You did it to me

This space has been quiet for several months, but today I want to share some thoughts that I expressed at the recent funeral of a friend, coworker and fellow member of King of Kings. His name was Roger.

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If you have been around the Lutheran Church long enough, you will have a complete understanding of what I am about to say.

Roger was an old Missouri Synod Lutheran.

Do you have an idea what I mean by that statement?

Let me tell you what it means to be an old Missouri Synod Lutheran like Roger.

The old Missouri Synod Lutheran knows when and where he was baptized into the Christian faith because he understands it was the most important day in his life, even if he cannot remember it taking place.

But he does remember the date when, as a young man, he confirmed with his own lips the faith in Jesus he received in his baptism.

He can tell you the names of his baptismal sponsors.

He knows that sin is his problem and there is nothing he can do about it by himself. Plus, God has already handled it.

He believes Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead is and always will be the solution to the consequences of sin for all of us. Because Christ was raised from the dead, those with faith in him will be raised to eternal life too.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” and if God in human flesh said it, then we should believe it.

The old Missouri Synod Lutheran wears a suit to church most Sundays to give honor to Christ, who gave everything for Roger, and for you and for me too.

The old Missouri Synod Lutheran has been an usher for as long as he can remember and helps-out on clean-up days.

He serves God and the Church in ways that are useful and beneficial but not particularly flashy.

Look at the seat pocket in front of you and you will probably see a pencil. Go ahead, pick it up.

Nothing fancy. Just a regular Number 2 pencil. Recently sharpened, too.

And next to it should be some attendance cards. Take one of those also.

Attendance registration on one side. Prayer request on the other.

The old Missouri Synod Lutheran knows that some Sunday morning a person in this church, perhaps sitting exactly where you are now, will have just experienced the worst week of their entire life – the death of a loved one, a marriage that came apart, the discovery of a terminal illness.

One of us pastors will invite the congregation to use these pencils and cards to confirm attendance and to request prayers of thanks for the joys or healing for the anguish people were feeling at that very moment.

And someone sitting in one of these seats will reach forward, take a pencil and a card, and, for the very first time, truly seek Christ’s help and forgiveness.

And because the old Missouri Synod Lutheran and his faithful wife had dutifully seen to it every week...the cards were restocked...the pencil was sharp...prayers were raised to God...and God answered according to his will.

That’s how God works among us, you know. Through faithful Christian servants like Roger…..doing the little, barely noticeable, often routine things that aid in bringing people into contact with Jesus, their Savior.

“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

Jesus said it, and the old Missouri Synod Lutheran believed it. Amen.

Figuring out Transfiguration

This Sunday (February 11) is observed as The Transfiguration of Jesus.

Here is the account, from Mark 9:2-9 (NIV):

"After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

"Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

(12th Century Icon)

"Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

"As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what 'rising from the dead' meant."

I freely admit that the account of Christ's transfiguration has always puzzled me.  

Oh, I understand what took place on the mountain, the miraculous event that occurred.  Many people smarter than me have concluded that Moses and Elijah are the embodiment of the Old Testament scriptures - the Law and the Prophets - that were fulfilled in the Messiah Jesus.

I think I understand the Father's command to the disciples to listen to Jesus. (After all, he stands here in God's glory, right before your eyes.  Who better to listen to and follow?)

But it is very difficult for me to grasp the glory of Christ that was revealed to those three disciples.  I do not think I am alone in this.

The transfiguration of Jesus is observed at the end of the season of Epiphany - the time of teaching when Christ is revealed to the world.  The transfiguration is the greatest revelation of all.  He is not a mere man.  He is God in human flesh.

With that revelation in mind, we enter the season of Lent, the long slog that leads to his crucifixion. Holy Week climaxes in his Easter resurrection.  His ascension into heaven follows in 40 days and the day of Pentecost in 10 more, when the Holy Spirit is received by the Church.  All of this takes place so that we might be made members of his kingdom.

And that is what makes the glory of the transfiguration so difficult for me to comprehend.

