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…
The Necessary Relationship Between the Bible, Theology and “different” church groups
Thoughts which pull me to Jesus, and to His cross.
Many have tried to report on the things that happened among us. 2 They have written the same things that we learned from others—the people who saw those things from the beginning and served God by telling people his message. 3 Since I myself have studied everything carefully from the beginning, most excellent Theophilus, it seemed good for me to write it out for you. I arranged it in order, 4 to help you know that what you have been taught is true. Luke 1:1-4 NCV
The real meaning of the Church, which is far more than a permutational organization, is growing dim and the question is being raised with increasing urgency: After all, should we not recognize the equality of all denominations? There is a growing tendency to downgrade one’s own denomination and so to locate one’s state as a Christian, not in the Church, but, as it were, behind her. With this is combined a predilection for biblicism, that is, for the isolation of the Bible, which is now valued for itself alone, quite free from all ecclesial traditions.
Most heartily we beseech Thee so to rule and govern Thy Church universal, with all its pastors and ministers, that it may be preserved in the pure doctrine of Thy saving Word, whereby faith toward Thee may be strengthened, and charity increased in us toward all mankind.
There was a time, when I was training up for ministry in college and just after, that I believed that denominations were abhorrently sinful. After all, I belonged to a non-denomination church movement that had some great slogans to encourage this! “No Creed but Christ” was one, another was borrowed from the church fathers, “in essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity (love).” We took great pride in our independence from lesser groups that made a stand over what we considered non-essential! A
A problem developed over the years, in order to be more “missional” the list of things that were essential changed. A movement that once had very strong roles for both baptism and the Lord’s Supper saw churches starting to omit both, to give more room for longer sermons. Ordination went from being something that was prepared for, to something that could happen after a weekend retreat.
Eventually, after my own ordination, and serving a church, I ended up moving into a different brotherhood of churches, because I realized my theology had changed as I studied the scriptures. It was not a simple or easy change–but one that took over 5 years–including three years returning to school. Lost a few friends over it, confused many more.
Why was it important? Why not just continue to teach about Jesus where I was – were people cared about me? WHy not just work directly from the Bible, and not care about the differences.
In my devotional reading from Luke this week, I see a part of the answer. I am not an apostle, nor are these posts of mine–or my sermons equal to scripture. But, like Luke, there is a reason for them–to help you know Jesus. That is why the research I do exists, why I spend time struggling with the passages or a verse, so that those reading or listening can know Jesus, and be assured of the promises He makes to them and fulfills in them.
To understand our relationship with God we need to understand scripture–for that is how God reveals Himself to us. That is theology, and often that theology or how it is put into practice is the difference between denominations/brotherhoods, movements. So there should be individually and corporately, a desire to maintain the core beliefs that bring comfort and peace, for we know that God is faithful to those promises.
Joseph Ratzinger, Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Irene Grassl, trans. Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), 32.
William Lœhe, Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians, trans. H. A. Weller (Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House, 1914), 136.
The Art of Listening to a Sermon/Homily/Bible Lesson
Thoughts which draw us to Jesus, and to His cross
45 I will live in perfect freedom, because I try to obey your teachings.
73 You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. 74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:45, 73-74 (NLT2)
Though I hear but a human being preach, even as I am human, yet do Thou so rule and govern my mind that I may regard him as the servant of Christ, and hear him as a messenger in God’s stead, for by him Thou instructest me. Therefore, make me to have desire to the word which falls from his lips, and though all that he says may not please me, let me be mindful of other hearers beside me, who may find which I least regard, as most necessary and beneficial to themselves. Meanwhile do Thou Thyself speak within my soul when he speaks to my ears. Cause my heart to burn within me like the hearts of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus. Open my heart as Thou once didst open the heart of Lydia, the seller of purple, that I may give heed to what is said unto me. Grant me such measure of grace that I may rightly judge and divide all that Thy servant says: the words of the text which he explains, the doctrine which he draws therefrom, the truth which he thereby shows forth, the errors which he therewith opposes, my own self-examination which he may provoke therein, the sins which he condemns, the good which he commends, the instruction unto godliness which he gives, and the comfort which we may receive against every care of this miserable life. Grant, O God, that I may hear all this with diligence, receive it with joy, understand it rightly, consider it carefully, know Thy will therefrom, feel the power of Thy Word within me, and so, become ever more perfect and ready unto all good works.
In summary, buried beneath our exterior self is a seed of contemplation waiting to grow and flourish. The seed of contemplation within us is a function of God’s deep desire to be in communion with us. Our open and receptive response to this gentle and sweet invitation transforms our life in all ways.
