Postmodern Lutheranism

Earth Day, Part II

2011-04-24T11:28:00.003-04:00

The Sunday of the Resurrection is the payoff, the greatest of all in fact. On this day Jesus rose from the dead. He did not just "spiritually" rise from the dead. He did not just in "the hearts and minds of his disciples" rise from the dead. Jesus rose physically, fully human, fully God, from the dead.

The Gospel accounts go to great lengths to show that this was no mere spiritual awakening or sudden moment of enlightenment that had come upon those who loved Jesus. In fact, those who loved Him went to the tomb early on the morning of the first day of the week to further prepare the dead body because as the Sabbath approached on Friday they were rushed to lay him in the earth. They expected to anoint a corpse. They expected to adorn a lifeless body. They expected Jesus to be dead.

You could say this was the most unexpected act in history, because when they got there they did not find anything. They did not even find a body! The body was gone, and an angel proclaimed to them that Christ is risen! That is what today is all about. The eternal Son took on flesh and lived the life we humans cannot live in perfect obedience to the Father. He suffered death and was buried. But, on the third day He rose again.

The Christian Church dating back to these very days in the first century proclaimed the joyous news the Christ is risen! This day is about the resurrection of the Son of God. This day is not really about an old pagan fertility feast that the big bad institutional church took over as an empire. This day is not about bunnies, eggs, and chocolate (as cute and/or delicious as these things may be). And this day is not about allowing the wise words of a great teacher to "live on" in our hearts and minds.

This day is about Jesus' physical resurrection from the grave. This is the day the LORD has made! This resurrection of the Son of God also points to the day when all humans will be raised on the Last Day because of this physical resurrection of the Son of God! This resurrection of the Son of God, as the first fruits of the renewed creation, points to the restoration of all things on Earth. The pain, the death, the decay that marks the world we know in everything from humans to animals to earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, all point to creations groaning waiting for Christ to return and to reveal those who will have life in Him and with Him forever. On this day LIFE wins. On this day we celebrate the feast of the Lamb and look forward to the Day of the great feast when Jesus drinks the fruit of the vine with us again.

Resurrection Sunday is about reality, it's about physicality, it's about living again. This is the day all of Earth rejoices. This is Earth Day, as the Creator restores creation, beginning with the resurrected Son of God. That's the Hope in which we live, that is what today is all about!

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Earth Day

2011-04-22T09:13:00.005-04:00

Today is Earth Day. It is also Good Friday. This won't happen again until 2095. I was talking to a longtime friend this morning from my home congregation and thought I'd be clever and send him a message that said, "Happy Earth Day!" The significance of Earth Day falling on Good Friday was something I have been trying to formulate in my mind.

The idea of Earth Day on Easter Sunday (2057) seems to be the clearer connection. Earth Day celebrates all of creation and (albeit falling short of what this means) promotes "restoration" to all the earth. Easter, the Resurrection Sunday, also promotes restoration (albeit rightly). But how is it that Good Friday and Earth Day can connect?

Well, my longtime friend replied to "Happy Earth Day," with,"Happy Tree Hugging Day." It then hit me like a ton of pollen, Good Friday is Tree Hugging Day. Good Friday is Earth Day. Jesus goes to the rugged cross, that unsightly tree, and He grips it to die. Jesus grips the tree to reconcile the whole world to the Father. We know the rest of the story that comes on Sunday, but ponder for today the beautiful image of Christ gripping the cross to reconcile the world to the Father. That is the best gift the Earth has ever received, that is the best medicine for a sick Earth, that is what it means to celebrate creation. The Creator has rescued the creation from sin, decay, and death, all by gripping the tree.

As most of the Earth celebrates the apparent beauty of creation and life I will be sitting in a dark, undecorated, no apparent beauty of a church. Today, though humans lost the tree of life and all its splendor with the rushing rivers, we look to the Tree of Life which has the rushing river flowing from the Creator (John 19:33-34) in all His glory (John 7:37-39).

Happy Earth Day.

The Psalms

2011-03-26T09:12:00.006-04:00

One of the most helpful resources I have ever bought, and I did so in my "Contemplate" visit to the seminary in 2007, is the CPH book Reading the Psalms with Luther. It is the complete Book of Psalms with some notes on each Psalm by Luther himself. In addition each Psalm begins and ends with a prayer.

The Psalms as a book of prayer is definitely something we ought to be communicating to people. For me personally I find it easier to "read" the Psalms when I am immersing myself in them as prayer rather than something I am reading just to say I have read them, or studying for the purposes of a test. In the fall I took the course at the seminary pertaining to the Psalms with Dr. Reed Lessing (CPH Commentaries Amos, Jonah, and the upcoming Isaiah 40-55). He communicated, in no uncertain terms, the the Psalter (another word for the entire collection of Psalms) is the Christian book of prayer and it should be a part of our praying for our entire lives. The Psalter seems to cover the topics of human life as they weave in and out of human suffering and joys, and even many times combining the two in one Psalm!

Plus, if you're like me, maybe you struggle with prayer as in how to pray and what to say. The Psalter provides for us the how and what in prayer. This is important especially in a "postmodern" world that looks for answers and truth in a variety of places, and does not allow anyone else to speak for them, the Christian can be comforted by this book of prayer where we do allow Another to speak for us, the human authors of the Psalms, but also the Holy Spirit who leads us to pray. The Psalms are very human, yet also very much divine as God's Word speaks to us through them. Most notably God's Word speaks to us through them in the person and work of Jesus the Christ.

So often the weight of sin and brokenness in this age brings us down, the Psalter is the perfect book for those who have broken hearts because it communicates the reality of our broken world so clearly and honestly. Yet they do not leave us in our brokenness, but drive us back to Yahweh, our God, and His faithful promises. One such promise is the one received at Baptism. As the Psalms communicate it is there that we know that even if God feels far off, He is not far at all, but close to delivering us. What a great comfort! It's the comfort of being joined with Christ, which does not "save" us from the realities of this world, but plunges us head first into them to not only find comfort ourselves, but also for our neighbors around us.

Honest and Thoughtful Reviews of Rob Bell

2011-03-19T12:39:00.004-04:00

I regret actually posting about a book I have not read. But since this has been blowing up all over the Christian interwebs for a couple of weeks now, I figured I would point people into the direction of two non-reactionary, honest, and yet thoughtful reviews of Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins (Harper Collins). Big ups to Mockingbird Blog for supplying their readers with these thoughtful analyses. One is by Mark Galli and the other by Casey Hobbs.

I hope to read this book after spring quarter. I think it is very important to engage a book like this because it does open up a worthy conversation and because Bell is such a popular person. It is much better to engage someone and speak the truth in love than lob reactionary critiques and use big words which tickle us silly. Let me know what you think!

P.S. I think its helpful to cite folks who are actually coming from a similar--or similar enough--environment to Bell to understand his thought process and context. Again, I hope to read the book and come at it from a Lutheran perspective, but that is a good couple months away yet.

P.S.S In the interest of being "fair," here is a link to Bell's reaction to the reaction(s).

The Unobtainable Deity

2011-03-05T13:21:00.003-05:00

Very interesting quote from an article on the latest "Jesus Seminar" meeting in Santa Cruz, CA. For more information on the Jesus Seminar just google or go to their website. The long and short of it is this is an academic community searching to find the "real" Jesus, the "historical" Jesus, opposed to the Jesus of orthodox Christianity.

These quotes, one from a presenter in the seminar, and the other from a student observer were striking to me:

"We are not here to advocate religion," said Sheehan, who has participated in the Jesus Seminar since 1999. "We study religion critically. We're scientists of religion. We come here to say what we have learned about the historical Jesus Christ. It's more to inform people who may not have an opportunity to hear what university professors are saying about Jesus."

Miller, 21, who sat with fellow UCSC students to hear Scott's lecture, said "I do identify as a Christian, but I am very interested in learning about who Jesus was as an actual person."

Miller, who plans to graduate early with a degree in American studies, said, "I want to know more about the humanity of Jesus rather than the Divinity.

"It makes it more believable for me when I think of Jesus as a person rather than an unobtainable Deity."

My thoughts:

Has the church made Jesus an "unobtainable deity?" There are numerous issues with the Jesus Seminar. Their academic integrity is highly questionable and they throw out any sniffs of deification in regards to Jesus, because well hey that just isn't "historical." What Christians know is that the Jesus of the New Testament, the Jesus the early church attests to, the Jesus the church throughout the ages into today attests to is the very "historical" Jesus.

I do wonder however, if Christians have propped up Jesus as some "unobtainable deity." When we defend Jesus' deity and neglect his humanity we don't have Jesus. The church needs to affirm his humanity, as attested to in scripture, and affirm his deity together as a whole. There is no such thing as a historical Jesus a part from the God-Man. Jesus is fully God and fully man. When either is backed off of problems ensue.

The student observers quote from above shows how askew folks' view of Jesus and Christianity are. Jesus is the most attainable deity there is, given He came down out of heaven incarnate and born of the Virgin Mary. Why is it that society views Jesus as an unobtainable deity? Perhaps we would do well to teach the whole Jesus to our people?

Bonhoeffer, pt. 2

2011-02-24T21:10:00.002-05:00

Too good not to share...this snippet comes from a section where Metaxas deconstructs the story that Bonhoeffer radically changed in prison and his Christianity was suddenly co-opted by bad theology and theologically liberal techniques. Sadly theological liberals aren't the only ones who have bought this story, theological conservatives have too.

Here is a paragraph of Metaxas' thoughts on the whole thing:

Bonhoeffer's theology had always leaned toward the incarnational view that did not eschew "the world," but that saw it as God's good creation to be enjoyed and celebrated, not merely transcended. According to this view, God had redeemed mankind through Jesus Christ, had re-created us "good." So we weren't to dismiss our humanity as something "un-spiritual." As Bonhoeffer had said before, God wanted our "yes" to him to be a "yes" to the world he had created. This was not the thin pseudohumanism of the liberal "God is dead" theologians who would claim Bonhoeffer's mantle as their own in the decades to come, nor was it the antihumanism of the pious and "religious" theologians who would abdicate Bonhoeffer's theology to the liberals. It was something else entirely: it was God's humanism, redeemed in Jesus Christ. (p.468)

In addition, Metaxas provides information that Bonhoeffer's closest confidant in those prison days, Eberhard Bethge, lamented how many misconstrued his letters/thoughts in prison. It should be further noted that these thoughts and letters were written privately to Bethge, and were only released by Bethge after the war to give certain theologians a glimpse of what prison life was like for Bonhoeffer the person and theologian. Bethge's own thoughts were,

The isolated use and handing down of the famous term 'religionless Christianity' has made Bonhoeffer the champion of an undialectical shallow modernism which obscures all that he wanted to tell us about the living God.

Nearly finished with the book, already highly recommend it for all to read!

Bonhoeffer

2011-02-23T09:45:00.004-05:00

Winter Quarter is over, been spending a few days in the warm Florida sun (West Palm Beach/Port St. Lucie) reading Eric Metaxas' great biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Go out and get this book, I'm halfway through (300+ pages of an almost 600 page book, but don't let that scare you!) and this book has rocked my world. There have been so many quotes Metaxas has provided of Bonhoeffer's that have touched me, but I felt compelled to post this one in particular. The context is Bonhoeffer's second trip to America, he writes in his diary:

The voice of Lutheranism is there in America, but it is one among others: it has never been able to confront the other denominations. There hardly ever seem to be "encounters" in this great country, in which the one can always avoid the other. But where there is no encounter, where liberty is the only unifying factor, one naturally knows nothing of the community which is created through encounter. The whole life together is completely different as a result. Community in our sense, whether cultural or ecclesiastical, cannot develop there. Is that true?

The year is 1939, and he's about ready to return to Germany to have an encounter with the anti-Christian German Christian Church and Hitler himself. What kind of encounters are we having in America? Lutherans especially...

Heavy

What the Incarnation means

2010-12-27T16:19:00.002-05:00

So has death been conquered and branded for what it is by the Savior on the cross. It is bound hand and foot, all who are in Christ trample it as they pass and as witnesses to Him deride it, scoffing and saying, "O Death, where is thy victory? O Grave, where is thy sting?"

Athanasius, On the Incarnation

The cute baby Jesus grows up and is the Savior of all mankind. Athanasius so beautifully writes that what else was the Word of God to do? Human beings, whom the Word created, were destroying themselves, the only way to save them/restore them was that the very thing that gave them life in the first place would become one of it, by enjoining Himself to the flesh, to the creation. The Word which gives life in the creation of the universe gives life anew in the restoration of creation.

THAT is what Christmas Season is all about! Blessed Day 3 of Christmas!

Pope Benedict's Christmas Message to the UK

2010-12-25T12:14:00.002-05:00

A most appropriate Christmas Message from the Pope to the people of the United Kingdom. The best part may be the (unintended) evangelical proclamation from Richard Dawkins:

Writing for the Guardian Newspaper in protest of the Pope's message being broadcast to the UK he stated,

"Ratzinger has much to confess in his own conduct, as cardinal and pope. But he is also guilty of promoting one of the most repugnant ideas ever to occur to a human mind: "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22)."

Richard Dawkins is obviously looking to point out how foolish and stupid the idea of sacrifice and bloodshed is for a concept of forgiveness. But Dawkins' real problem is his refusal to acknowledge the sin in his own life which needs atoning. He's far from the only one to believe this though, as many people do. But his highlighting of this as "repugnant" ought to bring us to the public square for a profitable conversation.

Read the article yourself and enjoy the Pope's evangelical proclamation this day.

"Let us give thanks to God for his goodness to us, and let us joyfully proclaim to those around us the good news that God offers us freedom from whatever weighs us down; he gives us hope, he brings us life."

The "Christian" Hitler

2010-12-21T11:27:00.002-05:00

One of the greatest lies of our time is that Adolf Hitler was a Christian. It is usually perpetuated by those who have such a disdain for religion, and Christianity in particular, that what better way to undermine it further than to align Christianity with the most vilified character in recent history (maybe even of all time).

A book released this past April by Eric Metaxas called, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy takes this, as well as many other things, to task. FoxNews (ahhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) has online in PDF format two chapters for free download/reading. One of these chapters, Chapter 11, is called "Nazi Theology." In it he utterly deconstructs the renowned "fact" that Hitler was a Christian.

In fact he leaves you with convincing evidence that Hitler, rather than being a product of some outdated method of weak minded religious foolishness, was a product of Nietzsche and modernity. Oh what an unsettling claim this is. But I posit the evidence is convincing.

See for yourself

Advent/Christmas Music Part 3

2010-12-11T11:57:00.005-05:00

O come O come Emmanuel

If there ever was a hymn that connects Israel with the Church, this is the one. Although any chorale worth its salt can sing this beautifully, I liked the stripped down approach version of recording artist Sufjan Stevens.

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

The language of "ransom" and "captive" and "exile" cut to the heart of the problem for humanity. We are held ransom by sin, death, and the devil. We are held captive by all the things which sin, death, and the devil employ. There is seemingly no escape. As Israel mourned in exile from the land, so too the Church as Israel mourns in exile from the land until the Son of God appears.

Yet even in the darkness and cold of the season, there is reason to rejoice. Emmanuel, God with us, is coming. Certainly the hymn brings to mind the image of the Christmas Story of when God became man in the form of the baby Jesus. Yet the true message and beauty of the hymn is in its anticipation for the Emmanuel, God with us, to return once and forevermore. And the Church stands as Israel eagerly awaiting not just the celebration of the Christ's first Advent, but ultimately his second Advent, when all things will be made new.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

We are not left in the dark alone. Look! Jesus is coming!

Advent/Christmas Music Part 2

2010-12-09T12:42:00.004-05:00

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

This song nearly makes me cry every time I hear it. It somehow doesn't matter what rendition of it I am hearing, but that refrain gets me every single time. I especially enjoy Casting Crowns version from a recent Christmas Album they put out. But keep in mind this is an old time hymn singing an old time message of Christmas.

As to the lyrics, as I said before that refrain gets me every single time. Here it is:

And the bells they're ringing,

Like a choir they're singing,

In my heart I hear them,

Peace on earth, Goodwill to men

And then the words of the verses seamlessly transition:

And in despair I bowed my head,

There is no peace on earth I said,

For hate is strong and mocks the song,

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men

Yet despite this, the bells are ringing...

I think this song really captures the essence of a theology of the cross. There is something awful about what we see around us, even in this message of Christianity, yet therein lies the beauty. Despite the sin of humanity, despite the brokenness, despite the carnage, despite death itself the bells are ringing...

Then ring the bells more loud and deep,

God is not dead nor does he sleep...

That aspect of the verse is the reversal Gospel message telling the hearer that despite what this world looks like, especially in the cold of the season where poverty and sickness and emptiness highlight the predicament of so many, God is not dead nor does he sleep. That is Israel's refrain about Yahweh, and the Church as Israel claims that as its own.

In Psalm 121 the Psalmist writes, Look! He who keeps Israel does not slumber nor does he sleep (Psalm 121:4) Seems easy enough, seems like a nice line, but the context helps us a great deal. The surrounding pagan religions saw their gods as ones that hibernated, especially in the winter. They do slumber, they do sleep. So Israel boldly proclaims, "Yahweh does not slumber, he does not sleep!" And in the face of society today, "God is not dead!"

Yahweh is your Keeper, even in the chill--the cold of the winter. God is not a god who hibernates, but stays actively involved in this world. Even amidst what seems like a complete mockery of "Peace on earth, goodwill to men," Yahweh is there. He is your Keeper. And God proves that by emptying of himself and becoming man.

God as human. Another ridiculous concept and notion to Israel's neighbors. Another ridiculous concept and notion to our neighbors today.

If/when you hear this song or sing this hymn this season, keep that refrain dear to your longing heart. There is peace on earth and goodwill to humans, the Savior has come, and he is here to restore our lives.

Advent/Christmas Music Part 1

2010-12-05T15:30:00.004-05:00

I figure to make a break from the mundane, the ordinary, the cold, the schoolwork, I would investigate wonderful theological messages in our Advent and Christmas Hymns and Songs.

The first hymn/song I am looking at in this amateur series is What Hope! An Eden Prophesied! This cool hymn found its way into the Lutheran Service Book of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. Written in 1998 by Stephen P. Starke, it is a hymn that talks about the wonderful life to come prophesied by the great prophet Isaiah, specifically in chapter 11, which was also the Old Testament Lesson for this 2nd Sunday in Advent.

The beautiful first verse reads,

What hope! An Eden prophesied Where tame live with the wild;

The lamb and lion side by side, Led by a little child!

See how this corresponds to the beautiful words of the Prophet Isaiah in today's Old Testament text, Isaiah 11:1-10

This is the hope of what we look forward to this season of Advent. We not only look toward Christmas, Jesus' first advent, but with our eyes fixed on his redemptive work we look toward his second Advent, his final coming, when all things will be restored.

Broken Beyond Repair

2010-11-30T15:14:00.003-05:00

Over at the NY Times today another provocative Bob Herbert editorial appears. The title, Broken Beyond Repair, deals with the USA's capital punishment system. Herbert uses colorful language to describe it:

The death penalty in the United States has never been anything but an abomination — a grotesque, uncivilized, overwhelmingly racist affront to the very idea of justice.

One of the reasons I read Mr. Herbert is because he is so provocative. Some of the things he says makes you say, "Amen!" and some other things makes you say, "Ah...damn!" I think in this editorial there is both of that. I am one such American who struggles mightily with the death penalty. In a Romans 13 sense I am for it. But it is well known that the way the death penalty is carried out here has its plethora of problems, and we do not need Bob Herbert to point them out for it to be so. With the way it is used, it probably should be abolished. It is an overwhelmingly racist affront to the very idea of justice, to quote Mr. Herbert.

Although I am someone who affirms that no one is "innocent" based upon sin and death in general, certainly in civil society it is for the purposes of good order to establish a system of punishment that is layered and has different levels of severity to it. But the real problem with the death penalty, especially in its racist element(s) is that it de-humanizes people. This is not so much a question of innocence and guilt, as much as that may be the case, as it is about the value of life in a culture of death. To devalue humans is a most egregious offense. And if there is even just a few humans being devalued, let alone the probable millions Herbert talks about, then it should not be tolerated. Not because humans are innocent and sinless and everything is fine and dandy, but because God is the One who rules over life and he creates human life with a purpose, even if a dignity.

Well then, seems like this is an "Amen!" post from Herbert, where is the "Ah...Damn!" part? It comes with what Herbert does not address. There is another overwhelmingly racist affront to the very idea of justice operating in our country as well. The thing about that one though is its masked in "rights" and not as death or killing or even murder, as capital punishment can safely be labeled. No, this overwhelmingly racist affront to the very idea of justice is seen as choice, as empowerment, and the only sensible option in the face of so many who devalue women.

Indeed, I am talking about abortion. Yet this story doesn't get editorials in the NY Times or much play from Bob Herbert. This is seen as an entirely different thing, and it's for the supposed "rights" of women. If the death penalty is racist, and there is sufficient reason to believe it is, then abortion is akin to slavery and genocide. But before you get too bent out of shape, go research the issue for yourself. I speak not as a "white man" making an ignorant or inconsiderate comparison between abortion and slavery and/or genocide, but African Americans and other minorities talk this way. There is plenty of evidence to suggest Planned Parenthood targets African Americans and other minorities in our country. The statistics are horrifying. And this is an educational problem as well. When we neglect our inner cities, and the folks who live there, government OK'd organizations like Planned Parenthood move in for the literal kill. Instead of comprehensive educational and community programs from the government, or anywhere for that matter, we get a killing machine masquerading as a "pro-women's choice" group.

Strong language? Provocative? You bet. So I agree with Herbert, but want it to go further, let's stop both of these racist affronts to the very idea of justice.

you KNOW it's a myth

2010-11-29T09:31:00.004-05:00

Reading over at the Belief Blog on CNN.com this morning prompted this post. The usual arguments are lobbed, but this is an interesting billboard that was put up by atheists.org:

CNN-Atheist Billboard

I then went to atheists.org and read up about their cause and watched a video about this billboard and others. You can find the video here: you KNOW it's a myth

You will immediately notice the arrogance displayed by the two men speaking in the video. What's funny is this modern atheist movement, championed by guys like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, really only reacts against American Evangelical Fundamentalism. To be honest, I agree with a couple of the things they have to say about these folks, especially in the above linked video. Christians should not be vandalizing billboards. Instead, we should be engaging the public debate and dismantling the juvenile arguments atheists put forth. Such arguments, like the ones which attack the historicity of Jesus, the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the rest of the New Testament are where we can actively and faithfully engage. What we have to be careful of however is that we never get too far from the Gospel Message, namely proclaiming Christ's life, death, and resurrection for you, including the arrogant atheist.

Also important to do is to pray the psalter. This is nothing new that folks will mock, scoff, and attack God and his people. But leave vengeance to Yahweh. Defacing billboards is childish and gets nowhere. This also is usually headed by those who want to make the Christian God the American god as well. The same folks who claim America is a Christian nation. I really want no part of that debate. It is useless, and historically inaccurate. What I do want is to protect the flock, and defend Christians who are left defenseless because we aren't preparing them the proper way. The fight is not rationalism vs. rationalism. But the hope we have over and against rationalism.

We ought to teach our people the beauty and usefulness of praying the Psalms in times like these, while also giving them reasonable explanations to the historicity of Jesus, the OT, and the NT. Also, notice I place Jesus in front. That is where he belongs. Jesus is before all this as God. And as God-Man he restores us to how we're supposed to be. Dismissive and arrogant arguments presented by atheists.org does not dismantle this truth at all.

I feel it is important to go blow by blow on that website to show specific arguments, but being in school I don't know if I can find the time. In the meantime, one common argument heard is how there is no evidence for Jesus outside the NT, and that the four Gospels are not the only ones, etc., etc.

Below I have provided a quote from Ignatius of Antioch of the 1st and early 2nd century. Ignatius is as apostolic as you can get. And the letter I quote is among those which are widely attributed to have actually been written by him. In this section he talks about the history of Christ defending his life, death, and resurrection. Including his birth by the Virgin, his suffering under Pontius Pilate, his death, and his being raised by the Father. Beyond that it also affirms the resurrection to eternal life for believers because of Christ's own resurrection.

In this section Ignatius quotes Matthew and John, while specifically referring to Matthew as scripture. Dates for Ignatius are ca.30-107 AD. He writes this well within a reasonable timeframe to judge the historicity of Matthew as legitimate and as a Gospel for the Church. Also notice, John having been written probably within a few years of Ignatius writing this is cited as legitimate scripture as well. The implications for this are huge in the face of arguments put forth by folks like the ones over at atheists.org. Aside from the defense that is legitimate and helpful which Ignatius provides, read this little bit devotionally as a powerful witness to the Gospel, which also needs to be primary in everything we do. As Advent is upon us, enjoy this appropriate piece by Ignatius of Antioch. The following chapter, The Reality of Christ's Passion, also isn't half bad.

