Gospel without Law = Law

OK I should probably expound on this...

Law without Gospel = Law.

Gospel without Law = Law.

This is my shorthand way of expressing one of the dangers of an improper distinction of Law and Gospel.

C.F.W. Walther, the founder of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and an expert in Luther's teachings, said, "Paging through Scripture before we know the difference between Law and Gospel makes us think it contains nothing but contradictions, even more than the Koran" and, "properly to distinguish Law and Gospel is so difficult and such a high art for the preacher as a Christian. In fact, this is the greatest skill a human being can acquire."

So first, maybe some working definitions:

"Law" is that category of Scriptural teaching which shows us the rules. It tells us what to do and not to do. It shows us, also, that we fail - constantly - to measure up to God's perfect standard. It has to do with punishment. The Law is the "bad news" of Scripture. The Law shows us our sin, always.

"Gospel" is the category of Scriptural teaching which stands in opposition to the Law. The Gospel, strictly speaking, is the good news of Jesus Christ and all he has does for us. But chiefly it's about his death and resurrection to pay for our sins. This strict Gospel plays out into and is connected with many of the other "good news" passages and promises. But all those are, ultimately, rooted in Jesus and his saving work for us.

We Lutherans understand the extreme importance of maintaining both Law and Gospel in all our preaching and teaching. We take great pains to distinguish and divide them, exploring the relationship between these two great teachings of Scripture.

But some take no such care. Some even teach, falsely, that we should not carefully balance and maintain the tension between Law and Gospel.

Some tilt to the Law. We might call this "works righteousness" or "legalism". The good news of what Jesus has done for you is minimized, or not even mentioned. Jesus becomes an afterthought to the real business of what YOU need to DO. Taking Jesus out of our preaching and teaching makes Christianity into nothing more than a religion of the Law... just like every other false religion of man. For with the Law alone we cannot be saved.

But some tilt to the Gospel. And while Walther rightly states that the "Gospel should predominate", that doesn't mean we shouldn't preach the Law, and forcefully so. A particular abuse here is anti-nomianism, or a teaching that the Law doesn't matter, or that it shouldn't be preached. That Christians don't need to hear the bad news, the condemnation, the stinging rebuke of God's Law. It's too much of a "downer". Some seek to preach and teach "only the good news", and divorce Law from Gospel.

So now to my point: When you remove the Law, you are not simply left with Gospel. For the Gospel apart from the Law is meaningless. "Jesus has forgiven your sins" means nothing without you knowing that you are a sinner, or what sin is. It's a solution to a problem we wouldn't understand. We need both the diagnosis AND the cure. We need to be shown our sin, to know our sin, to know our forgiveness.

But it's worse than that. The Gospel without Law is not just meaningless; it changes. No one would preach a bunch of nonsense about forgiveness while the question begs, "forgiven for what?" No one would talk about Christ crucified for sinners when there's no need for such a thing. So in churches where the true preaching of the Law is absent - a preaching of the Law with an eye toward the Gospel - in those churches, the Gospel becomes something else.

If Jesus didn't come to forgive sins, because there's no law, and no sin.... then why did he come? As an example for me to follow? That's just more Law. That's telling me what to do. Or some make him into a new law-giver. "He shows us the law of love". He said, "Love your neighbor", "turn the other cheek". He told us to care for the poor and downtrodden. Jesus is about social justice! And so the lack of Law leaves us not with the Gospel - but a meaningless gospel. And guess what fills the vacuum? More Law!

Our sinful nature loves the law - in a way. And so anytime we can migrate to it, dwell upon it, our Old Adam is happy. But it's usually a warped law. A law that leaves us with a false sense of security. A law created in our own fashion just so that we can fulfill its demands. We convince ourselves, like the rich young man, "all these I have kept from my youth".

But a true view of the law leaves us in despair. It pulls our spiritual pants down and embarrasses us with our total helplessness. We can't save ourselves. We can't do anything right. We sin ALL THE TIME. Poor, miserable sinners.

And then, and only then, are we ready for the true Gospel. What unspeakable joy to go from the depths of the Law's despair to the heights of the Gospel's grand promises. We've all heard about people who have a close shave with death, or a terrible disease from which they recover. They have a "new lease on life". That's what happens, in spiritual terms, with Law and Gospel. Only when brought low by the Law can we be raised by the Gospel.

While Jesus certainly did speak the Law, and raised the bar in many ways, his main message was one of forgiveness for our sins. Jesus preached and taught BOTH Law and Gospel, too! So should his faithful pastors and teachers. So should his faithful church. So should his faithful people believe his words of both Law and Gospel, never compromising or diminishing either.

Gospel Without Law

If you take away the Gospel, you have only the Law. (Legalism)

If you take away the Law (Anti-nomianism), you have only.... Law.

In other words, Gospel - Law = Law.

Discuss.

Sermon - Thanksgiving Day - Matthew 6:11

Thanksgiving Eve & Day – November 26/27, 2009
Matthew 6:11
“On Daily Bread”

Christians pray the Lord's Prayer as Jesus taught us to do. In that model prayer, we pray for many things – none of which we deserve. We pray that we may keep God's name holy, that his will is done in our lives, that his kingdom would come. We pray for forgiveness of trespasses, for strength amidst temptation and deliverance from evil. But we also have this little petition we'll concentrate on today. “Give us this day our daily bread”

We've already read aloud Martin Luther's brief explanation from the Catechism, “What does this mean? - God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people,but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving”.

And then he goes on to define daily bread including “everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body”. Or to put it another way, all our physical blessings.

As I've discussed this petition with various people over the years, I find that many who think of daily bread think first about The Lord's Supper. The bread that is also Christ's body in the sacrament. And while it's true that God gives us this bread freely and it is a great gift – here in the Lord's Prayer we're talking about the broad category of physical, earthly blessings – the “Things” God gives us every day.

