Monthly Archives: July 2015
Ministry, Chalices and the People of God
Devotional Thought of the Day
33 I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. 1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:33-11:1 (NLT)
15 Even if we grant the freedom to use one kind or both, how can they make the withholding of one kind mandatory? But the church cannot arrogate to itself the freedom to call Christ’s ordinances matters of indifference. (1)
On Saturday, I wrote a blog that stirred up a bit of controversy among some Lutherans. The proposition was simply, we share our hope in Christ Jesus because we are transformed to love others, as we live in Christ. I started with the opposite corollary; to not share the good news which gives us the ability to trust in God for our life, for our salvation, is nothing less than a violation of God’s plan for us not to murder, and the plan that we should love people.
Such was on my mind this morning as I went through my devotional reading. I came to the section of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession where the discussion was about the Lord’s Supper, and that people should be able to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. This was a bone of contention back in the early days of the Reformation, and some in the Catholic Church mandated that the chalice, the blood of Christ was only for the ordained clergy. It was a bad enough that some forbid lay people the right to do so.
Not for a good reason, (say perhaps they didn’t have enough wine), or so the Lutheran writers tell us. The confessions make the case that this was because of a religious caste system. That somehow those who were ordained or pledged to a religious life were different, and the chalice was restricted to them.
BTW – this blog is not to question that practice (the Catholic Church has since clarified it), but a practice that is becoming popular in some parts of the Lutheran Church today.
Instead of denying the people of God the chalice, they deny the people of God the ministry entrusted to the church, the ministry of reconciliation. The ministry that Paul defined simply as pleading with people to “be reconciled to God.” For some reason, some clergy and some lay people would deny this grace, the ability to see God work through them, to lay people.
It’s not their responsibility, some claimed. Or you can’t make us do it! If we read your words and feel guilty, well then you are using the law to make us do it by guilt, another claimed. Ultimately the justification was that the ministry of evangelization belongs only to the clergy. So you can’t tell us that we have to do it, after all, the clergy doesn’t do it
And people who are broken, who desperately need to know the love of God, are denied it.
Ultimately it comes down to
1) We don’t see the grace of God, His mercy, peace and love to be so overwhelming, to be so healing that we realize that everyone needs it.
or
2) We don’t love them enough to respond to their brokenness.
In both instances, the issue isn’t clergy versus laity. It is simply sin.
We conveniently justify ourselves by laying the burden on pastors and priests, on religious workers and those who are “special”. It would be like seeing a woman bleeding on the side of the road, and saying, “I can’t help, but there are doctor’s and nurses, paramedics and others trained for this.” as you walk away without even dialing 911.
If this post is causing some stress, some tension in you, if you are getting angry at it, or coming up with ways to justify inaction, ways to define this as something other than a sin of failing to do what one should, I ask you to consider where that feeling is coming from.
Is it a reaction to theology that you don’t like, or
Is it the old Adam rising up again, trying to justify not doing what you know you should?
The idea of denying the ministry to all is wrong. Yes, there are ministries, preaching and administering the sacraments, which are the responsibility of those ordained to do that work. But Paul wasn’t writing to them when he wrote about imitating him as he imitated Jesus. He was talking to the entire church. And the context is clear – that some might be won to Christ, freed from sin. That is evangelistic, that is the ministry of reconciliation, that is the work God has prepared for those in Christ.
Look around you, see those broken by sin, oppressed by guilt and shame, traumatized and in need of someone to love them enough to reach out to them, and give them hope.
You are there, for this moment… reach out with the love of Christ. And find God’s grace and worksmanship bringing about what God has planned.. and find yourself more in awe of God’s grace!
Tappert, T. G. (Ed.). (1959). The Book of Concord the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (p. 238). Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press.
Every time He said, A sermon on 2 Corinthians 12
Every time He Said,
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
† In Jesus Name †
My God’s words of love penetrate your heart and enlighten your life, as you live trusting that His grace is indeed sufficient!
How many times!!
I don’t think it matters which relationship we talk about, but it seems that in every kind of relationship known to mankind, there is a serious issue that arises. (SLOW CLICKS)
Simply put, we don’t know how to listen to each other.
For example, is there a parent who never questioned whether their teenage children listened to them all the time? And wives, what about you, has there ever been a husband that paid perfect attention to everything you said?
I am pretty sure that there have been times where I wasn’t listened to, whether when I was in management or as a pastor, and there are times I am sure I didn’t listen as well as I should have.
