This weekend...

I planted my annual garden this weekend. Took me most of the day on Saturday. Anyway, here is the result:
It's not much, but I enjoy it. A couple of observations about gardening:

1) I breathed a light curse or two at my forefather Adam, who by his sin made work into toil. But then, the Old Adam lives in me, so I can't really escape blame for the curse either, can I?

2) It's great that this time of year our lectionary takes a turn toward the agricultural. "I am the Vine, you are the branches". Passages like this have more meaning in the planting and growing and harvesting seasons than in the dead of winter, I suppose. But it's always nice when everyday life is reflected in the texts I work with.

3) Gardening is similar, but also different than the work of the pastoral minstry. In one sense it is different because it is a very tangible accomplishment. I can look at the end of a hard day of work, and see the "fruits" of my labor. Often, in the parish, we don't see the effects of our work right away (or at all). And so there is something satisfying about physical work for that reason.
Also, the completion of a project is rare in Ministry, as is physical labor. I am sore yet, but it feels good too.

Sermon - Easter 7 - Acts 1:15-26

(note: This sermon was also preached, in a slightly different version, for the monthly winkel meeting. You can read that version here.)

The Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 28th, 2006
“The Church Must Go On”
Acts 1:15-26

Grace and peace to you, brothers, in Christ our Lord.

In this Easter season, as every year, our lectionary takes a turn from the Old Testament to hear from the book of Acts. And I couldn’t help but key in on the reading from Acts 1:15-26, especially with all the hub-bub about the Gospel of Judas in recent weeks.

At our May pastors’ conference we heard a seminary professor expose the problems with this so-called gospel. It really is just another attempt of the enemies of our faith to cast doubt on the Bible and its teachings.

But putting that aside for now, this reading is fascinating in and of itself. I always wonder at the graphic depiction of Judas’ suicide – with his body bursting open and intestines spilling out. A gruesome image.

And then Peter quotes the Psalms (and isn’t it wonderful how these buffoon disciples all of a sudden in Acts become incredible teachers and preachers?). And he says that this was all part of the plan, and now another needs to be chosen to fill Judas’ vacant position.

He doesn’t say to become an “apostle” but a “witness with us of his resurrection”. In Acts, you see, it’s always about the resurrection.

And so you get Joseph a.k.a. Barsabbas a.k.a. Justus, and Matthias. Both men are qualified. Both have been “with them from the beginning”. And so the disciples pray, and the lot falls to Matthias, and he takes Judas’ place.

Well the point here is not to give us a prescription for calling a pastor. Nor is it just anecdotal trivia about the infant church. Instead, we have here a further example of God’s plan unfolding. For our God is a God with a plan.

We know planning, don’t we? Here at church, we have a yearly system of planning – who preaches when, coordinating with Sunday School and our day-school, planning Bible classes and retreats, Evangelism and Mission Sundays, and of course the high holiday of September, our annual church picnic.

We plan week to week – I start most Mondays out by picking hymns, a message for our outside sign, beginning my study of the readings. I make sure I have my ducks in a row for all my meetings, classes, confirmation, etc… I’m sure in your profession, planning is just as important.

And then there’s all the planning in our personal lives. I’ve been planning to plant my garden this weekend. We’re planning a Disney vacation this fall. Maybe you’re planning for your retirement. Maybe your boss is planning for your early retirement.

Personally and professionally, individually and corporately, we make our plans. But then the plans go wrong. A health problem comes along. Someone reacts to your plan with resistance. People don’t hold up their end of the bargain. Some monkey wrench is thrown into the works.

Or I fail to do what I thought I could and would. Maybe what goes awry is our own fault. Or, maybe it’s out of our control. Maybe God wasn’t copied in on our plan. Maybe he missed the memo. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen, Lord. Not the plan!

The best laid plans of men have been going awry since the fall. Since Adam and Eve’s plan to be like God didn’t work out. They wanted to be more like God, instead they became less.

Yes, plans get messed and mussed by sin. Always the problem, that sin. But God is always planning. He is dealing with sin. And his plan isn’t necessarily our plan. He knows better, after all.

Jesus wasn’t supposed to be betrayed! Judas was supposed to be a disciple, not a turncoat. Jesus wasn’t supposed to get arrested – convicted – crucified. What about all the miracles? What about all the plans? James and John were marking out their thrones next to Jesus in the kingdom they expected him to usher in. Judas had his own plan. We don’t know exactly what it was, but it might have been to force Jesus’ hand into establishing that earthly kingdom.

Those were their plans. Not Jesus’ plan. His was simple – to go up to Jerusalem, to be handed over to the elders and chief priests, to suffer many things, to be crucified, and to rise again on the third day.

