The View from Here

Christ and the Church

Fri, 31 Jan 2014 19:43:00 GMT

What does koinonia mean when members of the fellowship are in need? “All who believed were together and had all things in common [ta koina]. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:44–45). “There was not a needy person among them” (4:34). The fellowship of believers acted in Acts 6 to meet the need of the Greek-speaking Jewish widows being overlooked in the daily diakonia or distribution of food. It was the formal beginning to the Church’s intentional, ordered life of mercy. It is also the beginning of what is popularly called stewardship.

Paul was converted in 36 A.D. just after the martyrdom of Stephen. By 45–46 A.D., he was in Syrian Antioch (11:25–26). The Christians in Antioch decided “to send relief [diakonian] to the brothers living in Judea” (11:29). The persecution and martyrdom continued, and refugees fleeing Jerusalem for Antioch kept the latter well-informed. The general famine announced by Agabus must have hit the already persecuted Christians in Jerusalem with intensity. Fields were fallow in 47 A.D. in Palestine because of a Sabbath year, which made the situation all the worse. . . .

It is significant that the first account of the proclamation of the Gospel in Acts to Gentiles coincides (11:20) with the first collection. The collection for the poor is born at the rough edge of the Church’s mission to the Gentiles. Mercy and mission go hand in hand. Where there is Christ, there is the Church (Ignatius to Smyrnaeans 8.2). Loehe said that, “Mission is nothing but the one church of God in motion. ] Where the Church is in motion, there is mission, mercy and money.

The controversy over Gentile converts and what to do about circumcision grew quickly until the Apostolic Council of Acts 15 dealt with the issue definitively. . . . The apostle describes the resolution to the circumcision controversy: “And when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship [koinonias] to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do” (Gal. 2:9–10).

Paul “went to the Gentiles” and demonstrated that he was “eager” to remember the poor. For Paul, fellowship is doctrinal agreement with ethical ramifications with a focus on care for the needy. Koinonia is vertical and horizontal. St. Paul took this fellowship (collection) so seriously that it occupied him for over a decade. . . .

The collection was the reason for this last trip to Jerusalem (Rom. 15:28). Paul’s life was put on the path to Rome and eventually martyrdom because he was apprehended while delivering the collection for the poor (Acts 24:17). 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 are Paul’s great explanation of the collection. In those chapters, he works to convince the wealthy Corinthian Christian community to give generously. It is from these two chapters that many of the popular stewardship texts come. Read some of them: 8:5, 7, 9, 12, 14; 9:6, 7, 10.

This list of texts should cause one to pause. The primary reason for giving money in the New Testament is for poor and suffering Christians. The giving begins with Christ giving of Himself unto death for our sins. Giving is also a demonstration of fellowship. St. Paul spent well over a decade of his working life organizing, arranging, leading, and bringing to a conclusion the great collection for the poor in Jerusalem. Is this what takes place in the Church today?

Pastor Harrison
e-mail: president@lcms.org
Web page: www.lcms.org/president

Excerpted from Christ, Have Mercy (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House)

We Need Christmas!

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 22:22:00 GMT

Someone asked me the other day what I hoped to see by the end of my tenure as Synod president. I thought for a moment and responded. It is my deepest desire that the Synod be strengthened theologically (a deepened commitment to Holy Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions); that the Synod be at peace, living in love toward one another and concentrating on her mission to reach the lost; that the Synod be financially transparent and vastly strengthened; and that the Synod's global mission and partner footprint be greatly expanded for the sake of the pure Gospel of Christ.

These rather simple goals can be accomplished by no one person, nor 8,000 clergy, nor all our church workers and not even 2.3 million church members. The extent to which we edge forward in each of them is and shall be the result of divine gifts and blessings. How the pressures, challenges and difficulties we face in this world fill me with foreboding about the future! How our secularized culture presses hard on the Church and even into the Church! When problems in the LCMS reach my desk, they are often intractable.

On Christmas Day 1534, Dr. Luther preached a brief sermon in his home (the large old monastery) to gathered family, friends and guests. He concluded it with just what you and I need to hear today, all these years later. He preached on the birth of Christ (Matthew 1; Luke 2).

"We should learn our lesson well and earnestly ponder the great honor that has been bestowed on us by Christ's becoming a human being. For it is such a great honor, that even if one were an angel, you would do well to wish that you were a human being, so that you could boats: My own flesh and blood is greater than all the angels, and blessed is every creature that is a human being. God grant that we understand this, take it to heart and thank God for this great gift. In addition, we should diligently study the example of Christ, what he manifested with his first advent to this earth in that he suffered for our sake, so that we too do our best to learn from him how to suffer. The Lord of all lords becomes a Servant of all servants. We should follow that example and learn from our dear kinsman and brother to gladly help and serve other people, even when it becomes a burden for us and causes us to suffer a little bit in rendering that service. These two things we should note well: the account itself and the example it sets. To that end may God help us by the Holy Spirit through our dear Lord Jesus Christ. Amen." (Sermons of Martin Luther, "The House Postils." [Grand Rapids: Baker], vol. 1, p. 137.)

Christmas teaches that Christ was born for us and suffered for our sake. And we learn from Him how to suffer and live a life of service to our neighbors wherever God has placed us. Knowing this, I sing a joyful "O Come O Come Emmanuel," pause to receive Christ's gifts for forgiveness at church and leave with a clear conscience, strengthened to suffer and serve. And I leave the results of that service to God and His good pleasure.

Pastor Harrison
"Let's go!" Mark 1:38
e-mail: president@lcms.org
Web page: www.lcms.org/president

Works of God

Mon, 04 Nov 2013 16:15:00 GMT

I’ll never forget my first visit to Bethesda Lutheran Communities in Watertown, Wis. As we walked along, we had the opportunity to greet and observe a number of individuals with profound disabilities. One man, I recall, used an electronic device with a keyboard to communicate with us. He was busy about his job stripping copper wire from an unusable electrical motor. He had his vocation. Slowly and methodically, he produced a large pile of copper to be recycled. I was fascinated to learn that many such individuals actually bid for various jobs and enjoyed compensation for their work. While Bethesda housed provided group care for a number of people with disabilities, its goal was and is to have those with disabilities do for themselves and to become active, integral members of the body of Christ—the Church on earth.

As biblical Christians, we treasure all life—in whatever way God chooses to provide it. There is a continuity in our views regarding drugs that kill life in the womb; government programs that force us to pay for such drugs; the value of children, no matter their context or genetic makeup; and the value of every life from conception to grave and in a resurrected eternity. There is simply no other option for those who believe what Jesus told Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”

There are great ministries of mercy and outreach happening right now by individuals who themselves are challenged.

Today, the wonderful thing about work with those with disabilities is that these people are more and more respected for their particular gifts and are encouraged to find and flourish in their particular vocations as they serve in and among us as the Church. While those who are hearing impaired or unable to see face specific challenges in life, these individuals—often knowing no other state of existence—don’t view their disability as a disability at all. In fact, their challenge in life has helped to give them, and all of us, a unique perspective on living life that is rich in our Lord’s grace.

Some years ago, while traveling in the Baltics, I first became aware of the worldwide challenges many who have disabilities face. At that time in Latvia, as in the former Soviet Union and in virtually the whole developing world, those with disabilities (mental or physical) were most often shunted out of sight. People with disabilities bore the burden that a larger society imposed upon them because very often society associated disability with divine retribution. When seeing a man blind from birth, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Who sinned? This man or his parents?” Jesus responded, “Neither this one sinner nor his parents, [This happened] that the works of God might be manifest in him” (John 9:1ff). In our congregations today, there are still a myriad of opportunities for us to behold the “works of God” made manifest among us in and with people who have disabilities.

There are great ministries of mercy and outreach happening right now by individuals who themselves are challenged. Unfortunately, disabled populations are hugely unchurched. Opportunities abound for a vibrant ministry of mercy and life together with families and parents who care for profoundly impaired children. I’m delighted this issue of The Lutheran Witness is highlighting these opportunities.

Dancing on the Devil’s Grave

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:21:00 GMT

by William Cwirla

Halloween has become a major commercial holiday in this country, second in potential profit making only to the Christmas season. The average American family now spends well over $100 each year in tricks, treats, and scary decorations.

What do we Christians do with Halloween? Is it innocent fun or something to avoid?

History

Halloween is short for All Hallows Eve, that is, the evening before All Saints Day, a Christian holy day on which Christians honored the saints (the “hallowed” ones), the heroes and martyrs of the faith. For Lutherans, All Hallows Eve is also Reformation Day, the day Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses for debate on the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg.

In the Middle Ages, people had a profound sense of the demonic. Just think of Luther’s Reformation hymn, “A Mighty Fortress:” “Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us.” People believed that the demons were especially active on the eve of All Hallows. People carved gourds with ugly faces and set them out to guard their homes. This was similar to the practice of carving grotesque gargoyles on the drain spouts of cathedrals to ward off devils. People paraded in the streets dressed up in costumes and masks to confuse the demons and confound their schemes.

The holy day of All Saints has all but died out, especially in Protestant Christianity, which barely recognizes the saints let alone honors them. Popular culture has latched on to All Hallows Eve and turned it into another money-making gimmick. Much of the fun is innocent, albeit bad for the teeth. Children dress up as Power Rangers, ballerinas, and SpongeBob SquarePants and gorge themselves with candy begged from the neighbors under special dispensation from parents and dentists.

There is a darker, more sinister side to Halloween, however. Satanic and pagan groups have made Halloween their own special “high holy day.” Animal shelters warn owners of black cats to keep them indoors so they are not harmed. A night that was once a confrontation with the devil has become a celebration of all things devilish. The old nature always prefers the darkness to the Light.

Ought Christians participate? The easy answer would be a flat out, fundy “no.” But every road has two ditches, and Halloween is no exception.

On the One Side

There is the danger of taking death and the devil too lightly. Make no mistake: The devil is real. He isn’t some red guy with a pointy tail and a pitchfork. He is a liar, the father of lies, and a murderer. He masquerades as an angel of light, appearing to be very religious in order to deceive people and draw their focus away from Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 11:14).

A baptized believer belongs entirely to the Lord and has no fellowship with the devil and his demons. So when Christians take part in the darker side of Halloween, they may create the false impression that death and the devil are not serious business, or that it’s okay for Christians to dine with the devil once and a while, as long as their spoons are long enough. No faithful Christian who takes sin, death, and devil seriously would want anything to do with that.

On the Other Side

There is the danger of taking the devil too seriously. Contrary to what some impressionable types seem to believe, the devil is not all-powerful, all-knowing, almighty, or present everywhere. He is a fallen angel, a creature of God turned against his Creator. He stands chained and defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is a liar and a loser, and his only hope with the short time that he has left is to convince the world that Jesus’ death on the cross isn’t enough to save us.

Jesus Christ has conquered death once for all people, once for all time. He has defeated the devil by His death on the cross. We can live in confidence, free from fear of death and the devil, knowing that God is at peace with us in the death of Jesus, that Jesus is risen from the dead and that we, too, will rise. Christ has conquered. The devil is defeated. “He’s judged, the deed is done.”

The Middle of the Road

Jesus didn’t hang on a cross so that His Christians could go around with a dour look on their faces judging everyone around them. When Christians become overly critical of Halloween, they may create the false impression that Jesus does not reign now over all things, including the devil, that He has not conquered death by His dying and rising, or that the devil is to be feared more than God.

Sour pietism on the part of Christians confirms the world’s mistaken notion that Christianity is nothing more than a religion of rules ruled by moral nannies who want to suck the fun out of everything. Martin Luther reminded us that we need to spite the devil every chance we get. Luther sure did, often in rather colorful ways. Halloween certainly affords the opportunity to sass the “old, evil foe.”

Having defined the ditches, let’s get back to the question that started this whole discussion. Ought Christians participate in Halloween? It all depends. Of course, I don’t expect baptized believers in Jesus Christ to be dancing in the woods around bonfires while chanting pagan prayers to the mother goddess or sacrificing black cats, ecumenical liberalism notwithstanding. On the other hand, the devil’s chief work is to draw us away from Christ’s death and resurrection and have us focus on our works, prayers, and piety. He seems to be doing a pretty decent job of that in mega-Christianity. Generally speaking, the cultural silliness associated with Halloween has about as much to do with the devil as Christmas has to do with the incarnation of the Son of God.

How Do We Decide?

Love of neighbor and concern for his or her salvation will give us pause for a few questions. What will your neighbor, your family, your children, your brother or sister in Christ think of your Halloween celebration? Will it help or hinder their faith in Jesus? Does your Halloween fun witness to the victory and freedom of Jesus’ death and resurrection, or does it lift up the powers of darkness and death? Does it draw undue attention to the dark and demonic, or does it poke fun at those things that already stand defeated? Are you able to talk frankly about the reality of death and the devil with your children and tell them of the victory of Jesus?

Freedom in Christ is always tempered by love for your neighbor. You are completely free in Jesus to serve your neighbor in love (Rom. 14:1–23).

In the end, you must decide for yourself how and to what extent you and your family will participate in Halloween festivities. Context is important. Local mileage may vary. The best advice I can give is to spite the devil, honor Christ, and wipe that sour look off your face. Remember who you are in Holy Baptism: a baptized priest in Christ’s holy priesthood “that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

About the Author: Rev. William M. Cwirla is pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, Calif.

Jesus Has Mercy on Sinners

Wed, 09 Oct 2013 14:47:00 GMT

A recent television documentary covered the infamous “Woodstock” concert, which occurred 44 years ago this past August in New York State. I grew up with the music and did and do enjoy much of it. I was seven years old in 1969 and, aside from seeing the Vietnam casualty reports on the evening news, I was blissfully unaware of the unraveling of American culture.

The documentary, all filmed at the three-day concert, struck me profoundly. The normality of the young people interviewed, the pervasiveness of drugs, the undertone of sexual experimentation, the understandable disillusionment with war and the rejection of standard political solutions were all tremendous portents of the cultural tsunami we are now experiencing. And based on the size of the crowd, make no mistake, there were thousands of LCMS youth there too.

Much of the counter-cultural agenda articulated in 1969 has been achieved in the 44 years since. Artists who performed in that muddy field in upstate New York are passing from this world, while those living singers now in their 70s (like Joan Baez) and older, have become radical champions of our cultural implosion today. Their goal was peace and love. Seeing the likes of a young Jerry Garcia of “The Grateful Dead” joke about marijuana stunned me as I contemplated his life, marked by struggling with a drug addiction that finally killed him. Watching Jimi Hendrix, who would be dead of an overdose just 13 months later, filled me with even more melancholy. Man seeks freedom by his own devices, only to become enslaved.

We live today with a “Purple Haze” of confusion over many issues, and no issue more so than sexuality. Our job as the church is not to Christianize our society. Not at all. We do our best as pastors and teachers and congregations to teach what the Bible says about church and state, about natural law, morality, marriage, and we encourage you to be active in your communities, politically and otherwise. It is our task to teach to those in the church what the Bible says about marriage and sex. We have done this, and much of it has been done very well. But it is past time for us to up our game in this regard. We have the herculean task of teaching our people what God in Christ expects of us in the realm of marriage, family and sexuality. The pressures of our culture toward the acceptance of the gay agenda, and the secular sexual agenda in toto, are pressures upon us. And they are ever increasing.

Some time ago we resolved to begin working more intentionally in the area of caring for those who struggle with same-sex attraction. We assembled a group of individuals (who, by the way, are the primary authors of this issue of The Lutheran Witness), each with significant experience in this area, and we asked them: “Where do we go?” “What do we do as the Church?” The weekly preaching that our pastors do—condemning us sinners and delivering the forgiveness of sins—is pure gold. It’s the sine qua non of dealing with the Sixth Commandment sins of thought, word and deed with which we all struggle. But we also assembled the “God’s Gift of Sexuality” task force on same-sex attraction, believing that it was time for the Synod to begin to identify existing LCMS capacity and knowledge on this issue.

Several years ago, we took this approach in the area of disaster ministry. The result was an overwhelming strengthening and networking and use of unending capacity within our own church body to care for people in times of disaster. We can do the same with same-sex attraction. It’s time to recognize, increase and share our resources to reach out to individuals and families who are struggling with these issues so we can share their burdens. Even though the Bible prevents us from affirming same-sex marriage and same-sex attraction, we must nevertheless be welcoming to those who struggle. We are all sinners. Jesus welcomes sinners. Jesus came to have mercy upon us sinners, and He does.

Pastor Matthew Harrison
“Let’s go!” Mark 1:38
e-mail: president@lcms.org
Web page: www.lcms.org/president

Unifying Solutions

Tue, 10 Sep 2013 20:13:00 GMT

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Col. 3:15). Remarkable! Paul says Christians are called to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” And even more, we are called “in one body,” collectively for the peace of Christ to rule us all together. Now, let’s be clear: “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, even as He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth” (Luther’s Small Catechism).

The actor is God. He’s called and given us faith in Christ. Paul in Colossians is saying, “God has made you who you are. Now be who you are!”