Stop your ears, therefore, when any one speaks to you at variance with⁷⁸⁷⁷⁸⁷ Literally, “apart from.”70Jesus Christ, who was descended from David, and was also of Mary; who was truly born, and did eat and drink. He was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate; He was truly crucified, and [truly] died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. He was also truly raised from the dead, His Father quickening Him, even as after the same manner His Father will so raise up us who believe in Him by Christ Jesus, apart from whom we do not possess the true life.

Stop your ears, therefore, when any one speaks to you at variance with⁷⁸⁸⁷⁸⁸ Literally, “apart from.”Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was descended from David, and was also of Mary; who was truly begotten of God and of the Virgin, but not after the same manner. For indeed God and man are not the same. He truly assumed a body; for “the Word was made flesh,”⁷⁸⁹⁷⁸⁹ John i. 14. and lived upon earth without sin. For says He, “Which of you convicteth me of sin?”⁷⁹⁰⁷⁹⁰ John viii. 46. He did in reality both eat and drink. He was crucified and died under Pontius Pilate. He really, and not merely in appearance, was crucified, and died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. By those in heaven I mean such as are possessed of incorporeal natures; by those on earth, the Jews and Romans, and such persons as were present at that time when the Lord was crucified; and by those under the earth, the multitude that arose along with the Lord. For says the Scripture, “Many bodies of the saints that slept arose,”⁷⁹¹⁷⁹¹ Matt. xxvii. 52. their graves being opened. He descended, indeed, into Hades alone, but He arose accompanied by a multitude; and rent asunder that means⁷⁹²⁷⁹² Literally, “hedge,” or “fence.” of separation which had existed from the beginning of the world, and cast down its partition-wall. He also rose again in three days, the Father raising Him up; and after spending forty days with the apostles, He was received up to the Father, and “sat down at His right hand, expecting till His enemies are placed under His feet.”⁷⁹³⁷⁹³ Heb. x. 12, 13. On the day of the preparation, then, at the third hour, He received the sentence from Pilate, the Father permitting that to happen; at the sixth hour He was crucified; at the ninth hour He gave up the ghost; and before sunset He was buried.⁷⁹⁴⁷⁹⁴ Some read, “He was taken down from the cross, and laid in a new tomb.” During the Sabbath He continued under the earth in the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathæa had laid Him. At the dawning of the Lord’s day He arose from the dead, according to what was spoken by Himself, “As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man also be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”⁷⁹⁵⁷⁹⁵ Matt. xii. 40. The day of the preparation, then, comprises the passion; the Sabbath embraces the burial; the Lord’s Day contains the resurrection.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2010-11-24T10:29:00.002-05:00

Just read this article over at the NY Times by David D. Hall. The article, Peace, Love, and Puritanism, takes a nice (quick) yet interesting look at the history of Thanksgiving, Puritans, and America. I'm not sure that I agree with the whole of the article, but his line at the end really clicked with me. Hall writes,

In our society, liberty has become deeply problematic: more a matter of entitlement than of obligation to the whole. Everywhere, we see power abused, the common good scanted. Getting the Puritans right won’t change what we eat on Thanksgiving, but it might change what we can be thankful for and how we imagine a better America.

How scary true is this? I feel this speaks volumes, loud ones at that, to contemporary America. I also feel this speaks volumes to the current American religious landscape. Hall points out the Puritans had no self indulgent work ethic. The "Protestant Work Ethic" is really the American way. I am Christian. I am American. I am free. Get out of my way.

It brings to mind the parable of the Good Samaritan and how many Americans would cross by on the other side of the road. My real point however, is this: Martin Luther, in the 16th century, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in the 20th century, saw Christian freedom not as freedom from but rather freedom for. You can almost hear the American religious chorus shouting, "Amen!" Until we realize this freedom for means that as a Christian, American or not makes no difference, your freedom is that you are not in condemnation by sin and as such are free for your neighbor. The Christian call is not American gluttony, "Give me my rights!" talk, but rather a sense of humility and service that often gets overlooked, yet you do it because Christ has gone before you to the cross, and also in his resurrection we know we don't live in vain.

So I would ask this Holiday season we do not clamor for our rights and our freedoms from things. Instead, I would ask that we clamor for our neighbor and our freedom for him.

Blessed are the...

2010-11-06T21:21:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow we observe All Saint's Day in church. Here are some thoughts that I have concerning tomorrow's Gospel text, Matthew 5:1-12...

The revelation of God is revealed to those who are his disciples. The end times intrusion upon the earth that God has made in Jesus Christ is what makes the disciples “blessed.” They are blessed because of the already reality of the advancement of the reign of heaven, but they also wait in anticipation of the not yet. The not yet is the day of reversal when the wicked ones the Psalmist lament about will be put away forever, including the very wicked one himself the devil, and the righteous will remain. The entire life of the Christian is one in anticipation, in hope, of the things to come. Yet, this does not create a disavowal for what is already here. There is still work to be done for sure, and those who are a part of that working reign of heaven are certainly blessed.

Social justice theories and Evangelical moral laws of conduct do not give this text its due. The purpose of the beatitudes is not to advance left wing political ideology or right wing American theology. The beatitudes are Gospel, pure and simple. The best way to study and read the beatitudes is within the narrative framework that Matthew the Evangelist uses. There is no reason to tear them from their place in the story of salvation. Those beatitudes speak a truth and a reality about those found in Christ. Ours is already now the reign of heaven, even as we wait the day of the not yet. The future promises found in the beatitudes establish the purpose of Jesus’ coming, dying, and rising again. The purpose is restoration. And all of creation groans with the flock of Jesus for that day when all things will be made new. There is no hope outside of Christ. The beatitudes point directly at what that hope is.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from Creation and Fall

2010-11-03T00:26:00.005-04:00

Just read Bonhoeffer's Creation and Fall and I gotta say the man did an incredible job with the text of Genesis 1-3 (and also first verse of 4). It reads poetically and with a literary prowess unrivaled by much of anything that I have read. Bonhoeffer will get criticism because of his higher critical tendencies, but find me someone who in dealing with the actual text does a better job.

This excerpt I give to you is from his final chapter, about page and a half, when after having gone through Genesis 1-3 he sets up the next movement of the biblical narrative, and its Christological implications. He starts off by wrapping everything together under the theme of humans becoming "like God" getting what they wished for in falling for that very temptation by the serpent. And yet not fully understanding the consequences and heavy implications that come with being "like God." We are now our own creators, we live off of our own resources. In our delusion we grasp at the tree of life more and more because it was banished from us, but we cannot eat of its fruit because it is out of our reach. The only thing we can really grasp in our obsession to live is death. So humanity marches on and Cain is born. And we know the story that Cain strangles life out of his own brother. Bonhoeffer writes that Adam, the one who is preserved for death and consumed with thirst for life, begets Cain, the murderer (Bonhoeffer, 145).

All of this to set up for a breathtaking finale in which Bonhoeffer writes,

The end of Cain's history, and so the end of all history, is Christ on the cross, the murdered Son of God. That is the last desperate assault on the gate of paradise. And under the whirling sword, under the cross, the human race dies. But Christ lives. The trunk of the cross becomes the wood of life, and now in the midst of the world, on the accursed ground itself, life is raised up anew. In the center of the world, from the wood of the cross, the fountain of life springs up. All who thirst for life are called to drink from this water, and whoever has eaten from the wood of this life shall never again hunger and thirst. What a strange paradise is this hill of Golgotha, this cross, this blood, this broken body. What a strange tree of life, this trunk on which the very God had to suffer and die. Yet it is the very kingdom of life and of the resurrection, which by grace God grants us again. It is the gate of the imperishable hope now opened, the gate of waiting and of patience. The tree of life, the cross of Christ, the center of God's world that is fallen but upheld and preserved – that is what the end of the story about paradise is for us (Bonhoeffer, 145-6).

Like I said...breathtaking!

"Vindicate Me From My Adversary!"

2010-10-16T14:21:00.001-04:00

Sermon, October 16-17, 2010

Text: Psalm 121, Luke 18:1-8 (appointed Psalm and Gospel)

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Christian friends,

In our Gospel text for today Jesus tells a parable. You may know this parable as “The Parable of the Persistent Widow.” The narrative begins with letting the hearer know that the parable is about the necessity of prayer. Not only prayer, but persistent prayer. The parable is set up with an absurd parallel. And notice this is how most of Jesus’ parables go. They have absurd aspects to the story. Whether it’s the incredible amount of money one is in debt over and has forgiven to them, or whether the son blows his inheritance in seemingly no time, Jesus’ parables are a teaching point, usually to show the extent of grace, or how great the reign of God is. So it is with this parable today. St. Luke tells us that Jesus told a story of a judge who did not fear God and, I love this, had no regard for man. This was a person out for himself and nobody else.

So you see the absurdity that the comparison is drawn with God! The parallel being drawn is simply not compatible. God and this, fearless toward God and no regard for man, judge bracket this story of the widow. And as such they are both important for telling the story of the widow. We know from Israel’s history that God’s Torah requires justice and vindication for widows. We even see this in early church history in Luke’s second volume, the Book of Acts, that concern for the welfare of widows was and is a top priority for God’s people. Yet this judge wouldn’t have anything of it. The judge heard her complaints for justice from her adversary numerous times to no avail. But then the story takes a turn and we see that for fear of being worn out, or as the Greek suggests, for fear of acquiring a black eye due to this widow’s persistence, the judge granted her justice in this life. What a strange story.

And then if that wasn’t strange enough, it gets even stranger! The last 2 verses provide the “punch line,” if you will, to the parable (read vv.7-8). The contrast is drawn between this judge without a care in the world and the God who cares very much about the world. We want a clear-cut answer for what this parable is about. If, as what is stated above is true, that parables provide valuable moments for teaching, and in return, learning, well just what is being taught and what am I to learn here? It seems at first that the parable is about a way to receive vindication or justice in this life from judges, or even how to wear God out into giving in to us. But then we see that Jesus suggests this parable is about way more than that. In drawing the comparison Jesus pulls the rug from out underneath us and points us to another direction in this parable.

So now we’re left wondering, is this about prayer, persistent prayer even, or is this about Jesus returning? Our way of thinking may push us in one direction or the other so we can get a better grasp on the entire situation, but I’m not so sure the narrative allows for that. In fact, I am convinced that this is about both aspects. And in our running around looking for a clean resolution to the story we lose track of one of its main characters, the widow. This nameless, faceless widow. Who is she? Where does she come from? How has she been wronged? The way she is identified in our story tells us how she has been wronged in at least one way. Her husband has been taken from her, she is known to us only as widow. And her crying out to the judge who is fearless toward God and who has no regard for men seems to ring hollow.

How often do we feel that in our lives? How often do we hear our cries for justice, our cries for vindication, ring hollow? Too often, I would say. Perhaps we’re not all widows or widowers, but some of us are. And there’s something not quite right about that. We have all kinds of hardships and failings, and struggles that we deal with in this life. The economy seems like it will just forever be an issue and a struggle. And we feel that struggle daily, don’t we? And of course a bad economy leads into things that affect us even deeper than just a paying salary of some sort when our possessions are beginning to be taken from us. And if all that wasn’t enough, there are always health issues. So I think we all just may identify with this widow more than we would like to. We all want justice to be brought forth in some way. We become invested in news stories that seem to have a lack of justice, we feel that lack of justice in our neighbor’s lives, in our friends lives, in our family’s lives, and in our own lives as well. And if we’re not yearning or crying out for justice, it may be because we’re just too beaten down. Perhaps we’re cynical toward the judicial system, perhaps we know too many judges like this one in today’s story. So we get stuck in that part of the story where the woman cries out that she be vindicated from her adversary, whoever that is, and the judge, for a time, won’t be moved. And we get stuck there because that’s the place where we are too, crying out to anyone who will hear us to vindicate us from our adversaries (Pause).

Who does hear us? When we cry out, are they empty, hollow words? I know this isn’t necessarily part of the week in/week out tradition at Zion to speak or chant the appointed psalm for any given Sunday, but I think today’s psalm appointed for this 21^st Sunday after Pentecost is especially helpful for our discussion here this morning. Psalm 121, a song of ascent, in the section of the psalms from 120-134 that are called “songs of ascent” (Read Psalm 121). From where does our help come? Our help comes from Yahweh, who made heaven and earth. Yahweh our personal God, our creator, our redeemer, is also our deliverer, and our restorer. Cry out to Yahweh God for justice against your adversary, because as he has claimed you as his own, he will deliver you from your adversary the devil, and his friends, sin and death!

The point of the parable is not to focus on how the woman persisted and the judge gave in to avoid a black eye. No, the point of the parable is that the woman persisted in faith knowing GOD would give her vindication. Whether she received it that day or on the last day, she knew her vindication was coming. And it’s true that she did receive justice in this life but she also knew of the justice to come. And this is where we might focus our attention, because we don’t always get justice in this life. In fact sometimes it seems as though life is downright cruel. Yet, in faith, when we lift our eyes up to the hills and wonder “where does my help come from?” We can respond confidently, because of God’s faithfulness, “My help comes from Yahweh, my God, who made heaven and earth.”

You see, Yahweh has not forgotten his creation. Our God has not neglected justice for his creatures. He delivers it in due time. And how does he do that? In the person of Jesus Christ, who tells this parable. Most translations render the rhetorical question, “Will God not give justice to the elect who cry out to him day and night?” But the text allows us to look at the question as saying, “Will God not do justice to his elect…?” Perhaps it is a subtle, seemingly inconsequential difference, but I think it makes a difference in how we see God’s actions. Is God granting us justice on the basis of our persistence and/or goodness? Or is God’s character such that that he does justice to us because He has said he will? In a world full of widows, and widowers, and injustices at every corner there is Jesus not to disavow the hurt and the pain that we go through but to take it all to the cross and crucify it with himself. Jesus’ work on the cross upsets the balance of history. God rolls back the tide and justice flows as a rushing river. This is a world here where the unrighteous, fearless toward God, and no regard for man judge gets his way and stays at the top. But in Jesus God overthrows such judges and establishes his rule over all creation.

The entire life, death, and resurrection of Christ reverses the order of the world that we experience and know which places the haughty and proud at the top and the lowly and meek at the bottom. In Jesus’ reality, the widow gets her vindication. In Jesus’ reality the poor are made to be rich, in his reality the unrighteous judges in the world get their due, and in his reality the dead are raised to life. At first it seems backwards, until you realize that when we look at the world that has injustices everywhere, a world where widows are neglected, the poor cast aside, where unrighteous judges rule, and people die and declare that to be forward, that we can see God’s great reversal is not backwards, but this life is backwards, and God’s redemptive work through Jesus Christ sets it straight again. That is the hope that we have even in this backward life.

So, when the Son of Man returns will he find faith on earth? Wherever the church is, full of people crying out by day and night to their Creator for justice against their adversaries, yes, he will find it. And he will vindicate it. Amen.

Kyrie Eleison

2010-09-28T19:04:00.001-04:00

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy

Definitely youtube a nice chanted/sung version of the kyrie. Not much more beauty in fewer words!

Wake Up!

2010-09-25T14:26:00.002-04:00

Looking for a good record to listen to? John Legend and The Roots just released this gem. Eleven covers taken from the 60's and 70's assembled this "one of a kind collaboration" as Spike Lee calls it. Also, for the theologically minded, listen closely to the lyrics. Human angst and suffering crying out for hope.

Wake Up!

Together With All Creatures

2010-09-23T23:15:00.003-04:00

I've been yapping about it for a long time now and with my cup of excitement runnething over, here it is: Together With All Creatures

All ~150 pages of it. Abbreviated version that was given out at the LCMS Youth Gathering in New Orleans this past July is a great read as well. But if you care about environmental issues, and if you're a Christian, you have to read this document. Now.

Why People Think Church Sucks

2010-09-15T11:10:00.004-04:00

Provocative title, no?

Contrary to what some may think, this is not about to be a diatribe about how the church needs to be hip and cool in order to reach out and connect with the masses. The church does not need to cater, but it does need to be real, and relevant.

How is that not catering? Because Christian theology, when its doing what it's supposed to, is real and relevant.

A common refrain from this primary season with politics is that the common man, the Republican, or the Tea Party Activist, is "mad as hell." We heard this sentiment last night when Carl Paladino, a billionaire from Buffalo, upset Rick Lazio in New York's Gubernatorial Primary. Paladino re-iterated , "We're mad as hell!"

The other night I was flipping through the channels and stumbled upon that late night show with Jay Leno, you know, the one he gave up but took back from the guy who was actually funny? (Yes I am Team Coco)...

...Anyway, Jay had everyone's favorite funny man atheist Bill Maher on. Leno, ever the provocative interviewer, asked Maher to way in on the Islamic Community Center/Mosque at Ground Zero. Maher began by saying he doesn't support it. That drew a rather nice applause from the studio audience. But he continued on saying, "Let me finish..." He went on to say how he doesn't support any houses of worship being built because (insert his arguments against organized religion). He then went to the favorite line of guys like himself, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens and began referring to religion as a fairy tale. He wound up saying because our Constitution allows people to believe in fairy tales we have to allow this mosque to be built at Ground Zero. The crowd roared its approval at the profoundness of Maher's answer.

So I realized sitting there the other night, that I am indeed "mad as hell." Not so much at Maher, I don't really find him worth my time, but unfortunately people in our culture are enamored with him. This is something that extends way beyond Bill Maher, my being mad as hell, and granted this is more of an exaggeration to make a point, is more at Christianity for allowing caricatures of it to prevail. Most Christians walk around with a "get outta jail free" card attitude. "I've got my ticket punched to go to heaven, let this world go to hell." Again, an exaggeration, but point still stands. Christians, by and large, don't really care about the real and the relevant. All throughout the Old Testament, and yes into the New Testament, we see a consistent message in the salvation history narrative that restoration of everything is what we're marching toward (Again, Matt? We know, this is all you talk about).

But the implications for this are massive. Maher and folks like him constantly argue against a caricature of Christianity and Christians fall hook line and sinker for it! The Maher's, Dawkins', and Hitchens' of the world constantly refer to God as some old angry bearded white guy in the sky who tells us what to do. And they constantly bash the disregard for the real and relevant for this spiritual sense of who we are. And guess what, on those points, they are right!

People think church sucks because Christians give off this concept of God being an angry old white guy in the sky and that all Christians want to do is divide the world up as people going to heaven and people going to hell. Heaven is temporary. Heaven is not my home. EARTH is my home. The Nicene Creed shows us that the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, took on humanity to bear our sin and be our savior. But the implications for that run much further. Because humans are the source of the great cosmic mess up into sin, decay, destruction, and death, God incarnated meets creation at that source to renew and restore everything.

No doubt Maher would find this absolutely ridiculous as well. But my point is let Christian theology be real and relevant instead of this goofy caricature of itself. Christians ought to be involved in civil society. Jesus' words that the Law is summed up in "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul" AND "the second is just like it, love your neighbor as yourself" has unbelievable ramifications for how we live out our faith and life. This does not mean faith+works=salvation, or that being a good person= salvation. But it does mean Christians are called to be real and relevant. Being just against abortion is not good enough. Be for adoption, be for making adoption more practical. Be for education, especially in areas where education lacks at an embarrassing level. Our governments neglect inner cities. And if you're against abortion, you better be against racism. Most people have no interest in adopting minority babies. It's an absolute disgrace. And being just against gay marriage isn't good enough either. Show the world what a Christian marriage is about, show the world what it means to raise a loving family that is productive and cares about its society just as much as caring about its faith because the two really shouldn't be separated. If God created everything, everything is God's. You can't check into church Sunday a Christian and Monday be a different person. Because Christianity is not about private "me and God" spirituality. Its communal, and as a community it is real and relevant that the God-Man Jesus Christ came into this world to forgive sins, yes, but to restore creation to its created intent: No decay, no destruction, no death.

People think church sucks because it comes off as something goodie two shoes do on Sunday for their ticket to heaven. It comes off as weird, and not because the Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, but because it is plain weird. This doesn't mean a Christian should be free of a conscious and not be a good person, quite the opposite. But it does mean being real and relevant. How? By giving a witness for the joy that is within you. Not because God prospers Christians if they jump up and down waving their arms and talking about their personal relationship with their Cosmic Lover Christ. But because, as that Jeremiah 29 passage really states, God's plans are to Shalom us, to restore us, to make us whole, and renew creation entirely. For a people and society constantly reeling with bad news, hurt, and death, there is no greater message. Heaven is not a place where good people go. It's where sinners go, for a time, as they await their restoration in the body on earth.

"A Sign Of Comfort For ALL"

2010-09-10T21:32:00.006-04:00

Road Trip

2010-09-09T17:48:00.005-04:00

I left home to return to St. Louis for year 2 of seminary at Concordia on Friday, September 3rd. My cousin, a comedian from Worcester, MA, made the trip from Long Island with me. On my way home from sem this past May I took a goofy route up toward Chicago up further toward the Detroit area (though safely in a 'burb), then found my way toward I-80 and some little drive by interstate town in PA a few hours from NYC before finishing the journey. It was nice because I got to see friends, but it is not a route I would take again.

This time the trip made all the sense in the world. We set out heading southwest-ish to Bridgewater, VA, an American small town if there ever was one, just outside Harrisonburg (think JMU) off of I-81 S. From there it's a 20-30 minute ride to I-64 which we then took 700 miles or so "straight" to the Clayton Road exit right by the seminary. If I could however, and I can because this is my narcissistic blog, I would like to back up to the stop over in Bridgewater.

Usually this blog serves the purpose of my data dumping from all the things I am experiencing/learning in the context of Lutheran theology. I mentioned upstream that blogs are narcissistic. I firmly believe that. This is mostly a data dump, which in a way is very therapeutic for me, but if I wanted these thoughts private I would have kept a journal, not an easily accessible blog. Regardless of how few readers I have, a blog is what it is. I want people to interact with my thoughts, struggle with them, confirm them, or flat out tell me I'm wrong. I've more or less had all that happen, and I learn a lot from it.

Anyway, back to Bridgewater, VA. I come from an extremely large family on my mothers side. My mom is 1 of 10, I am 1 of 20 something cousins, and now second cousins coming down the road too. So my cousin Shaun and I took advantage of our large family and made a stop over in VA to spend the weekend with one particular part of the clan. This was a really great time. It was less than 48 hours, we arrived around dinner time Friday and left Sunday morning, but it was terrific. With a family so large such as ours usually when we all get together we're being tossed around from place to place on a schedule, which usually revolves around meals, and although we enjoy those occasions greatly, we rarely get a chance to just chill. This past year alone in March we had a Batmitsvah weekend (yes I am related to Jewish folk and I love them dearly), in April a wedding, and in July a wedding. Although the July wedding was more relaxed than the previous two excursions, it still revolved around a schedule and the whole giant heave mass of family was there. So the great and terrific thing about this trip to VA was getting to hang out and do meaningless things. Friday night we had pizza with our Aunt Laurie, Uncle Rick, and our cousins Amy, her husband Dan, and their two awesome little boys Brooks and Brennan, and Kelly and Lindsey. Later, me, Shaun, and Lindsey and Kelly went out to a couple bars in Harrisonburg. Saturday morning we watched College football, went to the highest point in VA, went to a Mennonite market, had dinner at a local Mexican place, then went to a parade to celebrate the towns 175th anniversary. After the parade we saw a local band called "The Hackens Boys" play country music at a fair. We were in Small Town, USA, essentially did nothing, but did much and I loved every minute of it.

Nothing theological about it really, except that in a 1st Article sense God created us to be in communion with one another and family certainly serves that purpose ;), just a wonderful time prior to school re-starting. As I stated upstream Shaun and I left Sunday morning and hit I-64 through the gorgeous mountains of VA, West VA, Kentucky, and then the boring plains of Indiana and Illinois until we found an interstate town called Mount Vernon and posted up for the night. On Labor Day morning we completed the trip to St. Louis. God brought us safely. No doubt for that I am grateful. Shaun flew back east Wednesday morning and that's that story.

Is there a great "moral" or message here? Not really. Just that if you get the chance to do something like that, take full advantage.