Peter heard this plan and tried to rebuke Jesus. But Jesus rebuked him. And now, in Acts, after the resurrection, Peter has a little more respect for God’s planning. He sees and knows that this is how it had to be. That this was the plan all along. God’s way of dealing with our sin in Christ. The Christ had to die. The Christ had to rise. God’s plan of salvation, not ours. And now the next step of the plan was afoot.

They say in the world of entertainment, “the show must go on”. No matter what happens, if you forget your lines, if a prop is missing, if the audience doesn’t applaud – the show must go on! The church is like that too. “The church must go on!” For that is his plan…

A few weeks ago, our guest preacher, Dr. Schulz, reminded us of the passage in which Jesus said, “I will build my church” and “the gates of Hell will not prevail against it!” And when Jesus says church, he doesn’t mean a building, he means a people. Those who are called by the Gospel, washed in Baptism, and fed by his Holy Supper. “The Church must go on” means you must, you will – go on. “I will build my church” is a promise to each and every one of us individual members of the Body of Christ.

So when our plans fail and go awry and disappoint and frustrate… God’s plan for us continues on. No matter whether you have a bad day or week, the church must go on. No matter how incompetent and inept and inadequate and unprepared and unfaithful and downright hypocritical the law rightly makes us feel, for we are still wretched sinners…. The church must go on. The gates of hell will not prevail against us. Christ has died for us, and lives for us – his plan is flawlessly fulfilled.

Though it may have seemed the plan had been thwarted by scheming Judas, the church must go on! A new apostle is picked to take his place. The disciples pray and rightly allow God to determine who it will be. They understand God is the one with the ultimate plan. And so from this small band of just 120 faithful, the church would grow and spread – and the good news would be preached to the ends of the earth. For that was God’s plan!

And one day, a little baby – you – would be brought by his parents to the font. And that was God’s plan. And such children grow up and are confirmed, and learn more, and become husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, teachers, accountants, factory workers, doctors, pastors, and everything else under the sun – and as we do, we serve God. And as we do, we too witness to what we have seen and heard concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. And the good news is brought to the ends of the earth in THAT place, wherever we may be, so too was his plan.

You and I are part of it all, just as was Matthias. God uses us all for his good purposes. Despite our sin and failings – which he forgives in Jesus Christ – for God has always justified and sanctified humble humans to do great things in His name.

And finally, God lets us in on the rest of the plan. Not all the details mind you, but he does promise a future. He has more to come in his plan. When history is concluded, when Christ comes again, and the dead are raised and judged and we, in our flesh, see God.

I don’t know if you ever saw the TV series, popular in the 80’s, called “The A-Team”. They were a small para-military band of mercenaries who would fight the bad guys with all sorts of contraptions. Their leader, Hannibal, always chomped a cigar and celebrated victory as he said his famous line at the end of each episode, “I love it when a plan comes together”.

We look forward to when God’s plan comes together – when it comes to fulfillment in the kingdom to come. Until then. The church must go on! And the good news must be preached to the ends of the earth. Whatever our plans, and however they pan out or fail, God has the plan in Jesus Christ. He is faithful, and he will do it.

Amen.

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Sermon - Ascension Day - Ephesians 1:16-23

Ascension Day
May 25th, 2006
Ephesians 1:16-23
“Riches and Power”

Paul’s greeting to the Church in Ephesus begins with all the usual apostolic pleasantries. He gives thanks for them. And he has been praying for them. So what does a pastor pray concerning his people? Paul prays that they would know God better… but also, that they would know his blessings – the hope of an inheritance, and great power for the believer.

And Paul just can’t help himself, as along the way he simply must re-tell the story of Christ – who died, who was raised to life, and has ascended into heaven. It is the risen and ascended Christ who now promises us this inheritance and who gives us that power for which Paul prayed. Let’s consider as our theme, then, “Riches and Power”

Rich and Powerful. Who do you think of when I say that? Maybe Donald Trump, Bill Gates, or some CEO from Wall Street? Rich and Powerful – it’s the American ideal, in a way, to be the “big dog” on the top of the corporate ladder. But so few of us ever get there. I don’t even personally know anyone who is really “rich and powerful”, and you probably don’t either. At least in earthly terms, the “Rich and Powerful” are few and far between.

But there is one who is rich and powerful – who knows us, and we know him. He is rich in that he truly owns everything. He has the title deed to the universe, for he made it, after all. He is rich. And he is powerful. He can do what he wants, when he wants, and no one can stop him – not traitorous friends, not well-meaning but bumbling followers, not Romans or Jews, not even death itself. He is more powerful than all of that. Not even the Devil himself can overcome this man – the one who came to crush the head of the serpent. Our friend is rich and powerful, and he is Jesus Christ, now exalted on high, and seated at the right hand of the Father. And we join the chorus of the faithful around that throne singing, “Power, Riches, wisdom and strength be to God and the Lamb forever – Amen.”