It's worth taking some time to stop and count these blessings. It's good to set aside a day for Thanksgiving. But it's better to be thankful every day. Every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, to recognize that God blesses us richly – first of all with daily bread.

Some people would forget that's it's God who gives it. Our sinful perspective warps our understanding of God's gifts. We think we've earned them, that we deserve them. That I have good things in life because I am good. If we have a nice house or car or job, if we achieve some great task or possess some great talent – we feel it's because we are something special, and God must be rewarding us in kind. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Luther makes it clear. Daily bread is a gift. That means it is given, not earned. If we deserved or earn it, it would be a wages. And the only time Scripture talks about our wages – it's the wages of sin we deserve – death. Punishment – temporal and eternal. That's the daily debt of sin we incur. That's the tab we run with all our sinful and corrupt actions and thoughts and words.

Thanks be to God, first and foremost, that he doesn't count our sins against us, or treat us as we deserve! Because of Jesus Christ, the great redeemer, we are given what we DON'T deserve – the riches of his grace! Salvation! Forgiveness! Life – temporal and eternal! Because of his bloody self-sacrifice on the cross, we have the ultimate reason to give thanks! We have abundant spiritual bread for the hunger of our souls – our thirst for righteousness is quenched and we are sustained by him. But there's even more!

God's mercy and grace is so abundant that he adds to all this physical blessings – even for the wicked. Yes, the non-Christian, the unbeliever who lives and breathes and eats – does so only by the mercy of God. Their lives depend on him too. They don't know the hand that feeds them, but we do. The same hand that created and sustains us all – and feeds us daily bread.

Here, as he teaches us to pray for daily bread, Jesus also teaches us to trust. To trust him, and the Father, to care for us always. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus gives the Lord's Prayer as part of the Sermon on the Mt. Where he also teaches us not to worry:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is note life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

These may be hard words for us to hear in times like these. When the economy is uncertain at best. When people lose their jobs, or have pay cuts. When it's getting harder and harder to make ends meet – our natural sinful reaction is to worry. How will I pay those bills? When will things get better? Will our family ever recover? How can Jesus say, “do not be anxious”?

Trust. Trust in his promises. Work, yes. But don't worry. Labor but do not be anxious. God will provide your daily bread. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble”.

Oh it may not be easy. Jesus acknowledges that today may bring trouble. He knows it well. He lived an earthly human life. He knew poverty and temptation and hunger and thirst. And yet, God provided for him. And God will provide, does provide, for you.
Look at the birds of the field and the lilies of the field. God provides for them. Look at the evil and wicked people of the world, even those who hate God. God provides for them. So you, his child, don't you see, won't you trust, that God will provide for you?

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not along with him graciously give us all good things?

God knows what you need. He's your loving heavenly Father. And he blesses you according to His grace, in his time, for his purposes. Not only the spiritual, but also the physical.

No, it's not that if you pray hard enough, or trust deeply enough, or do enough good works that he will provide what you want. But he will provide for you what you need, according to his grace. Just because he's good.

Faith which clings to these promises is also thankful. What's the opposite of anxiety? It just might be contentment. What's the opposite of greed? It just might be gratitude. The recognition that God gives us daily bread, brings about in us, an attitude of gratitude. We know and trust and believe and recognize the giver of all good things. From the grand spiritual blessings of eternity, to the mundane and minuscule – the daily bread. Give thanks for daily bread, be content. And trust in the giver of all Good things, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sermon - Pentecost 24 - Mark 13:1-13

Pentecost 24 – November 15h, 2009
Mark 13:1-13
“Seeing the Signs”

Hollywood is at it again. There's a new movie called 2012, and it taps into the apocalyptic fears of end-of-the-world disaster. Maybe you've seen the previews: explosions, earthquakes, buildings collapsing and people narrowly escaping the destruction.

Much of the hype surrounding such events comes from what the Bible teaches about the end of days. Jesus himself spoke of the end times frequently, as in our text today. But we must rightly understand his teaching on it – teaching which speaks both terrifying law, and comforting Gospel for those who have ears to hear.

The disciples were awestruck by the beauty and grandeur of Herod's magnificent temple. It was considered a wonder of the world – huge marble stones, precious metals, elegant decor. One of the disciples makes an offhand comment about how it was all so impressive, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus uses this as an opportunity to teach, and to prepare the disciples (and us) about the end.

“Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Jesus minces no words, sugarcoats nothing when he tells of the destruction that is to come. He surely spoke of the doom that was at hand for the city of Jerusalem. For just 40 or so years later, the Romans would come and lay siege to the city in a terrible war that would leave the Jewish people decimated and their beloved Jerusalem destroyed. Even the mighty temple would be brought down, never to be rebuilt again. But that's just the beginning.

Jesus tells of wars, earthquakes and famines. Natural and man-made disasters. Surely each will bring its share of suffering and woe. Surely each will seem like the end of the world to those involved. But these are just the beginning.

He goes on to describe the persecution the church will face from the enemies of the faith. Beaten in the synagogues by Jewish opponents, dragged before Gentile governors – tried and convicted for believing in Jesus. Already in the New Testament we see these events unfolding, as the infant church faced martyrdom and persecution. Even within families, Christians will be accused and abused by those who are against Christ.

But it got worse, and it's still getting worse. There have been wars somewhere in the world almost every year in history. We still have quakes and tsunamis, hurricane Katrina, famines, diseases, economic crisis, terrorism and the war on it.

And the claim is made that in the 20th century more Christians were martyred – killed for their faith – than in all the previous centuries combined. And that kind of persecution continues.

Looking at the signs, we can see Jesus is right. The creation is in birth pains. And like a woman in labor, the pains get worse closer to the end.

We know some of those pains in our own lives. Sometimes on the grand scale, sometimes on the small scale. But all of life's troubles and disasters are used by God to call us to repentance. They are reminders that sin and death are non trifling matters. Seeing the signs of the times, signs of the end, reminds us that there is a conclusion to this world, and without Christ we would be lost to the destruction.

