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