I know everything there is to know about sin and evil because they have always been a part of me.  Scripture tells us that God's law is written on our hearts, therefore even those who have never read the Scriptures are aware of their separation from God because of sin.

I have felt the experience and guilt of sin.  All of us have. Those who claim that there is no such thing as sin are liars, especially to themselves.

Even for Christians it is difficult to imagine a world that is free from the impact of sin, a world filled with God's glory that gives light to everything in existence.

We are very good at describing the life that constitutes ultimate evil, which is rejection of Christ.  We are impossibly bad at describing ultimate good, which is Christ.    

Unlike the Apostle John, one of the three who were with Jesus at his transfiguration, we know little about God's glory, except by faith.
  
He wrote, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

In further writing John urges us to believe that as ones who trust in the redemption won for us by Jesus, we share in his glorious life, even though we continue in a world dominated by its sinful condition.

"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2)

So, at the end of this, I can state two things. First, I am a sinner in need of a savior and he is Jesus. He is the means by which God intercedes in his creation.  Second, I cannot fully comprehend the wonderful, glorious life Jesus has in store for me. It simply won't be possible until we meet face to face.  

However glorious that life is, he will share it with me. 

How is your memory?

With Christmas only a few days away I am reminded of an event.

I was in junior high school and my class was preparing for the annual children's Christmas program at St. Paul Lutheran Church in my hometown of Eldora, Iowa.

Several of us were asked to deliver portions of the Christmas Gospel from memory!

Although each of us needed to memorize only a short section of the first 20 verses of the second chapter of Luke's Gospel, we were challenged to commit the entire reading to memory.  

Memorization was never one of my strong suits, but I managed to do it - in the King James Version!  

That was more than 50 years ago.  With only an occasional misstep I can still recite this portion of the world's most important narrative today.

Here it is.  It is definitely worth the effort to commit it to your  memory and to your heart.

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."

A Christian driveway persona

A story out this week reported that a research firm believes it can predict the political leanings of a city neighborhood by analyzing the types of vehicles its residents drive.

It does this with technology that identifies vehicles parked in driveways and elsewhere using images found on Google's Street Views application.

For instance, in those areas where the number of sedans is higher than pickup trucks, there’s an 88 percent chance of the district voting Democratic. Where there are more pickup trucks, there’s an 82 percent chance it’s a Republican-voting district.

The researchers made other claims about their results, and you can find a summary at this website if you are interested.

While we can debate the validity of profiling a group of people based on the cars and trucks they own, an interesting point can be raised.

We Lutherans confess that our salvation from sin and death is a gift from God received from his abundant grace without any merit on our part.  Our good works are useless in this.  Only faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ leads to our reconciliation to God, and this, too, is a gift from him.

Some are so firmly devoted to (infatuated with?) this doctrine of "grace alone" that they begin to believe that their outward actions have nothing to do with the faith they hold.  Because faith is an issue of the heart, how can it be judged by the work of the hands or the words of the mouth?  

I once read an online debate among a group of supposedly confessional Lutheran pastors in which they speculated about how vile their speech and how outlandish their actions could become before they "crossed the line" of allowable Christian conduct.

They were asking, in essence, 'How un-Christlike can I be and still claim myself to be Christian?'  

The Advent season reminds us that Jesus has come and will come again as foretold.  And at his second coming all will face judgment.

As Jesus described this judgment in Matthew 25, peoples' outward actions will inform him about what has ruled their hearts.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.  Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25: 41 & 45)

St. Paul reminds us of this in his words to the Galatia Christians, "As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." (Galatians 6:10)

We live to be like Jesus to others in all that we do.  Our works matter; they simply don't save us. 

As members of the body of Christ it is our privilege and our calling to aid and support one another in both body and spirit. Jesus tells us that this is how we make a public witness of the faith that we hold.

Our motivation is as clear to Christ as a sedan parked in a neighborhood of pickups.

  

Three crosses

I want to tell you about three crosses.  

They are not the three crosses you probably would expect in a pastor's story; they are not the ones on which Jesus and two thieves were executed on Mount Calvary long ago.
  
These are three different crosses.

