“God of the Prophets, Bless the Prophets' Sons”

-Pastor as Prophet, Priest and King

Introduction

While in many ways the Office of the Holy Ministry is diminished or undermined in modern Christian circles, there are still those of us who cherish this precious gift of Christ to His Church, for the purposes of preaching His word and administering His sacraments. No, everyone is not a minister, at least not everyone holds the Holy Office of the Ministry. Not everyone is given to preach and teach, and exercise the Power of the Keys.

But in seeking to defend the Office, we must not do so for the sake of the Office itself. For the Office only exists to serve Christ and His people, and in service to the Gospel. Therefore it is good to avoid the opposite error of “putting too much into the Office”, or ascribing to it honors and powers which our Lord himself does not. All too often our sinful nature would twist God's good gifts. It's very tempting for the pastor to allow his authority to become “power” and to wield it for selfish purposes.

With that in mind, however, I offer a perspective on the Office which incorporates the three-fold Office of Prophet, Priest, and King. What I mean to demonstrate, is that these Old Testament offices are reflected in the New Testament and modern day Office of the Holy Ministry, not only in its functions, but in its connection to the three-fold Office of Christ himself. This is not to add functions or aspects to the Ministry, but to recognize that which has always been there and draw out connections for a deeper understanding of this precious gift Christ gives to His church.

“God of the Prophets, Bless the Prophet's Sons”

Perhaps at an ordination of installation of a pastor, or on some other occasion, you've sung the 1884 hymn by Reformed pastor Denis Wortman:

God of the prophets! Bless the prophets’ sons,
Elijah's mantle, o'er Elisha cast.
Each age its solemn task may claim but once;
Make each one nobler, stronger, than the last.

Anoint them prophets! Make their ears attent
To Thy divinest speech; their hearts awake
To human need; their lips make eloquent
To gird the right and every evil break.

Anoint them priests! Strong intercessors, they
For pardon, and for charity and peace.
Ah, if with them the world might, now astray,
Find in our Lord from all its woes release!

Anoint them kings; aye, kingly kings, O Lord.
Anoint them with the Spirit of Thy Son.
Theirs not a jeweled crown, a blood stained sword;
Theirs, by sweet love, for Christ a kingdom won.

Make them apostles, heralds of Thy cross,
Forth may they go to tell all realms Thy grace;
Inspired of Thee, may they count all but loss,
And stand at last with joy before Thy face.

O mighty age of prophet kings, return!
O truth, O faith, enrich our urgent time!
Lord Jesus Christ, again with us sojourn;
A weary world awaits Thy reign sublime.

The hymn can be found in the current Lutheran Service Book hymnal at #682. The language has been updated and the last verse omitted, no doubt to avoid any chiliastic confusion:

God of the prophets, bless the prophets' sons;

Elijah's mantle o'er Elisha cast.
Each age its solemn task may claim but once;
Make each one nobler, stronger than the last.

Anoint them prophets, men who are intent
To be your witnesses in word and deed,
Their hearts aflame, their lips made eloquent,
Their eyes awake to every human need.

Anoint them priests, strong intercessors they,
For pardon and for love and hope and peace,
That, through their pleading, guilty sinners may
Find Jesus' mercy and from sin release.

Anoint them kings, yes, kingly kings, O Lord.
Anoint them with the Spirit of Your Son.
Theirs not a jeweled crown, a blood-stained sword;
Theirs, by sweet love, for Christ a kingdom won.

Make them apostles, heralds of your cross;
Forth let them go to tell the world of grace.
Inspired by You, may they count all but loss
And stand at last with joy before Your face.

History of the threefold office distinction

We must note that the three-fold office of Christ, as an idea, does not originate with Lutheran theologians.

E.F. Karl Miller writes:

From the earliest times Jesus has been recognized as the representative of a twofold and yet unitary theocratic function, as king and priest. The spiritual kingdom of the Messiah has its foundation in the sacrifice of his life (Matt. xvi. 16-25, xx. 25-28). This thought may be traced f rom the second century to the time of the Reformation. But as early as Eusebius a threefold office is ascribed to Christ, that of prophet, priest, and king, and this is traceable to Jewish sources.

Miller goes on to explain that at the time of the Reformation, Christ as priest and king was roundly accepted. But John Calvin led the charge in adding the prophetic office back into the formulation. For some time there was debate in Lutheran circles as to the propriety of speaking in terms of the three-fold office. Later Lutherans, particularly Paul Gerhard, began to embrace the framework of the three-fold office.

Today, the casting of Christ in his three-fold office is regularly taught among Calvinists, Roman Catholics and Lutherans, alike.

Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation, published by CPH (and the go-to textbook for most of our LCMS catechetical instruction) devotes several pages to an explanation of the three-fold office of Christ.

Definitions

While I can't disagree with any of our textbook definitions, it might also be helpful to add some other thoughts concerning each office and its role or function:

Prophet – We are shown that Christ preached, and still preaches, through the Gospel. So, the chief function of the prophet is to bear a message. Though modern connotations of prophecy entail “predicting the future”, just as often, prophets speak a word concerning the present reality. In all cases, the prophet speaks what he is given to speak, and therefore serves as a representative.

I've found it useful to use a “downward arrow” in describing the prophet's role of representing (speaking for) God to the people.

Priest – Our textbook explains that Christ is priest, in that he fulfilled the law in our stead, died in our place, and pleads for us before God. All well and good, and again, representative functions. In his active and passive obedience, he is our vicarious Atoner. His intercessory prayer “represents” us to the Father. Indeed, there is but one Mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ.

But here, it is an “upward arrow”. As the priest offers up sacrifices and prayers, he also stands between God and man, but this time as representative of people to God.

So in a way, the priest is the opposite of the prophet. Or perhaps we could say they are complementary.

King- Modern American conceptions of monarchy are laden with negative connotations, mostly having to do with the power of law (and, in sinful hands, the abuse of such). Of course, Christ's kingly office holds no such negativity.

Our textbook outlines the “three kingdoms” of power, grace and glory, over which Christ the King reigns. Again, without disagreeing, I offer another understanding of this office through the lens of “Law and Gospel”, informed by the example of the Old Testament kings.

The Law function is obvious – rulership and authority. But how does a king function in a “good news” sort of way? The king, especially in Old Testament times, was expected to defend the kingdom. So David would ride to battle with his armies (and when he shirked this duty found himself in trouble with Bathsheba!) The king would even lay down his life to defend his kingdom, his people, from the enemy.

Likewise, the way Scripture speaks of the Old Testament kings as the “Shepherds of Israel”, clues us in. A shepherd protects the sheep, even as he leads and guides them. He drives off the predators, and provides for the sheep to be well-fed and watered. Here Christ is, of course, rightly seen as the Good Shepherd – a kingly function, for the leading and protecting (Law and Gospel) of His sheep.

One clue then, of Christ's desire for his ministers to reflect these same functions is his charge to Peter, “feed my sheep”. And so Lutheran ministers rightly are called “pastor”, that is, shepherd.

The Office of the Ministry as representative of Christ

Without re-establishing everything Lutherans teach about the Office of the Holy Ministry, we can first approach its exercise of the three-fold office by understanding that the Ministry is derived from Christ's own office(s). The 1981 CTCR document, “The Ministry - Offices, Procedures and Nomenclature” explains:

2. The office of the public ministry is grounded in the ministry of Christ and is an extension of the apostolate established by Him.

The office of the public ministry of the church is rooted and grounded in the ministry of Christ. He was the Suffering Servant, the God-man, who not only taught about God's love but completely satisfied the demands of God's holy Law by vicariously living a perfect life and dying a sacrificial death for our transgressions of God's Law. His priestly, prophetic, and royal actions (emphasis mine) are the essential content and power of the ministry of the church. God not only provided salvation and declared the whole world just for the sake of Christ, but He also provided the means of grace and the ministry of the Word and sacrament "to offer and apply to us this treasure of salvation" (LC II, 38).

Similarly, Jesus says, “he who receives you, receives me”. Also our liturgy confesses this connection when the pastor absolves, “in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ...” The pastor is a “little Christ” to his congregation, and in accord with his office, exercises rightful authority. But the authority of Christ is always used to serve others, not self. It is even the call to die for the sheep, if needed.

With all this in mind, let us consider:

The Pastor as Prophet – Perhaps the Old Testament office most easily aligned with the pastor, for its concern to speak the Word of God is the same. While an Old Testament prophet received that Word in “many and various ways”, we constrain ourselves to the canonical books of the Bible. But in his preaching, the faithful, prophetic pastor proclaims that word he is given – for the present and the future – and points always to the ultimate prophet, even the Living Word, himself, Jesus Christ.

The pastor is the under-prophet of the Ultimate Prophet, and always subjects his word to the Living Word.

The Pastor as Priest - “strong intercessors, they” they hymn declares. As priest, the pastor speaks the prayers of the people in representative fashion during the public services, in the liturgy. In fact, any time the pastor faces the altar, back to the congregation, it is not to be rude – but likely to express the priestly character of his actions at that point - representing you to God.

But his intercession does not stop there, as the faithful pastor prays for his sheep in all their troubles and circumstances. There's no indication in Scripture that the prayers of a pastor have any more weight than of the laity (though, “the prayer of a righteous man has great effect”). A pastor must be careful not to play in to this cultural misnomer. But as a man of God called to care for a flock, it only makes sense that he would pay particular attention to prayer on their behalf, whether they know it or not.

And while he can not personally stand in their place, coram deo, for salvation – he does sacrifice worldly comforts to bring the sheep to the great High Priest, who offered Himself on the cross. Here, perhaps, we see the greatest fulfillment of priestliness, a model we do well to reflect in our showing of love to the people in our flock.