But there's also good news in Jesus' teaching about th end. He says the Gospel will be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. That's happening here today. Right here at Grace, and in so many Christian congregations – every Sunday – the message of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners is proclaimed. We hear again and again how his blood covers us, his sacrifice atones for us. With his stripes we are healed. We proclaim and teach and preach that his life and death and resurrection are the basis for our salvation – and though we can do nothing to earn it, though we don't deserve it, his love, mercy and forgiveness are a free gift of God's grace.

This message, this sweet comfort of knowing God sent Jesus for you and that because of Jesus, you are right with God – this good news is also a sign of the times. It is a sign of God's love for us. It is a sign reminding us to stand firm in the faith, throughout all the chaos that may surround us. In the midst of disasters natural and man-made, the Christian has the comfort of the Gospel. In the midst of persecution and trial, we have the sure word of God on which to stand.

The impressive temple was a spectacle for the disciples, but it was nothing compared to the destruction Jesus foresaw. But even that destruction, even as we live through it in part or in whole, is nothing compared to the treasure of the Gospel. For this promise is given by our Lord, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.” There is a hope and promise for us, God's people, in Jesus Christ. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Salvation awaits us.

By ourselves we cannot hope to endure. All the disaster and persecution and trouble would be too much for us. But we have God's promises that he will never leave us or forsake us, that he is with us always, and that his power is made perfect in weakness.

By ourselves we cannot know what to even say, but Jesus encourages his disciples that they will be given the words, that the Spirit will speak for them. Today it is much the same. We do well to rely on the words of the Spirit – written for us in Holy Scripture. When we speak and live by God's words, we have trustworthy words indeed.

So let Hollywood make its spectacles of destruction and disaster. We know we are secure, no matter what trouble comes. The signs are all around us. But we know our salvation is sure in Christ. And let all the wonders of this world, the spectacles of man's greatness, be kept in their place – for when it all comes tumbling down, faith remains. The Word of God remains. And in Jesus Christ, we will remain, forever. Amen.

Stand Firm on BRTFSSG

Scott Diekmann has an excellent post on the LCMS BRTFSSG proposals. These are the proposals for changing the structure and governance of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod which will be put forward at the 2010 convention.

Stand Firm should be required reading for all 2010 LCMS convention delegates!

"Remnant" Diagram

Have you seen this helpful little diagram? I took it out of the CTCR report on Eschatology, from the LCMS website.

"Close Enough" Communion

Paul McCain has an extensive post regarding the LCMS' historical practice of Closed Communion.

I added the following comment:

Quite common in our LCMS are the churches that practice a form of open communion which goes something like:

As long as you can agree with this statement:
(Apostles Creed)
(Something about the Real Presence)
(Sometimes something about being "Lutheran")
then you are welcome to commune....

People who support this type of practice are vehemently opposed to denominational membership holding any sway in the question of who may commune. They sometimes sarcastically refer to an "LCMS ID card".

Granted, this is a "closer" communion than the ELCA's "Y'all come", or "If you commune at your church you are welcome here" or sometimes "Baptized Christians". But it's still not what the LCMS officially teaches and has historically practiced.

I'd call the alternate LCMS approach "Close as in Close Enough" communion. Many call it "Open". Many who practice it call it "Close" or "Close(d)". But it is the main reason I prefer the term "Closed" for the historical and on-paper position of the LCMS.

I'm curious where this alternate, yet very common LCMS approach (that I described above) comes from. Does anyone know where or how?

Sermon - Pentecost 23 - Hebrews 9:24-28

Pentecost 23 – November 8th, 2009
Hebrews 9:24-28
“A Great High Priest”

Some people seem to think that sin and forgiveness are just words. That they are ideas or concepts which are hopelessly outdated and irrelevant, even if they ever applied. For the unbeliever, God's law doesn't matter – each is a law unto himself. And so forgiveness doesn't matter, because sin's not a problem.

And let's face it, even we Christians sometimes act as if we feel the same way. We act like sin's not something that matters, at least not all that much. Sure nobody's perfect, but no big deal right? Our reading from Hebrews today might make us think differently.

We don't know exactly who wrote the New Testament book of Hebrews. But we do know it was a letter written to Christians of a Jewish background. They would have been familiar with the priesthood of the Levites, the sacrificial system from the time of Moses, and all that went along with it.

Once a year, the High Priest would enter the holiest part of the Tabernacle. Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year. And as he brought the blood of an animal which had been sacrificed, he would sprinkle it on the Ark of the Covenant. All this he did as a representative, on behalf of the people. And all this was according to God's instructions, by the way.

So what was the point of all this? And what does this all have to do with you and me, who aren't ancient Israelites? Nor are we Jewish Christians from the first century. But we have one thing in common with them – the need for forgiveness, atonement, someone to make satisfaction for our sin.

None of the sacrificial system of the Old Testament was by accident. God was very specific in his instructions on what was to be done, and when, and how. It was, first of all, a way he provided the people to deal with their sins – to have the assurance that their sins were atoned for. Those sacrifices and rituals weren't just for show – they really counted! God so promised.

But they were more. They pointed to more. They were a foreshadowing of something and someone greater which was to come. Something more perfect and fulfilled. The priests, the sacrifices, the Tabernacle, the Day of Atonement... all of these were shadows of the salvation of God that came in Jesus Christ.

The book of Hebrews goes to great lengths to show us that Christ is the great High Priest. He is the fulfillment and apex of all priesthoods. He makes the best and the most perfect sacrifice. A once-and-for-all-time shedding of his blood, a laying down of his life, for all the sins that ever were or would be.

That Day of Atonement was a shadow of what was to come. When the REAL High Priest would enter the true heaven (as Jesus is now ascended there for us). And before God, he makes his case for us – he shows God the basis for our salvation. It's not the blood of a goat or a bull, but his own blood.