The first is one of several wooden crosses I packed to take along when a group of workers from King of Kings Lutheran Church went to Houston, Texas earlier this month to help with clean-up in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. 
They were  made by one of our talented members to present as gifts for families joining our congregation.
  
Three of these little wooden crosses stayed in Houston as remembrances of our assistance to the families who were helped. They are reminders of why we came.

The second cross is vastly different from the first.

It is massive, modern and beautiful, standing at the gateway to Salem Lutheran Church at Tomball, Texas.  This church served as "home" to the workers.  There we ate breakfast, cleaned up after a long day of exhausting work, chatted in the evening and slept on cots at night.

To us strangers, the cross - lit at night - was a beacon that announced to us that the long day was over and we were home at last.

The third cross was different still.  It was an odd color, a bit beat up and anything but beautiful.  Yet it had an important purpose.  A key was attached to it that opened the door to a home in need.

It was the most important cross of the three.  

Without this cross, we could not reach the one in need.  All of the tools and manpower were useless if we could not enter the house.

In the same way the cross of Jesus opened the barrier that stood between us and our heavenly Father.  It met our greatest need.  Jesus' death was the payment for our sins.  The door to everlasting life swung open with his resurrection.

Like a flooded home rehabbed by a crew of volunteers, you and I have been made new again by the cross of Christ.   

For all the saints

It was a strange coincidence that Devin Patrick Kelley carried out his killing rampage on Sunday, November 5, at a small Texas church.

All Saints Sunday.

All day long Christian churches throughout the world were giving thanks to God for the generous gift of faith in Christ extended to his people, his Church, through the Holy Spirit, and for all of those who have died holding onto that faith who now enjoy the bliss of heaven.

All Saints Sunday.

All Saints Day had its origin as a day of remembrance of martyred Christians.  On Sunday, a man without hope thought he could steal hope from God's people by killing them.  Instead, he sealed them in that hope, and added their names to the rolls of the martyred. 

They would not have died in such a way had they not been found in worship of the only true God on that particular morning.

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day of the Lord drawing near."  Hebrews 10:23-25

What to do with freedom

"What will you do with that freedom?"

Whether those words were actually uttered by William Wallace we
do not know.

They are a portion of a battlefield speech delivered by Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart in which he portrayed the legendary freedom fighter during the Wars of Scottish Independence. 

Wallace was speaking of the personal, social, political and national freedoms sought by people who had lived a long time without any of them.  

In a speech to his victorious troops he asked, now that you are free, what are your plans? Will you continue the fight to its conclusion, or will you slip back into the old ways and slowly become slaves again? 

Two centuries after William Wallace was captured and executed by England's King Edward I in 1305, Martin Luther and others like him were used by God in their time to expose a different kind of freedom for the people, achieved for us by a different victor, Jesus Christ.

The freedom won by Christ, through his death and resurrection is our release from the guilt of sin and the curse of eternal death.  It is, in fact, life itself, the freedom to follow Him.  His victory is our victory, a gift to us through faith in Christ.

But Wallace-like questions ring in our ears.  Now that you are free, what are your plans? Will you continue the fight to its conclusion, will you live the life of forgiveness and joy that you have been given, or will you slip back into the old ways and slowly become slaves again?

What will you do with that freedom? 

In the Large Catechism, Luther observed that the answer to holding on to our Gospel freedom is daily living our Baptism, saying it “is nothing else than putting to death the old Adam, and after that the resurrection of the new man, both of which must take place in us all our lives, so that a truly Christian life is nothing else than a daily Baptism, once begun and ever to be continued.

This must be practiced without ceasing, that we ever keep purging away whatever is of the old Adam, and that that which belongs to the new man come forth.” 

This is the freedom of a Christian, new life every day.  

As we observe the 500th anniversary of the Reformation it is important to understand what really happened.  

In the Reformation the Church didn't change, not the true Church anyway.  It belongs to Christ.  It never changes.  It can't change.   

People were changed when the unchanging truth of God's Word was revealed and blind, enslaved hearts were set free.

Every day is a fresh day with the freedom to follow Jesus.  It' still all about him.

