Category Archives: Devotions
We all know God loves us, but far too often the stresses, anxieties and problems in life crowd Him out of our view. Here find a moment to re-focus and remember how incredible it is that God loves us, and what it means to live in His presence, in the peace that passes all understanding…
Do They Know His Attitude Towards Them?
Thoughts on the One, Holy, catholic and Apostolic Church.
These three articles of the Creed, therefore, separate and distinguish us Christians from all other people on earth. All who are outside this Christian people, whether heathen, Turks, Jews, or false Christians and hypocrites—even though they believe in and worship only the one, true God—nevertheless do not know what his attitude is toward them. They cannot be confident of his love and blessing, and therefore they remain in eternal wrath and condemnation. For they do not have the Lord Christ, and, besides, they are not illuminated and blessed by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.[1]
But even in spite of them it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ’s body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.[2]
It follows that the separated Churches and Communities as such, though we believe them to be deficient in some respects, have been by no means deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church.[3]
The irony was not lost on me, within an hour of having breakfast and a great discussion on our faith and the Lord’s Supper with a very devout Catholic Priest who I’ve known for a decade, and a Nazarene pastor who I met that morning, I was called a heretic by a catholic apologist on social media, and a similar label by another self-appointed theologian who claimed to be a confessional Lutheran.
In some very important ways, I am separated in my doctrine and practice from three of the four people. Serious divisions, one that would necessitate great care, especially when it comes to the sacraments, and how we see grace applied to our people.
But the first two, I would not hesitate to say are my brothers in Christ, nor would they hesitate to return that identification. We share something more important than doctrine, we share a dependence on Christ and the work He has promised to do in our lives. I see that faith, and realize that Vatican II has a point – none of of us are deprived of the justification by faith in Christ’s work–applied in Baptism. That is the same concern as Luther – to know we can depend on Jesus
Luther seems to agree–for he acknowledges the difference between an attempt to worship God, and knowing God’s attitude toward us. I am sure my two brothers know this! I have heard one preach, and talking to the other, I am sure that is part of his message as well. That dependence on Jesus sees them moved from the ranks for false Christians, Heathens, Turks etc. That doesn’t blind me (or them) to the significant difference in how we see Jesus working, or how we should respond to it.
And there is the core of the position – salvation not based on the sign in front of the church, but on the Lord we cry out to, confidently, to have mercy on us.
[1] Martin Luther, “The Large Catechism” Kolb, R., Wengert, T. J., & Arand, C. P. (2000). The Book of Concord: the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (p. 440). Fortress Press.
[2] Catholic Church. (2011). Decree on Ecumenism: Unitatis Redintegratio. In Vatican II Documents. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
[3] Catholic Church. (2011). Decree on Ecumenism: Unitatis Redintegratio. In Vatican II Documents. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
I Don’t Care Which Side You Hate or Adore…are Afraid of or Have Faith in, you need this!
Thoughts that carry this broken pastor to Jesus, and to the Cross…
“Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed! Do not envy evildoers! For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants. Trust in the LORD and do what is right! Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! Then you will take delight in the LORD, and he will answer your prayers. Commit your future to the LORD! Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. He will vindicate you in broad daylight, and publicly defend your just cause. Wait patiently for the LORD! Wait confidently for him! Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, a man who carries out wicked schemes!” (Psalm 37:1–7, NET)
I will confess to being very depressed this morning.
I should have known better, as I picked up my phone and checked my FB, and Twitter feeds, I grew angry and depressed and I grieve. I still do, even as I write this.
People i know and people I love, whose political views are all over the map, spewing hatred and anger that is unrestrained as a East Coast Hurricane or a California fire. Church leaders, both ordained and lay leaders, believing and pushing double standards from both sides of the political spectrum. People who are intelligent, compassionate and giving, now tearing at others throats as if they are pre-teens deserted on an island in The Lord of the Flies.
The accompanying commentary so vile, so violent–on both sides–that I cannot even appreciate the numerous examples of the pot calling the kettle black. One of my favorite pastimes was showing people how the standard they judge one by, condemns the one they favor as well! Even if doing so means I will be attacked and mocked…
I finally dragged myself to my devotional reading… Ishould have started there! The Psalm above encountered early in the readings, and some incredible things from Luther and Ratzinger about the Liturgy, about the treasure that is the Lord’s Supper, passages I would normally rejoice in, fell flat.
I went back several times to this Psalm, and it tempered my earlier desire to give up social media and all contact with the people whose posts are so toxic to themselves, our communities and our nation and world. But how in the world do I convince this world to give up on the hatred, to fulfill the call to peace that this day was also dedicated to, How do I speak peace to a world that is so divided. so willing to believe their sides version of propaganda, so unwilling to reconcile and see relationships redeemed and restored.
