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Devotional Thoughts, Part 2

The following comes from Section 3 of Luther’s Small Catechism: Table of Duties

What the Hearers Owe Their Pastors

The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.  — 1 Cor. 9:14

Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he

sows.  — Gal. 6:6-7

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.  For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his

wages.”  — 1 Tim. 5:17-18

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.  Live in peace with each other.  — 1 Thess. 5:12-13

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.  They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.  Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.  — Heb. 13:17

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Devotional Thoughts, Part 1

The following comes from Section 3 of Luther’s Small Catechism: Table of Duties

To Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers

The overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.  — 1 Tim. 3:2-4

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.  — 1 Tim. 3:6

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.  — Titus 1:9

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Continued problems with my niece

BréGood evening all.  Several weeks ago, I posted about my niece who has been having some medical issues.  Things start to get better, then start getting worse.  She’s starting her 5th round of antibiotics and things still aren’t getting better.  I just received this email from my sister.

Hey EVERYONE_

bulk update on Bre. Her ped. finally got some of the lab results and called us around 1040 last night, he told us the urine came back clean (YEAH) the white count was a little high (to be expected) but he also ran a Sed rate which is an indicator of inflammation, and while he didn’t say what the number was he seemed to be quite concerned about it. The results of the chest x ray have not come back yet but should be back first thing in the morning.  We are starting her on her 5th antibiotic in as many weeks, and some free samples of cingulair to help dry up the snottyness of her nose. If her fever persists for more than 3 days we are then looking into a bone scan or a cat scan to see what is causing the inflammation markers to be elevated. Her ped. also mentioned consulting RILEY”s infection control team to see if there are any other tests we need to consider in our quest to make her better. While most parents have the blessing of not having the knowledge of a nurse…i’m not so lucky, and am often thinking about all the what ifs which as we all know can drive a person crazy! But for some reason the thought of a certain illness has haunted my thoughts for several days now…and is even a possible cause for the sed. rate being high…I don’t want to throw it out there just yet, I want to be wrong, and just worrying too much, guess we’ll know for sure if we still have a fever by monday we will be running more tests. So just keep praying for us, and for miss bre, and pray that all my worry is for nothing, and that we will get over this as just an infection and nothing as serious as my poor haunting thoughts.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  I haven’t had a chance to talk to my sister to see what she thinks it might be, but it obviously doesn’t sound like it’s good.

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Lutherans (ELCA) to release a draft statement on human sexuality next month

Yesterday when I arrived at church, I was going about my normal Sunday morning business of getting things ready for services.  One of the early service ushers told me about an article that appeared in Sunday’s paper.  He told me that Lutherans had said that it’s ok to be clergy and to be homosexual.  Not having read the paper yet, he told me that it just refers to “Lutherans” and doesn’t make any distinctions between the major Lutheran denominations.

Once I got home, I had to read that article, of course.  Fortunately, it was an AP story and not a News-Record story.  Otherwise, I would have been writing an editorial about getting their facts straight.  As it is, here is the story in its entirety:

Lutherans to release a draft statement on human sexuality next month

CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will soon release a draft of its social statement on human sexuality, including proposed teaching on gay relationships.

The document “Free in Christ to Serve the Neighbor: Lutherans Talk about Human Sexuality” is scheduled to be made public on March 13 by the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality.

Like many other Protestant groups, the ELCA has been struggling for decades to reconcile different views of what the Bible says about same-gender relationships.

Current church standards require clergy to “abstain from homosexual sexual relationships.”  But last year the Churchwide Assembly adopted a resolution that “urges and encourages” bishops to refrain from disciplining clergy in “faithful, committed” same-sex relationships.

Now here’s my question: what are the “different views of what the Bible says about same-gender relationships?”  God clearly speaks against homosexual relationships.  Ever heard of Sodom and Gomorrah?  This is clearly a violation of the Sixth Commandment.  This shows, yet again, the importance of holding the viewpoint that Scripture IS the Word of God and simply does not CONTAIN the Word of God.

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Preschoolers and the Sacraments

Here at Trinity, we have a Preschool. We have a 3-yr old class and a 4/5-yr old class. We do Chapel with them once a week. I have been blessed to cover many Bible stories with them. Two of the stories that I’ve had a chance to share with them is the account of Jesus being baptized and the Last Supper. Both times have allowed me to talk to them about the Sacraments, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, respectively.

When we talked about Jesus being baptized, I brought each class up to the baptismal font and showed them what we do for a baptism, talked about what is given to each of us in our baptism. Some said that they were baptized right here, while most said that they were baptized.

Today, we talked about the Last Supper. Following the lesson, I once again brought each class up to the altar and showed them the communion vessels, showed them a host and the chalice and explained to them that this is what we receive when we commune, bread and wine, which is Christ’s body and blood, “given for you, for the forgiveness of sins.”