Riches
Riches. We would like to be rich. “Sudden wealth syndrome” is a condition that affects many who win the lottery or see a large, unexpected windfall come their way. Many people don’t know how to handle such wealth, and it can bring lots of problems with it – but still. – who among us would refuse that kind of money? Who wouldn’t want to be rich?

Earthly riches have that allure, don’t they. Sinful, selfish, money-hungry people that we are. But the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. And it is an open invitation for our sinfulness to become manifest. Think of the greed of Biblical personalities Annanias and Saphaira, Lot, Judas, and the rich men in Jesus’ parables. For all the blessings that earthly wealth brings, there are just as many – if not more temptations, so that Jesus says, “it is more difficult for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle”.

But these aren’t the kind of riches Paul means, when he prays that our eyes would be open to the riches of our glorious inheritance. The riches that he prays for believers – and indeed, the riches we already have – are far more than what Trump or Gates could imagine. We have the glorious inheritance of the saints. A spiritual inheritance that far surpasses any mere earthly trinkets. We have the riches of Christ – an inheritance stored up in heaven, of which we receive in part even here on Earth. Forgiveness, new life, salvation – the riches of God given in the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. All the promises of God in Jesus Christ.

Riches that came at a price. Riches that were purchased not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood, and his innocent suffering and death. A sacrifice of inestimable worth, Jesus our Priceless Treasure. Laying down his life as a ransom for many, and for us… we are redeemed. And not just purchased out of slavery to sin, but also adopted as children of God. And children have an inheritance. That’s one way to get rich – to get a big inheritance. And we have the biggest and the best – the riches of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Power
Riches. And power. Who doesn’t like power? Authority. Respect. To be in charge. Most of us wouldn’t mind being the one to tell others what to do. Or at least, we don’t like when someone else tells us what to do. Life in this world is often about the struggle for power – with opposing factions set against one another. Nations at war. Political parties trying to one-up each other. Even in the family, we struggle for power. It is a particular form of self-seeking and self-aggrandizement that lusts after earthly power. It is really the age-old sin of wanting to be “like God”.

For truly, God alone has the power. “Thine is the kingdom, and the POWER…”. Paul says he has, “incomparably great power…” “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand…. Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and ever title that can be given…. And God has placed all things under his feet…”

This is not a false, petty, earthly power. This is not a power which fades away. It’s not a power that lasts only through the next election cycle. It’s not a power based on fear and intimidation. This is God’s power. A power that can forgive sins. A power that can raise the dead. Christ’s power isn’t the power to enslave but to set free. It is the power to destroy the destroyer, to create and re-create.

So God has the power, and now our ascended Christ has the power too. He always had it, but he set it aside for a time, in part, to take on our humble human flesh. To be like us in every way, yet without sin.

But then, and here is the key to the Ascension – Jesus glorified that human flesh, that human body of his. So that now, there is not only a true God but also true Man seated on heaven’s high throne.

Jesus’ great power is good news for us. His authority, his strength, his dominion, all are for us. Because we have been incorporated into him, we also will share in that glorious reign. Because he is the head, and we, his church are the body – we partake in that heavenly kingdom which he rules on our behalf.

His power over sin becomes our power. His power over death, and the devil – our power. So that where Christ reigns, we cannot be defeated. Where Christ is king, we cannot be overpowered. And Christ is king over all.

So Paul says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened… that you may know…his incomparably great power for us who believe”. Jesus’ power over sin is what gives us power over sin. So that by his spirit, we struggle against the sinful flesh to lead a God-pleasing life. A life which seeks to serve others rather than exert power for our own gain. A life which shows thanks for our earthly riches, but even more for our heavenly riches. By his power – we face the temptations of everyday life, and no that we can overcome. None is too great.

We will fail and we will fall. But his power is always there to restore us and renew us for the fight. And we know that though the battles of this life go on, Christ has won the war for us. And our inheritance awaits. And so in Christ – we are rich. And in Christ – we are powerful. May the eyes of our hearts be opened to this great hope, In Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Paul prays that believers would see their true riches and power in Christ – who is rich and powerful, for us. Praise the risen and ascended Lord! Amen.

Random Thoughts 2

More random thoughts....

1. On the term "serial prayer": This has been used to justify, in our circles, participation in interfaith gatherings. The idea that even though it's wrong for Christians to pray with non-Christians, if the Buddhist prays first, then the Christian, then the Muslim, (even in the same "service" or "event") that it's A-OK!

It struck me today that "serial prayer" is much like "serial monogamy".

2. Confirmation: 8 Young people will have their Baptism confirmed next Sunday (Pentecost) here at Grace. Which reminds me of the question, "Who is confirming What in 'Confirmation'?" My best answer is that it is God, through the congregation and the pastor, who confirms one's baptismal faith - and then that the confirmand confirms it in response.

We will also be using the highly preferable Confirmation rite from the forthcoming LSB hymnal this year, and finally leaving behind the LW version. Phew!