Not too long ago, I dared to assert that I thought it possible for the Synod to be 85 percent united on even the difficult issues, which often divide us. Can this happen? Coming into this summer’s LCMS convention, we worked very hard to bring unifying resolutions. When resolutions dealt with challenging issues where different parties were very much at odds, we worked even harder to bring people together and to come to reasonable and faithful compromise. Rather remarkable things happened, often behind the scenes. We were blessed with a very peaceful and productive convention.

It’s my conviction that the less time, energy and money we spend on internal disagreement, the more we can focus on our domestic and international opportunities, which are legion! But we can’t simply shout “Mission!” as a mere distraction for the work of living our unity. We need to be confronted with God’s inerrant Word, and that Word must have its way with us. I’m convinced that the historic and time-honored biblical positions of the LCMS are unifying. They are Gospel-centered and tested.

The convention was really remarkable in that the vast majority of resolutions passed with overwhelming majorities of 90 percent or more. Many passed unanimously! Very significant and potentially controversial resolutions on issues like visitation and close(d) Communion passed in the high 70s. We are blessed, truly blessed.

As this next triennium unfolds, our task will be to work toward reasonable consensus on issues that have continued to trouble and divide, such as SMP and the licensed deacon programs. We must work toward unifying solutions that are faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, solutions that are wise and that find the path of good order serving the Gospel, recognizing legitimate Christian freedom. By God’s grace, we can do it.

Standing in front of 1,500 LCMS delegates was a humbling experience. More than once I was reduced to embarrassment over my lack of parliamentary skill. The vice-presidents felt the same way, I’m sure. But more than anything else, I was profoundly thankful. The work of the floor committees was just remarkable. Those who felt negatively affected by this or that resolution carried themselves in Christian fashion and made their views known and felt heard. The “Baptized for This Moment” theme galvanized the body as preacher after preacher and Bible study leader after Bible study leader drove home the biblical case for Baptism’s extraordinary ramifications for our real lives. Delegates were patient with me and each other. They were gracious. They were in constant good humor. They demonstrated a deep love for the Gospel of free forgiveness in Jesus and for The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. And when it all ended, the room was filled with deep joy and thanksgiving.

The Missouri Synod has her warts, to be sure. But she’s the best thing going. I will continue to do my level best to keep you informed about what’s going on (mission, numbers, money, giving, program). As we continue into the future Christ has in store for us, I pledge you my prayers for all our pastors, church workers and congregations. And I plead for yours, that Paul’s entreaty be true of all of us: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

Pastor Matthew Harrison
“Let’s go!” Mark 1:38
e-mail: president@lcms.org
Web page: www.lcms.org/president

Only One Road to Heaven?

Tue, 30 Jul 2013 20:45:00 GMT

Many today claim that all religions are just different ways to find God, different roads that arrive at the same destination. Yet not all ‘roads’ lead to the same destination. Jesus, in fact, says there is only one ‘Road’ to heaven—through Him.

“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life,” said Jesus. “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Those are strong words. The Bible says that Jesus Christ will be a “stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (Rom. 9:33). Today, especially, people stumble over and find deeply offensive the Christian teaching that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

We live in a pluralistic culture. Our neighbors, co-workers, and friends come from many different religious backgrounds. They seem just as moral and religious as we are, if not more so. It seems the height of arrogance to think that we Christians alone have the right religion and that everyone else is lost forever.

We also live in a climate of relativism. Because of our pluralism and the dominating worldview of postmodernism, people tend to assume that truth, morality, and religion are relative. According to this way of thinking, cultures and individuals construct ways of thinking and acting that give meaning to their lives, but meaning is strictly subjective. There is no objective truth—with perhaps the exception of scientifically determined facts—that is valid for everyone.

“That may be true for you,” we hear, “but it isn’t true for me.” Truth is seen not as a discovery but as aconstruction. Morality is a matter of “values”—that is, behavior that particular individuals or cultures value—rather than a matter of transcendent objective absolutes. Religion has to do with subjective choices and experiences that give meaning to a person’s life. Religion is perfectly acceptable—as long as it is kept private, experiential, and interior. But religious truth-claims, doctrines, and absolutes are out of line. Since religion is seen as purely personal, “no one has the right to impose his or her religion on anyone else.”

This mindset is obviously a huge obstacle to Christian evangelism. The very claim that faith in Jesus Christ is the one way to salvation seems preposterous on its face. Even Christians often find that teaching hard to accept.

Part of the problem is the way the issue is framed, even in our own minds. We need to make clear to people we are witnessing to—and to ourselves—exactly why and how the Gospel is such radically “good news” to people of every culture and religion. This will involve clearing up some misconceptions.

Don’t all roads lead to the same destination?

In John 14:6—one of the passages that causes so much trouble—Jesus says, “I am the Way.” Literally, that means, “I am the Road.” This is countered by the oft-heard assertion that all of the different religions are different ways to find God: “There are different roads, but they all arrive at the same destination.”

But different roads do not always go to the same destination. If you are trying to get to, say, the Grand Canyon, if you head north on I-35, you will never get there. It will not matter how sincere you are in your drive. I-35, though passing through many interesting parts of the country, just does not go to the Grand Canyon.

Similarly, the world’s different religions do not even claim to arrive at the same destination that Christianity does. To say that all religions are paths to heaven is to fail to respect what the different religions themselves teach.

The very concept of “heaven,” referring to a realm of eternal life in which the individual person survives after death in a state of perfect joy, is a distinctly Christian belief. Supplemented with the belief in the resurrection of the body, the Christian teaching about the afterlife means that you yourself, in all of your personality and memories and relationships, will live forever, purged of all your sins and weaknesses, and that you will know your loved ones and be in communion with Christ Himself.

In contrast, most Eastern religions—such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Westernized New Age versions—reject the survival of individuals altogether. In Hinduism, souls are reincarnated into other individuals until they are purged of their distinctions and ultimately merge all together into a vast cosmic oneness. But, as C. S. Lewis pointed out, using one of Hinduism’s own metaphors, when a drop of water falls into the ocean, the individual drop ceases to exist.

The destination of Buddhism is “Nirvana,” meaning, literally, “nothingness.” When, after much meditation and reincarnation, the soul finally loses all of its desires and finds enlightenment, it will escape the bounds of the material world—the realm of things—and experience “the void” of “nothingness.”

In the classical pagan religions—and in other pagan religions today—all of the dead go to the same place. The ancient Greeks believed that all souls, good or bad, cross over into Hades, the word used in the Greek New Testament that is translated into English as “hell.” Here the desperately wicked are tormented, while the rest wander in melancholy darkness.

The ancient Germanic tribes had much the same belief, with the added notion that warriors would spend their eternity fighting every day, with their wounds healing each night, so they could fight again the next morning. The Germans’ name for the place of the dead was “Hel.”

In the days of the early church, Greek and Germanic pagans had no difficulty with the idea that everyone when they died went to hell. That was what they themselves already believed. When Christian missionaries taught them that, through Christ, they could enter into a realm of eternal joy, that was good news indeed.

Monotheistic religions often teach something similar to what Christians believe about the afterlife, but the similarity tends to be superficial. Mormons teach that when you die, you will get to be the god of your own solar system, begetting with your wife spirit children to be born as inhabitants of the planets you will rule. Muslims teach the existence of a paradise in which the inhabitants get to enjoy sensual pleasures, including those the religion forbids on earth. Some of the most orthodox of the Jewish sects believe in some kind of afterlife, along the lines of the hints in the Old Testament, but many Jews believe this life is final, with no survival beyond the grave.

Those who want to go to heaven would do well to embrace the religion that teaches that there is such a place and that, through Christ, offers a Way to get there.

Isn’t it unfair for God to condemn non-Christians?

But even so, it does not seem fair that God would condemn people to hell just because they do not know Jesus. Many people throughout the world have never heard of Jesus. It would be unjust for God to condemn them. And surely, whatever his religion teaches, a good, moral, saintly person who follows another religion should not go to hell, but should receive an eternal reward.

We, as well as the people we are witnessing to, need to realize that no one is condemned for not believing in Jesus. People are condemned for their sins.

At the end of time, the Bible tells us, everyone will be judged by their works.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. . . . If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:12, 15 NIV)

Everyone’s deeds are recorded in the books. It is on this basis that judgment comes. But there is “another book,” the book of life, which records the names of those saved by Christ (Phil. 4:3). They and they alone, through the work of Christ, can escape the punishment due to their sins.

It is, however, true that God would never condemn a good, moral, saintly person, someone with no faults and with abundant virtues. A person without sin has no need to fear God’s judgment. Christianity, though, is skeptical that there is anyone who is sinless, denying that there isanyone so virtuous as to deserve eternal life in heaven. “None is righteous, no, not one . . . . All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:10, 23).

The Bible does teach that nonbelievers can demonstrate exemplary virtue (Rom. 2:12–16). We may indeed know of a holy man from another religion who exhibits the highest moral qualities. Again, if he actually is holy and moral and sinless, then he would have no need of Christ’s forgiveness. But, though we might see external signs of goodness, God sees also his heart. And, if you talk to the holy man, he himself may well admit to the sins and imperfections that rage in his inner life.

As for those who have never heard of Christ, they are not condemned for that omission, but for their sins. In Romans, which we have been citing, St. Paul explains that every human being has enough of an innate knowledge of God and of His moral law to render everyone “without excuse” (1:18–20).

We can be confident that God is fair. That is to say, He is just. And that is why we should all, if we are honest, tremble. But God, in His love, has satisfied His justice. By becoming incarnate in Jesus Christ and atoning for our sins on the cross, God offers us His grace. To those with faith in Jesus, God is not fair, giving us mercy rather than the punishment we deserve, and for that, we can only praise and obey Him.

Christianity is precisely for sinners. People who think they are righteous, whether through their own virtues or their religious observances, can never understand Christianity. They must be broken by God’s Law, made to realize how sinful they really are. While Christ, our Great Substitute, taught both Law and Gospel, He must not be presented as Law, in the sense of representing something else people have to do or face divine punishment. Rather, Christ is a lifeline, a means of rescue. He must always be proclaimed as Gospel, as Good News.

Aren’t all religions about just being good?

It has been said that there are only two religions in the world: Those that teach that we are saved by our own efforts, and the one thatteaches that we are saved by God’s effort. Those that teach how to ascend to God, and the one that teaches how God descended to us.

Though the world’s religions differ about what salvation is and what God is, they do tend to agree on the centrality of human merit. Somehow, we must do things—rituals, meditation, good works—to reap the spiritual benefits of that religion.

Christianity really is the only religion in which God, through Christ, does it all: He reveals Himself to us through His Word, forgives our transgressions, and empowers us to live as we should. Faith itself is His gift, which He creates in our hearts through His Word and Sacraments.

Belief in a religion of works, however construed, may be the “natural religion” so many people look for. Even ostensibly Christian theologies sometimes devolve into religions of works.

If religion just has to do with works, then all of the religions of the world really are pretty much the same. All religions can produce their holy men and women and examples of moral heroism. And Christians, since we too believe in the moral law, can appreciate them.

But for those who crave not just good works but forgiveness for bad works, for people who feel guilty for violating the tenets of their own religion, for those who feel that they merit condemnation, then Christ comes as a blessed relief.

By Gene Edward Veith

Lutherans and Culture

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:28:00 GMT

by Gene Edward Veith

How can we as Lutherans live in but not succumb to the culture?

Christians these days talk a lot about “culture wars,” “cultural engagement,” and “cultural ministry.” So it’s important to realize that Lutherans have an approach to culture and to cultural issues that is quite different from that of other theologies.

Lutherans believe in the doctrine of the two kingdoms. God reigns in His spiritual kingdom, which He establishes by His Word and Sacraments, consisting of everyone who has faith in Jesus Christ. This kingdom, often called the kingdom of God’s right hand, indicating its special favor with God, will last forever in the eternal life that He has prepared for His children.

But God has another kingdom. He also reigns in the world He created and in the human societies that He has ordained. God rules this kingdom by His laws, both the natural lawsthat He built into the universe and the moral laws that He inscribed onto the human heart. Thus, He providentially governs the physical world—to the point of caring for each sparrow that falls to the ground (Matt. 10:29)—and also human societies. He gives food for the animals of the wild (Psalm 104), and He also gives daily provisions for Christian and non-Christian alike (Matt. 5:45). Furthermore, God established human institutions, such as marriage and parenthood, in the estate of the family (Gen. 2:18–25) and the estate of earthly governments (Romans 13).

God also governs His temporal kingdom by working through human beings, that is, through vocation. (Technically, only Christians have vocations—callings from God—since only Christians have been called by the Gospel, but God also works similarly through non-believers in their various offices and stations in life.) God feeds us through farmers, protects us through police officers and heals us through doctors. He calls us to love and serve our neighbors in the estates that He ordained: the household (including the family and the work families do to support themselves), the church (pastors, laypeople) and the state (rulers, subjects and citizens).

A Lutheran approach to culture

First of all, God already rules in the secular world. It isn’t a matter, as some Christians say, of winning the world for Christ or bringing the country under God’s law or Christianizing the culture. God already reigns in the culture. He governs even those who do not know Him. He is present—but hidden—in the world and in all of His creation, sustaining all of existence and taking care of believers and non-believers alike.

Second, Christians are citizens of both kingdoms. They have an eternal citizenship in God’s spiritual kingdom. But God also assigns Christians vocations, where they are to live out their faith in the world (1 Cor. 7:17). Christians have families, jobs and citizenship, each of which is an arena for loving and serving their neighbors.

Lutheran teachings about culture

Should Christians get involved in politics and other worldly activities? The Church must preach the Gospel, not politics, just as the state must attend to earthly government, not tell churches what to preach. We must be on guard lest we confuse the two kingdoms and mingle them with each other. But individual Christians have a God-given vocation as citizens. Thus, they should perform the duties of citizenship, which in our country includes voting, com-munity involvement, and—yes—participating in politics.

Should Christians listen to secular music, read books by non-Christians or watch non-theological movies and television shows? Works of art are governed by aesthetic principles that are part of God’s creation. God creates works of meaning and beauty through the vocation of artists to whom He has given talent. A good work of art can glorify God through its artistic qualities even though it never mentions Him.

Does this mean that anything goes, that any earthly ruler has God’s authority or that any work of art is suitable for Christians to enjoy? Not at all, though some Lutherans have misinterpreted the two kingdoms in this way.

Remember that God rules His left-hand kingdom, among other ways, by His moral law. Societal practices that violate that moral law—for example, abortion—violate God’s will, and Christians are right to exercise their citizenship to battle such evil. Art that tempts Christians to sin—such as work that is pornographic—must be avoided.

The devil tries to usurp and undermine both kingdoms. With his claim to be the “prince of this world” (Eph. 2:2), he wreaks havoc in families, the economic order and cultures. He especially targets God’s spiritual kingdom, attempting to undermine the Church and destroy people’s faith by creating heresies, false doctrines and unbelief. That means Christians have to battle Satan on both fronts.

Christianity, a function of the spiritual kingdom, does not require one particular kind of government and can exist under monarchies, aristocracies or democracies. Thus, there can be Christians of many different political parties, holding many different political philosophies. Understanding the reality of sin, they will tend to be leery of utopias and states that claim divine status for themselves (such as Rome’s divinized emperors, modern totalitarian states that attempt to take the place of religions and cultural idolatry of every kind).

Many Christians feel they must have nothing to do with the worldly culture outside of the Church. Others want to conquer that culture and bring it under God’s authority. Still others think the Church should follow the culture’s lead, getting rid of doctrines, moral teachings and practices that do not conform to the norms of the prevailing culture.

Lutherans disagree. God calls us into the culture to live out our faith in our vocations. The world is already under God’s authority, whether it knows it or not. The Church is part of God’s spiritual kingdom and so must never be enslaved to the culture.

Christians should see culture as a creation and a gift from God, even as they work to make it better. This is because Christians are citizens of two kingdoms that have one King.

Did You Know? Vocation, noun. from the latin vocare, meaning “to call” or “calling.”
Order Dr. Veith’s book God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life at www.crossway.org.

About the Author: Dr. Gene Edward Veith serves as provost at Patrick Henry College.

Marriage and the Church

Fri, 10 May 2013 20:24:00 GMT

Someone quipped, "The world is moving so fast these days that the one who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it." I thought rather cynically about this quote as I listened to the Supreme Court argue over the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Just a decade and a half ago, this legislation was signed into law, defining marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman. DOMA came as a safeguard against individual states redefining marriage and forcing the federal government (the whole nation!) to treat same-sex marriage as legitimate.

Two sources tell us what marriage is. First, the Bible tells us that man and woman were created by God as the perfect match, and that marriage is to be a sacred, lifelong union of one man and one woman. The Bible universally rejects sex outside of this man/woman marriage. Second, we know from so-called natural knowledge, which is part of all human existence, and which has been codified by custom and law through the millennia, that marriage is for one man and one woman. It is Gods perfectly designed institution for the creation of new human life and for the nurture of civilized individuals. As Luther famously noted in his Large Catechism, If he won't obey his parent, he'll obey the hangman!

