of Lyons. Among his most famous writings is a work condemning heresies, especially Gnosticism, which denied the goodness of creation. In opposition, Irenaeus confessed that God has redeemed his creation through the incarnation of the Son. Irenaeus also affirmed the teachings of the Scriptures handed down to and through him as being normative for the Church. (from Commemorations Biographies at LCMS website)

Cyril of Alexandria, Pastor and Confessor (June 27)

Cyril (ca. A.D. 376-444) became archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt, in 412. Throughout his career he defended a number of orthodox doctrines, among them the teaching that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is "rightly called and truly is the Mother of God"--Theotokos, "the God-bearer" (Formula of Concord, VIII, Ep VIII, 12). In 431 the Council of Ephesus affirmed this teaching that the Son of Mary is also true God. The writings of Cyril on the doctrines of the Trinity and the person of Christ reveal him to be one of the most able theologians of his time. Cyril's Christology influenced subsequent church councils and was a primary source for Lutheran confessional writings. (from Commemorations Biographies at LCMS website)

Jeremiah (June 26)

The prophet Jeremiah was active as God's prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah ca. 627 to 582 B.C. As a prophet he predicted, witnessed, and lived through the Babylonian siege and eventual destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. In his preaching he often used symbols, such as an almond rod (Jer. 1:11-14), wine jars (13:12-14), and a potter at work (18:1-17). His entire prophetic ministry was a sermon, communicating through word and deed God's anger toward his rebellious people. He suffered repeated rejection and persecution by his countrymen. As far as can be known, he died in Egypt, having been taken there forcibly. He is remembered and honored for fearlessly calling God's people to repentance. (from Commemorations Biographies at LCMS website)

Presentation of the Augsburg Confession (June 25)

The Augsburg Confession, the principal doctrinal statement of the theology of Martin Luther and the Lutheran reformers, was written largely by Phillip Melanchthon. At its heart it confesses the justification of sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, for the sake of Christ alone. Signed by leaders of many German cities and regions, the confession was formally presented to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at Augsburg, Germany, on June 25, 1530. A few weeks later Roman Catholic authorities rejected the Confession, which Melanchthon defended in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1531). In 1580 the Unaltered Augsburg Confession was included in the Book of Concord.

Click here to read a longer article about the importance of this day.

Elisha (June 14)

Elisha, son of Shaphat of the tribe of Issachar, was the prophet of God to the northern kingdom of Israel ca. 849-786 B.C. Upon seeing his mentor Elijah taken up into heaven, Elisha assumed the prophetic office and took up the mantle of his predecessor. Like Elijah, Elisha played an active role in political affairs. He also performed many miracles, such as curing the Syrian army commander Naaman of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-27) and restoring life to the son of a Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:8-37). A vocal opponent of Baal worship, Elisha lived up to his name, which means "my God is salvation." (from Commemorations Biographies at LCMS website)

The Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, AD 325 (June 12)

The first Council of Nicaea was convened in the early summer of 325 by the Roman Emperor Constantine at what is today Isnuk, Turkey. The emperor presided at the opening of the council. The council ruled against the Arians, who taught that Jesus was not the eternal Son of God but was created by the Father and was called Son of God because of his righteousness. The chief opponents of the Arians were Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, and his deacon, Athanasius. The council confessed the eternal divinity of Jesus and adopted the earliest version of the Nicene Creed, which in its entirety was adopted at the Council of Constantinople in 381. (taken from the LCMS website)

Worshipping on Vacation

Now that the summer months are here, many of you will be heading out for some vacation time. It may be just a weekend getaway. It could be a week or two away from home.

However long you will be gone, don’t forget to make time for worship on your trip. It’s always interesting to visit other churches in other towns. Most churches love to have visitors. Even if you aren’t greeted right away, don’t get upset. Give the folks the benefit of the doubt. Chalk it up to being shy or unsure about what to say. Don’t let it get in the way of your Sunday morning reception of God’s gifts. After all, when’s the last time you personally greeted a visitor at our church? Having said that, I have found that all it takes for a visitor to feel welcome is for just one person to greet them as they enter and say, “Hi! Welcome! I haven’t met you. My name is...”

