Quia Creeds

Confirmation, 19 February

2012-02-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

1. Attend worship and Sunday School.
2. Due to new members luncheon we cannot have Confirmation.
3. Pencil in date of Confirmation Sunday - 29 April at 10:30AM.

Contraception, Abortion, and the Intrusion of the Federal Government

2012-02-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

The federal government is trampling on the free exercise of religion by mandating religious instutions supply methods of contraception and abortion in their health care plans. The federal government, and President Obama in particular, has shown its intolerance of religious freedom. This mandate puts religion under the thumb of the government.

The Catholic church has offered up strong criticism of the President's plan. Former Governor Mike Huckabee stood in solidarity with the Catholic church saying, "We are all Catholics now." While the Governor's words are commendable, the issue goes well beyond the Catholic church. The Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod (LC-MS) stands against this intrusion as do other Christian and non-Christian groups.

President Obama responded to this strong criticism by offering up a farce -- the so-called "accommodation" whereby religious institutions would not have to pay for contraceptive and abortive coverage.

The "accommodation" places the cost of coverage not upon religious organizations but upon their insurance companies. Why is this a farce? First, the insurance companies will never pay for this. They just pass along the cost by raising health premiums. Second, many denominations self-insure. While the LC-MS currently falls under a grandfather clause we strongly voice our opposition to the trampling of the 1st Amendment.

Please check out the response of the Matthew Harrison, President of the LC-MS.

Click Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X5au8yj2msQ#!

2012-02-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

1. There is no confirmation class on the 12th.
2. The 12th Feb is a make-up for Sunday School.
3. Keep up with memorization.
4. Confirmation Sunday is penciled in for 29 April at the 10:30AM service!!

First Fruits to God or the Left Overs?

2012-02-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Stewardship exposed! This video is a hoot. Check it out at:http://youtu.be/Vn36cj2t6ZY

Confirmation Homework, due 5 Feb (click below)

2012-02-01T08:21:00.000-08:00

1. Click this link for homework: http://www.box.com/s/iq3lygrgi0ana6cuqf5d

2. Please either make up memorization already past due. For those on schedule, please finish up your memorization.

The Church of Low Self-Esteem No More!

2012-01-27T11:57:00.000-08:00

Is your congregation sufferingfrom self-esteem issues? Are youwondering if using a hymnal with its liturgy is an anachronism? Shouldyour church drop the lectionary and have the pastor focus on sermon series withhip and relevant messages? Is the churchcalendar just too constricting?

It is easy to see theweaknesses in our congregations, but let’s not do a Mitt Romney. What’s a Mitt Romney? It’s being embarrassed over that for whichyou should be thankful. You know GovernorRomney was at first shy about the fact he has been a success in business. We don’t need to go down that route.

As we approach Lent, it isgood, right, and salutary for us to see the great blessing liturgical churcheshave in the (1) lectionary and in the (2) church year calendar. No apologies necessary

1. The lectionary is a blessing. For hundreds of years many Christians used aone year set of readings that repeated each year. This developed gradually starting well over1,000 years ago. The most popular lectionarytoday, however, is a three cycles of readings.

Each cycle (year A, B, C) hasan Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel reading for each Sunday. During the Easter season the Old Testamentreadings are dropped for texts from the book of Acts. There are also texts for various holy daysthat fall in the middle of the week as well as readings from the Psalms.

Consider that the lectionaryis a blessing because it gives us a broad sweep of the Bible instead of lettingthe preacher focus on his own pet topics and texts. Indeed the Pastor and congregation are forcedto consider portions of Scripture that they might otherwise ignore. Perhaps a text of Scripture seems hard forpeople of a certain culture and a certain time to digest. The Lectionary doesn’t let us focus on onlythose portions of Scripture that seem comfortable and soft to us. Nonetheless,the lectionary, as adapted in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, certainly isdesigned so that the Goodnews of Christ is held high.

Take note that each year hasits own emphasis. Year “A” focuses onthe Gospel of Matthew, year “B” on Mark, and year “C” on Luke. The Gospel of John is scattered throughouteach year.

The Gospel reading is kingand so the Old Testament reading is tied in some way to the Gospel text. The Epistle very often stands alone so thatChristians can hear larger portions of them, but even here, they will conform to the season of the church yearespecially during Advent and Lent. Let’smove onto the church year because the lectionary happens in the context of aregular calendar.

2. The church year is a blessing. This is so because it faithfully deliversChrist to His people. It also gives us awonderful rhythm to our life together in Christ. Rhythm is all around us. God put rhythm in nature as we enjoy winter,spring, summer, and fall (unless you live in a place like Phoenix where therhythm is simply sweltering hot and not as hot). The Jews had a rhythm in their life togetheras God gave them a cycle of various feasts and observances.

The church year is broken upinto two major sections. The first halffocuses on an orderly account of the life of Christ. The second half is known at the “time of thechurch” which is much more diverse in that it doesn’t have a long running theme.

The first half starts in thelast Sunday of November with Advent. InAdvent we consider the first and the second coming of Christ. Then we move onto Christmas. The season of Epiphany is next. It begins January 6 with the coming of theMagi. Epiphany is a Greek word meaning“manifestation.” In this season Jesusmanifests His true glory in miracles, casting out of demons, and the calling ofthe disciples. We see the greatness ofthe Babe born in Bethlehem shine through in Epiphany.

Then the church moves on toLent which is a 40 day preparation for Easter. It is a time when the church focuses especially on repentance and evenfasting. Dr. Timothy Maschke notes thatthe 40 days does not count Sundays since this is the day in which our Lordrose. The 40 days recalls 40 days offasting of our Lord and 40 years of wilderness wandering for the Hebrews.

He also notes that, “In A.D.325, the Council of Nicea recorded the first reference to the specific numberof days in Lent” (Gathered Guests: A Guide to Worship in the Lutheran Church,p. 56). This is an ancient seasonindeed. Easter is next. The emphasis is joy, victory, salvation we havein Christ’s resurrection. It is thechurches oldest celebration. It endswith Jesus’ Ascension into heaven. Withthe day of Pentecost we move into the “time of the church.”

The church calendar helps thebody of Christ remain relevant in its worship because it runs us through thelife of Christ each year. The Gospel isthe news of salvation that each lost soul needs to hear. It is the message that continues tostrengthen each believer and keep them in Christ. The Church is the body of Christ, and so thechurch keeps Him as the central focus inits worship, readings, and church year.

Think of the gimmicks so commonin the American church – 30 day sex challenges, secular cover bands, successdriven sermon series, and pandering to people’s various felt needs. These gimmicks diminish Christ. They herald His importance not as Savior butas life coach.

These gimmicks make churchestemples of profanity. Augustinecriticized the immoral, pagan worship of his day and wrote, “If these aresacred rites, what is sacrilege? If thisis purification, what is pollution?” (The City of God, Book II, section4). The same could be asked of manycongregations in our own day.

We Lutherans need neverapologize for the lectionary and the church year. These are great blessings because they bringus to Christ!

Confirmation Homework due 29 Jan, (see link below)

2012-01-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

1. Test scores were good! Everyone got an 85% or higher. Keep up the good work.

2. Progress reports are in your church mailbox.

3. Some young people are behind on memory work. Please get caught up this Sunday.

4. Homework - click this link: http://www.box.com/s/v5zgevzjfgjx2u6hhxq7

Sermon, 3d Epiphany, Mark 1:14-20, MP3

2012-01-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

(Click Here) http://www.box.com/s/8k9s1zaoy7x6hfpn53y0

"This is an historiated capital O, an initial in the The San Domenico Missal. Fra Angelico made the illustrations in that missal while working in the convent of San Domenico in Fiesole, near Florence.

Depicted is the moment Jesus calls the fishermen Peter and Andrew. The shoreline and the lake that vanish into the horizon behind them help to create a strong suggestion of depth in this tiny picture."

Art created c. 1430

Confirmation Homework for 22 January 2012

2012-01-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sunday we will have a test (diagnostic) over the Commandments and the Apostle's Creed.

Homework is easy. Each young person should bring with him a question he/she has over any religious issue. It doesn't have to be limited to what we are doing in class. I'll try and answer the questions to the best of my ability.

The catechumin does not need to put his name with the question, but do write it down.

Sermon on John 1:43-51 (MP3)

2012-01-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

Do our expectations get in the way of following Jesus? Do we expect something more or better from God than what He is offering? Click on the link below as we hear about Jesus of Nazareth. He comes from a town least likely to be the home of the Messiah, and He calls Nathanael to "follow Me."

Click here for Sermon: http://www.box.com/s/62qp0uyjmter468c1g4e

(The shield of Nathanael. The knife recalls the tradition that says Nathanael was flayed alive.)

Quote from the Church Fathers - Clement of Rome

2012-01-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

Clement of Rome:

"And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Clement of Rome was a Bishop of the church of Rome in the first century. Origen (born in the late 2d century) attests that he was the Clement mentioned in Philippians 4:3. The quote below is from Clement's epistle. Even as late as the 4th century Clement's epistle was actually read in many churches.

It is a wonderful confession of the evangelical faith though one should remember he is writing well before the controversies over justification in the Reformation period.

(Roberts, A.., Donaldson, J., & Coxe, A. C. (1997). The Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol.I : Translations of the writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325 (13). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.)

Does Jesus Destroy Religion? (click here)

2012-01-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

I'm tired of people hitting on "religion" as if it is a bad thing. Religion is the worship of the Almighty. It is gathering together as His people and hearing His Word. There is nothing wrong with the concept of religion. The problem is false religion. True religion flows from the Father in the Son through the Spirit. It is receiving God's grace in Word and Sacrament. Christian, if you have been hitting on religion, stop it! It's nothing but pandering to a jaded society that loves to criticize the church.

Check out the link to Pastor Jonathan Fisk's You Tube video and see his response to another You Tube video that knocks religion.