3. Pew Cushions: I have often remarked that my congregation has been remarkably free of conflict in the 7 years I have been here. Lately, I have been joking "that's about to change - as we decide whether to install Pew Cushions (and if so, what style and color)". Currently our pews are simple wood, with no such coverings.

While I am sure some people actually do feel more strongly about such a decision, I will concern myself rather with Preaching, Teaching, Pastoring.... and leave the "tough calls" to others. My position is one of decided neutrality. Besides, my chair up front is already cushioned anyway!

Congregation Resources

Check out our congregation's website, especially our page of articles and resources. There you will find a number of documents which may be of interest, and which you are also free to use as needed in your own congregation too.

Hey why don't I just paste the thing here:

On the Practice of Close(d) Communion:

Our congregation's "Communion Statement" (printed each week in the bulletin):

Guests and Holy Communion:
Holy Communion is a gift Christ gives to His Church. In it, He offers His true Body and Blood, in, with and under the bread and wine. When received in faith, it brings forgiveness, new life and salvation. Holy Communion is also a statement of our unity in Christ (community). Those who receive the Lord’s Supper at Grace Lutheran Church are baptized Christians who have been instructed in and publicly confess the Evangelical Lutheran faith. For this reason only members of our congregation or sister congregations of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod are ordinarily communed at this altar. If you have any questions regarding the doctrine of Close Communion, please talk to one of the pastors before or after the service.

An excellent collection of articles and links regarding closed communion is available here, at the website of our sister congergation, St. Paul's, Kingsville, MD.

On "Every-Sunday Communion":

Grace's Resolution to Introduce Every-Sunday Communion (.doc)


Regarding Worship:

Children in the Divine Service (Pamphlet) (.doc)

Catechetical Inserts (.doc)


Other:

A Collection of Luther Quotes (.doc)

Grace Lutheran Church "Handbook" (Including Constitution and By-Laws) (.pdf)

2005 Annual Report (.pdf)

Wedding Manual (.pdf)

"Welcome to our Wedding" Pamphlet (.doc)

Endowment Fund (.pdf)

Lutheran Carnival XXIV

Lutheran Carnival XXIV is up.

On Judas...

Regarding Judas. What does scripture tell us?

1. He was an apostle, and presumably (because the text doesn't say otherwise), participated in the apostolic activities - preaching and healing, casting out demons. See Matthew 10, Mark 6 and Luke 9 where Jesus "sends out the 12".

2. Would this imply that he had, at least at that time, faith? Possibly. However, in John 6:70-71 Jesus also says, "but one of you is a devil!" Which would indicate that Jesus was no Donatist.

3. Judas "held the moneybag". He was the treasurer. Apparently there was some degree of trust accorded to Judas - by the other apostles, as well as the Lord himself?

4. Judas was likely seated near Jesus at the Last Supper, near the "head of the table", a place of honor. Thus it would be easy for Jesus to dip the bread (John 13:26) and hand it to Judas. Judas may have even been at Jesus' "right hand", as the right hand was used for eating.

Was this a case of Judas "seeking a higer place at the table" (contra Jesus' parable)? Or was it a case of the Lord honoring Judas or placing him there for some other reason (to make his point? keep your friends close, your enemies closer?)

5. Judas and King Saul of the Old Testament, the only major characters to commit suicide in the Bible. Interesting to note that both are spoken of in terms of influence/posession by Satan/an Evil Spirit. While the Bible doesn't state that suicide automatically leads to damnation, it certainly never paints suicide in a good light.

6. Judas got his feet washed by Jesus in the upper room. He left shortly thereafter. There is some debate about whether he received the Sacrament as it was instituted (I remember one of our seminary parlor discussions concerning this). If anyone has a link to a resource concerning that question, I would appreciate it.

Memo from God

Get some chuckles over at St. James the Hoosier (what a cool name for a blog, by the way)
as Pat Robertson gets a Memo from God.

Random Thoughts

A few items of note, questions to ponder, fun-facts-to-know-and-tell.

1) I mentioned to someone today that, "All pastors should blog." We agreed that it does seem an ideal medium for pastors to disseminate ideas, talk theology, share sermons, etc... More and more as the net "catches on", with the younger generations, and as technology becomes more a part of our lives, I can only see this expanding.

2) I am playing "Test War" tonight.... well... my confirmation class is. They will quiz each other with test questions from the last 2 units. Kind of an overall review. More fun than they can stand, I am sure.

3) My Israel trip for 2007 is in the early planning stages. Looking forward to visiting the Holy Land, and hoping Iran doesn't cause too much trouble for us....

Sermon - Easter 7 - Acts 1:15-26 (Winkel)

Winkel (Pastors' Conference)
May 15th (28th), 2006
“The Church Must Go On”
Acts 1:15-26

Grace and peace to you, brothers, in Christ our Lord.