Finding a Missouri Synod church near your vacation spot is not all that difficult, by the way. Thanks to the internet, it’s quite easy. I've placed two links for you to use in the “Resources” section of the sidebar. The first is titled “LCMS Congregation Locator.” That will take you directly to the LCMS website and will help you locate a church either in a city or within a certain distance of a particular zipcode. The other is entitled “Liturgical Congregation Locator.” As you may know, the worship practices of our synod are all over the map. This site will help you locate a congregation that is dedicated to using the historic liturgy of the Church and which faithfully practices Closed Communion. And if all else fails, you can always call the church office and use the hard copy of the Lutheran Annual. Sure, it’s “old school,” but it still works.

Now, if your vacation takes you, say, out in the woods to camp, you probably won’t have any luck finding a church nearby. So take along your hymnal and a Bible. Use some of the worship resources for individuals and families on pages 294 and following. Depending on which Sunday you are gone, you can even read the same Scripture readings as we will be using in church. We’re currently using Series C in the 3-year cycle of readings as printed on page xviii. Maybe take a copy of Portals of Prayer along for a ready-made mini-sermon.

Wherever your vacation takes you, here’s a prayer for you to use before you set out for both your leaving and returning:

Lord God our Father, You kept Abraham and Sarah in safety throughout the days of their pilgrimage, You led the children of Israel through the midst of the sea, and by a star You led the Wise Men to the infant Jesus. Protect and guide us now in this time as we set out to travel. Make our ways safe and our homecomings joyful, and bring us at last to our heavenly home, where You dwell in glory with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

St. Barnabas, Apostle (June 11)

"Joseph, a Levite, born in Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (son of encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and turned it over to the apostles." (Acts 4:36f). This is the first mention we have of Barnabas.

His new name fits what we know of his actions. When Saul (or Paul) came to Jerusalem after his conversion, most of the Christians there wanted nothing to do with him. They had known him as a persecutor and an enemy of the Church. But Barnabas was willing to give him a second chance. He looked him up, spoke with him, and brought him to see the other Christians, vouching for him. Later, Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey together, taking Mark with them. Part way, Mark turned back and went home. When Paul and Barnabas were about to set out on another such journey, Barnabas proposed to take Mark along, and Paul was against it, saying that Mark had shown himself undependable. Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance, and so he and Mark went off on one journey, while Paul took Silas and went on another. Apparently Mark responded well to the trust given him by the "son of encouragement," since we find that Paul later speaks of him as a valuable assistant (2 Tim 4:11; see also Col 4:10 and Phil 24). --Taken from James Kiefer's Hagiographies.

The Secret?

The book The Secret has been out for several months now. But it's really not much of a secret. It's simply another version of the old positive-thinking, name-it-and-claim-it, prosperity gospel...all packaged up in another slick product, along with accompanying DVD. Read more about it by clicking here.

Sermon for the Funeral of Del Bauer

Sermon for the Funeral of Del Bauer (June 8, 2007)
“A Grain of Wheat” (John 12:23-26)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, especially to you, dear Larry, Dennis, Randy, Nancy, and to all you grandchildren, family, and friends gathered here today.

The text for our time of reflection on God’s Word is the Gospel lesson read a few moments ago, from John 12. Please listen as I read it one more time:

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:23-26)

Del certainly loved farming. I will always remember visiting Del and Lucille in their home, and seeing a picture on the wall of two little boys in overalls. One boy, with hands in pocket, leans in to the other and asks, “Been farmin’ long?”

It all started back in South Dakota. And his earthly life ended in South Dakota. I guess you could call that trip that he took with his sons his “farewell tour.”

Yes, Del loved farming. Even out here in Washington these past 48 years he couldn’t keep his hands out of the dirt. That story about his famous sweet corn was a new one to me. But I was well aware of his backyard gardening skills here in Marysville.