What has come with lightening speed is merely the summation of a long process of the devaluation of marriage in Western culture. In 1970, only one state had no-fault divorce. By 1980, 49 had it. Coterminously, marriage has increasingly come to be defined as an emotional bond with a significant other rather than a fundamental building block of all society, religion and culture, based upon the fact that a man and a woman choose to enter a solemn life-long contract and bring new life into this world.

The Supreme Court will likely rule on the two cases (DOMA and Proposition 8) in late June. Like Roe v. Wade, which found a (fictional) right to abortion in the U.S. Constitution, the court could rule that the traditional definition of marriage of one man and one woman is unconstitutional. No matter how the court rules, the fight has just begun. Many in our own fellowship think, Whats the big deal? Isnt it just about widening the tent of tolerance a bit more? If that were it, it would a major relief. But its not. Whats at stake is our First Amendment right to the free exercise of our religious conviction in the way we act in society. As the same-sex marriage train gains steam, we find ourselves increasingly under attack, our social ministry agencies are forced to either capitulate to the state or lose funding and even licenses. All opposed to same-sex marriage for conscience grounds are and will increasingly be labeled bigots in line with slave-holders and those who were opposed to ending of legalized racism in this country. And know this: As traditional Christians are driven out of the public square, the door is also closed for the Gospel.

The task before us is monumental. We are called to repent of our lack of appreciation for marriage and family. We are called to confess Christ to all and call all to repentance. We must elevate marriage among us and educate, educate, educate. Even as we seek specific ways to care for those challenged by same-sex attraction, we must resist conforming to the culture.

We know whose we are. We know what is in store for us. We know we will be severely tested in these last days, but this testing will abound in faithfulness and praise (1 Peter 1).

---

Pastor Matthew Harrison
"Let's go!" Mark 1:38
e-mail: president@lcms.org
Web page: www.lcms.org/president

How we elect the president of our Synod

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:53:00 GMT

By James H. Heine

Along with other changes approved by the 2010 Synod convention, the way in which we elect our president is new for 2013. This year, a congregation’s voting delegates to its 2012 district convention will elect the president of Synod before the convention convenes July 20. This chart illustrates the old and new methods of electing our Synod president.

Old
Nominations for president are made by member congregations of the Synod. Each congregation of the Synod may nominate two ordained ministers from the Synod’s clergy roster. Ballots for these nominations are provided by the secretary of the Synod and must be returned to the secretary according to the manner established in the Bylaws of the Synod.
The five ordained ministers receiving the highest number of nominations and consenting to serve become the candidates for the office of president. If a candidate cannot serve, the ordained minister with the next highest number of nominations joins the list.

The results of the nominating process are published in the Convention Workbook, along with appropriate biographical information about the five candidates.

At the convention, the assembly has the right to alter the candidate slate by the method outlined in the Bylaws of the Synod.

The convention elects, by majority vote, the president of the Synod. If no candidate receives a majority of votes on the first ballot, the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated, and another vote is held. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes. The candidate becomes the president of Synod.

New
Nominations for president are made by member congregations of the Synod. Each congregation of the Synod may nominate two ordained ministers from the Synod’s clergy roster. The secretary of the Synod provides a secure and verifiable method by which congregations submit nominations.

The nominations process is completed no later than five months before the opening date of the convention.
The three ordained ministers who receive the highest number of nominations and consent to serve become the candidates for the office of president. If a candidate cannot serve, the ordained minister with the next highest number of nominations joins the list. Once the list is established, there is no opportunity for additional nominations.

The results of the nominating process are posted on the Synod’s website and published in the Convention Workbook, along with appropriate biographical information about the candidates.

Four weeks before the start of the Synod convention, the secretary of the Synod provides a secure and verifiable method by which a congregation’s two voting delegates to the congregation’s district convention the year before may vote for a candidate for president. The names of such delegates are confirmed by the district secretary. Synod Bylaws allow for a process by which substitute delegates may be named if the original delegates are no longer members of the congregation or otherwise unavailable.

If no candidate receives a majority of votes, the candidate with the least number of votes is dropped from the ballot, and a second vote takes place.

Two weeks before the start of the convention, the secretary announces the results of the election. The candidate receiving the majority of votes becomes the president-elect of the Synod.

Why Should the Average Lutheran Kid Go to Church?

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:46:00 GMT

(A Letter to My Two Teenage Boys)

Okay, guys. I've never told you that "you are the future of the Church." And I never will. The Bible says the Church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20). Jesus is the future of the Church. Jesus is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb. 13:8). Jesus has a future, and so every person connected to Jesus has a future.

That's why, more than anything else, your mom and I want you connected with Jesus. That's why I baptized each of you. That's why we read all the Bible stories to you as toddlers. That's why we have a time of devotion when we can actually eat together. That's why we've prayed for you from day one. That's why we sent you to a Lutheran grade school. That's why we made sure you knew the catechism. That's why we always go to church. And that's why we are LCMS Lutherans. The LCMS is simply the best thing going because for orthodox Lutherans, it's all about Jesus—all about being connected to Jesus.

The Church has a profound responsibility to pay attention to young people. The Bible teaches that all over the place. Today, the Missouri Synod has just less than half the high-school-age young people that it had when I graduated from Sioux City, East High in 1980. Why? Mainly because we've just followed the national trend of European-descent Americans who are having fewer children.

In any case, as LCMS young people, you are a precious commodity, indeed! But don't let that go to your heads. The Bible teaches that young people are very much prone to particular and serious sins. "Remember not the sins of my youth" (Ps. 25:7). And I hardly have to tell you what they are. Luther said the sins of youth tend to be sexual, while the sins of old age are greed. All sin condemns. "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). I've never pulled any punches in teaching you what the Bible says about sin. We deserve hell, pure and simple. "But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:23). And so we've always spoken forgiveness at home to each other. We're sinners. We are forgiven sinners. And so we sinners forgive others who sin against us. We are Gospel people to those around us. Christianity is not about ethics. It's about Jesus.

The Sunday liturgy shows you why we go to church. Luther said we are beggars who stand before God with an empty sack. What happens in the liturgy? The pastor starts us off in the Name of the Triune God. God's there to do His stuff! Then in the confession of sins, "I, a poor miserable sinner . . ." we say, "Dear God, I've got an empty sack!" If you don't think you're a sinner, if you don't think your bag's empty, you'll never understand why we go to church. "In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins," says the pastor. He drops a load of forgiveness, grace and mercy into your bag. And you say, "Amen! Yup! It's in my bag!" Then the Scriptures are read, and more grace and Gospel and mercy is dropped in. Then the sermon is preached, and you are told that you are damned by the Law, but that Jesus comes only for sinners. Hooray! "I came not for the righteous but the unrighteous!" (Mark 2:17). And at the end of the sermon, you say (and don't leave this to the pastor), "Amen! Got 'er in the bag!" Then you kneel at the altar to receive the body and blood of Jesus. "Take and eat, Christ's body and blood for you, for the forgiveness of all your sins." And you say again, "Amen! It's in my bag!" This continues right through the Aaronic blessing: "The Lord bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you, and give you peace." Amen! Amen! Amen! It's in the bag. I've got it tied up and hoisted on my shoulder as I head out of church.

Now, how shall I live with that big bag of forgiveness, grace and mercy? When my dad sins against me, what do I do? I open my bag and say, "Here, Dad, you misunderstood me and thought ill of me, but I forgive you 'cause I've been forgiven." Then that teacher at school drives you crazy, and you open your bag again. Then that awful bully harasses and embarrasses you, and when your emotions calm, you open your bag of grace and pray, "Forgive him, Lord. He doesn't know what he's doing. And he's hurting inside big time." Then you run into a friend who's really in need because her home life is chaos, and you show her love and compassion like Jesus. In fact, the mercy of Jesus is the greatest compelling factor for you to live a meaningful life of service and love to others.

This happens all week long. Then comes Sunday morning, and you find yourself in church again confessing, "Dear God, I've got an empty sack."

Honestly, boys, I'm frightened for you. This world is an absolute mess. But I'm also confident. Jesus grabbed you at the font, and He won't let go. "No one can snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:28). I'm proud of how you've grown. I'm proud of how you've stood the test. I'm proud of how you've kindly witnessed to Jesus in your young lives. And I'm absolutely sure the Church has a future because Jesus has a future, and He's made you His very own for eternity. "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10).

Dad

Pastor Matthew Harrison
"Let's go!" Mark 1:38
email: president@lcms.org
Web page: www.lcms.org/president

Abortion and the Gospel

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 15:15:00 GMT

I recently had the opportunity to hear a presentation by a well-known prolife speaker on abortion. The argument against abortion, he said, lay in the answer to the question "Is the fetus a human being or not?" In meticulous fashion he presented his case which in substance said that if you can prove to an abortion proponent or a woman considering abortion that the fetus is a human being you have won your argument. Winning means that the proponent will give up his case or a woman considering abortion will not submit to an abortion.

Perhaps it is that I spent twenty years as hospital chaplain counseling, among others, women in their decision making that I find this argument overstated. Of all the women I counseled who were considering abortion I never had one tell me she did not believe the fetus within her was a human being. In fact, she would have thought it naive of me that I would even press the point. She would have said, "Of course, it is human, but I don't want to be pregnant."

In the non-Lutheran presentation referred to above, what struck me was the overbearance of Law and the absence of Gospel. Hammering away with rational explanation, the speaker concluded with an in-your-face video hideously depicting torn fetal body parts, all of which shattered any further reasonable discussion of the issue. Lutheran theology claims, and rightly so, that Law doesn't transform people, the Gospel does. Women considering abortion are usually in crisis and the crisis needs to be addressed with attempts at healing. If addressed with compassion and truth spoken gently in the name of Christ who gave himself for desperate sinful men and women, the heart might be won over. Even if not, the path has at least been prepared a way for repentance to follow later. The Church needs to speak boldly against abortion, but more boldly still about the love of Christ for sinners considering and perhaps even participating in abortion.

About the Author: Dr. Richard C. Eyer is the retired director of pastoral care for Columbia Hospital, Milwaukee, Wis., and emeritus professor and director of the Concordia Bioethics Institute at Concordia University Wisconsin. He is the author of Marriage Is Like Dancing (CPH, 2007).

Reprinted from May 2000

Advent: Beginning the Cycle of Holy Time

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:16:00 GMT

Gregory Wismar

Year by year our church calendar, beginning with Advent, provides us with a sacred sequence of observances and celebrations that help us experience the fullness of our faith.

Everything seems to be recycled these days—from plastic containers and automobile tires to old newspapers and magazines. Today, we believe the recycling of many things can benefit the environment and our individual lives.

In its own way, the Christian church is involved in recycling, too. Year by year the Church recycles time as the seasons of the Church Year progress in their orderly cycle, a cycle that begins anew each year with Advent.

The Church Year provides us with a sacred sequence of observances and celebrations that assist us in experiencing the fullness of our faith. Every season of the Church Year has a special meaning, distinctive customs, and its own history. The start of this recycling of holy time begins each year on the First Sunday of Advent, a time given for us as Christian people to be spent in remembering, repenting and rejoicing.

Remembering

Officially, Advent begins on the Sunday closest to the Festival Day of Saint Andrew, Nov. 30. This date for starting the Church Year provides four weeks for the preparation for the coming of Jesus as the Child of Bethlehem on Dec. 25. Although we as Lutherans are quite used to the “four Sundays of Advent,” as well as the four candles on our Advent wreath, our four-week observance is considerably shorter than this special pre-Christmas season has been in times past.

An early name for this starting time of the Church Year, dating back to France in A.D. 490, was the Latin Quadrigesima Sancti Martini, the Forty Days’ Fast of Saint Martin’s, which began on Nov. 11. Not until the 13th century did the four weeks of Advent, as we know them now, become established throughout the Western Church. Although its length on the calendar varied, Advent was always observed as a sacred time for remembering. The faithful people of God remembered the promise of Christ to return to His people in power and glory, just as He had once come among them in lowliness and humility. The words of the Introit of the Day for the First Sunday in Advent echo the excitement of the prophet Zechariah as he proclaims: “Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation.”

Repenting

The coming of the King serves as a sacred invitation for His people to make appropriate preparation for His arrival. Many of the hymns of the Advent season reflect the theme of remembering and of holy preparation. In the classic Advent hymn, “Arise, O Christian People” (LSB 354), we sing: “Prepare my heart, Lord Jesus, Turn not from me aside, and help me to receive You This blessed Advent-tide.” Part of that preparation comes in the form of looking thoughtfully at our lives and repenting of the sins that weigh down our hearts and oppress us and cause us grief in some way.

Just as the length of the Advent season has changed with the passage of time, so also to some extent has the central feeling of the season. In its original usage in some places in Europe, dating back to the first Christian centuries, the season was given over to reflection and penitence. It was a time for repenting of sins and looking to Jesus as the promised Savior who alone could bring forgiveness and the promise of eternal salvation. So strong was that dynamic of Advent in the Frankish Church (the early medieval church of modern-day France and Germany) that the liturgical color for Advent was black, the color reserved for the days of the greatest sorrow: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In many churches of medieval France, Advent was a time when weddings were forbidden and organ playing was prohibited so that the focus could remain on the need for God’ssalvation that is found in Christ alone.

With the passage of time, that pervasive sense of deep sorrow was moderated, and the color violet, or purple, became the standard liturgical color for the season. Although it kept a hue of reflection and penitence, violet and purple also reflected a sense of royalty and the kingly nature of Jesus. Today, this rich and royal color continues to find use in many Lutheran churches during Advent.

Rejoicing

In recent years, however, another color has found favor in much of the Church. The color of Advent predominantly now is a royal blue, a color that not only reflects the traditionaltheme of royalty, but also is the color associated with hope, capturing in its hue the expanse of the sky from which the Lord Jesus will return. The deep blue also reflects heaven and the endlessness of the eternity promised to all who believe in Him and await His coming with joy and expectation. In the Collect for the First Sunday in Advent, the prayer implores: “Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by your mighty deliverance.” In the season of Advent repenting ultimately becomes rejoicing, as the assurance of the coming of Jesus as Savior and Lord is restated and reaffirmed through the Scripture readings appointed for the season, the start of the annual cycle.

Even though it had a penitential side to it, Advent has never lost its basic theme of celebration. As the redeemed people of God, we cannot help but rejoice that Christ is coming into our world for our sake. As with the Introit, the timeless words of the prophet Zechariah begin the appointed Gradual for the First Sunday in Advent: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation.” The theme of rejoicing is echoed in the final verse of the Gradual, which adds a line from Ps. 118:26: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.”
The making of the “house of the Lord” visually into a place for the joyful proclamation of the message of the Advent

season is important in Lutheran congregations, as the year of the Church begins its annual recycling. Many congregations use the custom of the Advent wreath to mark the progress of the four Sundays leading to the celebration of Christmas itself. Although the color of the candles on the wreath may vary according to local custom, the number of them is always four.

Part of the symbolism of the wreath is the visual proclamation that the light grows on the wreath as the time of the coming Jesus nears, despite the fact that the amount of daylight in the world outside (at least in the northern hemisphere) is steadily decreasing as Christ, the Morning Star who is the Light of the world, approaches. An Advent hymn newly added to Lutheran Service Book gives expression to the theme of light in the darkness and voices a timeless call to rejoicing: “The night will soon be ending; the dawn cannot be far. Let songs of praise ascending now greet the Morning Star! All you whom darkness frightens with guilt or grief or pain, God’s radiant Star now brightens and bids you sing again” (LSB 337, stanza 1).

Advent is a time for singing again, and praying again and hearing again the promises of God that are certain to come true.

In tune with the season

Although Advent is central to the start of the Church Year in Christian congregations, it is a season that finds its fullest expression in the homes of the faithful. The weeks of Advent present many opportunities for people to become “in tune with the season” in each Christian home. Although Advent observances may well be enriched by the presence of children at the family table, the customs are valuable faith-helps for people of every age.

One familiar tradition from Germany is that of the Advent calendar. Whether homemade or purchased, each calendar has a number of “windows” that are opened up to reveal artwork. The art is often of Christian symbols associated with Advent and Christmas, such as the Christmas rose or the staff of John the Baptist; it may also be a series of Christmas characters associated with the birth of Jesus, such as shepherds and angels. Each day leading up to Christmas one of the windows is opened; the final window, which traditionally portrays the manger scene, is opened on Dec. 24.

If an Advent calendar is a devotional way to “count up” to Christmas, the Advent chain is a great way to “count down” to the celebration of Jesus’ birth. The chain is made up of small strips of paper on which are written Biblical words of prophecy and promise that point to the coming of the Lord. The strips of paper are interlinked so that they form a chain, with one link for each day from whenever the chain begins (often Dec.1) to Christmas Eve. Each day one of the links, in order, is taken from the chain, opened, and read. The promises of God are heard as the cycle continues, and the blessing that is at the heart of the Advent season is celebrated once again.

For More Information

Discovering more about the Church Year can be an enlightening and meaningful experience. For more information about the history and structure of the Church Year, the significance of liturgical colors, and related matters of interest, please visit the Commission on Worship website.

