Never in a lifetime

I was amazed by this week's total eclipse of the sun over portions of the United States.  Actually, it wasn't the eclipse that I found amazing but peoples' reactions to it.  

Some drove (or flew) miles and miles in order to find an exact point where total darkness would occur. They spent hundreds or thousands of dollars in order to witness with their own eyes an event that lasted mere minutes.

It is as if people find it barely believable that the universe could be so ordered that the earth, moon and sun would align as predicted to produce this wonder.  

Here in Cedar Rapids the eclipse was barely noticeable.  Because of the heavy overcast it was impossible to see. 

Many friends and acquaintances shared their eclipse experiences on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and every other type of social media.  

Dozens of people witnessed to me about the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon they claimed to have seen.

Should I believe them?  

After all, I didn't see it myself.  And they are not professional astronomers.  They are just people with cameras and I-Pads.  What makes them trustworthy - aside from their eyewitness accounts?

It reminds me of those who doubt Jesus, especially his prophesied resurrection from the dead, having been crucified for our sins. 

Scripture tells us hundreds of people were eyewitnesses of his resurrection, including several whose written accounts are preserved thousands of years later.

Should one doubt the resurrection simply because it is outside the boundary of one's own experience?  Should I doubt the eclipse occurred simply because it was impossible for me to view it?

As Jesus, following his resurrection, quizzed his disciple Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

For me, the evidence is clear, both for Jesus' resurrection and for the eclipse.

And an eclipse truly is an uncommon wonder.

Earth has only one moon.  Mercury and Venus, the two planets in our solar system closest to the sun have no moons, so an eclipse is impossible.

Farther away from the sun, Mars has two moons while Jupiter and Saturn each sport 53 such circling bodies. Uranus has 27 moons and Neptune 13, according to NASA. These most-distant planets also have a number of unconfirmed moons that could raise their totals.

Because of the distances and physical characteristics involved however, eclipses of the sun almost never occur on planets with many moons.

Earth is the only known place in the universe where such a perfect eclipse can occur.

Think about that.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork." Psalm 19:1 KJV

That's our astronomy lesson for today.

Pastorich

A common confession

For the past several months the pastors and board of elders of King of Kings Lutheran Church have been studying the Book of Concord, a collection of documents written by church reformers in the 1500's.
  
Its subtitle is The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Most people probably interpret "confessions" as admissions of guilt, like admitting one's crimes to the police or confessing sins to a priest.  Some dictionaries inaccurately define the word this way.
The actual meaning of confession is different.

It is a statement of the truth regarding a particular matter.

The confessions of our church are clear statements of Christian doctrine, based solely on Holy Scripture, contrasted to the errors taught by the church in earlier days.

The Book of Concord is not a Lutheran addition to scripture.  It is not to be compared to the Book of Mormon, for example.
  
The Book of Concord introduces no teachings that are not found in the Bible, and it makes no theological points that are not supported by holy scripture.

Here is what this collection includes:

• Three ecumenical creeds (Apostles, Nicene, Athanasian)
• Augsburg Confession (1530)
• Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession (1531)
• Smalcald Articles (1537)
• Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope (1537)
• Small Catechism (1529)
• Large Catechism (1529)
• Formula of Concord (1577)

The pastors and elders of our congregation recently completed our study of the Augsburg Confession and began to tackle the Smalcald Articles.

These articles bear the name of a defensive league formed by leaders of German territories who supported the Reformation.  The Smalcald League was a military alliance formed to defend against an expected attack by Charles V, the Roman Catholic emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and the princes of Catholic German provinces supporting him.  

Written by Martin Luther, the articles were never acted upon by the Smalcald League, even though they were signed by most of the League's members.  They did adopt the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope authored by Luther's colleague, Philip Melancthon.

Americans today would shudder at the intermixing of religious faith and secular politics that were characteristic of life in the 1500's.  But leaders then recognized that religion is an essential aspect of what binds people together.

The Lutheran princes were prepared to go to war to defend the Reformation, but only if they were in doctrinal agreement with one another! They recognized the importance of unity in faith.

One of Luther's staunch supporters, Elector Frederick, believed the Smalcald Articles were such a clear confession of Christian teaching that he included them in his last will and testament.

Here is the First Article, called the Chief Article by Luther.

"1] That Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins, and was raised again for our justification, Rom. 4:25.

2] And He alone is the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world, John 1:29; and God has laid upon Him the iniquities of us all, Is. 53:6.

3] Likewise: All have sinned and are justified without merit [freely, and without their own works or merits] by His grace,through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood, Rom. 3:23f

4] Now, since it is necessary to believe this, and it cannot be otherwise acquired or apprehended by any work, law, or merit, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us as St. Paul says, Rom. 3:28: For we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the Law. Likewise 3:26: That He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believes in Christ.

5] Of this article nothing can be yielded or surrendered [nor can anything be granted or permitted contrary to the same], even though heaven and earth, and whatever will not abide, should sink to ruin. For there is none other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved, says Peter, Acts 4:12. And with His stripes we are healed, Is. 53:5. And upon this article all things depend which we teach and practice in opposition to the Pope, the devil, and the [whole] world. Therefore, we must be sure concerning this doctrine, and not doubt; for otherwise all is lost, and the Pope and devil and all things gain the victory and suit over us."

Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone, scripture alone.  

The Book of Concord is not a substitute for the Bible.  It is merely the historic, clear statement of what the Bible says to us.  As Lutherans, it is our common confession.

"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect."         1 Peter 3:15

The sign of hope

My season tickets for the 2017 Iowa State Cyclone football season showed up in our mailbox last week. 

There was a time when the arrival of that big envelope with the pretty, glossy tickets inside caused my heart to flutter a bit as the anticipation of a new and exciting college football season welled up inside me.

Like the first robin of spring, the tickets are a sign of hope for the future. Each bar-coded and embossed one of them is a potential victory waiting to be celebrated.

This year, however, I just don't feel the same enthusiasm.

It could be because I reached a significant aging milestone this year.  I certainly have spent less time reading up on my team during the off-season, which could explain it.  More likely, though, is that other things have become more important.  My perspective has changed. 

Don't get me wrong.  I still love the games, and I scream and holler with the best (or worst?) of the other fans in the stadium.  

I really want my team to win.  Especially since the "win" column hasn't exactly been bursting with W's the last few years.  

Since last season I spent my first days and nights sitting with dying congregation members and their loved ones and conducted my first funeral.  I received and gave hugs to extended families I barely knew as they wept.

I sat with couples grappling with issues that threatened to end their marriages and prayed with people despondent over their emotional distresses.

A drug addict cried in my office over his inability to break a habit that tormented him.  

I baptized babies and children, welcoming them into God's kingdom through the miracle of grace found in God's word attached to simple water.

I taught little ones about Jesus.

And I had the great privilege to announce God's forgiveness to his gathered congregation nearly every Sunday, and to share the assurance of his forgiveness through Christ's body and blood in the Lord's Supper.

Since last season I have had the honor of preaching words of life to everyone who hears and believes the Gospel of Jesus.

"We were buried with Christ by baptism into death, in order that, just as he was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)

The place to find real hope is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

No ticket to any game on earth can come close to that.   Not even my beloved Cyclones.