Our Lord Jesus was not a farmer. He was a carpenter by trade. But there was agriculture all around him. As he traveled and taught his disciples, he often used images of fields and farmers and vineyards and vinedressers.

Besides all that, as the Creator of all things, Jesus certainly understood how things grow. You take a grain of wheat and bury it in the ground. It appears to be dead. It’s just a seed inside a husk. But in this dying of sorts, it bursts forth from the ground and bears much fruit. A new wheat stalk grows with many more grains on its head.

Now, Jesus was not giving us a lesson in farming here. He was talking about his own death and resurrection. Jesus Christ is that grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died. He died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world...for Del’s sins, for your sins, for my sins. The Bible says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) But then it goes on to say that Jesus became an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. What does that mean? It means he lived the perfect life that you and I could never live. And it means that his death was the perfect price that you and I could never pay. And all who trust in his saving death are forgiven and given the gift of eternal life. The Bible says, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

After Jesus died, his body...like a seed...was planted inside a tomb. And like a seed that has been planted in the ground, bursting forth with new life, ready for the harvest, so also did Jesus rise to life again on Easter morning. Jesus is the firstfruit of the harvest. When the first of the harvest arrives, you know that there’s more to come. The same goes for the resurrection of Jesus. The fruit of his body that burst forth from the tomb will indeed bear much more fruit...the fruit of all who will one day rise to eternal life because they trusted in Jesus in this life. And Del is included in that number. Even now, he is enjoying life everlasting in heaven with his Savior Jesus. And his body that was planted into the ground this morning will also burst forth from the grave when Jesus comes back again on the Last Day, just as he promised: “An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (John 5:28)

After all that farm talk, Jesus kind of switches gears. He goes on to say, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

Because of his faith in Jesus, Del “hated” his life in this world. Now, that doesn’t mean he didn’t love the gifts that God had given him. He certainly did...his wife, his children, his country, his friends, even Dude, his dog. That’s another image I’ll always have of Del, by the way...I’d be driving to the office in the morning, and I’d see Del taking Dude for a walk...or was it Dude taking Del for a walk? He most definitely loved those gifts that God had given him. He loved you. More than once I saw him get a little misty eyed when he talked about Lucille and his children and his grandchildren. But when Jesus says to “hate” your life, he means to acknowledge that you are a sinner, to trust in him for forgiveness, and with God’s help to put everything second to him. By God’s grace, Del did that. He and Lucille faithfully came to church every Sunday...even in their times of weakness. They came and confessed their sins, trusting that they were forgiven “for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter suffering and death of [God’s] beloved Son, Jesus Christ.” They heard God’s Word of absolution where God uses the pastor’s mouth to say, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” And they received Jesus’ invitation to come often to eat and drink his very body and blood as the sign and seal of his grace and forgiveness.

By God’s grace, Del will keep his life for eternal life. By God’s grace, Del served his Lord by serving his wife, his family, and his church. Jesus said, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him.” And so, Del is with Jesus right now. And he is honored not because of the things he did, but because of all the things that God did in and through Del, especially because he was brought to faith in Jesus as his Savior. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

My prayer for you...and I’m sure it would be Del’s, too...is that his life and example would serve as a kind of seed for you. Jesus planted the seed of faith in Del’s heart. The way he lived his life was the evidence of that seed that was planted there and that bore much fruit. May the Word of God that you have heard today plant the seed of faith in your heart, too...or cultivate the seed that is already there...so that you, too, can bear the fruit of faith in Jesus as your Savior, follow Jesus, and be with Jesus when your last hour comes, too.

Amen.

Boniface of Mainz, Missionary to the Germans (June 5)

Boniface was born in the late seventh century in England. Though he was educated, became a monk, and was ordained as a presbyter in England, he was inspired by the example of others to become a missionary. Upon receiving a papal commission in 719 to work in Germany, Boniface devoted himself to planting, organizing, and reforming churches and monasteries in Hesse, Thuringia, and Bavaria. After becoming an archbishop, Boniface was assigned to the See of Mainz in 743. Ten years later he resigned his position to engage in mission work in the Netherlands. On June 5, 754, while awaiting a group of converts for confirmation, Boniface and his companions were murdered by a band of pagans. Boniface is known as the apostle and missionary to the Germans. (info taken from LCMS website)

Sermon for Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity (June 3, 2007)
“Knowing God” (John 8:48-59)

Here is a book from my library entitled “Knowing God.” It has 254 pages. Is that enough to exhaust the study of God? Will you know God by the time you finish this book? Perhaps. But there would still be a lot more to say about him.