Some may say that these children are too young to learn about the Sacraments. It’s true, they may be. I’m sure they couldn’t tell you now what I talked to them about just 2 hours ago. That’s not the point. The point is exposing them to the marks of the Church.

Our kids are learning quite a bit regarding the Christian faith. They hear Bible stories each week. They hear about sin and they hear about the forgiveness of sins. The 4/5-yr olds can sing Martin Luther’s Morning Prayer. The 3-yr olds can repeat it after you.

One mother of a preschooler spoke to our director and said that her child is praying a prayer which she doesn’t know. She doesn’t attend church and can’t help her child with their prayers. Our director copied the prayers for her so she can use them with her child. Through the work of our Preschool, a child has now been a witness of the Christian faith to their mother.

Who says that preschoolers don’t know anything???

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Circuit visitation this weekend

This weekend, our circuit visitor, Rev. John Hill, is making his tri-annual visit.  Yesterday he met with myself and Gwen for lunch, then a one-on-one meeting with me.  Later in the afternoon, he met with the senior pastor and in the evening, he met with our Board of Elders.  This morning, he will be joining us for worship at both services, then will be staying for a potluck welcoming new members, as well as his visit.  This will give him an opportunity to meet and greet the congregation, talk to them as a whole briefly about the state of the Synod.  If people would like to talk to him individually, he has set time aside following the potluck to meet with those members.

I think that the Wyoming District is unusual in that our circuit visitors actually visit our congregations.  It’s good for the pastors so we can address some issues we have, seek advice and support.  It’s good for the congregation so that if they have issues which are afraid to bring up to the pastor (why, I don’t know.  It’s not like we’re scary or anything).  Maybe in this type of setting, they might be more open.  It’s also good for the District as a whole so as to make sure that all things are going well in the congregation.

Speaking of congregation, I guess I should head to church now.

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Lent 3A: February 24, 2008 – "From Enemies to Peace"

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon comes from the Epistle which was read earlier.

The words of our Collect for today tell us what the season of Lent is all about: repentance. “…Be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word….” When we go astray from God’s ways, we are His enemies. For most of us, that description seems a bit strong. Who has not felt that they have been searching for or grasping for something, someone, who will connect them to the rest of the world? Who has not felt at some time that they are a stranger or an alien to God? When things go utterly bad in our lives, we look to the things of this world to make our lives better, to put some sense of order to our troubled lives. We look to friends and family. We look to the local self-help section of Hastings. Who we often don’t look to is God.

Paul tells us in our text for today that it is precisely at these moments, when we have felt far away, that God has acted on our behalf. God did not wait until we were ready, until we changed, until we made the first move. While the silence of our doubt still rang loud, while our words were nearly erased by our stuttering, while we were reduced to apathy by our confusion, God made things right by the death of Jesus. We were separated, at a distance from God because of our sin, but He brought us back to Him through Christ’s life, death and resurrection, on our behalf.

Though we may die for the sake of a loved one or maybe even a combat in arms, rarely does one die for a complete stranger or even an enemy. With God, however, it is different. The cross is the word that there are no strangers, just sons and daughters. There are no enemies, only friends. All of this was done for us for the reason that Paul says: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Through His suffering, self-giving love, He offers Himself to us, and we are changed from strangers and enemies to God’s beloved children.

Because we are justified we now have peace in the presence of God. No sinner can stand in the presence of God and live. But by faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross, our sins, which would bring our certain death before God, have been removed. We are reminded by Paul that it is something that was done to us by God. That is the only way that it could ever be, God doing the act of salvation for us. Now, washed clean of our sins and wearing Jesus’ robe of righteousness, we have direct and permanent access to God and His grace. This right is given to all who trust in the justifying work of Christ.

Of great comfort, assurance, and hope is the truth that God tells us we now currently and permanently stand in His grace.

Because we have been declared innocent and have been set free from our sins, we can boast in the hope of enjoying God’s glory in heaven. People have always been told that it is not good to be boastful. However, Paul is telling us the exact opposite! We joyfully boast. This is not glorying in our own accomplishments. This is a joyful boasting in what God has done and what He promises to all who trust in Jesus. We boast in the blessings which have been given to us by God, namely, as Paul says, our sufferings.

The question that we ask ourselves is why we would want to “rejoice in our sufferings?” We suffer many things in our lives. We suffer from the loss of a job. We suffer the death of a loved one. We suffer day in and day out. So why is it a good thing to rejoice in our sufferings? Paul says we boast about sufferings because suffering produces perseverance, the ability to cope and endure, no matter how difficult the situation. Take for example the Israelites during their time in Egypt. They were made to be slaves and servants. They were the chosen people of God and yet they suffered. However, their suffering led to perseverance because they knew that God would take care of all of their needs.

