Notes from my "Amen" conference presentation

Here are the websites mentioned in my presentation "Art ... for God's Sake" at the "Amen" Higher Things Conference in Scranton, PA.

Tom Dubois
http://www.triuneart.org/html/welcome.html

David J. Hetland
hetland.com

Kelly Klages
http://www.kellyklages.com/

Confessional Lutheran Ecclesiastical Art Resources
www.kellyklages.com/discussion/

Sarah Hempel Irani
http://www.hempelstudios.com/

Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico
http://www.gracelutheran-nm.org/

Center for Liturgical Art, Concordia, Nebraska
http://www.cune.edu/finearts/liturgicalart/

And below are the books that are referenced.

• Art and the Bible, Francis Schaeffer (IVP, 1973)
• Christianity and Contemporary Art Forms, John Newport (Word, 1971)
• Modern Art and the Death of a Culture, H.R. Rookmaaker (IVP, 1970)
• Postmodern Times, Gene Veith (Crossway, 1994)
• State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe, Gene Veith (Crossway, 1991)
• Culture in Christian Perspective, Leland Ryken (Multnomah, 1986)
• Art for God’s Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts, Philip Graham Ryken (P & R, 2006)
• A Handbook of Symbols in Christian Art, Gertrude Sill (Collier, 1975)
• The Grove Book of Art Writing, eds. Martin Graham and Karen Wright (Grove Press, 1998)
• Dear Theo, ed. Irving Stone (Signet)
• Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, Betty Edwards (Souvenir, 1981)
  

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (June 15, 2008)
“God's Treasured Possession” (Exodus 19:2-8a)

Do you have a "treasured possession"? On this Father's Day, dads, I'm sure you would say your family is your “treasured possession.” Or all of you children out there might consider your dad to be one of your “treasured possessions.”

What else might you call your “treasured possession”? It's probably something you hold very dear to your heart. Maybe you keep it in a safe place. Maybe you put it on display because it reminds you of a special person or a special moment in your life.

Did you know that, as a member of the Holy Christian Church, you are the Heavenly Father's “treasured possession”? He holds the Church very dear to His heart. He holds you very dear to His heart. He watches over you with His guarding and protecting hand. And like a treasured possession, He puts His Church on display. People are always looking to the Church, not always for answers ... sometimes to mock and criticize. But they are looking nonetheless, and it gives us an opportunity to proclaim the love of Christ.

The Old Testament Church — Israel — was “God's Treasured Possession.” Today's OT lesson brings us back to the time when, after their rescue from Egypt, Moses and Israel were gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Moses went up the mountain, and there the Lord said to him: "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

After 400 years of slavery, the Lord had rescued the Israelites from captivity in Egypt. The Lord told Moses to tell them, “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”

During the process of learning how to fly, young eagles get pushed out of their nest by their mothers. If the eaglet cannot yet fly and is plummeting to the ground, the mother eagle will dart beneath her young one, receive it again on her wings, and bring it back in safety to the nest.

That's how the Lord described Himself as taking care of His people. As an eagle trains, leads, guides, and even saves her young when they fall, so the Lord lovingly dealt with Israel. Saved by grace, brought into a new life as God's own through the waters of the Red Sea, God's Israel now had arrived at Sinai. Here God would reveal to them His will in His Law and in the worship of the tabernacle. Here God would make His presence dwell. Here God would reveal the means by which the sins of the people would be covered over ... through sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin.

The Lord wanted them to stay in this relationship with Him, and so He instructed them to obey Him fully and keep His covenant. They were to listen very carefully to His voice, to His Word, and in faith hold fast to the promises He was making to them. Then, the Lord said, they would be His “treasured possession.” They would live as He wanted them to live, obeying the commandments which He was about to give to them. And as God's treasured possession, they would be put on display ... a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, called to reflect the love and the mercy of God to the nations around them.

How did the people respond to this? They answered with a resounding “Yes!” “All that the Lord has spoken we will do,” they declared. God's gracious call formed a new people who were willing to do His will.

For a moment, they got it right! But it didn't last long. Their good intentions were soon tarnished by the golden calf episode. At other times along the way, before and after this moment, the people grumbled and complained ... “Egypt was better! At least we had food there! Now, Moses, you've brought us out in this wilderness to die! ... There's no water here! ... We have nothing to eat! ... Manna? What in the world is this? ... More manna? We're sick of manna! We've been eating this junk for 40 years!” And so on and so forth. They grumbled and complained because they were not satisfied with being God's chosen people. Although they had been saved by God's grace, nothing was good enough for them. They didn't seem to be happy unless they were complaining about something.

Ultimately, the people of Israel strayed from faithfully hearing God's voice. They rejected His prophets. They turned away from following the Lord in faith and turned to obeying the letter of the Law apart from faith and trust in God.

But the Lord intervened when He sent His Son to “re-create” His people Israel, to call them once again to be His “treasured possession.” Just as there were initially 12 tribes in Israel, Jesus now called 12 of His disciples to go to the “lost sheep of Israel,” as He called them in today's Gospel. As the core leaders of the New Israel, the 12 were not yet to go to the Gentiles or to the Samaritans, but to the people of Israel, who were like “sheep without a shepherd.”