I decided to use for today the readings for May 28th, the 7th Sunday of Easter, two weeks down the road. I always appreciate hearing winkel sermons with good ideas to steal, and so feel free to do that today if you wish, that is, if you hear any.

As you know, in this Easter season our lectionary takes a turn from the Old Testament to hear from the book of Acts. And I couldn’t help but key in on the reading from Acts 1:15-26, especially with all the hub-bub about the Gospel of Judas in recent weeks.

If you were at the recent pastors’ conference you heard Dr. Voelz expose the problems with this so-called gospel. And if you haven’t heard or read much about it, I hope you will at least have an answer to it, for your people are bound to be asking questions.

But putting that aside for now, this reading is fascinating in and of itself. I always wonder at the graphic depiction of Judas’ suicide – with his body bursting open and intestines spilling out (try picking a hymn to go along with THAT!).

And then Peter quotes the Psalms (and isn’t it wonderful how these buffoon disciples all of a sudden in Acts become exegetes par-exellence?). And he says that this was all part of the plan, and now another needs to be chosen to fill Judas’ vacant position.

He doesn’t say to become an “apostle” but a “witness with us of his resurrection”. In Acts, you see, it’s always about the resurrection.

And so you get Joseph a.k.a. Barsabbas a.k.a. Justus, and Matthias. The call committee is formed, and after they fill out their PIF and SET forms, the district president evaluates their strengths and weaknesses and then they interview the two men and see which one “wowed” them more and…. No wait. They don’t do that. They pray, then they flip a coin.

Well the point here is not to give us a prescription for calling a pastor. Nor is it just anecdotal trivia about the infant church. Instead, we have here a further example of God’s plan unfolding. For our God is a God with a plan.

We know planning, don’t we? I don’t know how you plan in your parish, but around here we have a yearly system of planning – who preaches when, coordinating with Sunday School and our day-school, planning Bible classes and retreats, Evangelism and Mission Sundays, and of course the high holiday of September, our annual church picnic.

We plan week to week – I start most Mondays out by picking hymns, a message for our outside sign, beginning my study of the readings. I make sure I have my ducks in a row for all my meetings, classes, confirmation, etc…

And then there’s all the planning in our personal lives. I’m planning to plant my garden in a couple weeks. We’re planning a Disney vacation this fall. Maybe you’re planning for your retirement. Maybe your congregation is planning for your early retirement.

Personally and professionally, individually and corporately, we make our plans. But then the plans go wrong. A health problem comes along. Someone reacts to your plan with resistance. People don’t hold up their end of the bargain. Some monkey wrench is thrown into the works.

Or I fail to do what I thought I could and would. Maybe what goes awry is our fault. Maybe it’s out of our control. Maybe God wasn’t copied in on our plan. Maybe he missed the memo. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen, Lord. Not the plan!

The best laid plans of men have been going awry since the fall. Since Adam and Eve’s plan to be like God didn’t work out. They wanted to be more like God, instead they became less.

Yes, plans get messed and mussed by sin. Always the problem, that sin. But God is always planning. He is dealing with sin. And his plan isn’t necessarily our plan. He knows better, after all.

Jesus wasn’t supposed to be betrayed! Judas was supposed to be a disciple, not a turncoat. Jesus wasn’t supposed to get arrested – convicted – crucified. What about all the miracles? What about all the plans? James and John were marking out their thrones next to Jesus in the kingdom they expected him to usher in. Judas had his own plan. We don’t know exactly what it was, but it might have been to force Jesus’ hand into establishing that earthly kingdom.

Those were their plans. Not Jesus’ plan. His was simple – to go up to Jerusalem, to be handed over to the elders and chief priests, to suffer many things, to be crucified, and to rise again on the third day.

Peter heard this plan and tried to rebuke Jesus. But Jesus rebuked him. And now, in Acts, after the resurrection, Peter has a little more respect for God’s planning. He sees and knows that this is how it had to be. That this was the plan all along. God’s way of dealing with our sin in Christ. The Christ had to die. The Christ had to rise. God’s plan of salvation, not ours. And now the next step of the plan was afoot.

They say in the world of entertainment, “the show must go on”. No matter what happens, if you forget your lines, if a prop is missing, if the audience doesn’t applaud – the show must go on! The church is like that too. “The church must go on!” No matter whether you have a bad day or week, the church must go on. No matter whether you feel up to the task, the word has been given you to teach and preach. No matter how incompetent and inept and inadequate and unprepared and unfaithful and downright hypocritical the law rightly makes us feel, for we are still wretched sinners…. The church must go on. The gates of hell will not prevail against her. Though it may have seemed the plan has been thwarted by scheming Judas, the church must go on! A new apostle is picked to take his place. The disciples pray and rightly allow God to determine who. They understand God is the one with the ultimate plan. And so from this small band of just 120 faithful, the church would grow and spread – and the good news would be preached to the ends of the earth. For that was God’s plan!