Now how was settling back into Concordia Seminary? Separate post. Different vibes.

mosques and tea parties

2010-08-28T15:48:00.005-04:00

By now you have all heard of the controversial Islamic Cultural Center/Mosque being built just a couple blocks away from "Ground Zero" in New York City. I personally feel the debate has been a waste of everyone's time. One side argues the Park 51 project has the absolute right, given by the Constitution, to build the Islamic Cultural Center/Mosque at that site, where landing gear from one of the jets that slammed into one of the Twin Tower's nearly 9 years ago went through the roof of the building that was then a Burlington Coat Factory. Another side, those with the loudest voices anyway, see the Park 51 project as a victory mosque that the Muslims are building on the site of "their" attack on America, just like "they" did back in the days of Holy Jihad on Christianity and "other infidels."

Then there is another side which affirms the right, according to the Constitution, to build there but, given the circumstances of what took place there, looks for a conversation and dialogue to develop over the wisdom of such an endeavor and how to calm the mass hysteria that seems to have taken over. In the Christian Biblical sense we say that "all things permissible, but not all things are beneficial" (1 Corinthians 10:23). Certainly this project is permissible, but is it beneficial to the community at this time?

The other headline grabbing story of the week is this Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally being held today, the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Beck is holding his rally, which includes former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as a keynote addressor, on the same steps that MLK Jr gave his famous speech. Despite the fact I don't buy into the notion that the tea party movement is racist, one once again wonders if perception and sensitivity were thought of at all. One comes away thinking it wasn't and that this is symptomatic of the American experiment, or the "American Dream."

The 1st Amendment of the Constitution grants us the right(s) to freedom of religion and assembly (among other things). Something I have seemed to notice more and more lately is that in America we become spoiled. Not just by material riches, but also by our freedoms. In essence we are spoiled 1st Amendment brats. In the case of the Park 51 project the side that wins out is the one demanding "their right" to do what they want, whatever they want, however they want, wherever they want. It's the same me-first attitude that lands a country, a people, in trouble by leaving the greater community behind. Those who demand an Islamic Cultural Center/Mosque near Ground Zero have little to no regard for the sensitivity of the issue, for the greater community, regardless of idiots, real or imagined, on the "other side." It isn't even about the fact that it is an Islamic endeavor, it's about how it affects the community, and that point keeps getting lost.

Then down in DC you have a group of patriotic Americans who see it as "divine providence" and/or certainly "their right" to fight for what makes America great. Limited government is probably a good thing, I've never really experienced it so I wouldn't know. But it gets weird and semi creepy when the "American Dream" and the conservative Republican political agenda/platform are then wrapped up into what God wants. I am not too aware of who this "God," or god, is. I say god, because I do not believe the American "god" is the living God, Yahweh. The American god is a me-first (me as in the human individual) god who runs amok economically or socially. It's the same god that demands "my rights" first and foremost above what's actually beneficial for the greater community. It's the same god that violates another 1st, namely the 1st Commandment.

Beck, in his rally, invoked God and how America needed to get back to God. Consider this quote from Yahoo:

"Beck exhorted the crowd to "recognize your place to the creator. Realize that he is our king. He is the one who guides and directs our life and protects us." He asked his audience to pray more. "I ask, not only if you would pray on your knees, but pray on your knees but with your door open for your children to see," he said."

One might argue this sounds like a good idea. Only problem with that is the speaker is a Mormon, a believer in a false god himself, and in the context of this rally it invokes the false god of America that champions economical disparity, wasteful consumption, and dangerous selfishness. Folks would argue that a right America would correct these things, and we can return to our great heyday when America was tops and God was happy. To be certain, God raises all countries, nations, people, and governments. But God also squashes them. Our "rights" the government grants to us on a piece of paper are very nice, very good for civil society. But if the Christian is not careful, they can become enthralled with the god of America and a me-first always attitude that neglects our neighbor. And not the God who declared the first would be last and the last first, and that the poor in spirit are blessed because theirs is the reign of heaven, and that the meek are blessed because they will inherit the earth, and not the God who went to the cross on our behalf and rose from the grave victorious. In a lot of instances we replace the 1st Commandment with the 1st Amendment declaring, "I can do whatever I want."

Care about the civil realm, care about America, care about what is being built in your neighborhood. But remember, "All things permissible, but not all things beneficial."

LCMS Reporter Interview with President-Elect Harrison

2010-08-06T11:26:00.003-04:00

Found this interview, as a supporter of current LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick, to be very very very good. I am excited to see how the Lord is going to use Matt Harrison as the next president of my church body.

http://www.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=17474

Battle Cry of the Faith

2010-07-23T14:42:00.002-04:00

"In the present situation the Christian life emerges as a life under the cross. The struggle for faith does not take place prior to conversion as in much of non-Lutheran Protestantism, it commences with the kindling of faith. And so, in the Lord's Prayer, we pray for faith against unfaith. In this way the Lord's Prayer has a way of bringing a deep comfort to people battling with an abiding sense of their own unbelief. In the Lord's Prayer, the Christian prays for faith to receive the blessings enumerated by the Creed and prays against Satan who would undermine faith by depriving the Christian of Christ's blessings."

Arand, That I May Be His Own, p. 165

Ups and Downs

2010-07-23T14:40:00.001-04:00

‎"Lutheran spirituality, properly speaking, is not some static state of bliss, but a dynamic oscillation between lows and highs, knowledge of sin and knowledge of forgiveness, repentance, and assurance. The Gospel is to predominate, however, in the words of C.F.W. Walther, so that the Lutheran Christian lives in a state of grace."

-Veith, Spirituality of the Cross, p.38

Dog Days

2010-07-23T10:50:00.003-04:00

Hardly. I've been a busy person this summer, which gives sort of an explanation for the absence of writing on this. I have had the opportunity to preach on a few occasions (Brooklyn, Queens, and my home church this weekend in Islip out on Long Island), I have been leading a bible study based on Luther's Small Catechism with our college aged ministry, and our mens morning bible study group, and now during the jr high/high school's "summer in the Son" pool party/bbq series we've been taking a look at, you guessed it, the catechism.

The catechism as a guide to daily living has been really helpful for me to take in and digest. No doubt this is a result of my studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. It's been a blessing, and also somewhat of a burden, to look at everything in terms of the catechism. What I have found is that peering at life through the lens of Luther's Catechism has given me a greater (I think anyway) understanding of the richness, depth, and breadth of scripture. The catechism begins with the 1st Commandment, and that really is the beginning of everything. All of life's problems and blessings hinge on the fact that Yahweh is God. We defy this, yet as the 1st Article shows Yahweh God continues to bless us. We also see the remedy provided for our defiance of that 1st Commandment, and subsequent 9, outlined in the 2nd Article of the Creed. When we see that Christ goes to the cross and redeems us lost and condemned creatures "not with gold or silver, but with his holy and precious blood so that I may be his own" it takes on a personal comfort that could hardly be expressed any better. We then see how this is brought to us directly as the Holy Spirit calls us out of darkness and into that marvelous light as outlined by the 3rd Article of the Creed. And as I am preaching on this weekend, the Lord's Prayer is the beginning of the Christian life. We pray that prayer because we are disciples of Jesus and we pray for his kingdom to come and to come to us directly. Of course the most visible ways we see the reign is in the sacraments and the gathered assembly of believers.

The catechism as daily living is not only helpful, but this summer it is proving to me to be essential. The Christian life is a daily struggle and the catechetical framework affirms this. Yet even over and above that it affirms the One who is the resurrection and the life who overcomes the struggles and crosses we bear. That, to me, is the essential aspect. What we need is Jesus, and living a life struggling and wrestling leads us directly to him.

The Metanarrative in the Postmodern Culture

2010-06-04T12:53:00.002-04:00

Modernity and Postmodernity have cleared the landscape for the destruction of religion. For many scholars, amateur scholars, and regular people who find religion to be the crutch of the weak and nothing more than that, this is their time.

Modernity called into question the very legitimacy of scripture. Many Christians, seeking to preserve the religion amidst the modern society, acquiesced to culture and declared many truths of scripture to be invalid. The biggest one being the most important element of the Christian faith, namely the resurrection of Jesus. Admittedly this is a drive-by description of what happened in modernity. There are countless books written by people who have given the research its proper due. My purpose here is just to set the stage for where we are today. It's no secret many who claim to be Christians do not believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus. It is also no secret that many people regardless of being Christian do not believe it. This is a result of modernity.

Yet even amidst the lack of faith in modernity truth was still something sought and to be had. Most people sided with scientific evidence and reasoning as where truth was to be found. For example, evolution, as a product of modernity, stole the show and won the day as "truth" (also admittedly a drive-by description I understand it is more complicated than that). The point is however that a sense of a truth, maybe even an absolute truth, was still viable. Today, that simply isn't true.

In the postmodern culture, truth is whatever feels good to you. And even then, it isn't really truth. Subjective truth is more or less what works for any given individual. Even science is having trouble keeping up with the demands, and doubts, of a postmodern culture. EVERYONE is a skeptic. And to be honest, who could blame them? It seems that all over our culture politicians run amok, big business trashes the little guy, and we have two radical sides of a climate change debate that both seem to miss the mark and what people on the ground are actually saying. To be a skeptic is to look out for yourself and those closest to you. I am a skeptic myself, I am a product of postmodernity.

But back to the top, many people out there in this age see the end of religion in site. It is not needed in this age of answers and science. Yet what these people fail to realize is that the population isn't buying into the absoluteness and totality of those answers offered by the scholarly and scientific. This is not even to call into question science's legitimacy, that would be insanely irresponsible. What it does highlight however are the feelings of everyday people who deal with everyday issues. Are the select few so much better off in wisdom than the mass public? No doubt some would answered that the enlightened few are, I would disagree. So what we have today is a rejection of any and all types of metanarratives. There is no overarching truth.

My dad was umpiring a junior high baseball game the other day and overheard the kids in the dugout from one of the teams talking. Jesus and church was the topic. One kid said, "I've never been to church" in response to a kid who says he goes frequently. The latter kid is a rarity today, the former kid is the reality. The loss of a metanarrative seemingly hurts the church and Christianity. Yet I see it as a welcomed challenge. The days of Christianity being a part of the culture and just what people (see REAL Americans) "do" are going...going...gone.

The reason it is a welcome challenge is because it is time to get back to the basics. For so long in this country the cry has been "No creed but the Bible!" And those crowds have been the loudest and most mobile in our age for the church. Although for any Christian that seems like a well and good thing, it is irresponsible and misunderstands the important place a creed has in teaching and rearing in the faith. To play Bible trivia baseball with people and have them memorize seemingly random verse after random verse is not helpful from what I can gather. Don't misunderstand me, memorizing scriptural passages should be a lifelong goal for any Christian, but when dealing with a postmodern culture without the metanarrative the goal for the short term and long term here should be the reconstruction of the metanarrative in their lives and discipling/catechizing for a life time.

Catechizing and confirmation are not (should not be) a few week thing and then BAM, bring in the relatives and have a party. Those days are going by the wayside. To teach people the faith is to catechize them and to set them up for life. And in a culture which is becoming more oral, and is certainly biblically illiterate if not illiterate in a lot of other ways, Luther's Small Catechism is the thing to get the ball rolling.

When talking about creation the conversation should not be a tireless (or tiring?) effort to "prove" the literal 6 day account in Genesis. As much as I hold that dear and to be very true, that does not reconstruct the metanarrative. The metanarrative begins with the Ten Commandments, specifically #1: "You shall have no other gods before me." This recognizes, even thousands of years ago, that people have other priorities besides the One True God and that they even make gods out of things in their lives. Sports, fashion, drugs, women, money, wealth, power, etc., etc. They all are gods actively competing for the attention of human beings in our society.

To reconstruct the metanarrative is to start there. Then after dealing with the First Commandment, and subsequent nine, to move into the Creed (apostles or nicene) and discuss the implications of the First Article of the Creed. Talking about creation in the lens of the First Article, which I blogged about below this post, sets the stage for the restructuring of the metanarrative that has been lost in this day and age. People see creation through the spectrum of a loving Father God who made all things, declares it good, and still takes care of them. The First Article, relating things physically in a real way to peoples real lives, is the way forward in setting up the narrative. The First Commandment and First Article compliment each other so well to point to the beauty of creation, as well as its brokenness. Anyone can see and feel beauty, and at the same time anyone can see and feel brokenness.

This metanarrative gives the story, the diagnosis, and the remedy. In the post immediately preceding this one I wrote about the Second Article of the Creed. That gives the remedy. It then is vaulted into the Third Article, the Lord's Prayer, the Sacraments, and how a Christian lives in that reality. Trivializing and arguing endlessly does not help to reconstruct the narrative, in fact, it probably helps to further deconstruct it. In a broken world that has been deconstructed enough Christians should not generally be in the deconstruction business, but the reconstruction business. Jesus reconstructs creation through his gracious act on the cross and rises again as the beginning of that new reality. It's that new reality that gives hope in a world full of shams and shame. Our argument is not going to be won in an ivory tower babbling things that real human beings can't comprehend or care not to comprehend.

Our participation in the reign of God is not static, but on the move. And I think the next move ought to be reconstructing the metanarrative.

That I May Be His Own

2010-05-01T20:41:00.002-04:00

The practicality of Luther's Small Catechism is something I am increasingly captivated by. Wedged into his explanation of the 2nd Article of the Creed are the words "that I may be His own."

This is the essence of Christ's work on the cross. It flows beautifully from the close of Luther's explanation of the 1st Article as well: "All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him."

We screw up our duty. In fact, because we screw up our duty and despise the gifts of creation which God has given, we need the 2nd Article. The beauty of the 2nd Article is seeing that God meets the problem of a broken creation right at the original source of its brokenness, humanity.

It was HUMANS who were crowned the jewel of creation and it was HUMANS who screwed it up. By sinning, humans introduced sin and death into the world. Surely this death has effects reverberating across species and even to inanimate objects. The earth quakes, mountains spew forth ash and lava, animals kill one another, humans kill animals, humans destroy wildlife in their quest for more power (see BP oil spill).

All of creation groans because of our doing. Yet God does not sit back and watch it happen. Nor does God figure He'll save humans spiritually and then we'll get them out of here and destroy all of creation. No, God has a much more incredible plan. And Luther describes it like this:

"I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord,

who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil: not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death,

that I may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness,

just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.

This is most certainly true."

Gorgeous writing if I have ever seen any. The whole point of Jesus coming is so that I may be His own. The incredible thing about the incarnation is that it is real. Jesus was born a real human being, born of a real human woman, the Virgin Mary, lived a real human being's life, suffered and died a real human being's death, and yet even more than that, so much more than that, rose to life as a real human being. Jesus the first fruits of creation, the perfect creation, the glorious glimpse of what God has in store for the rest of humanity and the whole of creation.

Jesus did not die for some abstract cause, for pretend sins, or to save us spiritually. Nope, Jesus died so that I may be His own.

Amen.

7th Commandment

2010-04-24T01:17:00.003-04:00

"You shall not steal."

Luther: What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so we do not take our neighbor's money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.

Earth Day Aftermath

2010-04-23T17:54:00.004-04:00

Here are some links to a few little pieces on Earth Day, and even more specifically, Earth Day as celebrated by Concordia Seminary St. Louis.

Whoa. What? A conservative LUTHERAN seminary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, celebrated Earth Day?

Yup. Weird.

http://concordiatheology.org/2010/04/earth-day-together-with-all-creatures/

http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/civil-religion/general/2010/04/how-one-seminary-celebrated-earth-day/

http://cslmedia.org/arand/?p=243

As someone who has enjoyed the idea behind Earth Day immensely, I am thrilled that this had such an emphasis at my conservative Lutheran seminary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Happy reading, Happy Earth Day

First Things First

2010-04-20T09:49:00.002-04:00

If there is one thing I have learned this year that has resonated with me the most it has been the emphasis on recapturing the First Article in Christianity. The First Article of what you ask? Why the creed of course. Which creed? For the purposes of Luther's Small Catechism, we will say the Apostle's Creed which reads,

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."

For his catechisms, Luther supplied explanations of each article of the creed, Luther went from the traditional "twelve articles" of the Apostle's Creed (one article for each Apostle) to 3 basic articles: Creation, Redemption, Sanctification. Just as he does with the Commandments in asking the question What does this mean? Luther supplies a succinct answer that makes sense.

Here at the seminary there is an emphasis on the part of the faculty to use the First Article more in everyday life to promote things such as sound stewardship of the environment, simply enjoying what God created and called good in Genesis, and also to help stave off the Christian "escapism" attitude that is so prevalent. It's an attitude that says heaven is the goal, and we need to escape this body and life. An emphasis on the First Article shows that God gives us all we have in this life and that it is good and that the work of the 2nd and 3rd Articles is to restore the things of the First Article.

Here is Luther's explanation from the Small Catechism:

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land, animals, and all that I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

He defends me against all danger, and guards and protects me from all evil.

All this He does only out of Fatherly divine goodness and mercy, of no merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.

Some of you may be wondering, so what? The so what is that in a world which has gone crazy in fighting over climate change, and in a religion that displays so much contempt for this life and world, misapplying and misunderstanding that when scripture talks about flesh as evil and the world as evil it talks about the powers that subdue it in sin and death. It is not a sin to be human, and it is not a sin to love all of creation.

The first responsibility given to humans, pre fall into sin, was to have dominion over the earth. Over the course of history that has been used as an excuse to mess up creation and to pump whatever it is we want into the atmosphere. It has been used as an excuse to abuse fellow creatures that God created and declared good, before we screwed it up. The human responsibility is not to see the earth as merely their own playground with which they can do whatever they like to it. No, the human responsibility is to see all of creation, which includes fellow creatures, as God given gifts and to cherish its very existence.

It makes one deal intimately with creation and to look at things sacramentally. God won't even deal with us outside of creation: eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and even in Baptism with God using water, an element of creation, and in the Lord's Supper God using bread and wine to come to us.

To disavow creation is to disavow the Creator. Sin is an intrusion to creation which effects include natural disasters: earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, etc. And it is also an intrusion which effects include hatred, bloodshed, war, yes even death. Even though sin has entered into the world it is not an excuse to run rough shod all over the earth. Especially if Christians are to be taken seriously, we follow in the foot steps of Jesus the Christ the first fruits of the new creation (1 Corinthians 15:20-28), we need not and cannot treat God's earth and all its creatures with contempt and careless activity.

Go to the beach, go to the park, be environmental, enjoy all that you see, and know it is okay. God made the earth beautiful, and despite sin and death, it continues to be beautiful in many many ways.

Peace?

2010-04-10T20:17:00.003-04:00

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

On the basis of the Gospel lesson (John 20:19-31) this morning, let’s talk about Peace.

There are many thoughts out there on what “peace” is. For example, take these quotes from some famous, and some not famous, people who have expressed what they think about peace. (read list, be sure to leave White House thoughts on East Jerusalem construction plan last).

“Peace, to me, is a relatively safe and healthy individual, family, community and world. Definitely achievable by 2020.”—Random hopeful for peace in the world

“All we are saying is give peace a chance.”

John Lennon

“Doesn’t just wish for peace. He works for it.” (Dalai Lama) HOPE-Pass It On Campaign at Lambert International Airport

“Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.”—Mahatma Ghandi

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

White House: Israel construction plan hinders peace

In our Gospel text for today we see a situation in which the disciples are hiding because they do not feel peace. But how could this be? Just last week we heard the glorious news of Christ’s rising from the dead, because “He is risen!” (He is risen indeed, Alleluia). Alleluia indeed! Which is what makes this story all the more confusing. Our hero has come back from the dead and appears first to the women. He tells the women to announce this good news to his disciples, and we see that men not listening to women extends thousands of years back, because the boys don’t really listen to the women and lock themselves in a house.

I really find myself wondering what must be going through the heads of the disciples. On Palm Sunday they enter the big city and the crowds chant Hosanna to Jesus. On Thursday night they have a nice big dinner for the Passover holiday but then, during that dinner, things begin to go horribly wrong. All of the sudden Jesus is telling them tonight’s the night, and he will be betrayed by one of them. And it happens in the garden after dinner. Judas betrays. One of them betrays. Jesus is hauled off and sentenced to death and all of the sudden everything has fallen a part. They scatter out of fear and go into hiding.

Then their leader dies. They are without hope and peace when they really need it most. Their hope and peace is gone. As if that wasn’t enough the third day comes and the women are saying he is alive. So Peter and John go and check out the tomb, and sure enough, Jesus’ body is gone, but it all doesn’t make any sense. So they assemble together. They hide. They fear. And from what seems like out of nowhere, Jesus appears and says, “Peace to you.” Peace? Really? What peace? It’s so ridiculous that even Thomas, one of them, refuses to believe it until he has actually touched Jesus’ hands and side himself.

So here they are in Jerusalem, their shining city on a hill, where peace has never been. Sound familiar? As I mentioned before, in Israel today, in Jerusalem today, they still search for peace. And if that wasn’t enough in some sick joke of irony if we look at the Hebrew to understand what Jerusalem means we find the name itself suggests it is “the city of peace,” “the city of wholeness.”

How’s attaining peace and wholeness going for you in your life? Do you have economic peace? If you’re in between jobs or living by a financial thread do you know peace? Maybe someone has just died in your life and you feel a hole instead of feeling whole. Where’s the peace in your life? Did you just graduate and now have absolutely no idea what to do with yourself? Did you just graduate at another point in life, namely retirement, and you're not quite sure what to do? Maybe you’re a teenager and in school you struggle with grades, or you just can’t quite fit in and are wondering when your peace will come. Consider this tragedy from my hometown, where a beautiful, young, 17 year old soccer star took her own life a few weeks ago because she couldn’t find her peace. And if the quest for peace in our own lives weren’t enough forget turning on the news because we will become overwhelmed by the lack of peace. Another war, another shooting, another life claimed by drugs, another lying politician, another Christian minister harms a child. It seems we have anything but peace. It seems all we have is disruption.

These disruptions of peace in our lives are brought about by sin. And we know the ultimate disruption of peace because of sin is death. Death is so cold. Death is so dark. Death is so final. Where is the hope and peace found in that? Life literally seems like a dead end. So how ridiculous is it that Jesus just pops in the door and tells his disciples, “Peace to you.” Remember the disciples are about to embark on a journey that brings them anything but peace. Of the remaining twelve, all but one of them, will be killed for their faith. The writer of today’s Gospel gets lucky. He gets to be persecuted, tortured, and exiled to live out his life alone. What a reward. What peace.

Yet, as ridiculous as it may seem that Jesus says, “Peace to you,” the disciple’s response sparks our interest. “The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” They were glad. As quickly as their peace was taken from them, that’s how quickly it was restored. Jesus’ words actually mean something. As much as the world breaks its promises, that’s how much Jesus keeps his. The burden that sin creates in our life is lifted by the Son of Man, who is lifted up on the cross. Now they remember Jesus’ words on Thursday night when he said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.” And even more crucial these words, “Not as the world gives peace, do I give peace to you.”

Not as the world gives peace. See the world does a lot of talking about peace, and promising peace, and working towards peace, but there has only been One who has overcome the troubles of this world to give peace. This is not to say that your problems are of little matter, or that they will disappear, but consider the disciples response to Jesus here and beyond. They now know what lies ahead. This peace is granting them wholeness. For that is what Jesus’ peace literally means. When Jesus gives his peace it is to make things whole. Peace is not an abstract concept of supposed comfort. Peace is not what John Lennon says, peace is not what Ralph Waldo Emerson says, peace is not what politicians, rock stars, or poets say. Peace is far greater. True peace is found in Jesus Christ. True peace is given to you because Jesus releases you from knowing no peace and makes you whole.

In your baptism, the still waters of peace washed away your sins and granted you that wholeness in Jesus. Through that you were brought into a community that although a collection of broken sinners, together as baptized believers, are made whole. It’s a peace and wholeness that pushes beyond even our gravest fears and doubts. So just as Thomas demanded to see the risen Jesus, we too come to this table, in faith, demanding to see the risen Jesus. Reach out your hands and touch Jesus, receive him in his body and blood and do not disbelieve, but believe. This meal is a foretaste, of not only the feast, but the peace to come. Notice the words we use in our liturgy right after the words of institution, “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” This is not some flippant nicety that we say because we need to use these words. Rather, this is a proclamation, which embodies the very meaning of what it is to receive the forgiveness of sins and experience peace in Christ.