Fisk's video is below. Either click the heading for this post or click the *heading* on the You Tube picture below. The original video he responds to is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1IAhDGYlpqY

Confirmation Homework for 15 January 2012

2012-01-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Read Acts 2:1-42. There is no homework sheet. Read and then discuss these questions: Q1) Where are the disciples gathered? Q2) What miracles take place? Q3) Peter starts preaching in verse 14. What is his message?

Nolan's Funeral Sermon (click here)

2012-01-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

Click on the link above to hear the sermon for Nolan's funeral. IT takes an Epiphany theme as it was the Day of Epiphany when the funeral was held.

Hooray for the Supreme Court! (click here)

2012-01-11T16:26:00.001-08:00

Our liberties have always been protected by men willing to fight for them. The fight happens both with the force of arms and in the power of great ideas (e.g.: "all men are created equal"). Pen, protestor, and sword defend liberty.

Yet, those liberties can stand or fall with the opinion of 9 people on the Supreme Court. It isn't the constitution that guarantees or freedom as much as it is the men who interpret and enforce it.

Hooray for the Supreme Court that unanimously (9-0) protected the liberty of Christian churches (and of all religions). Click on the heading above and read the post on Cranach blog about the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod before the Supreme Court.

Confirmation Homework for 8 January 2012 (click here)

2012-01-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

1. We have a special guest teacher for this Sunday's confirmation class! I won't be there, but he will be. Make sure you make it to Sunday school.

2. Make sure you bring last week's homework (1 January) with you as well as the one due on the 8th.

3. 6th & 7th graders were already to have memorized the commandments and the Apostle's Creed. 8th graders were already to have memorized the commandments and one of the meanings to the Apostle's Creed. You may recite your memorization to the guest teacher after class.

Confirmation Homework for 1 January 2012 (click here)

2011-12-24T12:49:00.000-08:00

1. On the homework, this is important to do if for no other reason than the child can come to class with some familiarization with the text. This will facilitate discussion in class and learning. I encourage you to do this homework later in the week, but before driving to church on Sunday morning.

2. On the 1 January catechumens should be able to recite their memory work after class. If your child has not successfully done the commandments he/she will need to double up.

Memory work is as follows: 6th & 7th graders recite the Apostles' Creed. 8th graders will do one of Luther's three explanations to the Apostles' Creed (Where the catechism reads, "What does this mean."). 8th graders can choose any one of the three they would like to do.

Sermon text, Hans Holbein's "Allegory of the Old and New Testament" (click here)

2011-12-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

Click the link to access the text of a 2008 sermon of mine on the art above. The audio of this sermon is available earlier in this blog under year 2009, January.

A Great Visit

2011-12-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

We really enjoyed the visit of Chaplain, Major, Sean Wead and his wife Kim, daughter Taylor, and son Colton. I had the privilege of working with Sean at Ft. Drum, N.Y with the 10th Mountain Division. Sean is an Episcopal chaplain. Kim works hard at homeschool. We put her to work during their visit because she makes the best salsa ever! Good friends are one of God's great blessings.

Sermon, II Samuel 7, 4th Sunday in Advent (click here)

2011-12-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

King David wanted to build a house (Temple) for the LORD, but God turns around and tells David the He is going to make a house (dynasty) for David. This all comes together at Christmas when Jesus is born. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise. Jesus is the Son of David who sits on the throne eternally.

Click on the title above in order to hear the sermon.

Sermon by Pr. Herb Mueller (click here)

2011-12-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

It was great to have Pastor Mueller (to the right of the good looking pastor) and his wife Faith with us this Sunday. Pastor Mueller proclaimed the Gospel and led the Bible class. He focused on the mission statement of the current president of Synod (Pr. Matthew Harrison) which is based on the concept of witness, mercy, and life together.

Pastor Mueller is the First Vice-President of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. His wife, Faith, loves art and shared that talent by drawing pictures of each of my girls. She is definitely good with children.

Please avail yourself the opportunity to see what is happening with Synod and her sister churches by checking the link to the Synod's witness, mercy, and life together blog. The link is to the right and below the widgets.

The Spirituality of our Age vs Christmas

2011-12-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

One study of religious views among American young adults described their spirituality as moralistic, therapeutic, deism.

Moralistic – God just wants us to be good. That is what religion is about.

Therapeutic – When I feel the need then I’ll turn to God. God is my therapist and comforter when life gets really bad, but otherwise I have little contact with Him.

Deism - God is not active in my life.

The message of Christmas gives us a contrary spirituality. Christianity is far different than these common beliefs.

Moralistic – Being good is not enough. Humanity isn’t good before God. The Father in heaven did not send us a teacher of morality, but He sent us Jesus. The importance of the name “Jesus” is explained by an angel of the LORD who declared, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt 1:20-21). This naturally ties into the next heading.

Therapeutic – Going to a marriage and family counselor or a psychologist can be quite helpful. They can be masks of God in which the Creator blesses His creation, but we must never reduce God down to someone who helps us with our mental health when we feel the need. The greatest need is the one we often do not feel. Many people don’t sense the gravity of their sin nor the need for deliverance from the judgment of the Law of God. People often think that because they are good in their own eyes that they are also good in God’s eyes. Christmas teaches us differently as Paul writes, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5).

Deism – This element may seem to conflict with the therapeutic understanding of spirituality, but not too much. The young adult may believe he/she can turn to God in a crisis but otherwise God is absent. The incarnation says something different. God is active in our life in many ways but particularly in the person of Jesus Christ. “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US” (Matt 1:23). God is with us in Jesus. He is active in our life and that means today as well. A problem is that people don’t bother asking, “Where has God promised to work?” The LORD promises to work in our lives through the Word and the Sacrament. God is present working for us, in us, and through us

The Spirit of Christmas is far different than the moralistic, therapeutic, deism common among many younger adults today. Instead of moralism we have grace. Instead of therapy we have salvation. Instead of Deism we have Immanuel, “God with us.”

Sermon, 2d Wednesday in Advent (click here)

2011-12-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt something terrible was about to happen? Perhaps the worshipers waiting for Zacharias felt the same way. He was serving in the Temple and entered into the holy place itself, but he wasn't coming out. Was something terribly wrong? No, something was wonderfully right. The angel announced to him that he would have a baby. His name was John, and he prepared the way for Jesus.

Sermon, 1st Sunday in Advent (click here)

2011-12-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

Isaiah gives us a big entrance into Advent, "Oh that your would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence" (Isaiah 64:1-9).

In Advent we look forward to the time when God actually did do so. It happened in the incarnation and what a glorious rending it was! Click on the title above for the audio sermon.

Funeral Sermon for Jeff (click here)

2011-11-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

For those of you who couldn't make the funeral service, click the link above for the sermon.

Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, at all times. This is true even in our darkest moments when sorrow may obscure our sense that God is indeed present. The LORD comes to us in objective ways that are not dependent on our feelings -- in the Word, in the Lord's Supper, in Holy Baptism.

Wedding Sermon for Mark & Nicole (click here)

2011-11-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Marriage can be a risky business in a sinful world. That is in our face every time we hear of another couple breaking up. God designed marriage to be a big blessing. Even in a sinful world there is still so much good there. God instituted holy matrimony and God still blesses it.

Confirmation

2011-11-29T09:29:00.000-08:00

Every 7 & 8th grader should be present for Sunday School on 11 December. We will have the 1st Vice-President of our denomination presenting that day.

Please see the previous post for details on Confirmation for December.

Confirmation for 27 Nov, 11 & 18 Dec

2011-11-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

The 27 November, 11 & 18th December will be used for make-up confirmation and Sunday School. The 4 December will be make-up for Sunday school only. There is no confirmation.

As to the information below, please let me know if there are any mistakes.

The 27th November we will do:

A) Lesson #2 from 11:50AM - 12:20PM; students to attend are Z.S. and A.S.

B) Lesson #3 from 12:20PM - 12:50PM; students to atend are Z.S. and A.S.

11 December we will do:

A) Lesson #4 from 11:50AM - 12:20PM; students to attend are A.S. and E.J.

B) Lesson #5 from 12:20PM - 12:50PM; students to attend are Z.S. and C.M. and A.S. and T.S.

18 December we will do:

A) Lesson #6 from 11:50AM - 12:10PM; student to attend is E.J.

B) Lesson #7 from 12:10PM - 12:45PM; students to attend are E.J. and C.M.

All the young people should be able to recite their next memory assignment for our first class in January.

Confirmation for 20 November

2011-11-16T16:20:00.000-08:00

There is no confirmation this Sunday (20th Nov).

It is a make-up day for Sunday school however. Make sure the kids (6, 7, 8th graders) sign in with Pastor John.

Progress reports are in your mailboxes. Please have the youngsters complete their next memorization assignment in December.

Through the Large Catechism, 2d Commandment

2011-11-09T18:02:00.001-08:00

"If someone now asks, “How do you understand the Second Commandment?” or “What is meant by taking God’s name in vain, or misusing God’s name?” answer briefly in this way: “It means misusing God’s name when we call upon the Lord God—no matter how—in order to deceive or do wrong of any kind.” Therefore, this commandment makes this point: God’s name must not be appealed to falsely, or taken upon the lips, while the heart knows well enough—or should know—that the truth of the matter is different. This is what happens with people who take oaths in court, where one side lies against the other. For God’s name cannot be misused worse than for the support of falsehood and deceit. Let this remain the exact German and simplest meaning of this commandment."

Want the Large Catechism for yourself? Call Concordia Publishing House at 1-800-325-3040. I recommend you get the newer version item #223116. It has helpful study questions at the end of each section.

Quote from "Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions" 2005 (Edited by Paul Timothy McCain) (364). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

Confirmation Homework for 13 November

2011-11-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

1. Your homework is to be familiar with these vocabulary words: justification, resurrection the exaltation of Christ. Vocabulary is on 313. You need not turn anything in on this.

2. Make-up any previous assignments you have missed and turn them in.

Confirmation Homework for 6 November (click here)

2011-11-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Click link above for homework.