That is a depressing thought as well, for even though there is always a remnant, we seem so weak, so inept, so lacking in the charisma or influence to really make a difference!
The Psalm reminds me what I need to knwo, what I hope is communicated… there is a time to take all our anxiety, all our fear, all our pain and set it aside, and look and find rest in the God who would die for me. That their one the cross He died for the sins of very follower of Biden and Trump.
It is not that He will still act on our behalf – vindicating us, anymore.
He has done so, on the cross, it has been finished for a long time. We can find our peace in Him – we can only find our peace in Him. Only He is righteous – all others are broken sinners. Only Jesus is our hope – and no one can steal that from us. (Romans 8:28-38)
So please, find your rest in Jesus, find your hope there… and do not go to war against those you think are your enemies, Find in Jesus the strength to love them, pray for them, and then, be still and know that Jesus is God.
Advent Take-Aways: Fears and Anxieties A sermon based on Zephaniah 3:14-203
Advent Take-Aways:
Fears and Anxieties
Zephaniah 3:14-203
† I.H.S. †
May the peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Chirst drive away all the fears and anxieties in your life, that tell you that you don’t belong in God’s presence… for you do, you are His child!
Introduction
I had to have been fourteen or fifteen at the time, and if I was normally extremely self-consicous, that evening I was that times 100. I don’t even remember the event, it could have been one of the dances my folks, or a wedding of one of my aunts, or my grampie De’Luca’s seventy-fifth birthday, but I had to get dressed up… in a tuxedo.
I remember feeling so anxious and nervous, and afraid that I couldn’t eat or drink. I didn’t belong in a tux, in a fancy hotel ballroom, surround by al these adults all dressed up. I kept on thinking someone was going to come over and tell me, “Kid – go home, you don’t belong here…”
To be honest, there are a lot of times I geel like I don’t belong—especially at celebrations, and especially if I am considered one of the V.I.P.’s.
I imagine the shepherds would feel that same way, as they were buzzed by ten of thousands and tens of thosands of Angels, and sent to witness Jesus laying in the manger – what me? I can hear the shepherds voice, eerily echoing the attitude of Moses as he encountered the burning bush,
6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3:6 (NLT2)
Or Isaiah’s cry, 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
Isaiah 6:5 (NLT2)
To use the words of Zephaniah, they “felt the hand of God’s judgment,” and because of that, were more uncomfortable in the presnce of God that I was in a tuxedo….
And the reason for joy is that, hand, that discomfort would be removed!
- LAW – the hand to be removed
Of all the impact of sin described by Zephaniah, the one that strikes me as the harshest is seen in verse 18—as people mourned over the high feasts…they were a disgrace
So great was idolatry and immorality among the people of God that there was no joy, heck there was no desire to hear the incredible words that God accepted the sacrifice, that they were forgiven.
The temple went through the motions, and the ceremonies became boring, just a ritual, without any faith, without any expectation of God’s mercy in the eyes of those who were participating in the sacrifices.
Let me explain it this way, imagine that we are having church, and during the words of confession and absolution, we had a football game up on the screens, or a cartoon, or a soap opera. And then during communion a numch of people went up in the choir area and started dancing while in the back in that corner a poker game was going on and that side a wineand cheese tasting event…
Or maybe that is just where our minds and hearts are…
What good would absolution do, if no one really heard it? What good would it be? How could we share in the blessing of Chirst’s body that was shed, and theblood that was spilled if we don’t take it and eat in faith….
We don’t have to imagine it, the Apostle Paul addresses it clearly.
“That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.” (1 Corinthians 11:28–30, NLT)
That sounds like a disgraced feast, one to grieve over! One that brings no joy, just a box we checked off on some list of obligations.
The concept is the same, as we sin, as we do not look for God’s grace to cover or make excuses for our sin, we neglect God’s love, and what He would give us…
Just to make sure we all understand, the idea of examining oneself is not about passing or failing and examination, or having to look at yourself and anazlyzin every little detail. It is about looking at the tux in the mirror and realizing it isn’t right, and crying out to the One that Zephaniah and all the other prophets spoke of,
- Gospel – The hand is on the cross – where al are gathered – where all are named
Let’s go back to Zephaniah’s prophecy and the hand of Judgement… hear the promise again,
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment…
I lovethe picture of the Lord removing His hand of judgment from us, for I know that hand’s next movement, to stretch itself out on the harsh wood of the cross, and for this we shouldsing praie and shout We should rejoice with all our heart, because knowing what happened on the cross enables us to experience the feast of God, to make our time at the altar more than just an empty ritual.