No we're not ancient Israelites or early Jewish Christians, but we have the same problem of sin, and the same solution in Jesus. They could no more approach God without a mediator than we can. They needed a go-between, an intercessor. But even the High Priest could only do what he did on the basis of the coming Christ. All the blood of beasts, all the rites of priests, it all pointed forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Any forgiveness they enjoyed was won at the cross of Christ, and so too for us.

You see, Jesus is the center of all history, of all Holy Scripture, and of God's perfect plan for our salvation. The creation was made through him, redeemed by him, and will one day answer to him. We confess in the creeds that He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.

It's why all this business of sin and forgiveness really matters. There will be a final judgment day, and woe to those whose sins are counted against them! God doesn't simply look the other way when it comes to sin. There is blood to be paid in this serious business. And for those that reject the free gift of Christ's blood, they have only their own to pay – eternal punishment and separation from God awaits. God does not mess around with sin, he is deadly serious about it.

But, we read here in Hebrews that, “Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” There are no second chances on that judgment day. Jesus has already dealt with sin. But for us who receive his gifts in faith, for the believer, his day of return is a day to eagerly anticipate. There is no fear for us whose debts have been paid, whose sins have been forgiven, for whom only life and victory await.

Sin brings death. And death comes once. For Christ, and for us. He died once for all, and we will die once in him. But just as he lives and reigns to all eternity, so too is our day of resurrection on its way, and our eternal life in him assured.

What a comfort to know that our great High Priest has shed his own blood to make us right before God. What a blessing to know that our Great High Priest has fulfilled all requirements of sacrifice by his own perfect death on Calvary. What a hope we have in his resurrection – that we too will conquer death through him, and live and reign with him for eternity. And what a promise that he will return at the appointed time to make it so, when his day of final salvation arrives, when he comes again in glory, and brings us home.

Sermon - All Saints' Day - Rev. 7:9-17

All Saints' Day – November 1st , 2009
Revelation 7:9-17
“All the Sinners and Saints”

Greetings in Christ, you saints of God. Children of God. Redeemed of God – holy people. Saints. Not of yourselves, but in Jesus Christ. We are all saints. And this All Saints' day, we follow in the long tradition of Christians who have recognized this, as well as remembered all the saints that have gone before us. Here at Grace, we toll the chimes for the dead in Christ who have gone before us this past year. We sing songs about the faithful of generations past. And we think about the glories of heaven, when on the last day we are all reunited with the Lord and with each other.

Revelation 7 helps us to do this. If you sat down to read through the first six chapters of John's vision, you would have just finished a terrifying description of the 7 seals, and of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. War and bloodshed, famine and pestilence, and persecution of the saints. Pretty much all of the things that scare the socks off of people in the book of Revelation have just been described.

And in a sense it should scare us – for trouble and suffering are what we deserve as sinners. There's a part of us that always fears that we will be exposed as the frauds that we are. The thought that we will have to face God's wrath – that He will finally have enough of us sinners and our wickedness, that he will come in judgment and make us all pay. Many people, many Christians, read Revelation like a sort of Halloween scare story, or refuse to read it at all because they are so terrified by such thoughts.

Still, these visions are not meant to terrify us. They are more of a description of what troubles we already have. It's a vision of all the calamity and trouble that the church has faced, still faces, and always will face living in a sinful, fallen world. It's as if Jesus is saying to us, his people, “I know what it's like. I know how when a loved one dies it feels like the end of the world. I know what it's like to have your friends desert you and betray you. To be accused falsely. To hunger and thirst, to be imprisoned and reviled. I know when you suffer, and fear, and face persecution – for I faced it all too. I know what you're going through”

We are living in the end times, already, right now – also called, “the great tribulation”. We know is that there will be increasing trouble in these times – as Paul compares creation to a woman groaning in labor pains – and this trouble will continue until our Lord comes again to rescue us. And he will.

But let's not forget that there's more to the story. There's more to the vision of Revelation. God's word to us is not, finally, a word of judgment, but of mercy, salvation, and peace.

Through all of the troubles and plagues, God protects his people. And so we get to chapter 7, where a beautiful and comforting vision greets us – the great multitude in white. “These are they that have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”. These are all the saints in glory. These are all those who have been cleansed and forgiven, made just and righteous by the blood of the Lamb – Jesus Christ our great sacrifice.

Here is a picture of the church and the angels in the final kingdom of glory! Here is a wonderful and powerful vision of the final and unending triumphal victory song. Here we meet “angels and archangels and all the company of heaven” and “laud and magnify His glorious name”. Here the singing of praises never ends.

God does not hold our sins against us, or make us pay for them. He doesn't punish us as we deserve, or smite and strike us as he could. Jesus took all the punishment. He paid the debt. He was striken, smitten, afflicted, for us. He sacrificed himself, the perfect Lamb of God without spot or blemish. He shed his holy, precious blood to redeem us. Our robes, even our very souls, are washed clean and lily white in that blood. A striking paradox that red could make white – but no more than that life comes by death.

So look into that great multitude of white-robed saints, and see your believing loved ones who have died but live eternally. Look and see the saints of old – Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon. The Apostles and Prophets, our forefathers in the faith – Martin Luther, C.F.W. Walther, Herman Bartz and Gerald Martin. Look and see those who have gone to be with the Lord this very year from our congregation....

And look and see yourself. For one day you will join that great crowd in victory and celebration. One day you'll be waving a palm branch and singing a new song of praise to the Lamb who was slain. In fact, that song has already begun here on Earth. We anticipate the final celebration each time we sing, “This is the feast” and each time we come to the Lord's table, “with angels and archangels and all the company of Heaven”.

And what a beautiful promise, that there in His presence, God's people are free of suffering and pain, and God himself wipes every tear from their eyes. From our eyes.

We are all sinners. We all deserve the plagues of Revelation and more. But we are all saints. Made clean and holy by the blood of the lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A "Church" Wedding

Ran across this story from BBC about a Japanese developer who built an English-style church on the 21st floor of a high-rise. He did this because it's quite popular for Japanese couples to be married in English-style church buildings.