Sermon on Matt 22:33-46 (Click here)

2011-10-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

This sermon explores Jesus' command to love God with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself. The sermon answers these three questions:

1. How do we keep the commands of God?

2. How can we learn to love God whom we have not seen?

3. What do the commands to love God and love neighbor reveal about ourselves?

Confirmation Homework for 30 October

2011-10-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

1) Homework - 7th and 8th graders prepare to recite, without help, the ten commandments to Pastor this Sunday. There is no paperwork to download. The Commandments are listed on page 333 of Lutheran Catechesis. Do not do the meanings.

2) 6th graders are doing memorization on Miss Kathy's schedule during Sunday school.

3) This Sunday the confirmation class will be observing the voters' meeting. Class time won't change, so the youth will be done at the regular time no matter what time the voters' meeting ends.

Siri iPhone intelligence Smarter Than Many Christians! (click here)

2011-10-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Follow the link above and listen to the satire on the state of modern evangelical preaching!

Confirmation Homework for 23 October (click here)

2011-10-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

Homework is posted. 7 & 8th graders need to recite the commandments after class either on the 23 or 31 October.

Funeral Sermon for Betty J (Click here)

2011-10-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

The picture above is by Lucas Cranach both the elder and the younger. The art preaches and goes along with the second part of the funeral sermon.

I know not all of our members could attend the service. If you are a member of Trinity Lutheran and would like an audio CD of the service, I'll make that available.

Pastor Dave

Through the Large Catechism

2011-10-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

This begins a series of posts going through the Large Catechism. There will be little or no commentary. Just listen to Luther! So we begin with the 1st Commandment:

First Commandment, "You shall have no other God's before Me."

Luther explains the command this way, "What this means: You shall have Me alone as your God. What is the meaning of this, and how is it to be understood? What does it mean to have a god? Or, what is God? Answer: A god means that from which we are to expect all good and in which we are to take refuge in all distress. So, to have a God is nothing other than trusting and believing Him with the heart. I have often said that the confidence and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol. If your faith and trust is right, then your god is also true. On the other hand, if your trust is false and wrong, then you do not have the true God. For these two belong together, faith and God [Hebrews 11:6]. Now, I say that whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in is truly your god."

I encourage you to purchase a copy of the Large Catechism from Concordia Publishing House. Call 1-800-325-3040. They have a version with simple study questions after each section.

Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions. 2005 (Edited by Paul Timothy McCain) (359). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

Confirmation

2011-10-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

There is no confirmation on 16 October nor any homework for this week. Sunday will be a make-up day for Sunday school.

Everyone work on memorization. 8th graders need to be especially dutiful with this.

Issues Etc Reformation Week (click here)

2011-10-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

Deepen your understanding of the Reformation's importance for today. Listen to Issues Etc from 24 - 28 October 2011. See their promotional video by clicking link above.

Confirmation Homework for 9 October (click here)

2011-10-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

If your child missed confirmation on 2 October we will make it up after class on the 9th.

Sermon, "Living on the Edge", LWML Sunday, MP3 (click here)

2011-10-02T19:43:00.001-07:00

"Living on the Edge" is what happens when we are Christians. We can't help it. We're on the edge and we may not even know it. Because we are in Jesus Christ through Baptism we are on the edge.

The edge is the danger zone. The edge brings fear or at least feelings of unease. The edge is also the place of risk taking and tireless efforts to God's glory and the service of neighbor.

Yet, when we live on the edge we aren't leading Jesus. We are following Him. He went before us and for us. Jesus was willing to live on the edge for three important items: 1. For the honor of the Temple of God, to uphold the Word of God, and to save sinners.

Click on the sermon link above (MP3) and learn more.

Testing the Tongue (click here)

2011-09-26T09:04:00.001-07:00

No this isn't about the Rolling Stones, but about testing our tongues. Our words have the power to edify or destroy, to lie or speak the truth, to express love or hate. What are our words doing?

Luther's explanation of the 8th commandment notes that we should not tell lies about our neighbor, slander him, hurt his reputation, but speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

James the brother of Jesus has some pointed words about how we use our tongues as well when he writes, "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless" (James 1:26 NASB).

It behooves us to test our tongues in light of what Luther and James write. What should be our guiding principles? Consider these 5 tests:

1. Would I say it publicly? Luther puts it this way when someone states, "'Why shouldn't I speak if it is the truth?' I reply, 'Why don't you bring it before the regular courts?' 'Oh, I cannot prove it publicly; I might be called a liar and sent away in disgrace.'

Ah, now do you smell the roast? If you do not trust yourself to make your charges before the proper authorities, then hold your tongue...when you repeat a story that you cannot prove, even if it is true, you appear as a liar" (Luther on the 8th Commandment, Large Catechism).

2. Does it accord with the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"?

3. Would you write down your accusations and sign your name?

4. If something is troubling you, did you speak directly to the person who offended you? If it isn't worth talking to the offender about then it isn't worth talking about it to others (gossip). See Matthew 18:15.

James writes that, "No one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison" (James 3:8 NASB). That means that all humanity, and every Christian, has failed to use the tongue as it should be used.

Sometimes we may avoid speaking hard truths for the sake of an easy life. Other times we speak harsh words that are of the flesh not of the Spirit. We fail in the proper use of words. But God gives into our mouths and on our tongues the cleansing body and blood of Jesus in with and under the bread and the wine. Jesus touches our mouths and in faith we are forgiven. Tongues set on fire by Hell receive the most holy and heavenly of gifts and we are cleansed.

Dear God, thank you for your wonderful, beautiful, merciful, words of forgiveness. You have taught us that the tongue can be set on fire by Hell or used to edify the body of Christ. We confess that we have not used our tongues as we aught. Have mercy on us Lord, and give us the grace to pour forth speech filled with truth and love. Amen.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Jas 1:26). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Confirmation Homework, from 21 Aug - 2 Oct (click here)

2011-09-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

1. The link above will bring you to the homework due on 2 October, and it also includes all the homework assignments thus far.

2. Those who missed class on 28 August (lesson 1b) will make it up after confirmation class on the 2 October from 12:40PM - 1:20PM. Feel free to bring something to eat.

3. Parents, make the most of your children being in the Pastor's Bible class by attending together. When this happens parents and young people can talk about the study at home. Parents can help their children understand what they did not grasp during the class.

Sermon on Luke 10:23-27, MP3 (click here)

2011-09-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

What is love? What is the power of love? Paul and Jesus seem to be at odds with one another as to its power. Jesus tells a lawayer that he should indeed love God and neighbor to inherit eternal life. Paul tells us that the Law cannot save anyone (Galatians 3:21-22). Even the law to love God and neighbor cannot save.

Click the title above to listen to the sermon on Luke 10:23-37. Discover the power of love and the harmony between Jesus and Paul.

(Picture is from spurgeon.org)

Confirmation Homework for 25 September (click here)

2011-09-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

Parents please take note:

1. Make sure your children are keeping up with the memorization. When they have completed a section they need recite the section to me after confirmation class.

2. Consider utilizing your child's textbook for devotion time and family discussion. For instance, for each commandment there are a list of questions for self-reflection. There are also quotes from Luther's Large Catechism that would be good to read and discuss. The commandments themselves with Luther's simple meanings can offer a wealth of worthy discussion and devotion topics.

3. After confirmation class on the second of October we will have some make-up confirmation classes. Details are coming next week.

Sermon on Luke 18:9-14, MP3 (click here)

2011-09-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Luke 18 presents us with the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the Temple. The icon above pictures the parable well. The two men above, in the Temple, take much different postures.

The Pharisee (in red) boastfully looks up to heaven. The tax collector in true repentance won't even look up to heaven. The scene is much different when they leave the Temple. The tax collector now looks up to heaven and the Pharisee walks away downcast.

The tax collector goes home justified before God. This was so not because of the tax collector's goodness. He wasn't good before God and he knew it. He was justified by God out of His great mercy.

The tax collector's humble repentance was willing to receive grace from God. The pride of the Pharisee could not receive it.

Bridezilla video (click here)

2011-09-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Church organist meets "bridezilla" -- I found this video hilarious!

There are people who want to use the church building as the stage for their wedding rather than receive the ministry of the church via the religious ceremony.

A wedding couple may want the service to conform to their expectations and fantasies. This is a problem. The wedding ceremony is not owned by the wedding couple. It is a service the church offers in accord with its rite and under the Word of God.

Weddings ceremonies are holy affairs where the church is doing her holy work for a couple. The service is to honor God. In the ceremony the couple calls upon Him for blessing, is instructed in the Word of the Lord, and makes a lifelong commitment to each other before Him.

Bridezilla does not have the mindset to receive from God through the church's ministry. She is not God-centered but focused on self. This is a poor way to begin a married life together. How blessed a couple is, however, when they approach the altar with hearts filled with love, faith, and humility.

The Cult of "I Think"

2011-09-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

Often people run their theology by "I think" or "I feel." What an awful foundation for religion! In this case truth is totally subjectivized. This means there is no Truth at all but mere opinion.

It would be more honest if such a person skip church and look into the bathroom mirror and worship him/herself.

Religion based on "I think" or "I feel" is nothing but idolatry. Martin Luther taught whatever a person "fears, loves, and trusts" above all things is his god.

People love and trust their own opinion, and they fear being wrong. They become their own god whose kingdom is limited to one member.

The choice is clear. Do we make ourselves god or do we receive Jesus as LORD? The former is not only idolatry but also crass arrogance. The latter is not only truth but eternal life. After all, our Lord did say, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

(The picture is one of many at http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/posters.htm)

Sermon Luke 19, "Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem" (click here)

2011-08-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

"When [Jesus] approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it" (Luke 19:41). This is part of Luke's account of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. It would be easy to read about Jesus weeping and simply pass over it. Yet, His tears preach.

Click on the title above to hear the sermon.