It becomes the place of joy, for until we are in heaven, this is the fulfilment Zephaniah’s words, “I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and fame to my former exiles, wherever they have been mocked and shamed. 20 On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again.”
This is home, this is the family feast., this is the place to rejoice that God has given us the chance to be his, This is the place where God takes away our fears and anxieities, making us comfrotable in His presence, because Christ has taken his hand of judgment away, and clothed in His righteousness – and comfortable in those clothes…
And then Paul’s words to the church in Phillipi will describe you,
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT2)
AMEN!
A History of God working with Us! A History of Compassion! An Advent Sermon on Psalm 25:6-7
A History of God working with Us!
A History of Compassion
Psalm 25:6-7
May the compassion of God our Father, shown in the coming Christ, in His birth, death and resurrection – for you—convince you that are loved, and that you will endure in His peace!
- A History of Compassion…
I had a thought, now It was more visual than that, a vision of God’s face back at the beginning of time that astounded me in its clarity. I was the face of an old man, preceding to walk into His precious garden, to spend time with the two people He love more than anything else.
As He heads towards them, a sound reverberates through the trees, louder than anything else, crashing and drowning out the sound of animals, and the wind, and the water running through the rivers. The sound of teeth breaking the skin of a fruit, and as I looked at the old man, I see the tears begin to pour down His face, as He cries out “Adam! Where are you!”
We think we know the rest of the story, how God boots them out, punishes them with lives full of pain and hard work. But we don’t see the compassion, the way that God the father looked at them, and could not kill them—as was the promise, the guarantee of breaking the only commandment they knew, and choosing to know evil.
We see it throughout scripture, this compassion.
We see it in the mark God puts on Cain, removing from him the curse for murdering His brother. We see it shown to Noah’s family, to Abraham and Jacob. We see it show to the rebellious idolators Moses tried to guide through the desert,
And so it is no wonder, that David can cry out the words Jim read a moment ago,
6 Remember, O LORD, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. 7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD.
Psalm 25:6-7 (NLT2)
God’s compassion – shown to every believer and sinner from Adam and Eve forward, was so historically proven that David could, without hesitation, cry out for it…. And be sustained by it.
And so can we…
- My Need to Cry out – to see His compassion
And we need to!
Heck – let me be honest, I need to cry out with David! I need to see it!
And knowing all that history the work God ha done with other sinners, encourages our crying out for God to act—for we know that is His nature, that is who He was, who He is, and who He will always be.
A compassionate God who loves His people, and revives and restores those dead and broken in sin.
If it wasn’t for all the history of God doing this in scripture, I would believe it was too good to be true. Those stories exist too, the prodigals who wander away, and are slow to come back. Those convinced they are so unclean, so controlled by their past sins, and the unrighteousness that surrounds or surrounded their lives, that this would never happen…
And we get to be the latest historical (and hysterical examples)
- Dad’s here…
The gospel reading tonight shows it again – this is the Kingdom of God. I didn’t have to go back over the sinful history, and so we skipped that part of the prodigal’s story.
Here’s the important part, told slightly differently,
“Our Father saw us coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to us embraced us, and kissed (yuck?) us…. It goes on to say, for this child of mine was dead and has returned to life, He was lost, but is now found,’ So the party began.
I don’t have to tell you we each need His compassion – we all know our brokenness – the sins we commit, the injustice seen in our lives and communities that so devastates us. We know that stuff – all to well.
But we need to know the Lord’s compassion, His mercy, His forgiveness… His love.
By needing to know it, I don’t mean like providing a Sunday school answer, I mean to experience it with ever
If you are wandering, or dwelling in the pigslop, if you’ve been unfaithful to God, it’s time to come home….knowing God’s track record…and coming to know His embrace..
So come… and let the party begin!
May the compassion of God our Father, shown in the coming Christ, in His birth, death and resurrection – for you—convince you that are loved, and that you will endure in His peace!
- A History of Compassion…
I had a thought, now It was more visual than that, a vision of God’s face back at the beginning of time that astounded me in its clarity. I was the face of an old man, preceding to walk into His precious garden, to spend time with the two people He love more than anything else.
As He heads towards them, a sound reverberates through the trees, louder than anything else, crashing and drowning out the sound of animals, and the wind, and the water running through the rivers. The sound of teeth breaking the skin of a fruit, and as I looked at the old man, I see the tears begin to pour down His face, as He cries out “Adam! Where are you!”
We think we know the rest of the story, how God boots them out, punishes them with lives full of pain and hard work. But we don’t see the compassion, the way that God the father looked at them, and could not kill them—as was the promise, the guarantee of breaking the only commandment they knew, and choosing to know evil.
We see it throughout scripture, this compassion.