This didn't mean that the message of the kingdom was not to be preached to Samaritans and Gentiles. After it was taken initially to the lost sheep of Israel, the message was proclaimed to the lost sheep among the Samaritans and Gentiles, too ... and to the lost sheep that you and I once were. There is now no distinction between Jew and Gentile in God's Church, in God's New Israel. We are all one in Christ.

And in God's Holy Church, we are His “treasured possession.” We have seen His salvation at the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus. He has carried us “on eagle's wings” ... training, leading, guiding, and lovingly dealing with us. Saved by grace ... brought into a new life as God's own through the waters of Holy Baptism ... we have come to His Holy Mountain, Mt. Zion, the Holy Christian Church. Here God reveals Himself to us in His Word. Here Christ makes His real presence dwell in His Holy Supper. Here God reveals the means by which your sins and mine are covered over ... through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

Like Old Testament Israel, we – His New Testament Israel – respond with a rousing “Yes!” We go through the Rite of Confirmation, and we promise to be faithful to God. Right along with the Israelites, we declare, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” God's gracious call to us creates faith and a willing heart to obey God’s commands.

For a while, we get it right. But soon, our good intentions are tarnished by our own golden calf episodes, the times when we look elsewhere for satisfaction in life. At other times along the way, you and I grumble and complain. “I hate getting up on Sunday morning ... that old liturgy is boring ... I don't like the hymns ... those pews are so hard ... it's so noisy in the sanctuary ... the kitchen is too small ... I wish they'd stop calling me asking me to serve!” Believe it or not, your pastor sometimes grumbles and complains, too: “Why is attendance down? What’s everyone’s problem? Don’t they realize what blessings they’re missing out on? ... I wish we could get more people to volunteer for things ... I've visited that family over and over again, and they still won't come to church!” And so on and so forth. We sometimes grumble and complain instead of simply being satisfied with being God's chosen people.

To get beyond our grumbling and complaining, we must once again hear the voice of our Great and Good Shepherd and abide in His Word. He is the One who came down not only in fire and cloud on Mt. Sinai, but also in the person of Jesus. He is the One who not only spoke the Word through Moses, but who came as the Word Incarnate, God in the flesh. We abide in His Word which says: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” and He forgives us for our dissatisfaction, for our grumbling and complaining.

Philippians 2:14-15 says, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.” As members of God's Holy Church, we are a kingdom of priests ... God's people called to intercede on behalf of the world and one another, with an office of the ministry focused on the means of grace. We are a holy nation, “church” rather than “state” ... although we have something to say to the nations around us, for God did say “all the earth is mine.” We are a people belonging to God. When you are tempted to grumble and complain, reflect on that. When you are anxious about your circumstances, remember that. Reflect ... remember ... rejoice ... that you are God's “treasured possession.” He holds you dear to His heart. He guides and protects you “as on eagle's wings.” He puts us on display to “shine as lights in the world.” How glorious then, for the people of God to respond “We will do everything the Lord has said,” displaying the treasured possession which He has given to us ... His Word of Life in Christ.

Amen.

In praise of small congregations

Small congregations (of which we probably fit that bill) often have an inferiority complex. Church bureaucrats contribute to this with their constant harping on numbers and statistics ... and in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways encouraging congregations to radically change the way they do things to attract more people.

In answer to the numbers game comes this wonderful article from the Rev. Matthew Harrison, executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care:

"Let's Hear It for the Small Congregation"

Amid all the hype in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod over the last number of years about “growth,” some important facts about small congregations have been overlooked.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised that—if such a thing were measurable—all the well-meant talk about getting congregations to grow has in many cases impeded the very numerical growth we all want.

What do I mean? I'm afraid that much of the material that we “Synod types” have put out in the church in this regard, while well-intentioned and often very good advice, has disregarded the great blessings which Jesus brings people in the small congregation. When our talk is all about “grow, grow, growth, mega, meta, magnificent,” we run the very strong risk of giving—inadvertently—the small parish the message: You're bad, you're sick; you're backward, your abnormal. Any pastor worth his salt, with a decade or two of experience under his belt, will tell you that one significant factor in whether or not a church grows is how its members view their parish. That was certainly my experience in the parish.

I'd like to put before you a few simple thoughts in order to affirm and build up our small churches. Of the some 6,150 LCMS churches around the nation: 73 percent (4,510, more than three-fourths!) have fewer than 500 members on their roles; 38 percent have fewer than 200 members; 35 percent have between 200 and 500 members. Of those parishes of 200 or fewer members, average attendance is 53. For those between 200 and 500 members, average Sunday attendance is 128. Yet nearly one-third of these small parishes operate schools! That, frankly, is amazing!

Here's a couple more interesting stats. We know that as a percentage of the congregational budget, small congregations give considerably more to their district and to the Synod. And perhaps as significant as anything, smaller congregations have in many cases significantly better member attendance (48 percent attendance for the 2,363 churches under 200 members).