As I read Loehe’s words, a prayer he recorded about preparing to hear a sermon, I thought of how much time we in preparing sermons, from learning how to study scripture, to learning how to write and deliver that sermon. 36 units just in preaching classes, if I include Theology and Bible courses, add another 60-80 units. Not to mention books read, and sometimes reread 16-20 hours a week – 48-50 weeks a year, not talking midweek services! A lot of polishing of student sermons and deacon sermons along the way as well.
And I never gave much thought to how I prepare my people to hear a sermon.
I guess I didn’t consider it the same as medidating on the word of God, which Loehe develops the thought of in the prayer. I know we are proclaiming Christ, and Him cricified as the hope, yet how do we listen, and dwell and let it sing in, as Loehe suggests? is hearing the word proclaimed a form of the mediation that Nolasco desire should flourish? It certainly includes the message of God’s deep desire to be in communion, intimate communion with us!
That is all Psalm 119 is really about – this deep meditation on the word of God – deep as engaging heart and soul as well as mind–the word and the word- enfleshed sacraments causing us to be drawn more consciously into the presence of God, where we dwell.
This is how the word heals, as it is communicated through the lips of broken men like me, and takes up residence in those that hear it.
Oddly enough – that is how our Lord chose to make this work….
May our common meditation reveal the Lord, our Rock, our Savior.
AMEN!
William Lœhe, Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians, trans. H. A. Weller (Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House, 1914), 126–128.
Rolf Nolasco Jr., The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2011), 51.
A Rant Against Injustice
Thoughts which draw me to Jesus, and to His cross..
15 If you put these people to death all at once, the nations who have heard about your power will say, 16 ‘The LORD was not able to bring them into the land he promised them. So he killed them in the desert.’
17 “So show your strength now, Lord. Do what you said: 18 ‘The LORD doesn’t become angry quickly, but he has great love. He forgives sin and law breaking. But the LORD never forgets to punish guilty people. When parents sin, he will also punish their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren.’ 19 By your great love, forgive these people’s sin, just as you have forgiven them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
20 The LORD answered, “I have forgiven them as you asked. Numbers 14:15-20
We condemn this wicked idea about works. First, it obscures the glory of Christ when men offer these works to God as a price and propitiation, thus giving our works an honor that belongs only to Christ. Secondly, they still do not find peace of conscience in these works, but in real terror they pile up works and ultimately despair because they cannot find works pure enough. The law always accuses them and brings forth wrath. Thirdly, such people never attain the knowledge of God, for in their anger they flee his judgment and never believe that he hears them.
Shortly after being tortured she was transferred to another cell, where she found a tattered Bible. She opened it, and the first thing she saw was a picture of a man prostrate under lightning, thunder and hail. Immediately she identified herself with this man, saw herself in him. Then she looked further and saw in the upper part of the picture a mighty hand, the hand of God, and the text from the eighth chapter of the Letter to the Romans, a text that comes straight from the center of Resurrection-faith: “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ” (8:39). And whereas at first it was the bottom half of the picture which she experienced, her being invaded by all that was terrible, crushing her like a helpless worm, she gradually came to experience more and more the other part of the picture, the powerful hand and the “Nothing can separate us”. At first she still prayed, “Lord, let me out of here”, but this interior shaking of the prison bars turned more and more into that truly free composure which prays, with Jesus Christ: “Not my will, but thine, be done.”
Injustice, some would say, is in the eyes of the oppressed. They get to consider what is just, and what is not, or at least a neutral court does. And if the court decides there is more oppression the the judgment isn’t right, the cries of injustice increase, and protests and even civil wars erupt.
I cannot find that sort of reaction in the writing of then Cardinal Ratzinger. I think if you asked the lady tortured about injustice, or it’s pseudonym–unrighteousness–you would get a far different attitude. For she found justice, real justice, in the pages of scripture and the etchings in that Bible. (I wonder if it was a Lutheran Bible – and the picture being of Luther’s desperate plea for God to save him.) The justice she found was so satisfying, that she could leave her situation in the arms of God, and welcome His actions, or inactions.
I envy her spiritual maturity….as I deal with my own challenges.
She encountered the love of God that would not let her go… and it didn’t.
And as she grew to depend on Him, His declaration of her righteousness took hold, and she knew peace in the despair.
That is why Melanchthon and Luther and the group around them so fought that injustice could only be defeated by Christ. That His forgiveness was not dependent on my, or the extreme measures I could take to stop sinning, and pay for those I’ve committed. (nor pawn them off on my descendants and friends – who have their own to deal with!) There is nothing I can do to fight injustice in war-torn regions of the world, but pray and try to help them see Jesus’ power to deal with their own sins, and then, they can see the sins of their “oppressors” dealt with as well.