"Lutheran Satire" video on Baptism (Click here)

2011-08-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

This video is a hoot! It shows how ridiculous the position really is that denies Baptism as a Sacrament. Those who say, "God doesn't do anything in Baptism. It's just my commitment to Christ," really have to reinterpret the Scripture to fit their false theology.

This is an important topic because Baptism is Gospel. Thus it isn't a secondary doctrine that many Protestants make it out to be. Baptism is a good gift of God in which the Spirit places us into the body of Christ (I Cor 12:13).

Sermon outline for: "Grace It's Not Just for babies!" (click here)

2011-08-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

I added this sermon outline to go with the sermon in the previous post.

Sermon (click here): Grace, It's Not Just for Babies! (This is the whole sermon)

2011-08-08T16:56:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Katerina, wanted me to name this sermon, "It's not Your Mama's Breast Milk." She is an imaginative child. The point of the sermon is the tendency among Protestants to see the grace of God in Christ as milk for the immature. Have you ever noticed how many Protestants reserve the preaching of grace for the lost? In some churches Christ as Savior is preached for an altar call, but otherwise grace is missing in the sermon.

My son, Jonathan, has noticed that in some sermons there is neither a true preaching of Law nor Gospel. He calls these, "Christian life style wellness sermons."

I appreciate the insights that I received from Jonathan Fisk. He has an off-beat podcast called "worldview everlasting." Check it out on You Tube or go to www.worldvieweverlasting.com.

Sermon (click here): Grace, It's Not Just for Babies! prt 2

2011-08-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

Go to the post above - That post didn't split the sermon. I thought the file was too big to put on one file on box.net, but I was wrong.

Sermon (click here): Grace, It's Not Just for Babies! prt 1

2011-08-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

Go to the 2nd post above --- that post has the whole sermon not just part one as here. I found out the file wasn't too big that it had to be split.

Sermon - God is Jehovah-Jirah

2011-03-31T18:10:00.001-07:00

Currently I am doing a Lenten mid-week sermon series on the names of God. This sermon focuses on Jehovah- Jirah (the LORD provides). The text is Genesis 22:1-14.

Sermon - What's God Doing?

2011-03-20T18:41:00.001-07:00

This is a fine sermon by David Andrus based on Matthew 15:21-28. Pastor Andrus is the director of Lutheran Blind Mission (LBM) headquarted in St. Louis, MO. Our congregation has one of 60 outreach centers to the blind that are associated with LBM.

Sermon, Matthew 20:1-16 (MP3)

2011-02-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

Matthew 20 gives us Jesus' parable about 5 groups of day laborers hired to work in a vineyard. I was utterly surprised the first time I heard a Christian openly side with the first group of laborers (the group hired early in the morning). Read the text for yourself and gage your reaction to it.

Sermon, Attacks Upon Christianity, part 3 (MP3)

2010-10-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

This last attack deals with the concept of Hell. Some say Hell is unjust because it is infinite punishment for finite sin. Others ask how a loving God can send people to Hell in the first place.

These ideas are not always attacks upon the faith. Soft-hearted Christians can also be troubled at the thought of sinners suffering so greatly. No Christian should ever take Hell likely. Instead of rejecting the idea it should spur us on all the more to take risks (e.g.: the risk of rejection) in sharing the Gospel.

Sermon, Attacks Upon Christianity, Part 2 (MP3)

2010-10-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Part two deals with that attack upon Christianity that says, "Religion is a source of evil." In the sermon, I mention in passing the crusades & inquisition. Martin Luther certainly didn't agree with the crusades because they were considered *holy* conflicts against the Mohammedan and sponsored by the *church*. Luther's disagreement goes back to his distinction between the kingdom of the left hand and the kingdom of the right hand. The left is that of government that wields the sword. The church is of the right hand which works through the Gospel not by force of arms and civil punishments. If war must be waged against the Mohammedans it is government's job to do it in self-defense rather than on the basis of a holy mandate.

As to the the Spanish inquisition, I have heard that only 2,000 people were killed over a 300 year period. The Catholic Church shouldn't have done this at all, but it isn't as terrible as I had assumed. History is filled with much greater injustice -- e.g. the French Revolution.

Sermon, "Attacks Upon Christianity", part 1

2010-09-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Part 1 of this sermon series is based on the attack, "Religion is a crutch." I decided to do this series because it is my impression that Christian young people are pressed quite a bit from those who despise true religion. I covet your comments and hope this is a blessing to you.

Sermon on Luke 14:7-11 (MP3)

2010-08-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

This text is about Jesus addressing dinner guests who were picking out the best places. Jesus teaches them, "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted."

Sermon on Luke 13:22-30 (MP3)

2010-08-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Off to College of the Ozarks!

2010-08-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

The 13 August was a sweet & sour time for my wife (Cheryl) and myself. We brought our eldest son (Jonathan) to college just south of Branson Missouri. He is going to College of the Ozarks which is a conservative Christian school with a good standing academically. (The pic is Jonathan at his dorm room. The other pic is me and my daughter Katy. She is seeing Jonathan off. It looks like Katy isn't a morning person!)

The school doesn’t charge any tuition. Rather, each student has to work 15 hours a week on campus whether that be at their lodge, the museum, farm, bakery, etc. The college doesn’t merely stress academics but also a strong work ethic, character development, and patriotism.

At the end of our time on campus, Cheryl and I dropped Jonathan off for an orientation meeting. As we drove away I looked out the rear window and had quite a reaction. That wasn’t my little boy who at four was sitting in our kitchen holding a Bible and pretending to preach. He was a man and was going out on his own. The feeling was odd because it didn’t seem like a moment in time but a whole new epoch for me.

For our daughter Kayla, it was a different experience. She wasn't so much losing a brother but gaining a bedroom! Cheryl and Kayla are busy redecorating as I write.

Sermon on Luke 12:49-53 (MP3)

2010-08-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Back in the Saddle!

2010-08-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

I've been away serving at Ft. Campbell, KY for a year. Now that I'm "back in the saddle" at my home congregation, I'm resuming Quia Creeds. I hope to keep up with regular posts at least once a week. Coming soon will be an article on the U.S. Army Chaplaincy. Blessings, David

Sermon on John 6:66 - 69 (MP3)

2010-08-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

Rightly Administering the Lord’s Supper: Why?

2009-07-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

Faithful Christians will always have a dividing line that distinguishes between those who can and cannot commune at a given congregation. The issue is not whether or not there will be a dividing line but (1) where will it be drawn and (2) on what basis will it be drawn.

So today’s question is, “Why do we invite some people but not others to commune.” Justin Martyr, writing in the 2nd century AD, summarizes it well, “This food we call Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except [a] one who believes that the things we teach are true; [b] and has received the washing for forgiveness of sins for rebirth, [c] and who lives as Christ handed down to us. [d] for we receive these things not as common bread or common drink…[but it is] the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus.”

Justin rightly understood that the Lord’s Supper was a true heavenly food and so he recognized that there were certain things needed for Communion fellowship namely: unity of doctrine, baptism preceding Communion, and the expectation that one repents of his/her sins.

Let’s focus on the topic of unity of doctrine since, I assume, it is evident that Baptism and repentance are both important prerequisites for receiving the Lord’s Supper. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LC-MS) believes that it is particularly important that church bodies confess the Gospel and all its articles in order to enter into altar fellowship.

There are specific Bible passages that apply to this topic. For instance, Paul tells us to avoid false teachers (Romans 16:17). He tells us that those who do not recognize the body and blood of the Lord in the Sacrament sin against Christ if they partake of the bread and the cup (I Corinthians 11:23-34). Hebrews tells us that we have an altar where only God’s people can partake thereof (Hebrews 13:10).

The LC-MS stresses that unity in the Gospel and all its articles is necessary for enjoying Communion fellowship. It is the Gospel that creates the church and it must be on the basis of the Gospel that church bodies have fellowship. C.F.W. Walther (our first synodical president) puts it this way, “We are poor sinners.” Note that there is no room for pride. Pride is not why the LC-MS practices closed Communion. He goes on to write, “But we regard the pure Word of God as more precious than heaven and earth and therefore would rather lose everyone’s friendship than lose this.”

If a church body initiates fellowship without unity of doctrine, it will not be able to keep the purity of the Gospel. We do not have the right to discard any element of the Gospel.
Unity of the Gospel needs to be fleshed out a little more, so next week I will continue asking, “Why do we invite some people but not others to commune.”

Rightly Administering the Lord's Supper: Who?

2009-06-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

(The following is the first of a four part series on closed Communion. These are written as bulletin inserts)

Dear believers in Christ, since the Lord’s Supper is the New Testament in Christ’s body and blood it is important that we confess what Jesus and the Apostles have taught us about this Sacrament. It is also vital that the congregation, working through the pastor, administers the sacrament rightly in the name of the Lord.

In this light, I am writing a few short notes on closed Communion under the heading of who, why, what, and how. Today’s question is, “who should be invited to partake of the Sacrament?” Consider the various answers that people will give:

1. any person whether or not he/she is a Christian

2. family members

3. former members of a congregation irrespective of their current denomination or confession of faith

4. any repentant Christian who also believes in the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in, with, and under the bread and the wine

5. members of those church bodies that hold a true confession of the Gospel and all its articles

Please take time to reflect on this question during the week and consider the biblical basis for your answer. Why do you believe what you believe about closed Communion? I will ask a similar question next Sunday asking, “Why do we invite some people but not others to commune.”

The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LC-MS) and her congregations have altar and pulpit fellowship with only one church body in the USA, one in Canada, and several others around the world. This having been said, the LC-MS does not have as its goal to keep people away from the Lord’s Table. On the contrary, the LC-MS would join in pulpit and altar fellowship with as many denominations as is possible on a biblical basis. What is that proper basis? We shall see next Sunday.

2009-06-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

The Lord's Prayer:

Learning the Heart & Mind of the Father

Part VII of VII

A teacher in the early church was amazed at how so much of what the prophets, apostles, and Jesus Himself taught is wrapped up in the few words of the Lord’s Prayer.