By the way, if you've never seen Gibson's famous freedom speech, here is it on Youtube. 

Life alone

If you want to send my daughter over the edge, simply point out a person sitting alone in a restaurant.

When she was younger she actually began to cry if we were eating out and she spied someone dining at a table for one.  

Her soft heart equates solitary meals with loneliness.  I hope it's because we had some wonderfully happy times at the dinner table when she was growing up - at least during those times when we could get her to stop dancing and be seated!   

In my former occupation I traveled frequently for work. When I called home in the evening to check in with the family she always wanted to know with whom I had eaten dinner.

She couldn't stand the thought of Daddy sitting alone at a table in a restaurant in an unfamiliar city.  I admit there were times I fibbed just so she wouldn't feel bad.

Most people probably share her feelings - at least a little bit.  While a few souls are naturally comfortable on their own, most of us would rather spend our time with another human being, or at least a friendly pet!

The dictionary definition of 'alone' is pretty straightforward: unique, set apart, exclusive of all else. That sounds okay, almost royal. 

But if one consults a thesaurus regarding 'alone' the list of  synonyms is a sad bunch of words: abandoned, isolated, solitary, forsaken, etc.  The implication is that one should avoid 'alone-ness' at all cost because it is a life devoid of relationships!

Before this becomes a pity party, we also must recognize that there are some very positive 'alones' that have made it possible for us to enjoy one specific relationship - our relationship with God.

These are the 'alones' rediscovered during the Reformation, a time when truths about God and our relationship with him were brought to light once again through the Gospel of Jesus.

Scripture alone.  The Bible is the one and only standard by which all teachers and doctrines may be judged because it is the clear, true, powerful and unchanging Word of God.  (Sola scriptura!)

Grace alone.  The unearned and undeserved love of God for all of creation, especially for his people, that caused him to send his only Son to redeem it.  (Sola gratia!)

Faith alone.  The personal assurance that God's promises of forgiveness and everlasting life are true and reliable.  There is nothing that I must or can do to bring this about.  Such certainty is a gift from God received through the Gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit.  (Sola fide!)

Christ alone.  The death of Jesus Christ on the cross redeemed me and all others from the curse and darkness of sin and eternal death.  It did for me what I could not do myself.  His resurrection from the dead is God's promise to me that I will live also.  (Solus Christus!)

Notice how everything about forgiveness and life comes from God? He acted in order that we would not be abandoned, isolated and forsaken but loved, encouraged and cared for forever.

Thank God that he acted alone to make us his people.  

It wouldn't have worked any other way.







   





      

The Lutheran difference

While paging through a catalog from my church body's supply company I came across several items that reminded me of one of the central tenets of the Reformation - Christian freedom.

Among the many important doctrines recovered by Martin Luther and his colleagues was that of freedom.  Not the kind of freedom we have as American citizens but freedom that comes from our redemption through Christ.

This is freedom from the law that condemns us for our sinfulness because Christ fulfilled the law for us.  Through the forgiveness of sins which he achieved on the cross, the law's power over us was terminated.  St. Paul addressed this at some depth in his first letter to the church at Corinth.

People there were troubled that some Christians were purchasing and eating meat that was sacrificed to pagan idols then sold in the marketplace.  Folks were divided over its propriety.  

Could a Christian eat this "idol" meat without sinning? And what effect would it have on Christians who believed it was an improper act? Do their feelings matter more than one's own?

Here is what God tells us through Paul:

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others." (1 Corinthians 10:23-24 NIV)

Just as secular freedom demands responsibility on our part, so also our freedom in Christ requires Christian responsibility. The Christian is released from useless rules of conduct devised by sinful men. But he must always be cognizant of how his freedom is interpreted by others, especially those whose faith is weak.

Which brings me back to the catalog.  In celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation Concordia Publishing House - a very Lutheran outfit -  is offering several commemorative items suitable for holiday giving.  

My favorites are this German-looking beer stein as well as a very useful shot glass.  Christian freedom at its finest.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."              1 Corinthians 10:31


(Just be sure to leave these in the cupboard when entertaining your Baptist friends.)