THis is so clear in the passage from Numbers – Israel’s injustice had to be dealt with. They were rejecting God, they were looking to their own wisdom, they were dismissing His care for them. But God, in His mercy, hears the cry of Moses, and forgives them as promised. Why? Because they were His.
As was the lady imprisoned,
As were you and I…
“Apology of the Augsburg Confession: Article IV, 204” Theodore G. Tappert, ed., The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press, 1959), 135.
Joseph Ratzinger, Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Irene Grassl, trans. Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), 25–26.
Cry out “What Amazing Things!” A Sermon on Psalm 126 from the Concordia Lutheran Church
Cry out “What Amazing Things”
Psalm 126
† I.H.S. †
May the grace, mercy and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ cause joy to flood your life!
- What is your “dream”?
A week or two back at a Dallas Cowboy game my childhood hero, Roger Staubach was honored. Despite playing for the Cowboys, he was a hero, I had three books about his life, and all of them mentioned his strong faith.
It was partially that, and partially his unconventional nature that made me want to emulate him – I wanted to be a pro-quarterback! It was a dream…
We all have dreams—and some of them change over the years! I mean, I really don’t think I want to start this afternoon at quarterback for a NFL team! Some days my dream is having a day where I don’t feel like I played qb in the nfl yesterday, and was sacked 8 or 9 times.
Well – think about your best dream – the perfect life you could imagine, and think what might be better than that…
(pause) – no—think about what would make life perfect….
Now hear these words again, “When the LORD brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!
And if that was what it was like for them in Ezra and Nehemiah’s day, when they brought exiles back to Jerusalem…how much more when God brings those who chose exile today, or when the exiles are brought into God the Father’s presence when Jesus returns.
- We need restoration…!
In the psalmist’s day, the people of God had become exiles. They had set aside God once again, and done what they thought was good.
The Apostle Paul describes them clearly
“28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.” Romans 1:28-32 (NLT2)
That doesn’t just describe the people of God then, it describes the society in which we live today. Perhaps, we are even talking about some in the church, or some in this church.
After all—we can sin in our thoughts, word and deed- and we do. And even if we aren’t sinning in our thoughts, words and actions, we passively sin, or we actively or passively sin by encouraging others to live in sin.
- Here is what is guaranteed to happen in our lives
That is why there is such joy when Christ Jesus brings anyone of us back home! Or when revival hits our community and people are breaking down the door to come in and hear about Jesus, because one of us invited them to come and see Jesus.
That is all that revival is, the bringing of a group of prodigals home! What an amazing thing it is, to help us understand the love of God.
This is what is so amazing, this love—this glorious love that God pours out on us.
It changes everything…
That’s the challenge for us who’ve trusted in God for a decade or eight. We know we’re going to heaven, we know God is with us, but do we realize how much He has delivered us from!
Think about Jesus words:
“A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. Luke 7:41b-43 (NLT2)
He goes on
47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Luke 7:47 (NLT2)
You should notice that Jesus never tells Simon the Pharisee that he’s been forgiven a little. For Simon should know – as well as anyone, that he has will be forgiven just as much as she has!
As have we!
That is what is so amazing – God has completely cleansed us up – He has brought us home to His throne, to His altar, to a place where His promises are pouted out through the gospel!
To realize is like what happens to a field full of dead, dry weeds when the rain hits it, and life become new in that desert field.
Or when the Psalmist says, “Restore our Fortunes”
The word picture there is more than a monetary figure. Think of Job, after God reveals himself and has more children, more animals, more feasts celebrating the love of God than he did before.
The word for fortune is “way of life”, or what just Jesus promised in giving us an abundant life, one where we are sure of God’s presence and love. This is the reason for great joy, this hope we have of life that is more than we can imagine, so much so that it Is like a dream.
For we are home, with our Lord, and we have an eternity with Him! – As the old hymn said, “How great our joy!” AMEN!
† I.H.S. †
May the grace, mercy and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ cause joy to flood your life!
- What is your “dream”?
A week or two back at a Dallas Cowboy game my childhood hero, Roger Staubach was honored. Despite playing for the Cowboys, he was a hero, I had three books about his life, and all of them mentioned his strong faith.
It was partially that, and partially his unconventional nature that made me want to emulate him – I wanted to be a pro-quarterback! It was a dream…
We all have dreams—and some of them change over the years! I mean, I really don’t think I want to start this afternoon at quarterback for a NFL team! Some days my dream is having a day where I don’t feel like I played qb in the nfl yesterday, and was sacked 8 or 9 times.