The reason Jesus’ actions are baffling is because he simply bucks the trend. When the world brings emptiness, brokenness, and sadness, Jesus brings wholeness, completeness, and gladness. On the cross of Calvary Jesus completed the work of the Father, and in his resurrection he defeated sin, death, and the devil. And in some twisted, beautiful sense of irony we look fondly upon the meaning of the city Jerusalem. It really is “the city of peace,” “the city of wholeness.” Jesus makes it whole. Even though the disciples die, they will be made whole. And my brothers and sisters, this wholeness extends beyond even the soul resting in heaven. No, this wholeness, this peace means the disciples will rise just as Jesus rises. This peace, this wholeness means your loved ones, the saints departed of this community, will rise from the dead and be made whole. This peace, this wholeness means that even we, though we may die, will be brought back to life at the sound of trumpets blaring and Jesus declaring, “It is over! Sin and death reign no more. Your wholeness has come. Peace is here!” This is not a distant concept. This is not an empty promise. This is complete reality. This is wholeness. This is peace. Jesus is peace.

And now may the peace, the wholeness, of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.

Isaiah 65:17-25

2010-04-08T10:05:00.002-04:00

More than Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15, and yes, even more than the words of Luke's Gospel in chapter 24, these words from the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 65, verses 17 through 25 are what gave me the goofiest grin in church on Easter Sunday.

This is what we're headed for, this is what we're all about:

¹⁷"For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
¹⁸But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
²⁰No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²² They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
²³They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of Yahweh,
and their descendants with them.
²⁴ Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,"

says Yahweh.

The Lutheran Study Bible's article on p. 1198 called A New Eden highlights the beauty of this passage from the prophet Isaiah. And in the last paragraph this really caught my eye, "As you await with all of creation the redemption of your body, read Isaiah 65:17-25 again. Close your eyes and ponder anew the new creation God has made for you. 'For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create.' "

The former things: sin, the devil, and death, will not be remembered or come into mind. Be glad and rejoice forever!

But on the first day of the week...

2010-04-04T02:54:00.003-04:00

at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise."

-Luke 24:1-6a

But on the first day...to understand this "but" it helps to look at the text of Luke's Gospel, which is where the above is quoted from, in order to appreciate just how much of an intrusion this "but" is.

"It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment."

-Luke 23:54-56

His body had been wrapped in linen and laid in the tomb and the women prepared the spices needed, according to custom, for burial. On the Sabbath they rested, little did they know their Sabbath would burst forth from the rock the very next day. This "but," this seemingly harmless transition in literature, has earth shaking consequence. Scripture says he is dead, "but on the first day of the week..."

His enemies saw that he had died and wanted to guard the tomb where his body lay to keep the disciples from taking it out and claiming he was alive, "but on the first day of the week..."

The people of the world today will sneer, laugh, scoff, chuckle, turn their nose, and avert their eyes, "but on the first day of the week..."

Satan, sin, and death claimed victory the second he died then on Saturday when he preached to the souls in Hell claiming Lordship over even there they knew this was no good for them but could they have anticipated the words "but on the first day of the week..."

All of creation groans in anguish and pain as we see the death and destruction brought forth by earthquakes, other natural disasters, senseless crimes against God's creatures, abuse of his servants, distrust of his Word, indifference to his promises, "BUT ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK..."

...wrapped in linen, as he was in his cradle, and laid in a tomb no man had entered and no one had resided previously, like his mother Mary, Christ came forth from the grave, like no one had done before, and angels announced this new birth, like they had at its first, except this was different because it was the first day.

It is the first day, the new day, the first day of the new creation, ALLELUIA. NOTHING and NOBODY can take the joy of this celebration away from you. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Holy Saturday

2010-04-03T16:20:00.003-04:00

One of the most interesting days of the church year. You're caught in suspense as you hold in the A-word for just one more night. Come morning the A's ring out. But for tonight we celebrate subdued. The Easter Vigil is personally one of my favorite services of the year. In fact you could probably find my top 5 being this weekend. This service at 5pm at Trinity Islip is a close second to the overjoyed celebration that takes place in the morning. The order of the service will follow lighting the Paschal Candle in the darkness and following that in behind with candles lit ourselves. The Service of the Readings, which encompass Creation, The Flood, Israel's Deliverance at the Red Sea, and Encouragement flows right into the Service of Holy Baptism. From there we remember our baptisms and renounce the devil and all forces of evil and go to the Service of Holy Communion. Nourished by Christ's Body and Blood we go out into the evening/night ready to burst at the seems, but holding fast for one more night.

The Sending Hymn? The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns.

Also, for your reading enjoyment, here's a nugget from Pastor Cwirla, of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda, CA. His Lenten Daily Devotional, Sacred Head, Now Wounded, I have been following throughout these 46 days. This section from today especially stood out to me:

This night, the night before the morning of the resurrection, is the most holy of all nights. This is the first day, when light was spoken into darkness. This is the night of the Passover, when the children of Israel walked through blood-stained wood into freedom. This is the night that Israel walked through sea on dry ground. This is the night the crucified Lamb declares the victory of His cross. This is the night when the chains of death are broken and light breaks out in the darkness of the grave.

Wow. This is the night!

My cousin and Haiti

2010-03-24T01:53:00.002-04:00

To anyone (or everyone?) who reads this thing: Please keep my cousin Kat, and her boyfriend and friend, in your prayers as she goes down to Haiti this Friday to serve the people suffering there. I definitely admire this act of courage and mercy, and I wish I could go myself. Here is the link to her blog for those interested:

Helping Haiti Heal

Overheard in the Public Square...

2010-03-23T21:33:00.002-04:00

...well, sort of a "square." It was definitely in public though! Today, as I do a couple times a week, I was reading for an hour or two over at the coffee house just off campus, Kaldi's. Kaldi's is your typical hipster style coffee shop, but man oh man do they have some good coffee! And they also have some really nice people working there, and a ton of customers.

Today as I was reading for Confessions II, a large group settled in behind me as I was sitting on a stool looking out the window to the street with Concordia Seminary's campus in the background. I'm not sure what this group was all about, usually groups will come in to meet about class projects or something since the area is also home to Fontbonne University and Washington University. But as they settled in my ears perked up because one of the girls asked what that place was across the street. The reply was, "Concordia. Concordia Seminary." End of conversation. That did not bother me as much as it does now until I heard another exchange a little bit later on.

Their conversation turned to a situation where one of the older women with them mentioned the popular Christian band/ministry Hillsong United. The woman found their "recruiting" tactics and soliciting of funds a bit offensive. Unfortunately since I'm really there to read and not eavesdrop on people's conversations I tend to miss how these things start. But then it went into a full table conversation about Christians and their evangelism methods. There were things said like, "I don't think you should actively recruit for your religion," and that Christians are "cult-like." As if that wasn't rough enough to hear one of the guys told a story about a friend who went from not a Christian to converting to Christianity. Upon his conversion he cut off all communication with former friends because they were "sinners." But he didn't stop there, he also broke up with his girlfriend.

Laughter ensued. Laughter. Christians are irrelevant.

The book I was reading for Confessions II was on Luther's Catechisms as a way for teaching even in a 21st century context. I'm buying into the idea because Kolb, who teaches the course, and Arand, who wrote the book, are the type of guys who get it. But this still poses a tough challenge.

How do we catechize a culture in which Christian's (1) portray a negative image of themselves? and (2) are laughed off, seen as out of touch, and irrelevant?

This is a huge problem. Christians themselves have by and large created the stumbling blocks. It could very well be argued that this is mostly the fault of American Evangelicalism and not evangelical and catholic Lutheran Christians. But LUTHERANS are largely irrelevant to society. "What's that place?" Yeah, maybe it was an innocent question, but it speaks to a larger issue. Why don't people know who we are? Lutherans have to give a faithfully confessional witness in the public square. No more secrets.

(Note: I was overzealous about posting the Commandments, I will return to that at some point in the near future)

"What's that place?" I want people to know.

The Ten

2010-03-12T09:45:00.003-05:00

In the Lutheran tradition the Ten Commandments are used for Christian instruction and teaching. The reason they are used is because of their reflection of the natural law which is written upon the hearts of all people. Over the next few days I will post on the The first 3 commandments. These deal with issues in relation to God specifically. In Luther's Small Catechism there is a formula for how to instruct people in the Ten Commandments. Luther puts each commandment from the scripture out there and then answers, What does this mean? In that section Luther gives us an interpretation of what the commandments mean. This is very helpful for instructing those in the Christian faith why the commandments should matter even to us this day. We are not saved by keeping the commandments, yet Christians show their fruits by performing works of the Law. These works are given to us by God himself (Ephesians 2:10).

In my Confessions II course I have to memorize the Ten Commandments, and their explanations (this is the more difficult task). So mostly for my own edification, but maybe even for yours I am going to be making posts on the Ten Commandments. Today we start with Commandments 1. Luther also has some pretty cool insights from his Large Catechism (we're so creative aren't we?), which I will be posting as I see fit. The text of the commandments is from Exodus (the 2nd book of the Old Testament), Chapter 20, verses 7, 8, and 12-17. You may notice some commandment order differences, for our purposes the commandments are ordered the way that I am ordering them (according to the Small Catechism), but I wanted to let you know of the slightly different ordering found in Exodus 20 incase you wanted to play along from home.

Commandment 1:

You shall have no other gods

What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

My commentary: One thing that will be noticeable is Luther employs this "We should fear and love God" formula for all of his explanations. The explanations commandments 2-10 begin "We should fear and love God so that..." Commandment 1 is the only one that does not include "so that." What is Luther aiming at here by saying "We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things?"

Large Catechism: A "god" is the term for that to which we are to look for all good and in which we are to find refuge in all need. Therefore, to have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe in that one with your whole heart. As I have often said, it is the trust and faith of the heart alone that make both God and an idol. If your faith and trust are right, then your God is the true one. Conversely, where your trust is false and wrong, there you do not have the true God. For these two belong together, faith and God. Anything on which your heart relies and depends, I say, that is really your God.

The intention of this commandment, therefore, is to require true faith and confidence of the heart, which fly straight to the one true God and cling to him alone. What this means is: "See to it that you let me alone be your God, and never search for another." In other words: "Whatever good thing you lack, look to me for it and seek it from me, and whenever you suffer misfortune and distress, crawl to me and cling to me. I, I myself, will give you what you need and help you out of every danger. Only do not let your heart cling or rest in anyone else."

Book of Concord (Kolb/Wengert), Large Catechism, pp.386-387

Saint John

2010-02-12T17:35:00.002-05:00

A punk junior in high school was loitering in his churches narthex one Sunday between worship services when an older and wiser member of the congregation stood before him and said, "So, I hear you are considering the pastoral ministry?" The punk junior in high school replied, "Yeah I'm keeping all of my options open, but it's kind of funny how this idea just recently popped into my head." The older, wiser member took his hands, placed one on the punk's shoulder, and pointed with his index finger to his head with the other hand and while smiling said, "It didn't just pop in there, it was put there."

Some months later the punk junior in high school was having a bit of a crisis of faith. It wasn't like him to miss church, he had pretty much gone every week of his life. But due to the "pressures" of high school, and this thought that God had placed in his head, he was having trouble sorting things out. Questions like, "Why does God want me to do this?" and "Why can't I just be normal?" intruded upon his conscience. He felt the struggle of desiring a life of service in the ministry with a teenage boy looking to enjoy life. A long standing "church-boy," as some previous Sunday School and Confirmation students used to kid him, had missed a month of Sunday services and was not going on his youth group's summer trip. But there he found himself inside that same churches narthex again peering through the stain glassed windows of the "front door" as the sun was setting when that same older and wiser man entered.

"So, Matt, what are your thoughts on the pastoral ministry?"

Aside from my immediate family if there was one person I wanted to be at my ordination it was John Woods. I'm merely a first year seminarian and John has gone to be with his Lord. This was not the only time Deacon Woods helped me along in my faith. He was my 5th grade First Communion instructor, my 6th grade Sunday School teacher, he was present at the Tuesday Morning men's bible studies I frequented up to late this past summer, and he was a great casual conversation partner. His sermons were long, often too long, but he spoke of God's incredible grace every time. He cared deeply about Christ's church and took seriously his commitment as a deacon, literally a servant, in any way the church needed him.

He lost his wife a while ago to cancer and you could tell that always hurt him, but he pressed on knowing and trusting ever more that one day again he would see his wife, Janice. And even more than that he knew that his life's work was not in vain, because he would one day see his Lord that he trusted in.

That day has come. John struggled greatly the last 6 months as life took a physical toll on him. And it is a great comfort to know that he is at rest with Jesus. But it would be misleading, even dishonest, to say that he is now at home. It would be robbing him of the promise he received from God in his baptism to say he is now whole. John rests comfortably with the Church Triumphant but he is not home and he is not whole. This servant of God now awaits in heaven with all the saints the day that will come when the trumpets sound and Christ raises the dead.

In the Gospel that bears his name there is a scene where Jesus' good friend, Lazarus, dies. As Jesus and His disciples are approaching to Lazarus' home in Bethany, Lazarus' sister Martha runs up ahead to meet Jesus and says, "Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give to you." Jesus replied, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I Am the resurrection and the life..."

Jesus actually went on to bring Lazarus back from the dead that day. But later on Lazarus would die again. All human beings die. It is mistakenly called a natural part of life as though the Author of life would have death reign. Well, the Author of life would not have death reign. Before the foundation of the world Jesus was the resurrection and the life. Those who are in faith, though they may die, will live forever. This is not simply a disembodied soul that floats about in some distant reality called heaven forever, no it is more than that.

Don't get me wrong, John and all the saints are in heaven, but this is not the end. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ death no longer reigns, Christ reigns. He reigns currently from heaven awaiting the signal from the Father that the time has come to restore creation. Jesus is coming again, and all the dead will be raised.

When I found out last week that Deacon Woods was very ill I selfishly hoped he would hold on until I came home, which is next week (2/20). When he taught First Communion classes he would bring us to the altar and have us ponder its significance. He confidently and boldly told us that during that sacrament, you are never closer to God on earth than in that moment. At that sacrament you are also joined with all the saints, from around the world, and in heaven. Holy Communion is a foretaste of the feast to come in the resurrection. So although I won't be able to visit with John at his house or even in the pews, halls, or rooms of Trinity Lutheran Islip, I confidently and boldly go to that altar knowing that in that sacrament I receive the very physical presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins. And even more than that I visit with John, and all the saints, in that glorious foretaste of the feast still to come.

God's rest and peace to a man who was a sinner and a saint, and has shed the former to live in the latter forever, +Saint John Woods

We Shall Not Weary

2010-01-22T23:01:00.003-05:00

Like I said, absolute Neuhaus kick right now...and on this solemn anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision on January 22, 1973 I share with you the words of a tireless defender of "the least of these."

Here is an article from remarks he delivered to the convention of the National Right to Life Committee in July 2008. Especially personal to me are these words:

The culture of death is an idea before it is a deed. I expect many of us here, perhaps most of us here, can remember when we were first encountered by the idea. For me, it was in the 1960s when I was pastor of a very poor, very black, inner city parish in Brooklyn, New York. I had read that week an article by Ashley Montagu of Princeton University on what he called “A Life Worth Living.” He listed the qualifications for a life worth living: good health, a stable family, economic security, educational opportunity, the prospect of a satisfying career to realize the fullness of one’s potential. These were among the measures of what was called “a life worth living.”

And I remember vividly, as though it were yesterday, looking out the next Sunday morning at the congregation of St. John the Evangelist and seeing all those older faces creased by hardship endured and injustice afflicted, and yet radiating hope undimmed and love unconquered. And I saw that day the younger faces of children deprived of most, if not all, of those qualifications on Prof. Montagu’s list. And it struck me then, like a bolt of lightning, a bolt of lightning that illuminated our moral and cultural moment, that Prof. Montagu and those of like mind believed that the people of St. John the Evangelist—people whom I knew and had come to love as people of faith and kindness and endurance and, by the grace of God, hope unvanquished—it struck me then that, by the criteria of the privileged and enlightened, none of these my people had a life worth living. In that moment, I knew that a great evil was afoot. The culture of death is an idea before it is a deed.

Whatever you do to the least of these...

2010-01-22T17:43:00.009-05:00

The least of these. Society generally deems the "least of these" to be those who are poor and destitute. I think that's a fine definition, but is this definition complete? I would argue that definition is not complete. Maybe it really isn't even a "definition." But generally when people talk about the "least of these" they are referring to the disenfranchised of society. Those human beings who have been treated as less than human. The abolitionists and other anti-slavery groups of the 19th century would definitely define those being used as property by other humans beings, and being counted as less than human in the ruling law document for this country, as the least of these. The Supreme Court in the Dred Scott Decision of 1857 definitely made the claim that African Americans were less than human according to the Constitution of the United States of America. An abominable claim if there ever was one.

In 1973 the Supreme Court made another decision and based it on the Constitution. Human fetuses, babies in the womb, have no Constitutional right. The right is only there for the mother carrying that child. Human fetuses, developing or fully developing human beings, are less than human. The thing that rules the day is not humanity in the collective sense, but the one individual's "right." An abominable claim if there ever was one.

I'm on a Neuhaus kick as of late. I found this article from October 2009 to be most helpful in sorting out this situation. Here are a few paragraphs from the above linked article that get at the heart of the problem.

No other question cuts so close to the heart of the culture wars as the question of abortion. The abortion debate is about more than abortion. It is about the nature of human life and community. It is about whether rights are the product of human assertion or the gift of "Nature and Nature’s God." It is about euthanasia, eugenic engineering, and the protection of the radically handicapped. But the abortion debate is most inescapably about abortion. In that debate, the Supreme Court has again and again, beginning with the Roe and Doe decisions of 1973, gambled its authority, and with it our constitutional order, by coming down on one side.

The result is the Court’s clear declaration of belligerency on one side of the culture wars, endorsing the radically individualistic concept of the self-constituted self. In the Casey decision, for instance, it waxed metaphysical in its assertion that the unlimited abortion license is necessary in order “to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State.” (Such philosophical speculation, bear in mind, is made by lawyers presumably interpreting the Constitution.) Not only does authentic personhood require freedom from the state, but also freedom from other potentially encumbering communities. From spouses, for example. The Court struck down the requirement that fathers be notified before mothers get an abortion. That, it is said, would be an “undue burden.”

The Court has from time to time cautioned against the state establishment of a “civic religion.” The same justices seem to be blithely unaware, however, that in Casey and other rulings they are in fact asserting and endorsing a philosophy of at least quasi-religious status. Addressing the “concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life” crosses into those “ultimate concerns” by which religion is ordinarily defined. Against alternative understandings of the self in relation to community, normative truth, and even revelation, the Court recognizes no other reality than the isolated individual defining his or her reality.

I especially like the last paragraph I posted just above here. It shows what the real issue is here. The Court in this ruling is establishing a sort of religious philosophy, and the decisions, as was the case in the Casey Decision in Planned Parenthood vs. Casey in 1992, are some quasi religious philosophical reasons for why abortion or "choice" is necessary. The Court(s) and others assert this understanding that goes beyond the realms of legality and secularity that a human is an individual autonomy. And in the case of abortion the mother who is living, but outside the womb of her own mother, is more human than the developing (or developed) human being, who is living, but inside the womb of his/her own mother.

In actuality what we have here is the Supreme Court and our individually autonomous society asserting the same decision as the Dred Scott one in two ways

1) The Court takes one side and demands everyone follows

2) Certain human beings are less than human

This is tragic. Is this really Liberalism? Is this really Libertarianism? Can we be beholden by such labels as Conservative/Liberal, Republican/Democrat, Theistic/Atheistic, etc., or at some point in the given moment of time are we all actually human beings? I'm a Conservative, registered Republican, and a confessional Lutheran, but when I see someone on the street who is poor I don't give them a background check to see if they match my worldview in order to give them help. I help my neighbor because I am a creature created by God, and redeemed by God, I serve my neighbor because it's the right thing to do. In the same vain I don't stand and speak against abortion because I am a Conservative Republican Lutheran. I make my stand because that is a human being, my neighbor, and Jesus told me to look out for the least of these.

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2010-01-18T11:18:00.002-05:00

Earlier this morning (last night) I posted a little chunk from an article/talk delivered by the sainted Father Richard John Neuhaus. While a Lutheran pastor is Brooklyn, NY during the 60's Father Neuhaus became heavily involved in the Civil Right's movement. He knew Dr. King, he worked with Dr. King. The congregation he served was The Lutheran Church of St. John the Evangelist in Williamsburg. I had the pleasure of interning there last summer.

Dr. King was and IS an important figure for American politics, African Americans, and the church. His impact is beyond words. Heres a link to a video that shows that influence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8&feature=related

A Particular Kind...

2010-01-18T01:35:00.001-05:00

Today there is an intense interest, almost an obsession some would say, in diversity and pluralism. Within the worlds of higher education, a Christian university serves the great good of diversity and pluralism by being a different kind of university. It does not mimic the false pluralism and diversity that pretends our deepest differences make no difference. Rather, it engages within the bond of civility the differences that make the deepest difference. The Christian university, if I may use today's academic jargon, does not fear the otherness of the Other. It very deliberately is the Other. As the Other, it respectfully engages and defines itself in relationship to the other kinds of universities to which it is other.

In speaking about the crisis of the Christian university, I have been generalizing, and I am assured by some that Valparaiso University is an exception—that it is determined to be what it was founded to be. I pray this is the case, for I cannot forget the Valparaiso that helped form me and innumerable others in the high adventure of responding to the the Church's heart for learning. I cannot forget those chords of the Mass in B Minor and O.P. Kretzman's pilgrim pondering of the falling autumn leaves, prelude to winter and the promise of a new springtime. Yes, this is in part nostalgia, but it is in much greater part hope and anticipation of what a Christian university can be in imaginative fidelity to its motto—”In your light we see light.”

--Father Richard John Neuhaus, Valparaiso University, February 2007

Haiti

2010-01-14T22:53:00.003-05:00

Material donations are requested within the next two weeks by LCMS partners for shipment to Haiti in response to Jan. 12 massive earthquake. Two 40-foot shipping containers will be loaded with donated supplies and shipped to an intact Port-au-Prince depot, to arrive within three weeks of the earthquake.

The following material items have been requested:

Bottled water
Canned food with pop tops
Peanut butter
Dry rice
Dry beans
Dishwashing liquid
Bedding (sheets, pillows, etc.)
Shovels and tools for rebuilding
Buckets
Antibacterial ointment
Band aids
Washcloths
Soap
Deodorant
individual packets of disinfectant wipes
Tooth brushes
Tooth paste
Band-aids
First aid ointment
Clean, used clothing in good condition (Must be sorted by type such as women's clothing, children's clothing, etc., and boxed and labeled).

Items may be sent to:

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
7601 SW 39th St.
Davie, FL 33328
954-475-0683
St. Paul Lutheran Church
801 West Palmetto Park Rd.
Boca Raton, FL 33486
561-395-0433

This effort is a partnership of LCMS World Relief and Human Care (LCMS WR-HC), the LCMS Florida-Georgia District, MISSION: HAITI, and Orphan Grain Train (OGT). Through grants, LCMS WR-HC will assist with shipping charges. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Haiti (ELCH) as well as OGT and MISSION: HAITI partners in Haiti will receive the containers of donations in Port-au-Prince and oversee their distribution.

Financial donations are also urgently required for the long-term Lutheran response in Haiti. To make a gift, click the Give Now button below, call toll-free 888-930-4438, or mail checks marked "Haiti Earthquake Relief" to LCMS World Relief and Human Care, P.O. Box 66861, St. Louis, MO 63166-6861.

Catastrophe and the hidden God/revealed God

2010-01-13T17:42:00.006-05:00

Pat Robertson, televangelist, and all-around egghead sought to one up his explanation of why 9/11 happened, and why Katrina happened, today when he declared, "We will serve you if you get us free from the French," paraphrasing/quoting the people of Haiti 200 years ago to Satan himself. Satan's reply was "Okay, you got it." And in striking up that deal with the devil you get why Haiti has been poor and why they experienced yesterday's devastating earthquake.

Now the only reason I bring up Robertson is to highlight how much of a problem his theological framework is. Oh, and also to point out that he pulls this Hatians working a deal out with the devil from the opposite place of reality. The first thing that came to mind when I heard Robertson said this (okay after the initial "again?"), was Luke 13:1-5:

¹There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

Robertson seems to think he is exempt from the seemingly random acts of nature, of which God is Lord over, when Jesus himself told people, "Do you think that these were worse sinners?"

The problem with Pat's theology is he seeks after the hidden aspects of an already revealed God. The interesting thing about Pat's theology is, in that respect, the rest of us aren't all that different from him. We all will try and explain why bad things happen, especially when they happen to good people, in order to satisfy ourselves. We become obsessed with the hidden will of God. We are not satisfied with what God has revealed to us because this world is a maddening place. What kind of a God allows something like a 7.0 earthquake to rock a poverty stricken island? What kind of God allows supposedly one of his own shepherds, Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, to be crushed under the rubble?