The pastor is the under-priest of the Great High Priest, of the Order of Melchizedek.

The Pastor as King – Yes, a pastor is a king. But like Christ, whose kingdom is not of this world. Following Christ, who taught that only the rulers of this world “lord it over” others, but, “not so with you!”. So putting aside our cautions about misused kingly authority, how is a pastor a king?

He handles the law, administering it. He speaks a word that curbs, shows sin, and rules. In his preaching, he points to that which God expects of us, and demands of us. Of course, we fail. And this may incite in us rebellion against the law-giver, killing the messenger because the message so hurts. But no matter. Kings have a solemn duty to uphold the law, and so will a faithful pastor.

But he will also protect the people. He will fight for them. He will identify the enemy (or enemies) and lead the charge. Our enemies are not flesh and blood, but the Devil the world, and our own sinful nature. Our defenses are given only by God (Ephesians 6). The breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, etc.

And our only offensive weapon is the sword of his word. As a king, the pastor wields the sword – not of the government to punish wrongdoers (Romans 13), but the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. It is that sword which issues from the mouth of Christ (Revelation 1). It is the Gospel, the power of God for salvation.

The pastor as king employs both Law and Gospel, in the pulpit, and in his dealings with those of the Kingdom. The pastor is an under-king of the King of Kings, and serves all in accord with His purposes.

Finally, just as with Christ, there is overlap and complementary function in the three offices, so too, it is with the pastor. But that is because the office of pastor is derived from the office of Christ, as a whole, not in three separate parts. These are simply a framework or a lens by which to view what Christ does in Himself, and how He serves His people through the Office He establishes.

Royal Priesthood?

Luther himself emphasized the Royal (kingly) Priesthood of all believers. Unfortunately this has often been used as a club over against the Holy Office. But that's not fair to either Luther or Holy Scripture.

The reality and importance of the Priesthood of All Believers does not negate the reality and importance of the Office of the Holy Ministry.

I would submit that within each Christian's vocation, he too has kingly, priestly, and even prophetic opportunities. But the chief distinction is that the pastor is called to exercise his authority publicly, on behalf of all. The individual Christian operates within the private realm, according to his own calling or station.

You may have occasion to witness (prophetic), or to protect another (kingly). Certainly, the priestly Christian intercedes for others- praying at all times for those in authority, for the sick, for any who are in need, even for unbelievers. In all these things, the same Christ who works through the Public Office works in the lives of his people.

For example, the Christian parent is prophet, priest and king to his child. The Christian husband is the same to his wife. Even as friends and neighbors we can find these Christ-like functions peeking through as we serve others in various ways.

Christ the Apostle/Pastor as Apostle

One final connected idea – brought about by verse 5 of our hymn, apostleship. Here we can find another useful office for understanding Christ, his pastors, and his people. While the narrow definition of “apostle” includes those specifically commissioned by Jesus (the 12, plus St. Paul), still there is an apostolic character to the Office of Pastor. The word, “apostle”, meaning, “sent one”, really should point us first of all to Christ – who was “sent” by the Father on his mission of redemption. Likewise the Holy Spirit is “sent” by the Father and Son according to his purposes, but especially to testify to Christ. The 12 apostles were sent, not only at the Great Commission, but also with authority to preach and cast out demons during Jesus' public ministry. In fact, the Christian church, as a whole, is “apostolic”, not only in its adherence to the teaching of the apostles, but also in that we are “sent” to the world with the Gospel.

So, too, the pastor is apostolic. He is sent. He is sent by God, by the Holy Spirit, by means of the external call of the congregation, to be pastor in a certain place. He is sent, and given an authority that is not his own, but belongs to Christ (as does all authority). He is sent to a certain people, a certain congregation, particularly. And in his sent-ness there is comfort for him, that his labor is not in vain. And in his sent-ness there is comfort for his sheep, that they receive Him who sent him.

Conclusion

Jesus Christ, our prophet, priest, and king – now rules from heaven, intercedes for us before God, and yet still proclaims His word to the lost world He once died to save. Through His pastors, He publicly exercises these same functions, for the good of His people. Lutherans need not shun this way of describing the work of God in our midst, for through the prism of these biblical offices, we gain greater appreciation of Christ who does all things well, and for us, and of the ministers he sends to stand in his stead. And rejoicing in the Gospel, give thanks to Him for these, among so many other good gifts.

Links:

Dr. Carl Fickenscher on Issues, Etc. "The Three-fold Office of Christ: Prophet, Priest and King"

For an Orthodox Presbyterian take on “Pastor as Prophet, Priest and King”

A sermon by Rev. Brian Vos, “Why are You Called a Christian?” (United Reformed Church)

Thoughts on the 4th

I was reading, again, the Declaration of Independence.

One observation I've often made, as a Lutheran Pastor commenting on the role of civil governments, is that Holy Scripture speaks more in terms of responsibilities than of rights. Perhaps we could even say it more forcefully; Holy Scripture nowhere speaks of our rights.

I suppose it's a matter of orientation. If I am concerned about how I am being treated, I consider my "rights". What I am owed. What belongs to me. If I am concerned, rather, how I should treat my neighbor - then it's not his rights, but my duty or responsibility that matters.

But having said that, what of the "inalienable rights" of the Declaration?

Life - certainly, it is our responsibility to uphold the sanctity of human life. The 5th commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Murder" and its many applications teach this plainly.

Liberty - less certain. While I cherish my freedoms, and would have more not less of them, I don't believe a biblical worldview sees freedom as the ultimate value it has become for American culture. In the Bible, we serve a master (or, one of two masters). And yet there is talk of freedom from sin, death and punishment in Christ. Absolute freedom, expressed as "Do as thou wilt", is the motto of Satanist Aleister Crowley, not the worldview of the Christian.

The Pursuit of Happiness - even less is Scripture concerned with happiness, per se. Still I am taught not to steal from my neighbor, or make his life bitter, but help him and serve him. I suppose restricting his pursuit of happiness could stand in the way of that. But sometimes loving one's neighbor means tough love, and making him un-happy. So this value isn't absolute for the Christian either. I've seen it argued that "the pursuit of happiness" actually means, primarily, property rights. And while Scripture affirms these, they are also not absolute. Much inspired ink is spilled warning about wealth and materialism. Jesus teaches us to pay taxes to Caesar.

The Declaration does say something interesting, also, regarding "self-evident" truths. These truths, these values, need no proof. They speak for themselves. It's obvious that they come from the Creator. (Oh, and so the document affirms Creation, as well!) I wonder how many today would agree with the idea of self-evident, universal moral principles. A Christian would say this is the Law of God written on the heart. A Christian knows "the heavens declare the glory of the Lord".

"All men are created equal" - here I'll quibble less. Equality of personhood, of value, of standing before God as a redeemed sinner bought by the blood of Christ, yes! But God also makes certain distinctions between people, not of value, but of calling. Sometimes a distinction of calling is cast as a devaluing of a person, which is never the case. All are created in the image of God; all have sinned and fall short, and are redeemed freely in Christ. But not all are called to be pastors, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, government officials, etc.

"Deriving their power from the consent of the governed". Romans 13 teaches that the government is an agent of God, not of the people. That the government official is a servant of God and of the people - to approve of what is good and to punish evil. Perhaps the consent of the governed - as a whole - is important to establish the legitimacy of a governmental authority, but the power derives from God.

I suppose it's analogous to the authority of the pastor. The authority derives from God, and yet is conferred through the church. The church must respect this authority, rightfully exercised. But a pastor is put out of office in cases of persistent false teaching, scandalous life, or neglect/abuse of office.

Does the long list of grievances, which makes up the bulk of the declaration, provide sufficient cause for the government's (the king's) "removal from office"?

Old Sermons...

Pastors, do you ever look back at your old sermons?

I just finished updating my "Sermon Index" (see the sidebar). I've been blogging my sermons since 2005, and every so often I update the index - it makes it easier to find an old sermon than by slogging through the blog archives.

But in the process of doing so, I had a chance to glance over many of these old sermons. It's been an interesting experience. Sometimes I will be disappointed at the direction I took. Or I'll think a sermon was awful. But then there are some old favorites that I remember fondly.

I suppose it's natural and good to grow in your skills as a preacher, as with any profession. I hope I'm a better preacher today than yesterday.

It's also been interesting to sort of see what texts I have preached on many times, or that I have preached a LOT on John and Luke, for instance.

Hopefully soon I can start uploading audio or maybe video again - we'll be updating our A/V system here at church, soon, too.

Sermon - Revelation 2:12-17 - Midweek Lent 3

(While indexing my sermons, I realized I never posted this one at the time)
Sermon - Midweek Lent 3 - 2009
Revelation 2:12-17
“Jesus' Letter to Pergamum”

So far we've read the letters to Ephesus and Smyrna. Ephesus was criticized for her lack of love, and Smyrna for fearing persecution. But both at least kept their teachings straight. The Ephesians rightly rejected the false teaching Nicolaitans, and the Church of Smyrna, stood firm against opposition from non-believers.

Today, we come to Pergamum, where all is not rosy. The Christians here had already faced persecution, such that a prominent Christian named Antipas was already put to death for his faith. And yet they remained in the faith... some of them, anyway. Others were caught up in sins and false teachings. Once again Jesus called them to repentance.

Some were holding to the “teaching of Balaam”. And to understand what Jesus means by this, we need to look in our Old Testament. Balaam was an oracle, a seer or fortune teller – that Balak king of Moab wanted to get on his side. He figured if he could get Balaam to curse the Israelites, then he and the Moabites could defeat God's people in battle. But the Lord told Balaam not to do so, and instead to bless the Israelites. Balaam's sin, which Jesus refers to here, is really an attempt to play both sides – to serve two masters. And it will never do. It's a false teaching.