Here is the classic dogmatics text that is still used today at our Missouri Synod seminaries. “Christian Dogmatics” by Franz Pieper...all 3 volumes and a 1 volume index. Will you know God by the time you finish these books, footnotes and all? One of my profs said that’s where Pieper is at his best...in the footnotes. Some of us grabbed a clue and read the footnotes, and found out that many of our test questions were taken from that tiny print at the bottom of the pages.

Where do you begin to talk about God? How do you truly know God? It’s easy to run into trouble when we try to define and explain God...apart from the way in which he has revealed himself, of course.

Claiming to Know God

In today’s Gospel reading from John 8, Jesus encountered some people who said that he was a Samaritan and a demon. As Jews, these were the most insulting things they could think of to call Jesus. They hated those half-breed Samaritans, even though Jesus himself was not one. And of course, they hated the devil, and you and I know that Jesus was not affiliated with him. These sons of Abraham claimed to believe in the God of Abraham. Of this God, Jesus quotes these Jewish leaders as saying, “He is our God.” But Jesus said, “You have not known him.”

First of all, how do we know there is a God in the first place? We know there is a God from creation. When you look at the world, a person should be able to acknowledge that someone or something must have created all this. We know there is a God from conscience. That sense of right and wrong that everyone has inside them...where does that come from? The answer is God. But creation and conscience will not give you the complete picture of God. Only his revelation of himself in the Bible gives us all that he wants us to know about himself and his character.

Like those Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day, many people claim to know God. There are all kinds of competing claims about who God is. They may even claim some connection to the Bible but have additional so-called revelations. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses will come to your door with a different god...one that is not Triune. “Oneness Pentecostals” like TV preacher T.D. Jakes also deny that God is One God in Three Persons. And false messiahs always pop up here and there in every generation. Jim Jones was one. David Koresh was one. Now we have Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, a cult leader in Miami with thousands of followers worldwide, who claims to be God. At his prompting, some of his church members, oddly enough, have had the number 666 tattooed on their bodies because Miranda claims to be the Antichrist. He explains this by saying that he is not “against” Jesus, but rather he is the “real” Jesus.

At other times, people come up with faulty ideas about God because they try to know him apart from revelation. J.B. Phillips, in his book Your God is Too Small, names various false conceptions of God. One he calls “Resident Policeman,” a god who is always watching over your shoulder making sure you don’t screw up and to nail you when you do. Another, he calls “Grand Old Man,” that faulty Sunday School picture of a white-haired, white-bearded old man sitting in the clouds. Another, he calls “Absolute Perfection.” Certainly, God is absolutely perfect, but if all we know of God is that he is “Absolute Perfection” then we will constantly be wracked with guilt because we can never measure up. You can probably think of other faulty ideas about God: “Big Buddy in the Sky,” rather than the Almighty to whom we should bow down and worship. Or this one: “Co-Pilot,” the one who rides along with me even though I’m really the one behind the wheel, instead of Sovereign Lord and King. Probably the most common idea about God is “Life Preserver,” someone to cling to when the water gets rough, but I’ll swim on my own power in the meantime, thank you very much.