This God who allows natural disasters scares us on our backs. We end up looking up at a world, and a God, who we know nothing about and it frightens us to our core. This is what happens when we constantly talk about the things of God that we do not know much about. When Christians are constantly explaining God and never proclaiming Him we get caught up in missing the whole point of why God came. God did not come to reveal some abstract "truth" or to give us some abstract "wisdom" or to give us a seemingly abstract set of rules and moral conduct. When we "preach" about a God who came and gave us a book on good and moral living we miss the point. The constant explaining of God, which never gets around to proclaiming, leaves God on our backs and we cannot shake him.

The late Gerhard Forde in his book Theology Is for Proclamation, once said:

We see that apart from God preached, we are estranged from God. Rather than being the one we are allegedly always seeking, God not preached appears more as the one we can never quite get off our backs. As such, "God," is the name for whomever or whatever is "out there," "up there," "in the depths," "transcendent to us," and messing with us...Outside the proclamation both theistic and atheistic theologians are strangely one. Both are trying to get God off our backs. The theist most often does it by trying to make God "nice," to bring God "to heel," so to speak, and the atheist does it by trying to make God disappear. Both attempts have a similar outcome from the point of view of proclamation: they only subvert it.

Nevertheless, for better or for worse, neither theistic nor atheistic appeals seem to work for long. We may find an argument temporarily convincing, but then something else overtakes us--some tragedy, some joy, some fortune or misfortune, some deed or happening that inflates or deflates our ego--and we are back where we started (p. 14).

Forde goes on to describe how this "God not preached" in the end gets us nowhere. This is not to say that explanation does not have its place, it most certainly does. But the problem with explanation is that most people begin and end with just explanation. Many Christian churches see no reason to proclaim to people once they've been "saved." The Gospel is not something that should cease to be preached once people have been "saved." The Christian life is not to get saved and then find out what the point really is, what God really wants from you. The Christian life begins, is lived, and ends on the very same point: Christ crucified and risen.

So Forde offers up that the only solution for this problem of the hidden God is actually proclaiming the revealed God:

This is the classic illustration of how a theology that understands the place of proclamation will make certain moves and refuse to make others. Luther knew that only the proclamation--only the preached God, the living Word here and now--could save us from the God not preached, the absolute God (p. 28).

In closing I offer up a prayer from Concordia Publishing House's Pastoral Care Companion, with those affected inserted:

Almighty God, merciful Father, Your thoughts are not our thoughts, and Your ways are not our ways. In Your wisdom You have permitted this disastrous earthquake to befall Haiti. Keep the Haitians and all of s from despair and do not let our faith fail us, but sustain and comfort us. Direct all efforts to attend the injured, console the bereaved, and protect the helpless. Deliver any who are still in danger, and bring hope and healing that we may find relief and restoration; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Ransomed Shall Return

2009-12-15T11:30:00.003-05:00

Read this today as part of CPH's daily devotion, Portals of Prayer. This passage really speaks to Advent, in my opinion. I think it's one of the most beautiful pieces of scripture that I haven't stumbled upon yet. So much of Isaiah gets wrapped up in Isaiah 6, 40, 53, 55, and hey those are some great places to read/reflect/and to meditate. But Isaiah 35 is an absolute gem in my opinion. The ESV heading gets you ready for it, "The Ransomed Shall Return." God's vengeance is stored up for our enemies: sin, death, and the devil. This will be one heck of a parade on this Highway of Righteousness! Happy reading.

The Ransomed Shall Return

What Shall We Do?

2009-12-06T16:38:00.001-05:00

Today's post comes from Concordia Publishing House's daily devotional, Portals of Prayer:

Devotional Reading for:
12/6/2009

Associated Scripture Readings:
Luke 3:10-18
Psalm 66:1-12

What Shall We Do?

The crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” Luke 3:10

As we live in this time after Jesus’ first coming in Bethlehem and waiting for His second coming at the end of time, many people want to know: what shall we do? What does God expect of us? The crowds asked this question of John the Baptist as he prepared the way for Jesus. John’s answer was simply this: do what has been given you to do. Perform your vocations in honesty and love. Some people think that is not enough. We must do bigger and better things for God! But it is enough, because Jesus came to do all that is required of us. His perfect life, death, and resurrection set us free from the obligation of the Law. In Jesus, we are children of God. Our sins are forgiven, and we have the promise of eternal life. Jesus has done it all for us! What then is there for us to do to earn God’s love? Nothing? Freed from the burden of the Law, we give ourselves in service to God and service to our neighbor. As Luther said, “God doesn’t need our good works, but our neighbor does.” Jesus has set you free to love and serve others, whether you are a parent, student, soldier, or baptizer. What you do is important.

Lord God, thank You for setting me free from my sins in Christ Jesus. Help me to use my freedom to serve my neighbor in honesty and love. Amen.

December 25th

2009-12-03T10:37:00.002-05:00

Maybe this seems more appropriate to be an actual December 25th post, but I found this too good to not share right away.

In our culture there is this profound "fact" that December 25th is strictly a pagan holiday adopted by Christians. Granted, as the article points out, many pagan practices do come over to the more modern (and postmodern) sector but the actual origins of celebrating Christmas on December 25th come from this idea of tying creation/redemption together. The author posits, with evidence provided, that early Christians tied Jesus' conception (March 25th) to his passion (on or around March 25th). And exactly nine months following March 25th is, you guessed it, December 25th. He cites St. Augustine among others for this.

Have at it yourself and weigh it against the abundance of other noise in our culture. I found it to be a nice read which gives Christians of all stripes a reason to celebrate Christmas on December 25th even if in the past they were afraid of celebrating it because it is "pagan." And most importantly this idea that Christmas also points to the cross. That's really what the origins of celebrating Christmas on December 25th seem to be about. Enjoy!

Why December 25th?

The Useful Sinner

2009-12-02T14:41:00.004-05:00

Over the summer while shadowing Pr. Jonathan Priest of St. John's Brooklyn, I had the opportunity to follow him in his day to day life as a pastor. Part of that day to day life was going into Manhattan really early (7am) on Thursday mornings to meet up with a group of young 30-somethings, also living in the Greatest City in the World, who are devout Christians. A few of these guys happen to run/post on the renowned Christian blog, Mockingbird. During one of those Thursday mornings one of the guys who runs the blog, David Zahl, tossed me a tiny book called The Useful Sinner by J. David Hawkins.

The Useful Sinner is about a man who had a long sexual relationship with a woman who is not his wife and the aftermath of the whole thing. The first thing his wife did when he confessed to her was grab his hand and make him kneel at the bed with her and to pray. In the midst of her hurt, in the midst of her anguish, she gave her traitor husband grace. The book goes on to detail how just because they both wanted to work it out did not make it easy. They had to deal with the other woman and her husband, how their marriage ended because of it, and the public perceptions caused by the affair. The man's image was tarnished, and even worse his own wife now had a tarnished image for being attached to such a creep. Yet in the end through much prayer and counseling they worked it out.

I bring this up because of the findings of the last week of this weird Tiger Woods story. Today the world's #1 golfer, and richest athlete admitted to letting his family down and "transgressions." I hope and pray for Tiger's sake that his wife Elin is as gracious as the woman in the story. And that they would seek out the God of reconciliation in hopes of repairing their badly damaged marriage.

I think the problem with lifting up celebrities is we expect them to be better than ourselves. We want celebrities to be what we cannot be, gods on earth. This does not excuse Tiger's behavior whatsoever, but I think it is a common result of what happens when we push pride ahead of what we really are--dirty, rotten sinners. Tiger is fully responsible for what happened to his family and nobody else. But the idolizing of him that so many have done, myself being chief, does not help. Celebrities begin to believe their invincibility and seek out hidden lives to suppress something they never could handle. And many times this comes in the form of sexual sin and as a result despair.

Tiger seems to be in despair, and I hope he is. What he did is inexcusable and he needs to be forthright in that and feel the sting of that. But I also hope Tiger and his family find reconciliation in the Gospel of Hope that extends further beyond any possible despair or sin. Tiger Woods is a sinner, no kidding, he is a human being. This above any injury or "loss" on the golf course proves this. The question of whether or not Tiger Woods was really human stops with this story. He is human, the same fallen human the rest of us are. I think it would do everyone, myself included, a lot to just admit we're sinners and combat temptation that way instead of pretending we're above temptation or falling. Any one of us could fall like Tiger has, and that is the lesson we should take away from this.

In The Useful Sinner, the adulterous husband comes across St. Paul's words in Romans 7, "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me." --Romans 7:15-20

This is the cry of every human. We always do things we hate. Tiger Woods is no exception. Our hope is found in Jesus Christ who, in the flesh, overcame every temptation that we cannot withstand. I hope in this Advent Season Tiger and his wife Elin and their whole family can find the restoration, hope, and reconciliation that is only found in the God who took up residence in human flesh to beat back sin, death, and every evil.

Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart

2009-11-26T13:01:00.001-05:00

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our father and our Lord Jesus Christ, powerful blessings to you from the Holy Spirit, Amen. On the basis of the Gospel lesson this evening, “Give thanks with a grateful heart.”

Brothers and sisters it is good to be here with you this Thanksgiving Eve. It is good to be back here with you after spending an incredible summer here. I give thanks to God for you, the people of St. John’s Williamsburg, and bring you greetings from one of your seminaries Concordia St. Louis.

This Gospel text, though only 7 verses, really packs a punch in what Luke is conveying to us. Appropriately this is the traditional text for this special evening service we call “Thanksgiving Eve Prayer.” In this story we see ten lepers, the untouchables of society, being cleansed by Jesus. It’s a remarkable story for sure, but the interesting this is that only one comes back. This means that 90% of the people just healed by Jesus do not come back to give thanks to him for what he has done to them and for them. St. Luke seems to be teaching us a lesson on proper manners. It seems that giving thanks, as it is today, was also then taken for granted. St. Luke seems to be telling us to give thanks with a grateful heart. What is it that you all are thankful for? (assume rhetorical question will be answered). I’m thankful for my family, my friends, my education, and for each day God gives me. We have a tradition at our table for Thanksgiving that before we dig into the meal we go around saying one thing we are thankful for. I’ll have to tell you that we have Thanksgiving at a very big house on Long Island every year. So one year we were going around the table and when it came to one of my cousins to say what he was thankful for he declared, “Uncle Harvey’s paycheck.” Give thanks with a grateful heart.

It always amazes me how quickly Thanksgiving comes around. It seems like just yesterday I was helping out with Vacation Bible School here in August, and now I am here for Thanksgiving Eve. It seems that once Halloween ends the run up to Christmas begins. I have seen some homes remove Halloween decorations and put up Christmas ones immediately after. Do you all get the feeling that I do that Thanksgiving has become a forgotten holiday? Oh sure, we know it’s there because it usually involves eating food, maybe with family, maybe with friends, in some form or another we are aware of its existence. Thanksgiving is also the unofficial official start to the Christmas season. The day after Thanksgiving is commonly known as “Black Friday” when people go out and shop till they drop for the next months holidays best deals. There’s a parade that happens across the bridge here that you all may be aware of, but how does that parade end? It ends with Santa Claus, a symbol of Christmas, riding down Broadway in his sleigh. Yeah we know this “Turkey Day” exists but I’m talking about the actual Holiday of Thanksgiving, do we celebrate it?

Our culture and our own selves have become so engulfed by this commercialization of not only Christmas but our entire lives that we acknowledge the presence of Thanksgiving, but I have a feeling we leave out the Thanks and the Giving part. So much so that isn’t it the case that we have given a nickname for this holiday that completely eliminates the name “Thanksgiving?” Yes, in fact, I just used it myself, “Turkey Day!” Give thanks with a grateful heart? More like “give thanks with a full tummy!” The problem is, my brothers and sisters, that we do not give thanks with a grateful heart. All too often we go through life making excuses for why we cannot give thanks with a grateful heart. But all too often we give thanks for the things that fill our stomachs. Whether it be food or whether it be the fact we fill our minds and bodies with so much useless stuff that it absolutely renders us unable to give thanks with a grateful heart.

Leprosy was the untouchable disease. There are pages and pages of laws concerning how to deal with leprosy in an Old Testament book called Leviticus. Lepers were unclean and cut off from society because of their disease. They could not engage in worship, they could not live at home, they had to live in isolation or in colonies with other lepers. It was a incurable, nasty, hideous, devastating disease. Another thing here is that Jesus was passing by near the border of Samaria. Samaria was a place inhabited by people called Samaritans. Samaritans were absolutely detestable people to the Jews. They were incredibly unclean even without disease. The disease in and of itself was that they existed! So wonder of wonders that amongst the ten lepers here one of them is, you guessed it, a Samaritan.

In our own lives we have the untouchables of society, don’t we? There are many people outside these very walls who society has deemed “untouchable.” They are the poor, they are the homeless, they are the teenage boys and young men who take solace in gangs, they are the teenage girls who become pregnant and are deserted by the boys who took part in this. The untouchables are the mentally disabled, the untouchables are those whose skin color are darker than others, the untouchables are those who speak a different language, the untouchables are the babies aborted by the millions each year because of the sins of their parents. Our society is full of untouchables. At first glance it seems Jesus here kind of waves them off. They, the untouchables, cry out to Jesus from afar and he tells them to go on their way and show themselves to the priests. What is this? Where is the Jesus who touches and heals? Where is the Jesus who is face to face when he heals? Why the seemingly impersonal send off to be someone elses problem? It is worth noting that according to those laws in Leviticus that in order to be declared clean and to re-enter society one must show themselves to the priests. So if these ten lepers wanted to be declared well, to be declared clean, they had to go show themselves to the priests to prove they were clean. If they did not do this, they could not be told they were well, and they could not re-enter society.

While going along the way the lepers were cleansed. The text does not say whether or not there was a debate to go back and thank Jesus first then go to the priests, it just says one of them turned back. Give thanks with a grateful heart. This left this one former leper in a minority of one. And just to add to the mess, this one leper who was returning back to thank Jesus was the one Leper who was also a Samaritan! How ridiculous is this? Why would this guy disobey Jesus and not go to the priest to be told he was made well and could re-enter society? Does he also not remember that just because he was cleansed of his leprosy that he is still a Samaritan and cannot be in contact with Jews, for Jesus was a Jew. What was this guy thinking? He had to go show himself to the priest if he wanted any chance at being declared well and re-entering society.

Brothers and sisters, was there ever a time when you were supposed to be going along about your day to be involved in society, to enter it so to speak, when you stopped right in your tracks with great news, with great healing? Was there ever a time when you may have been on your way to run an errand when you received the phone call that someone you loved had been healed? Was there ever a time when you realized you had become healed? Did you ever fall on your face to thank God? This man, in that moment, could not have cared less about seeing the priest in the temple or re-entering society. At that moment, this dirty untouchable Samaritan had to do one thing and that was “praise God in a loud voice.” So he went back to Jesus, threw himself before him and gave thanks with a grateful heart. In the book of Hebrews the writer tells us that Jesus is our High Priest. He is the one who declares us clean on account of his sacrifice. This Samaritan did not disobey Jesus, this Samaritan showed himself to a priest, the priest, the high priest, Jesus Christ, and gave thanks with a grateful heart.

Jesus is the one who declares us well and makes us clean. Just like in this story when Jesus tells the former Leper, yet still Samaritan sinner, to go because “your faith has made you well” so too Jesus cleanses us in the waters of Holy Baptism and declares to us that we have been made clean and in our faith we go on our way. Brothers and sisters Jesus is the great High Priest who has the authority to declare what is clean and who is clean on account of his death on the cross and his resurrection from the tomb. Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks with a grateful heart for the untouchables outside tonight who, in Christ, are declared well and clean. Give thanks with a grateful heart that Jesus woke you up this morning and that he sustains you in life by providing us with all that we need, as we see in Martin Luther’s explanation to the first article of that great, ancient creed. Give thanks with a grateful heart for even the trials that come in your life because as one belonging to Christ he said you will be persecuted because of him. Give thanks with a grateful heart that Jesus has overcome this world and all its evils and that with him you too overcome this world. Give thanks with a grateful heart that even in death the world could not hold him in and Jesus broke free from that bondage. Give thanks with a grateful heart that Jesus kills your sin and makes you alive in baptism and sustains you in that faith he gave you by giving himself to you in this little feast we have ourselves called “Holy Communion.” Give thanks with a grateful heart that just like the grave could not hold Jesus in, nor will it be able to hold you in. On that last day Jesus will raise us to life in our bodies and we will walk in the glory of his light forever on the new earth. Give thanks with a grateful heart that this world does not have the final say. Give thanks, give thanks, give thanks, Jesus has created a new heart within you. With that heart give thanks to the one who overcame death and grave on your behalf. Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks! Amen.

Quarter Break

2009-11-17T14:10:00.003-05:00

Time to crack open November I suppose! I write this from Orlando International Airport awaiting my flight home to Islip, Long Island, New York. At seminary we are on a quarter schedule, each quarter lasts ten weeks, and what a quick ten weeks that was. The nice thing about the quarter system is you work really hard for ten weeks straight and then get two weeks off for break at a time (with the winter quarter being interrupted by Christmas/New Years). The other nice thing about being on a quarter system is that by the time I'm beginning to grow weary of classes I only have to make one more push to finish out strong. Fourteen weeks worth of semesters=several pushes to get through to the end.

All that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed myself in St. Louis. The city itself is a nice town with a lot to offer. I often found myself taking solace in Forest Park on the nice days we did have (October was a wash out, November has been beautiful, September was great). One of my favorite things to do is people watch. Not in the creepy stalker way but in the taking in creation way. I'm always wondering where people are running off to. Mainly I decide that people are off running to do similar things as I, such as taking a break from "life" in a beautiful park. But even with that there are time constraints that hold us back from what we would otherwise enjoy in the moment. Even sitting there reading or people watching I'm ever mindful of this annoying clock that keeps telling me what time it is and what I have to do. That's more of a sidetrack rant, but I stand by it. So to recap of the classes:

Lutheran Mind: This class was literally about the mind. There were many days I came back to my room needing a nap because of the mental beating I had just taken. Because of those continuous mental beatings I enjoyed that class immensely. Most of the lectures were engaging and the class discussions on Thursdays were great. It was awesome to bounce ideas off of our Professor, Dr. Biermann, and listen to him respond with his wealth of knowledge and passion. At first glance the course "Lutheran Mind" looks like/sounds like a typical hoop to jump through. But it was not that at all, Lutheran Mind is a brilliant course that has me fired up for systematics the rest of the way here.

Pastoral Ministry: This introduction to Pastoral Ministry was a lot of fun. The lectures were the absolute best part, the grading was a bit annoying but whatever, and the class discussions that filtered from the lectures were very fruitful. Dr. Utech's ability to story tell made that class so engaging. He has such experiential depth that I could only hope to have by the time I retire, and this guy is still relatively young.

Greek Readings: Greek Readings is a course that has the intention to make you ever more familiar with the language and give you a foundation before getting into the exegetical courses. The professor, Dr. Oschwald, is a very pastoral man with you guessed it--vast knowledge. Our section was kind of his guinea pigs on test styles for the course but aside from that it was fun to run through selected texts of the New Testament with him in the original Greek.

Hebrew Readings: Same purpose as Greek Readings except in Hebrew! This was my only class on Friday, and at 2pm, at first I was thinking this would be cause to gaze out the window in hopes of weekend glory. Yet it turned out I found myself wanting more time in the class. Dr. Bartelt is the guy for Hebrew in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The standard Hebrew text bears his authorship and once again he is another person with a knowledge that makes me long to be half as smart by the end of my time in ministry. This class often went over the allotted time as we listened to Dr. Bartelt share with us the wonders of the Old Testament and the Hebrew text. Seriously, this class was great. My only gripe is that Dr. Bartelt was gone for 2 weeks guest lecturing at a seminary in South Africa. Oh well, I'll get over it since he was helping further advance the kingdom to our brothers in Africa.

So there ya have it. Next quarter, which begins November 30th, I will be taking Worship, Intro to Exegetical, Intro to Historical Theology, Lutheran Confessions I, and Pastor as Counselor. I am looking forward to getting into these classes.

One more note before I shut down and board, I am finding that seminary is not the hoop jumping experience I thought it would be. Every faculty member I have run into so far, even beyond my own classes, has been extremely pastoral and relevant. The seminary led by President Dale Meyer are making great strides to engage this fallen world with the true Gospel. Theology does not have to be sacrificed to do this and they recognize this. It seems to be full steam ahead with reaching out and I could not be happier.

For now I'm off to Islip to enjoy a nice long break at home, a Phish concert in Philadelphia, a return to St. John's Brooklyn Thanksgiving Eve to preach, and Thanksgiving my favorite holiday.

Sola Fide - Reformation Day (observed)

2009-10-25T16:19:00.002-04:00

"At first I clearly saw that the free grace of God is absolutely necessary to attain to light and eternal life; and I anxiously and busily worked to understand the word of Paul in Romans 1:17: The righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel. I questioned this passage for a long time and labored over it, for the expression 'righteousness of God' barred my way. This phrase was customarily explained to mean that the righteousness of God is a virtue by which He is Himself righteous and condemns sinners. In this way all teachers of the church except Augustine had interpreted the passage. They had said: The righteousness of God, that is, the wrath of God. But as often as I read this passage, I wished that God had never revealed the Gospel; for who could love a God who was angry, who judged and condemned people? This misunderstanding continued until, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, I finally examined more carefully the word of Habakkuk: 'The just shall live by his faith' (2:4). From this passage I concluded that life must be derived from faith...Then the entire Holy Scripture became clear to me, and heaven itself was opened to me. Now we see this brilliant light very clearly, and we are privileged to enjoy it abundantly."

-Dr. Martin Luther

Ministering Cross-Culturally

2009-10-23T18:06:00.004-04:00

The title of the post is also the title of a book by Sherwood Lingenfelter and Marvin K. Mayers. As if, to me anyway, the title wasn't cool enough the subtitle is even cooler: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships.

Too obvious? We were required to read this book for Pastoral Ministry 101 and, coupled with The Poisonwood Bible, write a short reaction to it. I found this book very refreshing. It speaks plain truths about mission work that we're either unaware of or purposely deaf to. The authors of this book argue for a ministry that is deeply personal. The book talks about common errors that western minded missionaries will make when they go to non western places to minister. Some go in there with a western mindset, because that is where they came from, and wind up mostly unintentionally offending the people they are trying to reach. Using the model of the Incarnate One, Lingenfelter and Mayers argue passionately for ministry to be done in a manner that makes the missionary a part of the very fabric of that society. Things like learning the language and customs of the people although seeming obvious are apparently distant in our minds with missionary work.

There is this overwhelming feeling among many, some, whatever that when it comes to ministry there is a one size fits all. What we learn at American seminaries will not always translate to what is going on in the field in America, let alone other countries (especially non western ones!). Now obviously the Gospel is universal and preaching it and administering the sacraments cuts through cultures, but unfortunately we are still sinful people and we do take with us our pre conceived notions and biases to other places. "This worked in Iowa, so this will work here, it is the Gospel." OR "This worked in NYC so this will work in Tennessee." Both attitudes are wrong. What it means to be incarnational in ministry is to embody the Gospel but bringing it directly to where the people are.

One of the biggest examples the book gave was the difference between "time-oriented people" and "event-oriented people." What I loved about this chapter was that it spoke directly at me in a lot of ways. I assume it speaks directly at a lot of people in the west. If things don't start on time we become unbelievably impatient and see it as a failed cause at the worst, or a complete annoyance at the least. In other countries, again specifically non western ones, this is simply the norm. Church cannot and does not start right at 9am. People will trickle in a different times and it will start at some point and the people will come away with it valuing the experience they had, and not that the service ran late and they didn't get home in time for kickoff. Many services will last for a few hours at the minimum in these contexts!

This summer when I was in Brooklyn I remember having a conversation with Pr. Priest about the structure of his 11am service. After the first one he asked me to point out things that seemed different to me. The first thing I noticed was that confession/absolution was placed right before Communion instead of at the beginning of the service. He said this was because many people would walk in late, sometimes right before or during the sermon and would miss confession/absolution so he simply met the people where they were at and placed it right before the Liturgy of The Eucharist.

Another thing I remember is sitting outside the church for our first youth night which we said would begin at six and by 6:10 I was already getting antsy that nobody was there. Pr. Priest sensed this and told me something to the akin of "This is how it is in the city, people don't show up on time, but they do show up and they enjoy the overall experience." We always said youth nights would begin at 6, most of them didn't start until 7 or later. But the youth came, and they had an experience.