Well – think about your best dream – the perfect life you could imagine, and think what might be better than that…
(pause) – no—think about what would make life perfect….
Now hear these words again, “When the LORD brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!
And if that was what it was like for them in Ezra and Nehemiah’s day, when they brought exiles back to Jerusalem…how much more when God brings those who chose exile today, or when the exiles are brought into God the Father’s presence when Jesus returns.
- We need restoration…!
In the psalmist’s day, the people of God had become exiles. They had set aside God once again, and done what they thought was good.
The Apostle Paul describes them clearly
“28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.” Romans 1:28-32 (NLT2)
That doesn’t just describe the people of God then, it describes the society in which we live today. Perhaps, we are even talking about some in the church, or some in this church.
After all—we can sin in our thoughts, word and deed- and we do. And even if we aren’t sinning in our thoughts, words and actions, we passively sin, or we actively or passively sin by encouraging others to live in sin.
- Here is what is guaranteed to happen in our lives
That is why there is such joy when Christ Jesus brings anyone of us back home! Or when revival hits our community and people are breaking down the door to come in and hear about Jesus, because one of us invited them to come and see Jesus.
That is all that revival is, the bringing of a group of prodigals home! What an amazing thing it is, to help us understand the love of God.
This is what is so amazing, this love—this glorious love that God pours out on us.
It changes everything…
That’s the challenge for us who’ve trusted in God for a decade or eight. We know we’re going to heaven, we know God is with us, but do we realize how much He has delivered us from!
Think about Jesus words:
“A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. Luke 7:41b-43 (NLT2)
He goes on
47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Luke 7:47 (NLT2)
You should notice that Jesus never tells Simon the Pharisee that he’s been forgiven a little. For Simon should know – as well as anyone, that he has will be forgiven just as much as she has!
As have we!
That is what is so amazing – God has completely cleansed us up – He has brought us home to His throne, to His altar, to a place where His promises are pouted out through the gospel!
To realize is like what happens to a field full of dead, dry weeds when the rain hits it, and life become new in that desert field.
Or when the Psalmist says, “Restore our Fortunes”
The word picture there is more than a monetary figure. Think of Job, after God reveals himself and has more children, more animals, more feasts celebrating the love of God than he did before.
The word for fortune is “way of life”, or what just Jesus promised in giving us an abundant life, one where we are sure of God’s presence and love. This is the reason for great joy, this hope we have of life that is more than we can imagine, so much so that it Is like a dream.
For we are home, with our Lord, and we have an eternity with Him! – As the old hymn said, “How great our joy!” AMEN!
Thoughts for Those Who Care for Others
Thoughts which pull me toward Jesus, and to the Cross
They say, “Turn to the LORD for help. Maybe he will save you. If he likes you, maybe he will rescue you.” Ps. 22:8 NCV
Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up the mountain 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was a surface that looked as if it were paved with blue sapphire stones, and it was as clear as the sky! 11 These leaders of the Israelites saw God, but God did not destroy them. Then they ate and drank together. Exodus 24:9-11 NCV
Instead of worrying about the types of questions to ask or interventions to offer, I ground myself in who I am as God’s beloved being, a person called to provide accompaniment to those hurting, using the gifts and graces I have been given to do so.
For many, this is a dark, lonely and painful season. There are people we miss, pressures no one else may know about, hurts that build up resentment, and fears that often result in hate, and experiences of trauma – both today and in times past, that suck the life out of you.
There are people that give the same advice–“pray about it!” But some give it from a place of their own disillusionment, some from not knowing what else to say, and others, because they know it is the only source of the hope of healing, peace and joy that exists. It is hard to know which is which–for tone of voice and body language can only give away so much!
But the advice is still solid – God does love you – and He will intervene.
Not only for those who are in the midst of the struggle, but as important for those caring for them.
This is what Dr. Nolaso is pointing to in the quote. Overwhelmed too often by the cries of those broken, trying to plan out their therapy and finding plans impossible because of the the pain, he sought a way to maintain his own sanity and health, so that he could assist those entrusted to His care. The answer he comes up with is akin to that of the psalmist. Find your place, your identity in Christ, know His love and that He likes you, and will guide you through the storm. It is from this position that we can accompany people in and through all forms of brokenness, helping guide them to healing.
For in His presence we are being healed – and can pass that gift on to others. Even if we have only begun to heal, even if we haven’t eralized the power of grace and forgiveness, even if we only have the slightest idea of what it means to be in the presence of God, to know He is with us.