Over the course of my pastoral service, I served two parishes. (One was well above 500 members; the other somewhat below that number.) I can tell you from experience, the quality of pastoral care in smaller congregations is quite often phenomenal. The LCMS has some of the best-trained clergy in the nation. The vast majority of our pastors and teachers serve parishes with small numbers with “full-scale” commitment. This blessing has marked the existence of our Synod from her earliest days and will continue to mark our existence well into the future. Despite radically changing demographics, many rural parishes live out their lives in Christ with “gusto.”

Are there challenges and areas in which we fall short? Of course. But this little article is about the good things.

More important than anything else is that in these small parishes, Christ Himself, through His blessed Word and Sacrament, dwells to give sinners life and salvation. That is a point C.F.W. Walther loved to drive home when he sensed any devaluation of smaller parishes by anyone in the Synod. Very important to me as executive director for LCMS World Relief and Human Care is that so many small parishes so well approximate the ideal Luther held up for the church, as we all are members of the same body, caring for one another. He spoke about the Lord's Supper:

“Christ said, I am the head, I will first give Myself for you, will make your suffering and misfortune Mine own and bear it for you, that you in your turn may do the same for Me and for one another, have all things in common in Me and with me, and let this sacrament be unto you a sure token of that all, that you may not forget me.”

Christ cares for us, gives Himself for us. We in turn give ourselves for the neighbor. This happens nowhere as well, as naturally, and as constantly as in the small parish. Where mistakes are made, we flee to the forgiving waters of baptism, confess our sins, and resolve in faith to begin anew in love, both “laying down our burdens in the midst of the congregation” (Luther) and also finding the burdens of others there to take up. God knows that as we often know well the sins of our neighbors (and they know ours!) in smaller congregations, the need for forgiveness and grace as we work together is all the greater!

We heartily support, thank God for, and affirm our many larger congregations that have been blessed by circumstances, God-given wisdom, demographics and grace to work hard—all which have allowed them to grow to such an extent. But let us always give thanks for the small congregations, which constantly remind us all that the church on earth is truly, and always, a “little flock.”

Come to think of it, the Synod would do best if we had many, many more small congregations!

Memory Work List

At the beginning of each chief part of the Small Catechism, Dr. Luther writes, “As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.” To this end, parents, please work with your children in memorizing the material in the list below.

Instructions

• Go to my blog at 92state.blogspot.com
• Click on “Memory Work Checklist” in the sidebar
• Log in with the username and password provided to you
• Check the appropriate box so that I can track your child’s progress

The numbers in parentheses refer to the page number on which the item appears in Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation (your maroon colored book).

1. Books of the Old Testament: Genesis to Song of Songs (253)
2. Books of the Old Testament: Isaiah to Malachi (253)
3. Books of the New Testament: Matthew to Revelation (254)
4. Romans 3:20 (52)
5. Romans 1:16 (52)
6. 1st Commandment and Explanation (i.e. “What does this mean?”) (11)
7. 2nd Commandment and Explanation (11-12)
8. 3rd Commandment and Explanation (12)
9. 4th Commandment and Explanation (12)
10. 5th Commandment and Explanation (12)
11. 6th Commandment and Explanation (12)
12. 7th Commandment and Explanation (13)
13. 8th Commandment and Explanation (13)
14. 9th Commandment and Explanation (13)
15. 10th Commandment and Explanation (13-14)
16. Close of the Commandments and Explanation (14)
17. Psalm 119:105 (97)
18. Romans 10:17 (103)
19. First Article of the Creed and Explanation (15-16)
20. Romans 8:28 (116)
21. Second Article of the Creed and Explanation (16-17)
22. John 3:16 (52)
23. Colossians 2:9 (125)
24. Galatians 4:4-5 (125)
25. John 11:25-26 (140)
26. Third Article of the Creed and Explanation (17)
27. Ephesians 2:8-9 (150)
28. Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer (and answer to “What does this mean?”) (19)
29. 1st Petition and Explanation (both questions) (19)
30. 2nd Petition and Explanation (both questions) (19-20)
31. John 3:5 (184)
32. 3rd Petition and Explanation (both questions) (20)
33. 4th Petition and Explanation (both questions) (20-21)
34. Matthew 6:33 (191)
35. 5th Petition and Explanation (“What does this mean?”) (21)
36. Ephesians 4:32 (80)
37. 6th Petition and Explanation (“What does this mean?”) (21-22)
38. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (112)
39. 7th Petition and Explanation (“What does this mean?”) (22)
40. Psalm 50:15 (67)
41. Conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer (“What does this mean?”) (22)
42. Nature of Baptism (Questions under “First”) (23)
43. Matthew 28:19-20 (205)
44. Acts 2:38-39 (206)
45. Blessings of Baptism (Questions under “Second”) (24)
46. Galatians 3:27 (209)
47. Power of Baptism (Questions under “Third”) (24)
48. Ephesians 5:25-27 (159)
49. What Baptism Indicates (Questions under “Fourth”) (25)
50. What is Confession? (26)
51. 1 John 1:8-9 (219)
52. What is the Office of the Keys? Where is this written? What do you believe...? (29)
53. 1 Peter 2:9 (226)\
54. Psalm 51:17 (226)
55. What is the Sacrament of the Altar? Where is this written? (30-31)
56. What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? (31)
57. How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? (31)
58. Who receives this sacrament worthily? (31)
59. Revelation 2:10 (245)
60. Matthew 10:32-33 (245)