He writes, “We honor God in ‘Father,’ witness to the faith in ‘name,’ offer obedience in ‘will,’ remember our hope in ‘kingdom,’ seek life in ‘bread,’ confess our debts in ‘pardon,’ show concern for temptation in the request for safekeeping.”

He concludes, “Why wonder at this? God alone could teach us the manner in which He would have us pray” (Popular Patristics Series, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Origen On the Lord’s Prayer, p.49).

In teaching us this prayer, Jesus is not only encompassing much of the Holy Scripture, but He is also revealing to us the heart and mind of the heavenly Father. This series wraps up with the sixth and seventh petitions, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.”

We cannot pray this final petition with any hope of God answering it if we have not already grasped by faith the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.

Luther is correct when he teaches us, “If we are to be preserved and delivered from all evil, God’s name must first be hallowed in us, His kingdom must be with us, and His will must be done in us” (Paul McCain, Concordia, Readers Edition, Large Catechism, p. 448.118).

If anyone will not hallow God, does not desire the kingdom, nor love God’s will, then that person is already overcome by the Evil One. This does not describe you dear believer, for you are the child of God and do not despise God’s name, His kingdom, nor His will.

You have already been delivered from the Evil One through the crucifixion of Christ. God will continue to keep you as the Holy Spirit does His work in you by means of the Word and Sacrament. Let’s plunge into the last petitions.

In the previous petition we prayed, “Forgive us our trespass as we forgive those who trespass against us.” There were two thoughts that went together, “forgive us” and “as we forgive others.”

So also the sixth and seventh petitions belong together. Though they are two petitions they make one unit, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the Evil One.”

Some Christians might feel uncomfortable with that first part, “lead us not into temptation.” The Christian may ask, “What does that mean?” “Why would we pray that God not lead us into temptation?” “Do I have to fear God might tempt me?” God is not tempted by evil, James tells us, nor does He tempt anyone (James 1:13).

Let me flesh out what this petition is doing by looking at Psalm 51:11-12. King David wrote this penitential Psalm after Nathan convicted him over the Bathsheba incident.

In verse 11, David pleads to God saying, “Do not cast me away…nor take your Holy Spirit from me.” That’s the negative. On the positive side David cries out in verse 12, “Restore to me the joy of my salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”

David is simply saying, “Don’t curse me God but please do restore me.” The negative statement is what God could do and what He indeed will do if He were to “act in judgment according to the Law” (Concordia Commentary, Matthew Vol 1, Gibbs, p.340).

David did not deserve forgiveness for he sinned grievously and could not atone for his sin. God’s justice could cast David away into eternal fire, but God didn’t do that because God does not cast off His children who truly believe and repent of their sins.

So the emphasis on these verses is on the positive, that God would restore him to salvation. The negative “do not cast me away” serves to highlight the positive “restore to me the joy of my salvation.”

Now, let’s apply this to the Lord’s Prayer. We have the negative statement, “Lead us not into temptation.” And then the positive statement, “But deliver us from the Evil One.”

God does not tempt anyone, but he could very well lead the sinner to temptation. He could pick us up and drop us in front of temptation. You see God judge’s sin with more sin. So God says to those who love promiscuity, for instance, “I give you into it all the more that your sin would utterly condemn you.”

In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is warning about what will happen before the advent of Christ. He tells us that people will reject the truth. Instead of being saved they will cling to deception.

Listen to how God replies, “For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false” (II Thessalonians 2:11 NASB). The ungodly rejected the truth. They wanted a lie, and so God sends them delusion. It is as if God is saying, “If you want a lie then I give you over to an even greater lie.”

God does not tempt anyone, but if God were going to treat us according to the Law that condemns us He could give us over to temptation and all sorts of depravity. Yet, God won’t do that to those who call upon Him in faith saying, “Our Father, who art in heaven.”

God loves you. He doesn’t want you to be overcome by the evil but rather rescued you from the Evil One. The negative statement in the prayer serves all the more to emphasize the positive plea, “deliver us oh Lord!”

The sixth and seventh petitions reveal to us the heart and mind of the heavenly Father. I conclude with these two thoughts that flow out of these petitions.

First, God teaches us that temptation is nothing to be toyed with. Temptation is a beautiful thing. After all, if temptation revealed itself as something overtly dangerous and devilish, it wouldn’t be temptation to most people.

Temptation is so beautiful, pleasing, and it promises great reward. The world sees temptation as a wonderful invitation to satiate whatever the flesh hungers after.

Brethren this is plain foolishness. If we give ourselves over to temptation then we give ourselves to the Evil One and destroy our relationship with God. If we choose to love temptation the “Our Father” will be on our lips but not in our hearts.

Perhaps some of you have been to the Grand Canyon. You will know then that there are plenty of places where there is no wall or fence separating a person from the edge of chasm. In some places, it is a long drop if you were to fall over the edge.

There are a lot of people that don’t like being near the edge, instead they will make sure they are a comfortable distance away from it. Our heavenly Father so loves us that He doesn’t want us to get close to the edge of temptation that leads down to the pit of Hell.

The second point is this, Luther tells us that, “every hour that we are in this vile life, we are attacked on all sides” (Op. cit. McCain, p. 447.105)

We feel temptation constantly. For one person it is simple lust. For another it is greed. For yet another, envy is the burden. The temptations from the world, our flesh, and the Evil One, are not only constant but quite varied. Yet, just as surely as our sins beset us, God’s grace is more pervasive. God will not lead you into temptation. He delivers you from the Evil One.

Several years ago there was a mom and a dad who was devastated because of one of their three sons fell into drug abuse and other illegal activity. The parents not only hurt for their son, but the issue was public and embarrassing.

You can imagine that going to church on Sunday morning was so very difficult. How hard it must be at times to raise your head when you are so hurt. The difficulty was only compounded when one the pillars of the church told them, “Well, I guess you only have two sons now.”

A mentally handicapped child ran up to the parents before they left. He called out, “Is it true? Is it true what I heard?” What parent would want to answer that question? It would be so much easier to get in the car, drive away, and never come back. But then the child opened up his shirt, took off his cross and gave it to them saying, “Here give this to your son and tell him Jesus loves him and so do I.”

I hope that young man turned back to God in repentance. You see, it is never God’s first will to judge our sin with sin. God is the great deliverer. In love He reaches out with His Son to all people. God hands us the cross of forgiveness. And He doesn’t do it just once, but again and again.

That forgiveness is constantly with us in the Gospel and given to us as we receive the Lord’s Body and blood in faith. It is through the Gospel, that is through the grace of Christ, that God delivers us from the Evil One.

2009-05-18T20:46:00.001-07:00

The Lord’s Prayer:
Learning the Heart and Mind of the Father, Part VI of VII
By David Oberdieck, pastor

In the book of Revelation Jesus is described as the One who “searches the hearts and minds of His people” (Revelation 2:23). We see this played out in the Old Testament with a devote woman named Hannah.

You will recall that Hannah was crushed in her spirit because she so wanted to have a child.
She went to the Temple in Shiloh. First Samuel reads this way, “Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth. As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard (I Samuel 1:12-15 NASB).

Because she was not praying audibly, Eli assumed she as drunk, so he said to her, "How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you." But Hannah replied, "No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.” The God who knows the heart could hear Hannah though her mouth did not speak.

It was Cyprian who said, “God is a hearer not of the voice but of the heart” (John Behr, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Origen on the Lord’s Prayer, p. 67). God who is the hearer of the heart also knows our thoughts when we pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

God can see past our words to the core of who we are. As God knows the inner man, so also Jesus reveals to us the heart and mind of the Heavenly Father in the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer.

Since Jesus has revealed this to us it is crucial that we do not misconstrue this petition. Note how the Lord’s Prayer is recorded by St. Matthew. A literal reading goes this way, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgave our debtors.”

It is really easy to misinterpret this passage so that a person understands it to mean something like this, “Lord you will forgive me because I have first forgiven others and thereby merited your mercy toward me.” Do you catch the misunderstanding? It is this thinking that our forgiveness comes first and it then earns God’s forgiveness.

God forgave us long before we ever forgave anyone else. Keep in mind that we only pray this prayer aright because God brought us into the church through His grace in Christ. Even more, God forgave the entire world on the cross objectively speaking.

We have received pardon personally when we first believed in Christ. For many of us that happened when we were baptized as mere infants. God did indeed forgive us long before we ever forgave anyone ourselves.

The Lord’s Prayer does not teach us that we merit God’s forgiveness or even that our forgiveness comes prior to His forgiving us. Rather, it teaches us the logical and spiritual connection between God’s forgiveness and ours. We pour out to others because God has first poured out to us. We are merciful to others because God has first been merciful to us.

Jesus illustrates this with the parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21 – 35). You remember it was the King who forgave the huge debt of one of his servants. That servant turned around and refused to forgive his fellow servant a paltry amount of money in comparison.

Note Luther’s insightful comments on the phrase, “as we forgive others.” He writes, “This is a remarkable addition, but a very precious one. Someone may well wonder why [Jesus] should append this addition to this particular petition: ‘Forgive us our debts.’

He could just as well have appended some such item to one of the others, and He could have said: “Give us our daily bread, as we give it to our children”; or, “Lead us not into temptation, as we do not tempt anyone”;
or, “Deliver us from evil, as we save and deliver our neighbors.” (Jaroslav Pelikan, Luther’s Works, The Sermon on the Mount and the Magnificat, 21:148).

Jesus is certainly putting special emphasis when he attaches the words, “as we forgave others” to our request for God’s forgiveness. Again, there is a logical and spiritual connection between God’s forgiveness and ours.
Jesus sets up forgiveness as a “chief obligation” among Christians (Ibid, p.149).

The chief of the chief doctrines of the Gospel is justification. Thus, among the chief doctrines of the Law must be that we also forgive our debtors.