Being incarnational is about doing just that, meeting the people where they are at. Sometimes people may not show up but you remain or you go anyway. Because what people need to see is that you're consistent. And in your consistency they will know you care. Especially for those in settings where they don't know who or what cares for them the simple act of being there goes a long way. It speaks volumes and they will begin to inquire about why you act the way you do. For many in other cultures I would imagine a new comer to the culture would be met with some sort of uncertainty and distrust. But once the relationship begins to develop and the incarnational ministry take hold the people will see that you are serious, and that you do care. That ministry isn't about you it's about something greater than you. They will ask just what that is, and then the excitement really begins to happen.

Nothing But the Water

2009-10-08T11:25:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite music artists out there right now is Grace Potter. I absolutely love everything about this young woman. She can sing, she can play guitar, she can rock the Hammond Organ, she can dance, and she is beautiful. I would be a liar if I said the last thing I mentioned didn't help, because it does. I'm a sinner, I'm working on it...

A lot of her songs deal with real life in story telling fashion. You may be thinking, what the heck is so creative about that? Well nothing on the surface, but in the way she tells the story you are captivated and engaged. There are a lot of sin/grace elements in her songs. Since the Law of God, natural Law, is written upon the hearts of all it is the case that many times maybe even most of the time humans do the Law out of created instinct. Now, is this doing of the Law salvific? No, it is not. But nevertheless there is still a doing of the Law that ensues even from those who do not believe, like Ms. Potter.

All of that is for another post. What I want to deal with specifically is her song, Nothing But the Water. It may be one of the strongest non Christian songs I have ever heard about Baptism, check out the lyrics:

I have seen what man can do
When the evil lives inside of you
Many are the weak
And the strong are few
But with the water
We’ll start anew

Well, won’t you take me down to the levy, take me down to the stream, take me down to the water, we’re gonna wash our souls clean, take me down to the river, take me down to the lake, Yes, we’ll all go together, we’re gonna do it for the good lord’s sake

I have fallen so many times
For the devil’s sweet, cunning rhymes
And this old world
Has brought me pain
But there’s hope
For me again

Well, won’t you take me down to the levy, take me down to the stream, take my down to the water, we’re gonna wash our souls clean, take me down to the river, take me down to the lake, Yes, we’ll all go together, we’re gonna do it for the good lord’s sake

Tried my hand at the bible, tried my hand at prayer, but now nothing but the water is gonna bring my soul to bare, but now nothing but the water is gonna bring my soul to bare

These lyrics scream Baptism at you. This is a two part song, with this first part being sung slowly and to little or no instrumentation, just her powerful voice. I have seen what man can do when the evil lives inside of you. Evil lives inside of man, of humanity, and we are capable of some pretty destructive things. The only reason we do not outright destroy each other is because the Law keeps us in check (again a further exposition on the Law is for another post sometime). Many are weak and the strong are few, but with the water we'll start anew.

Where is it that we start anew? At the waters of baptism. Take me down to the water, we're gonna wash our souls clean. We go down to the waters of baptism because it is God's promise to us. God claims us and gives us our names at Baptism. This is of no doing on our own, it is a means of grace. "Well wait a minute, what about when I came to faith and believed on my own, I made the choice to then get baptized, when was I justified?" Good question. One could make the point that they were "saved" or justified at the moment of their believing, but then the whole process of that and subsequent education all culminates in Baptism which is entirely God's work. Our coming to faith and being baptized is 100% God's work and no part of our own.

Grace is invoking rich spiritual imagery with baptism here. Whether or not she is specifically speaking to baptism I would think it is safe to say she had the Christian concept of baptism in mind when writing this song. I have fallen so many times for the devils sweet cunning lies, And this old world has brought me pain, But there's hope for me again. It is undoubtedly the case that we fall so many times in this world for the devil and his sweet cunning lies. This world does bring us pain, but because of THE WATER there is hope for humanity again. We go to the water because it is not just water but water and GOD'S WORD. God's Word together with the water is what frees us and makes us a child of God.

I also love the last line, Tried my hand at the bible tried my hand at prayer, but now nothing but the water is gonna bring my soul to bare. This is not at all to dismiss the importance of God's Word or prayer, both are embodied in scripture, the very Word of God. But I like the twist one can make off of her words here. It doesn't matter the biblical scholar you were in life, or that you followed the book perfectly, or tried to anyway because that is what Grace means when she says, "tried my hand at the bible," she sees it completely as law. She tried living up to the standards of the bible, and even in her prayer she could not live up to the standards. So what at the end of our life is there left to bring our soul to bare? The water and Word of God which washes us clean in baptism is what gives us our comfort and our hope. It is nothing we do, it is everything God has done and will do. He attaches us to that promise in the water, in Baptism.

I have tried to find my way, to make it through to a better day
I have cried a mighty song, but in the morning everything was gone
So come on water sweet water, wash me down
So come on water sweet water, wash me down

I have tried so many times to put out the devils fire
But every time I sit down to pray, the devils charm pulls me away
So come on water sweet water, wash me down
So come on water sweet water, wash me down
Up in heaven, they know the rule, you’ve got to get down to the bathing pool
Everybody, you’ve got to get in line
Down at the river, we’re doing fine with the water sweet water, wash me down
Come on water sweet water, wash me down

Now I’m ready and it’s my time and if I give a nickel, I might get a dime
Only the water can help me now
I’ll find glory somewhere, somehow with the water sweet water, wash me down
Come on water sweet water, wash me down

Grace shows us she was dealing with "what she tried to do" by the opening lyrics of Nothing But the Water part II. She has tried everything, so come on sweet water, wash me down. We cannot put out the devil's fire, every time we try to sit down and praise God whether before during or after, the devil is there to charm us away. Up in heaven, they know the rule, you got to get down to the bathing pool. To get into God's Kingdom one is to be baptized and in that baptism united with Christ's death and resurrection. This is entirely the work of God (Mark 16:6, Romans 6).

This is all God's promise, we find our glory in the glory of what Jesus Christ has done for us, and the sweet water and Word of God wash us down and cleanse us from our sin, uniting us in that victory. So when we realize we haven't done enough (even though we are called to do), and that we are not good enough, we can and will rest assured in the promise God gave to us in our Baptism by the water.

Identity Crisis

2009-10-05T17:02:00.008-04:00

Ever feel like you just have no clue who you are or what on earth you are doing? If you're a human you probably have felt this way at some point. In fact, you may even feel this way right now. For some it comes along like Batman here. You get a sense of needing to grow up or wondering how you ended up where you did.

Evidently Batman went to school to be an accountant. And now he is, as he puts it, running around in a bat costume as a grown man. This is definitely something we will do however. We get to a point, or many points, in life where we're wondering just what it is we are doing with ourselves. "Why am I here? What are my responsibilities to others? Does anybody care?" It can be quite the traumatic time. The trouble is when we have identity crises or feel like you are having them we usually will look introspectively to fix the manner. "I get help myself, I can get myself out of this, I don't need anyone else."

What is remarkable about this approach is that it takes us to a place that yes is selfish and introspective but when we begin to identify what the problem may be or others begin to identify it for us, all of the sudden we're not so introspective. All of the sudden we become the best goaltenders you have ever seen. "Well, no not me, not my fault. This was this persons fault, or this persons fault. You just don't know what it's really like." It's the classic approach to deflect criticism from others to the external because even though internally I am trying to fix a problem it is not because of me. How confusing!

So what is an identity crisis? The psychology theorist Erik Erikson coined the term identity crisis. He defined it as being a coming of age struggle of sorts that especially a lot of young people go through. Sometimes when we think of an identity crisis we typically think of the middle aged man who goes out and buys a brand new sports car or gets divorced to date younger women to find some source of self identity. In is definitely the case however that most young people deal head on with an identity crisis. Erikson defined identity as, "

a subjective sense as well as an observable quality of personal sameness and continuity, paired with some belief in the sameness and continuity of some shared world image. As a quality of

unself-conscious living, this can be gloriously obvious in a young person who has found himself as he has found his communality. In him we see emerge a unique unification of what is irreversibly given--that is, body type and temperament, giftedness and

vulnerability, infantile models and acquired ideals--with the open choices provided in available roles, occupational

possibilities, values offered, mentors met, friendships made, and first sexual encounters." (Erikson, 1970.)

So what do we do? Well we

usually look for acceptance in areas that are probably not the best areas to be looking. Maybe we even turn to destructive behavioral patterns/habits as a way to find out who we are. Sometimes we push back those we love and who love us in an attempt to fill whatever we feel needs to be filled.

Everybody wants an identity. And everyone should want an identity. But what type of an identity are we looking for? Are we looking for acceptance and an identity that is wrapped up in the world? That is a place where only heartbreak can ensue. We are sinful human beings. The plight of humanity to plunge itself into despair over some identity crisis puts an exclamation point on our depravity. We deflect all responsibility away from ourselves and neglect those around us to selfishly look inside to solve this problem. It's a one way street, and it is one that leads nowhere, because looking inside yourself leads nowhere.

It's like the addict. The addict is not capable of bringing him/herself up from the pit. The addict needs to admit first and foremost that they are helpless and need external help to get healthy. For the sinner, so mired in self and a self of ones own identity, the sinner loses sight of what his/her identity really is: A creature created in God's image.

But it goes even further than that. For those who are baptized, they already have their identity. Their identity is Christ's identity and flowing from that the identity of a body, a family, which supports it in any and all circumstances. Searching intrinsically will only lead you to stay within your own self. When you search inside of self you dig and dig and dig to "get to the bottom" of who you are. Those on the outside your family, the body of Christ, know who you are. You will never find satisfaction in who you are by looking intrinsically. The joy and satisfaction of life come from knowing you are a child of God and no identity crisis can take that away. God claimed you at the font and that is where you belong. The rest of the world may tell you different, but the Word of God is what remains.

And resting in that identity allows us to serve others. The identity of being a baptized believer a part of the priesthood is what gives purpose to life. Finding out this, our baptized identity, leads us outward as justified people serving and living for those around us. The creature does what the Creator asks, and in this baptized state the creature lives for it.

Fall Thoughts....sort of

2009-09-30T13:13:00.004-04:00

Man the chilly weather hit us in a big way this week here in St. Louis. Waking up with temps in the high 40s and low 50s makes this loather(word?) of the cold nervous. But I realize the seasons do have their place. Fall is actually a nice time of year, so I am definitely looking forward to it.

Couple thoughts before I head off to lunch and then class: In the past year we have seen some pretty dynamite things. For one, it was one year ago tomorrow when Phish announced via their website they would be coming back. Okay, I may be the only one who actually cares about this, but it was important to me! But something else, more pertinent to everyone in general, we saw was the utter collapse of the American economy and the United States Dollar.

Yesterday, the Mockingbird blog (which if you are not reading them stop reading me and go there), had an article on the collapse of the economy and human nature. What's funny is how closely related the two are. Now in an economics class and on CNN or FoxNews one would be howled at for getting theological on the present situation the US and the world finds itself in. But nevertheless the two are closely associated. Humans are completely greedy. Even socialists and communists are greedy, their greed just manifests in different ways.

Today we had a convocation on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book Life Together. Although Bonhoeffer definitely alludes to the idea of Christian community being found in seminary, for that is what he was writing for, his overall idea and exploration of Christian Community can be translated to the local parish. We worship mostly in the mornings to start off the week on the Lord's Day, as the Apostles called it. But every morning belongs to the Lord. So every morning Bonhoeffer writes,

"For Christians the beginning of the day should not be burdened and oppressed with besetting concerns for the day's work. At the threshold of the new day stands the Lord who made it. All the darkness and distraction of the dreams of night retreat before the clear light of Jesus Christ and his wakening Word. All unrest, all impurity, all care and anxiety flee before him. Therefore, at the beginning of the day let all distraction and empty talk be silenced and let the first thought and the first word belong to him to whom our whole life belongs. 'Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light' (Ephesians 5:14)."

Life Together, 43

This is the importance of worship for the Christian. The classic argument is, "What I can't be a Christian on my own? I can believe what I want I don't have to go to church." No, I suppose you don't have to but isn't that just the attitude of the American? "I don't need anyone else, I just need myself."

Oh how wrong that is. We need others in this journey we call life. And we also need to hear the Word preach and receive the Sacraments. Because these are God's gifts to the church. So turn over a new leaf, even if it is a dead one since Fall is here, and join with Jesus and the church who by the power of Christ's own death and resurrection the fall has been kicked back and with the light of each new day is the light of Christ to be enjoyed in community with one another.

Re-defining "Church Music"

2009-09-26T20:27:00.002-04:00

On September 22nd, the David Crowder* Band dropped their 5th full-length album, and first since 2007, entitled Church Music. I have been really intrigued by this project ever since they announced recording back in either January or February. And I became even more intrigued when I heard that the album was going to be called, Church Music. The concept for this album is a way to re-establish the mission or motives of the band.

If you pre-ordered the album a cool Church Music Magazine came along with it and this magazine shed some light into just what the band was thinking when they were writing/recording. In one of the articles, which was a transcript (with side notes) on a recent talk head guy David Crowder gave, Crowder concluded that the future of "worship music" is this: "It will reconcile order and perceived chaos, that it will point to the chaos, that it will point to the limitlessness of things, that it will point to the irrationality of where we are and in so doing, it will probably point to the most irrational thing of all, which is grace."

As a Lutheran I love that. I love that he recognizes, coming from the "evangelical" world, that worship is about an order amidst what may seem like chaos. The chaos, as he revealed earlier in the article, is usually the world surrounding and what people bring to the table as they come to church. People have chaotic lives, the world is chaotic, and in worship order brings a reconciliation of this chaos driven world. Chaotic sinful human beings engage order in worship done right.

His take on the limitlessness of things caught my eye too. I am someone who outside of faith related things doesn't show very much emotion. And yet while there seems to be a "limited" function in the church service it is really the limitlessness that defines what is all about: Sins are forgiven, the Word is preached, and the Sacrament is given. In conjunction with this being "limitless" it smoothly goes into what he was talking about being irrational. Sins being forgiven, the Gospel being preached, and Jesus being present in the Sacrament are all extremely irrational things.

In 1 Corinthians 1 we see St. Paul talking about how "rational" this all is when he calls the cross "the folly" or "the foolishness" because of how utterly ridiculous it truly all sounds. Yet, amidst the chaos, and amidst the irrationality the cross is "the power" to those being saved.

I could not do the band justice by doing a full blown album review. The album is 17 tracks long and each track flows seamlessly into the next as though the near 90 minute excursion were one big song. This album transcends music period. If you're a fan of music and not even a fan of Christianity you cannot give this album an objective spin and not coming out realizing the genius of it all. Get the album, spend the 11 or 12 bucks it will cost you. You will not be disappointed.

It's a musical and spiritual endeavor that engages a chaotic culture head on and brings with it the very Gospel of Hope that changes the world.

Last Words

2009-09-20T17:06:00.002-04:00

Found this on the New York Times website. The op-ed author is Claire Cameron. I was intrigued by the title of the piece and I was even more intrigued by the actual words of those moments from execution. Notice how many look for forgiveness, beg for forgiveness.

Last Words

I add last words from another criminal facing execution:

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Sem Life 101

2009-09-19T23:08:00.003-04:00

One of the biggest positives about being here at Concordia Seminary is the fact that the vast majority of people here, married/engaged/in a relationship/single, are here for the same purpose: To learn and grow together in God's Word and to become ordained pastors in Christ's Church. It's a humbling thing to be going through.

Another big positive is the access to the minds that are here on campus. Some of the best and the brightest "in the business" are on campus here and are extremely accessible. It's important to be able to hang out at "Prof 'N Stein" on Friday afternoons with your professors to talk about theology or anything in life and throw back a couple beers. It's also important that so many of them have an open door policy that makes them that much more accessible.

The idea of fostering community, and not just any community, but a community centered around Jesus Christ and His Church is an awesome thing to be experiencing. Exciting times for sure here at Concordia Seminary, and I am grateful for the opportunity. I imagine that in some way similarities abound in graduate studies altogether: The material and course work is intense but it is very intentional and specific. After being in college and majoring something that you choose but still having to take classes you don't want to, it is a joy to be straight up taking classes that in some form or another interest you. I don't feel like I am laboring to go to class. That's a good thing, in my estimation.

My favorite part so far has been daily chapel where at 9:40am Monday through Friday we gather as a community around the Word, and on Wednesday's The Sacrament, to be enriched by God's fulfilling means of grace. It is great to hear the different preaching styles/perspectives each member of the faculty brings to the pulpit as they preach. Each homily is meaningful to the situation the student is dealing with. What I am finding is that seminary is very much real life. The campus is an easy walk away from Forest Park, a city park BIGGER than Central Park, as well as a short drive or a long walk from Washington University St. Louis, "The Loop," and other neighborhood areas with coffee shops, wine bars, and restaurants.

What we're learning at seminary is about digesting it and bringing it to the world, just as we would with anything we learn at church normally. It's good to hear we are encouraged to get off campus and to explore what is "out there" in a fun little city full of people and culture.

The Gospel is at the very center of how Lutherans operate so it should come as no surprise that engaging the world with the Gospel of hope is what we do.

The Rising

2009-09-11T14:10:00.002-04:00

Every year on this date I am brought to tears thinking about what transpired. The thing that bothered me most was that I woke up well after the first national moment of silence at 8:46 am (I have always made sure I was awake throughout college to observe), and that I was utterly clueless as to what day it was until I looked at the upper right corner of my computer which told me the date: September 11, 2009.

September 11, 2001 I was sitting in lunch as a freshman in high school. When the seniors from lunch started coming back and breaking the news to us it did not seem real. The entire cafeteria was fired up with loud talking and wondering what truly happened. wild rumors were flying around: The Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty were gone too. As I said, none of it seemed real. Then after the second (1st WTC) fell lunch had ended, yes we ate that early, off to Design, Drawing, and Production I went. As I got close to the classroom I noticed an eery silence and saw no light coming from the classroom. As I entered for the first time it hit me. I watched in numbness as I saw two beloved buildings completely collapse. I saw the horror on faces of classmates whose parents worked in the city, whose parents worked at the World Trade Center complex. I sat with a childhood friend who wondered if his father, who had gone in that day, was indeed still alive. Thank God he was.

Not all of my friends and not all of my school mates at Islip High School on Long Island, NY were so lucky. Many of them lost loved ones that day. Each and every September 11th those people and their families are in my thoughts and prayers.

I remember that the only place I wanted to be that day was in Mr. Brown's social studies class. Surely Mr. Brown would know what had happened and why, and surely his classroom was a safe place to be. As I got there for the second to last period of the day I had never seen the man so sad in my life. I'm glad I was spared having him when the news was broken to his 4th period class that our nation was under attack. We read an article, an op-ed, by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times which was written from the viewpoint of Osama bin Laden that past summer. In it Friedman wrote as bin Laden mocked Americans and said we would run from all places of the world as al-Qaeda attacked. He stopped short of saying al-Qaeda would strike on American soil.

Osama bin Laden never being caught is a drastic reminder to us that evil exists and is still very real. Many try to write off the attacks of September 11th as something less than pure evil. What al-Qaeda did that day was evil, plain and simple. But 9/11 should also serve as a reminder that evil exists in many forms and Satan prowls around looking to devour. Because of sin this world is full of hate, it is full of pain, and it is full of anger. There is anger and madness from people all over the world this day. The anger is not just from America to terrorists hiding in caves in Afghanistan, the anger is also from those in the Middle East to the United States of America. The anger and madness comes from within America as there are those who believe it was an inside job by the government. Satan is all about evil and is all about creating chaos in the world. What al-Qaeda did that late summer Tuesday morning was create chaos. Death, sadness, fright, horror, madness, and chaos all ruled that day and in many ways it seems like they rule everyday.

In 1 Corinthians 15:55 St. Paul asks two questions one right after the other: "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" Those who die in Christ are the ones with the real victory, they are the ones carrying the sting to bring to death. Jesus came to earth to die for sadness, for those frightened, for horror, for those engulfed in madness, for chaos, and finally for death. All of these things and more are the very embodiment of sin. Sin is going against the perfect will of God, and death is its punishment. Death is a separation, it is a very real and very troubling thing that humanity goes through. But because of what the ultimate man, Jesus Christ, went through it has no victory, and it carries no sting.

Jesus went to the cross knowing about death and was willing to experience it for the sake of humanity. Jesus went to the cross knowing about 9/11/01 and all days when people from all places would die. Jesus hung on the cross for our salvation, He defeated sin, death, and the devil.

During the summer of 2002, Bruce Springsteen came out with an album called The Rising. It is a wonderful album with a collection of songs telling the story of those let behind because of the 9/11 attacks. The lyrics to the title track, The Rising, parallel a biblical story/concept that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle, believe it or not:

There's spirits above and behind me,

Faces gone black, eyes burnin bright,

May their precious blood bind me,

Lord, as I stand before your fiery light...

Come on up for the rising,

Come on up, lay your hands in mine

Come on up for the rising,

Come on up for the rising tonight

The rising. Not only did Jesus the Christ die for our sins, but he also rose for them. Jesus not only conquered sin, death, and the grave through dying, but through rising. The rising that Christians can look forward to and sing shouts of joy about is the rising we will receive on the last day. On that glorious day we will be reunited with those who died before us and those of us who die ourselves will be raised in body to the sounds of trumpets.

My prayer this September 11th, all September 11th's, and all days is that those who suffer loss and tragedy be comforted in the glorious hope of the resurrection. Just as death is real, resurrection is real. And more than that, unlike in this world where death seemingly has the final say, in the new world resurrection has the final and everlasting say.

Come on up for the rising!

Album Review: "Joy" by Phish

2009-09-08T21:15:00.003-04:00

One of the best things about having your own blog, whether or not people care is another story, is having the luxury to write about anything you want. In an attempt to relate theology more culturally I begin by embarking on a journey to review and relate a brand new album dropped today by my all time favorite musical act, Phish.

The sound of Phish is extremely eclectic. They began in 1983 at the University of Vermont and over the course of 25-plus years have toured extensively and have sold out some of the greatest venues in the world numerous times. They also have had hundreds of thousands of people show up to their 6 2-day festivals over the years (their next festival will be a 3 day stay in the desert of southern california over Halloween). Phish is most definitely known for it's prowess of a live act. They inherited the throne left by the Grateful Dead in 1995 when Jerry Garcia passed. Each concert is something new where songs are rarely repeated and when they are, many of them do not sound the same. It's an adventurous 3 hours going to a Phish show, and I always enjoy it.

The story of the Phish scene however, much like their predecessors the Grateful Dead (It's worth noting that Phish and the Grateful Dead actually do have remarkably different sounds, but are oft compared due to their ever changing set lists and extensive jamming), is one of tragedy. The role of drugs sunk Phish at their "breakup" in 2004. Drugs most notably took a toll on frontman, Trey Anastasio. He was arrested in upstate NY in 2006 for possession of heroin. Trey had hit rock bottom, and before that "Phish" collectively had hit rock bottom.

On October 1, 2008, Phish announced a comeback weekend March 6,7, and 8th at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA. Trey had cleaned up his act, served some time (mostly community service) and the band followed suit showing up the reunion acts sober. Shortly thereafter Phish announced a new album and full summer tour in which every show sold out within a couple of minutes of tickets being released. This post is about Phish' new album, Joy. It is a story of tragedy and triumph, a story of falling and flying, and I figured I could relate the theological elements to their story. Phish is by no means a Christian act, none of the band members to my knowledge are Christians. But in a culture so seduced by getting so far ahead and leaving others behind it is refreshing to listen to music that tells a story lyrically AND musically. Joy fits that very paradigm. Without further ado, here it is:

Backwards Down the Number Line: While in the very thick of his troubles with the law on account of a drug addiction, Trey Anastasio (last name from the Greek word "resurrection") received a poem from his longtime friend and longtime Phish lyricist, Tom Marshall. The lyrics tell the story opening up with the first two words being, "Happy, happy." There are those Phish phans who would hear this song and say it is pop crap. But there are much more, most I would say, who cherish the song for the message it contains in the lyrics. "We pushed through hardships, tasted tears, made a promise one to keep." Marshall wrote the poem for Anastasio on his birthday. The song speaks of remembering your friends and giving them a loving ring on their birthday. The chorus rings with new beginning, "resurrection" as it were. "You decide what it contains, how long it goes, but this remains, the only rule is it begins, happy happy oh my friends." From there the song dives into an incredible guitar solo which many are saying is Jerry-esque (that is Jerry Garcia). The solo goes on for a good 2 and a half to 3 minutes and never becomes tiresome. It captures the lyrics by continuing on with a fun, and full sounding jam that speaks of new beginnings. It was the song of the summer on tour, and was debuted at the start of the second set their very first night back March 6th, I was there, you could tell the band was serious about starting again. The only rule is it begins is a great way to start their first studio album in over 5 years.

Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan: From the outset the song let's you know the direction it is taking, "I've got a blank space where my mind should be..." I also saw this songs debut at Jones Beach Ampitheater on Long Island in June. Although the main chorus of the song, Gotta blank space where my mind should be, will no doubt be heralded by some phanners into "the scene" I think Trey and the band were writing about failure. The songs somewhat upbeat nature does not lend to this, but lines like that and "I've got memories of being free" lead me to believe Phish is showing us the blank spaces of their past while forging ahead to an unknown but hopefully a profitable (in the sense of "life) future. This song is also complete with a dirty guitar solo and jam that swings quite nicely back into the refrain. Phish has to steal time from their faulty plan of the past to fill that emptiness or that "blank space where my mind should be."

Joy: The title track is a beautiful ballad with strong emotional meaning. Just this past summer Anastasio's sister, Kristie Anastasio Manning, died of brain cancer. Trey wrote this song for his sister as she was in the final days of battling the disease. This song shows a lot of the struggle between despair and well, joy. The words of the chorus, "We want you to be happy, don't live inside the gloom, we want you to be happy, come step outside your room, we want you to be happy cause this is your song too" drip with emotion. Trey is singing to himself as much as he is singing to others. The band is looking also to find its own Joy. "When we were young we thought life was a game, but then somebody leaves you and you're never the same." This song shows the incredible struggle life can be, how it is unfair and how it is difficult to overcome. But at the end of it all is a hope, and that hope is Joy, as St. Paul writes in Philippians chapters 3 and 4.

Sugar Shack: Written by Phish bassist, Mike Gordon, it is one of my favorite tracks on the album. "Standing on the edge of a cliff, I start to slip. Don't mind if I slide off." Have you ever been at that moment in time where you just wanted to give up and really couldn't care any less? Mike is showing us where he was during the Phish breakup. The chorus talks about running through the dark woods to that sugar shack. Sugar gives us energy, it is quite biological and essential to "life" as it were. "I was followed and chased and caught up and tied by the hay right until I made my escape." Run to that old sugar shack for some rejuvenation.

Ocelot: A fun "dead-like" (Grateful Dead) tune that talks about finding oneself again. The opening line, "Ocelot, Ocelot, where have you gone?" It's a journey through ordinary days of life and wondering where the goodness of life has gone. "Don't be the only one left on the block" seems to indicate not to be left behind in what life was but to step outside your door and experience life as it is coming. "Ocelot, Ocelot, where are you now?" Well, where are you now? Are you up? Are you down? Are you prancing "with the beast that parades every night," or are you with the "herd and float(ing) with the flock?" Phish seems to be exploring their creativity with this song that turned into somewhat of a fun jam vehicle over the summer. Almost as if Phish is calling to their old friends, the phans, and themselves asking everyone, "won't you come out to play?" You'll have to give the tune a live listen to really understand its potential.

Kill Devil Falls: This is the ultimate song about hitting the bottom and falling flat on your face. Trey is no doubt channeling his drug addiction and trouble with the law as he sings each word. It's a fun rocker that lit up the Long Island sky the night it was debuted at Jones Beach.

"How could you leave me, you heard what I said I’d be at the waterfall clearing my head Soaking up nature and thinking of you And leavings the last thing I thought you would do I did not plan to stop at the bar But Kill Devil Falls is really so far Who knew a day would turn into a week But I learned my lesson And I can still remember the last one But this time will be different Until I do it again." Trey is writing as a warning to himself physically and to Phish metaphorically, "Don't go back to Kill Devil Falls." That is to say, it's time to go on and not stay behind where you once were.

Light: In terms of theological relatability, this is my favorite. Jesus is the Light of salvation unto the world, so this comes as no surprise. "In fending off fears, and hearing the call" sings Trey, as he can see his past memories far behind of an old and fallen life, and the Light is growing brighter now. Musically I love this song as well, it starts off ambiguous and strange with no real connection to how the songs develops. But then it drops into certainty and something that shows how for Phish and for the fallen Trey, a new day has dawned. The last lyrics of the song, "Guide us to our goal, purify our soul" obviously clinches why I think this song fits best in relation to theology. The Light of Christ is what purifies our soul. I bet the band did not realize they were being so prophetic!

I've Been Around: This short, fun song, sung by the pianist/keyboardist Page McConnell quickly tells a story of where somebody's been. It starts off with Trey asking Page where he's been, and Page triumphantly tells him, "I've been around a while, I lived in town a while, I threw it down a while, and the town threw down on me." Yet here he is, back in triumphant fashion, ready to take on whatever comes next. In our lives we can sometimes get lost in where we've been and lose sight of how far we've come and where we are headed.

Time Turns Elastic: This piece is a 13 minute plus "progressive rock" song written originally to be accompanied by an orchestra. Yet like most of Anastasio's compositions, they turn into Phish songs and Phish classics (Divided Sky, You Enjoy Myself, Fluffhead, Guyute). Many phans dislike the song for its seemingly awkward changes, mostly due to awkward lyrics. But if there is one thing that can be related in this tune it is that time is very much so elastic. In and out of focus, time turns elastic." This is no doubt, critique it however you want, a song both lyrically and musically about where Trey Anastasio has been and where he is now. And in a common double meaning, it shows where Phish is headed. Phish is a living, breathing organism willing to take on new challenges, and whether or not you like the song, Phish does just that with Time Turns Elastic.

Twenty Years Later: I had the pleasure of seeing four of these songs debuted live. Unfortunately, I did not see any of the other six performed at all. But you take what you can get for sure! I really like this song and especially liked it's placement toward the middle end of the second set during a rain drenched night at the beach. Twenty Years Later shows you where Phish is now. It can be applied by how it speaks of the past in terms of experience, whether good or bad experiences. "Twenty years later, I'm still upside down." Despite all the experiences of life, you are still upside down, and will always be upside down on your own without the intervention of God in your life. This of course is NOT where the band was going with it (again I at least don't think so). "We build a foundation, but where do we stand?" Where do you stand? On a house built on a foundation of rock, the Rock, or sand? Phish built their previous life on a foundation of sand, "where all air is water and all water is land." Yet they look ahead to a new day and a new way that shows building a strong foundation, and how it almost has to occur outside of themselves. Their egos and their drug habits are what brought them down yet, "Feel it turn in circles and you're never the same again." The song takes on a musical edge that shows the road onward and upward. "Inside this silence see, all are free, all are free, the second time around..." The second time around. The first time around, like "Phish" despite the "greatness" or perceived greatness of humanity we failed and were doomed to live in failure, in sin and death. The first man the first time around could not handle it. No we needed the second man, Jesus, the second time around to free us from sin and bondage.

The album begins with "happy, happy" and ends with "the second time around." How true for us to find our happiness, our Joy, the second time around in the second man, Jesus Christ!

Welcome to the Big Leagues

2009-09-05T00:44:00.002-04:00

So I guess you could say I am all settled in at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO. After three long winded days of orientation I am definitely ready to start hitting the pavement running with classes and modules. The thing that is especially exciting for me is that my dad is in the Synod's new distance education program called the "Specific Ministry Pastoral Program" (SMP). So Dad has been out here all week orientating as well, most people react to that with words like, "sweet," "awesome," "cool," etc, etc. In fact, the coolest thing for the two of us is that we will both be enrolled in Intro to Pastoral Ministry beginning Tuesday. We just may have to compare notes!

In all honesty the most interesting and lasting things that we heard from orientation were on day one. Dr. Hartung talked about how Satan comes after seminarians because we are deep into the study of God's Word and are preparing to be ordained ministers of the church. That is no small task evidently. President Meyer spoke to us first thing Wednesday morning and stressed the importance of getting off of this 72 acre gothic campus and hitting the surrounding neighborhoods and seeing all of the things St. Louis has to offer.

What I've heard from many pastor mentors here as well for SMP orientation is that those two things that Dr. Hartung and Pres. Meyer brought up were beyond refreshing because in their time at the seminary they were never spoken about or encouraged. I feel excited to be at a crossroads for this seminary and how they are looking to awaken the sleeping giant that is the LCMS and bring the world's best theology, that which is the teachings of the church, into the brokenness of the world.

Buckle up....and keep us in prayer.

On Sharing the Gospel

2009-08-17T10:58:00.002-04:00

The last day of VBS I was downstairs in "the center" (basement where all church social activity occurs) going over the story of the resurrection and the disciples on the road to Emmaus. As I was chugging along with the story and asking/answering questions I was stopped abruptly in my tracks by a kid who looked at me puzzled when I asked, "Why is this an important message to share?" He said to me, "You're going to have to explain this a little bit more, for some of us this is our first time here."

The world is our mission field. The Lord of the Harvest is constantly planting seeds and using us to cultivate the crop. How did I answer this kids question? With a question of my own of course. I asked them all what they thought of the world. And as real life as it gets they shared with me the things they have seen even at the young ages of 12-16. They concluded, with no help of my own, that the world is full of hate, anger, and pain. Based on that they told me the world is not perfect and in many ways it does not even come close. So then I asked another question, "What is it that you think people really want most in this world?" One of the older boys spoke up and said, "People want hope, and people want peace."

So from there I did the only thing I knew I could, I shared with them the Hope of the Gospel and how that can and will change us. I shared with them how sin, death, and the devil were stopped abruptly in their pursuit of humanity and defeated at the cross, and I shared with them that we have hope in seeing loved ones departed again because of the hope of the Risen Jesus. I was clear that in the here and now this message won't change all and won't make things necessarily any less difficult, but it will give all people what all people really want: hope and peace.

No gimmicks, no games, just sharing the Gospel of Hope with those who need it.

Smashing Stereotypes

2009-08-14T23:43:00.002-04:00

I would bet on some more summer/post internship thoughts to be posted on as I have time to digest everything that just transpired the past ten weeks. BUT I had to immediately address one thing that has been on my heart.

When you grow up in a town like Islip, NY in the middle of suburbia Long Island, you come away from life with pre-conceived notions. Essentially, you are a victim of your circumstance. And this is not to hate on Islip or to bash it, it was a wonderful place to grow up and given the choice I'd do it again. But, what I mean by being a victim of circumstance is when you grow up in a mostly homogenous town you miss out on all the glorious wonders of God's creation.

The first week in Brooklyn I was a psychological wreck. Satan (yes post modern scoffers of the evil one) was coming at me full force telling me the differences were too great and I could not handle it. Yet then an amazing thing happened. Each week went by and the more and more comfortable I became. From a social standpoint, the best moment for me was walking into the home of a Puerto Rican lady in her early 80's. Why you ask? Was it the delicious empanadas she had made for us for lunch? Certainly that was part of it, but the greater reason was because as this white bread boy from Islip, Long Island walked through her doors in THE PROJECTS I was introduced to a world I otherwise never knew and was quite frankly scared of.

The projects were a place where bullets flew and all sorts of crime and horror ran rampant in my mind. The hollywood portrayals, if you will, of the projects had fueled this ignorant mind. But then I walked into one of the homes and got to see it for what it was--a home. And then even more than that, over the course of the next ten weeks I got to know THE PEOPLE. And the people are what makes the projects what they are, namely a community. I got to know so many people who live there and it destroyed every single pre conceived notion and smashed every stereotype I had coming in. The projects are not some scary crime ridden place. No, the projects are home.

This week was a whirlwind with Vacation Bible School and having a sweet group of teens and adults in from Owatonna, Minnesota. My favorite day/night was Thursday. We were outside all day with the service project group from Minnesota and there was a real buzz about the neighborhood concerning Vacation Bible School. The kids from the Williamsburg Houses across the street were just waiting to pounce for VBS to begin. They came, they sang, they ate, they had fun, they learned about God, and they went home. And as we were standing there saying goodbye to the Minnesota group for the evening we looked across the street and saw the kids of the neighborhood, the kids of the big bad projects, playing manhunt with each other. This only furthered the new stereotype in my mind. The stereotype that shows the projects are not a scary place but a loving community. Because of this experience that is the only way I can approach each new set of housing projects. This is a place of love and community, not a place of crime.

More thoughts to come....

Finals Week

2009-08-12T22:22:00.002-04:00

The rush and the whirl of VBS week at a church can really tax energy on those running it, namely the pastor. The pastor I am working with this summer actually referred to VBS week as his finals week. There is all this preparation leading up to it, but once you're in it, you just do it. And even though you may not be doing much in the moment, much is getting done.

This also happens to be my last week here in Brooklyn. I am feeling a lot of rush and whirl. A lot of what I've been working at all summer is coming to this week with all the kids being around for this great week-long evening event. So for me it is really cool to see all of the hard work Pastor and I and others have put in be put to practical use.

We have a service group in from Owatonna, Minnesota this week. They are a wonderful group of 14 teenagers and 4 adults. Everyone of them has a great attitude and is a hard worker. That much is appreciated and certainly goes a long way in doing jobs for a relatively poor church. And to serve in the name of Jesus is also something awesome to see. During the day they work and sweat their butts off in the projects and at night they have been helping us out with VBS. Tonight, however, they went sight seeing in Manhattan and that left VBS being a purely St. Johns night.

Registration for VBS is a lot different in the city than it is in the suburbs. For one there is no fee and there is no strict registration deadline. The kids come through the door and the register at will. We worked up to 30 kids strong tonight, and every one of them wanted to be there. What was neat for me personally was seeing how much the youth of the neighborhood came out of their shells once the Minnesota teenagers weren't around. The first two days they seemed really reserved, especially Monday. But today they read, and they shared in the question answering. These kids know their stuff and it was a joy for me to spend that time with them.

At the end of the night we went around the Baptismal font as we have the past two nights for a teaching point by Pastor Priest. He spoke once more about baptism and a young man about 7th grade age stated firmly, "I'm going to get baptized." He said it in such a voice that most 7th graders would use when talking about getting a new video game. There was a firm and confident sound to his voice when he said it. It was matter of fact to him, he had not yet been baptized, but he made it clear in a distinct voice that he wanted to be.

It's things like that that capture your attention at the end of another long and hot day and make you realize why you keep coming back. Oh, did I mention todays Bible story lesson was on Jesus planting seeds? And that those seeds represent the faith planted in people?

Whoever has ears let him hear indeed.

Jesus the Behavioralist

2009-08-10T22:21:00.005-04:00

"You have to have a personal relationship with God, that is how you know you are saved. And how do you know you do? Well you do everything God commands, that's how. If not, you are not where God wants you to be."

"God wants us to decide for ourselves the path we want to take. He gives us the choice. God is all about personal responsibility."

"We are not under the old Law, but we're under a more perfect law that Jesus calls us to."

"You aren't born again if you live a life of sin. It is dangerous to preach faith alone because it means people do not have any accountability and can do whatever they want with no consequence."

"Jesus died for us, but He wants us to work toward perfection and to produce works to show our worthiness."

Ever hear a Christian talk like this? I know I have. The Christian who talks like this is a person who loves to harp on works righteousness but will also jump all over you the very second you accuse them of teaching/proclaiming works righteousness. What it comes down to is looking at just what exactly Christ saved us from. And also, along with that, just what exactly the focus scripture is.

The theologian of glory acknowledges the importance (even vast importance) of the cross and Jesus' life in scripture. But that is not the sole focus. The other focus is on God's Law and His relationship with the physical nation Israel and what God still has to accomplish. This same theologian of glory will also recognize the importance, again maybe even vast importance, of Jesus' death on the cross, but they will also harp on the moral teachings and "codes" that Jesus presents throughout His life as we see them in the Gospels.

For the theologian of glory, the end result in eternity is about earning enough of God's favor to be a "ruler" in the new creation. The idea is that yeah Jesus paved the way, but now we have to continue and better the walk. For this type of theologian baptism is about what humans do in response to God. The theologian of glory sees communion as a way to remember Jesus and to show devotion in that manner. This type of person sees Jesus as someone who came and died to save us as a way to set an example and to be the perfect example for how we are to live in the here and now. The theologian of glory makes Jesus out to be a behavioralist.

The theologian of the cross sees that the central focal point of scripture from "In the beginning" to "Amen, Come Lord Jesus" (Revelation) is Jesus the Christ. That God's relationship with Israel is a picture of God and how He interacts with His people and also is a lead up to the redemptive work on the cross of Jesus. In addition to that God and Israel are fulfilled in the church today. This same theologian of the cross will recognize not only the vast importance but the utmost importance of Jesus' death and resurrection as accounted in the Gospels.

For the theologian of the cross the end result is to dwell forever with the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in their resurrected bodies. The idea is that yeah Jesus paved the way because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and He came to save us and not to have humanity partake in saving itself. For this type of theologian baptism is an act which God performs and bestows His promises upon the one receiving this new birth. The theologian of the cross sees Communion as partaking in the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ as He is present within the elements of the bread and wine. And yet again it is an act where God performs a miracle by coming to His own people, and not His own people trying to come to Him. This type of person sees Jesus as someone who came and died to put humanity back at right with God. The theologian of the cross, despite recognizing their wretchedness, makes Jesus out to be the King of King and Lord of Lords who came and saved the world from its pitiful sin.

So which is it? Did Jesus come because He wants us to be "good" and "nice" people? Or did Jesus come to save us from the very depths of hell and that despite our absolute wretchedness and sin we are saved because the saving work of God is an act that He performs and we receive as a gift from Him and Him alone?

Is Jesus about changing our behaviors? Is He some sort of behavioral psychologist? Or is Jesus the very conquerer over sin, death, and the devil? Does Jesus give us a choice to make the right decision and leave it up to us for our own salvation? Or does Jesus mark us as His very own through His death and resurrection in our baptisms?

I'll let you decide ;).

Wonder Bread

2009-08-09T18:02:00.000-04:00

What’s your favorite type of bread? Mine is definitely wheat. It’s just something that in recent years I have come to favor. And I love peanut butter. I will put peanut butter on just about anything: bread, English muffins, bagels, pretzels, crackers, pizza, ice cream…Okay, I’m kidding about the pizza and ice cream, but my point still stands. But I also remember when potato bread was a favorite of mine. Or even before that, I remember when we would eat “Wonder Bread.” Anyone ever have “Wonder Bread?” Anyone remember those commercials? Man those commercials when people would be joyously going about their day and the logo would descend upon them like balloons and they would go off cheerfully and make a sandwich or whatever they were doing. And what a name for a brand too, isn’t it? “Wonder Bread”, it stops you in your tracks to wonder what the wonder is all about!

Isn’t God a wonder? In the wilderness, as we’ve heard the last three weeks, God provided for the grumbling Israelites with the manna from heaven. What a God of wonder. He literally rained down bread from the sky to be the nourishment for his wayward, and whining people. In today’s Old Testament lesson we see another instance where God provided food for his servant seemingly out of nowhere, right? Elijah, the persecuted prophet of the LORD is sitting there doing what? Complaining to God of course. And what does God do? He sends the angel of the LORD down and the angel commands Elijah to arise and eat. Is what God provides enough for us however?

God definitely will provide for us, in the ways we need it, but all too often we look to satisfy our hunger our own way. See God has prepared for us a banquet, a table, and all these wonderful things and just like the Israelites we look at it and go, “Yeah what else?” It’s never enough for us is it? We’re constantly looking to fill our stomachs with the things that are of “right now.” It’s funny because when you really break it down, how are we any different than the young child who throws a temper tantrum in the store for something they HAVE to have, “right now!” In the grand scheme of things my brothers and sisters, we aren’t any different! We are the same exact way. We look around for anything and everything that can fill us up for a while, and disregard the one true thing that will never leave us hungering or thirsting for more.

What is it that you hunger for? What are you craving? I can tell you what I hunger for. I hunger for sin! My very being hungers to do what I do not want to do, as St. Paul says in Romans 7. It is truly maddening. What is it that this community hungers for, to get along on its own? (If youth are there) What is it you youth of the community hunger for? Acceptance in places you shouldn’t look for it? Oh brothers and sisters, we humans would rather go our own way. Sometimes you’ll hear people say, “Well if only God would give me a sign, then I would know and would follow.” Guess what Jesus tells people who supposedly were after signs from the chapter in which today’s Gospel comes from? He tells them, “You aren’t after signs. You’re here because I fed you! You’re following the next fad.” Just like the little kid and store analogy I used earlier. We want what is of today, or tomorrow, certainly not yesterday! We want it now! We stand there with the stubborn Israelites who practically said to God, “What have you done for us lately?” Then what does Jesus do? Jesus tells us what he’s done for us lately. And Him sharing this truth about Himself causes us grief in our sinful state. We stubbornly, just like those who have gone before, would rather reject the teachings of God than actually partake of them. Jesus goes on to talk about how He is the bread of life from heaven that lasts, eat him! What! Eat Jesus? This caused the Jewish leaders to grumble and complain. You can imagine the reaction, “What in the world is he talking about eat him?!” But what’s even more than that, not only are the Jewish leaders perplexed but also most of Jesus’ own disciples desert Him over this.

Do we not find ourselves grumbling at times over the teachings of Jesus? Isn’t it true that we sometimes desert or derail our walk because of tough teachings? In fact most of the time that is the case, “Well I just can’t accept that, so that’s it.” That’s it? Jesus is giving us an important truth about Himself and we don’t want it! We each go our own way. We want our walk to be simple, not complicated, and if we’re honest, we want it to be easy.

The 20^th century Lutheran martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, that, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” We are being called into a life of service and down a narrow road, but a road that leads to life. And yet we still will disregard it from time to time. We are all looking to satisfy our hunger our own way, and not God’s way. When Bonhoeffer speaks of death he is telling us that we need to die to our own ways of self-nourishment. We think we can nourish ourselves, no problem, we do not need God. And what Bonhoeffer is sharing with us here is that Jesus tells us explicitly, “Die!” Die to the old ways in which you seek to provide and nourish for yourself. Why do we do this, brothers and sisters? We do this because we are sinful and selfish. The two go hand in hand really. Being sinful is all about being selfish, and we are certainly selfish. And when we are hungry, we definitely will become selfish. When you’re really hungry, don’t you notice that you almost become animalistic? We get really cranky and upset and look for the first thing that will satisfy us. Because of this we may snipe at loved ones and others because of our hunger. The problem is that we are the ones looking to satisfy our spiritual hunger in life as well. The problem is our sin that drives us to seek out ways to fulfill our hunger, because in this journey and search in life we are constantly seeking fulfillment and that break from hunger. What do you hunger for?

Luckily, even in our own vain attempt to satisfy our hunger, there is One who can, who does, and who will satisfy our hunger. Turn your eyes on Jesus, because that is where your true nourishment comes. Jesus is the very Bread of Life. He says so Himself and He says quite emphatically, “The one who eats from me will not hunger, and the one who believes in me will never thirst.” Never hunger, and as the Greek states never at any time thirst. Just try and envision that for a second. What a beautiful vision that hunger and thirst would cease. And this is a promise, brothers and sisters. The one who believes in Jesus has eternal life and will never, ever, at any time hunger or thirst. Spiritually it is satisfied in the here and now, and physically it is a promise in the hope that is to come. Jesus is our life’s journeys nourishment and strength.

What we see here St. John’s is that Jesus goes out and he gets us. He is the one who comes to us and feeds us. We’ve been hearing about Moses and we’ve been hearing about Elijah lately, well, how does Jesus compare to them? With Moses we see one whom God sent to deliver the people from bondage. And with the angel of the LORD who came to Elijah we once again see one whom was sent, and this time to provide nourishment for a dejected soul. God had to send these figures because of the difficulty in which the journey entails. In the same way, brothers and sisters, Jesus is sent to deliver us and to provide for us, and our dejected souls. By this rite God has claimed us as His own through Jesus Christ, His only Son. In Holy Baptism we are marked with the cross of Christ for how long? Forever! The promises of God are not dependent upon the activity of humanity, thank goodness for that! All throughout the ages we haven’t been able to keep up with God’s Law. But God sent Jesus and forgives us before we sin, and is there to receive us in forgiveness even after we have sinned. He nourishes us and gives us new life in this way.

And in just a few minutes we will come to this Table to truly receive Jesus’ body and blood as He bids us to do. Jesus talking about eating His flesh and drinking His blood for salvation is a foreshadowing of this Holy Meal. In FAITH we eat of Jesus’ body and blood and are saved. By faith, by faith, by faith. Not of our own selves, not of any other “food” we could whip up ourselves. No brothers and sisters, Jesus is our satisfaction from hunger and thirst. In that Old Testament lesson we see Elijah being told once again by the angel of the LORD to “Arise and eat.” But this time, the angel of the LORD gives a reason. He tells Elijah to “Arise and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So again in just a few minutes when you come to this, the Lord’s Supper, arise and eat for the journey is too much for you. The journey is too much for you to go at it alone. When life has you down and seemingly out that is not the time to steer further from God, no it is the time to fall face down at the foot of the cross and cling to it. Jesus comes to us in this communion to provide us the strength we need for this journey we call life, because it is too much for us. The hurt the pain, the anguish, the uncertainty, the instability, it all adds up and when we are drained we come here. We come here to be fed in Word and in Sacrament by Jesus.