Confirmation Guidelines

CONFIRMATION GUIDELINES
Messiah Lutheran Church
Marysville, WA

“What is confirmation? Confirmation is a public rite of the church preceded by a period of instruction designed to help baptized Christians identify with the life and mission of the Christian community ... Prior to admission to the Lord’s Supper, it is necessary to be instructed in the Christian faith (1 Cor. 11:28). The rite of confirmation provides an opportunity for the individual Christian, relying on God’s promise given in Holy Baptism, to make a personal public confession of the faith and a lifelong pledge of fidelity to Christ.” (Question 306 in Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation)

To this end, here are guidelines for the “catechesis” * or “instruction” of our “catechumens” or “learners” who are preparing for the Rite of Confirmation:

1. Who & When: Catechumens who have just finished the 7th grade will begin their catechesis in the summer following the school year. Class sessions will meet during the summer months at the times agreed upon (see the accompanying schedule). The schedule will include Opening Worship, Catechesis I, Snack Time and Break, Catechesis II, and Closing Prayer.
2. Curriculum: One summer’s instruction will consist of an overview of the Bible and God’s salvation history, with reference to Luther’s Small Catechism. The other summer will strictly consist of a study of the Six Chief Parts of the Small Catechism.
3. Two School-Year Retreats: There will be two retreats during the school year which the catechumens are expected to attend, since we will also be engaged in catechesis during those retreats. Information about retreats will be available at a later date.
4. Worship Notes: Throughout the summer months and the school year, the catechumens will be expected to complete “Worship Notes” and will submit them for Pastor to review. Two “Worship Notes” per month are required. Blank “Worship Notes” forms are available in the indicated slot in the Council Room. Pick one up before the service and place it in Pastor’s mail slot when completed after the service. If the catechumens fall behind, they may submit more than two in a given month.
5. Memory Work: During their period of catechesis (including the school year), the catechumens will also be expected to memorize selected portions of the Small Catechism and assorted Bible verses. This is to be completed at home between the parents and the student. A list and an online checklist will be provided for parents to indicate when their child has recited the selected portion to them. Periodically, I will check to see the progress which the catechumens have made in their memorization.
6. Materials to Bring: Please bring these materials each day: Workbook, Catechism, Bible, pen or pencil, highlighter.
7. Behavior: Catechumens are to be at their best behavior and not distracting to the others. If behavior becomes a problem, the parent will be asked to join them for confirmation class. If behavior problems cannot be resolved, the individual may be asked to withdraw from confirmation catechesis until he/she has reached an appropriate level of maturity. We plan to have an enjoyable time, but it is also time for work. This is a learning environment that is far greater than any other since it involves eternal matters, matters of faith and salvation.
8. Confirmation Verse & Banner: Towards the end of the second summer, each catechumen will choose a Confirmation Verse from a pre-selected list of verses. This verse will also serve as the basis for the Confirmation Banner which you are responsible to create. Ideas and instructions will be presented at the appropriate time.
9. Final Interview: In September and October following the second summer of catechesis, each catechumen will be interviewed by the pastor with their parents present. Appointments will be made when the time approaches. The catechumens will then be welcomed into “Communicant Membership” of Messiah Lutheran Church when they, their parents, and the pastor agree that they are ready.
10. Church Attendance, etc.: Above all, remember that catechesis is more than just “knowing.” Confirmation is not Graduation. It is a step along the way in one’s ongoing growth in our life in Christ. Therefore, confirmation also involves the “doing” of those things which will continue to be part of the Christian’s life after Baptism:

• Attending Sunday Divine Services & Sunday School throughout the year
• Attending other special services (for example, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Ascension, etc.)
• Confession & Absolution
• Living in one’s Vocation (that is, your “calling” ... your place in life where God has put you at any given time and the responsibilities that come with that vocation ... for example, son, daughter, brother, sister, student, friend, etc.)

* What’s with all the fancy words? Although I could use the typical words “instruction” and “student,” I’m trying to get across the idea that this is something special, different from school and homework. That stuff is important, too, but math and science and reading and history will not get a person into heaven.

"Colder than Siberia"

That's how yesterday's Seattle Times described our recent weather here in the Puget Sound. Read the article by clicking here. It's true...it's been downright COLD here for June. Or as I heard one person call it, "Juneuary."

First Church?

Archaeologists in Jordan claim to have uncovered the remains of the world's first church structure. Click here to read more.

Out of the Mouths of Babes #5

While I and my family were preparing for our trip to California back in April, I was cleaning my daughter's carseat. I disassembled it in order to take the cover off and have Julie throw it in the wash. Not being the most mechanically inclined guy, Julie was concerned about the safety level of the carseat once I started putting it back together again.

I told her, like the typical man I am, "Trust me, dear. I know what I'm doing."

Although I knew she didn't mean it, yet she still replied, "Alright, I trust you." And turning to our daughter, she said, "Better say a prayer for your carseat, Lily."

Lily folder her hands and began, "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest..."