There is another element of this prayer of which we need to be aware. When we pray this petition in true faith, we cannot be “self-satisfied” (John Behr, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Origen On the Lord’s Prayer, p.81). Every time we pray we are reminded of our sins. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that our sin really is significant. This really isn’t so bad. As a matter of fact, it is essential we hear this word from God.

Yet, when we are reminded of our sin it is not like an unforgiving spouse who will never let the other partner forget what he/she did wrong. This petition keeps us from pride, but it also shows us the heart and mind of the heavenly Father who would bestow on us abundant grace not an abundance of wrath.

Luther put it this way, “if God does not forgive without stopping, we are lost” (Paul McCain, Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, Large Catechism p.445.90). The church has never stopped sinning, but neither has the church ceased praying “forgive us our debts” precisely because the Father Himself has not stopped forgiving.

We dare not toss out the fifth petition as if this was all too spiritual for the average Christian. It isn’t for the super saint, but it is at the heart of the Christian faith and life. Jesus reveals to us the heart and mind of the heavenly Father in this petition.

When we forgive we have the opportunity to appreciate the Father’s heart all the more. Think of it. When we forgive, even though we are so imperfect in our forgiveness, we know that there is One who forgives perfectly. If we who are sinful know to forgive, then we should realize that there is the Father in heaven whose forgiveness is even greater than ours (adaptation of Matthew 7:11).

Martin Luther on John 15:4

2009-05-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Martin Luther decried the doctrine of doubt in his day saying, "It is intolerable to declare in Christendom that we cannot and must not know whether God is gracious to us."

Instead, Luther points us to the firm assurance found in Christ alone when he writes, "He who wants to be saved and go to heaven when he dies must think and say: 'Have mercy on me, gracious God. I am a poor, sinful being who has merited nothing but wrath. But whether my life was good or evil, I know that I need not doubt that I was baptized and named a Christian for the remission of sins; that Christ my Lord was born, suffered, died, and was raised from the dead for me; that He gave me His holy body and blood as food for the strengthening of my faith; and that I have been absolved and relieved of my sin in the name and by the power of Christ.' Such a heart and such a faith cannot fare adversely or be lost any more than God’s Word can fail or be false. This I can guarantee you, since God Himself guarantees it to you through His Word" (Luther's Works, Vol 24, p.222).

We will find nothing but doubt, darkness, and doom when we look to our own goodness and works in order to obtain salvation. When we are focused on God's mercy in Christ, then the confidence of our salvation is as firm as Christ is gracious.

2nd Sunday of Easter Sermon - MP3

2009-04-19T18:31:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday Sermon - MP3

2009-04-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Lord's Prayer Part IV of VII

2009-04-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Lord's Prayer

Learning the Heart and Mind of the Father

Part IV of VII

The second Commandment tells us that we should not take the name of the Lord in vain, but the command isn’t fulfilled simply by avoiding the improper use of His name. God invites us to call upon Him in prayer and in this way use His name properly. You see here that we have a good and kind heavenly Father who welcomes His children. And because of the name of Jesus we can call upon the Father without fear of wrath (Paul McCain, Concordia, Readers Ed., Large Catechism, p. 434.5).

Have you had the occasion where you have thought, “What’s the use?” Perhaps you have doubted everything you have tried to do including prayer. What’s the use? Why pray when God will do what He wants. Does He even hear me? What’s the sense?

And yet think of a child saying to his Father: “What good is it if I obey, whether I do or whether I don’t it makes no difference. What parent would accept that attitude? (Ibid, p. 435.8-9).

We should remember that our Father in heaven invites us to pray out of His goodness and mercy. Yet, there is more, He also commands us to pray (I Thessalonians 5:17, Matthew 5:44). Ironically this command is somewhat freeing. We need not fret our doubt asking, “what use is it” so as to determine whether to pray or not. As obedient children, we simply heed our Father. We pray, trust, and reach up to Him as He first reached down to us and brought us into the one Holy Christian Church through faith in Christ.

It is accord with the will of God that we pray in confidence and faith. It is this will that we plead might be accomplished in us when we pray the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done.” As to the will of God, many Christians have asked, “What is the will of God?” “What does God want me to do?” “What path should I take in getting a degree, what job should I take.”

When we speak about God’s will we should keep in mind that God’s will falls into two categories. There is the revealed will of God and His hidden will. Luther mentions that we cannot take a peek up into heaven and there understand all things that are hidden.

Now that would be nice. How wonderful it would be if each step we took only happened after we climbed up to heaven first but then there would be little room for walking in trust and faith. No, we cannot reveal the secret things of God’s council (Jaroslav Pelikan, Luther’s Works, vol 1, p. 14).

God’s revealed will is no mystery. Rather than chasing what we can’t know we need to be focused on what God has shown to us. His will is made known in the Ten Commandments. His highest will is made known in Jesus, that He desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (I Timothy 2:4).

When the LORD God gave His commandments He sent Moses. He was the great prophet and deliverer of the Old Testament, but he was still but a man. When God wanted to accomplish our salvation, He gave us His very own Son. His highest will is accomplished in Christ.

Thus we confess that He, “redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death and from the power of the devil. He did this not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, so that I may be His own, live under Him in His kingdom…” (McCain, op. cit. p. 355).

Cyprian, the ancient Bishop of Carthage, wrote about God’s will this way, “Now the will of God is that which Christ both did and taught. Humility in conduct, constancy in faith, truth in speech, justice in deeds, mercy in words, restraint in self-discipline, knowing nothing of doing injury yet willing to endure slight, holding peace with the brothers, devoted whole heartedly to the Lord, loving him as Father, fearing Him as God, preferring nothing whatsoever to Christ because He preferred nothing to ourselves, clinging inseparably to His love, standing by the cross with courage and faith…” (John Behr, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Origen On The Lord’s Prayer, Popular Patrisitics Series, p.75 - 76).

What are some other reasons to pray, “Thy will be done,” other than the fact that Jesus teaches us to do this? Peter tells believers not to live in the lust of their flesh. You already did that before you were saved, he continues, when you indulged in sensuality, carousing, idolatry, and so forth.

Peter goes on. He says that your old buddies, and the world as a whole, when they see that you are not running with them in the old lifestyle, they are going to attack you and malign you (I Peter 4:1-7).

It is as Luther wrote. When we prayed, “Thy Kingdom Come” we prayed for our greatest need. This need is the Gospel, faith, and the Holy Spirit. When we pray “Thy Will be Done” this acts as a fortress of protection that we would not be lost to this kingdom (McCain, op. cit. p. 442.69).

The world and our own flesh are relentless pushing, pushing, pushing until we are worn out. If they are not pushing then they are enticing saying, “Come, go my broad pleasant way!”

Notice how God’s people are enticed by various desires. First the Christian hates this or that sin and agrees with God’s judgment. Then in the passion of a particular lust the Christian falls into that sin. Finally he ends up giving his heart to it. In the end the he rejoices and revels in what he once considered distasteful and sinful.

“Dear God save me from my will.” “Dear God keep me in Thy will that I might not be cajoled away from Thy kingdom.” If God’s will is lost in our lives then just as surely will God’s kingdom.
The third petition would draw our hearts in a different direction than the world and our flesh. When we pray “Thy will” we do so that God’s good will would be done in us. Indeed having “prayed that He [would] rule us, we pray that we may in everything be ruled by him” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, on Matthew 6:10). You see, having God as our heavenly Father, we actually do heed Him. What good is it to call Him father but then ignore His will?

In this petition we learn the heart and mind of the Heavenly Father. We have prayed for the kingdom to come to us by the unmerited grace of Christ. Now we pray that the Holy Spirit would work God’s will in our lives through His Word lest being saved we become lost because we followed another will other than God’s.What is God’s will for you? It is that the smile that He bestows upon you now in Christ might endure and open up to everlasting life.

The Lord's Prayer, Part III of VII

2009-04-01T07:02:00.001-07:00

The Lord's Prayer

Learning the Heart and Mind of the Father

Part III of VII

When we go to prayer we should forget everything that is apart from our prayer. These were the sage words of Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage (John Behr, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Origen On The Lord’s Prayer, Popular Patrisitics Series, p.131).

We know how easy it is to let pressing duties and worrisome issues slip into our prayers first unnoticed and then as unwelcome intruders. There is an important attitude and preparation that we must exercise when we go to prayer. It should be as King David wrote, “To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens!” (Ps 123:1 NASB). And again he says, “To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul” (Ps 25:1 NASB).

And so, our minds are lifted up from the pressing matters all around us to look to God for all good things spiritual and material. In prayer we gaze up to heaven and magnify God for He alone is truly great. He alone is our Redeemer. His kingdom alone endures forever.

The second petition to the Lord’s Prayer is “Thy Kingdom come.” Take time to lift up your soul by contemplating this petition for in it you will discover the heart and mind of the Heavenly Father. Let’s focus in on this petition with three questions.

As to the first question, What is God’s Kingdom? In Judaism, God’s kingdom meant an earthly kingdom. Thus, in the first century, Rome became the arch enemy because they ruled the Mediterranean world. Caesar would not allow another king to rival his own empire after all.

There were false Messiahs and political uprisings aimed at overthrowing Rome and to build God’s kingdom in Judea. The outcome of this theology was tragic. At the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Jerusalem was torn by factions including the zealot party that had a definite religious bent.

Josephus writes about the tragedy of the Jewish War. There were so many Jews dying in Jerusalem that the rebels in the city, “ordered the bodies buried at public expense, finding the stench unbearable, but then flung them into the ravines when they became too numerous.” The Roman general Titus was greeted by, “these valleys choked with dead bodies oozing decay” (Paul L. Maier, Josephus: The Essential Works, p. 360). The mass suicide on the mountain top fortress of Masada noted the sad end of such erroneous, messianic, theocratic expectations.