False teaching is dangerous because it leads to false faith and false living. It robs of us the truth, and confuses us with lies. False teaching is insidious and subtle more often than not, lulling us into a comfort zone of self-indulgence or self-importance or self-focus in which we don't sense the danger. It turns us away from Christ as our Lord, Master, and Savior. Jesus holds against this church the false teaching of Balaam and the false teaching of the Nicolaitans.

He's not content to “agree to disagree”. He won't equivocate by saying they have the “main things right” and everything else is just a minor issue. Jesus cares about the doctrine taught in the church of Pergamum and the church everywhere.

The Christians at Pergamum – some of them – sought to have the best of both worlds. They wanted the honor and wealth and approval in the eyes of mankind and at the same time to remain in the Christian faith. But just as Balaam's sin ended in disaster, so to is it disastrous to try and serve both God and money, or to live as a child of God and a child of the world.

This was not a new teaching of Jesus. Perhaps more than any particular sin, Jesus criticized materialism and the love of money as a root of evil. He told the rich young man to sell all his possessions. He told parables which made rich men look like fools, or warned of the dangers of greed.

Not that money or wealth or material things are evil in themselves. Like all things God gives us, there is a good purpose, and a right use. But we abuse these things by making them gods and masters, and therefore turn from our true God and Master.

For no one can serve both God and money. Jesus is so black and white about this, isn't he? We like our little world of gray areas. We like compromise and a middle-ground. It makes us feel enlightened and wise, balanced and sensible to find that balance. Or at least, the idea that we can deceives us. We aren't as good at balancing as we think. When we compromise our faith, we are really just giving it away, and turning our back on God and his way.

Jesus says, “repent”. Turn around. Turn away from that sin, and return to your true Master. The same call to repentance given to all the churches, and to all Christians. Repent.

In this season of Lent, we have lots of reasons to be repentant, for we all have lots of sin. Repentance is a way of life for us Christians, a continual turning and returning to God through a daily visit to the baptismal waters, and a thorough drowning of our Old Adam. In response to his call, we confess our failing and our need. We are sinners. And he is the Savior.

Jesus describes himself here as the one holding the sharp two-edged sword. And this sword symbolizes his authority to judge, and even his very word. Paul uses the sword as a symbol for the word in Ephesians 6. Do the two edges of this sword remind us, even, of Law and Gospel – the two types of teaching in Christ's word? One, a word of judgment against sin – a word of punishment.

But another edge - meant for God's enemies and ours, a word of hope that the victory is ours. The Good News of that Gospel that Jesus calls sinners to repent is the same Jesus who was crucified for sinners. To us he gives the victory that he won over death and the grave.

Two more promises to Pergamum, and to us - “To the one who conquers, I will give of the manna which has been hidden, and I will give to him a white stone, and upon that stone a new name”.

These promises are phrased in language which recalls Jesus' gifts to the church – the sacraments. In Baptism, we receive a new name – the very name of God is placed on us, and our new identity as a child of God is sealed forever. And in his Supper, a hidden-ness – Christ's true body and blood are present, but hidden from view. Still, they are as real and certain as his word of promise, “This is my body... This is my blood”. Just as certain as the forgiveness and life that they bring.

Here in the sacraments he gives us a share in his victory, a hope in time of trouble, and strength to remain in his teaching, faithful to the end.

The letter to Pergamum reminds us to watch our doctrine and our living, and to repent when we need to. It also shows the grace of the one who bears the sword, and gives us a share in his victory, by grace. In Jesus' name, amen.

Sermon - Matthew 10:34-42 - Pentecost 2

Matthew 10:34-42
Pentecost 2
June 26th, 2011
“Swords and Rewards”

So much of who Jesus is, and what he does is unexpected. Is it because he is mysterious and beyond us, or is it because our sinful flesh has warped expectations of God? Perhaps both. But in today's Gospel reading, Jesus shatters some expectations – at least puts some hard truths before us, concerning “swords and rewards”. But he also gives promise, and hope.

First, the Prince of Peace shocks us with talk of violence. What? Isn't this Jesus who teaches “turn the other cheek”? Isn't this the one who told Peter, “if you live by the sword you will die by the sword”? Isn't this the Jesus who isn't a military messiah but a humble donkey-riding king whose kingdom is not of this world? Yes, to all of that. But how do we reconcile these seemingly contradictory statements? Is he a peace guy or a sword guy?

Perhaps Jesus' own life is a starting point. For though he preached good news, healed the sick, and never thought of rebellion – violent men found him anyway, and pierced him with thorns and nails and spear. He didn't bring the sword, but his words and actions brought the sword down upon him. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, so our Lord was taken. Like a robber they came to arrest him with torches and clubs at night, though he taught openly every day in the temple.

We might be reminded of the momma-always-said bit of wisdom, “no good deed goes un-punished”. Or to put it in more biblical terms, Jesus suffered violence for doing good. He was persecuted for telling the truth. He made enemies by loving people. Who would have thought?

No the world isn't fair that way, because the world is sinful and full of sinners. And if it was that way for Jesus, it will be all the more for us, his people. So he warns us, he came to bring a sword. Following Jesus does not mean peace – at least in the sense of a peaceful coexistence with the sinful world around you. In fact, being a Christian might even mean trouble for you, even in your family. Holding to Christ's word may bring a sword – it may cut you, or cut you off from those you love in ways you don't expect.

Is it any wonder, though, when the Christian is even at odds with himself? St. Paul talks about the struggle between the good that he wants to do and the evil he finds himself doing. Wretched man that I am! We could all say the same. Who will rescue me from this body of death? Jesus Christ alone!
The peace that Christ does bring is a true peace – with God. Not an outward, false peace. Not even an emotional peace. Sometimes it doesn't feel peaceful. But he declares it to be so – and his word of forgiveness is the greater reality. You are forgiven. You are righteous. You belong to God, in Jesus Christ who died for you. You are at peace.

So whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for Christ will gain it. If you think you are just fine, if you think you are without sin, if you think you are at peace – Jesus comes to say otherwise. But if you are lost, if your life is a mess and fading away, if you confess your sin – Jesus brings a peace that passes understanding.

And he brings rewards. Here after all the hard words of warning about sword and trouble and family turmoil – he does not leave us without hope. He never does.

So whoever receives Jesus receives the Father, and whoever receives a prophet, receives the one who sent the prophet – namely, Jesus. This is why we hear the word of God. To receive that reward. To know that blessing. And we receive the righteous person – we care for, and love one another – righteous saints of God, even as we are already righteous in Christ.

Yes, there is reward enough in doing what is right. But when this world rewards your faithfulness with hatred, your trust in Christ with ridicule, and your works of Christian love with derision – know that your reward isn't ultimately here, but in Heaven.

No, we don't deserve these rewards – unlike earthly rewards. These are not dessert for cleaning your plate at dinner, or a paycheck for a hard day's labor. The rewards Christ promises are always of grace.

Our “just desserts” would be scary. We're sinners. But what we truly deserve isn't what he promises. Instead he gives us his own righteousness. His own blessedness. His own life – a resurrection and a glorious eternity. A kingdom that never ends. Another great surprise, eh?

Jesus never said being a Christian would be easy. No, he talks about crosses, and suffering, and swords. There's no promise of peace this side of heaven. But for the faithful, the reward awaits. The hope endures, always, only in him, who by his cross has conquered, and by his word sustains us. Believe in that word, come what may. And look for that reward, for it is sure. In Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sermon - Genesis 1:1 - 2:4 - Holy Trinity Sunday

Genesis 1:1-2:4
Holy Trinity Sunday
June 19th, 2011
“Creation and Recreation”

A blessed Holy Trinity Sunday to you. The Christian Church sets aside this Sunday, the week after Pentecost, to particularly confess the biblical doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The Bible teaches us about our God – one God in three Persons. And while it is clear enough, it is still a great and wonderful mystery.

The Athanasian Creed is a historical statement of faith the Chruch has used to clarify just what the Bible teaches about our Triune God. It came from a time when the teaching of the Trinity was under assault. There was great confusion that needed to be corrected. Since then, we have regarded this creed as a good and true statement about our God, who he is, and what he does. By the way, this creed uses the word “catholic” with a small “c”, which means “universal”. It's not saying we are Roman Catholic, but that we believe in the Trinity along with the universal, catholic church of all time.

When we talk about the work of the Father, Son, Spirit, we often mention Creation, Redemption and Sanctification – ascribing each person of the Godhead his respective work. But the truth is all three persons are involved in all three of these works. And today, we can see in particular, the Trinue God active in Creation. Our reading from Genesis shows it clearly – God the Father speaking the words of creation. God the Holy Spirit moving over the waters, and breathing life into, especially, the first man, Adam. John chapter 1 describes how God the Son is the agent, the very word of creation, by whom all things were made. And so the Triune God is certainly at work here, even in the beginning.

Perhaps as much as the doctrine of the Trinity used to be under assault, today the doctrine of Creation is much the same. It's something we need to hear more about, especially in the Christian church.

And since four is the biblical number of creation – like the four winds or the four points of the compass – let's consider four problems we have when it comes to creation, and also four blessings from our Triune God in regard to the same.

1) Some of us don't believe it.
Yes, even though the Bible clearly teaches that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and made all things, and made man in his own divine image – some, even some Christians, doubt it. Of course there are those outside the church who put forth theories of godless evolution. But the trouble comes when well-meaning Christians try to shoehorn Genesis into this atheistic worldview of Evolution. They end up with something that is not of Darwin and neither is it of God. If we can't simply believe what the Word of God says about what really happened, then how can we trust that same word to inform us about our own sin, and what death means, and even how these are overcome in Jesus Christ? The first problem with Creation is that some simply don't believe what God says about it. If you are one of those who seeks to compromise, beware! There's no compromising God's clear Word.