How to Escape the Christmas Madness

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:59:00 GMT

by Hans Fiene

Advent is not pre-Christmas, you have been told. Advent is not a series of mini-celebrations of Christ’s birth. It is a season where we focus on repenting of our sins and on waiting for the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory and the Babe of Bethlehem.

That is, of course, all true. But let’s face it: sometimes it’s really hard to celebrate Advent the way you ought to when the demands of celebrating Christmas, both the true version and the secular version, are weighing you down. With parties and presents, candles and credit breathing down your neck from the moment Thanksgiving ends, it’s not always easy to have the proper Advent frame of mind.

But Christ wasn’t born of Mary to burden you with more stress than you already have. He was born of the Virgin so that He might carry all your burdens to the cross. The Word of God didn’t become flesh to add more guilt to an already guilt-ridden season. He became flesh to take away your guilt by forgiving your sins through the shedding of His blood. And because the Jesus Christ at the heart of Christmas is also at the heart of the Advent season, His mercy and forgiveness always can and always will give comfort to those who hear His Word during the time of the Church year when we prepare for His arrival.

So if you find yourself overwhelmed on the First Sunday of Advent, unable to focus because you only managed to check off 50 percent of your door-buster Black Friday gift list, pause for a moment. Take a deep breath. Listen to the Gospel reading about Christ’s triumphal entry. Listen to God’s Word tell you about His Son arriving in Jerusalem as your king, as the One who now rules you in mercy and love through His Word and Sacraments.

This is the Jesus who did more than stand in a crowded line at four in the morning to give you His gifts. This is the Jesus who won the gifts of eternal life and salvation for you through His death on the cross and who now pours them out upon you in the waters of Baptism, in His body and His blood, and in the preached Word. So, on the first Sunday of Advent, when you need to step outside of the Christmas madness, take a moment to hear of Jesus Christ, who is with you now.

If you find yourself stressed out beyond belief on the Second Sunday of Advent, incapable of paying attention because you haven’t finished your daughter’s snowflake costume for her school’s Christmas concert, or rather “Winter Extravaganza,” relax. Listen to the Gospel reading about John the Baptist preparing the way of the Lord.

Listen to God’s Word tell you about the One holding the winnowing fork. This is the Jesus who has done more for your daughter than completing her concert costume. This is the Jesus who will come again in glory to gather your daughter, you, John the Baptist, and all believers to His side on the Last Day. So, on the Second Sunday of Advent, when you need a break from the Yuletide overload, take a moment to hear of Jesus Christ, the One who will call you worthy of eternal life on the Day of Judgment.

If you look down at your fingers on the Third Sunday of Advent and find you’ve bitten your nails down to the quick because the Christmas bonus that you have depended on for the last five years to buy your wife’s present is going to be one-fifth its normal size, be calm. Listen to the Gospel reading about John in prison. Listen to God’s Word tell you about the One who will give sight to the blind, life to the dead, and good news to the poor.

This is the Jesus whom God promised would be your Savior, regardless of your paycheck’s size. This is the Jesus whom John the Baptist identified as the Redeemer of both rich and poor alike. So, on the Third Sunday of Advent, when you need to wake up from your Nativity nightmare, take a moment to hear of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who is coming soon.

And if you find that, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, your head won’t stop spinning about how you are going to pick up your parents from the airport, finish wrapping everyone’s presents, walk the dog, and get everyone dressed before 7 p.m. on December 24, inhale. Exhale.

Listen to the Gospel reading about the angel’s proclamation of the Christ Child inside the womb of Mary. Listen to God’s Word tell you about Immanuel, God with us, who will soon be here to carry your burdens and those of all mankind.

So, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, when you want to find relief from a season that has buried you in an endless pile of guilt and worry, take a moment to hear of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born to take your guilt and worry from you.

Advent is not pre-Christmas. It is not a series of mini-celebrations of Christ’s birth. But Advent is a season of hope, a season rooted in waiting for the arrival of Christ’s mercy. And so, whenever the demands of preparing for Christmas weigh you down and wear you out, Advent is always there to build you up by showing you the love of the Savior for whom you wait. Whenever the stress of celebrating our Lord’s birth fills you with sin and shame, Advent will never fail to give you the forgiveness of Christ, whose birth we joyfully prepare to celebrate.

About the Author: Rev. Hans Fiene is pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Denver, Colo.

A Very Special Language

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 22:55:00 GMT

by Greg Wismar

More and more these days, we may find ourselves excluded from conversations being carried on in our own native language because we do not know the terms being used by the people who are engaged in the conversation. Every sector of society has its own “speak” that it uses. People in computer-related industries have their own language of bits and bytes and a wide variety of acronyms that are employed as verbal shorthand. The legal profession, the world of medicine, the building and construction industry, the world of agriculture—each has a special set of terms that are important to know if one is to understand what is going on in that area of life.

The Church has its own language as well—a rich treasury of words and phrases that has grown and deepened through the passage of time. There are special terms that are vital to be known for a full and edifying participation in the Christian world of worship and of faith. The special language of the Church comes from a variety of tongues and traditions and may require special concentration and effort to be mastered.

But learning the language of the Church can be a real blessing!But how do you learn the meaning of words that are not familiar to you? Perhaps the most basic way is to go to a dictionary, whether an in-print version or online. Dictionaries are works in a constant process of change and adaptation. Each year, countless new entries are made into English language dictionary resources as new words and expressions find their way into daily conversation.

For example, if you did not know what the word Sanctus meant, you would discover in a dictionary that it is a “holy hymn near the conclusion of a service,” and you would learn that the word is related to the more familiar words sanctuary and sanctify. Although general-use dictionaries can be helpful for finding the meaning of words, often they do not list every possible use of a given word, including the full meaning of the Church-related use. Sometimes a more specialized resource is needed.

One of the outstanding features of Lutheran Service Book, the hymnal now being used in the vast majority of the congregations of our Synod, is that it contains a full two-page glossary of church-related words at the very front of the volume.

Reading through the list will expand your worship vocabulary and deepen your experience of the Divine Service. From the glossary, you will learn that suffrages do not have anything to do with suffering as we understand it in our use of language today but rather are “petitions of prayer to God” long used in the worship life of the Christian Church. You will discover that the ordinaries are “the parts of the service that remain the same from week to week, such as the Kyrie and Sanctus.” And you will learn that the Sanctus is Latin for “holy.”

The 44 entries listed on the two glossary pages are by no means an exhaustive compilation of words that are special to the life of the Church, but they are a good foundation. Looking through them and perhaps even saying them using the pronunciation guide supplied for the less familiar list entries can be a good start for becoming more attuned to the very special language that has served and continues to serve God’s worshiping people in all times and places.

About the Author:
The Rev. Dr. Greg Wismar is pastor emeritus of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Newtown, Conn.

A Response to the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 21:10:00 GMT

by Paul L. Maier

As for the so-called “Wife of Jesus Gospel” (so-named by its discoverer, Harvard professor Karen King), while the document is in-teresting, it is only another of the long string of Gnostic writings that have been surfacing ever since 1947. Like all the others, it is of little or no use as authentic source material on Jesus. All Gnos-tic writings are late derivatives from the true Gospels and regular-ly offer information that runs counter to the mass of reliable evi-dence on Jesus.

This notion of a married Jesus–even if the recent text proves authentic–has no value whatsoever, other than to show how aberrant were some of the views among heretical quasi-Christians in the se-cond, third and fourth centuries after Christ. This zero-value as authentic history is typical of all such Gnostic writings that re-cently have received far more attention than they deserved by those who promote sensation rather than scholarship. The Early Church had a big problem dealing with heretical groups that tried to pervert the image of Jesus, and the modern church is now encountering the same.

While Professor King is careful not to make claims beyond the evidence, one wonders why she announced her find before any authen-ticity tests were conducted on the document. And why did she give the document so sensational a title? I also find it significant that some in the faculty at Harvard Divinity School are known propo-nents of the Gnostic writings as reliable sources for the life of Jesus. Professor King herself wonders if the traditional information on Jesus was not a “mastery story” that forcibly excluded contrary views, such as those in the Gnostic gospels.

It is high time that any thralldom to the Gnostic writings be abandoned. Most of that material is recondite, visionary, hydra-headed, apocalyptic, mostly incomprehensible and riddled with impos-sibilities. Let one example suffice: The Gospel of Thomas, which is universally regarded as the most cogent and important of the Gnostic literature, ends with the claim that Jesus will turn Mary Magdalene into a man so that she may attain to the Kingdom of God. Such a ri-diculous statement is now paralleled with the claim that Mary was Jesus' wife . . . evidently before he turned her into a man!

About the Author:
Dr. Paul L. Maier is third vice-president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Searching for the Real Martin Luther

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 19:31:00 GMT

by DAVID C. STEINMETZ
c. 2012 Religion News Service

DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) Protestants have traditionally celebrated Oct. 31 as the anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that divided Western Christendom and gave birth to such diverse religious groups as Lutherans, Presbyterians, Anglicans and Mennonites.

On Oct. 31, 1517, an Augustinian friar named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses for debate on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and so sparked a religious reform even he could not control. But Luther's public life actually began five years earlier, 500 years ago this week, on Oct. 19, 1512, when he finished his formal theological education and was installed as a professor of Bible at a relatively new and still unprestigious Catholic university in Saxony.

No one, least of all his patrons, expected this soft-spoken young man with a tenor voice and a bubbling sense of humor to turn into a religious bomb thrower, whose theological convictions would alter the religious and political structures of Europe for five centuries. Indeed, no one could have been more astonished by this unexpected development than Luther himself.

Luther's enemies once described him as a seven-headed monster and suggested that he had been conceived by a prostitute through sexual union with a demon. Others, somewhat more temperate in tone, characterized him as a man utterly lacking in religious seriousness, an arch-heretic who attacked Catholic teaching concerning indulgences in order to win a bet.

At the same time, no one inspired a more ferocious loyalty among his followers than Luther. His friends called him a prophet and teacher of true Christianity, who inaugurated a new age in the history of the church. He was hailed as a champion of the freedom of the human conscience, as a defender of German national identity, and as the skilled translator whose German Bible lies at the foundation of the modern German language.

Mass media in the English-speaking world have found Luther's story fascinating. No less than three movies have been made of his life over the last 60 years. Yet each fails to capture Luther in all his charismatic complexity.

The first appeared in 1953 and cast Irish actor Niall MacGinnis in the title role. MacGinnis captured the warmth of Luther's personality, though not his irrepressible sense of humor. His portrayal underlined Luther's stubborn and uncompromising refusal to bow to the worried pleas of his friends or the threats of his enemies.

The second movie, released in 1974, featured an impressive cast, including Stacy Keach as Luther and Dame Judi Dench as his wife, Katherine. The original play by John Osborne portrayed Luther as an angry young man in a hurry, whose conflicts with the Catholic Church seemed to be an extension of his fierce conflicts with his father.

The third movie, directed by Eric Till in 2003, featured Joseph Fiennes as Luther and Sir Peter Ustinov as Elector Frederick the Wise. Till saw in Luther's story a conflict between a repressive conservative institution (in this case, the medieval Catholic Church) and a more liberal and liberating movement (in this case, the Reformation, which with all its violence and disorder marked for Till an advance over the conservative structures it attacked). For Till, Luther is a symbol of an enlightened spirit in an unenlightened age, an age not altogether unlike our own.

Perhaps out of respect for the serious tone of the plot, Fiennes played Luther as an intense, uncertain, humorless and generally liberal cleric, who could tear a passion to tatters, but whose claim to suffer fits of depression sounded more like acute dyspepsia than a bout of soul-wracking melancholy.

Still, there must have been more to the "real Luther" than the uncertain young friar Fiennes creates. Neurotic introverts seldom change the world. And whatever his flaws, Luther was no introvert. He was a great rollicking figure, a creature larger than life, who filled a room with his presence before he uttered a word. He enjoyed good beer, lively conversation, and the sound of hearty laughter. Till's Luther was certainly brave and in many respects admirable, but remained throughout a diminutive and monochromatic copy of the colorful and boisterous original.

In the end, only MacGinnis in the 1953 film portrayed a leader someone would be willing to follow. Twenty years later, Keach's leadership, such as it was, was all passion and angry denunciation with no clear direction forward. And Fiennes seemed far too uncertain to lead. But MacGinnis' Luther attracted followers by the force of his personality and set them in motion on the trail he was blazing.

Judging from these three movies, finding and portraying the "real Luther" in film has not been a task for the faint of heart. Yet wherever the German language is spoken, wherever Protestants (and Catholics) gather for religious services or social action, and wherever the political history of Europe is told (including its darker sides), the ghost of Martin Luther is present and cannot be avoided.

It's too bad that no movie has as yet been able to capture more than a small part of that culturally important story.

About the Author: (David C. Steinmetz is the Kearns Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the History of Christianity at the Divinity School of Duke University in Durham, N.C.)

Editor’s Note: The 1953 film is owned jointly by the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the form of Lutheran Film Associates. The 2002 film received financial backing and production assistance from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Lessons from Aurora

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:11:00 GMT

By Rev. Paul T. McCain

In the American legal system, there is a phrase used to identify a certain mindset that leads to horrendous crimes. That phrase is "depraved indifference to human life."

Here is the way the criminal justice system understands "depraved indifference":

To constitute depraved indifference, the defendant's conduct must be so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime. Depraved indifference focuses on the risk created by the defendant's conduct, not the injuries actually resulting. The other term used for depraved indifference is "depraved heart."

Think about this for a moment with me. Even if a person does not actually commit a physical crime, he can be guilty of it owing to "depraved indifference" as a person who has a "depraved heart."

As I reflect on the Aurora, Colo., massacre, that phrase keeps repeating itself in my mind. What led an otherwise apparently smart and successful young man to stockpile thousands of rounds of ammunition for a variety of weapons, rig his apartment to explode in a fireball, and then enter a theater and kill and wound so many? Depraved indifference to human life, that's what. We will hear raging debates about gun control and "if only" there had been the right rule, or regulation, or control in place, this would not have happened. And to that I simply say, "Maybe, maybe not, but I highly doubt it." Why? Because the issue here is the young man's depraved indifference to human life. The acting out on that impulse was where the crime originated.

As people reel in horror and shock from this incident, everyone wants to try to put his finger precisely on what caused this young man to "go crazy." Surely, he must be crazy. He has to be out of his mind. He is suffering from mental illness. He is not normal. He is not like you and me. No, he is something other than we are. That explains it, doesn't it? Or does it? Viewed from God's point of view, which is, in the end, the only view that truly matters, it is not quite that easy. After all, the Bible tells us that we are all born dead, not alive. We are dead in our trespasses and sin (Col. 2:13). We come into this world as enemies of God and hostile toward God and everything He stands for (Romans 8:7). We come into this world not merely with depraved indifference toward God, and with a depraved heart, but with active hostility to God's perfect will for us and for His creation. There is not a "spark" of goodness in us as we are born. We are evil, continually, from our youth, as we learn from Genesis 6:5. People are not "naturally good" ... no, we are all natural born killers. Shocking? Yes, it is. We all suffer, in various degrees, from "depraved indifference to human life."

That indifference took on a spectacularly horrifying form in the movie theater shooting, but there is in each one of us a little "killer" just waiting to get out. And he gets out in thoughts, words and deeds. He gets out and does harm to our loved ones, friends and neighbors when we think the cruel thought; speak the hurtful word; fail to speak well of and defend our neighbor; and fall short of supporting and defending our neighbor, helping him to protect and improve his property, business, good reputation, or life. Keep in mind we live in a nation where tens of thousands of people are murdered, legally and with impunity, before they even have a chance to see the light of day as newborns. Yes, that Old Adam, as we call our fallen nature, is a natural born killer. Depraved indifference? You bet. It takes different forms and shapes and is expressed in a variety of ways in our life, but depraved indifference it is, in one way or the other.

Which then makes it all the more remarkable that God actually sent His Son into the very same human flesh which suffers from this horrible condition (John 1:14). The One who never had, and never will, commit any sin, was sent among sinful men and women to live the lives they cannot live, to provide the sacrifice for sin they could never provide, and He did it all for the sake of Love. God is love. God is light. God is the holy One. God is merciful. God is the life-creator and the life-giver and the life-restorer. Christ Jesus came among us and was born under the Law, to redeem us from the condemnation of the Law (Gal 4:4).

God is passionately concerned for the salvation of each one of us. He is the complete opposite of "depraved indifference" when it comes to His Creation. While we cannot ultimately, to our own satisfaction, explain precisely why the world is a place where horrible things happen, we can at least recognize that within each of us we see signs of depraved indifference to our neighbor's needs and suffering.

We are led to repent of our sin, of our depraved indifference, and turn in great sorrow to the God of all comfort and seek the mercy He so freely gives. As our society struggles to come to terms with yet another gross outburst of sin, let's not be caught up in the thinking that would have us isolate this young man and simply regard him as a freak, an oddity, somebody less than human. In fact, he is fully human and simply gave expression to the sinful nature each of us struggles with every day of our lives. Do you remember the answer Jesus gave when people were trying to get an explanation for a manmade tragedy, a tower falling on people and killing them, and why innocent people were killed by soldiers? (Luke 13:3). Jesus said simply, "Unless you repent, you likewise will perish." Not exactly the kind of explanation we would want, but...the only one we receive, the only one we need to hear, and the only one we must act on, today. Repent.