Rome was no more the enemy to God’s kingdom than any other nation or any other sinner. Even in our day I have spoken to Christians who see the United States in terms of being God’s nation, God’s holy people who are subjugated by certain political parties, by pop culture icons who flaunt indecency, and those who champion the homosexual agenda. If only these forces could be curtailed by a resurgence of Christian political might, so it goes, then America would again reclaim her sacred status.

I hope wickedness will be hindered and civil righteousness will abound in our land, but it almost sounds to me as if the kingdom of God comes via the Christian nation of America (the new Israel). In this way, some Christians fall closer to the attitude of the Jews than they should.

Luther does a good job defining for us what this kingdom really is according to the Bible: The kingdom is, “Nothing other than what we learned in the Creed: God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, into the world to redeem and deliver us from the devil’s power” (Concordia, Readers Ed., Large Catechism, p. 440.51).

God’s kingdom consists of all those who fall under His unmerited favor through faith in Christ the Savior.
They are God’s good soil flourishing by the seed of the Gospel (Mark 4). They are those laborers whom God has chosen by grace (Matthew 20). They are the wise virgins filled with the Holy Spirit who lamps remain lit (Matthew 25), and they are also the living, enduring “City of God” (Revelation 21:10f and Augustine).

What a kingdom this is! The kingdom is the saintly, aged mother walking ever so slowly through the church doors; the little child who is way too energetic for her parents as she runs around the playground; the wealthy man driving his expensive pick-up; the poor family making life work pay check to pay check; the guy with the annoying habit of falling asleep during the service; the skinny, pimple faced teenager trying to find his/her own way in the world.

Behold the magnificent kingdom of God! Though unremarkable in their appearance, these citizens thereof have a greater dignity than the citizens of any earthly kingdom for they belong to God. They are the Kings people “warts and all” by the merit and work of Christ (Rev. Leroy Vogel).

As to the second question, how does God’s Kingdom Come? Tertullian said that this kingdom, “issues from words which bring salvation to those who hear them” (Behr, op.cit. p. 169). He is spot on!

God’s kingdom consists in those saved by grace. Thus God’s kingdom comes via words even simple words of the Gospel. They seem foolish to those who are perishing, but they are words of life because they bring to us the death and resurrection of Christ for our sins.

Since the kingdom comes via the Word of Grace, Luther is correct when he writes that, “His kingdom comes of itself, without our prayer” (McCain, op. cit. p.440.50).

We pray for it nonetheless because the promises of His kingdom do not “supersede” prayer but enliven and “encourage prayer” all the more (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Whole Bible, Hendrickson Pulishers). What God promises we pray for because the heart and mind of God has become our heart and mind by the work of the Holy Spirit.

The final question is this, “What does this mean?” God’s kingdom is the gathering of His people that issues from His Word and reaches its fulfillment at the second coming of Christ. What are the implications of this teaching?

First, we must, “stretch out toward the things ahead of us” (Behr, op.cit. p. 170). When we pray, “Thy kingdom come” we note that we are not looking for any earthly kingdom. Implicitly we are praying for an end to this present era. When God’s kingdom comes in its fullness the kingdoms of this earth will cease to be.

Second, it means that we must “labor in prayer…lest we should be excluded from the heavenly realm” (Ibid, p. 74). We pray “thy kingdom come” lest we ourselves should be lost to the Father. Is this not what has happened in large part to the Jewish nation?

The promises of the Lord were first given to them but so many missed out entirely on God’s kingdom. Are we so much better than they that we could not be lost to God’s kingdom? We must pray for ourselves, our family, and our church that God’s kingdom would always come to us.

Finally, it implies, that if we really mean to pray “thy kingdom come,” that we choose to expand that kingdom ourselves. We don’t do it by power politics. The kingdom does not come because we vote for God fearing, gun loving, pro-life candidates. I hope we do elect godly and wise leaders, but the kingdom does not come that way.

We expand the kingdom by supporting the preaching and teaching of the Gospel at our own church. We also do it by support missionaries and mission starts. If we really mean what Jesus says, then we ourselves proclaim the mercies of God in Christ. In this way we see that we aren’t actually doing the expanding. The Holy Spirit is expanding the kingdom as we proclaim Christ crucified.

Let me wrap this up. When I was at Fort Drum, New York, I normally performed memorial services for the Soldiers who died in combat rather than performing funerals. I was able to attend an actual funeral service on one occasion.

The ceremony went on like others I have performed elsewhere, but while the honor guard were folding the flag, the head of the detail spoke deliberately and slowly, “Duty, Honor, Country.” Never had those words meant so much to me as standing at the graveside of one of our Soldiers that day.

“Duty, honor, country” come at a high price. How much more has God’s country come at so costly a price? The son of God Himself, Creator of the universe, suffered upon the cross, groaned in pain, whose parched tongue clung to his pallet, and whose blood poured out upon the dust and rocks of Judea for our sins.

The glory that has followed is not the honored but occupied grave of a Soldier, but it was the empty tomb and the Kingdom of God flowing forth from Christ.

The Lord's Prayer, Part II of VII

2009-03-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

The Lord’s Prayer:
Learning the Heart and Mind of the Father, Part II of VII

A proper respect and fear of God has always been part of true religion. We can show that respect and fear in the manner in which we pray.

The ancient Bishop of Carthage, Cyprian, put it this way, “Let the words and the pleas of those who pray be made with discipline, restrained by quiet and reserve. Let us call to mind that we are standing before the face of God. Both the posture of our body and the modulation of our voice should be pleasing to the divine eyes” (John Behr, Tertullian, Cyprian, & Origen On the Lord’s Prayer”, Popular Patristics series, p. 67).

Indeed the way we carry ourselves in prayer, the posture we hold, can show great disrespect or due honor to God. Think, for instance, at an annoyed teenager rolling his eyes and turning his head away when Mom is scolding him. Posture can say a lot.

Tertullian, an ancient teacher, focuses on the proper standing of the soul when it comes to prayer. At one point in his writing he criticizes those people of his day who said one must wash hands before prayer. He writes, “What reason is there for going to prayer with hands which are washed but a spirit which is filthy”(Ibid, p.50).

Cyprian and Tertullian speak this way because they have the desire to practice a proper respect and fear of God. This naturally leads us to the first petition to the Lord’s Prayer, “hallowed be Thy name,” for respect and fear must give due honor to God’s name.

Jesus reveals the heart and mind of the Father in this petition. May we like a myriad of faithful Christians who have gone before us give heed to Jesus’ prayer that we too may know the heart and mind of God.

Let’s explore the first petition with three questions. The first question is rather easy. What does Jesus mean by the term “name” when He says, “hallowed by Thy name?” Obviously it refers to the names of God like Jesus, Jehovah, etc. “Name” also refers to God’s reputation (Ezekiel 36:14f.). Even in our culture we use the term that way. For instance we say, “so and so has a good name in the community.” Finally, referring to God’s name is a way to speak about God Himself. You can’t separate out God’s name and God’s person (Daniel 2:20).

Let’s move onto the second question. Why does Jesus tell us to hallow God’s name when He is already holy? After all holy things are only made holy by God (Behr, op.cit. p. 44). Thus God tells the people of Israel through Moses that, “You shall be Holy for I the LORD your God am holy”(Leviticus 19:2). God is holy already and His people follow.

So back to the question, how can we who are made holy by Him turn around and hallow His name? Why does God, thee Holy One, need us to make His name holy? He doesn’t. He doesn’t need anything from us let alone to make His name holy.

Quite a number of years ago I heard this story from a pastor working for Bethesda. It went something like this, There was a mentally handicapped adult taking confirmation lessons from his Lutheran pastor. The pastor was thinking of holding him (let’s call his name Tommy) back for another year of confirmation.

The pastor just wasn’t sure that Tommy understood the forgiveness of sins. The pastor would say, “Forget everything I’ve said Tommy. Just tell me what Jesus’ forgiveness means in your own words.” Again, Tommy only repeated what the pastor had taught him.

This exchange continued on for a little bit. The pastor was frustrated. Finally he said, “No, No, Tommy, in your own words.” Tommy was frustrated too. He got up, went to a nearby window, took out a handkerchief, and waved it out the window saying, “bye, bye sin.”

That’s a neat story not only because it is true but also because it speaks to us about how the holy God hallows us. “God’s name is indeed holy in itself” Luther writes in the Smaller Catechism. We, by our sinful nature, are not holy, but God hallows us. He does so when the forgiveness of sins is applied to us through faith in Christ’s atonement. When God hallows us then in turn we hallow His name.

It may seem that I have just invalidated the first petition to the Lord’s Prayer. Far from it! Let’s examine the last question. What does it actually mean to hallow God’s name? Luther puts this biblical concept well, “to hallow means the same as to praise, magnify, and honor [God] both in word and deed” (Paul McCain, Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, Large Catechism, p. 439.46).

What we do and what we say will either bring glory to God’s name or ill repute. Time magazine give us a modern example of this. “When Kim Yang Soon, 85, first laid eyes on the Virginia Tech shooter while watching television in her home... South [of the] Korean capital Seoul, she hoped the young Asian man…on the television screen wasn't a South Korean. But some four hours later, at about 3:00 a.m., she heard the stirrings of her younger brother, …. from the adjacent room, who let Kim know, to her everlasting horror, that the young man was in fact Korean and kin.

Now, nearly one week after the gruesome rampage, Kim and her relations remain very distraught over the ordeal, and at a loss to understand how [their family member] could have committed such an atrocity, bringing so much shame to his family. "In our family the children don't insult their parents," says Kim whose well-groomed family burial ground sits on a low rise at the back of her property and is visible from her front door. "I don't know how he could do this to his parents. I also feel terrible for the victim's families" (Time magazine on-line at: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1613417,00.html).

This is steeped in the culture of the East where the family circle and the elders are deeply respected. The Virginia Tech shooter brought shame to the whole family and disrepute to their name by his actions.

We see this in Ezekiel 36. The Bible tells us that the wicked actions of the Israelites caused God’s name to be profaned. They sullied God’s reputation among the heathen. When God judged them for their idolatry and let them be scattered among the nations these nations, in turn, scorned the God of Israel Who allowed them to be scattered in the first place.