Some go so far as to say that Jews, Muslims, and Christians actually worship the same God because they believe in only one God...that they, along with Christianity, are the only monotheistic religions... from “mono” meaning “one” and “theos” meaning “God.” But here is what Luther said in the Large Catechism, “Even if we were to concede that everyone outside Christianity—whether heathen, Turks [meaning Muslims], Jews, or false Christians and hypocrites—believe in and worship only one true God, it would still be true that they do not know what His mind toward them is and cannot expect any love or blessing from Him. Therefore, they abide in eternal wrath and damnation. For they do not have the Lord Christ, and, besides, are not illumined and favored by any gifts of the Holy Spirit.” (LC II.66) The Scriptures clearly teach that God is Triune...three persons in one divine essence. We don’t have time to look at all the Bible passages that support this. But go back and look at the Explanation to the Small Catechism where it discusses the Creed. You’ll see the verses which say that there is only one God, but the other verses that call the Father God, the Son God, and the Holy Spirit God. The Athanasian Creed says, “we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.” And later the Creed says, “And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another; but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped. Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the Trinity.” If your concept of God is messed up, your concept of how you are saved is messed up.

Know Jesus, Know God

So the best person to listen to in all this is Jesus. If you know Jesus, you know God. To those who claimed to know God, Jesus said, “I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.”

And then, a few moments later, Jesus made a claim to be God. “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” The Jews responded, “You are not yet fifty years old and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

Now there’s some odd grammar. “Before Abraham was born, I am.” Not “I was.” Not “I have been.” I AM. The very same name that the voice from the burning bush revealed to Moses: “Say this to the people of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” I AM. In Hebrew, it is Yahweh. Jesus was clearly saying, “I am God.” And the people who heard him in our text clearly understood what he was saying. That’s why they picked up stones to throw at him. They knew that he was making a divine claim. That was blasphemy in their eyes and deserving death.

The Lord Jesus is the great I AM, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is eternal God in the flesh. He humbled himself as a man and kept God the Father’s word perfectly (v. 55). He honors the Father. The Father glorifies him in his death, resurrection, and ascension. And therefore we honor Christ as true God and Son of God. If anyone keeps his word, including the truth about the Trinity, we will not see death...death here meaning eternal death, eternal separation from God. The truth about the Trinity is that God the Father sent his Son Jesus to be born as a man, to suffer and die for the sins of the whole world, so that whoever believes this has forgiveness of sins and eternal life. And the Father and the Son both send the Holy Spirit to create and sustain faith in all who hear this Good News.

So what do we do when we know God as he has revealed himself. Repent of our false concepts of God. Turn back to the Scriptures alone to know God. Learn them well. Make the right connections between the Old and New Testaments. Remember what Jesus said to the disciples after his resurrection, “everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44) Interpret the Bible with Jesus at the Center, for he is the great I AM...the same God revealed in the Old as in the New Testaments. The Trinity was not something made up by the Church. The Holy Trinity was present in Genesis 1, where God created the heavens and the earth, the Spirit was hovering over the face of the waters, and as John 1 teaches us, the Word who was made Flesh was in the beginning with God and the Word was God.

Finally, there are two ways of dealing with this knowledge of God. That book Knowing God I shared with you begins with this illustration. Picture some people sitting on a high balcony of a Spanish house watching travelers go by on the road below. The people on the balcony can overhear the travelers’ conversation and chat with them. They might even comment critically on the way that the travelers walk. They might discuss questions about the road, how it can exist at all or lead anywhere, what might be seen from different points along the road, and so forth. But the people on the balcony are onlookers. Their problems are only theoretical. The travelers, by contrast, face problems that are practical. Which way should we go? How do we make this trip? What happens when we get to our destination? These are problems which call for some type of action and response.

When it comes to the nature of God, the people on the balcony ask how one God can be three, what kind of unity can three have, how three who make one can be “persons,” and so forth. The traveler asks these questions, too, but once discussed, the traveler wants to know how to show proper honor, love, and trust towards these three persons who even now are together at work to bring us out of sin into glory. (from the Foreword of Knowing God by J.I. Packer)

God has set us on the road as travelers in our Baptism. And as we travel down this road of faith and trust and hope, we invite others to travel with us, leading them to know God...not according to what we think...but according to who he truly is...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Justin, Martyr (June 1)

Today we commemorate Justin Martyr, one of the first significant Christian apologists. He defended the Christian faith over against the prevailing Greco-Roman philosophy of his day. Click here to read about his life and writings.