We see it in the mark God puts on Cain, removing from him the curse for murdering His brother. We see it shown to Noah’s family, to Abraham and Jacob. We see it show to the rebellious idolators Moses tried to guide through the desert,
And so it is no wonder, that David can cry out the words Jim read a moment ago,
6 Remember, O LORD, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. 7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD.
Psalm 25:6-7 (NLT2)
God’s compassion – shown to every believer and sinner from Adam and Eve forward, was so historically proven that David could, without hesitation, cry out for it…. And be sustained by it.
And so can we…
- My Need to Cry out – to see His compassion
And we need to!
Heck – let me be honest, I need to cry out with David! I need to see it!
And knowing all that history the work God ha done with other sinners, encourages our crying out for God to act—for we know that is His nature, that is who He was, who He is, and who He will always be.
A compassionate God who loves His people, and revives and restores those dead and broken in sin.
If it wasn’t for all the history of God doing this in scripture, I would believe it was too good to be true. Those stories exist too, the prodigals who wander away, and are slow to come back. Those convinced they are so unclean, so controlled by their past sins, and the unrighteousness that surrounds or surrounded their lives, that this would never happen…
And we get to be the latest historical (and hysterical examples)
- Dad’s here…
The gospel reading tonight shows it again – this is the Kingdom of God. I didn’t have to go back over the sinful history, and so we skipped that part of the prodigal’s story.
Here’s the important part, told slightly differently,
“Our Father saw us coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to us embraced us, and kissed (yuck?) us…. It goes on to say, for this child of mine was dead and has returned to life, He was lost, but is now found,’ So the party began.
I don’t have to tell you we each need His compassion – we all know our brokenness – the sins we commit, the injustice seen in our lives and communities that so devastates us. We know that stuff – all to well.
But we need to know the Lord’s compassion, His mercy, His forgiveness… His love.
By needing to know it, I don’t mean like providing a Sunday school answer, I mean to experience it with ever
If you are wandering, or dwelling in the pigslop, if you’ve been unfaithful to God, it’s time to come home….knowing God’s track record…and coming to know His embrace..
So come… and let the party begin!
The Necessity of Being and Enthralled Disciple…A different type of slavery…
Thoughts which carry this broken pastor to Jesus and the Cross:
“‘Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong they did when they treated you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sin of the servants of the God of your father.” When this message was reported to him, Joseph wept.Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they said, “Here we are; we are your slaves.”” (Genesis 50:17–18, NET)
“But if the servant should declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master must bring him to the judges, and he will bring him to the door or the doorposts, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.” (Exodus 21:5–6, NET)
At the outset, to be mystical the liturgy must be enthralling, and this is less comfortable than we think. To enthrall means to make a person a thrall: to put someone into bondage, to reduce someone to the condition of a captive, to enslave, to subjugate and make subservient.
Once, when the brothers asked him whether he was pleased that the learned men, who, by that time, had been received into the Order, were devoting themselves to the study of Sacred Scripture, he replied: “I am indeed pleased, as long as, after the example of Christ, of whom we read that he prayed more than he read, they do not neglect zeal for prayer; and, as long as they study, not to know what they should say, but to practise what they have heard and, once they have put it into practice, propose it to others.
This tipping point in Ignatius’ conversion and the shift in attitude it brings is notable. All the more so in light of his prior manifest determination to conquer his sinfulness by force of his own will. His Autobiography’s terse narrative hides the magnitude of the spiritual and psychological transformation in Ignatius. The transformation is stark. Ignatius moves from managing his spiritual growth with the same swagger that he waged the Pamplona battle, and becomes a man of much greater humility, willing to be led like a boy at the hands of a schoolmaster.
It took me a moment to make Fagerberg’s connected between being enthralled and in thrall, in bondage. As a amateur wordsmith, I was a little annoyed at myself, I should have seen it, but the concept was… well enthralling. It took me captive, and even as I copied these quotes from my devotional reading some 10 hours back, I had to process it this evening.
I want the liturgy, the worship of my congregation to be enthralling, so that our walk with God proceeds from it. I want it to be captivated by it, to be addicted to the presence of God experienced there. To be enslaved to the freedom that comes as we are cleansed of our sin, as burdens are removed, as we begin to understand what it means to be the children of God.
But we are enslaved, addicted, captivated and in thrall in a very blessed way.
Far too often we see being servants of God and of His people as a negative, as something that not only requires being humble, but being humiliated, debased, neglected and even abused. We picture slaved in chains, and being whipped, as Jean Val Jean is in the opening scene of Les Mis, or as the many movies about slavery in the south, or n Africa. The kind of slavery Joseph’s brothers offered themselves and their families to enter, rather than face the wrath of Joseph–the brother they sold into slavery.