For He is our bright light in the darkness of this world.
I believe this is why the 70 elders plus Moses and his crew went up and feasted with God. It wasn’t just to celebrate the communion feast – it was to assure them of God’s presence, so that when they ministered to others, they could lean on God. THey had to realize God was with them, that He liked them, that He would be with Him.
And He was!
As He is with you!
Amen!
Rolf Nolasco Jr., The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2011), 24.
Cry Out, “Display your Glory!” A sermon on Psalm 80
Cry Out:
For He has answered!
“Display Your Glory!”
Psalm 80:1-7
† I.H.S. †
May the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ prepare you for the second coming, knowing God will answer His people!
- Advent Cries
Psalm 80 this morning starts with a powerful prayer, a loud cry out to God for Him to “Display Your Radiant Glory!”
It is a very appropriate cry, a very appropriate thing to beg for, as we look at the 2nd coming—just as it was very appropriate as the people of God waited for the Messiah to come and be born of a virgin.
It doesn’t stand alone, throughout the Old Testament the people of God learned the hard way that they needed God, consider these other cries,
Ps 60:1 — You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses. You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.
Ps 80:19 — Turn us again to yourself, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies.
Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
Ps 85:4 — Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more.
La 5:21 — Restore us, O LORD, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had!
Part of Advent are these cries, for like the people of God awaiting what would be the birth of Jesus, we look around us and see a great need, one so great that we need to see the full power of God’s love unleashed on the world..
- Anger and Bread and Drink of Tears
There are times where the insight of how bad things are, well, let’s just say the world is in denial about how bad it is. Israel was as well, blaming others for the consequences of their sin.
God had a way to deal with those who denied their sin!
Here is how the psalm describes it,
4 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, how long will you be angry with our prayers? 5 You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful.
Psalm 80:4-5 (NLT2)
The Hebrew here is bread of tears, and to drink the equivalent of a gallon and a half of the tears that comes when you are sobbing uncontrollably.
If only there was an option to suffering God’s wrath in a way that produced tears in that quantity! But Israel needed to get to where they not only could cry out—but they would cry out.
Does this mean that God causes our struggles, those times of tears?
No, but the consequences of the sins that causes those sins, God doesn’t prevent…that we might learn to turn to Him for help.
But He never forgets His love for us.
- Ephraim, Benjamin, Manasseh – gen 48:16
I want to go back to the cry again, but this time, let’s hear the entire cry,
O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock. O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display your radiant glory 2 to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Show us your mighty power. Come to rescue us! 3 Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
It is interesting to me that hear, instead of using Jacob and or Israel to describe the people of God, the Psalmist focuses on Joseph and his brother Benjamin, and then Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. These are the offspring of Rachel, the children of the wife that was dearest, so dear that Joseph’s sons were given equal shares with the brothers of Joseph.
The picture, by using their name is the love and devotion that God has for His favorite people – and it is to them God compares all of His people as they cry out. Why?
Because they would have the confidence that dad would answer, or to use the word for this first Sunday of Advent – the hope of the cry being answered.
A hope that isn’t maybe, a hope that based on a Father’s love!
- Between the Wings – another feast
I commented a moment ago that there should be a better feast provided by God. There is actually a reference to the sacrifice of Christ, the body broken and the blood shed for our sake.
When it talks about God enthroned above the enthroned above the cherubim, it is a reference to the Ark of the Covenant in the tabernacle/temple. It is the same place Moses wrote of….
Ex 25:22 — I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.
On either side of the Ark were the carved cherubim – whose wings covered the mercy seat – where the blood for atoning for sin was poured out once a year….to cover the sin…
God’s spirit would hover there, ministering to the people of God…. Which is why cross is there, and why the body and blood is here… to remind us why we have hope, that every cry – for us to see God’s glory, His glorious love
Why I Am Not Ready for Christmas Carols
Thoughts that leave me at Jesus’s feet, and at the Cross
10 So now I am sending you to the king of Egypt. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!”
11 But Moses said to God, “I am not a great man! How can I go to the king and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?”
13 Moses said to God, “When I go to the Israelites, I will say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you.’ What if the people say, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them?”
4 Then Moses answered, “What if the people of Israel do not believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”
10 But Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been a skilled speaker. Even now, after talking to you, I cannot speak well. I speak slowly and can’t find the best words? Exodus 3:10–11, 13, 4:1, 10 NCV
The songs of Advent, which we hear ever so often during these weeks, could perhaps become for us beacons of light that show us the way and make us lift up our eyes to acknowledge promises so much greater than those based on money, power, and pleasure. To be awake for God and for our neighbor—this is the meaning of the Advent call to stay awake. Such staying awake finds the light and makes the world a brighter place.