2) The second problem with Creation is that some of us mistreat it. We misuse and abuse our environment. We are wasteful and destructive. We don't care as much as we should. Even when it comes to our own bodies, which are part of Creation, we fail and sin. We need repentance.

3) The next problem with Creation is that it's broken. It doesn't work like it should. Disease and disaster and death, grief and sadness, pain and misery – none of these belong in this world. They're not part of the creation God created. They are invaders, interlopers. It's amazing this world still functions at all with all of the brokenness we see around us. Some have even come to the conclusion that this world is a living hell itself. But of course, the ultimate Hell is far worse. Still it's easy to see that creation itself is fallen, and like a woman in labor, has its fits of pain and trouble. And some of that comes home to your own doorstep from time to time.

4) The fourth problem with Creation is that that it's our fault it's broken. No, we can't just lay all the blame at the feet of Adam and Eve (though they certainly started it). But you and I are children of sin, and just as responsible for its perpetuation. Our own sinfulness brings continued brokenness to creation. We share in the blame. We would do no better than anyone else. We are part and parcel of this fallen creation by our own fallen nature of sin. We need something, or someone from outside to come and save us. We need Jesus Christ.

Of course, there's good news when it comes to Creation, too. Here four points will also do.

1) God created! Let's not let it pass by, that God didn't have to make our world. But he who loves and is love, created and object of his great love. And so the heavens declare his handiwork, and we find ourselves here because he made us, gave us life, and gave us this wonderful world to live in.

2) God sustains his creation! He doesn't just wind it up like a clock and walk away. He keeps it going. He keeps US going. He even provides for the wicked. We too receive our daily bread. Though it's a broken world, he still upholds it with his mighty hand. For this we thank and praise Him.

3) Ah, but he doesn't leave our creation broken. He doesn't leave us to our own failed devices. Through Jesus Christ, our Triune God redeems all of creation. Jesus is the Second Adam who fixes what the First Adam broke. Not just our relationship with God, but with each other. Even the physical world which is broken – Jesus died to redeem. He takes away our guilt, shame, and rightful blame. His cross and resurrection do the job. And by the Spirit, he claims again what rightly belongs to him, and to his Father.

4) He promises to re-create it. Jesus says “Behold I make all things new”. We are promised a new heaven and earth after the former things melt away.
Even our sad, fallen, sin-stricken bodies which lay in the dust of the earth will be raised to glory like Christ was raised – to live forever. How much more will he not give us a place to live in that body – a place with himself forever. Some have even seen the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday – as a hint of that new creation. Since the first creation began on a Sunday, we now recognize Sunday as the 8th day, or a day of new creation in Christ.

Yes, our Triune God creates, but He also recreates. For Jesus Christ lived and died redeem and to save, to salvage, to make all things new. And that includes, first of all, you. You are recreated by faith in his word, by the water of promise, and in the meal of forgiveness. And he who has begun this good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is faithful, and he will do it. Amen.

"Son, you don't know what love is..."

I was telling our Sunday Bible Class the other day about one of those pearls of wisdom that somehow stick with you over the years....

It was about 1993 when a wise old professor type at Concordia College, Bronxville decided to razz me and my girlfriend at the time, young Miss Brenda Miert. I don't remember the full context of the conversation, but he was teasing us because Brenda was a bit older than I. "Robbing the cradle" or something.

I must have said something like, "Ah, but age doesn't matter when you're in love".

But he certainly said exactly this: "Son, you don't know what love is until you've been married 30 years".

Well today, we're half way there. Happy 15th Anniversary, to my cradle-robbing love!

And that crotchety old guy was kinda right. I think what he was really saying was that love grows. I know our marriage has deepened and grown these 15 years in ways I couldn't have predicted or imagined. Parenthood, too, has added a dimension to marriage that grows that love in grand and sublime fashion.

And I trust it will grow even more in the next 15. I'm looking forward to seeing it. As Brenda said to me the other day, "It still feels like we're just getting started!"

Our God, who instituted and established marriage certainly knew what he was doing. And as the years go by, Brenda and I have found more and more blessings in it, and grown in our love for God and each other. May we continue to do so, by his grace.

And maybe one day, years into the future, I will find some youngster and repeat the quip... "Son, you don't know what love is..."

Sermon - John 17:1-11 - Easter 7

John 17:1-11
Easter 7
June 5th, 2011
“Jesus Prays”

We usually think it's a little strange when someone talks to himself. So how can God pray to God? Here's another one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith – part of the hidden nature of the Triune God. One God, in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Scripture teaches that both the Holy Spirit and Jesus, God the Son, pray to God the Father on our behalf.

The Holy Spirit does so with “groans that words cannot express” and prays for us when we don't know what to say in our prayers. But he's always been the mysterious person of the Trinity, anyway. Somehow we can shrug when it comes to the Spirit's unsearchable workings.

Jesus, on the other hand, is like us. He is one of us. He is True Man, even while True God. So is it any wonder that he, too, should pray to the Father? That he, too, should petition God for those things he desires? The imagination wonders at Jesus praying in Gethsemane, “Let this cup pass from me, yet not my will, but yours be done?” Or in the solitude of his wilderness temptation, or in some other quiet place.

In John 17, we have the longest prayer of Jesus recorded – we call it his “Great High Priestly Prayer”. Our Gospel reading today is just the first half of it. And yet, it's a prayer so full of truth that sermons could be preached on each verse. Here in this prayer we see teachings about Jesus' relationship with the Father - his glory and what it means – the Divinity of Christ – the election of his people – the truth and power of the Word – the relationship of that truth with faith – the contrast between the world and those that belong to Christ.

Jesus prays for us as a priest. That's what a priest is, someone who represents you before God. As pastors, we serve in that role to some extent – remembering you in our prayers. Often because of a special request, but sometimes when you don't even know it. Your pastors pray for you, our people. (And we don't mind if you return the favor either). But Jesus is our true, our great, our high priest – the one mediator between God and man. All of our priestly prayers are prayed in his name, and for his sake.

You see, without Jesus, we have no access to God anyway. Our sin prevents it. Surely God knows all – even the thoughts and prayers of the most wicked unbeliever. But apart from Christ, why should he hear them favorably? Why should he pay any attention? Why should he answer with anything but punishment and judgment?
But Jesus prays for us, those given to him by the Father. And he prays not simply on the basis of who he is – but also on what he does.

He accomplished the work he was given to do. He healed people and cast out demons. He demonstrated power over nature. He miraculously fed the crowds. He even raised the dead. But best of all – he preached. He brought the good news of the kingdom. The forgiveness of sins. The favor of God. The promise of the Gospel. Only Jesus could accomplish all this – and it is why only Jesus can approach the Father on his merits.

And he was about to accomplish his greatest work – which was to die. To suffer and die for the sins of the world. So that those who believe in him would not perish but have eternal life. His humility would know no boundaries, the depths of sorrow he would see. This, too, is to his priestly credit. For a priest offers sacrifices. And he, the High Priest, is also the Once and For All Sacrifice. The one whose blood counts where all the blood of beasts falls short. A sacrifice, literally, to end all sacrifices.

All this priestly work for you. His life, as your representative. His prayer, as your go-between. His death, in your place. A holy substitute.

In the knowledge and joy of his work for us, we now work for him. Not to gain a thing – all is already ours. But simply because that's what Christians do.

We pray. We pray for ourselves, for others, for the world. We pray for our church and its mission. We pray for people to know the truth and to live in it. We pray for true unity, not based in outward things, but unity in the truth. We follow the example of the Great High Priest in our prayers. We want what he wants – what could be better?

And we sacrifice. Our High Priest gave his all. We strive for the same, halting and failing as we are. We offer sacrifices – not for sin – but sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. Offerings of joyful response for his sacrifice. Gifts returned from the many gifts we've received. Even our bodies are living sacrifices to him.

And as we believe in him, and as we live for him, Jesus' own prayer is answered! What a thought. That God the Father answers Jesus' prayer each time you repent and are forgiven. Each time someone is baptized. Every time you receive forgiveness in the Sacrament of the Altar. Jesus' prayer is answered. “Keep them in your name... that they may be one”. He does just that. And we are just that – one, in Christ our Lord.

Give thanks to God for Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest. And you, his royal priesthood, live for him, and believe in him always, who has done all things for your good, on your behalf. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Beggars All is back!

Long-time Lutheran blog readers will remember the inimitable blog, "Beggars All". It's recently come to my attention that the blog has returned!

At least, Tim the Enchanter has....

Sermon - John 14:15-21

John 14:1-15-21
Easter 6
May 29th 2011
“Goodbye, Jesus?”
(Guest Preaching at Holy Cross, Racine)

Saying goodbye can be a difficult thing. Whether its a recent graduate heading off to college. A good friend who retires and moves to somewhere that actually has a summertime. Or putting that child on the school bus for the very first time. These kinds partings are such sweet sorrow, a mixture of emotions. Even though you'll miss your loved one, there is a joy for their new venture, or phase of life.

Then there are those goodbyes that are not bittersweet, but simply bitter. Getting fired from a job you love. The couple who divorces after years of marriage. Or perhaps worst, death itself. And worst among those, an untimely death. A soldier who goes off to war, and dies, leaving behind a wife and family. A teenager who dies in a car accident the week before prom. Some of the most difficult goodbyes are those we don't expect, and out of which no good seems to come.