We've had it happen before - someone calls us up at church and wants go get married here.
"Oh, are you a member?"
"No."
"Have you ever been here?"
"No. But your building looks pretty from the outside."
"Are you a Lutheran?"
"What's that?"

Where does this desire come from - for church weddings among the non-church going, or even non-Christian types?

But the problem is deeper. I suspect many people want a God on their own terms, who will smile when they want him to, but then fade away for the most part. A God like a family member you see only at - yes - weddings and funerals! A generic and pretty God that makes them feel good. Not a crucified and bloody sacrifice for their sin.

"Aunt Tilly, it's been forever! Isn't it a shame that we only see each other at weddings and funerals!"

I know of pastors who will marry anybody, anytime, anywhere - all in the name of "outreach". But how effective is this? And a better question - how does it maintain the integrity of our confession, when we reinforce people's conceptions of a fair-weather God?

In contrast, a Christian wedding centers on Christ - the true Bridegroom - and offers the couple and all attending an enduring word of promise with a message much bigger than "have a nice marriage you nice kids". This is our Savior, who gives meaning to marriage - and to all of life. And his house isn't just for show.

Task Force Proposals: Part 2

There are a number of Appendices to this document. Take Appendix 5, "Funding the Mission Reflections"

The gist this of this Appendix is this: "The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Funding the Mission" (BRTFFTM) came up with some suggestions for the 2007 Convention, and though that convention didn't do much with them, the suggestions dovetail nicely with the proposals of the BRTFSSG.

One BRTF helps another BRTF!

Buried in this Appendix 5 is the following paragraph:

It is time to grow this church. As a natural outcome of the goals of Ablaze! and the investment of Fan into Flame dollars, this Synod needs to organize a strategy to increase our membership by the 400,000 souls we lost in the last 20 years and stop the bleeding of those for whom our Lord bled and died. It is a disgrace to our faith and practice that we are losing membership.

I have to say this is one of the most straightforward admissions of Church Growth ideology I have seen. Usually the un-scriptural preoccupation with numerical growth is at least thinly veiled behind verbiage like "contacts" and "critical events" and "opportunities" or "life-cycle of a church".

Quite to the contrary, it is a disgrace to our faith and practice that we think WE can grow the church, and not the Lord alone.

Thanksgiving As Privilege

Thanksgiving as a privilege
(November Newsletter Article)

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 118:1

I think most of us know we should be more thankful to God for his blessings. We know it's a good thing to celebrate a day set aside for giving Him thanks. But we all know we should do more thanking, and be more thankful. This is a recognition of the law, that Thanksgiving is an obligation. God deserves our thanks, and is due much gratitude. We SHOULD, we MUST thank him. But oh, how we fail.

There's another way of looking at thanks-giving, and that is as a privilege. We GET to thank God. Think about it. We Christians have the privilege and honor of knowing God's name – so we know who to thank! I'm always struck by a popular song on the radio that says, “at the end of the day, we should give thanks and pray to the one....” The one what? The song never says. But we know who to thank, for He gives us His Name – the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Giver of all good things.

And we have the confidence to call upon him. He actually wants to hear our prayers, and is receptive to them through Jesus Christ. We are not only commanded to pray in thanksgiving, but we are also blessed to be able to do so. If God were deaf to our prayers of thanks, if He didn't hear our words of appreciation, there wouldn't be a relationship between us. But through Jesus Christ, there is a relationship – we are his children forever. As his dear children, God gives us all good things, and in return he receives our thanks. He delights in our prayers and our thanksgiving – and receives them.

And don't forget, thanks-giving is good for us, too! It teaches us to recognize our blessings, to understand rightly that we don't deserve these gifts. It teaches us that God is the one to approach for every physical and spiritual blessing. And it helps us not to worry about tomorrow, to be greedy or wasteful, but to appreciate fully the present gifts we enjoy. We can also give thanks for the promises of many more gifts to come.

So give thanks for your body and soul, eyes, ears and all your members, your reason and all your senses, your house and home, clothing and shoes, food and drink, spouse, children, land, animals and all that you have! Give thanks for Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, and that His holy precious blood redeems you, an otherwise lost and condemned person. And give thanks that His Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies us in the one true faith, and keeps us with Christ forever.

There is so much for which to be thankful! May all your days be spent in the privilege of thanks-giving to the Giver of all good things. Amen.

Observations on the Task Force Proposals, Part 1: "Exclusive"

The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance (BRTFSSG, or TF) has released its final recommendations for changes to the LC-MS in the summer of 2010.

As many of us pore over the 148 page document, I expect much discussion. I'll post some of my observations here.

One of the first things I noticed was a proposed change in what is required of membership:
_____________
Old Wording:
"Conditions of Membership"
4. Exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks and catechisms in church and school.

New (proposed) Wording:
"Requirements of Membership"
B.2. Use of worship and catechetical resources that are in harmony with the confessional basis of the Synod.
_____________

NOTICE WHAT'S MISSING? "Exclusive". No longer will we require, on paper anyway, that all our resources be doctrinally sound. Instead, we must use doctrinally sound resources, but not exclusively.

The new language permits what is, admittedly, already widespread: the use of unsound, impure, and doctrinally lacking resources for church and school: Baptist church-transformational programs. Non-denominational VBS curriculum. And of course, all manner of "contemporary" music from whatever hymnal or resource is popular and "reaches people".

This is one of the major divides in the LCMS today - between those who like to "borrow and baptize" and those who prefer to simply use the excellent resources we already have. I used to be the former, and have become a strong advocate of the latter. There are tremendous advantages to using sound, throughly and carefully reviewed LUTHERAN materials.

There are serious dangers to using resources that come from other denominations and traditions - whose contents and perspectives are unknown to us and different from us, both in what they teach and fail to teach.

So no thanks, Task Force. Let's keep the old wording on this one. Put me down as an excluder.