Awake, my soul! from sadness rise,
Come, see what in the manger lies:
Who is this smiling infant Child?—
’Tis little Jesus, sweet and mild.
Twice welcome, oh! Thou heavenly guest,
To save a world with sin distressed;
Com’st Thou in lowly guise for me?
What homage shall I give to Thee!
Verily it brings shame and disgrace upon the Church of Christ, when Christians,—Christ’s servants and followers,—neglect their duties so flagrantly and have no more a spirit of praise and thanksgiving in them; and, it is high time that every one who deserves correction shall permit himself to be sincerely corrected through God’s Word and Spirit.
Tomorrow starts the church season we call Advent. At some point, people will start asking why we aren’t singing Christmas Carols and why we keep singing O Come O come Emmanuel–as if Christ hasn’t yet been born! There is always an explanation, something akin to comparing Advent to their presents under the tree, and how they don’t unwrap them until Christmas Day. There is joy in anticipating what are in those packages, there is hope that it will finally be something special.
But as I look at Christmas this year, I realize I am not ready for it, any more than Moses was ready to lead a ragtag group of Jewish people to the Holy Land.
The people I see enslaved to sin are too numerous, the challenges to much for this aging, health-challenged pastor. I look at the church, as torn apart by sin and strife as the world, and wish with Loehe that the time of correction would occur. ( I hate to say it must include me.. and yet that is needed a well!)
I am not saying we have to be perfect to celebrate Christmas – just the opposite – we have to realize that the baby Mary gave birth and laid ni the manger is the only hope for our brokenness. He is the Creator/Guest who came to save us. THe darkness of this world,with empty promises of money, power and pleasure–we have to have tired of them, and grown to despair the cruse they bring.
We have to cry out for hope… and cry out with the expectation it will be delivered in the presence of the one laid in the manger, and then on the tree to be nailed to it and lifted up….there to draw men into His death, that with HIm, they would rise as something new.
Advent is a time for this meditation – this time thinking of how much, how desperately we need for Jesus to come to us, where we are at, today.
I need this time, I need to experience the hope that brings light to despair.
For then, Christmas comes in a different way….in all of its power, in all of its brilliant glory…
for those trapped in darkness will see a great light… and then they will sing!
Joseph Ratzinger, Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Irene Grassl, trans. Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), 379–380.
Martin Luther and John Hunt, The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German, trans. Thomas Clark (London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853), 31.
William Lœhe, Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians, trans. H. A. Weller (Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House, 1914), 42.
Why We Miss People… Why We Need to Love the Un-lovable as Well!
Thoughts which deliver me to Jesus, and the Cross, and there meeting His people:
“If a man has a hundred sheep but one of the sheep gets lost, he will leave the other ninety-nine on the hill and go to look for the lost sheep. 13 I tell you the truth, if he finds it he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that were never lost. 14 In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost. Matthew 18:12-14 NCV
The salvation of the individual is complete and entire only when the salvation of the universe and of all the elect has been accomplished, because the redeemed are not just near one another in heaven. On the contrary, by being with one another as the one Christ, they are heaven
One can teach spiritual theory all day, and teach it accurately. But our Lord seems to place more value on imitation than book knowledge….
Forth from the mansions of the sky
He leaves His Father’s throne;
He comes to earth for man to die—
For sinners to atone.
The promised seed a Virgin bears—
The Son of God our nature wears;
He who saw countless ages run,
Now comes to earth a Virgin’s Son.
In the hymn from Luther, it is interesting that he starts by identifying Jesus’ intent to die for “man,” then transistions quickly to the plural–noting His death atones for “sinners,” and that Jesús will wear “our:” nature. An English teacher may comment on htis interesting shift, and the theologian may ponder it, but the simple disciple may understand it.
Man is all of us, and without all of us, we aren’t the same as we are. The widow and widower recognizes this, as does the empty nest parent, or the child who fins themselves a thousand miles away from those he knows loves him. Pastors know it as well, when a church member’s voice isn’t heard confessing the creed with everyone else, or singing a favored hymn, The missing voices in our lives create a dissonance, one we can’t understand at first…. but soon we realize it and grieve.
This is why the shepherd goes after the missing sheep – the flock isn’t write without them there. and why all heaven rejoices when just one of 3 billion people is recreated as God transforms them in baptism, as Jesus and His love is revealed – and they experience His love and peace, and come to depend on Him! This is the Father’s moment to feast, to party – even to dance! For the body of Christ, the family of God is a little more complete.
Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI comments on this phenomena, with a mind-blowing explanation – that my salvation isn’t complete until yours is, until everyone’s is. (That includes those we struggle to tolerate – nevermind like and love!) That is heaven, when the entire people of God are one with Him, in His presence–and those who’ve gone before us through death simply await the perfection that is coming, as God unites us all in Christ Jesus.
To save one then, is simply another step to that perfection–the fulfillment of the plan found in Christ Jesus
Fr. John Hanson’s testifies to about this in a unique way, as he reduces knowing what to its proper place. It is one thing to teach the theology and scriptures about baptism, it is a far greater thing to see the miracle of Baptism occur. It is one thing to talk about the five stages of grief, a far greater thing to hold the hand of one grieving, reminding them that the Holy Spirit is there, comforting both of you as you laugh and cry together.
We are the Family of God – and we are complete the more we are together in the presence of God. That is why communion is so amazing, so great a time of awe, as in that moment, we experience that love and unity and peace. Even if we can’t put words to it.
We are the one Christ came for, to heal, to unite us to Him, to make us one…. completed on the day He returns.
And how I look forward to that day…. Amen!
Joseph Ratzinger, Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Irene Grassl, trans. Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), 375.
Fr. John Hanson, Coached by Josemaria Escriva: Lessons in Discipleship, Scepter 2023 p.5
Martin Luther and John Hunt, The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German, trans. Thomas Clark (London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853), 29.
I, MYSELF, WILL a sermon on Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 from Concordia
I, MYSELF, WILL!
Ezekiel 34:11-16. 20-24
† I.H.S. †
May the grace and mercy of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ convince you that God is always concerned about you, tending to your needs!
Intro: Listen to the Crowned one…
The picture of the coronation of Jesus is mind-blowing, as it is pieced together from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Philippians 2, and the Book of the Revelation of Jesus, among others! It is something to look forward to, even though the greatest imagination of the greatest song and hymn writers cannot describe the scene, nor can the greatest artists capture all its glory.
Yet it is His voice we hear recorded by the prophet Ezekiel. He is the Sovereign Lord, or the LORD I AM… the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega, the Author and Perfector of our Faith, our Master, our Savior, and so much more….
He is the one who commits Himself to those who have truly messed up their lives!
Thirteen times in this passage He promise that care, stating, “I myself will,””I will,” or “I, the the LORD (YHWH), will”
It will be beneficial for you to keep this bulletin – and look at the promises on a regular basis! That way you will know what God promises to those you care about who… well, have messed up their lives.
- A Flock in Trouble
How Do I know that there are people that have messed up their lives?
Look at how these sheep are described:
- They’re lost – and need to have someone search to find them! The word for find includes the idea of discerning how healthy they are, and what needs to be done to bring them to full health
- They are scattered – all the relationships they have, have been damaged – so much so they are alone…
- They are hungry – both physically and spiritually. They need peace and rest.
- They need care, they need someone to tend to their needs
- They need to come home. They need to know they will be welcome at home.
Sounds pretty broken to me!
These are the kind of people that Jesus based the story of the prodigal son on. While we know he’s talking about all of Israel, back in the days where they were taken captive and dragged away from their homes. It wasn’t just an individual – it was all of them – all dispersed—all over the world.
This happened because they sinned, and they loved their sin. Everything you can imagine- worshipping gods they sacrificed their children to, shattering every other commandment from murder to coveting and scheming to try and take other people’s stuff. The sins were horrid and disgusting—much like today.
- But HE came!
Remember the promise God made to them.
11 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. 12 I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will bring them back home!
God’s going after them – this is the entire reason Jesus came – to use His words – to seek and save the lost. To come for those who needed spiritual care and healing. For healthy people don’t need a doctor—the sick do.
HE came to find and restore broken, battered, lost sinner.
All of the old Israel that so broken by sin, they would purse the brokenness far from home. All those who dwelled in the place God had given them, and turned their back on it, for stuff they chased they thought would give them riches, or fame, or simply more pleasure.
Or those today that are so lost in sin… so devastated by it – that they know despair, that they keep trying to find the next thing…
I love the way Luther wrote about this passage,
“As the prophet Ezekiel says in his thirty-fourth chapter (Ezek. 34:16), He seeks the lost, brings back the strayed, binds up the crippled, strengthens the sick. And the young lambs that have just been born, says Isaiah (40:11), He will gather in His arms and carry them so that they may not grow tired, and will gently lead those that are with young. All of this, Christ, our dear Shepherd, effects through the office of preaching and the holy Sacraments”[1]
Kind of simple really – the same lost people are saved today as God searches them out – through us, shares His promises and then pours out grace through Baptism, through the forgiveness of sins.