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (June 29, 2008)
“A Strange Love Story” (Hosea 5:15-6:6)

It’s become a custom in the Onken household that for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, we each get one whole day to ourselves to do anything we want to do. I told Julie to go see a “chick flick.” She likes movies such as “Sense and Sensibility” or “Sabrina” or “An Affair to Remember.” Me? I’d rather watch a good Clint Eastwood western, like “The Outlaw Josey Wales” or maybe a good war movie, like “Saving Private Ryan.” I hear the new movie “Iron Man” is pretty cool. If I get a day off for Dad’s Day, maybe I’ll take a couple of hours to go check it out. It would be like pulling to teeth to get Julie to go see a movie like that with me.

It’s like pulling teeth without anesthetic to get me to watch a sentimental love story with Julie. But if the truth be told, sometimes I get wrapped up in the story. Admit it guys, you do too. And later on, you do all you can to hide your watery eyes.

Today’s Old Testament lesson is taken from the book of Hosea. The prophet Hosea’s story is not so much a sentimental love story as it is a strange one. In this strange love story, God gives us a picture of His love for His Old Testament people Israel … and for us, His New Testament people.

Hosea was told by God to marry a woman with an unsavory reputation. So, Hosea married Gomer. They had three children together, but they did not “live happily ever after.” At some point, Gomer left Hosea for another man. Not only that, but she apparently had become a prostitute and a slave.

However, God told Hosea to pursue her. Keep on loving her. Seek her out and buy her back. Redeem her from her slavery. And that’s exactly what he did. He chased after her in her unfaithfulness and paid the purchase price for her.

God used this strange love story to give us a picture of Israel’s unfaithfulness and His own loving pursuit of Israel. Hosea married Gomer even with her unsavory reputation and he pursued her in her unfaithfulness. God had “married” himself to Israel and pursued them in their unfaithfulness.

God has “married” himself to us with our unsavory reputation. He has fully dedicated Himself to us. But like the people of Israel, we have not fully dedicated ourselves to Him. We, too, have a half-hearted devotion to the Lord. The text says, “Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.” Growing up in Southern California, I remember the “marine layer” – as it’s called – on early spring and summer mornings. A layer of clouds from the ocean would roll in before dawn. It would hide the morning sun but would usually burn off by noon time. And the dew that lay on the grass early in the morning would evaporate just as quickly. Our love for the Lord is often that way. It is strong one moment, but in the next it is weak and fleeting, evaporating like the morning clouds and the early dew.

In addition, we persist in the idea that we can somehow appease God with our actions. The people of Israel and Judah thought their numerous sacrifices would make God happy, even though their heart was not really in the right place. Don’t we often deceive ourselves in the same way? “If I just do more things for God,” we think to ourselves, “more good things that will make Him happy, then he will surely overlook the bad things that I have done.” Instead, God says through the prophet, “I desire steadfast love, not sacrifice.” God does not want our empty sacrifices. He wants our heartfelt acts that are responses of thanksgiving. He wants our love. But we just got through saying that our love is like the morning mist and the early dew.

And so, the threats of the Law hang over us like they did for Israel. When faced with their disobedience, the Lord said, “Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.” The harsh words of God’s condemnation through the mouth of the prophets hung over them. And God’s condemnation over our sin hangs over us, as well.

But God never “leaves us hanging.” God chases after us like Hosea chased after Gomer. He seeks after us and calls us to repentance after we have heard His Word that “has torn us” and “struck us down.” In love, He comes and heals us and binds up our wounds.

In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” So admit your sickness. Confess your sin! When we confess together, “I, a poor miserable sinner”…people have a hard time with that. “Me? A sinner? Never!” It’s not easy to admit “I am a sinner.” But that’s exactly who Jesus came for. He said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Do you want Jesus? Do you want to know Him? Do you want His forgiveness? Then you must admit your sickness. Admit your utter helplessness without Him. That’s what Luther meant when he said those infamous words, “Sin boldly.” Not to go out and sin because that’s what you are, after all. But to admit what you are. A sinner. Be a sinner. Don’t put on any self-righteous pretense that you are anything other than a sinner. “Sin boldly.” And then trust in Christ who has boldly saved you! You are just the person He came to save! He washes your wounds clean in the waters of Baptism. He prescribes a regular dose of His forgiving Word of absolution. And He applies the healing salve of His body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar.

In our text from Hosea, the prophet says, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” That’s another way of simply saying that we won’t have to wait long for Him to come and restore us. But with those words “on the third day he will raise us up” did you find yourself thinking of the cross and the empty tomb? I did. The words from the Creed “the third day he rose again from the dead” probably echoed in your mind. The events at the cross and the empty tomb took place so that you and I might be revived … raised up from the death of sin and given new life … restored to a relationship of grace with the Triune God.

Talk about a strange love story … the death of God’s Son demonstrates God’s love. That’s quite strange. But it’s true. Romans 5:8 says God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Just like Hosea paid the purchase price for his bride Gomer, Jesus paid the purchase price with His own life for His Bride, the Church.