We too boast about our sufferings, knowing that God has made us His children through what Christ has done for us. As we learn to persevere and our faith passes test after test of troubles, that perseverance produces true Christian character or Christ-likeness in us. Then we too, when we are insulted, will not retaliate and when we suffer will make no threats. Then we will thank God for our sufferings which test and prove – thus strengthening our faith – and we will commit ourselves to our faithful Creator. Finally, suffering and persevering and character building will come full circle and produce even greater hope in us concerning our eternal future with God. This hope, Paul promises, will not leave us disappointed. God continually pours out His love for us into our hearts through the Gospel. As the Holy Spirit works through that Gospel in Word and Sacrament, He confirms in our hearts the truth of God’s message and the trustworthiness of the hope that message creates.

How does God’s love produce persevering, character-building, confident hope in us? He sets Law and Gospel side by side, correctly distinguishing between them. We were powerless, ungodly, unrighteous, corrupt sinners. And yet Christ died for us, that is, in our place. There was nothing in us or about us that would move Him to do such a thing. Not only were we incapable of doing what God requires for salvation, we were actually ungodly and impious. We were God’s enemies, whose sinful minds were hostile toward God, not wanting or desiring anything God wanted for us or from us. Yet, for those who hated God and actually fought against Him, Christ stepped in and let their punishment be put on Him.

We are God’s enemies. We don’t want anything to do with God because of our sin. Though we want nothing to do with God, God wants everything to do with us. That is why He sent Jesus Christ to this sinful creation. Creation was not meant to be sinful. Sin and death were not part of the order of creation; however, sin and death are now very much a part of creation. To remove the eternal affects of sin and death, Christ was sent to buy creation back, to buy YOU back. Jesus was our substitute, taking our place and suffering the punishment of death we deserve for our ungodly sinfulness.

Christ dying for sinners is the fullest demonstration of God’s love we could ever have. God gave up His only Son to pay the price of our sins. There could never be a greater demonstration of love. As we look at the cross during Lent and are reminded that our sins brought Christ to that place, we should also be reminded of the width and length, the height and depth of God’s love for us, demonstrated on that cross in the death of His Son. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is the gift which all Christians have, given by the life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have gone from being enemies of God to being reconciled to Him through the death of His Son. Through faith, we have peace with God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith, amen.

Lent 3A 2008

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Lent 3A: February 24, 2008 – “From Enemies to Peace”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon comes from the Epistle which was read earlier.

The words of our Collect for today tell us what the season of Lent is all about: repentance. “…Be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word….” When we go astray from God’s ways, we are His enemies. For most of us, that description seems a bit strong. Who has not felt that they have been searching for or grasping for something, someone, who will connect them to the rest of the world? Who has not felt at some time that they are a stranger or an alien to God? When things go utterly bad in our lives, we look to the things of this world to make our lives better, to put some sense of order to our troubled lives. We look to friends and family. We look to the local self-help section of Hastings. Who we often don’t look to is God.

Paul tells us in our text for today that it is precisely at these moments, when we have felt far away, that God has acted on our behalf. God did not wait until we were ready, until we changed, until we made the first move. While the silence of our doubt still rang loud, while our words were nearly erased by our stuttering, while we were reduced to apathy by our confusion, God made things right by the death of Jesus. We were separated, at a distance from God because of our sin, but He brought us back to Him through Christ’s life, death and resurrection, on our behalf.

Though we may die for the sake of a loved one or maybe even a combat in arms, rarely does one die for a complete stranger or even an enemy. With God, however, it is different. The cross is the word that there are no strangers, just sons and daughters. There are no enemies, only friends. All of this was done for us for the reason that Paul says: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Through His suffering, self-giving love, He offers Himself to us, and we are changed from strangers and enemies to God’s beloved children.

Because we are justified we now have peace in the presence of God. No sinner can stand in the presence of God and live. But by faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross, our sins, which would bring our certain death before God, have been removed. We are reminded by Paul that it is something that was done to us by God. That is the only way that it could ever be, God doing the act of salvation for us. Now, washed clean of our sins and wearing Jesus’ robe of righteousness, we have direct and permanent access to God and His grace. This right is given to all who trust in the justifying work of Christ.

Of great comfort, assurance, and hope is the truth that God tells us we now currently and permanently stand in His grace.

Because we have been declared innocent and have been set free from our sins, we can boast in the hope of enjoying God’s glory in heaven. People have always been told that it is not good to be boastful. However, Paul is telling us the exact opposite! We joyfully boast. This is not glorying in our own accomplishments. This is a joyful boasting in what God has done and what He promises to all who trust in Jesus. We boast in the blessings which have been given to us by God, namely, as Paul says, our sufferings.