How do we hallow God’s name? “It means to praise, magnify, and honor God both in word and deed.” We magnify His name with words of praise and grace by the power of the Holy Spirit. We magnify the name in deeds of love, integrity, honesty, holiness, and courage.

When Jesus teaches us the Lord’s Prayer, He is opening up to us the heart and mind of the heavenly Father. We learn the heart and mind of God that He does indeed take seriously the family name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We learn that our Father would have His name honored rather than scorned because of the words and actions of His people. God cares about His reputation, not that He is needy, but because His glory demands it. Certainly His unmerited grace calls it forth from the soul of each believer. Don’t we ourselves have need that His name be truly hallowed in our own lives and in the world. It is in God’s name that Christ came into the world to suffer and die a sinners death in our place. In Christ, God has hallowed our spirits and it is only then that we can turn and hallow Him.

Lord's Prayer Part I of VII

2009-03-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

This is the first of a seven part series that examines the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. It especially draws upon Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) the leader of the Reformation, Tertullian a teacher in the early church (c.160 – c.220), and Cyprian (d 258) Bishop of Carthage.

Since this is the first in the series, it is appropriate to mention the conflict where Christians pit written prayers against prayers that are extemporaneous. One Christian will say that the written prayers are rote, mechanical, and do not have the Spirit of God. Another Christian will say that the ones that flow out on the spot are often thoughtless, careless, or clumsy.

These difference should melt away when it comes to the Lord’s Prayer. The issue here is not rote verses heart prayer. It isn’t about us. The Lord’s Prayer is about Christ because in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus reveals to us His heart and mind and really that of the Father Himself.

God is inclined toward us with a friendly disposition. This is true not because we are likeable people, but He does this for the sake of Christ who made us to be children of God. Since He is inclined toward us, He reveals his heart and mind in the Lord’s Prayer. Note that the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus doesn’t give them secrets to successful prayer – you know the secrets whereby they could manipulate God to do what they want in the way and manner they desire.

Jesus doesn’t dig up the prayer of Jabez from the OT and tell them that, “it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with God…” We already enjoy favor because we are in Christ through Baptism. When Jesus teaches the church how to pray, He does so that our hearts, our minds, and our prayers might be in conformity to the heart and mind of the Father. Now, let’s move into the introduction to the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven.”

I remember when our littlest was three years old. Mom was sitting down and the little one was standing on her lap cying for her attention. I was standing nearby and one of my other daughters was there talking with her Mom. She was standing on her mother’s lap and pushed her older sister away saying, “My mom. Your Dad.”

Now that was just a little child and it was cute. As long as she isn’t doing that as a teenager, I can live with it. Notice, however, the individualistic tone, “my.” In Protestant churches, it is easy for us to fall into a view where the center is on my own private relationship with God.

A country song goes this way, “There ain't nothin' that can't be done By me and God ---- Ain't nobody gonna come between me and God ----- One day we'll live together Where the angels trod Me and God” (Country song by Josh Turner, “Me and God”). This song falls into that all too individualistic tendency of American, Protestant Christianity of just me and God.

The Lord’s Prayer, especially the version in Matthew 6, leads us into a different aspect and really one that is more fundamental and important than just “Me & God”. Jesus teaches us to pray “Our Father.” Certainly the Father is “mine” by faith in Christ, but I don’t stand with Him in isolation. He is “ours”.

Let’s not stop there. Even that term “Father” implies much more than just “me and God.” Tertullian has some interesting insights here.

He says that when we call upon the Father this necessitates that there be a Son. Now God the Father & Son stand unique with the Holy Spirit from eternity. There is none other than this Trinity, but in human terms when we speak of a father, and we know there is a Son, then we naturally think of the mother as well (Popular Patristics Series, “Tertullian, Cyprian & Origen On the Lord’s Prayer, p.43).

When we invoke the Father it isn’t just “me and God.” There is the Son. Where there is the Father and the Son there is also thee mother which is the Holy Christian church.

The church is mother because she gives birth to the children of God in this sense -- by proclaiming Christ and administering the Sacraments. This is certainly the picture that the book of Revelation itself gives that the church is mother (Revelation 12:1f.).

So important is this understanding Cyprian has rightly said, “no one can have God as Father without having the church as a mother.” You see then, in the term Father it does not stand alone nor do we with Him. When we call out “Father” we bring all that comes with the name.

I began the sermon by saying how the Lord’s Prayer as a whole reveals the heart & mind of the heavenly Father. In the term “Father” we see God’s heart. He has not cast us aside. He has seen us from afar and longed for our reconciliation with Him. For this reason He provided Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sins. Thus the Apostle John writes, “how great the love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God” (I John 3:1 NASB).

And “Father” shows us the mind of God. When God reveals Himself to us as Father, He would have us understand that He has provided a larger family from His abundant grace. Rather than just “me and God,” we are taught to think in larger terms. Not just “me and God,” but me, God, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and Holy Mother church.

Link (WMA) - Sermon on I Corinthians 10:31 - 11:1; 6th Sunday after Epiphany

2009-02-18T11:05:00.001-08:00

Do we have a don't tread on me mentality that says, "I can do what I want, when I want, whenever I want?" Christians can become arrogant in their freedom. Living in a free country and enjoying the liberty of Christ, they live out of balance.

Luther reminds us that, "A Christian is a perfectly free lord, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all."

The model for this is Jesus Himself. He is indeed above all others on this earth born both free and Lord. At the same time, He became the dutiful servant. Though He rules the universe, He washed dirty feet. Being clean in soul, He heals the unclean lepers and dies for all who are sullied by sin.

This makes an eternal difference for those who recieve Him in faith. Jesus as free Lord and dutiful servant of the Father has died for our sin and risen for our justification.

New Year Eve Sermon! Explanation of Han's Holbein's Art (click here)

2009-01-01T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hans Holbein's painting proclaims the Gospel with such beauty.

It is interpreted in the brief sermon (11 min) linked above. The sermon itself is broken up into 3 sermonettes.

The painting is called the "Allegory of the Old and New Testament." The tree in the middle of the picture is the dividing line between the Old and the New.

Notice how the tree is dead on the left side. There is no life under the Law. The right side is living. This is the era of the ministry of Christ who brings us from death to life.

Listen to the short sermon and find out more!

Part II - Icon of the Nativity

2008-12-28T12:58:00.000-08:00

We continue meditation on the Nativity Icon for the 12 days of Christmas:

Mary lies close to Jesus on a red cushion. In faith filled humility she accepted the task of being the Virgin Mother. When she accepts the honor she also accepts the hardships. Mary lies asleep, covered, cold, and weary, and yet more pain will come upon her. A sword will pierce her own soul. Bitterly she will weep for her Son when He is bruised, battered, and bleeding upon the cross for the life of the world. (Luke 2:35).

Joseph sits on the bottom right of the icon. His back is turned toward Mary. Joseph is faced with a dilemma. When Mary first tells him about the miraculous pregnancy, he does not believe her. But Joseph is a kind and righteous man. He does not want to disgrace her, so he plans to end the engagement quietly.

It isn’t until the angel comes to Joseph that he understands what is going on. Mary’s baby came about by the power of the Holy Spirit. Her child will be named Jesus. And His name describes His work – He is Salvation in person.

Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father, as Mary received the high honor of being the Mother of God, so we praise You for You have chosen to dwell in us through faith in Christ. You do this without any merit or worthiness on our part. With this honor, give us the strength you gave to Mary that we might bear under the hardships we face for Your name and to Your glory.
P: Lord, in Your mercy;
C: Hear our prayer.

Dear Lord, Joseph struggled when he doubted Mary. Yet, he believed when the heavenly angel spoke Your Word. So too, may we, like Joseph, believe, heed, and follow Your Word. Amen. (Posts are adapted from Rejesus web site).

Part I - Icon of the Nativity

2008-12-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

During the 12 Days of Christmas take time to look over this icon. I will examine it in four parts. Each part will begin with reflections of the Nativity. The icon and idea for these posts comes from Rejesus, a web site of the United Kingdom. I have added my own notes and prayers.

Notice the center of the icon. There is baby Jesus. The focal point is on Him, for He is the heart of the whole Christmas story. Those who have ears, let them hear: Christ is also at the heart of the church - her ministry, her hymns, her liturgy, the life of her people.

The manger is made to look like a sepulcher. Jesus’ task is not set when He is an adult. It isn’t as if Jesus waited till a mature age to settle upon and undertake the difficult path of dying for our sins. The goal is set already in the manger. Indeed, the plan was set in eternity past.

Christ’s central work is emphasized by the cross that shoots up from the manger – between the rocks. On the cross is the star of Bethlehem. Wise men follow the star to the manger, but they dare not stop in this tiny town.

Those who are truly wise are those who have been given the gift of faith by the Holy Spirit. They must follow Jesus to Jerusalem on Good Friday to the fulfillment of His incarnation. They do this when in faith the wise receive Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and Holy Absolution. In these Sacraments God's people are brought into the sphere of Jesus' death and resurrection. They become partakers in His work.

LET US PRAY:
Heavenly Father, we praise you that the Ancient of Days has become an infant. He who sits on the heavenly throne, now lies in a manger. He Who cannot be touched now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who will break the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infant’s bands.

All glory are Yours because You have decreed that contempt shall become honor, infamy shall be clothed with glory, and the total humiliation of Jesus will be the measure of His goodness. (adapted, Bishop & Doctor John Chrysostum in, Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, vol 1, p.112f.)

P: Lord, in Your mercy;
C: Hear our prayer.

Dear Jesus, You assumed our flesh, that we may partake of Your Word. You have taken our flesh, to give us Your Spirit. You have bestowed and we have received. You have become our treasure and life. All glory and honor be to Your blessed name with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen (adapted, Bishop & Doctor John Chrysostum in, Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, vol 1, p.112f.)