Jesus is saying goodbye to his disciples. He is preparing them, by his words, for his departure. He spoke of that departure on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah. He spoke openly about it with his disciples, telling them just what was to come. “The Son of Man is going up to Jerusalem, and he will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he will be crucified...” The Gospels say he spoke plainly about this. Jesus was going away.

But what sort of departure will this be? Will it be a hopeless goodbye? A senseless tragedy? Or will there be, behind the sorrow, a cause for hope, even joy?

Jesus' words hold out a promise. “I will not leave you as orphans”. What's a worse goodbye than seeing your parents die and leave you behind? What's more hopeless than an Orphan? Perhaps you remember Little Orphan Annie, and her “hard knock life” in the orphanage. No family. No tenderness and concern. No one to tuck her in bed or buy her Christmas gifts. But then the story turns when she is adopted by the wealth Daddy Warbucks, and her whole life goes from rags to riches.

In a way, we've always been orphans. But cut off from our Father by the sin of our own choosing. What a bitter departure it must have been for Adam and Eve to leave the garden. Not just because it was a beautiful paradise, but it meant leaving the place where they walked with God. Since then, we've all been on the outside, looking in. Our sinfulness estranges us from our Lord, and in it, we are dead to him. And every time you, personally, sin, it's as if you say to God, “drop dead, Dad.” We need repentance. We need forgiveness.

But Jesus takes us from our orphanage of sin, our hard-knock life of suffering and death, and brings us to the mansions of heaven where he has prepared a place for us. He comforts us, even now, with that promise, and with his constant word. His Spirit helps us to remember, and to believe in all he has said. And by his grace alone do we live as children of God here in the world.

So no, they won't remain orphans, though now their Lord would be going away for a while. He promises them that even in this departure there would be hope and blessing. He promises them the Holy Spirit. The Helper. The Spirit of Truth. He would help the disciples to remain in the truth, and remember all his commands and promises. And Jesus himself would give them life – because of his life. For even though he was about to die, he would soon rise to life forever. And his resurrection means our resurrection. So there is hope.

And in this departure that is quickly coming, the world will see him no longer, but he promises, “you will see me”. And this is the paradox wrapped in an enigma. Jesus is going, but he is staying. He won't be seen, but he will be seen. He is dying, but he will live and so will his disciples. He is going to the Father, but he will be with you always, even to the end of the age.

This Thursday, the Christian church marks the Ascension of our Lord. He would rise to the heavens in the sight of his apostles. But this wasn't the end either. Now seated in his rightful glory at the throne of God, and the Father's right hand, Jesus rules all things for the good of his people, the church. But even this isn't the end.

He will return, and take us to be with him. Whether that return happens when you pass through the gate of death – or should we all live to see the last day when he comes again in glory – Jesus will not leave us forever. And yet even though he's gone, he is here, among us, in his word, by his Spirit. In our baptism, and at our altars.

There are times when we feel orphaned. Alone in the world. Like even God can't understand our suffering. Maybe especially when we have to say the bitter goodbyes. But for the Christian, there is hope and even joy in such goodbyes.

Or to put it another way: with Christ, there is no goodbye, only a “see you later.” For Christians, there is the same. We look forward to the grand reunion of eternity with all the saints in heaven. And especially with our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. God will not forsake us. He has already forsaken Christ on the cross. Our sins won't make him hate us, he's already poured out his wrath on Jesus. For us, adopted children of the heavenly Father, there is only love and comfort and peace. There is an eternal home. There are loving arms of embrace. Now and ever, in Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Sermon - John 14:1-6 - Easter 5

John 14:1-6
Easter 5
May 22nd 2011
“Jesus Only”

You intolerant Christians! You really believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven? You mean to tell me that if a good Muslim or a good Jew or a good Buddhist or even a good atheist dies, that God won't have mercy on him? Come on! What a narrow-minded, exclusivist thing to believe? No wonder so many wars are fought in the name of religion – with people like you running around. This just proves that you are bigoted self-righteous bible thumpers. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Puh-leez.

Sound familiar? Maybe you've heard even just a part of a rant like this. And it's no fun being on the receiving end of such an attack. Words like these are, frankly, of the devil. It's the oldest trick in his book, to question, “Did God really say...?”

But yes, in fact, Jesus really says it. “No one comes to the Father but by me”. There's no way around it. There's no “yeah, but”. His words are simple and plain, and they demand our acknowledgment. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Christianity is an exclusive religion. Sure there are squishy Christians who want to water down our Lord's plain words, or add asterisks and addendums. Sure there are those whose cultural moorings are stronger than their biblical ones. They want everything in Christianity to be tolerant and inclusive and, well, nice. No bad news. It's too much of a downer. So they explain away or twist or just ignore these simple straightforward words. “No one comes to the Father but by me”.

And you do it too. We all do. There are times when even rock-ribbed, harded-headed Missouri Synod Lutherans, yes even pastors, try to find another way to the Father, but by Jesus Christ. We may not do it intentionally or consciously, but rest assured, we are no better than the critics. Our sin leaves us without excuses.

For example, what about the way we sometimes try to bargain with God. If you do this for me, I'll do this for you? That's coming to the Father apart from Christ, isn't it? It's offering our own good works as some form of spiritual barter. But God's not interested in our filthy rags. Only the precious blood of Christ is valuable enough to purchase what we need. And that we can only receive as a gift.

Or what about when we ourselves fall for the cultural lies of tolerance and relativism? What about when we, too, explain away the hard words of Scripture? We feel bad about that unbeliever who rejects the Gospel, and so we imagine another way to salvation for him. We may tell our friends, our children, that God is all-loving and all-accepting, and what we really mean is that these words of Jesus are wrong, “No one comes to the Father but by me”. Yes, we buckle to the pressure of our culture far too often.

Or what about when we come to the Father by Jesus, but a Jesus of our own imagination? One who doesn't bother with calling for repentance (even though the real Jesus does). A Jesus who isn't all that concerned about sin (even though that's the main reason the real Jesus came)? A Jesus who is mainly an example to follow, not the real Jesus who is a substitute for us – doing what we can't do even if we try? Or a Jesus who wants to make you feel good – not the real Jesus who wants to declare you righteous (whether you feel it or not!) A Jesus without the cross?? That's no Jesus at all. That's someone else who can't save you.

There are so many false Jesus-es. And there always have been. From the thieves and robbers who came before him, claiming to be the savior... to the false teachers and charlatan preachers of today who try to get your eye off of the cross, and the Crucified one. The devil constantly asks, “did God really say?” And sometimes we believe it. And sometimes we even say it.

So repent, and believe. Believe in the Jesus who is the only way to the Father – but he IS THE WAY! This is good news! You have a way! You are not lost! Your sins are not the death of you. Jesus died for you, and Jesus lives for you, and Jesus, and only Jesus, but yes, Jesus gives you all that you need.

No one has life but by him. He died that the world would not perish. No one is righteous, not one. But he lived righteousness and gives his righteousness to you. No one can rise from the dead, but he did, and through him we do too. No one can save himself, but Christ saves us all!Jesus is the only way, but what a way he is!

If you want to see God, look to Jesus. If you want to be one with God, be one with Jesus. If you want God's blessings, seek Jesus – even as he has already sought you. If you want to hear the wonderful and precious promises of God, just listen to Jesus. He'll fill you in.

He is the way, the truth, the life. Not one among many, but our one and only. And he is yours, even today.

What an amazing miracle that this one, narrow way to salvation comes to so many, and has come to you! What a blessing that his 2000 year old words still speak and have the power to create faith and save and forgive you! That his sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion still endure, and still give us access to his grace and mercy, personally, in time and space.

And this exclusive way of salvation is really quite open to all. There is no sinner Jesus didn't die to save, whose sins aren't paid for in divine blood. There is no race or color or socioeconomic exclusivity. No age limit young or old. No lineage or pedigree with greater claim. Even the Buddhists and Muslims are invited to Christ. That means that it's for you, too. Jesus, the only way of salvation, is your way, your truth, and your life. Believe in him, and only him, always. In his name, Amen.

Sermon - Easter 2 - John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31
Easter 2
May 1st 2011
“The Breath of Life”

This First Sunday after Easter, our Gospel reading takes us to the very first week of Easter. There we see the disciples locked up for fear of the Jews – even though that had seen the risen Jesus already. Even after they had a whole week to sort it out – there was still much unsettled for them. What will the future hold? What does all this mean? Are we safe? Where IS Jesus anyway? To put it simply, they were not at peace.

But then Jesus does what Jesus does. He does a miracle. He speaks a word. And he changes things.

Today we can still recall the Easter celebration as church was packed and trumpets and choirs and processionals all joined to the celebration, and we greeted each other, “Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!”. But now it's a week later. And life is already getting back to normal. Or is it? We may have some of the same questions as those disciples. We may even have some of their fear.

Maybe we don't feel like Easter has changed all that much. We still sin. We still live like death is in charge. We still act like strangers and enemies of God, every time we break his will for our lives. And we do it every week. Every day. So why did Jesus go to all the trouble? Couldn't he have just skipped the dying and rising and all?

But Jesus still does what Jesus does. He makes his presence known among us. He speaks to us. He changes us.

Jesus appeared to them, miraculously. He didn't sneak in through the back door or window, as John Calvin once suggested. This isn't a group-delusion of those mixed-up and grieving disciples, as some modern scholars would suggest. No, it was the same Jesus who conquered death – he also rules time and space and reality. He does what he wants. He goes where he wants, when he wants.

And he speaks. His first words to those huddled and fearful men who should have known better were not, “you should all know better!” He doesn't scold them or cajole them. He doesn't lay a guilt trip on them for deserting him at Gethsemane. Nor does he give them a pep talk about how it'll all be ok. He gives them his peace.