Great New Issues Etc. Youtube

Every Bad Argument - ELCA Gay Clergy

This article from the Wasau Daily Herald (online - and previously in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) is a one-stop-shop for just about every bad argument rhetorical tactic that is and has been made to defend the ELCA's recent gay-clergy decisions. I don't know if the professor is affiliated with the ELCA or not (he teaches Sociology). But he's well acquainted with the rhetoric.

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20091014/WDH06/910140381

The bad arguments/tactics include:

- Labeling the conservatives as "dissidents"

- Asserting that everyone chooses to emphasize certain parts of Scripture

(an easy way for him to marginalize the "dissidents" AND Scripture - which he compares to a Rorshack test!)

- Comparing the conservatives to snake handlers

- If you believe what the Bible teaches on this, you must be over-fixated on someone else's sexual orientation (an attempt to turn blame around, change focus of the issue)

- Misunderstanding/misapplication of Leviticus and the distinction between moral, civil, and ceremonial laws

- Marginalizing Scripture as "Bronze Age Morality". We're much more enlightened today!

- Misunderstanding of the role of polygamy in Scripture (hint - God never says to DO it)

Yes, we've heard all these before in one form or another - and any of these arguments or attacks is easily parried if our opponents were willing to listen. But it strikes me that these sort of rants are not meant to inform, debate, or persuade as much as they are to shame and silence opposition.

LCMS President at South Wisconsin District (Video)

President Kieschnick came to the South Wisconsin District and held a Q& A at the district office on October 5th, 2009. The district website has posted video here:

http://swd.lcms.org/portals/0/html/player/index.html

*note: there are two videos, the DP's devotion/introduction is first, then the Q&A.

After some opening comments, President Kieschnick answered questions from those gathered on the following topics:

1. Cost of upcoming extended-length convention

Synopsis of PK's answer: He made the call, based on lots of input from others.

2. Recent actions of the ELCA regarding gay clergy

Synopsis: He has thought of "pulling the plug" but doesn't believe he has the authority to do so. However, if something "egregious" happens before the convention acts, we may dissolve specific relationships with agencies.

3. How do you respond when media outlets, etc, lump us in with the ELCA?

Synopsis: It's a pain. We answer as best we can. Better to explain who we are, rather than what others are doing.

4. A question on District pre-seminary interview committees, and the future of the seminaries.

Synopsis: A variety of benchmarks for a student to enter seminary - sometimes unqualified applicants make it through the screening process for various reasons, and even become pastors.

November 4-5 the Board for Pastor Ed and others are meeting to discuss the future of the seminaries - including the sustainability/stewardship of having 2 seminaries. Both seminaries have financial challenges.

5. What is it you do to encourage us to be healthy, missional, confessional parishes?

Synopsis: I try to help provide a sense of wholeness and health in biblical and practical guidance. Figure out how to meet the needs of your community's demographic, in a way that gets their attention. Get outside comfort zone, leadership of pastor. Schools, particularly preschools are a good way (and even profitable!). Pastors need to balance work and family.

6. Question on 2004 Convention resolution 8-01A on Ecclesiastical Supervision

Synopsis: CCM opinion which said if you get counsel from your ES, and act on it, then you are defended or supported, even if your action goes against scripture and confessions. CCM also opined, later (in a little known opinion), that if that counsel of the ES is incorrect, then he is held to correct that counsel. PK is asking the CCM to take another look at those opinions, pull them together, or somehow fix it.

7. Is the Nov 4-5 meeting, mentioned earlier, the first of its kind? Who will be there?

Synopsis: No, he called for a summit on pastoral formation 3-4 years ago, with representatives from many perspectives. At that time, SMP was conceived. Who will be there: BPE, Boards of Regents, responsible people.

8. Can we get something prepared to put in local papers, etc., that defines us as "not THAT Lutheran church body" in an evangelical way?

Synopsis: Yes, in a way which is winsome and positive. We have a plan on the table to do a nationwide campaign largely through USA Today - but it's very expensive. Send me an email to remind me of that suggestion.

9. As LCMS churches see refugees from ELCA, how are we instructing these people, and do you share concerns that we need to?

Synopsis: This is so fresh, he hasn't heard much input, but suggests parish pastors deal with people from ELCA same way you deal with non-Lutherans (i.e. via a membership class). We have other disagreements with ELCA beyond homosexual issue (ecumenical issues, authority of scripture, etc). LCMS parishes should welcome them to the regular class they offer.

He concluded with a story about a pastor who declined a unionistic prayer service and gave the impression he didn't care about the drought (the issue about which they gathered to pray). He believes we have to take opportunities to speak the truth in love, like he tried to do at the ELCA convention. Appealed to J.A.O. Prues (via paraphrase) that we need to re-think how to relate to other church bodies, to reach out etc..

Preaching at St. James

This Sunday, October 18th, I will be preaching at the congregation of my youth - St. James Lutheran in Baltimore (Overlea), Maryland. We will be observing the commemoration of St. Luke the Evangelist.

Sermon - Pentecost 19 - Mark 10:17-22

Pentecost 19 – October 11th, 2009
Mark 10:17-22
“You Know”

The Rich young man makes a big show about falling on his knees and asking Jesus, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answers, “You know the commandments....” and then lists some off.

You know. You know what you need to do – keep the law.

You know the law – the law God. The rules and regulations he sets forth in Holy Scripture, and has even written in the hearts of all mankind. You know it, right? That little voice we call the conscience, that tells you when you are doing something wrong.

Oh, but many people don't. Willful ignorance, perhaps. How many have hardened hearts that obscure that natural law? How many consciences are numb and dead to sin?

And how many people could recite all 10 commandments (much less what they mean)? Do you know the law even as well as that rich young man who came to Jesus? Oh, but pastor, I know the basic gist.... Is that how seriously God wants us to know his law? He wants us to know the gist of it? Or does he say, “Talk about these laws when you sit down and stand up; write them on your doorposts; teach them to your children”?