Anyone here want to say they listen perfectly, all the time? I mean, there was this cartoon on FB this week… Would it be there if a lot of people didn’t find it… true?
We have some good company then in the apostle Paul, in who letter this morning we heard… well, at least I hope we heard…
“Every time he (that is Jesus) said, “
Meaning that it took Paul three times to hear what Jesus said!
We’ll get to what we said earlier, let’s first deal with the topic of listening, and specifically, listening to God.
The Problem of Narcissism
Things have changed a little since the church came to America. Back in the days of John Hancock, the Adams brothers and the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the pastor or priest in most villages was the most educated man in the community. Some would say he was also the smartest, and if he had been around for a while, one of the wisest.
Even today sometimes we play the game that was going on in Corinth, where the people wanted to be led by the smartest pastor or apostle, the best speaking one, the one who looked and lived like he was blessed by the gods. We even get in competition some times when we gather. Hey my church just doubled in size, or my budget is 8 million.
Rarely do we hear the stories I like to hear, and even more witness, about the 2 year olds that are so at peace at the altar that they do not want to leave when their parents get up from communion. Or the children who might not be able to explain it, but know something incredible is happening when someone is baptized, or when the Body and Blood of Christ is given to eat, to drink. Or do you notice your bodies relax when I get the pleasure of saying, “in the stead and by the command of Jesus Christ, I forgive you all of your sins…”
But do we hear that, or do we hear what we want to hear?
Do we try to find the most educated, most successful or at least the most popular person we can find to agree with us? Do we hear ourselves saying, “this is what Bill Gates said, or Ronald Reagan or the Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther wrote; pointing to their words to back up what we want to hear?
The church in Corinth did that all the time. Remember these words from Paul?
12 Let me put it this way: each one of you says something different. One says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Peter”; and another, “I follow Christ.” 13 Christ has been divided into groups! Was it Paul who died on the cross for you? Were you baptized as Paul’s disciples? 1 Corinthians 1:12-13 (TEV)
You see, sometimes our ability to hear and understand is limited by our own desire to be right, our own desire to be better than the person next to us. That is why Paul had to go on what he called a foolish mission to convince everyone that he was as good as an apostle as the next guy, He thought it foolish and a waste of time, which is why he said,
6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message,
But sometimes, we need to be humble enough to hear it. We can’t be so full of ourselves that we don’t leave room for the Holy Spirit to teach us.
Which means, sometimes like Paul we need to hear, over and over the message of God’s love, we need to be able to say with Paul,
9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.
The Penetration of the gospel
His power works best when we can’t oppose it, when we are so desperate for His action in our lives, that we hear it.
In Greek, the word for hearing, and the word for obeying (to take action on what is heard) are related. One is simply the other with the prefix “hyper” Akouo and Hyper-akouo. Think about it, when you ask someone if they heard you, what you are really asking is, are you acknowledging what I said and doing what I asked. Right?
Yeah, some things never change. To hear is to understand something so well you respond to it. I came across this quote about faith that bears this out this week,
We do not simply choose grace for ourselves, for grace is by nature an answer and is therefore attributable in the first place to what comes to me from another person, penetrates deeply into me, and makes me open to say thou and so to become truly I. It is, in truth, a gift given me by another person, and yet I am more deeply and more completely involved in it than in any work I might have chosen for myself. Faith is likewise a Yes to God in Jesus Christ, who looks upon me, makes me open, and enables me ultimately to entrust myself to him.[i]
I love that picture of grace, as it is described penetrating into us and opens in us the ability to recognize that the Lord is with us. To be able to address God, not in the third person, but in the second. For those who don’t remember English – to address Jesus as you – and not “him”!
Because God’s love penetrates deeply into our souls, getting us to recognize His presence, it involves us at a level deeper than just our intellect, and more completely than just our emotions.
It hits us in our souls, where we need to know we aren’t alone. Where we need to realize His love at its deepest need, and enables us, as the quote mentions, to entrust ourselves to Him.
For we’ve heard the message, this message Paul had to hear 3 times.
His grace is sufficient, it is all we need.
Let’s pray,
Lord, help us to hear you in this, help us to realize the depth of your love, and may that message sink deeply into our souls. Help us to trust you more, and cling to you in all things, and in all times and places. Help us to rejoice in that which keeps us humble, for then we are able to see you at work. God we thank You for your grace, which works in every person in Christ Jesus. It is in His name we pray!