“God, I will do anything if you rescue me from…” type of slavery. (the reason btw, many of us (including Luther) entered into studying for the ministry and why we justify the “sacrifices” we make and are expected to make. A sense of slavery and sacrifice based in guilt, shame and a desire to “payback”–as if we could! We see this in Ignatius of Loyola as well, as he would confess and confess and confess, and never find the absolution he needed.
What that results in, concerns a pastor like St. Francis, who saw men enslaving themselves to an academic pursuit of theology. men who studied the word, and neglected prayer (and therefore worship that is the reaction to experiencing the love of God.) This is not the pursuit of Theology, it is the pursuit of religious philosophy. A kind of knowledge that neither enjoys and lives in faith, nor proposes that life to others.
Being enthralled, be in thrall is less like Joseph’s brothers offer and more like the slave whose ear is pierced. Who knows he is loved, who responds to that love with a desire to be in no other place, in no other relationship with His master, This is where worship is spontaneously embraced and savored. The slave’s attitude is not based in fear of wrath, or any kind of fear at all, it is made from a love that is responding to love! Itis what drives the academic to his knees in prayer, what drives the soldier to seek peace, and the pilgrim to find they are, finally at their destination.
This is what changes Luther, apparently changes Ignatius, can change our churches, can change our communities, this revealed love of our Lord, Jesus. This is the connection we find in our gatherings, as we realize the presence of the Lord, as He reveals Himself through the word and the sacrament, a love so powerful, a fellowship so full of joy and peace, so sustaining, so much a breath of heaven, that we continue to seek to serve and to introduce it to others.
Fagerberg, D. W. (2019). Liturgical Mysticism (p. 11). Emmaus Academic.
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (pp. 336–337). New City Press.
Watson, W. (2012). Sacred Story: An Ignatian Examen for the Third Millennium (p. 25). Sacred Story Press.
The Plan: Revealed and Realized! The Plan Which Includes “US ALL!” A Concordia Sermon on Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
The Plan: Revealed and Realized!
The Plan Which Includes “US ALL”
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
† I.H.S. †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ help you to see His plan for us all!
When you have something this good!
One of the most influential missionary/professors in my life passed away this week, a man I was blessed to talk to a couple of times, and hear preach four or five times. But I remember his stories of grace, I remember the lessons he shared with me and thousands of others.
One happened on a very cold, frozen Philadelphia morning back in the early 80s. He took the train into the city, where he was meeting with a bunch of corporate donors, 7 figure donors, who wanted to hear about his mission work in Haiti
Tony gets off the Metro train, flips up his collar and starts the 3 block walk to his meeting. As he does, being a city boy, he is aware of his surroundings and sees an obviously homeless bum between him and his goal. He tries to see if he can cross the street to avoid him when he realizes the homeless guy has targeted him, and is walking toward him, with a large Styrofoam coffee cup in his hands.
His heart keeps wavering – he doesn’t want to be the guy who ignores the obvious needs, but he can’t be late for the meeting. As he mind flips and flops, the homeless guy is now only a block away…now 200 feet, now 100 and the guy begins to cry out “Mister! Mister” and extends a cup out to him….
Tony thinks it is his offering cup and takes off his glove to reach in his pocket to see if he has any change…feeling guiltier and guiltier…
The man, with a grimy face and absolutely filthy clothes is saying “this is for you Mister! God want you to have this!” And the coffee cup – Tony now sees has a lid, and steam coming out.
He goes on to say, “I don’t want any money Mister! My cup of coffee was so perfect this morning, I just had to give one to bless someone else with one – and God said you were it…” “Haven’t you ever had anything so good – that you just have to share it with someone else?”
As Tony politely and tearfully takes a sip of the coffee, the man’s smile grows infectious, And Tony realizes he was right, it was the perfect way to enjoy the frozen air and icey sidewalks of Philly that morning.
The man nods his head, having shared more than a cup of coffee, he’s shared something inspiring and full of awe.
Preparations are Scary – and Should Be!
As Tony feared the approach of the homeless guy, as he didn’t know if would just be uncomfortable, or maybe mugged, so I think many people fear the coming of Christ, and the Judgment Day.
Even the description in Daniel is scary!
(judgment) thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.
10A stream of fire issued and came out from before him;
I don’t think we are going to see this and say, wow, this is incredible as if we are watching some science fiction movie. I think this is the kind of vision where we see the anger of God about to be unleashed with extreme prejudice.
With all the power, with millions of angels serving Him and waiting on Him, what chance do sinners have?
We who count ourselves as good Christians need to hear this as well.
Consider these words from Ezekiel…
21 But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die. 22 All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done. 23 “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.
That’s the good part! We like it….