Starting over fresh

“Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man.” --Aristotle

The biggest question in the church today is, where are all the young people?

You have probably read the statistics about the nationwide decline in church attendance, especially the dramatic plunge in the young adult category.

The trend has been developing for years.  Now, however, church leaders have come to the realization that the young people are gone and the baby boom generation has begun to die off.  

The outlook for church attendance 20 years from now is especially grim.  Many congregations are circling the drain.

As a result virtually every Christian community is trying to figure out how to reignite faith and congregational participation among the 20-somethings who as children sat in the pews next to their  parents.

Typically this leads to implementation of new programs, the addition of specialized staff or adoption of a particular worship style aimed at drawing a certain group of people through the doors.

It rarely works.  

If Aristotle was right (and he was wrong about a lot of things) the church isn't doing a very good job of building the faith of its children.

More correctly, parents aren't doing a very good job of building the faith of their children.

Moses told the Israelites not to neglect educating their children in the commandments of God.

"You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Deuteronomy 11:19

Likewise, King Solomon gave this astute advice.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

Martin Luther, in the opening words of his Small Catechism section on the Ten Commandments, admonished, 

"As the head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household."

It is clear where the responsibility lies. 

There are all kinds of reasons why parents of the last 50 years have failed to adequately bring up our children believing and trusting in Jesus and desiring to serve him.  We must repent, seek His forgiveness and follow his guidance. 

We often lay the blame on over-active schedules, particularly organized youth sports.  

Guess what?

An annual household survey conducted by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association confirms that organized sports participation among our youth is also falling. Among kids 13 to 17 years old the rate fell from 42.7% in 2008 to 39.3% in 2015. There was a similar decline for ages 6 to 12.

Here is another item to chew on.

Only 3% of adults who play sports currently did not play when they were young, according to a 2015 study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard University.

The old axiom is true: it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Whether it is faith or football, if an activity or association isn't learned and appreciated when a person is young it is highly unlikely to be important in their adult life. 

Here is what must be done.

Churches must expend greater energy, focus more intently and spend more dollars supporting, encouraging and training parents to teach their children about Jesus.

Unfortunately, many Christian parents today are unable to cogently express what they believe or why they believe it regarding Jesus and their relationship with him.  

And parents must face this fact.  You have been called by God to this position of responsibility to prepare your children for eternity.  There is no job of greater importance than this.
   
Your church is here to help. 








   

America's kneeling problem

Not many things that happen in society surprise me anymore, but I admit that I am flummoxed over the current kneeling controversy.

Some players in the National Football League chose to kneel (or sit) during the playing of the national anthem in protest over alleged ongoing police mistreatment of black citizens. 

Now, a lot of other people are imitating the kneeling protest for their personal purposes.

I am not going to involve myself in the merits of these actions.  However, because I am a product of the Vietnam war era of the 1960's and 70's, I generally perceive peaceful public protest as an ordinary American occurrence.  In fact, only those unschooled in our nation's history would think otherwise.  

I am not highly offended by the players' actions. But many other Americans are offended beyond measure.

Standing up to oppressors is at the root of independent American thought, whether the oppression was religious, political, economic or racial.  It brought Pilgrims to North America along with many of the immigrants who followed them.  

What is at the root of the sharp denouncement of the protesters?  

At its core, I believe the controversy is neither political nor patriotic.  It is religious.

Recently I read an article in which the author maintained that a decline in religious faith does not necessarily lead one to greater immorality but it does push one toward increased tribalism and viciousness.  Current events in America and around the world tend to confirm this.  

The push-back against the NFL's kneeling protesters is understandable if we look at it from a this different perspective.

American cultural "Christianity" is a worship mixture of God and country, where the flag is both a religious and a national symbol and the national anthem is the chief and abiding hymn.  

This cultural religion is what encourages many Americans to claim Christian faith with no knowledge of who Jesus Christ is or what Christian faith entails.  It is what allows these so-called Christians to reject the Church while claiming its benefits.

For cultural Christians, the protesters' "attack" on the flag and the anthem is an attack on their nation and their religion because the two are so closely interwoven.