This event should drive each of us to our knees in repentant prayer and pleading to God for His mercy. We pray for all those suffering from this seemingly "senseless" act of depraved indifference. We pray for God's peace and comfort for all concerned, and that He would use this occasion as an opportunity to turn hearts to Him. We pray that God would use this incident to humble us all once more and help us to see how we are indeed poor, miserable sinners, and then once more turn to the Cross where the Lord of Glory died, apparently a senseless, tragic, violent death, in a manner that was an expression of depraved indifference to His holy, innocent life.

For it is there, on the Cross, that the blood that cleanses you from all your sin was shed, and three days later, the Lord rose in victory, shattering the shackles of sin, death and hell which grip you tightly. Christ is your Savior. Christ is your Redeemer. Cling alone to Him, for He has taken firm hold of you. You were buried with Christ, by baptism, into death in order that, just as Jesus was raised from the death, through the glory of His Father, so you have a new life, now, and for eternity to come (Romans 6:1-2). You now live in the confident hope that Christ alone gives, and you reach out in love and service to all whom the Lord puts in your lives. May God grant it, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

About the Author: Rev. Paul T. McCain, Publisher, Concordia Publishing House

Outbound Servants: Focusing on Mercy and Relief

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:15:00 GMT

by Jeni Miller

Congregations of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod know how to show mercy. They know how to show it because they experience mercy shown to them in the Divine Service week after week, year after year.

In particular, Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sioux City, Iowa, understands the importance of caring, not only for the Body of Christ, but also for those outside it. To that end, Redeemer created Outbound Servants, a group that focuses on mercy and relief. Members of Outbound Servants travel the country, bringing Christ to those in need, both in body and soul.

It began after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. “A few people mentioned that it would be great to help these people out,” explains Rev. David Zirpel, associate pastor of Redeemer.

“We didn’t set out to start a group ... it just sort of happened. We ended up sending four groups down to Louisiana that year and even took along a few city workers from Sioux City. We mucked out homes and made it our goal to show mercy in the midst of all that suffering.”From that first trip, Outbound Servants was born. Today, the group comprises more than 60 Redeemer members who contribute different skills and talents, from home construction to cooking and everything in between.

To fund their trips, Redeemer provides meals each month to two community groups: One is made up of retired teachers; the other, a group with developmental disabilities. In both cases, the fundraising meals have turned into ministries wherein the Gospel is shared and fellowship takes place. The profit from the meals supports a fund for mercy and disaster relief.

As a group, Outbound Servants has traveled a few more times to Louisiana. More recently, members have engaged in disaster-relief efforts in Nashville and Cedar Rapids, as well as in the state of Mississippi.

And now, today?

At home in Sioux City.

In June 2011, Sioux City experienced a “controlled” flood after flood gates along the upper Missouri River were opened to relieve pressure caused by the spring snowmelt in the Rockies. With only a week to prepare, the result was flooded basements in Sioux City. More than 100 homes were ultimately destroyed. Outbound Servants got right to work, assessing needs and providing assistance to those who lost everything.

“As we got started, it came to our attention that one of those destroyed homes belonged to a young family at Redeemer--and they had only owned the home for two years,” Zirpel recalls. “In addition, their youngest son was born right before the flood, and they were planning on having him baptized June 5. The flood hit June 4. And you know--they wanted to continue with the Baptism service that day anyway, so we did!”

After the Baptism, there was still much to be done for Redeemer family--Todd Lenz, his wife, Jaime, and their two young sons. Since their home was not in a flood plain--and because it was a “controlled,” manmade flood, the family did not have flood insurance. Along with that, their homeowner’s insurance and federal assistance was minimal; so they were responsible for securing a second mortgage just to pay for building materials.

The good news?

Redeemer’s Outbound Servants saw their neighbor in need and offered to build a home for the Lenz family, labor free.

Observes Zirpel: “God’s Word teaches that followers of Jesus put their faith into action to those around them as the Holy Spirit works in them through the Word and Sacraments. In addition, the Early Christians were all about mercy. As everyone had need, the Christians got together and talked about it. If someone needed assistance, they gave it. That’s just what we’ve been doing here. We found out that this family needed a home, and so we work to provide for them.”

In order to make this plan a reality for the Lenz family, Redeemer got in touch with the LCMS’s National Lutheran Housing Corporation and inquired about grant options to offset the cost of materials. Thankfully, the organization had the resources available to provide a $10,000 seed grant to help build the home, and Redeemer is responsible for raising another $10,000 in matching funds. Their sister congregations and circuits are already up to the task, and in the meantime, there are many building materials being donated. And, of course, the labor is free.

“It all starts with the church and the church’s desire to love their neighbors as themselves,” explains Lutheran Housing’s Deborah Rutt. “We help them do that, helping them determine their role in revitalizing neighborhoods, assisting their communities through acts of mercy and filling the needs that exist in the lives of both members and non-members. We strive to walk alongside congregations and help them support those in need. It’s all just doing what Christ calls us to do.”

Through an outpouring of support from the church, and pastoral care to accompany that support, Todd, Jaime and their sons have experienced a deeper connection to the church. Jaime attended adult catechesis in order to be received as a member of the church, and the congregation hopes to have their new home completed and ready this summer.

When Outbound Servants engage in mercy and relief activities around the country, members enjoy working with other LCMS congregations, organizations and camps. Also, members sometimes lend a hand to Habitat for Humanity as well.

“We always strive to work with our LCMS partners first--and we’ve found there are added bonuses in doing that,” Zirpel explains. “We have the opportunity to come together morning and evening in prayer and devotion, at the beginning and end of our work. It reminds us that we’re here to share the Gospel, being God’s hands and feet. We get to put the words of Christ into action--we know we’re saved through faith, and we get to put that faith into action, showing Christ’s mercy.”

For congregations hoping to organize a group such as Outbound Servants, Zirpel offers this advice: “You get into this and find the energy because you know people are hurting. We work because there are so many opportunities to care for our neighbor. A church should be open to thinking outside of the box, focusing on building strong committees, allowing each person to do what is best suited for them and always keeping people focused on keeping the Word of God in front of all they do.”

About the Author: Deaconess Jeni Miller is director of International Student Ministry at St. Paul Lutheran Chapel and University Center, Iowa City, Iowa, and an editor-at-large for The Lutheran Witness.

Born Again

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:24:00 GMT

by Paul Sieveking

In his autobiography, the actor Sir Alec Guiness wrote about his confirmation day. His head was full of Bible stories and doctrine. The church was filled with parents, sponsors and friends. “I remember white hands and shaggy black eyebrows, a pale green light filtered through the windows, and at the age of 16, one early summer day, I arose from under the hands of the bishop a confirmed atheist. With a flash, I realized that I had never really believed what I had been taught.”

His story bothers me because it sounds too familiar.

His story is much like the story of Nicodemus, another man who struggled to believe. Nicodemus was a Jew, a teacher, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council. He knew the right answers. He kept all the rules. He performed all the rituals. Yet, something was still missing. He wanted more.

He went to Jesus to talk about religion. He simply shared the reasonable conclusion he had drawn from what he had seen, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Now it was up to Jesus to sell Himself and His cause.

Nicodemus was searching for something many people today—maybe even you—are searching for: faith that means something and does something. The question people are asking is, “So what? God loves me . . . so what? Jesus died for me . . . so what? He has risen . . . so what?”

Nicodemus didn’t need Jesus to convince him there is a god or that God had created the world or even that all the words of Scripture are true. He believed all of that. His question was, “So what?” He wanted more than empty rituals and pat answers that he had memorized. He wanted a faith that had meaning for his life.

Do you ever feel that your faith is bogged down? Are you just going through the motions? Are you looking for some power, joy and life in your faith? Maybe you need to slip away for a secret meeting with Jesus.

St. John wrote that Jesus “knew all men . . . He knew what was in a man” (2:24, 25 NIV). He knew the struggle in Nicodemus’ heart. He knows what’s in us too. Despite what we say and do, Jesus knows our motives, our desires, our inner thoughts, our secret sins. He knows them well, for He took them all from us and paid the penalty for them by dying on the cross.

Jesus didn’t talk to Nicodemus, nor does He talk to us, about rethinking our theology or changing our attitudes or cleaning up our act. He didn’t say, “Just try a little harder, do a few more good works or get more involved in your church.” He said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Born again—starting all over with a new heart and a new life.

That sounds pretty drastic!

Is our problem really that serious? Is it even possible to start over, to be born again? Nicodemus asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Wouldn’t it be wonderful to start all over again, only this time do things differently and do things right? But the past cannot be undone. Everything you’ve done or failed to do, every word you’ve spoken, every thought you’ve had has made you who you are today. You cannot change that.

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit (John 3:5, 6).” You cannot change drastically enough to enter the kingdom of God. You can’t go back and undo, then redo your life any more than you could enter your mother’s womb and be born again.

But the Good News is that God can do it for you. God works this new birth through water and the Spirit in Holy Baptism. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God who has reconciled us to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:17, 18). You are a born again Christian. You are a “new creation.” God has given you His Holy Spirit to work this radical change in your life, to give you a vital faith!

Jesus said, “You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:7, 8). The Spirit works in you even though you may not feel it. Faith isn’t a feeling! The Spirit works in you even though you can’t see Him. You can’t see the wind either, but you can see its effects. The Spirit changed Nicodemus. He is mentioned two other times in the Bible. When his colleagues wanted to arrest Jesus, Nicodemus spoke in His defense and encouraged a fair hearing. The other time was at the cross. He bought the spices and helped prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Was Nicodemus born again? I believe so.

You shouldn’t be surprised that the Spirit can bring about that kind of change in you too. Born of the Spirit, you believe in God, and He produces that faith that is vital and powerful. Born of the Spirit, worship isn’t a dull routine but joyful praise. Born of the Spirit, you have the power to do some important things in the Lord’s work, to make a difference and bring some change to the world.

Alec Guiness may have been confirmed as an atheist, but some years later he returned to the church. He didn’t write much about the years in between. Occasionally, he read a religious book and went to a worship service. Then, one day, he went back to the church, “a quiet believer, 41 years old . . . born again.” He wrote, “There has been no emotional upheaval, no great insight, certainly no proper grasp of theological issues, just a sense of history and the fittingness of things, something impossible to explain.”

About The Author: The Rev. Paul Sieveking is president of the LCMS Iowa District West.

Timeworn Tokens

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:27:00 GMT

by A. Trevor Sutton

Iron-skillets, red wine and blue jeans have a little something in common with theological books. They all get better with age. Tattered old hymnals, catechisms, devotionals and theological texts have a peculiar allure. Sure, their yellowing pages and deteriorating bindings are not particularly beautiful, but there is still something to be said for a book with a litany of former owner’s signatures inside the front cover.

Concordia Historical Institute (CHI) at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, recently hosted a vintage book sale to sell hundreds of historic volumes. Many of the books came from the libraries of sainted pastors with some texts dating back to the 1800s.

“The recent Concordia Historical Institute vintage book sale consisted of donated books we had accumulated from the past thirty years. A very wide range of books was available in the sale; we had everything from theology and Greek grammars all the way to church history and fiction,” said the Rev. Marvin Huggins, associate director for Archives and Library at CHI.

The items in the book sale were either duplicates of existing holdings or did not fit into the scope of what the museum preserves. Selling vintage books is not a typical feature of CHI; however, the sale did provide a unique opportunity to pass along historic books of the faith to future generations.

“We were able to sell a large amount of these books. As a result of this sale, we received a fair amount of financial support. However, we are not really in the business of selling books, and this is not something that we will continue to do on any large scale,” said Huggins.

Rather than trying to sell timeworn tokens of the past, CHI prefers to tell the story of Lutheranism in America.

“The ministry of Concordia Historical Institute is to help people remember. We help people appreciate and remember what God has done in the past,” said Huggins. “We collect materials that help us remember how God has worked in the lives of His people through both congregational and personal histories.”

To assist in telling the story of Lutheranism in America, CHI collects a select number of historic books of the faith. Many of these theological books have been passed from generation to generation before finally residing in the museum’s collection.

“Most of the theological books in our collection are from the libraries of former professors and pastors. Many of these old Bibles and theological works have multiple signatures reflecting multiple owners through the years,” said Huggins.

Passing books of the faith down from generation to generation is nothing new. For centuries grandparents have fondly gifted old catechisms to their grandchildren. Similarly, many retiring pastors have passed along their libraries to greenhorn pastors freshly placed in the parish.

“We have a handful of books from C. F. W. Walther’s library. We recently received one of Walther’s catechisms from the Walther family. It is evident that this catechism belonged to Walther’s grandfather from Walther’s own handwritten notes in the margins,” said Huggins.

Along with catechisms that have been gifted to later generations, CHI also houses a number of historic textbooks.

“We also have a lot of parochial school textbooks from the 19th and early 20th century in our collections. Many are from our synodical schools and have two or three names signed in the front cover along with the school that they attended,” said Huggins.

Unfortunately, CHI simply does not have the space to regularly accept donated libraries from retiring pastors. That leaves many people wondering what to do do with Grandpa’s dog-eared German Bible.

Huggins suggests donating old hymnals, catechisms and Bibles to local historical societies. This may be the best option since many local historical societies appreciate having these homegrown relics from the earliest settlers in the area.

An additional resource for finding a home for vintage books is through the various district archivists. Contact information for each, along with a bounty of other resources, can be accessed at Concordia Historical Institute’s website, which is located at www.lutheranhistory.org

About the Author: A. Trevor Sutton is associate pastor at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Haslett, Mich.

Bodies Broken

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:32:00 GMT

by Pamela Boehle-Silva

He leans sideways in his wheelchair, his broken body twisted and crooked. Dependent. Weak. Child-like. Poor. Humiliated. Unable to speak, his eyes convey his frustration, his confusion, his desire to be rid of this broken body.

Take, eat. This is My body, broken for you.

Surgeries meant to heal render him "useless"—at least as the world sees him. Friends, family say, “He wouldn’t want to live this way," suggesting, "something be done" to end this tragedy. Suffering engulfs him and those who love him.

Take, eat. This is My body, broken for you.

Body broken. Immobile. Wheelchair bound. Hoyer lift moves him from chair to bed. Flopped like a rag doll into the desired position. Diapered, he has lost control of his bladder and bowels. Bibbed, he drools like a baby.

Take, eat. This is My body, broken for you.

The distorted face is home to eyes of brilliant blue, following movements, speaking words that cannot be spoken. An asymmetrical smile anchors lips still wanting to kiss. Uneven hands—one “good,” the other “useless,” still soft and beautiful—are reminders of times when this great man provided others protection and security.

Take, eat. This is My body, broken for you.

This broken body with its wounds and scars receives Christ’s broken body in simple bread and wine. Familiar words are spoken: “Take, eat; this is the true body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, given into death for your sins. Take, drink; this is the true blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, shed for the forgiveness of your sins.”

Medicine of immortality given to this broken body--a body still bent with limbs that don’t work—a mind still scrambled with synapses that misfire.

Twisted, crooked lips receive the body and blood of Christ, giving what it promises: forgiveness of sins and peace.

The world sees damaged goods. Christ sees a body, broken by sin and disease now restored, healed, reconciled—in Him.

** This was written in memory of my father, Louis “Spike” Boehle, who suffered a major stroke during a surgical procedure in September 2010. The stroke rendered him totally dependent on others for care. Unable to breathe properly, he had a tracheotomy and had to be on a ventilator for several weeks. Unable to swallow, he had a feeding tube for a time.

His last months of life were lived out in the hospital, rehabilitation centers and finally in a board and care home. He died on February 18, 2011, due to complications of pneumonia. Distance separated us as he lay dying, but thanks to a hospice volunteer who held the phone to my father’s ear, I was able to talk to my father, read God’s Word and pray with him until his pastor arrived.

About the Author: Deaconess Pamela Boehle-Silva , R.N., serves as a deaconess
Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Rocklin, Calif.

Confirmed in Christ

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:55:00 GMT

by James Baneck

"Whoever confesses Me before men, I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 10:32).

P: Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?

R: I do, by the grace of God.

This was the vow I took with 26 other eighth graders at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Green Bay, Wis., on May 18, 1975. There we were in our white robes. It felt like we had spent "all our lives" in the Word—from Sunday school through confirmation class. Every Sunday we were in church. Every summer we attended vacation Bible school. Every year we dressed up and rehearsed for the annual Christmas program. As we prepared ourselves on May 18 back in the mid-70s, by now we had been through the catechism, learned the books of the Bible, were taught the major Bible stories and we even had a pretty good idea of who Martin Luther was.

Yup, there we were in our white robes, ready to receive our confirmation certificates, our hymnals with our name and date engraved on the front cover and a whole bunch of confirmation gifts from friends and relatives.