24 However, if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins. Ezekiel 18:21-24 (NLT2)
May I remind you of the fiery throne, chariot and wrath of God?
We need to take our confession and absolution time seriously. We need to know that if we deny our sin, we are simply deceiving ourselves – but if we confess it God is… faithful and just… and the judgement is seen in the rest of the vision!
It Begins!
If the vision of the Father on the fiery throne is terrifying, the vision of the Son of Man is one that will bring tears – tears of joy!
and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
The cloud is an incredible vision you see the Hebrew for cloud there pictures the entire company of heaven, arriving with Jesus, the son of man.
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10 (ESV)
As the Son of man, Jesus, is presented to God the Father, he brings us all with Him! Over and over this is the message of scripture, for as we died with Him we will certainly rise with Him, and He will lead us into the Father’s presence.
On the day when Jesus the Messiah is given dominion, and glory, when He is crowned King of King and Lord of Lords, even as He enters His glory, we will enter it with Him!.
This news is better than a cup of coffee on a frozen winter day. SO make sure others know it is coming, for God is coming..
And that news should help you dwell in God’s peace now – a peace that passes all understanding, a peace which the King of Kings will keep you in until His return! AMEN!
A Plea to Stop Creating Division…(and why it isn’t needed)
Thoughts which carry this broken pastor to Jesus, and to the cross
“He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”” (Matthew 12:20–21, NET)
“So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. Esau said privately, “The time of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill my brother Jacob!”” (Genesis 27:41, NET)
“But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept.” (Genesis 33:4, NET)
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May those who love her prosper! May there be peace inside your defenses, and prosperity inside your fortresses!” (Psalm 122:6–7, NET)
“Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the LORD for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’” (Jeremiah 29:7, NET)
“First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people,even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1–4, NET)
A pastor tweets about Democrats and those who hates Israel as if they were demonic,
A friend swears that women have to throw off patriachy,
A young person wears the colors of one side of the war, as they go onto a campus that is divided in its opinion.
Catholics mock Protestants and say they are going to hell, protestants respond with as much hatred, justifying their actions.
Part of me wants to declare this modern society we live in worse than Nineveh, and I understand the lament as Noah looked out over the broken world. Or Jesus to come back, for these people above aren’t the extremists, yet, but they are all urging a division that is unnecessary, and contrary to other beliefs they hold dear.
And the division, whether they are in the right, or in error, is not only wrong, it is deadly spiritually. It is sin at the level of killing souls far faster than the bodies stack up.
Esau and Jacob are the prime examples of division that people hold out, even noting that God played favorites. One brother cheated the other, the other vowed death on the cheater. Their descendants still are at war in what we ironically call the Holy Land.
And in the middle of the fights, even as people try to justify the violence of their side while condemning their brothers, the scripture notices that Esau ran to meet Jacob, the older brother embracing the prodigal! And they both wept for the 20 years wasted. No one wants to remember their reconciliation, a miracle of God. (note – those wanting to quote Romans 9:13- please see the tense of the verb)
From individual and tribal division we go to that of countries.
Yes we are to pray and work for the peace of Jerusalem, for the people descended from Abraham through Jacob. But the same requirement of working for the best (think cHesed/agape love) and praying that God’s blessing would be poured out – the same thing- Jeremiah tells to people of Israel to do for Babylon (think modern Iran AND Iraq) Pray for both–work for both to prosper–for they are of the same flesh and blood – and God grieves over the death of any that are broken away from His family.
I could go on with stories of reconciliation, Peter and Paul come to mind, for even after their conversions, they still had a conflict or two!
My temptation has to be overcome as well, for part of me desires to take all who are in conflict and hit them with Romans 16:17, and walk away from them all. But then, where would my faith be? It would be so easy to move away, find a nice pond to live on in upstate New Hampshire, and go off the grid…but then I would miss out on seeing God redeem the unredeemable, reconcile those who would rather choose mutual assured destruction, and basically overwhelm us with His love.
For He won’t quench that in us, and His desire is clear for us – to reconcile us all in Him.
We Had to Do This Horrible Thing… and Learned to Worship!
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross
“So the men cried to the LORD, “LORD, please don’t let us die because of this man’s life; please don’t think we are guilty of killing an innocent person. LORD, you have caused all this to happen; you wanted it this way.” So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea became calm. Then they began to fear the LORD very much; they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made promises to him.” (Jonah 1:14–16, NCV)
DEAR Heavenly Father, in Thy Name let me bless my parents, my brothers, and sisters, my pastor and teachers, and all my friends. Hear the blessing I pronounce upon them, and even at Thy Heavenly Throne confirm it. Send them all help out of Thy Holy Temple and give them strength out of Zion. Blessed be they who bless them; and turn away evil from them, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I can’t imagine the challenge facing the men who crewed the ship Jonah was on, as they had to offer him to the Sea to possibly save their own lives. Even with Jonah telling them he was the reason for their problems, they were in fear of killing him. Yet it was the only way to save their lives, and perhaps Jonah’s soul.