As often happens, discussion of the merit of the protest is sidelined in favor of other more violent arguments.  Jesus experienced this himself while on trial before the high priest.

"Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” (John 18:23)

We know how that turned out.

People who should have knelt before him murdered him instead.

The really big issue in the kneeling controversy is not the football player facing the star spangled banner on one knee, but his opponent who bends both knees to it.

Search for perfection

I keep telling myself to stop reading comments posted on internet news sites.  The majority of internet commenters are rude, highly opinionated and clueless. 

Generally, the back-and-forth sniping simply makes me angry - like the old Point-Counter Point debates that were once part of CBS' 60 Minutes back in the days when that program actually uncovered and reported important news.   

It is amazing that people are so eager to reveal their gross lack of knowledge and vast deficit of insight in such a public manner as the internet.

But hey, look what I'm doing.

There is a common thread in many comments - a politician, athlete, business executive, relative etc. - failed to live up to someone's expectations.  Therefore, he or she must pay the price of failure, intentional or otherwise.

Fire her, impeach him, give her the boot, arrest him.  It doesn't matter how, just get rid of them. 

For one reason or another, people seem convinced that there is a perfect man (or woman) somewhere who has the power and the ability to make all of our lives better.

If we could just find that person!

The other night I watched the PBS broadcast of "Martin Luther: the Idea That Changed the World."  It was a reasonably accurate portrayal of the life and work of the man credited as the spark that finally ignited the reformation of the Christian church.  

Sometimes we fail to emphasize strongly enough what Luther was seeking that eventually led to his uncovering the truth of the Gospel in scripture.  

He was seeking to overcome his imperfection.  

After years of trying to become a perfect man he realized he was involved in a fool's errand.  There is no such thing. No one can live up to God's standard because every person has the same problem - a nature corrupted by sin that cannot be shed.

Yet, men keep seeking it.  If not in themselves, then in someone else who they pray will make things better for them.

Disappointment follows, because invariably hope is placed in a person just like one's self.  

Let me suggest something that changed me just as it changed Luther.  It will change you too.

Trust Jesus.  

The good news rediscovered by Martin Luther is this:  we are made perfect in God's eyes through faith in Jesus Christ - his death for our sins and his resurrection from the dead for our assurance of life with him.  Nothing we can say or do can add to what he has done.

"This promise is for you and for your children and for everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." (Acts 2:39)

Stop searching for a "perfect" man or woman, politician or preacher to make everything right in the world.

He's already here, and the work is already done.

  

Blowin' in the wind

This morning when I arrived at King of Kings Lutheran Church I noticed two unfamiliar vehicles at the far end of the parking lot.

Two men were standing there, engrossed in something.

After a while it became apparent one of the men was preparing to take flight using a para-glider powered by a backpack-mounted gasoline engine attached to a propeller.

(Silent movie comedies spring to mind.)

I'm not certain why anyone would want to strap two gallons of gasoline to one's torso, start it slowly but precisely exploding and then fly into the sky on a wing resembling a very large pair of flimsy ladies' underwear, but this is what he did.

Now I want to do it too.

Joking aside, this fellow was very precise in how and where he attempted to become airborne.

In fact, he jabbed a portable windsock into the ground not far from the church in order to determine the exact direction needed in order to take off into the wind to utilize the best lift.

As I contemplated the windsock in that location - next to the church - I wanted to rip it out of the ground.  It is so incongruous next to a building housing a confessional congregation.

The windsock is the source of most of the problems of the Christian church in America today.

Too many denominations, congregations, pastors and individual Christians have decided the Church must check which way the cultural wind is blowing and "adjust" its teachings and doctrines to match the wind's direction, no matter where it takes them.

Unfortunately, most of these churches, including many Lutheran groups, have departed so far from the Bible's clear teachings that they may never find their way back.

According to the cultural wind, sin is no longer sin.  And without sin one certainly has no need of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
Remember 1 John 1:8? "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

The truth is that sin is still sin, separation from God brings eternal judgment and our only hope is the redemption won for us by Jesus, our Savior.