Our half-hearted devotion to the Lord, our love that lasts as long as mist and dew, our attempts at appeasing God with our actions … all these and all our other sins were laid upon Jesus. We can now live in his presence … before his face … holy and righteous in his sight. Jesus didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners, and we sinners become righteous in God’s sight by faith. The same was true for Abraham, as St. Paul explained about Abraham’s faith, “it was counted to him as righteousness.” But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

This is a strange love story indeed. Hosea said, “his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” God’s love for us in Christ is consistent and persistent … like the sun that rises faithfully every morning, every day. And God’s love for us in Christ is abundant and refreshing. It’s not like the mist and the dew that don’t stay very long. No, it’s like the rain that pours down from the heavens and drenches the earth and gives life and growth.

At the end of many love stories, we hear these words, “And they lived happily ever after.” The happy couple goes off and lives together in the castle. But we don’t hear much about the rest of their lives. But this love story of which you and I are the object is lived outside the castle walls. Jesus said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” God’s forgiveness and love for the sake of Christ enable us to live out His love as we serve one another in acts of mercy and with sacrifices of thanksgiving.

A former missionary in India once told of needing assistance in transferring a critically ill man from his house to the local hospital. She requested help from two Hindu “holy men” who were sitting not far away, chanting their devotions. The missionary said she would never forget the fire of resentment that blazed up in the eyes of one of them as he replied, “We? We are holy men! We never do anything for anyone!” (ESI #460)

My dear friends in Christ, that’s not the way of Christ. You are holy men! You are holy women! And holy men and women do all kinds of things for all kinds of people, all kinds of loving and merciful things for everyone, sacrifices of thanksgiving. And you do them because you have been the object of God’s strange … yet wonderful … love story. Amen.

Get Service

Gene Veith posted this video this morning. Here's how he introduces it: "This video was shown at the Lutheran Church Canada convention. Recall that the purpose of every vocation is to love and serve not so much God in isolation but, as He commands, your neighbor. (Luther: 'God doesn’t need your good works; but your neighbor does.')"

Confirmation is Not Graduation

Last Sunday three of our young people took part in the Rite of Confirmation. For the past two years, we have been praying for these “catechumens” or “learners” while they have been learning the “catechism.”

One of the things I always tell the confirmation students is that “Confirmation is not graduation.” It kind of seems that way sometimes, however. For two years, they come to a class. They have to study a book. They take quizzes and tests (which I have started calling “Celebrations of Knowledge” ...thanks Pastor Stiegemeyer...although that hasn’t changed the students’ opinion of them...when I say, “It’s time for another Celebration of Knowledge” someone always says, “You mean a test!”). On the big day, they wear a robe. They sit together and come forward to receive a piece of paper with their name on it (kind of like a diploma!). And their reward (although it shouldn’t really be seen that way, as if the Sacrament were a carrot dangled at the end of a string in front of a horse) is that finally they get to receive the Lord’s Supper.

Confirmation does have some parallels to graduation. But just like life doesn’t end when students graduate, neither does one’s life in Christ end at confirmation. Confirmation is just another step along the way in one’s walk with God and growth in the knowledge of the Scriptures. Hopefully, confirmation is presented as the way in which we prepare young people to engage in a more mature participation in the life of the Church. In the Confirmation ceremony, the confirmands reaffirm the promises that God gave to them in their Baptism. Now, they are able to publicly say “Yes” to God’s promises, whereas when they were baptized as infants or young children, their parents and sponsors did this on their behalf.

So often, we lose students either after confirmation or after high school. This happens for various reasons. The pressures of other activities and peers and jobs get in the way. Some responsibility lies with parents, to continue to bring their children to church and Sunday School and youth group activities. But the entire congregation should bear some of the burden, too. Do we go out of our way to acknowledge and appreciate and affirm the young people of our congregation? Do we greet them personally on Sunday morning? Do we pray for them? Do we make them feel like they are a part of our church or just that group of youngsters whom we can ask to do some of the dirty work that the rest of us don’t want to do? “Let’s get the youth to do it” is not always a welcome suggestion. Sure, they may have more energy than most of us, but let’s not take them for granted. Instead, let’s work and serve together.

Finally, Confirmation Day is a good day for all of us to reaffirm the promises God gave us in our Baptism...the promises of faith, forgiveness, eternal life, salvation, the gift of the Holy Spirit. As the confirmands confess their faith, we confess right along with them. As we pray for them that they would remain faithful unto death by the grace of God, we pray for each other and for ourselves that God would keep us all strong in faith in the Triune God by his grace.

We are all lifelong “catechumens.” We are all lifelong “learners.” After all, remember what the sign in the Social Hall says: “No one graduates from Bible Study until they meet the Author face to face!”

Are We a “Nice” Church?

“Nice” is a good thing, right? Sure. Why would we not want to call ourselves a “nice” church? It sure beats being a “mean” church. That would really turn people off!

But there’s more to being a church than being nice. Here’s how one preacher describes a certain pastor’s realization that his was a “nice” church:

[The pastor] was pleased with the worship and the ministries of his church. Everything seemed to operate with care and good taste and competence. He had the right staff in place, and they all were able to find dedicated, trained volunteers to shape a marvelous network of programs.