They had no choice
They sacrificed him.
Move forward a couple of hundred years, to Jerusalem, to a prophetic statement by the high priest. “49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! 50 You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.” John 11:49-50 (NLT2)
Jonah’s being tossed overboard to his death would not only save the people in the ship, but it would save a nation. Jesus’ death would not only save the nation as prophesied, but people of the entire world. Their lives would be sacrificed, only to be freed from the fish and death three days later.
This isn’t history, we have to make the same decision, we have to learn to depend on this sacrifice of Jesus, we have to learn to own the nail scars, the wound in His side, we have to proclaim the Lord’s death for us until He comes again. Not to be saved – but to learn that this salvation is ours.
We had to kill the innocent man, and we have to learn that’s why He came. We have to learn that this was done out of love and care for us, not just us as in my and you, but us as in the human race.
The more we realize this, the more Loehe’s prayer makes sense, that God would give us the ability to leave our home, and go to our Nineveh’s (maybe they are in our home) To bring blessings to those who need to know God’s blessings, to turn those who would see evil done to us. You see, this is part of where we imitate Jesus, who helped people come to repentance.
Even if we have to be tossed off the ship to do so…
Even if we have to learn to love the unlovable…
this is the nature of servant ministry… to be willing to lay down our lives, sacrifice them, so others can come to repentance…
For He loves us all.
Lœhe, W. (1914). Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians (H. A. Weller, Trans.; p. 610). Wartburg Publishing House.
Freedom, the Liturgy and the Communication of Grace
Thoughts which carry this broken pastor to Jesus, and to the cross
“If you think you are strong, you should be careful not to fall. The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.
So, my dear friends, run away from the worship of idols. I am speaking to you as to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say. We give thanks for the cup of blessing, which is a sharing in the blood of Christ. And the bread that we break is a sharing in the body of Christ. Because there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body, because we all share that one loaf.” (1 Corinthians 10:12–17, NCV)
31 6. In line with the above, churches will not condemn each other because of a difference in ceremonies, when in Christian liberty one uses fewer or more of them, as long as they are otherwise agreed in doctrine and in all its articles and are also agreed concerning the right use of the holy sacraments, according to the well-known axiom, “Disagreement in fasting should not destroy agreement in faith.”
The questions or criteria for translation may be the following: Do these practices proclaim the gospel, the paschal mystery? Does this liturgical pattern and its practice immerse people into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Luther insists throughout the German Mass that the order of liturgy forms a community through the proclamation of the word. And “word” is here understood to be not only the word preached but also the word distributed, the visible (tangible) word. At the center of worship is word and sacrament.
In his effort to bring back word and sacrament in their evangelical character, Luther does not eliminate ritual, but reforms it. He takes the old, in this case the Mass, and makes it speak the gospel for the present moment
It is God’s will that we, too, should learn to accustom ourselves to these things through temptation and affliction, though these be hard to bear and the heart is prone to become agitated and utter its cry of woe. We can quiet our disturbed hearts, saying: I know what is God’s thought, his counsel and will in Christ, which he will not alter: he has promised me through his Son, and confirmed it through my baptism, that he who hears and sees the Son shall be delivered from sin and death, and live eternally. The heart possessing such knowledge is kindled by the Holy Spirit and armed against the flesh, the world and the devil.
I never put together, though I should have, the context of God providing a way out of temptation and the Lord’s Supper and our communion with the Body and Blood of Jesus. What a comfort it is to the broken, this sharing in the death and resurrection of Jesus! What an incredible cleansing happens, as our sin is nailed ot the cross! Temptation, even at its worse cannot trump the power of Christ’s forgiving us, as He cleanses us with His own blood.
This is why it is essential to realize that the liturgy is more than cloned words, recited in rote. It is why there the Lutheran confessions talk about it in view of what is adiaphora, that which is neither commanded or prohibited, the areas of freedom. THat is not to say all the Service of Word and Sacrament is able to be changed, but neither is it all locked in, without room for ensuring it does hat it is supposed to be doing.
That is why Sander summarizes Luther’s thoughts by asking whether the liturgical pattern and practice immerses people in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. That is where the comfort, the cleansing, the transformation comes into play, in that intimate relationship which shares in the death and resurrection, that accepts the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. Restoring the evangelical nature, the presentation of the gospel through sharing in God’s revelation of our relationship with Him and the celebration of it is what makes the Liturgy,
Which is why it is effective as a tool to deal with sin and temptation.