And one day, a little baby – you – would be brought by his parents to the font. And that was God’s plan. And that child would grow up and be confirmed, and learn more, and become a pastor, and be called to serve a congregation, and there preach the good news to the ends of the earth in THAT place, so too was his plan. You and I are part of it all, just as was Matthias. God uses us all for his good purposes. Despite our sin and failings – which he forgives in Jesus Christ – for God has always justified and sanctified humble humans to do great things in His name.

And finally, God lets us in on the rest of the plan. Not all the details mind you, but he does promise a future. He has more to come in his plan. When history is concluded, when Christ comes again, and the dead are raised and judged and we, in our flesh, see God.

I don’t know if you ever saw the TV series, popular in the 80’s, called “The A-Team”. They were a small para-military band of mercenaries who would fight the bad guys with all sorts of contraptions. Their leader, Hannibal, always chomped a cigar and celebrated victory as he said his famous line at the end of each episode, “I love it when a plan comes together”.

We look forward to when God’s plan comes together – when it comes to fulfillment in the kingdom to come. Until then. The church must go on! And the good news must be preached to the ends of the earth. Whatever our plans, and however they pan out or fail, God has the plan in Jesus Christ. He is faithful, and he will do it.
Amen.

Sermon - Easter 5 - John 15:1-8

Easter 5 – (May 15th 2006)
John 15:1-8
“Vine and Branches”

I. Introduction –
I usually like to leave the scriptural teachings about agriculture to Pastor Poppe, who is eminently more qualified than I. He grew up on a farm and has a degree in “crop science”. I am a spoiled suburban brat, who knows lots about eating food, but little about growing it.

But today we come to John 15, and it falls to me. And thankfully Jesus is less concerned with the details of the biology, and more concerned with teaching the reality of his relationship to his people.

Jesus spins a great metaphor, “I am the Vine; you are the branches”. It’s one of the 7 great “I AM” statements of John’s Gospel. And today we will draw from this text 3 insights for our faith – the importance of remaining in the vine, the meaning of bearing fruit, and the promise of receiving what we ask for.

II. Remaining in the Vine
Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. One key word in Jesus explanation of this relationship is, “remain”. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” “If a man remains in me…” “If you remain in me…”. He repeats this idea again and again. Just what does he mean, “remain in him?”.

Well we can see easily enough the importance for a branch to remain on the vine. Every child knows that when cut off from the main plant, a branch dies. It’s the way plants work. Vines, bushes, trees, houseplants. It’s all the same. The branches need the vine, because that’s where they draw sustenance. From the vine comes life.

Apart from Jesus, we die. That’s the reality. Sin is a withering disease that would destroy us. But with Jesus, and in Jesus, there is life. His death on the cross, and his rising from the dead, bring new and true and eternal life to all his people. In this Easter season we are continually reminded that Christ is the source for our life – life with God, and life even from the dead.
What a blessing it is to be connected to Christ! To be grafted into him, a very part of him. Another word-picture in scripture express the same truth – for he is the head, and we, the church, are the body of Christ. We become part of him.

And we also have numerous promises that such a connection cannot be severed. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ”. “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”.

III. Bearing Fruit
Another key word in this great metaphor is “fruit”. The gardener (God the Father) will cut off (condemn) any branch (person) that does not bear fruit (has no good works). But Jesus promises that the branch remaining in him will bear “much fruit”. Not just some, not a tiny bit. “Much fruit”.

And so we look at our lives and don’t see much fruit. We don’t see many good works. Or the ones we see are tainted by sin. But a few things to remember: 1) We won’t always see our own fruit. God has a way of working through us without our knowing it. 2) In Christ, God sees our whole life as one of good works. In fact, we get the credit for Christ’s perfect life. His fruit becomes our fruit. And 3) The fruit we do bear, we don’t bring about. God does. That’s why Jesus mentions the pruning.

Martin Luther tells a delightful dialogue about what a vine might say to the gardener if it could speak:

The vine sees the vinedresser, or gardener, coming with his pruning shears and other tools to work around it and says: "What are you doing? That hurts, don't you know that? Now I must wither and decay, for you are removing the soil from around my roots and are tearing away at my branches with those iron teeth. You are tearing and pinching me everywhere, and I will have to stand in the ground bare and seared. You are treating me worse than any tree or plant."

And the gardener would then reply: "You are a fool and do not understand. For even if I do cut a branch from you, it is a totally useless branch; it takes away your strength and your sap. Then the other branches, which should bear fruit, must suffer. Away with it! This is for your own good." Then the vine would say: "But you do not understand! I have a different feeling about it!" The gardener declares: "But I understand it well. I am doing this for your welfare, to keep the foreign and wild branches from sucking out the strength and the sap of the others. Now you will be able to yield more and better fruit and produce good wine."

