Hard to believe, but it was exactly one year ago last night that I received my call into the Office of Holy Ministry. Who would have thought that when I started at the seminary in the summer of 2001, that I would eventually be placed in Gillette, Wyoming. Though I haven’t been a pastor for a full year yet, it has been one year since I received my call.

For those interested, last evening at Concordia Theological Seminary, they held their annual placement service for men to enter the Office of Holy Ministry. 64 men received calls last night. God’s blessings to each of them as they finish up their time at the seminary and prepare to begin their work at their churches.

From the hymn, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives"

I know that my Redeemer lives; What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead; He lives, My everliving Head.

He lives to grant me rich supply; He lives to guide me with His eye;
He lives to comfort me when faint; He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.

He lives to bless me with His love; He lives to plead for me above;
He lives my hungry soul to feed; He lives to help in time of need.

He lives and grants me daily breath; He lives, and I shall conquer death;
He lives my mansion to prepare; He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives, all glory to His name!  He lives, my Savior, still the same;
What joy this blest assurance gives: I know that my Redeemer lives!

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Allelujah!

Good Friday is a very somber service.  During the Office of Tenebrae (where we read the last 7 words of Christ and extinguish candles), we sang verses of several hymns after each reading.  The first hymn we sang was "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," a very moving hymn.

O sacred head, now wounded, With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded With thorns, your only crown.
O sacred head, what glory, And bliss did once combine
Though now despised and gory, I joy to call you mine.

How pale you are with anguish, With sore abuse and scorn!
Your face, your eyes now languish, Which once were bright as morn.
Now from your cheeks are vanished Their color once so fair;
From loving lips is banished The splendor that was there.

All this for my transgression, My wayward soul to win;
This torment of your Passion, To set me free from sin.
I cast myself before you, Your wrath my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore you, O Lord, condemn me not!

Here will I stand beside you, Your death for me my plea;
Let all the world deride you, I clasp you close to me.
My awe cannot be spoken, To see you crucified;
But in your body broken, Redeemed, I safely hide!

What language can I borrow To thank you, dearest friend,
For this your dying sorrow, Your mercy without end?
Bind me to you forever, Give courage from above;
Let not my weakness sever Your bond of lasting love.

Lord, be my consolation, My constant source of cheer;
Remind me of your Passion, My shield when death is near.
I look in faith, believing That you have died for me;
Your cross and crown receiving, I live eternally.

Everyone wants to have a nice, clean Jesus as their Savior.  But if you read the accounts in the Gospels of the final day of Christ, you will see that He was not nice and clean.  He was beaten, scourged, bloody, and down right nasty to look at.  That is the cost of our sins.  That is what was necessary to make us children of God.

I know it’s a little late posting this, but last week was a bit busy.

I’ve assisted with Holy Week services at my home congregation and on vicarage, but never have I assisted with Holy Week services as a pastor, until last week.  I have to say that it is rather emotional seeing the altar stripped at the conclusion of the service.  It marks the finality of everything leading up to Good Friday.

My sermon was centered on what Christ did that evening: washed His disciples’ feet, instituted a new command ("Love one another"), but more importantly, He instituted the Lord’s Supper, where He gives us His precious body and blood.

From the Associated Press: Episcopal churches seem to be moving away from the hymns they once sang to the music of U2. 

Ushers handed out earplugs and fluorescent glow
sticks for the "U2 Eucharist," a communion service punctuated by the
Irish rock band’s music. Episcopal parishes from California to Maine
have hosted similar events, weaving U2’s tunes – laced with biblical
references – into the liturgy.

The sad thing about this is a book written by a Lutheran pastor and professor at Yale Divinity School.  He says that it doesn’t surprise him that some congregations have caught on to this style of "worship."  Let’s hope that U2 doesn’t become the norm for worship.  Don’t get me wrong, U2 has good music, but it doesn’t belong in church.

An interesting article was published today in the Indianapolis Star, my hometown paper. It’s about outreach efforts meant to boost Jewish congregations.

Weekly Shabbat services at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck take a decidedly nontraditional turn once a month. The Torah may be read while congregants stretch and take deep breaths as part of an exercise called “Torah Yoga.” Or, they might be welcomed by Torah meditations set to drums and chanting. And frequently appearing on the menu of Shabbat options is a Torah nature walk and Torah bike rides — the “Tour de Torah.”

I can understand trying something new, but isn’t this just a bit much? The goal of all this: to make the synagogue an enticing weekend destination for Jewish families. Have the Jews jumped into church growth antics like Christians have?

During the last few weeks, the Bible has been turned upside-down. First, Jesus might not have walked on water. According to MSNBC, Jesus might have walked on a patch of ice. From Doron Nof:

“We simply explain that unique freezing processes probably happened in that region only a handful of times during the last 12,000 years,” said Doron Nof, a Florida State University professor of oceanography. “We leave to others the question of whether or not our research explains the biblical account.”

Secondly, the Gospel of Judas has been unearthed. Several new books about this have been published. They are The Gospel of Judas and The Lost Gospel : The Quest for the Gospel of Judas Iscariot.

The Gospel of Judas gives a different view of the relationship between Jesus and Judas, offering new insights into the disciple who betrayed Jesus. Unlike the accounts in the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in which Judas is portrayed as a reviled traitor, this newly discovered Gospel portrays Judas as acting at Jesus’ request when he hands Jesus over to the authorities.

And finally, evolution has made another breakthrough.

The latest fossil unearthed from a human ancestral hot spot in Africa allows scientists to link together the most complete chain of human evolution so far.

If you would like some information about these stories, I recommend listening to Issues, Etc., a Lutheran talk radio show. The host, Rev. Todd Wilken interviews Dr. John Warwick Montgomery as he comments on sound bytes regarding these issues.

These stories could potential change the Scriptures as we know them, if you don’t believe that God’s Word is God’s Word. As for me, I think I’ll stick with what God’s Word says.