AMEN.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus. AMEN!
[i] Ratzinger, J. (1992). Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. (M. F. McCarthy & L. Krauth, Trans., I. Grassl, Ed.) (p. 214). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
A Great Explanation of What Faith in God Really is
Devotional Thought of the Day
4 But even though we were dead in our sins God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, gave us life together with Christ – it is, remember, by grace and not by achievement that you are saved – and has lifted us right out of the old life to take our place with him in Christ in the Heavens. Thus he shows for all time the tremendous generosity of the grace and kindness he has expressed towards us in Christ Jesus. It was nothing you could or did achieve – it was God’s gift to you. No one can pride himself upon earning the love of God. The fact is that what we are we owe to the hand of God upon us. We are born afresh in Christ, and born to do those good deeds which God planned for us to do. Ephesians 2:4 (Phillips NT)
“What is faith? Well, it is an act that penetrates to the very heart of a person, an act comparable to the definitive Yes of a great love. That is why faith not only can, but must, also be called grace, for like love, it is ultimately a gift, a recurring grace. We do not simply choose grace for ourselves, for grace is by nature an answer and is therefore attributable in the first place to what comes to me from another person, penetrates deeply into me, and makes me open to say thou and so to become truly I. It is, in truth, a gift given me by another person, and yet I am more deeply and more completely involved in it than in any work I might have chosen for myself. Faith is likewise a Yes to God in Jesus Christ, who looks upon me, makes me open, and enables me ultimately to entrust myself to him. Faith penetrates to what is most personal and most interior in me and, in doing so, responds to the Person of Jesus Christ, who calls me by name. But just because it is so entirely personal, faith has nothing narrow or exclusive about it; rather, it leads me into the community.” (1)
14 We lay hold of him when our heart embraces him and clings to him.
15 To cling to him with all our heart is nothing else than to entrust ourselves to him completely. He wishes to turn us away from everything else, and draw us to himself, because he is the one eternal good. It is as if he said: “What you formerly sought from the saints, or what you hoped to receive from mammon or anything else, turn to me for all this; look upon me as the one who wishes to help you and to lavish all good upon you richly.”
16 Behold, here you have the true honor and the true worship which please God and which he commands under penalty of eternal wrath, namely, that the heart should know no other consolation or confidence than that in him, nor let itself be torn from him, but for him should risk and disregard everything else on earth.
If you didn’t know from whom the above quotes in blue and green came from (the citations are below0, you would hold them to be in agreement. They are both consistent with the top quote from scripture, which describes God’s work in His people.
That faith comes from, is born from knowing that God loves you (yes, you the reader) and that love is revealed in Christ Jesus.
Both Cardinal Ratzinger’s (later Pope Benedict XVI) and Martin Luther agree on this, the intimate relationship that God calls us to, as He unites us to Christ
When I came across Cardinal Ratzinger’s words in my devotions this morning, I was amazed at this picture he draws, of God’s love penetrating deeply within us. That love gives us the ability to respond to God, to return His love as we recognize His presence. And in coming to know His is with us, we find out who we really are. Everything else is laid aside, except for the relationship God has called us to. A relationship where we can trust God completely, with everything we are, even the darkest, most troubled parts of our souls.
I find these words so… powerful, so resonant with the truth we know, yet struggle to believe. That God cares for us, and would free and with great love cleanse us from all that causes the guilt and shame. Even the stuff we don’t want to admit.
As we entrust ourselves to Him, as we put our faith in Him, we achieve something the world cannot. We understand that when life is fully about God, it is fully about us. For in our dance with God, nothing can separate us from Him, nothing can tear us away from that moment and the realization that Christ is with us.
Cardinal Ratzinger makes the link, in this devotion to baptism. I also see the link to the communion of the saints, that moment when God has called us all together, made us one. God’s work, he says, is so personal that it cannot be exclusive, that is why we rejoice that we are tasked with reconciling every person to God. That is why we want to reveal this treasure, this hope to everyone.
We gather to worship to celebrate this very thing, and it is that which unites us, this presence of Christ. It is why I would rather pray for the church’s unity, rather than celebrate any division in the church. That we would recognize that which Paul says,
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all. Ephesians 4:2-6 (NLT)
One God and Father, who is over all, and in all and living though all,….
May we grow in such faith, as Christ is revealed, bringing us to faith, to entrusting ourselves to Him.
AMEN!