God's Word is clear on that.

The next verse, 1 John 1:9, is also clear. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The one who admits his sinfulness and desires to change his life is forgiven.  We call it being justified, made right with God.

God's Word is clear on that, too.

The moral of this story?  Windsocks are necessary for para-gliders but they are death for the Church.

  

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. 

Where praise is due

The other day someone in our congregation did the worst thing to me that could be done to any pastor with an ego the size of mine.

She praised my sermon.  

Worse still, she said it was the best sermon she had ever heard.

Anywhere. 

By anyone.  

And she isn't a young woman!  

I know this sounds strange, but hear me out.    

Everyone is insecure about something. We all desire the approval of other people. 

This is why we keep checking our Facebook posts to see how many "Likes" our latest entry has accumulated.

Pastors are no exception.  

While it probably isn't the case, I suspect many pastors believe their congregations evaluate them primarily by their sermons.

So we like to hear a word of praise or feel a pat on the back - a Facebook "thumbs up" - as members are filing out after taking in our latest homily.

This is where the damage is done.

He is invisible to you, but each Sunday morning the devil is sitting on the pastor's shoulder while he greets members as they exit the sanctuary.

"Great sermon Pastor Balvanz," one says.

"You deserve those words," the devil whispers in my ear. "You really moved him this morning."

"I needed to hear your words today," says another member, as my chest expands.

"You are naturally better than other pastors," the devil chimes in. "In fact, you don't really need to prepare so hard next week." 

It takes a lot of time to develop a sermon.  Pastors want their words to be memorable and useful to those who hear it.  And there is the rub.

They aren't our words and pastors should claim no credit for them.

A sermon worthy of remembering is based solely on God's words given in His gospel.

Jesus is the one worthy of praise.  He is the one who shouldered our sins, died for them and rose again so that we might have life forever.

Don't praise the realtor for what the builder accomplished.  

Simply say, "Thank you pastor for reminding me of what God has done."

Thumbs up to that! 

  

Evil in this world

Do you believe that evil exists?

  

With great self-delusion, many people today do not.

  

I am not talking about "bad" things that happen to "good" people. Nor do I mean individuals whose wanton human natures bring them into repeated conflict with others.

I am talking about real evil, the pervasive darkness of spirit that invades one's mind, soul and body all at once.

  

Unseen but palpable evil.  Demonic evil.

Though many refuse to believe a spiritual realm even exists, St. Paul informs us this is where the Christian's fiercest battles are fought.

"We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12 ESV)

Evil is living sin. Its author is Satan, and it commands the life of every person who has not received the new birth of the Holy Spirit through baptism in the name of Christ.

Evil inhabits one's being, and its lies are so convincing they sound like truth.

A friend told me about visiting a place where he  felt evil's presence, like an enveloping inescapable mist.

It is real, and many people struggle in its grip.

Alcohol and substance abuse, suicidal and murderous thoughts, and a host of other manifestations testify to the reality of evil.

Rejection of the Gospel of Christ, disobedience to the Word of God, Paul wrote, is the goal of the "prince of the power of the air." (Ephesians 2:2)

Evil does not enjoy the final word, however.

As he prepared to give up his life as a payment for all of the sins of this world, Jesus pronounced judgment against evil and its author saying, "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out." (John 12:31 NIV)

And as he was about to be arrested by his opponents he said, "The prince of this world now stands condemned." (John 16:11 NIV)

Satan is condemned, guilt is abolished and death is overcome in Christ, but evil persists in this world.  Its primary target is the people of God.

Here is God's command to us:

"Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV)

Evil - sin alive in the world - will remain until the day Christ returns. But we are not powerless against it. 

God has freely given us his strong defense - the shield of faith in his Son and the sword of his powerful Word.  

He has placed them in our hands.  But they are most effectively used with practice.  Are you becoming more efficient at swinging the sword of his Word, more forceful in handling the shield of faith?

By the way, I was always impressed by how well evil's darkness was portrayed in the movie, "Passion of the Christ." Here is a short, edited video of living evil seeming to conquer Jesus, only to have the tables turned by His cross!