But what you know and the rich young man didn't know, is that you can't keep the law. He tried to fool himself (and Jesus too). “All these laws I have kept since I was a boy!”. Was it arrogance? Self-delusion? Or a false understanding of just what the law requires – which leads to a false sense of security and righteousness before God? What he didn't know was his sin – at least he didn't take it seriously.

Jesus pointed him to the law, not so that he would be self assured of his righteous state. Jesus was holding up the mirror – so he could see his own shortcomings and failures. Take a look. Do you keep all these laws? Are you kind and loving and respectful and generous? Do you watch your tongue and defend your neighbor? Do you obey the authorities, or do you cut corners here and there? Do you think you can get away with it? No one is good but God alone, Jesus reminds us. Not the rich young man, not you or me.

You know, don't you, that you can't keep the law?
You try, of course, we all do... but not as hard as we should. We try, but we make excuses. We try, but fail in deeds, words and thoughts. Sometimes we fail in little ways, sometimes in spectacular ways. But failure it is, for God demands perfection.

Or maybe you know the law well. And you know your sin well. Maybe there's that one sin that troubles you, that one dark deed from your past, or that one vice or habit you just can't shake – you know it oh so well. But maybe it drives you to despair. You fear God can't or won't forgive the burden of guilt you know so well. Or maybe you just don't know.

You need to know the law, and to know your sin. The rich young man may have fallen on his knees, but he wasn't there in confession. He knew the law, but only a thin outward veneer. He didn't know – didn't want to know – the depth and reality of his sin.

The first thing you need to know is your sin. But if that's all you know, you will only know despair. You know the bad news. And if you truly know the bad news, then you need to know the good news!

Know he Gospel – and know it well! Not in a book knowledge sort of way, but in faith and trust – to know the Lord. To know Jesus Christ, your Savior. To believe that God forgives your sins for Jesus' sake.

You know he is the “good teacher”. No one is good but God alone – it's true. But God Alone he is! Jesus Christ, Son of God in human flesh. He knew the law, and he knew how to keep it. Though he was like us in every way – he was without sin. And we know that he was good FOR us. He kept the law that we can't and don't keep. He earned the inheritance that was out of our reach.

Still he knows what it is like to be tempted, to thirst and hunger, to grieve at the grave of a loved one. He knows us – better than we know ourselves.

We know who he is – for he tells us and shows us. He is the one who came from the Father, and he is the only way to the Father. He is the one who lays down his life, and he takes it back again. He knew he would die. He knew he would be buried. He knew he would rise again!

We know he sits at the right hand of God, ruling all things for us. And we know he will come again to judge the living and the dead. We know his kingdom will never end.

We know him, by his word. But even better, he knows us. He calls us, he seals us, feeds us and leads us. “I know my sheep” he promises. And again, it's not an intellectual exercise. His knowledge of us means care and love – it means a relationship in which we belong to him, and he belongs to us. It's a blessed assurance that he will not forget you or forsake you. He knows you. And that's good to know!

Knowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ means knowing where true treasure is found. It's not in your wallet or you bank account. It's not even in the people you know and love. True treasure is in heaven – it is the eternal life that Jesus delivers to us by his perfect life, death, and resurrection. Knowing him is the true and lasting wealth. You can't take earthly riches with you, but Jesus takes you with him to eternity.

In the Christian faith, there's always more to know. We grow and learn and expand our horizons through study and devotion to his Word. The faith is incredibly deep and profound. But it's also very simple. There's really only one thing to know – one person to know – the Savior, the Christ, and him crucified for you.

You know the law. But you also know the Gospel. You know the Lord, Jesus Christ, and you know what he has done for you. Know it, believe it, and live it, for his sake! Amen.

Tork on KFUO Sale

Fellow South Wisconsin LCMS pastor from my district, Rev. Dan Torkelson, has posted the following insightful thoughts regarding the sale of KFUO-FM radio station in St. Louis. (posted with his permission)

-----
Today, word is out that my beloved church body, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, has finalized the sale of its historic radio station, KFUO-FM, in St. Louis.

KFUO-FM was sold by a church body which is, for all intents and purposes, bankrupt, and this in more ways than one. It is one of a growing list of symptoms of a cancer in my beloved church body which needs serious treatment. The leadership of the LCMS needs to feel "the burn" of what it takes to kill a cancer.

The symptoms of the LCMS' remarkable decline can be seen in the legacy of the past 35 years. Quite famously (some have said infamously), Missouri won a "battle for the Bible" in the 1970s when it ousted liberal professors at the St. Louis Seminary who were teaching higher criticism and denying fundamental teachings of the Bible. Pres. J.A.O. Preus, acting on initiative from the congregations of the Synod, handed down an ultimatum which effectively reclaimed the SL Seminary for the Bible and, thus, for a faithful church body.

Pres. Preus's action was indeed necessary, even if it was a political, authority-driven, action. Sadly, the legacy of his action has been that an entire generation of leadership has led the LCMS in a political, authority-driven manner. The bureaucracy of the LCMS expanded precipitously as a result. Contentious issues were settled by presidential fiat and not the earnest goodwill and input of the congregations.

And now, the LCMS is facing a $17 million dollar financial shortfall. Bankrupt. Hence, the sale of KFUO.

In recent years, the LCMS has become a pale shadow of its former greatness. The leadership complains about "incessant internal purification" by faithful members of Synod who only wish to see our confession rise to prominence once again. The truth is actually quite the opposite. The LCMS suffers from a generation which has engaged in "incessant political purification" and the legacy of this politicization of the church is the bankruptcy we now see.

Our current leadership is responsible for the pulling of the most missionaries from the field we have seen since the debacle of the 1970s.

To cover for this anamoly, the leadership forced a "mission movement" called "Ablaze!" down the Synod's throat at the 2004 Convention. Despite Ablaze's high and lofty rhetoric, five years later it has only managed to accomplish the goal of only talking a good game about missions. If has failed to actually do any significant missions.