This is the comfort of the Liturgy of the Sacrament, this is how it ministers to those who participate in it, this is why translating it, and making sure it communicates to those participating in it, is so essential. To lose that comfort because of the the pattern or the practice of it is not focused on communicating. It is not just about what the priest/pastor says, it is making sure people hear and understand that. This si why the assurance that there is adiaphora, why there is some freedom – to ensure communication of grace.
“The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, X The Ecclesiastical RItes called Adiaphora… ‘” Tappert, T. G., ed. (1959). The Book of Concord the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (p. 616). Mühlenberg Press.
Luther, M., & Sander, J. (1915). Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year (pp. 368–369). Augustana Book Concern.
Lange, D. G. (1526). The German Mass and Order of the Liturgy. In H. J. Hillerbrand, K. I. Stjerna, T. J. Wengert, & P. W. Robinson (Eds.), Church and Sacraments (Vol. 3, p. 133). Fortress Press.
The Difference Between Spiritual “Disciplines” and Devotions
Thoughts which carry this broken pastor to Jesus, and to the cross
“But now in these last days God has spoken to us through his Son. God has chosen his Son to own all things, and through him he made the world. The Son reflects the glory of God and shows exactly what God is like. He holds everything together with his powerful word. When the Son made people clean from their sins, he sat down at the right side of God, the Great One in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:2–3, NCV)
The summer bee flits from flower to flower, not at haphazard, but designedly; not merely to recreate itself amid the garden’s pleasant diaper, but to seek honey, and carry it to its hive, to the symmetric comb where it stores its winter food. Even so the devout soul in meditation. It goes from mystery to mystery, not merely as dipping into the beauty of those wondrous matters, but deliberately seeking fresh motives for love and devout affections; and having found these, it feeds upon and imbibes them, and, storing them up within, condenses them into resolutions suitable to the time of temptation. Thus the Heavenly Bride of the Canticles hovers like a bee round the cheek, the lips, the locks of her Beloved, drawing thence innumerable delights, until, kindled with sacred joy, she talks with Him, questions, hearkens, sighs, longs, marvels, while He fills her with content, opens her heart, and fills it with boundless light and sweetness, yet so secretly, that that may be said of this devout communing of the soul with God which we read of Moses: “Moses went up unto God, and God called to him out of the mountain, and they spake one with another.”
For the Word must first have been heard, and must have entered the human heart, showing the mercy of God in such a way as to create faith. Then they clung to these tidings, trusted them, went thither, and hoped to receive of him what they had heard. In this way faith grows out of the Word of God. We must, therefore, earnestly search the gospel in order thus to lay the first stone. The Word first informs us of the mercy and goodness of God; faith then lays hold on the Word with firm confidence, and we obey it. We now become conscious of it in our hearts and are satisfied. For as soon as we believe we are already justified and are with Christ in his inheritance.
Back in the 80s and 90s a term was re-introduced to the church which caught on and became a overnight focus for some ministries. The term was “Spiritual Disciplines”, and it basically was a form of spiritual calisthenics – do these things, preferably in these orders and you well end up a leaner, stronger spiritual warrior who can overcome evil, evangelize the world and live a blessed life.
Prayer, devotional Bible study reading and meditation, frequent reception of the sacraments are awesome experiences, but they are not spiritual exercises, anymore that talking to a spouse or a dear friend is.
The moment we legislate the effort, the moment we turn it into a system to produce some kind of growth, we turn a blessing into a law, and rob it of the very thing that makes it special – the love that motivates and empowers it.
I don’t think that was the intent of people like Richard Foster, Dallas Willard and others had in mind as their objective. They didn’t want to force these practices on people as a cookie cutter – at least as I read their works.
These things are devotional – they come out of a heart seeking to understand the devotion God has for them – to explore the height, depth, breadth and width of God’s love for us, to experience it, much as De Sales’ bumblebee does, much as Solomon’s lovely bride did. To seek that communion, not for the sake of the the outcome and effect, but for the moment of joyous communion.
This is the point Luther talks about – where the experience of fellowship is found and experienced, not just with the mind, but with the heart. and a peace-filled satisfaction is the side of effect of knowing we are in Christ Jesus. Having a time of devotion – exploring God’s love, mercy and faithfulness becomes a time of delight, a time we wouldn’t trade for all the power and riches in the world. It’s our time to explore the glory of love beyond our imagination, beyond any explanation…
This is the foretaste of heaven we need – as the Spirit heals us, and carries us to heaven.
AMEN
Francis de Sales. 1888. Of the Love of God. Translated by H. L. Sidney Lear. London: Rivingtons.
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. 1915. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Rock Island, IL: Augustana Book Concern.