(1) Ratzinger, J. (1992). Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. (M. F. McCarthy & L. Krauth, Trans., I. Grassl, Ed.) (p. 214). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
(2) Tappert, T. G. (Ed.). (1959). The Book of Concord the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (p. 366). Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press.
Evangelism and the 5th Commandment and this Mission of God!
Devotional Thought of the Day
13 “You must not murder. Exodus 20:13 (NLT)
21 “You have heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not commit murder; anyone who does will be brought to trial.’ 22 But now I tell you: if you are angry with your brother you will be brought to trial, if you call your brother ‘You good-for-nothing!’ you will be brought before the Council, and if you call your brother a worthless fool you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell. Matthew 5:21-22 (TEV)
27 God’s plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God. 28 So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature individual in union with Christ. 29 To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me. Colossians 1:27-29 (TEV)
189 In the second place, this commandment is violated not only when a person actually does evil, but also when he fails to do good to his neighbor, or, though he has the opportunity, fails to prevent, protect, and save him from suffering bodily harm or injury.
190 If you send a person away naked when you could clothe him, you have let him freeze to death. If you see anyone suffer hunger and do not feed him, you have let him starve. Likewise, if you see anyone condemned4 to death or in similar peril and do not save him although you know ways and means to do so, you have killed him. It will do you no good to plead that you did not contribute to his death by word or deed, for you have withheld your love from him and robbed him of the service by which his life might have been saved. (1)
What I am going to say may be slightly controversial, but do me a favor and read the entire post before dismissing it.
Here is the controversial statement.
For a Christian to not share their faith with those around them is sin. Specifically, it is a violation of what is referred to as the 5th commandment (Lutherans, Catholics, Anglicans) or for some the 4th commandment (Evangelicals and Reformed). The one listed above, “you must not murder”
let me say it again, to nor share the love of God, revealed in Christ Jesus is simply sin.
When you actively or passively refuse to do so, it is disobedience. Specifically, you are particpating in the murder of your neighbor. Just like in Ezekiel, where the watchman was responsible for the death of the citizens he didn’t warn about the attack of an army, just like in Luthr’s example, you fail to prevent, protect and save him from suffering harm, except the stakes are much higher.
A competent Lutheran theologian might challenge me here, saying that I am using the law to motivate behavior, trying to use gilt and shame to get people to share their faith.
I could be, but I am not. You see, Romans explains well that our old nature tries to get us to live in disobedience. To do the things we should not, or to not do (as in this case) the things we should. Luther would talk of drowning that old nature in baptism, of reminding it that its dead. And that is exactly what we need to do with the excuses that we have, for not sharing our faith. We need to realize that our lack of love for our neighbor, for his eternal nature, stems not from the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, but from the old nature, the old Adam.
Our negative reaction to evangelism, is simply our old nature refusing to acknowledged it died in baptism.
If that is true, then there must be a way the life made alive in Christ evangelizes.
And that is where Paul’s words to the Colossian Church comes into play. The reason why he works with all that is in him, to present every man mature in Christ, by sharing with them the gospel.
Because of the glory of God.
Because of this amazing mystery of Christ living in us, a mystery revealed to us that is so incredible, so life changing, that we desire all to have it. We have the ability to be conduits of a life changing the emssage, the very message that changed our lives.
As we are transformed in Christ, it is natural to become involved in the ministry of reconciling us to Christ, it is truly the nature of loving our neighbor, of doing what is best for them, of reflecting the nature of God that is seen in the words cHesed and agape. And that very love should shape and deliver that message.
Not because we have to, but because of the love God transforms us to be, even as He is.
Lord have mercy, and may the mystery of our lives in you show us how to love all You would desire to know see You!
AMEN.
(1) Tappert, T. G. (Ed.). (1959). The Book of Concord the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (pp. 390–391). Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press.
Discouraged? Well then….
Devotional Thought of the Day
4 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! 5 Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! 6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippians 4:4-7 (MSG)
660 If you’re an apostle you should never feel discouraged. There is no obstacle that you cannot overcome. Then why are you sad?
Every once in a while, when I read St Josemaria’s little notes, I have an urge to argue with him.
This is one of those times.