Now, in a move which seems more and more like hubris every day, the same generation of leadership which has created this sad state of affairs is proposing to fix it through a set of restructuring proposals which seeks to disenfranchise the vote of the local congregation, pit large congregations against small congregations (the majority of the Synod in numbers and finances to this day), disenfranchise the lay voice at legislative conventions. The force of these proposals is that the congregations need to change. Meanwhile, there is little given in the way of specifics in these proposals for the changing of the bureaucracy itself.

In other words, the leadership of the LCMS clearly seems to be saying one thing: "It's the congregation's fault. They are not giving enough to keep the ship afloat. They are ones who do not engage the mission."

Never mind that the Synod cannot specifically account for how many cents on the dollar actually gets to a real mission and/or missionary. If congregations aren't giving, it's because the Synod has not given them a good reason to do so.

The sale of KFUO will offer only short term relief of the financial problems which beset the LCMS, but long term success will require a new generation of leadership. Once again we see the short-sightedness of our leaders. We have the best trained pastors and church workers in American Christianity, but our Synodical leadership has not yet trusted them enough to involve them significantly in re-righting the ship.

The only good long-term solution ahead of us is to clear the decks of our leadership and start over.

IT'S TIME for a change.

God bless this mess.

Rev. Dan Torkelson, Pastor
Zion Ev. Lutheran Church, Clyman, WI

Sermon - Pentecost 18 - Mark 10:1-16

Pentecost 18 – October 4th, 2009
Mark 10:1-16
“What God Joins Together”

It's no secret that we've had a lot of discussion around here lately about marriage and divorce. I want to remind you first of all that we pastors don't select the readings for today based on our preferences, but on a pre-determined system called a lectionary. These readings, and this Gospel reading about marriage and divorce – are the appointed readings for today.

It's also no secret that we live in a culture that increasingly accepts divorce as a part of life. Hardly anyone promotes it as a good thing, but many have become as accepting of it as they have so many other sins. Can you remember the time when it was socially unacceptable? Can you remember when it was something to whisper about? “They're getting a divorce”. It used to be that way.

But today, many sins which were once kept secret are no longer so. We've become numb to the outrage and disgust over sin that God still knows. Sin's not a big deal to us, but it still is to God.

Sure divorce is legal, according to the civil law. It was the same in Jesus' time. A certificate could be written, the deed was done, it was all neat and clean – and Moses approved of it. Well, not really, Jesus said. He said Moses was accommodating to hardness of heart. He didn't want women to be abandoned and victimized by husbands who would leave them informally. At least with a formal decree, or certificate, the woman who was divorced would be free to remarry, and a new husband might provide for her.

But that's never how it was meant to be. Jesus appeals to a higher authority, a deeper order – the order of God's creation. And no matter what the pharisees thought about divorce, and no matter how legal or socially acceptable it is today, Jesus taught the truth that God never intended it. And he still doesn't. “What God has joined together, let man not separate”

Sometimes we do separate – from God, and from each other. But that's always the result of sin. When a marriage fails, it's because of sin. And sin is never God's will.

Interesting that God creates us male and female. That he takes great pains to show that we are “of the same stuff”, the woman is taken out of the man's rib. And when united again in the one-flesh union of marriage, what was separated is back together again. God tells us to be fruitful and multiply, and the one-flesh union finds a special expression in our offspring. Children bring husband and wife together, literally, in the flesh. They are part mom and part dad.

And all these deep mysteries of marriage have much to teach us about the eternal marriage of Christ, and of his church. Each of us is part of that entity – the body of Christ, his eternal bride.

We sing about it in our hymnody - “The Church's One Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord” “From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride” “With his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died”.

It's a marriage not made in heaven, but created in paradise – when God and his people were perfectly united. But the bride was unfaithful. We fell for another. And when Adam and Eve chose to adulterate their perfect relationship with God, they ran off with the devil and into sin and death.

Throughout history God would call his wayward people to repentance. He would call his bride to return. And at times they would. He went to great lengths to save them from slavery, from disaster, and from their foes. But time and again would they also turn away – adulterating themselves with false Gods like Baal and Asherah and Moloch. God even had a prophet, Hosea, take a prostitute as a wife to demonstrate in person the promiscuity of the Israelites. Sometimes they listened, sometimes they didn't. Sometimes there was repentance and mercy, other times, judgment.

But this ongoing cycle of repentance and grace was driving toward something, leading up to someone. It all found fulfillment in the joining in the flesh of God and man, in Jesus Christ, the Savior. He came to finally re-unite what man had put assunder in the Garden, and put assunder by his sin so many times since. Jesus came to reconcile us to himself, and to his Father. He came as the Bridegroom, preaching repentance and forgiveness. And he loved his beloved with a love that even faced death, but could not be conquered by death.

Maybe your marriage is happy and secure. Give thanks to God for such a gift. Maybe your marriage is troubled and suffering. Turn to God for help (and the resources he gives you) that it would not be torn assunder! Maybe you are single or a widow or a person too young to marry – no matter. You are still part of the bride, the object of Christ's eternal dying and undying love. And he calls you to be faithful as he is faithful to you.

His ultimate sacrifice is the basis for our self-sacrificing love of our spouse and of our neighbor. His forgiveness of all our adulterous ways gives us a reason to forgive each other for the many wrongs we do.

He joins us together – husband to wife in holy marriage until death do they part. He joins us together – sinners to himself in an eternal marriage which not even death can tear apart. And he joins us together with each other as a body – his people – in a mystic sweet communion of saints, eating together at his table, sealed as his children – members of one family - in our baptism.

As Christians, therefore we are our brother's and sister's keeper. We care about them, body and soul. We help them when and how we can, loving them as Christ loves us. Sometimes it's a word of encouragement, sometimes a word of warning. Sometimes we lend our ear and our shoulder to cry on. Always we pray.

One with God, One with one another. Let no one separate what God has joined together in Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.