Yet something didn’t sit right with him. In his words, it was a very, very nice church. And therein was the problem. It was a church that looked after itself so well that it had forgotten that it was under orders to be about the missionary business of the kingdom of heaven.

If people wanted wonderful worship, all they had to do was join the congregation on Sundays. If they wanted terrific children’s ministries and youth programs, all they had to do was drop their sons and daughters off at the right times. If anyone wanted a little diaconal assistance, just stop by the office and a secretary would arrange for a modest handout.

But the onus was on others to come and find the church. The congregation itself had little use for going out to search for the lost and the last and the least. It had given up being a net. It had lost its marching orders. It had gained the corner on “nice” but was losing the ability to call itself church. (from a sermon by Wayne Brouwer in the May/June 2008 issue of Preaching)

Nice is good. But nice is not the essence of the church. In other words, it’s not what makes the church “church.” The Greek word for church is ecclesia and means an “assembly.” The church is certainly an assembly, a gathering together of like-minded believers in Christ. But the word ecclesia comes from two other words that mean “called out.” The church is made up of those whom God has “called out” from the world and makes into a new people (see, e.g. Rom. 1:6; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 6:16-17; 1 Peter 2:9). The Holy Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth” through the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments, and “keeps [the Church] with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.” (Explanation to the Third Article, Luther’s Small Catechism)

And Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is a like a net (Matt. 13:47). It’s not like a line with bait and hook with which all you salmon fishermen in these parts are most acquainted. Bait attracts fish, they bite it, are hooked, and are drawn into the boat. But the kingdom of heaven is not about attracting people with “bait” and getting them “hooked.” After all, spiritually dead “fish” (Eph. 2:1) don’t even have the power to swim toward the “bait.” Instead, like fishing with a net, the kingdom of heaven is about casting the Gospel out of the boat in order to catch people with the embrace of God’s mercy and grace and thereby draw them in.

Are we casting the Gospel out of the boat where others might hear it and be drawn into our ecclesia? Or are we keeping God’s kingdom to ourselves because we like our “nice” little church? Are we afraid of how our “nice” little church might change when new people are brought into our midst? God save us from being so “nice” that we are afraid to tell others about the best news the world has ever heard ... the only true, saving message about Jesus and his forgiving death in the place of sinners like you and me. God save us from being a church that looks after itself so well that we forget that we are under orders to be about the missionary business of the kingdom of heaven.

Sermon for the Third Sunday after Pentecost

The Third Sunday after Pentecost (June 1, 2008)
“Good Luck Charms and Godly Graffiti” (Deut. 11:18-21, 26-28)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today is Confirmation Day for three young people of our congregation. Passing the faith along to our children is important to God. That’s a big part of what our Lord is teaching us in today’s Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is, you might say, the “farewell speech” of Moses, handing over to the next generation all that God had told him on Mt. Sinai. The Israelites are about ready to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. Moses now stands before the people and reminds them of all the Laws and Promises that God had told him to record and deliver to the people. If they keep God’s Laws, God will bless them in the Promised Land. If not, he will curse them.

Once again, here is the text from Deut. 11:

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.”

Good Luck Charms and Godly Graffiti

The Israelites eventually misinterpreted some of God’s instructions here. The bit about binding God’s words as a sign on your hand led them to take small pieces of parchment, write Bible verses on them, stick them in little leather boxes, and tie the boxes to their arms with strips of leather. And the part about frontlets between your eyes led them to tie similar boxes to their foreheads. They call these leather boxes “phylacteries.”

And then there’s the instruction to write God’s words on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. This developed into the practice of making mezuzot, or little boxes affixed to doorways in a home, and in which are placed Bible verses written on parchment.

Today, you’ll see orthodox Jews at prayer wearing phylacteries. And you’ll find mezuzot mounted in the homes of Jews around the world, even those who are not particularly religious. They’ve become sort of a cultural decoration. Some of them are little works of art in themselves, made out of silver, gold, or wood, with elaborate carvings and precious stones. It’s almost as if the beauty of the case is more important than the words inside.

It’s a good thing we don’t treat God’s Word that way.

Or do we? We don’t have little boxes on our bodies with Bible verses inside. But we have other stuff with God’s Holy Word on it. We’ve plastered it on t-shirts and trinkets. We’ve engraved it on knick-knacks and door knockers. A nice little framed print of a cottage in the woods is not enough ... it must have a Bible verse printed underneath. I even saw a tough looking guy at the park the other day who had some Bible references tattooed on his huge, exposed biceps. I couldn’t get close enough to see what the exact verses were, because I was a little afraid of him.

Now, am I saying that all this is wrong? No ... as long as all these ways in which we have decorated our homes with Bible verses does not take the place of the serious, deliberate, regular habit of reading God’s Word, studying it, praying it, and applying it to our lives.

I’m afraid that most of us DO neglect the real deep study and application of God’s Word. And Moses also makes it clear that the home is the primary place where this happens, including the instruction of our children. But teaching the Bible at home to our children is not often our priority. We leave that to Sunday School and confirmation. But then again, do our children regularly attend Sunday School? And if they do not, then they are already at a disadvantage by the time confirmation instruction begins. Do any of you “talk about [God’s Word] when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise”? No. We are preoccupied with other activities. We let other influences inform our conversation and shape our words and thoughts. Sadly, all the Bible verses with which we surround ourselves have become little more than the equivalent of good luck charms and godly graffiti.