I want to remind him of Paul describes himself to the church in 2 Corinthians 6 and in other places. Surely he felt downcast a time or two, as he poured out his life into the lives of others. Even in those situations, despite the exhaustion the pain, the hunger, the lies, the trying of his patience, he noted,
10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. 2 Corinthians 6:10 (NLT)
We should never feel discourages. Sometimes, I will be honest, I feel very discouraged. I can weary and question whether ministry is worth it. That’s when I come across passages like Phil 4. “Rejoice in the Lord always” other translations say. That one hits me like the law; maybe I am not a good Christian because I struggle to rejoice at times.
The Message shows the gospel a little clearer – Celebrate God! That’s the point! It is in His presence we rejoice. Not that we have to celebrate, like a court jester before a king, but that we can celebrate because He is here! We are here, with Him. He wants us in His presence, He wants to be part of our lives, He loves us!
That’s why we celebrate – and knowing we aren’t alone, knowing the work He has commissioned in and through our lives isn’t dependent upon us, those are the reasons we shouldn’t get discouraged.
God Is with us.
Therefore nothing can stop His plan that all works for good.
So if you feel discouraged, go to a place where you can focus on God’s presence. Meditate on the promises of your baptism, or contemplate the gift given you, and know the assurance of the Lord’s Supper Find a sanctuary to pray in, even go to confession and hear that your sins are forgiven!
The more you think about His love, the more you will know He is with you!
That will cause the discouragement to evaporate like a rain drop in the desert. St Josemaria was right – we shouldn’t be discouraged, the Lord is with us!
Cry our Lord have mercy… and realize He is close enough you could have whispered it.
Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 1542-1543). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Has the Church Forgotten the only Fact it needs to focus on?
devotional thought fo the day
“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” Matthew 28:20b (NLT)
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Mt 1:23
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Mt 18:20
“Answer: A god is that to which we look for all good and in which we find refuge in every time of need. To have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe him with our whole heart. As I have often said, the trust and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol.
If your faith and trust are right, then your God is the true God. On the other hand, if your trust is false and wrong, then you have not the true God. For these two belong together, faith and God. That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself is, I say, really your God.” (1)
2. In His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will (see Eph. 1:9) by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in the Holy Spirit have access to the Father and come to share in the divine nature (see Eph. 2:18; 2 Peter 1:4). Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (see Col. 1:15, 1 Tim. 1:17) out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends (see Ex. 33:11; John 15:14–15) and lives among them , so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself. (2)
584 Stir up the fire of your faith! Christ is not a figure of the past. He is not a memory lost in history. He lives! Iesus Christus heri et hodie: ipse et in saecula! As Saint Paul says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today—yes, and forever!” (3)
We cannot probe more deeply into the roots of the world in order to change it than by resting on the Heart of God, thus making it possible to call upon the living Ground and Power that supports everything and is alone capable of restoring all things (4)
When something keeps showing up in my morning devotions, I figure it must be something I need to share with those who read my blog. Actually, I don’t want to admit the real reason, and writing the blog helps me, because I write what I need to hear/read. It is God’s way of seeing if there is anything functioning in my brain, trying to get me to understand the most critical fact the church needs to remember. The critical fact I need to remember.
To know that not only God is, not only does He love us, but that He is with us. He has designed us to live with Him, describing us as being in Christ, abiding in Christ, the Holy Spirit residing with us. Over and over and over. That is why we can trust in Him because He is present because we have a relationship with Him, a relationship more intimate, more complete than any other relationship we have.
It all begins and ends with that relationship.
Every doctrine focuses on it, from Justification that makes it possible. Sanctification, the doctrine of being set apart, to that relationship. The sacraments, by which the reality of the relationship is communicated. Scripture, the record of the promises God makes to us, and a record of how He faithfully keeps those promises. Faith, the trust that becomes the natural expression of the relationship.
This is where we need to focus; it is this fact that is the reason for evangelism. It isn’t about transforming behavior (though that may happen), it isn’t worry about whether the world reflects what God teaches us is good and holy behavior. (We struggle with it, why do we expect them not to?)
This is what our religion is all about, walking with God. Everything else in Christianity, in our religion brings us to know this.
It is what matters in the end, and it is what gets us through this day.
I need to be reminded of this daily, so I expect that you will hear of it often.
The Lord is with you!
1. Tappert, T. G. (Ed.). (1959). The Book of Concord the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (p. 365). Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press.
2. Catholic Church. (2011). Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation: Dei Verbum. In Vatican II Documents. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
3. Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 1395-1397). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
4. Ratzinger, J. (1992). Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. (M. F. McCarthy & L. Krauth, Trans., I. Grassl, Ed.) (p. 211). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