All 27 of us were ready and prepared to speak these all-important confirmation vows. We were ready! We had it all down! We couldn't get any smarter about God and the Lutheran faith than we were that day in 1975!

And then the questions came. (1) Do you confess the Evangelical Lutheran Church? (I thought we were in "Our Savior" Lutheran Church. I'm not sure what this "evangelical" stuff is), but we all readily said, "I do." (2) Do you hold all the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures to be the inspired Word of God? ("Prophetic" and "Apostolic"—what? Are there two different Scriptures? I thought there was just one). But again, we all said, "I do." (3) Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it? ("Death?" What is that to an eighth grader? Sure, I'll die, but that's not going to happen until I'm really old, right?) And so, again, we all boldly said, "I do!"

I'm not trying to make light of confirmation. Surely this is a very important time in the journey of the Christian. Confirmation is a man-made rite, however; it is a rite of the Church that gives us time to pause and confess our faith in Christ Jesus.

And yet, when one is an eighth grader, does he or she really understand the depth and scope of what it means to be a Christian? For that matter, to be a Lutheran? For as much as the eighth-grade mind can comprehend, as full maturity has not yet been reached (when is it ever reached?), the eighth grader is indeed sincere about the vows he or she is making at this point in life, though with limited biblical knowledge and life experience.

This being said, however, many eighth graders are not even in Church the very next Sunday after confirmation. We were alarmed at the 50 percent drop-off rate a decade ago, and now the number continues to rise. Those who made the vow to believe the Scriptures, to stay in the faith and even to die for the faith are now chasing after the world, living in darkness apart from Christ and quite possibly even separated from the kingdom of God forever.

In our confirmation vows we promise never to leave the faith, that we would even suffer and die rather than reject the Triune God. Actually, many around the world (eighth-graders included) are indeed being killed on account of their faith in Christ Jesus. What is so great in the Gospel that we would be willing to die? What is so wonderful about Jesus that we would give up our lives rather than fall away from Him?

It is this: Jesus confesses us before His Father in heaven. What would our heavenly Father want with us sinful, dirty, rebellious, promise- breaking people? The fact is, He doesn't! God has turned His back on the sinner and judges us to eternal damnation. And so, Jesus comes in our place. He becomes the sinful, dirty, rebellious, promise- breaking people in our place.

Where do you find this sinful, dirty, rebellious, promise- breaking people? On the cross! On the cross! Jesus confesses us before the Father and says, "Father, I bore their sins, they are forgiven, their sins are no more. O, My Father, once again these are your redeemed, blood- bought, pure, righteous and holy people." God does not desert us. God does not leave us. God comes to love us and to forgive us, even as the Son confesses us before the Father.

On my confirmation day, we processed into the Church with the hymn, "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." We recessed with the hymn, "Crown Him with Many Crowns." We confess Jesus Christ. We confess the Triune God. We confess the Christian Lutheran faith because Jesus is our King! Once He wore a crown of thorns, only to give us the crown of eternal life!

Take this time to think about your confirmation day. What was the confirmation hymn? What day and year was it? What was your confirmation verse? Did you wear white robes signifying being clothed in Christ's righteousness? Were you anointed with oil reminding you of your baptism? Did you receive first communion on or around that special day?

On that day, you were reminded of God's immense immeasurable love for you. On that day, in essence, you said something like this, "What happened back at my baptism, I still believe it! I am indeed a Christian! I am a child of God in Christ Jesus! I believe in Him! I will be martyred for Him! Through His death and resurrection, I will live with Him forever!"

I invite you to talk about confirmation with your husband or wife. Sit around the dinner table some night this month and talk about the importance of Christ confessing us before the Father, and us confessing Christ before the world.

And those white robes you wore on confirmation day . . . where are they, anyway? Oh yeah, they are still on you! Daily in Holy Baptism, you wear the righteousness and purity of Jesus Christ. You are clothed with Christ everyday! So, whether we live or whether we die, we are the children of God for all eternity.

God's richest blessings to you as you celebrate your confirmation once again this year. It was a fantastic day in your journey of faith and life—a journey that continues until we leave this veil of tears and enter the eternal glory of the Triune God.

About the Author: Rev. Dr. James Baneck is president of the LCMS North Dakota District.

The Meaning of Marriage

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:31:00 GMT

by Matthew Wietfeldt

A recent study by the National Center of Health Statistics shows that the number of unmarried, cohabiting couples having children has quadrupled since the 1970s. Should this surprise the Christian? Absolutely not. Why? Sin.

Sin destroys everything and everyone that it touches, including marriage and the family. However, our Lord loves both dearly, so He makes them holy through repentance and forgiveness.

As Lutherans, we take the words of the Lord seriously. We take Him at His Word. We believe that the Scriptures don't merely contain the Word of God; they are the Word of God. So when trying to determine if living together outside of marriage is acceptable, we look to what our Lord says to us.

When marrying our first parents together in Genesis 2, God the Father said to them, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." That means marriage. Through the act of marriage, God makes two people into one flesh. He provides them with the means to support one another through all things until death parts them. The Lord also gives man and woman the command to "be fruitful and multiply." Marriage begins the family, and sex and children follow.

Later, in Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), our Lord gives us a more detailed explanation of the scope of marriage. He says in the Sixth Commandment, "You shall not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14). In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther explained this to mean, "We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husbands and wives love and honor each other."

What does "sexually pure and decent" really mean? It is sex between a husband and a wife and no one else. That means that we are deliberate in how we speak to each other and how we act with one other. Don't act like a husband if you're not a husband, and don't act like a wife if you're not wife. Instead, get married and actually be husband and wife, loving and honoring one another.

When asked about marriage and divorce, our Lord, Jesus Christ, said, "What God has joined together let no man separate" (Matt. 19:6). When He puts things together, they are to stay that way. Conversely, when they haven't been put together, they stay that way until they are put together by the Lord. When our Lord blesses something, He then also provides strength, support and forgiveness for it. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in and on us, making our marriages holy.

So what are we as Christians to do in a culture that rejects God's gift of marriage, sex within its bounds and children? Repent. Turn from your sin. Receive Jesus' forgiveness. And do not forget to pray. Pray for all marriages and all families, that the Lord who makes two into one flesh would richly bless them with His love, joy and mercy.

The state of marriage is under a full assault from the devil. He will use whatever means necessary to destroy what God has created. Pray also for all God's children. Pray that love may abound in all homes. Pray that forgiveness may be the first word spoken between husbands and wives, parents and children. Pray that you and all people receive an increase of the Holy Spirit, for it is only through Him that we may repent of our sinful lives, amend our ways and live joyfully in the comfort of God's grace.

About the Author: The Rev. Matthew Wietfeldt is associate pastor and principal
of Trinity Lutheran Church and School, Nashville, Ill.

The Phoniness of Easter

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:19:00 GMT

by Donald Jordan

"Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. Alleluia!" With that joyous acclamation to one another and to the world, one would think that Easter and the resurrection of Christ from the dead would not only be a joyous day but an exuberant time as well. In reality, however, Easter seems to be almost anticlimactic in our churches and lives.

For forty days during Lent, there is an intensity like no other season. We pray, fast, meditate and exert ourselves with mid-week services, Holy Week services, Easter preparations, Easter services, Easter dinners and all the social aspects of egg hunts, baskets, hats, special clothing, family get-togethers and extra duties that seem to come crashing down upon us in the "finish line" of Easter.

Parishioners even question their pastors, "Aren't you glad Easter is here so you can finally relax some?" They realize that the rigors of Lent and Holy Week mean extra work.

There is even an element of phoniness in our churches at Easter (and Christmas). Attendance at Easter services is dramatically high. People are dressed in their finest. Most everyone seems rather chipper. A breakfast might be served. Trumpets are blaring. Everything is celebratory. While none of these components is bad, it does strike us that some of this could be a passing fabrication, that coming to church on this special Sunday is based on the culture and may not be genuine.

This certainly is evident in the Sunday after Easter as church attendance dips back to normal or even below normal. Gone is the excitement and fervor of Easter. Life returns to normalcy in the Church and world. The flowers fade, and the lilies begin to wilt. In a sense, there is a letdown that begins with and continues after Easter.

Yet, this is certainly not the way of Scripture and the liturgical year. The Scriptures tell us that Christ, the risen Lord, made His appearances to His disciples and the Church, bringing them the joy and peace of the Gospel in His life, death and resurrection. When they were sad and forlorn, He came to them bodily, instilling in them a confident faith. He spoke to them, charging the apostles with the task of administering the Office of the Keys as they preached the Gospel and administered the Sacraments to a dying world. As they did, the Church grew and became emboldened in the proclamation of the Gospel to the whole world.

Easter made a difference in the disciples' lives. It was not a letdown to them. Instead, it was the springboard for a real life in Christ that is lived each day in the power of His resurrection.

Easter is not a letdown. Christ is risen. We are raised to new life in Baptism each day. The celebration continues for forty days until the Ascension of our Lord and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. So, come Easter, let the rejoicing begin.

About the Authors: The Rev. Donald Jordan is pastor of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chico, Calif.

October Baby

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:35:00 GMT

by Ed and Ruthie Szeto

October Baby is a touching movie about a young woman who, upon learning that she was adopted after a failed abortion attempt, embarks on a journey to find her birth mother. The movie's tagline, "Every life is beautiful," plays off of Psalm 139: "For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (vv. 13–14).

The main character, nineteen-year-old Hannah, collapses on stage during a play. After a series of medical tests, her doctor and parents tell her of her premature birth and adoption after a failed abortion. Hannah's doctor explains that her life-long and current medical issues (epilepsy, asthma, etc.) are related to her traumatic birth.

Hannah struggles with anger and betrayal at her parents for concealing her adoption and the circumstances of her birth. At the same time, she struggles to understand who she is, where she came from and why her mother would make the decision to end the life of her own child.

With little information to go on other than her birthplace of Mobile, Ala., Hannah embarks on a road trip with her best friend, Jason, hoping to find something that will lead her to her birth mother and answers to her questions.

Hannah finds her birth mother (a very strong and moving performance by Shari Rigby) but is devastated when she receives no answers and no happy ending. Instead, she is rejected and denied. Defeated and lost, Hannah is brought home by her father.

Although she and her parents are Christians and Hannah's father finally apologizes to her for hiding the truth, Hannah is stuck in her anger and pain. Searching for something she can't name, Hannah visits a Roman Catholic church. A caring priest tells her that what she's looking for can't be found on a road trip or in a cathedral but only on the cross. He reminds her of God's forgiving love and the blessings that come with forgiving others.

In this forgiveness, Hannah finds her way back home, forgiving her adoptive parents and, ultimately, giving her birth mother the gift of her forgiveness. This provides the most compelling moment of the movie as her mother faces the reality of the choice she made 20 years earlier.

Why we like this movie

Despite some of the weak dialogue and superfluous plot devices used to move the story forward, October Baby is a credible and refreshing movie with beautiful cinematography and some terrific performances. The primary themes of forgiveness and redemption (along with its clearly pro-life, Christian message) will be satisfying to Christian viewers. Conversely, secular critics and those squarely in the pro-choice camp posit that the movie is trite, melodramatic and unbelievable because of its basic premise of a child surviving an abortion.

One of the strongest performances in the movie is by Jasmine Guy. Guy portrays the nurse, Mary, who was present the day of Hannah's mother's abortion attempt. Most of the truth about the reality of abortion comes from Mary's re-telling of the story of Hannah's mother, the abortion attempt and Hannah's subsequent birth. "It was tissue," Mary says to Hannah, explaining what the culture led her to believe about the abortions she assisted with. "Tissue that couldn't survive. Non-viable tissue."

Mary's penetrating line, "When you hear something enough times, somehow you start to believe it" also explains much of our culture's rapid shift toward the acceptance of the incomprehensible: women killing their pre-born children while calling it a personal choice.

The additional themes of post-abortion healing, chivalry, adoption, sexual purity, obeying the Fourth Commandment and parental sacrifice make October Baby a life-affirming movie that does not disappoint.

Shari Rigby, who portrays the birth mother, is post-abortive but had not revealed that to anyone until the writers sent her the film's manuscript. Her heartfelt revelation during the closing credits gives us the final "ah" moment in a movie that has already delivered.

Playing a role that so closely mirrored her own life helped to bring "complete healing in the moment. That wasn't acting," she said. Instead, it gave her a chance to find comfort and assurance from Christ. "It's over," she said, and "[I've] been forgiven."

For more information on the movie, go to www.octoberbabymovie.net. An additional resource containing short messages can be found at "Every Life is Beautiful" (www.everylifeisbeautiful.com).

About the Authors: Edward Szeto serves as LCMS Life Ministries Coordinator.
He and his wife, Ruthie, live in Woodbridge, Va.

Those Who Are Away

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:16:00 GMT

by Dale Sattgast

“Tend the flock of God that is in your charge” (1 Peter 5:2a). Recently, every congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod was supposed to return its annual statistical report. Most often, the pastor takes the responsibility for making certain that specific information is gathered and the report is sent. The report notes such things as the total baptized and confirmed membership of a congregation, the average attendance in worship, Bible class, Sunday school and other important statistics.

One statistic not included on the report is the number of people who are members of the congregation but who have moved away. Perhaps that should be included.

Nearly every congregation has some “away members.” In some congregations, the number is small. In other congregations, those who live in other communities and in other states make up a sizeable percentage of the total membership.

Reasons vary why people who have moved haven’t transferred their membership. For some, their move has been recent. They are adjusting to a new job, a new home, a new community. They also are looking for a new church home where they can be nourished faithfully and regularly through God’s Word and Sacraments and where they can enjoy the fellowship of other brothers and sisters in the faith. Perhaps they are exploring a couple of congregations--hopefully congregations of the LCMS—but they haven’t yet decided. But they will make their decision in a matter of weeks or months.

For others, their move has not been recent. Some have been gone from their home congregation for years or even decades and have not yet transferred to a sister congregation in the LCMS nor affiliated with a congregation of any other denomination. Some attend the divine services of other congregations. Others don’t.

That often gives rise to the question: “What about those who are away?”

That’s a good question. Hopefully it’s asked not with the intention just of cleaning up the church records, but with a serious concern for the spiritual welfare of those who are living away.

There is a reason that God has given the Third Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy,” and why Luther explained that we should “fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” It is through God’s Word of Law that we are called to see our sins and repent of them. It is through God’s Word of grace and the Gospel that we are called to Christ as our Savior and receive His blood-bought, cross-earned, grave-shattering forgiveness and salvation. Through His Word and Sacraments, our faith continually is nourished and we are strengthened for living as God’s people.

The writer to the Hebrews encouraged the early Christians against neglecting to meet together in worship and fellowship (Heb. 10:25) and against drifting away from their faith and from what they had learned (2:1). Those words of encouragement are still important and emphasize the necessity of staying connected to our Triune God and Savior, to His Word, to the Church, which is the Body of Christ, and to other Christian believers. That’s important no matter where we live.

Your pastor has been called to be the pastor of all of the members of your congregation whether they are local or live away. At his installation, your pastor heard the responsibility that he is to “tend the flock of God that is in your charge.”

As your pastor takes his responsibility seriously, he will pray for all members of the congregation. He will do his best to get to know all of the members--local and away—and to be their faithful shepherd. But he also will discover that for those who live away, his task is much more difficult.

One of his important pastoral responsibilities is to encourage those who are out of college or the military and who have settled in new communities to find a new church home—hopefully LCMS—where they regularly will be fed and nourished with God’s Word and Sacraments.

Each of you can help your pastor. Continue to remember in your prayers those who live away. If someone is a member of your family or someone you have known well, encourage that person to find a faithful congregation and become part of the Body of Christ in that place. When your pastor is doing his duty to encourage those who are away to transfer, give him your support and encouragement. That’s part of his work of tending his flock and caring for the needs of the sheep who are away but are still in his care until they come under the care of another faithful pastor.

About the Author: The Rev. Dr. Dale Sattgast is president of the LCMS South Dakota District.

Real Life Hunger Games

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:52:00 GMT

by Philip B. Wolf

For many, it is the latest fascination. For those washed shameless in God’s Sacrament of Baptism, it is the latest divine dinner bell calling from Camp Calvary to us, the satisfied, to serve those yet unsatisfied with the permanent solution to their hunger for life and love. For everyone, it’s The Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games is the first of the Suzanne Collins’ trilogy of books, which also includes Catching Fire and Mockingjay, and its fan base is large and pervasive, especially since the book is coming to the big screen this month.

While the hunger games actually started in Gen. 3:6 in the Garden of Eden (and in Gen. 3:23-24, immediately east of the Garden of Eden), this latest version takes place in the not-so-distant future in the fictional country of Panem. The science-fiction/action/drama novel and movie portray a war-ravaged Panem still reeling from the effects of battle. Nearly 75 years later, the citizens are still under the control of the Capitol, which overtook the 12 surrounding districts and forced them to support the Capitol with their resources.

Life is one long party of super-abundance and unbridled self-indulgence for residents of the Capitol. But those in the districts suffer great deprivation, little freedom and ferocious punishment from the Capitol “peacekeepers” for infractions of any sort.