To all of you feeling that drain, it cannot be discredited because it is real. But there is One who died on the cross and rose from the grave in order to overcome that drain, and His name is Jesus the Christ. There is no reason to go down the darkened path alone because Jesus is there beside you. And He gives you this community, this family, of faith to make that journey with you. My younger brothers and sisters who are the next generation of this great community of faith, tell the forces of the world that you are not for sale. That St. John’s Youth is here to stay and they have an identity. It may not be a conventional identity as far as the world is concerned, but no matter, in your baptism you have an identity with Jesus Himself. On that no power of the world, I don’t care what it is, can stand. Feed upon Jesus in faith and be nourished along the way of your journey.

This journey does not at all end in death. No, this journey continues on beyond that. And let me be clear in this, as I know this is a favorite teaching point of Pr. Priest, the journey does not end in heaven either! This journey continues on and on in everlasting life which is physical. Jesus said that whosoever the Father draws to Him He will raise that one up on the last day. In the new earth and new creation we will walk with the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Just as Jesus rose, those of us who feed on the living bread will rise as well.

I guess you could say that the power in all this is that Jesus is our “Wonder Bread.” He is the best brand of bread that could possibly be out there. Through Him we are provided with life to the fullest now and especially in life everlasting. It’s a taste that goes beyond even my love for peanut butter. Jesus is the “wonder bread” that comes down out of heaven. Take that bread and share it with others in this neighborhood and beyond. There’s plenty to go around! Amen.

Mockingbird does it again

2009-08-07T09:30:00.003-04:00

What a fantastic post on creation and properly distinguishing between Law and Gospel! Kudos to one of, if not the best, blog out there:

http://mockingbirdnyc.blogspot.com/2009/08/two-words-on-genesis.html

I have a dream

2009-08-05T10:29:00.002-04:00

Imagine a time when you can enter an LCMS sanctuary and whether or not it's the old JS Bach style organ music blaring or guitars and maybe even a screen of sorts that the Gospel content bound up in the historic liturgy is there. That's my dream. It's a dream that will take some time to work out. But I believe the ball is already rolling.

The Missouri Synod is dying. Synod, Inc. is not the church, it is "Church", a governing body of a section of a particular brand. I single out Missouri because she is my home. But this is obviously a trend in all mainline denominations. The situation developing is you have churches with less than 50 people in it who are all over the ages of 70. Not that there is anything wrong with 70 year olds, I happen to love my elders, a lot. But, in relation to making new disciples, whether hitting the streets, or the traditional Lutheran way (make babies) I think it's safe to say those tactics are rendered effectively useless for this age bracket. Hitting the streets is still possible, but the energy is less. Making babies, outside of an Abraham and Sarah miracle is not possible.

There also seems to be this idea in Missouri that unless we have our doctrine 110% accurate and lined up we cannot hit the streets. That idea to me, is in a word, silly. this does NOT mean doctrine is not important, because that's the favorite line for people who defend this position to use. "Why is doctrine such a dirty word?" It isn't at all. I'm talking about staunch legalism in a Church Body which prides itself on the proper distinction between Law and Gospel. The Gospel will march on with or without us, but if we desire for Mother Missouri to survive, which I do at least, then we need to be a little proactive.

Also, let me be very clear on something here. This is NOT an indictment against really traditional churches. Because there are traditional churches which are flourishing because they have their sound doctrine, they administer the Sacraments, they preach the Word, and they equip the Saints to engage the community with that message. That is wonderful, and more of that, not less, is needed.

Where I will differ from some who nobly use the old old liturgical setting is that I think it is very possible for churches to use screens, guitars, and other non organ, non gregorian chant music while preserving the historic liturgy and most importantly the Gospel. In defense of those who rail against more "contemporary" forms of worship, there are those in Missouri who run off wild into the wilderness and come back looking emergent and American Evangelical. I got news for those churches, American Evangelicalism as we know it is dying. That would be just like a Lutheran to latch onto a fad as it has left the boat.

For me and those like me in the Northeast, this whole notion of off the wall American Evangelicalism in the Lutheran Church is by and large a foreign concept. We don't chase trends here in Northeast Lutheranism. Mainly because the culture is so staunchly against American Evangelicalism, and the Roman Catholic Church and her historic liturgy have such a stronghold in the area. But I will not discredit my brothers and sisters who say American Evangelicalism is creeping around in the Lutheran Church. Decision looking theology liturgy needs to go by the wayside. There is no place for that in the Lutheran Church.

However, that does NOT (I'm all about capitalizing the "not" today) mean we throw the baby out with the bath water. I have seen historic Lutheran sound doctrine and liturgy work quite nicely with steel string guitars and bongos. I have seen it work in a "Gospel Service" like format. There is no reason why this cannot be employed. Because in certain cultural contexts it is called for. For those who think German Lutheran Liturgy is the marks of the historic church catholic you are kidding yourselves. It is a beautiful tradition, and one that I love and enjoy, but it is not the tradition of the African church, the South American church, the Southeast Asian church, etc., etc.

But, that also does not mean that you force a different cultural liturgical setting on a parish that is down with the traditional organ setting. There is no reason to disrupt harmony where it exists, so long as the theological content is sound. And that also goes for the ardent traditionalists who cringe at anything not Bach-like sounding (Again I LOVE JS Bach). If harmony exists in a parish with sound theological content, yet they use the cultural musical setting and arrangement that that particular group of people would be used to, do not be a stumbling bloc and demand they conform to the German heritage. There IS room for unity in the Spirit through sound doctrine without having to culturally look and sound the same. That was never the mark of the church spread throughout the world. The message is the same yes, but the beautiful thing about Christianity is how each culture has been able to express and live out that message in their own specific culture.

In this day and age, even in America, you have to think and act like a missionary. If you are a missionary in another country do you show up and demand they change and conform to their ways? Or do you do as St. Paul did and use their own cultural understanding to introduce them to the truth of the Gospel?

People are not going to church, Anglo's are becoming a minority. This is not a time to lament it, but a time to be energized in the Spirit and to go out and bring that message of Hope to a dying and lost world. And that message of Hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ can be brought to people in their own cultural context without compromising one iota of the content.

I have a dream. It won't be easy, but with God all things are possible.

Slow Down and PARK

2009-08-03T15:07:00.003-04:00

For some reason, possibly due to NYC hustle and bustle, I felt the need to go into work late today and take the morning for reflection and writing. I actually wound up doing some work off site anyway. But the last week I was hearing from various people, pastors included, that it is of utmost importance to take time to yourself and just pray.

I got off the W, made my way toward Columbus Circle and entered "the park." For those of you playing the home game, "the park"=Central Park. Even at 9am the city is a place of intensity and extremity. I made my way into the park and decided I was going for a long walk. I was definitely going to imbed myself inside the park and just chill. So imbed and chill is what I did.

I got to a point where I thought I would be stopping, but an interesting figure of sorts was flailing around and may have been singing. So I decided to keep going. And thankfully that annoyance was there because it allowed me to go where even the sun wasn't shining so bright and explore some of the Central Park "trails." After about an hour of that I found a rock alongside a lake to sit on. There I did todays "Portals of Prayer" devotional and also wrote the outline for my sermon this Sunday on Jesus as "Wonderbread." The rock, more like a large rock hill Central Park is full of these, was alongside one of many spots that the Central Park Conservancy is trying to restore.

This got me thinking about our own conservancy as Christians (it is obvious the days of me enjoying simple life pleasures without relating them theologically are long gone). How are we looking to be restored and conserved? Walking besides the calm waters of the various lakes in the park I immediately thought of the "still waters" the LORD our shepherd leads us beside from Psalm 23.

It is essential for Christians to take time out of their day (Okay, if you're really busy your week) to just sit and be still. That of course invokes another Psalm, #46, which tells us to "Be still and know I am God." Our lives can very much be like the hustle and bustle whirlwind of New York City, whether you live and work there or not! How important it is to take time to just be in contemplation and prayer. There's a reason God took the seventh day off. And there's a reason why we need sleep and rest to function properly. We're not God. We were created to rest at times, take advantage of it!

Internet Monk on Preaching the Gospel

2009-07-27T23:59:00.004-04:00

This is a slam dunk article/post. The Internet Monk is a Baptist theologian/pastor with obvious Lutheran theological sympathies. This post kept me up later then I wanted to be, but I was glad it did because it is invigorating. I particularly loved these few lines:

"Law youth ministry is a waste of your time. If all you’re doing is trying to make kids behave, make good choices and buy into the church as a place to hang out, then by all means, get another job. Or be honest and just say you’re a moralistic therapeutic babysitter carrying out the wishes of the church to not have any kids make bad decisions.

What is ministry? Get them to the Gospel and Jesus, sister. Let Jesus decide if they need to be in jail or not."

Like I said, slam dunk. Enjoy the whole read, let me know what you think. Does your church preach Gospel? Or are you getting beat over the head with Law?

http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-lawgospel-rant

Un Dios

2009-07-23T17:39:00.002-04:00

Corona, a section of Queens, has a congregation that is at its very wits end. There are two more surviving members left of this once proud Lutheran Church. A myriad of reasons are the causes of why this congregation is down to two members, but God will not let it die. Let pastorally by Pastor Priest of St. John’s, Emanuel Lutheran Church in Corona is being headed by a small committee to keep it kicking.

One member is an elderly woman who speaks both Spanish and English, but definitely prefers the Spanish. The funny thing about Corona is it is in a Hispanic neighborhood. It seems we have the perfect little set up there, and with the help of a Diaconate Candidate from San Pedro’s in Brooklyn, another one from a church in Woodside, and an elderly couple from another Lutheran Church, that outreach has begun. The one member, the Hispanic lady, lives in the church rectory and keeps it up quite nicely for an older woman. She does what she can to get by and is refusing to let Emanuel Corona, literally down the block from Citi Field where the Mets play (a bastion of death) to die.

I mentioned that there are two surviving members, the woman and also her husband. Her husband tiene ochenta y cinco anos (as he relayed to Pr. Priest and I this afternoon). He is a stroke victim and lives in a nursing home. His status as a functioning member of the barely breathing church in Corona is non functional. We went and visited him today. For Pr. Priest to do this is purely on his own and out of pastoral care. Emanuel Corona is not even in St. John’s circuit. But he goes anyway because these two have not had a pastor for quite a long time, as evidenced by it being down to two members. So we arrived today to a man who is recovering from a stroke, is 85 years old, and barely speaks a lick of English. Now I took 4 years of Spanish in high school, I’d say 5 but senior year was a joke, and I once was good at it. This is not really the case any more. Since then I have taken Greek and Hebrew and thought I lost all my sense of the Spanish language nearly completely. But then I walked into this elderly mans room today. I won’t claim I knew everything he said, but by some miracle I was able to understand a lot of it, and what’s more, communicate with him in his native tongue.

And just as I wrote in a post a couple weeks ago, in this short visit, my favorite part was when we got to the Sacrament. To see his face light up as a guy who otherwise mumbled due to his disability clearly recited in Spanish the parts of the liturgy and The Lord’s Prayer was simply breathtaking. It humbles you to the core and you appreciate everything you have, but more than that, you appreciate everything you have in Jesus Christ. It reminded me that even though we are trying to save a congregation and essentially a building, and for good cause, ultimately the church is found wherever the Word is preached and the Sacraments are administered. The church was present in that nursing home room today.

One thing I remember he kept saying over and over was “Un Dios.” As he said this he would point upward as well as look upward. He was making it clear there is One God, and he knows who that God is. “Un Dios, Un Dios,” he kept saying. “Un dios en Cristo Jesus” I responded with, as the man nodded and smiled his approval. It is that type of care that the pastor and his ministry is all about. But more than that there is no reason why a lay person, not ordained, cannot give ministerial comfort to the hurt and sick. “Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, there I am with them.” Go and bring that comfort of the Gospel, no matter who you are. Yeah, you may not be bringing the Sacrament, but you are bringing a comfort that is of utmost importance to people. If there is one thing I have learned here it is the ministry of presence and how essential that is to people of all stripes.

I came out of there blown away and thinking to myself over and over again, “Un Dios, Un Dios.” Never forget that. There is One God, and He cares for me and He cares for you through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Good Shepherd

2009-07-19T18:50:00.000-04:00

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, powerful blessings of the Holy Spirit be with you all, amen. On the basis of the Old Testament lesson this morning, “God as Shepherd.”

Today’s text from the Prophet Jeremiah parallels the activity of God and Israel to be that of a relationship in the form of shepherd/sheep. And what we see from the text is that God is portraying Himself to His creation as a shepherd. The idea is that God cares for His people. God is a god who shepherds His sheep and does not lead them astray. God likes this so much that even in our own church He has set up the shepherd/sheep relationship. The word pastor, for example, is a Latin word that means “shepherd.” The Church uses the Latin word for shepherd to describe the spiritual leader of the congregation. God gives to the church the Holy Ministry where the pastor preaches the Word and delivers to us the sacraments. The pastor is called to tend a flock, and that flock being the congregation.

Although, not everyone is called to be a pastor, in our families God has us shepherd or care for one another. The idea here is that God wants us to love one another. Just as the pastor exercises God’s care for His people, the people of God as a family look out for one another, and even the “lesser of these.”

In Old Testament times the Kings of Israel had certain responsibilities. They were to guard the religion, protect the people, and give of themselves when needed. Essentially they were shepherds over the nation, the people, of Israel. They were to look out for the best interests of Israel, namely that they were worshiping the One True God and not the pagan gods of other nations. Notice that God’s anger in the Old Testament is not so much because the people sinned, but because they worshiped other gods. That is how a man like David, who had his many faults, was able to be called a man after God’s own heart. Although the king was not to be somebody who carried out the priestly functions of the office, he was to look out for the people of Israel and that they were being spiritually fed and not led astray. So the king would keep an eye on the priests to make sure the religious functions of Israel were being properly carried out. It was almost set up as a checks and balances thing of sorts. The kings were not the priests and could not carry out priestly functions, but they made sure the priests were doing just that. And don’t we see this today in our own lives? God has set up pastors for us, parents, guardians, friends, family, etc., etc. who guard us, guide us, and give to us. It is a very consistent way of working, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, isn’t it the case that we do not hold to this care? When we look inward at ourselves, do we look like that shepherd? Are we a reflection of God’s plan for being shepherd’s over the people entrusted to our care? Notice in the text right away Jeremiah conveys that the LORD is declaring a “woe” or some word of lament, as was a common thing in Jeremiah, to those shepherds who scatter the sheep of the flock. The LORD is especially upset with the neglect of the flock by leaving them unattended and by not visiting them. The false shepherd’s who are out there scattering the flock are those leaders in the church that teach false doctrine and would lead the congregation down a path of destruction because of them permeating this false teaching. We see this all the time with false preachers. It is also the case that false shepherds will even appear outside the context of the church in a cult like situation. These type of situations usually end in destruction. Waco, Texas was the scene of a false shepherd leading followers, or sheep, to a path of utter destruction. What happened there? A man claimed he was Jesus, gathered a large following of people and, regardless of how you may think it became out of control and violent, it did. The people who followed this false shepherd died because he led them astray.

But it’s clear that the leaders in church or society are not the only ones who are capable of being bad shepherds, right? Whether it is an immediate family member, extended family, or family of faith, there are definitely times, more often than not unfortunately, when we neglect to care for those in need. God gives to us those who are in need of care and we neglect to give them care usually for our own selfish and sinful reasons. We make it a lesser priority and not one that has any real meaning or substance in life. Maybe we’re bad siblings, maybe we’re bad children, maybe we’re bad spouses. In fact at times I would venture a guess that we are all capable of being those things. By treating those entrusted to our care as an afterthought we wind up treating God as an afterthought. And treating God as an afterthought is not the best course of action because it is a course that leads nowhere. It is a dead end, so to speak. Dead because the only path that sin leads down to is death! Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray…” We appoint our own shepherds who feed us with empty promises and a food that is not everlasting. We lead ourselves blindly in the direction of the world whose prince is Satan and whose chief means is sin and death. It is not good to follow this path, because even if it feels good, it is only for a while before it comes crashing down and literally burns us all. The sheep will be fed to the wolves, and we come up oh so short and oh so empty searching for nourishment that lasts.

How is it that people can be so easily led astray? The funny thing is the parallels Jesus makes about humans being sheep works because we often behave like sheep. You usually hear conspiracy theorists claim people who go with the status quo are “sheep”, right? The reason for this is because sheep are pretty easy animals to manipulate and to have follow you. They will follow those who feed them. That is how a herder or farmer can get a whole flock of sheep to follow him or her because the sheep will most likely associate the shepherd with food. So because of this they follow out of a yearning to be fed. So it goes with humans and especially in our society. Everyone is constantly looking to be fed. And humans will usually follow in one way or another. If someone comes by with these lofty false promises that sound good the sheep may very well follow because they are not being properly led by the shepherd. Or in the clear difference between the animal and people, people are sinful beings who follow after things to itch their ears with. But the same rule of thumb applies that in their search, and in their wandering astray, we human beings are looking to be fed with something.

So where do we turn? Where is it that we can go to enable a true nourishment or fulfillment? We see it in todays Gospel where Jesus shows compassion for those who seemed like sheep without a shepherd and was to them the Good Shepherd as we satisfied their hunger. But we know it extends further beyond that very point. Yes, Jesus provides for our physical needs and does bless us out of His grace, but more than that we are satisfied in our soul with a hunger that all of humanity cries out for in their search for meaning and contentment. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He says so Himself in John 10. There again we see the ever so visual picture of Jesus being our shepherd.

Jesus as Good Shepherd is certainly a stark contrast between Him and the false shepherds out there. Think of those “shepherds” you may see on the television or out in our culture. Some may rally a cause that keeps the attention on themselves and not on what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Others try and guilt or bribe viewers into sending seed money to give them so that they can send back “blessings” and you can watch your wealth grow. What utter nonsense! What a distraction to the real message that we see here today. Jesus is the Good Shepherd! Jesus is the One who has gone ahead of His sheep to save them from their sins. Because of this, out of grace, Jesus leads us to be shepherds in our own lives.

How is it that we can envision ourselves as shepherds, in the proper sense, in our own families? Anyone ever hear of the Portals of Prayer? The prayers of the Small Catechism which instruct families how to do family devotions? There are many resources out there that can help us lead those we have been called to shepherd, or care for, in our own lives. Try and envision yourself as a shepherd in that manner. Bringing those in your care to church, sharing with them the Gospel, and getting to live that out not only in the home but also out in the world.

Witnessing in the workplace is another way to lead those under our care. Heck, this is different from family because it may be obvious children are under the care of their parents or guardians but is this so obvious in the public square? Do you see yourself sharing this message of the Gospel with those who need to hear it? Sharing our faith is a way to follow the lead of the Good Shepherd who sacrificed Himself for us in order that we may live. And in our living, that we would shine before others to let them also know of this Good News! Jesus the Good Shepherd leads you in that way in life as well. What a blessing that is to know and to receive. The New Testament sheep shared the Gospel with great joy, and what a wonder it would be to be able to share that same message that is timeless and endless to those we see in our lives. There are those out there who wander like those who are sheep without shepherds, like Jesus, let us have compassion on them as well!

I think the best thing to take away from this lesson today is that ultimately the Good Shepherd is also the Good Sheep, or the Good Lamb. Say it another way, Jesus has gone ahead before us as a sheep led to slaughter in order that though we die, we may live forever. That passage in Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray, and the LORD has laid upon him the iniquity of us all.” We sheep have gone astray and do go astray but Jesus had the iniquity of us all laid upon Him. In today’s text of Jeremiah 23:5-6 we see the ultimate promise of the LORD speaking to His people when he declared, “In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely.” God spoke a promise to His people that even in the midst of their scattering that they would be brought back into the fold. And this same message applies even to us today in New York City, to those of you here in this great congregation of St. Paul’s! God brings us back to the fold and keeps us as there as He has claimed us as His very own. And He did it by sending His Son, at the same time Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God sacrificed for our sins and iniquities. Try and envision this brothers and sisters, the shepherd went to the shearer ahead of His flock. Jesus went ahead of us into death and hell to suffer the punishment we deserved to suffer. The Good Shepherd turned Sacrificial Lamb did that for you and He did that for me. He did that for Brooklyn and all of New York City. He did that for all of New York State, and the United States of America. He did that for this continent, and He did that for this world! Jesus Christ is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. In Him and in Him alone there is life everlasting!

Just a short while ago we read from Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd.” God is our shepherd, and His Son Jesus Christ is the very Good Shepherd, sisters and brothers. It is through Him that God claims us as His sons and daughters and as His very own sheep. We read further that the LORD our Shepherd leads us beside still waters and restores our soul. In that vein don’t we see a Shepherd who leads us to the still, peaceful waters of Holy Baptism and in that manner restores our soul? Jesus walked with us through the valley of the shadow of death and told us to stay back as he literally went through the punishment of death and the torture of sin and hell to bring us back into the fold.

In the fold we are brought to the table that the LORD has prepared for us and we receive Jesus’ true body and blood that He, the Good Shepherd, gave and shed for us and for our salvation. God anoints our head with oil, and our Cup overflows with the very blood of Christ, which saves mankind. It is the LORD who makes us righteous by giving us His very righteousness that He won for us on Calvary. In Jeremiah 23, verse 6 we see right there in plain sight that the LORD is our righteousness. We see this refrain repeated in Chapters 30 and 33 of this same book, that the LORD is our righteousness. We cannot shepherd ourselves or lead ourselves, but thanks be to God that Jesus is our righteousness and that saves us from our very sinful selves. Because of this righteousness that has been given to us, Jesus gives the power to the church to shepherd through the proclamation of the Gospel. The pastor, as spiritual leader of the congregation, takes care of this and by the gifts of God given through His grace the priesthood of all believers, or the flock, are equipped to carry that message of the Good News into the streets and to those who need to hear it. God has brought us back into the fold, the LORD is our shepherd, and our righteousness. Thanks be to God we just get to live in that. Be a sheep, be a shepherd, but know who the Good Shepherd is, and follow Him! Amen.

Postmodern Lutheranism

Earth Day, Part II

Earth Day

The Psalms

Honest and Thoughtful Reviews of Rob Bell

The Unobtainable Deity

Bonhoeffer, pt. 2

Bonhoeffer

What the Incarnation means

Pope Benedict's Christmas Message to the UK

The "Christian" Hitler

Advent/Christmas Music Part 3

O come, O come, EmmanuelAnd ransom captive IsraelThat mourns in lonely exile hereUntil the Son of God appearRejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.

Advent/Christmas Music Part 2

Advent/Christmas Music Part 1

Broken Beyond Repair

you KNOW it's a myth

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Blessed are the...

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from Creation and Fall

"Vindicate Me From My Adversary!"

Kyrie Eleison

Wake Up!

Together With All Creatures

Why People Think Church Sucks

"A Sign Of Comfort For ALL"

Road Trip

mosques and tea parties

LCMS Reporter Interview with President-Elect Harrison

Battle Cry of the Faith

Ups and Downs

-Veith, Spirituality of the Cross, p.38

Dog Days

The Metanarrative in the Postmodern Culture

That I May Be His Own

7th Commandment

Earth Day Aftermath

First Things First

Peace?

Isaiah 65:17-25

But on the first day of the week...

Holy Saturday

My cousin and Haiti

Overheard in the Public Square...

The Ten

Saint John

We Shall Not Weary

Whatever you do to the least of these...

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Particular Kind...

Haiti

Catastrophe and the hidden God/revealed God

The Ransomed Shall Return

The Ransomed Shall Return

What Shall We Do?

December 25th

The Useful Sinner

Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart

Quarter Break

Sola Fide - Reformation Day (observed)

Ministering Cross-Culturally

Nothing But the Water

Identity Crisis

Fall Thoughts....sort of

Re-defining "Church Music"

Last Words

Sem Life 101

The Rising

Album Review: "Joy" by Phish

Welcome to the Big Leagues

On Sharing the Gospel

Smashing Stereotypes

Finals Week

Jesus the Behavioralist

Wonder Bread

Mockingbird does it again

I have a dream

Slow Down and PARK

Internet Monk on Preaching the Gospel

Un Dios

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.