The same thing is true when the gardener applies the cow manure to the root of the vine; this, too he does for the benefit of the vine even though the vine might complain and say: "What in the world are you doing? Isn't it bad enough for you to hack and cut at me all day long, trimming this an cutting off that branch? Why, now are you putting that foul smelling stuff at my roots?! I am a vine, to yield delicious grapes to make wonderful wine, and you are putting that terrible smelling stuff near me, it will destroy me!" Of course, we know well that the badly smelling manure does well to put fertilizer and nutrients into the soil so that the vine might grow and prosper and produce an even better crop.

What Luther is saying here, indeed, what Christ is saying, is that sometimes life hurts. Sometimes life stinks. But God the gardener knows better than we the branches. And he has our best interests in mind, though it may not always seem so to us.

IV. Asking and Receiving
Our third main insight is one that also comes out in our Epistle reading. That whatever we ask for in prayer, we will receive. Or, “ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you”.

The sinful temptation is to read these promises with selfish thoughts. We all have our most-wanted list, and could imagine if God really did send us anything we asked – what spoiled children we would be!

It seems obvious that he is not including ridiculous or sinful requests. For
if God promises the faithful they will get what they ask for, then we must ask, “for what does faith pray?”

Faith prays for God’s will to be done, not our will. And with such a prayer you can never go wrong. Here, too, God has our best interests in mind even if we don’t understand or agree with his answer. One of my favorite hymns, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” puts it this way:

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
Faith sees a smiling face.

In other words, sometimes behind God’s apparent, “no”, there is an even bigger yes. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ”

Faith prays that we will remain in Christ, that our sins are forgiven, that our eternity with God is secure. And faith is never disappointed.

Faith prays that we stay connected to the True Vine. That we receive our sustenance from him. That we bear much fruit, in him. Faith prays that we find our life, always, only, in him. And faith is never disappointed.

“I am the Vine,” Jesus says, “You are the branches.” “Remain in me, and I will remain in you”. Amen.

V. Conclusion In this great “I AM” statement, Jesus establishes a grand metaphor for the encouragement of his disciples. He is the vine, and apart from him we wither. But remaining in him brings life and much fruit!

Pastor Evicted by Mistake

A couple months ago I pointed out this story about an LCMS pastor arrested "in the pulpit". Now some further developments...

From the Chicago Sun-Times. Please keep Pr. McCants in your prayers.

Pastor's eviction was a mistake, sheriff's department says

May 9, 2006

BY CATHLEEN FALSANI Religion Reporter

One Sunday morning about two months ago, some members of his congregation
had the Rev. Jimmy McCants arrested for trespassing as he stood on the altar
preaching.

On Monday, the same group of congregants from Zion Evangelical Lutheran
Church on Chicago's South Side had McCants and his family evicted from the
parsonage next to the church that he has pastored for a decade.

Cook County sheriff's police stood guard as evictors removed all of the
McCants' belongings and piled them on the lawn and sidewalk in front of the
house at 10855 S. Calumet.

Now the sheriff's department and an official for the denomination to which
McCants and his congregation belong say it was all a big mistake.

"Technically, the eviction should not have taken place," said Sally Daly, a
spokeswoman for the sheriff's department. "On March 30 there was an eviction
order entered in Cook County Circuit Court. Unbeknownst to us . . . Mr.
McCants' lawyer went into court and got it vacated."

But the pastor's attorney didn't file the proper paperwork with the
sheriff's department, which conducts the evictions on behalf of the court,
alerting it that the eviction had been vacated, Daly said.

McCants could not be reached for comment Monday.

McCants' Feb. 5 arrest was the result of a rift in the small congregation of
about 75 that began more than a year ago, said the Rev. William Ameiss,
president of the Northern Illinois District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod.

Last December, a "minority group" assumed control of the church's board and
voted McCants out, Ameiss said, but they did not have the right to do so.
McCants was quickly reinstated as pastor, and Ameiss wrote letters to police
and bank officials letting them know that McCants was the legitimate pastor
and had the right to be on church property, he said.

But Ameiss said he had no idea the small group -- about 14 people, he said
-- had initiated eviction proceedings against McCants at the parsonage.

"The church is supposed to be controlled by the majority," Ameiss said. When
McCants was reinstated as pastor, it was by a vote of 42-0, he said.

Late Monday afternoon, McCants had begun to move his belongings back into
the parsonage, Ameiss said. "But the house is torn up pretty badly," he
said. "Apparently they had to break down doors to get in."

Grace Mission Sunday

April 30th was our annual Mission Festival Sunday at Grace. This year we welcomed Rev. Wallace Schulz of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Our congregation has been supporting LHF for a couple years now. After Rev. Schulz was with us for morning worship and Bible Study, Rev. Robert Rahn, the director of LHF joined us for a luncheon and shared a powerpoint presentation of the excellent work LHF is involved in around the world. We keep Rev. Schulz, Rev. Rahn, and the work of the LHF in our prayers! Here are some photos:

(L to R) Rev. Tom Chryst (me), Rev. Wallace Schulz, Rev. Randal Poppe

Rev. Schulz in action

Thanks to Samuel Pierce-Ruhland for the fine photos.