For the Israelites, the misuse and disuse of God’s Word brought a curse upon them. For us, if we treat God’s Word like a mere decoration for our home ... if all we have is a family Bible on display big enough to choke a mule, but never opened ... then we, too, will miss out on all the blessings that God has in store for us through his Word. The Lord says in Isaiah 66:2, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My Word.” When is the last time you trembled at God’s Word? When is the last time you opened your Bible to read it and approached it with holy awe? Those words in there are not just any words. They are words with power ... words of Law that condemn ... and words of Gospel that bless. How have we treated them? How have we responded to them? If we continue in our sinful neglect of God’s Word, our fate will be like the unfruitful false teachers whom Jesus condemns in Matthew 7: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven ... And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Now those are words which should cause us to tremble.

God’s Word Gives Life and Grace

But where you and I have neglected God’s Word, our Lord Jesus was always attentive and obedient to his Father’s Word ... even when he was not much younger than a confirmation student and amazed the teachers in the temple with his insights into the Scriptures, and who told Mary and Joseph who had been searching for him, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Where you and I have not done the will of God, our Lord Jesus always and perfectly did the will of his Father in heaven. Where our lives bear the evidence of bad fruit because our hearts are sinful and unhealthy, our Lord Jesus always bore good fruit, the fruit of trust and love and compassion and righteousness. The curse for our disobedience was laid upon Jesus at the cross. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” Our sinless Savior became a “worker of lawlessness” in our place, bearing our sins in his body on the tree and feeling what it is like to be told by the Father “Depart from me.”

This word about Jesus is no good luck charm. It is a word that gives life and grace. It’s a powerful word, as we heard St. Paul last week say, “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” (Rom. 1:16) The curse is removed. The blessing of forgiveness is bestowed. The righteousness of Christ becomes yours by faith ... by repenting of your sins and trusting in Christ’s payment for your sins with his own blood. “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law ... the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation [an atoning sacrifice ... a “covering over”] by his blood, to be received by faith.” (Rom. 3:21-25)

Jesus also told a parable about two men who built a house. One built it on sand. The other built it on rock. The wise man’s house on the rock was the only one that withstood the forces that pummeled it. That man was able to live in that house. He staked his life on it. The foundation was solid. He could trust that he and his family were safe inside, no matter what went on outside.

God’s Word is like that. God’s Word gives life and grace because it is the only solid foundation upon which to build your life. You can stake your eternal life on it. His promises are always and eternally sure. With God’s Word surrounding you ... with God’s Word at the center of your family life ... you can trust that you and your family will be safe in God’s grace, no matter what goes on around you.

And don’t pride yourself on being such a good builder. In the parable, remember, it wasn’t the way the house was built that kept it intact. It was the foundation ... solid rock! Likewise, it’s not the way you’ve structured your life that keeps your faith intact. It’s the foundation upon which your life is built. Give credit where credit is due. It’s not about the building. It’s about the foundation. You had nothing to do with it. It’s all about God’s Word. It’s all about the Gospel. It’s all about Christ Jesus and his cross and his empty tomb.

So lay up the Word of God in your heart and in your soul. Treasure the Word of God. Retain it in your memory. Love it. Let it help you when temptation comes your way, as David said, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 NIV)

Bind the Word of God on your hand. Not in a leather box. Think of it this way. How do some people try to remember things with their hands? Years ago people used to tie a string on their finger. Some people write quick notes directly on their skin. Better yet, how about a wedding ring? What does a wedding ring do? It’s a reminder of what and who you are to be faithful to ... your wedding vows to your spouse. And so, figuratively speaking, you can bind God’s Word on your hand, reminding yourself to be faithful to God, reminding yourself that he was first faithful to you, and then putting God’s Word into practice with your hands, serving your neighbor in love.

Make God’s Word into a frontlet between your eyes. Again, not in a leather box strapped to your forehead. But treat God’s Word as if it is always right in front of you, going before your eyes, reminding you to take into your eyes only those things that are God-pleasing. Perhaps also you might say that this teaches us to see things through God’s perspective ... interpreting the events around us and the troubles and struggles before us with an eye to eternity.

And write God’s Word on the doorposts of your house. Not in a little box. And not as so much godly graffiti. But instead, let God’s Word frame and shape and inform all that goes on in your home.

And speaking of doorposts ... 40 years before Moses’ words in our text, the blood of a perfect lamb was once put on the doorposts of the homes of the children of Israel. The angel of death passed over. And the people were rescued from their slavery in Egypt, brought through the waters of the Red Sea, and made to be God’s own special people.

All this looked forward to the day when the blood of the Lamb of God was spilled out on the cross. God’s anger over sin has passed over. You and I are rescued from our slavery to death and the devil, brought through the waters of Baptism, and made to be God’s own special people. May this truth, the truth about the Word made flesh and crucified for you, be written on your heart both now and forever. Amen.