To make matters worse, the Capitol keeps the districts under control in a horribly gruesome way: by annually “reaping” one male and one female from each district to serve as “tributes” in the Hunger Games. The games are annual reminders to the citizens of Panem’s districts that they are never again to rebel against the Capitol, as they did during the war.

In The Hunger Games, tributes compete in the gladiator-like, nationally-televised arena, where the last living competitor is the winner. This futuristic reality TV is graphic entertainment for the citizens of the Capitol but heart-wrenching, psychological oppression for the district’s residents.

The main character of the story is 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, whose 12-year-old sister, Primrose, is selected as the girl tribute from District 12 in the reaping. Katniss lovingly volunteers to take her sister’s place. When Katniss leaves for the games with the male tribute from her district, Peeta, the movie’s tension skyrockets in the uncertainty of whether theirs is a relationship of love or not. Throughout the book and the movie, readers and viewers learn more about the hunger for real, true life and, therefore, also real, true love, both of which are universal and timeless.

This world’s original parents, Adam and Eve, knew this hunger from the moment they sinned in Gen. 3:6, and it only grew stronger by verses 23–24. They did not realize they already had what they thought they were acquiring. Because of their mistaken and misguided hunger, they and all their descendants came to know real, true death and lovelessness. They were now in a survival situation along with the citizens of Panem and us.

Thankfully, we have the promise of ultimate survivor status. This guarantee was fulfilled in Luke 2:11 and John 19:30. We see in Rom. 5:1–11 that the one, truly sufficient “tribute” justly due God has been paid by God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us while we were yet sinners. The waters of Baptism have washed away all the damning shame of our sin. God declares us just, as though we never sinned. We have peace with God in His Son, Christ Jesus, and in the sacrifice of His life-blood on Calvary’s cross. His empty tomb on Easter is our receipt from God, guaranteeing that Jesus’ eternal life is also our eternal life with Him in heaven. Because God gave us faith at Baptism, we are guaranteed survivors of our “hunger games” with all their life-threatening perils. But that’s not all. “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37)

Real life and love seemed more like fiction than fact to Katniss in The Hunger Games. Things seldom were the way she thought they should be. She was confused and unsure of herself throughout The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

But by God’s grace, we stand in certainty of God’s gift of His eternal life and love. Because of our Baptisms, we are perfectly confident that we have God’s eternal life and love in faith in Christ Jesus. And since we are so confident of being far more than survivors of this life’s “hunger games,” we are free. We are free to witness our new hunger for God’s Word of life in His Word and Sacraments, which most certainly give God’s real, eternal life and love.

Here, all hunger for life and love is satisfied in Christ. Here, life and love are not games at which we play. Here, life and love are pure, perfect reality with no uncertainty, no illusions or deceptions and no fine-print escape clauses. Here, Christ stands in our place. Here, we are blessed.

About the Author: The Rev. Philip B. Wolf is pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Purdy, Mo.

I Just Need to Find Myself: Reaching Christian Students in Secular Universities

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

by Naomi Stephens

Every paper I wrote as an undergraduate was finished sometime between the magic hours of 3:00 and 6:00 a.m. Wilted in the back corner of a Starbucks, I’d bash my head frantically on the keyboard, waiting for my creative juices just to get with the program. Then, wired on yet more caffeine, I’d head back into my dorm room, only to re-emerge like a zombie in the morning. Then it was off to my beloved literature classes, where my fellow Concordia students and I would talk about God. Let me say that again: We talked about God.

True, for students in parochial institutions, this hardly seems earth-shattering. But consider the students who push through the trenches of secular universities. For them, it makes all the difference in the world. They, too, struggle with looming deadlines and waning caffeine supplies, but they head into classrooms where to discuss Jesus Christ is to broach an unfathomable and politically incorrect subject, where to do so is to suffer reproach and isolation at the hands of their instructors and peers.

I now study and teach at a state university, where this seemingly distant anxiety becomes an immediate and painful reality. Herds of our students thrust themselves into higher education, lost to the arduous task of “finding themselves.” But is education really enough to find oneself? Certainly not. As Luther says, “Human wisdom and the liberal arts are noble gifts of God . . . but they can never thoroughly tell us what sin and righteousness are . . . how we can get rid of sins, become pious and just before God and pass from death into life . . . wisdom divine and art supreme are required for this; and one find[s] them in the Bible alone, which is the Holy Spirit’s Book.”

Our students are bombarded with opportunities for falling away from Christ, His Church and their fellow believers. We are losing our young people in a very real—and very dangerous—way. I see it every day as both a student and as an instructor. When I left Concordia just a year ago, armed with a diploma and the faint but sure notion that God wanted me to reach these students, I thought it would be easy. Nothing could be harder.

Students leave our churches in vans stuffed with dorm essentials: some overpriced textbooks, an arsenal of ramen noodles and a new wardrobe for starting a new chapter of life. But we must arm them with more than this, for far too many of them won’t return to the Church.

Without a continued footing in Holy Scripture, extended fellowship with the church and continued reassurance in Christ crucified, our students are doomed to flounder in the world and fail. We have been blessed with opportunities for continuing their spiritual growth, and we must not wink away these opportunities. Yes, our students will always feel lost in universities, which are mere extensions of a sinful world. But we must not resign ourselves to this. Rather, when students endeavoring to find themselves feel lost in the world, we must urge them to rejoice, as Christ instructs, that their names are not written in the world but in heaven (Luke 10:20).

Consider this a call to arms. Support these students, reaching out to them with prayerfulness and love, offering both spiritual guidance and vigilant counseling. Lost in liberal institutions, surrounded by liberal professors in liberal fields, our students must learn that ours is not a losing battle. Every door we open—even the door of a secular university—presents new opportunities to reveal just how frail the world truly is and simultaneously to reveal the preeminence of Christ. Students must not rely on education alone to sustain them, though it offers manifold blessings. Students likewise must not turn to colleges to “find themselves,” for in Christ, they have already been found.

About the Author: Naomi Stephens is an instructor of English at Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne and a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Milford, Ohio.

A Sacred Precious Gift

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:53:58 GMT

by Rev. Christopher Hall

He formed our inward parts. He knitted us in our mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13). God has created each and every person. But God creates and forms the inward parts of every insect, each and every bird, each and every microbe. What makes human life sacred? What makes Christians defend the born and unborn, the youngest and oldest?

Often we begin at the beginning, in the primeval days of earth, at the creation of the first humans. Believers will point to the image of God in which our first parents were created (Gen. 1:27). Or we could point to the dominion that Adam and Eve were given to exercise over all creation (Gen. 1:28).

But there is another reason human life is sacred in all its forms and stages: Christ. The Son of God took on human flesh, becoming a true human being, a real man, and this is the central difference between us and all creation. He chose humans to save and chose a human to be. This is why human life in every form is a sacred, precious gift.

Even more remarkable is the mystery that our salvation in Christ is the basis for our image and dominion. Christ is both before and in creation. “Even as He chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4).

Before the creation, God had ordained that we were to be “in Christ.” The revelation of the Old Testament points forward to this, and the New Testament reveals it, but our identity even before creation is based in Christ, the God-Man.

Christ became a human and so gives all humans infinite worth. Christ loves and died for the entire world, for each and every person to restore the image of God, to give us sanctified and forgiven dominion. A life in the womb is a life for whom Jesus bled and suffered all. A body riddled with cancer and suffering is one for whom Jesus bled and died.

We honor human life and call it sacred because of who is sacred before all things and who became a human too. Christ is all-in-all and gives us all meaning, gives us all gifts, gives us our identity, in and out of the womb.

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About the Author: Rev. Christopher D. Hall is third vice-president of the LCMS Oklahoma district and pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Enid, Okla.

Try Before You Buy: The Dangers of MaterniT21

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:58:00 GMT

by Deb Grime

A new prenatal blood test called MaterniT21 can now evaluate the DNA of a baby before he or she is born and determine if the child has Down Syndrome with 99 percent accuracy. But now that the option is available, will more women opt for such tests? And more importantly, will this lead to more women having abortions?

The concept of testing for genetic differences while women are pregnant is not new. What makes this test attractive is that it minimizes the risks to baby and mother. Presently, if the mother's history or other blood tests show an increased risk of having a baby with Down Syndrome, an amniocentesis is offered. This test places a needle into the sac around the baby and draws off a small amount of fluid. The baby's cells are collected, and the DNA is analyzed. This has more risks than an ultrasound or blood test, but until Materni21, it was the most accurate test for Down Syndrome. It is still the gold standard for other genetic abnormalities.

Since genetic testing has been done, fewer babies with Down Syndrome have been born. In the past, doctors and parents didn't know the health of the unborn child. Now, however, more couples have chosen to abort their children when they find out that the child has Down Syndrome. So, what happens next?

Morally, the blood test for prenatal diagnosis is no different than a blood test for cancer or thyroid disease. The test gives you information. It's what you do with the information that tells what you think and believe. How true Jesus' statement: "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander" (Matt. 15:19).

How does a Lutheran Christian deal with suboptimal news? There are many different ways to look at the same information. Suppose test results say that you have a terminal disease. Will you commit suicide? Do you try to treat the problem? Do you choose to do nothing, letting the disease kill you?

There is one key difference between prenatal testing and testing on adults, however. In prenatal testing, the baby has no input. I've had patients tell me that unless they have a "perfect" child they will not be happy and would abort any baby with any abnormality. They do not believe that they can handle caring for the child. They are afraid that the baby's issues will interfere with their work, marriage and other family members. They refuse to believe the Bible when it tells us that life begins at conception. They do not see any moral issue with abortion.

What they don't understand is that God wraps His gifts in different packages, hidden from those that don't believe His Word. But by His grace, we are gathered to Christ and called to be faithful to the Word, not to what we think will make us happy.

Other patients tell me that they wouldn't want to know if their child had any problem, even if the information would help me (an OB/GYN) with the delivery, because they fear that they would not be able to fight the temptation to have an abortion. They don't want to have friends and family pressure them to make a choice that they know is wrong. It may be best for them not to have testing.

I've had still other patients who know that they would never have an abortion and desire to know for planning purposes. Different arrangements for delivery, the parents' work schedules and educational opportunities ornetworking with other parents whose child has similar problems can all make the child's birth and entry into the home easier. All this is to say, what you believe will influence your decision to have prenatal testing.

Will MaterniT21 cause an increase in abortion rates? No, but couples who think their child has Down Syndrome have an increased risk for abortion. The only way to change that, short of making abortion illegal again, is to change the hearts of people. Pray for the unhardening of America's heart toward the unborn. Let God use you. Love and care for those who have disabilities. Teach your children that life begins at conception. Be pro-life with your words, deeds and dollars. By God's grace, we will stand firm in advocating a culture of life, sharing the good news that Christ has "set [us] apart before [we were] born, and . . . called [us] by His grace" (Gal. 1:15).

About the Author: Dr. Debra L. Grime, MD, is an OB/GYN from Fort Wayne, Ind.

Worship for the Weary

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:47:00 GMT

by Tim Pauls

I'm all for hearty praise, good feelings and new insight in worship, but if these are lacking, it doesn't mean the service is a bust.

I offer the hypothetical of a parishioner who is fighting cancer. Given his illness and the withering effects of chemotherapy, he's low on energy of all kinds. He feels no joy and dozes during the sermon. But then he receives the Lord's Supper, and so he goes home confident that he remains a forgiven child of God. For one near death, there's no better assurance.

Replace that hypothetical with the grieving new widow or parents trying to teach small children to sit still in the pew. For all sorts of reasons, Christians are weary bunch. They're tempted or prevented from focusing in worship as they should, but because of the Lord's work in His Word and Sacraments, they can still be certain that He forgives them.

A recent article entitled "Survey: Half of churchgoer's lives not affected by time in pews" summarized a study in which 46 percent of churchgoing Americans reported that their lives have not changed due to their church attendance. Additionally, only 44 percent feel God's presence in church every week, and a full 60 percent could not remember a significant new insight from their last visit to church. The article describes this as "a finding sure to disappoint pastors."

Personally, I'm more concerned about the survey. Its methodology and specific questions aren't available, nor are its results particularly useful. Consider those who complain of little insight: It's quite possible they are hearing poor preaching. But it's equally possible that many don't consider good preaching to be insightful because they're looking for another message.

Or consider those who apparently don't feel God's presence every week. In many churches, a sense of God's presence is reduced to emotional feeling, as in, "I feel Jesus in my heart." But God isn't present because we feel Him. He's present because He says He's in His means of grace, whether we feel Him or not.

Remember the hypothetical cancer patient, widow and young parents I mentioned before. Because of their circumstances, all would likely say their lives hadn't changed because of worship; they didn't feel God's presence, and they derived little new insight. But all of them could also say that they were certain that God was present and that they were forgiven there. It is certain because God says so, not because they feel it. What comfort!

I remember a mother remarking, "With little kids, I don't hear much between the Invocation and the Benediction, but thanks to the Supper, I know I've received forgiveness." God grant to preachers sermons that are packed with insightful Law and Gospel, and God grant to churchgoers freedom from distractions and thirst for the pure Word. But where matters are less than ideal because of sin or circumstance, God grant faith that acknowledges His presence and grace anyway, according to His promises. There's no better comfort for the weary.

About the Author: Pastor Tim Pauls serves at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Boise, Idaho.

Does God Want Tim Tebow to Win?

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:06:22 GMT

by Hans Fiene

After Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow led his team to six, fourth-quarter/overtime comebacks this season, people have wondered, “Since Tim Tebow is a devout Christian who isn’t afraid to talk about his faith in public, is God responsible for these victories? Does God want Tebow and his team to win?” But whenever this question has been asked, many have been quick to respond with a resounding no. With confidence they assert, “God doesn’t care about football.”

But I don’t think we can say that. God might care about football. In fact, He might even want Tebow and the Broncos to win.

While some might object to the idea of God caring about football (or any other sport) because it is far too insignificant to catch the attention of the One who created the heavens and the earth, the Bible paints a far different picture for us—one of a God who cares deeply about the most insignificant of people and who intervenes in the humblest of circumstances in order to bless the world. God cared so much about the cries of an insignificant, barren woman named Rachel that He opened her womb and gave her a son. He cared so much about a little shepherd boy named David that He gave him victory over lions and bears when he tended his flock.

And in caring deeply about these seemingly insignificant people, God blessed the entire world. Through Rachel’s son Joseph, God preserved His people in Egypt and preserved the seed that would give mankind its Savior in Jesus Christ. Through David, God brought forth a king whose throne would one day be filled by the King of kings, who now sits on that throne in glory.

And God might choose to bless His people in the same way, somehow, through something as insignificant as a football game. God might have granted the Broncos these victories so that sinners will hear Tim Tebow or another Christian confess Christ and His salvation. In the same way, God might deal some other quarterback a crushing Super Bowl defeat in order to get him out of the NFL, into the seminary and then into a congregation where he will faithfully serve the Church with the forgiveness of sins.

Of course, we don’t know if God ever has cared about sports in this way or if He ever will. Because the Scriptures are silent on this matter, we can’t answer the question of whether or not God cares about football with any authority.

But with the authority of the Bible behind us, we can say that God does care about us. He loves the lowly who catch footballs and cherishes the insignificant who merely watch them do it. God loves Tim Tebow and every other sinner who has been covered in the blood of Christ. And He will never cease to bless us with that blood, whether He uses the National Football League to do that or not.

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About the Author: The Rev. Hans Fiene is pastor of River of Life Lutheran Church in Channahon, Ill.

Is Marriage Obsolete or Just Misunderstood?

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:26:00 GMT

by Gene Edward Veith

What with gay marriage, single parenthood, “just living together” and soaring divorce rates, it’s little wonder that 40 percent of Americans think that marriage is obsolete. Most Americans no longer think marriage is necessary for having sex. (60 percent believe it’s morally acceptable to have sex before marriage.) Or necessary for living together (55 percent). Or for having children (53 percent).

So, why get married at all? The Pew Research Center, the source of these statistics, notes further than marriage rates are going down. In 1960, 72 percent of American adults were married; today, not quite half are married. In 1960, 68 percent of young adults in their 20s were married; today, that percentage is only 26 percent.

These findings reflect not just the new ideas and swinging behavior of the culturally elite. They apply specifically to ordinary Americans. Actually, the Pew study finds that college graduates and people with higher incomes marry at a much higher rate (64 percent) than those with just a high school education (48 percent). So, where does that leave Christians?

One problem may be that few people have a good understanding of what marriage even is. Perhaps the most common assumption today is that what makes a marriage is love, understood as a romantic attraction. When two people love each other, they get married. It follows, though, that if the feeling fades--if one spouse decides “I don’t love you anymore”--then there is no longer any basis for the marriage.

The next step is divorce. As some pastors can testify, some couples who insist on writing their own wedding vows want to replace “As long as we both shall live” with “As long as we both shall love.”

Notice the assumptions in the gay marriage debates. If marriage is based on nothing more than a romantic attraction--as both sides often assume--it’s hard to see why two people of the same sex who have a romantic attraction to each other shouldn’t get married. Also in play is the unromantic view that marriage is just a legal contract that gives certain rights and privileges, such as tax advantages, access to shared property and hospital visitation rights.