Now, he's not just saying peaceful words, here. These are words which do something. Jesus words do what they say. When he commands, when he forgives, when he promises – it happens. So these words of peace are not just a kind wish for them, but an extension of his peace. He puts his peace upon them. Just as he does for us.

There's that part of our service, right after the Words of Institution, in which the pastor says, “The Peace of the Lord be with you always”. And most of us well-trained Lutherans want to say right back, “and also with you”. AH! But listen and look carefully. This is not a holy howdy. This is not a greeting from the pastor, but this is the Peace of the Lord himself. This is the peace of Jesus given in his Body and Blood we are about to receive. This is why the proper response at that time is, “Amen”. And yes, I'll be listening.... :)

But Jesus goes on. He brings even more than just peace. He brings proof of who he is – his pierced hands and side – which he would show even to a skeptical Thomas a week later.

He breathes on them. Now you probably wouldn't appreciate your pastor, or anyone, breathing on you. But this is the glorified Jesus, after all. We are instantly reminded of the first time God breathed – it was to bring life to the body of Adam he had formed from the clay. Then there was Elijah's vision in the Valley of Dry Bones – prophesying to the breath – the breath of God which brought life to the lifeless bones of Israel. Now Jesus breathes, and he too brings life.

He who has come back from death, the Living One, he breathes his life upon his people. He breathes his spirit on them – and on us, his holy church. His resurrection, his life, is our only source of life. His breath is our breath. His Spirit is ours. Yes, the word for spirit is the same as the word for wind or breath. All this is ours in Christ.

And along with that Spirit, that Life, that breath, comes forgiveness. He gives his apostles the greatest authority, and the apostolic ministry still exercises it. The power to forgive sins. Your sins. Mine. Far greater than the power to do miracles, or to heal, or even to create. The power to forgive sins is the power to give life. And he gives it to his church, and to his pastors, for the benefit of his people.

When we hear those words of blessing and benediction, “Peace be with you”, Christ is actually giving his peace. When we hear those words, “Your sins are forgiven” he is actually giving his forgiveness. And when he says, “This is my body and blood” it really is too – also for your forgiveness and life.
We don't see him standing here this morning, but as he said to Thomas, even more blessed are those who haven't seen and yet believe. We don't see him in the bread and wine, but we do, by faith. We don't touch his resurrected body, but we receive it in our mouths, by faith.

Even when we are fearful, the risen Jesus still give us his gifts. And so, we are blessed. And so we are at peace. And so we have life, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

On "Statements of Faith"

I think it is good for Christians to state their faith. As a Lutheran, I state, or confess, my faith freely and publicly. I say what I believe, for my own benefit and for others. And because, frankly, Jesus Christ tells us to confess him before men (Matthew 10:32, Luke 12:8).

Some Baptists would say, "I make no statement of faith except the Bible". This paradoxical statement is itself a statement of faith, isn't it? Even so, it's not very handy. Shorter confessions of faith help us to define and differentiate what people teach about what the Bible actually says. Does the Bible teach that God is Triune or not? Is Jesus the Son of God, or not?

Others feel free to write their own statements of faith - and while this isn't forbidden (if those statements accord with God's word) - it may not always be most helpful. Isn't it better to subscribe to those time-tested universal Christian confessions known as the Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostle's, Nicene and Athanasian)?

Still many who confess the three Creeds would differ on important points. So we Lutherans subscribe to the Augsburg Confession, for instance, and the Book of Concord. These longer statements of faith express more clearly what we believe God's Word actually says. But we shorthand this confession as well, even by saying, "I'm a Lutheran" or "I'm a Confessional Lutheran".

I've been thinking a bit about the seemingly ubiquitous statements of faith that emerge from generic Evangelical American Christianity. You can see some examples here and here and here. Then there was the Christian Musician who emailed offering to come to our church for a concert.

Well, you get the idea. Once in a while members of our congregation will see these statements and ask me, "Pastor, don't we believe the same?" Of course, the answer isn't always so simple.

As my wife and I have been looking to homeschool beginning next Fall, we came across a local homeschool organization. They also have a "statement of faith" that we'd be required to sign if we join. Here it is:

Statement of Faith:

1.We believe the Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God, and it is the supreme and final authority for all matters of faith and life.

2.We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father , Son, and Holy Spirit.

3.We believe in the perfect deity and perfect humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His bodily resurrection, His ascension, and His bodily return in power and glory.

4.We believe that man was created in the image of God, but chose to sin and Is therefore lost and only those who put their faith in Jesus Christ alone are saved.

5.We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and is received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ whose substitutionary death on the cross paid the penalty for man's sin, through His shed blood.

6.We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict men of their sin, indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service.

7.We believe in the spiritual unity of believers through our common faith in Jesus Christ.

So some further thoughts:

Like many LCMS Lutherans, I find myself largely, if not entirely in agreement with many of these kinds of statements. We share much with conservative, Bible-believing Christians from many other denominations (or non-denominations).

Here's the rub. Notice what is usually conspicuously absent from these statements? If you are a dyed-in-the-wool Lutheran, you'll probably read them and scream in your head, "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SACRAMENTS?"

I don't know why any one such group or person omits Baptism or the Lord's Supper from a statement of faith like these. But I figure it's one of two reasons. A) To be generic enough to avoid offending those who hold differing views on the sacraments, or B) Because the sacraments just aren't that important to their faith system.

I did note that the Campus Crusade for Christ statement mentioned "ordinances", which is a "red-flag" to a very different theology about Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Even the different terminology (ordinance vs. sacrament) shows this.

A trained theologian can also get a whiff of some other distinctions that may lie behind the statements - but often by what is NOT said as much as by what is.

What is fascinating to me, is that many who put forward such statements do so to differentiate themselves from liberal Christianity and from Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. Fair enough. But by the same token they want to minimize distinctions, it seems, within the certain bounds of conservative Christianity. It seems a bit inconsistent.

So, my questions for thought:

Can, or how can, a Lutheran, in good conscience subscribe to or agree with such a statement of faith? Surely it depends somewhat on the specifics of the particular statement. But in general, should we be signing on to something that doesn't fully confess what Lutherans do? That leaves out key teachings for the sake of an outward agreement or the appearance of such?

Could a Lutheran sign something like this with a "p.s., I also believe in the sacraments...." (if the group would allow it)?

...Oh, and I believe the Holy Spirit does all of that.... but His main work is to call us to faith in Christ by the Gospel.

...Oh yes, I believe in the "spiritual unity of all Christians" (we call it the "invisible church" or the Una Sancta), but Scripture also teaches that we are called to flee from error and have nothing to do with false teachers. That's why I belong to a particular denomination that confesses the truth rightly and clearly. Doesn't signing a vague statement which can purposely cover many different views run counter to that?

In fact, Lutherans have gone through this whole debate before. Phillip Melancthon and the Altered Augsburg Confession come to mind. He wanted to make our distinctive confession of the Sacrament more palatable to Calvinist Christians. But the Gnesio (genuine) Lutherans rejected this approach. That's why so many of our congregations bear the "UAC" moniker today - the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. Isn't this the same issue all over again?

Lenten Series - Seven Deadly Sins - All the Links

Pride - Ash Wednesday

Envy - (I was out of town, Pastor Poppe preached this one, sorry I don't have the text)

Lust - Midweek 3

Anger - Midweek 4

Gluttony - Midweek 5

Greed - Midweek 6

Sloth - Maundy Thursday

Remember Your Baptism!

Remember your Baptism!

“It will therefore be no small gain to a penitent to remember above all his baptism, and, confidently calling to mind the divine promise which he has forsaken, acknowledge that promise before his lord, rejoicing that he is still within the fortress of salvation because he has been baptized, and abhorring his wicked ingratitude in falling away from its faith and truth. His heart will find wonderful comfort and will be encouraged to hope for mercy when he considers that the promise which God made to him, which cannot possibly lie, is still unbroken and unchanged, and indeed, cannot be changed by sins, as Paul says (II Tim.2:13): 'If we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself” - Martin Luther.

With Dr. Luther I encourage you to remember your baptism!

I write this note on a rainy April morning. But while April showers bring May flowers, they also remind me of Holy Baptism – like rain, a gift from Heaven. Like rain, a gift we neither control nor may grasp for, but it gratefully received from God. Like rain, it cleanses and gives life. But unlike the passing rain-shower, our Baptism is a constant blessing which remains as sure as God's word of promise.

So many Christians regard their baptism as an event in the past – a right of passage with little value. It's a special time to welcome a baby, or a ceremony that reminds us of God's love, or even a “fire insurance policy” that loses meaning or power once we are adults. But Holy Baptism is so much more.

It is God's promise to you – and that never fails. That promise never becomes irrelevant. You never grow out of it. You may reject it, of course. You may turn away and go astray – but God will never turn his back on you. He will remain faithful despite our unfaithfulness. We are the sinners, but he is the forgiver of sins. We are wayward children, but our patient and loving Father always calls us back to his “fortress of salvation”, and comforts us with those baptismal promises.

Thank God for his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, whose death and resurrection win for us such blessings! Thank God for the gift of Holy Baptism, a great and daily comfort for forgiven sinners like you and me.

Sermon - Matthew 28:1-10 - Easter Sunday

Matthew 28:1-10
Easter
April 24th, 2011
“Here's What Victory Looks Like”

October 23rd, 2001. Monday Night Football. The New York Jets hosted their divisional rivals, the Miami Dolphins. The nation was watching, and your football obsessed pastor was watching. But it was looking bad for the Jets, as the Dolphins had taken an early lead. Still, some had hope. At Halftime, Arnold Schwarzenegger made an appearance in the announcers' booth and predicted a Jets victory. “The I think as usual the Jets are going to come from behind, you will see... I think the Dolphins have to be terminated.”