In Vitro Catholic now Lutheran

"MILWAUKEE (AP) - A woman claims a Catholic school system in east central Wisconsin illegally fired her for having in vitro fertilization, which Catholic writings have called immoral..."

[the rest of the story here]

also....

"Romenesko said she now attends Lutheran services and holds a part-time job unrelated to teaching. She lives at Darboy, near Appleton, with her husband, Eric, and the girls."

ELCA, I suppose?

First Thursday in May....

Happy National Day of (unionistic, syncretistic, confusing of the two-kingdoms, thinking it's a means of grace even though it's not, don't mention Jesus and offend the non-Christians) Prayer

Gleaned from the nationaldayofprayer.org website.... (my comments in italics)

"We are the Judeo-Christian expression of the National Day of Prayer..." Judeo-Christian. Make up your mind.

"The National Day of Prayer Task Force exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, mobilizing the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership." What is the "Christian community"? Ever hear of the church?

"The National Day of Prayer was created by an act of Congress and is, therefore, intended for all peoples of faith to pray to the God of their understanding" Sounds just like Alcoholics Anonymous and their anonymous god. I don't pray to the "God of my understanding". I pray to the only true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

"This is not a church/state issue" Really?

______

See other Lutheran Commentary on the day at:
Necessary Roughness
and
Cyberbrethren

SWD Pastor's Conference - More Notes and Nuggets

This was a truly worthwhile conference as far as the speakers were concerned. I wanted to share some more notes from the lectures:

Dean Nadasdy:
"Creative Proclamation"

Postmodern Trends:
1. Relative truth
2. Virtual reality
3. Horizontal authority (are you authentic?)
4. Individualism
5. Voyeurism
6. Entitlement
7. Immediacy
8. Cynicism

Contexts of Preaching (expanded from Craddock):
1. Personal context - "what are YOU going through?" (young pastors who constantly use children as sermon illustrations)
2. Pastoral context - "what is your congregation going through?"
3. Theological/Confessional context
4. Liturgical
5. Linguistic
6. Historical "who preceded you in the pulpit?"
7. Cultural context - "your people are part of the culture"

(paraphrase): "Ever wonder why it feels good to be creative? When you do, you are fulfilling part of the image of God in you. Because God creates. Or when you sacrifice? Because God sacrifices. Etc..."


James W. Voelz:
"Proclaiming the Gospel Contextually Within the Culture in the 1st and 21st Centuries AD"

"The Greeks invented poetry. The Romans invented concrete."

(from E.P. Sanders) (paraphrase) "Paul uses 2 models to speak of what Christ does for us, the JURIDICIAL and the INCORPORATION. When speaking sanctification/ethics, Paul NEVER uses the Juridicial, usually the Incorporation model."

Modernism vs. Postmodernism
Modernism:
1. Privileged place of reason
2. Objective assessment of data
3. Comprehensive explanations
4. Progress

Postmodernism:
1. Rejection of the hegemony of reason. Now intuition, feeling, new age stuff.
*2. NO Objectivity. Now, "perspectives" only. Interesting discursus on how this "bubbles up" into common worldview from beginnings in the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle of Quantam Physics (over the course of a century).
3. No comprehensive explanations, only "models"
4. No progress, instead cynicism: i.e., global warming, avian flu, gas price manipulation conspiracy.

Caveat: No one is entirely Modern or POMO. "Even your new age fortune teller goes to get an EKG. When your car breaks down, you don't go to a witch-doctor".

Preach in the zone of language that is "acceptable" and "accessible". Not too low or high, not too literary or too improprer in grammar.

Finally he gave a wonderful synopsis of the Gospel of Judas, showing clearly its roots in Gnosticism (which he calls "Platonism on steroids"). A "talking-head Jesus" with a drastically different "enabling narrative" about the "realm of Barbello". You can also read the text of the Gospel of Judas on the National Geographic website.

Voelz also convincingly made the case that the 4 Gospels stand apart from the 26 or so "other" gospels, which were written much later and circulated individually, as opposed to the true Gospels which we now know were circulated as a unit. Perhaps this is the reason that the Christians invented the codex in the first place, he suggested - to bind these documents together as one.

SWD Pastors' Conference - Nadasdy

I'm here at the Spring conference in Manitowoc, WI. The speakers are Dean Nadasdy and James Voelz. Nadasdy went yesterday. I had him for homiletics at the seminary, and have always appreciated his attention to art and literature. Anyway, he shared this piece of art as part of his presentation, and I liked it a lot.

It's called "The Two Crowns". You have to look closely to see them both. Hint: Where is the king looking?