- The Promises weren’t just theirs
I would be in error, if I didn’t point out that you once needed Jesus. Not my idea, I am stealing it from the Apostle Paul,
3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:3-5 (NLT2)
You and I were the ones that to have God commit to save us, as Christ would come, and die to remove the stain of sin, to heal the brokenness. That is how we know that everyone, from every people group are who Christ is coming to seek, find, rescue and bring home.
For He does that for us, daily… and reminds weekly, as we come to the altar, and He welcomes to His feast… and cares and heals us here.
Where He promised, He just didn’t say “I will”… He ended it with, “I HAVE SPOKEN”, guaranteeing we can all know His love… all of us, even those who don,t, yet.
Amen!
[1] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 12: Selected Psalms I, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 12 (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 155.
Let’s Celebrate Together! A Concordia Sermon on Matthew 25:14-30
Let’s Celebrate Together
(Share in Master’s joy!)
Matthew 25:14-30
† In the Name of Jesus †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ convince you that you will celebrate with God!
- We miss 2/3rds of the Story
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone, and they are droning on about everything, maybe even complaining, and then you realized you missed something incredibly important?
Or maybe you are laying in bed that night, and you are drifting off, reliving the day and you realize the most important thing was skipped over, as if it was not important, but it’s the most important thing you’ve heard in months.
I think we usually do that with the gospel reading this morning. We listen and we focus in on the third guy in the room – the one who didn’t do anything—the one who is the bad example, the one whose actions resulted in the worst consequences imaginable.
The one who went to hell…having lived in it here.
And we skipped over the two men whose lives were lived in such a way that they were invited to celebrate with God.
- Why do we always go that way?
Which brings up a good question – why do we always focus n the negative? Even if it is in the minority, as it is in this parable about the kingdom of God, we focus on the one who fails? We analyze what he did, we point out his fear, we saw his judgment and we either rant and rave about his foolishness and lack of faith, or we wonder if he is us.
If we make the same mistake he made, if we have the same ignorant fear, no, I am not going there.
- So do we see the 5-2’s God creates in us?
The easiest way to ensure that isn’t us, is to look, not at what the 2 and 5 did, but their relationship to the master.
Look at verse 19,
“19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’”
Where that other guy went, worrying and be afraid, the 5 and 2 do not. Life is as it is, as if the master had never left. He entrusted them with significant sum, and he used it as he knew his master would want him to…
It wasn’t a big deal in his mind—it wasn’t a point of bragging, or pride, or anything No reward was promised, yet one is given. It was business as usual. Life with in the Master’s
Let me rephrase that—no other reward or honor is expected, because they just did what the master expected them to do…what He entrusted them to do. It wasn’t a big deal to them, it was the life they led—which was why God entrusted them with what He did….
Except He didn’t leave them alone—He empowered them to do what they do, and was there with them.
We see that kind of thing around here, as people do what God leads them to do.
That can be something we think is big—like a health fair, or a women’s tea that brings in 2-3 times our attendance. Or being the speaker at such, even though you don’t like being up front. Or it can something like Pat caring for cats, or someone deciding to paint the front doors,
It is things that do not make sense, like a deacon going and ministering to people whose brokenness looked much different than his own – as Deacon Bob did, ministering to others on a retreat last week. Or an old codger, who found it cool that he could talk to two teenage twins on a vacation. It’s another person arranging for people to celebrate Birthday’s and making sure others aren’t alone on thanksgiving.
It is ministry where we are at, whether in the doctor’s office, on a school campus. It’s doing what God wanted us to do , with what He’s entrusted us with in life.
- The Kicker
And that is the issue – it is what God entrusts and empowers us to do. That’s why it doesn’t seem special, its just what we are meant to do…. And we do..
Not because we fear His wrath—this kind of stuff comes out of a love for God because He first loved us.
We can’t always express it in perfect verbiage – but this love causes us to do these things – inside and outside of our comfort zone—simply because the one who died and rose for us leads us into these things.
For we died and rose with Him, proving that He isn’t a God to be terrified of, a God who isn’t harsh, whom we don’t have to worry about disappointing.
He is a God who wants to embrace us, cleanse and restore us, a God who we trust in, and know…
That’s what we celebrate by the way, not that we did good, not that were faithful, we celebrate the relationship that made this all possible….
Which is why we don’t dwell in terror, but in a peace that passes all understanding, as we celebrate with our Master, Jesus, and His Dad, and the Holy Spirit – and all the people of God.