Going into the 4th Quarter, the Jets were behind by 30-7, and it seemed so hopeless that fans started to leave the stadium in droves, and even your football obsessed pastor turned off the TV and went to bed. The game finally ended at 1:30 in the morning, in overtime, when the Jets made an amazing comeback. They won with a final score of 40-37. It would go down in history as the “Monday Night Miracle”. And yet so many of us missed it, because we had given up hope.

Today is Easter. Today we celebrate a far greater victory. Today we mark the Sunday Morning Miracle that is the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has conquered the enemy. He has terminated death itself. And now that he is risen, our victory is assured! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed, Alelluia!)

It looked bad. It looked like game over. The Enemy had won. Jesus was defeated. They finally arrested him. But he didn't run away. The questioned him, but he didn't answer their charges. They crucified him, but he didn't deserve it. They mocked him, “Come down from the cross!” but he stayed up there. Why? Because he was doing battle. He was fighting – for you. Yes, by suffering and dying he was conquering death by death. He was destroying sin by becoming sin. He was taking away punishment by taking the punishment we deserved.

And then he died. This wasn't how they thought it would end. They were looking forward to glory, thrones, trumpets, revelry – victory! But in the darkness of a Friday afternoon they took his body down, wrapped it up, hastily buried him in a tomb, sealed it up and went away in despair. What a letdown! What a defeat.

Still under that cloud of sorrow, some women came to finish their job – to give him a proper burial, spices and all. But despair deepened when they saw his body had been stolen - or so they thought. Does it get any worse, any lower, any more insult to injury?

But it's always darkest before the dawn. These women, and those disciples, and now we too – are about to see what victory looks like!

An angel appears – and then another. “Don't be afraid. Jesus isn't here. Yes, I know he was crucified – but he is risen from the dead, just like he said! He's not here because he is alive. He's back. See the place where he lay.”

Yes, look and see – what does victory look like? It looks like an empty tomb. Grave clothes neatly folded up. No stench of death. No sound of mourning. No corpse to see. Jesus leaves death behind, and in that empty tomb we see our victory.

“Go to Galilee, and you will see him” the angel told them. And would they ever! Jesus would spend 40 more days alive on this earth, appearing to his disciples here and there, and in Galilee. He would show them, prove to them, that he was and is alive! This was no delusion of a few crazy women. This was proof positive of his triumph and our life.

And as they went, joyfully, they even met Jesus. They saw him. They worshiped him. And he greeted them with kindness, and told them not to be afraid. And he told them to go and tell others, so that they too would see. And so the women did. Many others saw, and believed.

And while we haven't seen, we still know the victory. We see it with the eyes of faith. Jesus Christ is alive.

Sometimes we may give up hope. Sometimes it seems all is lost. Daily life can be discouraging. Fears and pains are common. Grief is no stranger to us. We know the darkness. And we know our sins. Struggle as we might, we can't escape them. They keep haunting us and plaguing us. We can't get it right, no matter how hard we try. And death is always before us. The clock is ticking. Time is running out. The fans are starting to leave the stadium.

But don't give up hope. For Jesus pulled it off! He has won the victory. Not just for himself, but for you! This is what YOUR victory looks like – an empty tomb. A risen Savior!

When life's troubles threaten us, Jesus lives to protect us! When Satan's lies tempt us, Jesus lives to strengthen us! When death's shadow hovers over us, Jesus lives to shine a light of hope! When our own sins defeat us, Jesus lives and says, “Father forgive them!” When it seems we are finished, Jesus lives and says, “IT IS FINISHED!” Death is finished. Pain, suffering, despair, all the darkness and misery that sin brings.... all of it is finished in Christ our living Lord!

He greets you with kindness in his forgiving Word, today. He feeds you with his risen body and blood, making you a partaker of his life, even today. He takes all your loss and drowns it in baptismal water, raising the new victorious man to live for him each day. And he promises you a resurrection like his – a final victory celebration that will never end.

When defeat stares you in the face, remember the victory we celebrate this day. Jesus lives! This is what victory looks like. The Sunday Morning Miracle. Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed, Alelluia!) Amen.

Sermon - John 13:1-18; 31b-35 - Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-17; 31b-35
Maundy Thursday
April 21st , 2011
“Sloth”

Pride, Coveting, Lust, Anger, Gluttony and Greed. So now we come to the final deadly sin on our list – Sloth. As we said at the beginning of this series – these 7 sins aren't the only deadly sins. Indeed, each and every sin is deadly to the sinner – apart from Christ. But in Christ, our loving Savior – no deadly sin can keep us away from God. No dark misdeed cannot be forgiven. No sin of thought, word, or deed places us under judgment – for Christ has paid the price by his blood, his suffering, his death.

Sins of thought, word, or deed. That's one way of categorizing sin. But not the only way. We also confess things we have done and have not done. The sins of commission and sins of omission. And here falls our final sin of Sloth. The things we don't do, that we should be doing.

It's more than just laziness, although it includes that. But we sinners are guilty of more sins that we can imagine – partly because we also break God's law by our inaction.

Take the command Jesus gives on Maundy Thursday (by the way, that's what Maundy means, “command”). He says, “Love one another just as I have loved you.” And here we find our failure.

He's not talking about washing each other's feet. But he is talking about loving our neighbor. He's not talking about warm fuzzy feelings of love. He's talking about what you do for your neighbor. Love. It is action. It is humble self-sacrificing service of another. Washing feet. Changing diapers. Giving a ride to the doctor's office. Extending a welcoming hand. Speaking a word of forgiveness.

And so what happens when we don't? What happens when our lazy, sinful nature lets those opportunities pass us by? What about the fact that we could be seeking out opportunities to love our neighbor – but we don't?

This is a hard sin, my friends. It's one thing to see and confess a sin that you actually do. A goof or gaffe that other people might also notice. You hurt someone with your words. You dishonor an authority. You take something that isn't yours. You can point to the sin, confess it, be done with it. God forgave me for that sin and that sin and that sin.

But how do you confess the good deeds you failed to do? How do you enumerate the actions you never got around to doing – and perhaps didn't even know you should have or could have?

Yes, sloth, laziness – it's more than just sitting around. It's missing out on our God-given privilege and duty to love one another. Oh the excuses run freely on this one, don't they. Chief among them, “I'm too busy!”. Maybe it's too hard, or you are too tired, or you just don't want to. Or else we say, “someone else will do it”. Maybe you even know you should, but you'd just rather have a root canal – and so you avoid. And so passes the opportunity to love your neighbor and serve him.

There's that parable Jesus tells about the talents – a king is going away for a long time, and entrusts three servants with different sums of money. The first two get busy – they invest the money and when the king returns present him with even more than he gave them. But the third servant, (perhaps out of laziness?) doesn't use the gifts he is given. He buries the money and sits on it. The king is enraged, and takes away even what that servant already had! A stinging rebuke of the servant's inaction.

Where does this sin leave us? God doesn't just chide us for sins, he threatens punishment – condemnation – even death. Yes, even for those sins of sloth – the things we have left undone. But God doesn't only threaten and judge. Through Christ, he offers life!

Christ was no lazy-bones. He was active and working, working, always for our good. His earthly life of service was far more than foot-washing. He taught his people the truth of God, but was far more than an example. His perfect obedience fulfilled the law. He did what no human had ever done – he didn't sin, and he always did everything he should. Even down to the last details of prophecy, “in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, 'I thirst”. Every T crossed and every I dotted. Surely he has done all things well.

We call this Christ's Active Obedience – and he does it all for you. And then there's his Passive Obedience, also for you.

His Passive Obedience is his humble submission to the Father's will. He gives himself, his life, as a ransom for many. He suffers, he dies. What he doesn't do is save himself. What he doesn't do is find a better way, with less pain and suffering. What he doesn't do is forsake his task, forsake his sheep. Instead he is forsaken by God for us. Jesus doesn't avoid the hard work of the cross.

For us who leave so much undone – Christ does all things – both in his life and death – and does them perfectly. For us who don't even know all the ways we fall short – Christ knows our weakness, and gives us his strength, and his victory over death.

We fail to love. But Jesus never misses an opportunity. And the best opportunity was his cross. Where God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son. That Jesus loved us so much that he gave his life up for his friends.

Deadly sin, we see, is not deadly when we are in Christ. For he faced death and destroyed it. He took sin and conquered it. He does what we do not, and cannot do. He goes where we cannot go. But he returns to take us with him, even to life forever.

This Holy Week, ponder the deadliness of sin – whatever sins you commit, struggle with, and feel the guilt thereof. And see sin meet its death on Calvary, in our Lord's loving sacrifice. And keep an eye on Sunday, for life is coming, and victory is on the horizon.

Sermon - Luke 16:19-31 - Lent Midweek 6

Luke 16:19-31
Lent Midweek 6
April 13th, 2011
“Greed”

Pride, Coveting, Lust, Anger and Gluttony. We're almost to the end of our excursion into 7 deadly sins. Today we come to greed.

While there's certainly some overlap between Covetousness or Envy and Greed.... here's the difference, perhaps. Coveting or Envy has to do with wanting what someone else has. Jealousy. A sort of spiteful sneer that says, “why do they deserve that nice thing?”. But Greed isn't even concerned with the neighbor at all. Greed just wants things – and lots of them. We can dress it up and call it “materialism”, but really it's just a straightforward idolatry – making created things into God.