The question that we ask ourselves is why we would want to “rejoice in our sufferings?” We suffer many things in our lives. We suffer from the loss of a job. We suffer the death of a loved one. We suffer day in and day out. So why is it a good thing to rejoice in our sufferings? Paul says we boast about sufferings because suffering produces perseverance, the ability to cope and endure, no matter how difficult the situation. Take for example the Israelites during their time in Egypt. They were made to be slaves and servants. They were the chosen people of God and yet they suffered. However, their suffering led to perseverance because they knew that God would take care of all of their needs.

We too boast about our sufferings, knowing that God has made us His children through what Christ has done for us. As we learn to persevere and our faith passes test after test of troubles, that perseverance produces true Christian character or Christ-likeness in us. Then we too, when we are insulted, will not retaliate and when we suffer will make no threats. Then we will thank God for our sufferings which test and prove – thus strengthening our faith – and we will commit ourselves to our faithful Creator. Finally, suffering and persevering and character building will come full circle and produce even greater hope in us concerning our eternal future with God. This hope, Paul promises, will not leave us disappointed. God continually pours out His love for us into our hearts through the Gospel. As the Holy Spirit works through that Gospel in Word and Sacrament, He confirms in our hearts the truth of God’s message and the trustworthiness of the hope that message creates.

How does God’s love produce persevering, character-building, confident hope in us? He sets Law and Gospel side by side, correctly distinguishing between them. We were powerless, ungodly, unrighteous, corrupt sinners. And yet Christ died for us, that is, in our place. There was nothing in us or about us that would move Him to do such a thing. Not only were we incapable of doing what God requires for salvation, we were actually ungodly and impious. We were God’s enemies, whose sinful minds were hostile toward God, not wanting or desiring anything God wanted for us or from us. Yet, for those who hated God and actually fought against Him, Christ stepped in and let their punishment be put on Him.

We are God’s enemies. We don’t want anything to do with God because of our sin. Though we want nothing to do with God, God wants everything to do with us. That is why He sent Jesus Christ to this sinful creation. Creation was not meant to be sinful. Sin and death were not part of the order of creation; however, sin and death are now very much a part of creation. To remove the eternal affects of sin and death, Christ was sent to buy creation back, to buy YOU back. Jesus was our substitute, taking our place and suffering the punishment of death we deserve for our ungodly sinfulness.

Christ dying for sinners is the fullest demonstration of God’s love we could ever have. God gave up His only Son to pay the price of our sins. There could never be a greater demonstration of love. As we look at the cross during Lent and are reminded that our sins brought Christ to that place, we should also be reminded of the width and length, the height and depth of God’s love for us, demonstrated on that cross in the death of His Son. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is the gift which all Christians have, given by the life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have gone from being enemies of God to being reconciled to Him through the death of His Son. Through faith, we have peace with God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith, amen.

Lent 3A 2008

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For Sale: SNOW

If I could, I would sell this stuff like people in Colorado did last winter.  We have received so much snow, Christmas lights are still around our porch poles because the snow hasn’t melted to put the ladder up!

Here are some statistics from our local paper.

February snowfall to date: 4.7 inches
February snowfall average: 7.8 inches

WINTER SNOW

– Snow since October: 34.2 inches
– Precipitation since October: 1.62 inches
– Snow last winter (Oct.1, 2006, to March 1): 35.1 inches
– Winter average: 63.7 inches
– Biggest snow day this winter: Dec. 1, 5 inches

So, if anyone has a lack of snow at their location and would like some, please let me know and I’ll be more than happy to give you some.

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Where did this quote come from?

Here is a quote. See if you can figure out where it came from?

We must accept Jesus into our lives as our personal savior by permitting Him to make peace between God and us, by following His way of life as our way of life. Jesus is ready now to restore the full life to you. Are you ready now? Then ask Him to come into your life and personally accept Him. The next step is yours. Accepting Christ and finding the successful life in Him can be beautifully simple! Just admit to Him that life is incomplete, ask for His forgiveness, and request Him to begin a new life in you. You may speak to Him RIGHT NOW, for He is present and hears. Talk to Him in your own words, or use this prayer: “Lord, Jesus Christ, I ask for your help. Forgive my sins and give me peace with God. Then, dear Jesus, I ask that You make Your way of life become my way of life. Thank You for the new peace and happiness that You give me. Amen.”

Make your guess and find the answer after the jump. Have you made your guess? This sounds very evangelical doesn’t it? If that’s what you guessed, you would be wrong. The correct answer is… The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. This was published about 20 years ago by the Synod’s Department of Evangelism in a tract entitled “Do You Know the Four Steps to Success.” You can read all about this in The Fire and the Staff by Klemet Preus, p. 239-240.

Ablaze!More and more, this sounds like the Synod’s new evangelism program, Ablaze! If you want to know more about the Ablaze! program, you can click here.