In our world, that usually means money. Because it's money that gets us everything else we want – or so we are told. Fast cars, fine dining, a big house, nice clothes. The more money you have, the better you live. So get more money. And often, the more money you have, the more money you want. So get more money. And, what, wait... there's someone else in the world besides me?

Greed is good... so goes a famous movie line. But we Christians would disagree. We see it for the sin that it is. Greed not only takes our eyes of our true God – it also takes them off of our neighbor. When all we are concerned with is accumulating things for ourselves, it's impossible to love God with all our heart, strength, or soul. And we give no thought to loving our neighbor as ourselves.

And we're not talking about some faceless corporation that is often blamed for greediness, though that may often be the case. We're talking about individuals with a greed problem. People like you and me. People who have to answer for their sins before a righteous and holy God – unless some other way can be found...

Take the rich man and Lazarus. The world would look at the two of them and say the rich man was far better off. He had it all! ...

But Lazarus was just the opposite. He lay at the gate, covered in sores. The dirty dogs were his only friends. Bereft of friends and health and wealth. But we do learn something Lazarus has that the rich man doesn't. We learn it when they both die. Lazarus had faith.

Jesus tells this parable not to show that the rich will go to hell and the poor will go to heaven. But there is a warning not-so-thinly veiled here about the danger of greed. Like much of Jesus preaching, where he repeatedly condemns greedy sins – whether committed by tax collectors or pharisees or the rich young man.

Greed is a sin, but it's also a symptom. It is caused by a lack of trust in God's provision. Like another rich man Jesus talks about who wants to build extra barns to keep all his wealth – but then he suddenly dies, and oops, you can't take it with you! But where is the trust that God will give us our daily bread – clothe us, feed us? Don't we believe what Jesus says about the birds of the air and the lilies of the field? No, we don't like we should. We think it's up to us to make it happen. It's up to us to watch out for ourselves – and so we'll do it to a sinful degree if we have to.

Is there a fine line between good stewardship of the gifts he does give us – and a greedy misuse of the same? Of course. God doesn't condemn wealth itself. In fact, he makes it clear to Abraham and David and others – that he MADE them wealthy. He gives all good gifts. But what do we do with what we have? Do we manage it well? Or does it tempt us to want always and only more?

Do we blur and cross and break that line like crazy? Yes. We're sinners, after all, it's what we do with good things. We corrupt them. And we fail in the virtues that are opposite these sins – like the opposite of greed – charity.
Giving freely to someone with less. We hardly do it. When we do it, there's always some impurity of motivation. God still uses our imperfect charity, but it's not like we can claim any righteousness by it.

So once again we are left with no solution to deadly sin that we can find in ourselves. We can't just decide not to be greedy and do a better job with our generosity. There's no point in berating ourselves into cheerful giving and grateful contentedness with what God gives. There's only one answer to deadly sin – the life that comes in Christ.

And by now you can probably guess where we are going. Once more see how Jesus takes this twistedness of ours and straightens everything out. First by his perfect life. He had no greed for gain. He had no earthly wealth, no place to lay his head. Certainly no grand palace or fine clothing, no grand trappings of a king – though he was a king. Though he deserved all the gold, frankincense and myrrh, his cradle was with farm animals. Though he was far above the mighty men – Pilate, Caiaphas, Herod – he slummed it up with fishermen and tax collectors and prostitutes. And Jesus was always the giver – providing fish and loves, wine from water, healing and wholeness and even... life.

But more than just an example of perfect charity and lack of greed – Jesus did all this for us! His life, his work, his righteousness – God counts it as ours. You wonder how, even as a Christian, you can ever do everything God requires – and you realize you can't. But Christ did, for you! In your place. And that's what God sees and reckons as your righteousness.

And best of all, God the Father, in his generosity, gave his only Son. And Jesus, in his generosity, gave his very life. And God the Holy Spirit, gives gifts like crazy – abundant gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Jesus paid for them, after all – on the cross. Not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood, and his innocent suffering and death. You were bought with a price. Your salvation, and all the spiritual blessings of his kingdom are yours.

Wealthy or not, the repentant and believing child of God has a place in Abraham's bosom – next to once-poor Lazarus, and all the other recipients of God's grace in Christ. No need for greed where this is concerned – it's all ours by God's grace. And with such treasures in heaven, why clamor for anything less, anything below, any earthly thing that moth and rust will destroy? No, greed is not good. But God is, in Jesus Christ our Lord, for you, always. Amen.

Sermon - Philippians 3:17-21 - Lent Midweek 5

Philippians 3:17-21
Lent Midweek 5
April 6th, 2011
“Gluttony”

Pride, Coveting, Lust and Anger. We've been examining these deadly sins in our season of repentance. God's word calls us out, points the finger right at us – dead to rights. But then the Gospel does its work – Jesus, our loving savior, takes away sin, defeats death, and by his Spirit creates a new heart in us. He is the only antidote to deadly sin.

Today another sin – Gluttony. All of these deadly sins we've looked at so far can be done largely in the darkness of the heart. They may or may not produce effects to be seen. You can't usually tell if someone is lusting or coveting. Maybe you can see their anger. But gluttony tends to be a different story. We tend to wear this sin on our sleeves – or rather, on our bellies, hips, and thighs.

Some of us, even pastors, are more familiar with this sin than others. Some of us are a walking object lesson in such sins. But counter to some of the mixed messages we get from our culture, let's call this sin a sin, and confront it head on.

Gluttony, like all sins, takes something good – in this case food – and twists it into something it wasn't meant to be. God gives us food to nourish our bodies, and also for enjoyment. Daily bread is a gift. But gluttony falls under, “too much of a good thing”.

It's not just eating too much, either. Drinking too much – now there's a whole different sermon. Or what about misusing our food in other ways? St. Thomas Acquinas categorized 5 ways of being a glutton – including eating food that is too expensive or pretentious or eating at the wrong time, or even eating too eagerly. And this isn't even to mention the other side of the coin – do we neglect to help those who truly are hungry and in need? Does all this “more for me” mean “less for you?” No, misusing food isn't just about eating too much.

Isn't it interesting that the original sin of Adam and Eve had to do with food – a misuse of a food God had given. Oh you can eat from any tree in the garden – just not that one. But they crossed the line God had set. They took, and ate, and they died.

Gluttony is deadly, like all sins, and has spiritual as well as physical dangers. The physical dangers of obesity – well, we hear about them all the time. Heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, the list goes on... But spiritually, the real danger is mentioned in Philippians 3 - that gluttony turns us away from God and makes our own belly our god.

“Their god is their belly, and their destiny is destruction”. Here Paul is talking about those who live as enemies of Christ! And what are they concerned with? What do they value most? What do they worship? Their own full bellies. Unfortunately, that sounds a little too much like many of us. Are we then, destined for destruction? Are we, in fact, enemies of Christ?

According to our old nature, yes! Our old Adam, with his pride and envy and lust and anger and gluttony – must be destroyed. That's what the Christian faith is about. That's what Jesus does. By repentance and faith, destroying enemies and making them into friends. Re-creating us in baptism, raising us from a walking death to an eternal life with him.

Jesus – who fasted 40 days in the wilderness and still had more than enough strength to defeat our enemy the devil. Jesus – who calls himself the bread of life, and give us to eat and drink of his body and blood. Jesus – who on the cross thirsted, but his greatest thirst was for our salvation. He was a glutton for punishment – the punishment for all sins, on the cross. And now death has been swallowed up in his victory over death.

He re-orders our lives by his love. He forgives even our daily sins. And he promises us a future.

Maybe part of what drives gluttony is some kind of fear that we won't have enough – so we better get as much now as we can. But trusting in the one who richly provides for us – we need not worry for tomorrow. Perhaps gluttony is a singular concern for my own pleasure, irrespective of the needs of others. Ah, but the Savior that loves us calls us to love our neighbor, even to feed the hungry. Even as he feeds us with his own self.

The opposite of gluttony, the counterpart virtue, is temperance – that is, restraint or self-control. We could never do such a thing on our own. But we pray the Spirit's guidance, the Spirit's work in our life, to complete the good work he has begun in us – the good work he will bring to completion on that day.

One of the ways Holy Scripture speaks of that kingdom to come is as a marriage feast. The same Jesus who turned water into the finest wine when the host of the banquet ran out. He will, in that day, prepare for us an eternal feast of joy. There will we eat in holiness and righteousness, with all the saints of God forever. There, at the marriage feast of the Lamb in his kingdom which has no end.

Until then, we have a foretaste of the feast to come. A meal unlike other meals – a gathering with all the company of heaven. A food that doesn't tempt us to sin, but absolves our sins. A feast that brings eternal life. A provision that only God can prepare and provide. Here, at the altar. Here at the rail. Here with your fellow sheep, the shepherd feeds you. He prepares a table before you in the presence of the enemy. And in Christ, our cup of blessing overflows.

on Genesis 44

Today's OT reading from the Treasury of Daily Prayer...you know the passage where Joseph frames his brothers as they are leaving Egypt for home? I couldn't help thinking about how this points to Christ.

Joseph makes his innocent brothers into thieves, to accomplish his purpose.
Jesus makes thieves, like the one on the other cross, into brothers as his divine purpose.

Joseph brings them to Egypt, where they are eventually enslaved.
Jesus frees us from slavery to sin and brings us to the Promised Land of Heaven.

Joseph uses his own silver cup, made of precious metal, to do it.
Jesus uses his own sacramental cup, filled with his precious blood, to do it.

Joseph wants to be reunited with his father.
Jesus wants us to be reunited with His father.

Judah takes the place of his "guilty" brother.
Jesus, descendant of Judah, takes the place of all the guilty.

"Why have you repaid evil for good?" Joseph asks his brothers.
We could ask Jesus, "Why have you repaid good for our evil?"