If that’s what marriage is, it’s hard to see why two people of the same sex shouldn’t get in on these benefits. It’s also hard to see why the government, which supervises contract laws, shouldn’t be able to just change those any way it pleases.

Some Christians are just throwing their hands up in the air. “Let’s get the government out of the marriage business,” they say, being echoed also by secular libertarians. “The church can still perform weddings for Christians and promote biblical marriage. Let the non-believers do whatever they want.”

This solution has its problems, not the least of which is the difficulty of sustaining traditional marriage in a culture and a legal system that does not recognize it (like today, only much worse.) Besides, marriage is not just for Christians.

In the Lutheran understanding, marriage is not a sacrament--which would restrict it to just Christians--but it has been established by God in His very creation of human beings (Gen. 2:18–25). Marriage is God’s provision for His earthly kingdom, how He governs and blesses all human societies, including people who do not know Him. Marriage is God starting a family.

Marriage and families belong to God’s civil order. The Reformation worked hard to wrest control of marriage from the Church--which imposed all kinds of restrictions and legalisms--and to give legal jurisdiction instead to the state, which is also an institution through which God works.

Marriage, in short, is a vocation. God calls men and women into their marriages, and He works through them to bless each other. They become “one flesh.” God is the one who joined them together, as Jesus Himself explains: “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matt. 19:5–6).

Moreover, marriage is an image of Christ and the church. Just as our heavenly Father is the reality behind all earthly fatherhood, Christ and the church is the reality behind all earthly marriage. Wives are told to submit to their husbands as the church does to Christ, and husbands are told to “give themselves up” for their wives as Christ did for the church (Eph. 5:25–33).

The purpose of every vocation is loving and serving the neighbors whom that vocation brings into your life. This involves denying yourself for the good of another person. Sacrificing for others is what it means to follow Christ and to bear the cross in our vocations.

The office of marriage entails only one neighbor. The husband loves and serves his wife, and the wife loves and serves her husband. The unpopular command for the wife to “submit” and the forgotten command for the husband to “give himself up” for his wife are examples of the self-denial required in every vocation. The husband, emulating Christ, sacrifices himself for his wife, who, emulating the church, receives that sacrifice in submission to him.

Today’s culture gets marriage wrong, in large part, because of our obsession with the self. People assume that marriage is supposed to be about self-fulfillment. Christianity, in contrast, teaches self-denial. The irony is that in a Christian view of marriage, both spouses are fulfilled, not by each of them making self-centered demands, but through the selfless actions of the other.

So, will marriage cease to exist? Not a chance. What God has established stays.

Luther said that God compels people to get married. And indeed, marriage, as God defines it, is what people, despite their confusions, really crave. A recent study of the “hook-up” culture has found that even the sexually promiscuous are looking for that “one person.” Those with broken marriages tend to keep trying. Those who dispense with marriage, but have sex and children anyway, pay the price. Our culture does not make it easy for people to find the right person to marry--and not everyone is called to marry--but nevertheless marriages happen. According to a Barna study, four out of five adults do get married eventually.

Marriage can no more be obsolete than the body or children or the creation itself can become obsolete. The church can help, though, by teaching about the vocation of marriage and by cultivating marriages that can show the world what marriage is all about.

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About the Author: Dr. Gene Edward Veith is the Provost at Patrick Henry College and the Director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary.

Advent: Wanting, Waiting and Welcoming

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:50:00 GMT

by Gregory Alms

Advent is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Church Year seasons. It gets no respect. In the mad rush to Christmas, the season of Advent can get pushed aside like hapless shoppers in the way of a bargain at Wal-Mart. When churches try to keep this time of preparation for the birth of Christ and His second coming, people easily get impatient. Where are the Christmas decorations? Why can’t we turn on the lights on the tree at church? Why we can’t sing more Christmas hymns since we hear them at the mall? When the entire world seems to be awash in Santa and decorations, no one seems to care much about Advent.

But we lose much if we throw away Advent. It has its own special message that helps deepen our faith in Christ, especially in the midst of the consumerist carnival that engulfs December. Advent encourages Christians to have a proper attitude toward possessions. It teaches us that waiting and faith are central to our Christian lives, and it prepares our hearts to receive and welcome Christ. Advent is the antidote for the commercial Christmas frenzy and a template for our entire Christian lives.

Wanting

We want so much when the season of gifts rolls around. But Advent says that this world’s treasures are temporary. The lessons and hymns for the end of the Church Year and Advent proclaim that this world will soon end. The possessions and things we so ardently wish for will be burned up with fire: “Flames on flames will ravage earth, as Scripture long has warned us” (LSB 508).

But presents cannot give us what we truly desire. Advent tells us that what we really want for Christmas is to be joined to our Creator, who made us in His image. The hymns of Advent repeatedly express this longing and desire for Christ. We call out, “O, come desire of nations” (LSB 357), and we pray, “Come thou long expected Jesus” (LSB 338). Only the Son of God who comes in human flesh in the manger, dies on the cross and will soon return can fill this desire.

Advent reorients all our frantic wanting and points it to the manger. The Word of God takes on our flesh to fill us with Himself, making us partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). He takes on our flesh in order to blot out our sins with His blood.

Indeed, the one who comes to us from heaven is our heart’s true desire. “Blessed is He whom comes in the name of the Lord” (Ps. 118:26). Advent tells us we are empty, hungry sinners but proclaims even more loudly that the One who can fill us will soon appear.

Waiting

The time of Advent also teaches us that we must wait. Even the commercial Christmas is filled questions like, “How many days until Christmas?”

Advent in the church is also a season of “not yet.” Another way of saying this is that Christians live by faith. As the letter to the Hebrews tells us, faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

Living by faith means waiting for what is not yet here. Christ promises to return and to bring the new heaven and the new earth where all tears are wiped away. But while we wait, we hear God’s Word, cling to His promises and endure suffering.

In reality, all our life is one big Advent season. Christians are always called to be watchful, and thus we ponder our need for a Savior as well as our sin and mortality. This is a lesson that we absorb now but practice all year long: repentance, faith and waiting for the One who comes in our flesh to die for us, take away our sin and one day return.

Welcoming

Advent also directs us to Jesus’ presence among us now by pointing us to the Virgin Mary. Mary had her own “Advent season” before she gave birth to Jesus, but Mary’s season of waiting was not an empty one. Instead, she was filled by the Word of God, and she received that Word in faith.

That welcoming is what the church does now. As we wait for Christmas and Christ’s final coming, we are not alone. Christ is not far from us. We welcome Him as Mary did: hearing His Word and receiving it in faith. When God’s Word is proclaimed to us, Christ comes and is present with us. The Holy Spirit, working through the Word just as He did with Mary, creates faith in us so that we might receive Christ. Then, the church, like Mary, is filled with His presence by being filled with His Word.

Advent is a time to want and to wait, but it is also a time for all of us to welcome Christ by hearing His voice and believing in it. The church receives Christ but also gives birth to Him through the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments, through the faithful witness of men and women in the world in their vocations and through their sharing of the love and message of Christ.

This Advent, don’t be so quick to hurry on to Christmas. Hear what the hymns and Scriptures have to say. What we truly want is a Savior, and while we wait for Him, we fill ourselves with His Word. Someday soon we will welcome His glorious coming, joining with Him and all the saints in the feast that never ends.

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About the Author: The Rev. (Paul) Gregory Alms is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Catawba, N.C.

How to Reclaim Parental Spiritual Responsibility in Advent

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:12:00 GMT

by Stan Palmer

Although written from a modern evangelical perspective (Fuller Youth Institute), "Silence is Not Golden" is a thought-provoking discussion about the ongoing parental challenge of effectively communicating and nurturing the Christian faith in our children. It is a problem that not only transcends denominational boundaries, but it is one that is worsening in our post-modern culture.

The author poignantly identifies the root problem: a "church culture that [has] allowed parents to outsource the development of their own kids to the youth leader." This outsourcing mentality, of course, is not new. Many educators lament that parents have abdicated all teaching and educational responsibilities, leaving such matters at the doorstep of professional educators.

Sadly, many Christian parents have (intentionally or by default) done the same to spiritual training as well, thinking that such matters are best left to church professionals, such as pastors or Sunday School teachers. In their fast-paced, chaotic lives, parents limit their spiritual responsibilities to dropping off their kids at Sunday School or confirmation class and picking them up later.

A bold parent might ask his or her child, “How was it?” only to receive the answer, “Fine.” Often, there is no further discussion. As the authors have clearly pointed out, the fruits parents have reaped from such attitudes are minimal. Only 12 percent of youth have a regular dialogue with their mother on “faith/life issues,” and a scant 5 percent have such conversations with their father.

Such data might leave Martin Luther reeling, but then again maybe not; he faced a similar predicament in his time. The bottom line? For parents to abdicate their God-given responsibilities as the primary spiritual leaders of their children is neither fair to the pastor, nor is it biblical (Deut. 6:6–9).

In fact, Lutheran pastors and church workers would agree with the authors: There is an urgency to reminding parents of the importance of having family devotions. Taking proactive steps to talk about faith (beyond the interview in the car) is essential.

The Holy Spirit does His work through the Word, since faith comes by hearing, and through His Sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper. It is the parents’ job, however, to create purposeful opportunities to bring Christ into conversations at home. That means not merely bringing children to church, but also speaking God's Word to them and leading them in family devotions.

This Advent, take time to restart family devotions in your household or to start them if you haven’t before. If you’re unsure of what to do, begin with the Small Catechism. Aside from the Bible, the Small Catechism is one of the most valuable tools that we Lutherans have at our disposal for family devotions! It’s easy to limit the catechism merely to being a so-called confirmation textbook, but, in fact, it’s a resource for lifelong Christian learning.

The good news is that family devotions don't have to be complicated; in fact, simpler is better. It can be as easy as reading a portion of Scripture or from the catechism and then saying the Lord's Prayer. You can also talk to your pastor. He will be more than happy to assist you with developing ideas for family devotions and can direct you to other helpful resources.

Making time for family devotions and starting purposeful conversations about the faith in the home isn’t always easy. But parents who take on the challenge of communicating and nurturing the Christian faith in their children can be assured that the Lord is there among them, at work in the lives of even His littlest ones.

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About the author: Stan Palmer is a Master of Divinity student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.

The War isn’t Over “Over Here”

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:09:01 GMT

Commentary by Mark J. Schreiber

Military planners have often remarked that the best of battle plans never survive first contact with the enemy. No matter how thorough the military strategist, no matter how penetrating the intelligence, no matter how long the experience of the war-gamer, all contingencies and possible responses can never be accounted for. The element of risk and surprise looms large in war, and the best of plans must often be changed on the spot due to unforeseen emergencies and dangerous developments.

We know two things for certain: (1) War changes things. Better said, war changes everything: those who plan it, those who fight it and those who survive it. (2) The Lord has a good plan and good purpose for all members of the military, even as they struggle to understand their place in the conflict around them.

Our nation appears to be on the brink of disengagement from Iraq by the end of 2011. The future is less than certain for Afghanistan, although the desire is just as great. America is war weary. After 10 years of continuous conflict, some 5,200 American lives have been lost and more than 35,000 wounded. The nation is groping on the edge for peace. No war can be sustained indefinitely without the will of the nation behind it. American mothers and fathers, spouses and children want their warriors back.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Ministry to the Armed Forces (MAF) is uniquely poised to offer peace—a peace more lasting and efficacious than any cease fire—to those desperate to hear it. Indeed, the Church stands ready to share Christ’s peace, the peace that passes all understanding, with men and women who have known conflict and chaos.

Everyone who returns from a war zone suffers PTS (Post Traumatic Stress). It is simply the nature of the beast. War changes the body chemistry. The body is revved up to fight; its operational tempo is increased and sustained at a higher level than in normal civilian life. Every warrior upon his or her return from the battlefield needs time to decompress, slow down and absorb the impact of war. If PTS is not addressed in this crucial return period, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can often be the result. PTSD will last a lifetime without proper intervention.

What most Americans fail to consider is that when the war is over “over there,” it still isn’t over “over here” for the veteran. In the veteran’s heart and mind, in his or her memories and soul, a silent war rages on. The sights, smells and sounds of carnage and destruction, death and dismemberment fill his mind. If there is guilt associated with the event, the trauma is multiplied and relived all over, again and again. Normal everyday stimuli can trigger instant unwanted and unpleasant flashbacks to the war zone.

Such a veteran appears normal on the street, but inside the heart and mind desperately try to grapple with a peace and sanity that so easily slips away. Anger is the new normal in all relationships. The love for family and spouse that once blossomed so romantically now seems a distant fairytale that never happened. PTSD outlives the battlefield like a virulent, hidden virus. It slowly kills love and zest for life.

But these men and women do not have to suffer alone. Ministry to the Armed Forces of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod addressed this problem three years ago. The result? Operation Barnabas. This ministry was created, implemented and supported through MAF on behalf of a caring church body for all our servicemen and women who need to hear of the profound and enduring love of Jesus Christ.

Operation Barnabas is based on the simple principle that veterans talk best with fellow veterans and that ministry to veterans must be personal, one-to-one and Christ-centered. It is led by Navy Lt. Cmdr. Mike Moreno (Naval Reserve Chaplain LCDR), who travels the country answering invitations from our churches to establish local Operation Barnabas chapters. These chapters minister to our veterans in our churches and to all those veterans living in the shadows of our churches. By the grace of God, we have attained great success already with many local chapters now in place and many congregations waiting for guidance.

War is a fact of life, a result of mankind’s fall into sin, but it is not the most terrible fact. The failure of any people to defend itself from acts of aggression, thus encouraging more aggression, and the failure to defend the defenseless in their quest for freedom is a far greater and more terrible fact of life. Thanks be to God, Christ does not leave His children alone in this suffering. Instead, He sends pastors, church bodies, a specific ministry called MAF to care for and about those men and women of the armed forces who, with their own sweat, blood and tears have paid the price to keep this nation free.

The end of war is not the end of war. We cannot forget them. We owe them not only honor and respect but also care for the wounded, for their children and for their spouses. To share Christ’s Gospel with them and, in turn, to care for them both in body and soul will achieve and produce a just and a lasting peace amongst ourselves and with all nations.

God bless you, and God bless America.

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About the Author: The Rev. Dr. Mark J. Schreiber—CAPT, CHC, USN (Ret.)—is director of LCMS World Mission’s Ministry to the Armed Forces.

For more information about Operation Barnabas and Ministry to the Armed Forces, visit www.lcms.org/armedforces.

Word and Sacrament

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:23:00 GMT

By James A. Baneck

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1 ESV).

It seems wherever you go, you run into the phrase live, laugh, love. Sometimes the words are in a different order, but these three words seem popular.

In trying to determine the origin of this phrase, I found it goes anywhere from a Megan Lee YouTube video to a Clay Walker country song to a poem by Thoreau or Whittaker.

Some say Lutheranism is boring, stuffy, old-fashioned, staunch, formal, depressing, out of date, out of sync, out of style and out of touch. Is that true, do you think? Is Lutheranism something of the past? Did it have its glory days, and now we’re on to something bigger and better?

I beg to differ. I think Lutheranism is up with the times, current, in touch and connects with people in our day and time. Even as we may use words like “Word and Sacrament,” I think the phrase live, laugh, love is right where Lutheranism is!

One old Lutheran wrote this:
It is a great thing to have the Word and a piece of bread.

That old Lutheran was sitting around a table with his friends, laughing, when he said this. And, yet, isn’t this what Lutheranism is all about? Talk about live! We live because of God’s Word in us, taking away our sins and promising to remove all the crud in our lives. Not only that, God gives us life in our daily bread as He gives us food to eat to keep our bodies moving and breathing every day. But “bread” reminds us of even more. It reminds us of the Bread of Life in Holy Communion, the very Body of Christ as He lives in and through us, taking away our sins and filling us with eternal life!

One old Lutheran wrote this:
For only the Word keeps a joyful conscience, a gracious God, and all of religion, since out of the Word, as from a spring flows our entire religion.

We live with real problems and struggles: floods that wash away our homes, fear of failing in front of our friends, bitterness with our spouse, wrestling with sexual identity, problems in our congregations--the list continues with everything that makes us sad and cry. Where, then, is the laughing?

Laughter comes from joy, and joy comes from the Word of God that declares us forgiven through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Joy comes from the Word of God, where God looks at our broken and beat-up lives and says, “You are My own.” This makes us laugh with overwhelming joy. How contemporary is that?

One old Lutheran wrote this:
There is nothing more beautiful in the eyes of God than a soul that loves to hear His Word.

There are truly many things to love in this world. We love our families, we love our country, we love a beautiful October afternoon, we love pizza, we love our favorite football team and we love pumpkin pie.

Do any of these compare to our love for Jesus Christ, who rescues us from this loveless world of deception and desertion? Jesus never turns His back on us. He always loves us. No greater love is there than Christ who laid down His life for us so that we may rise to eternal life.

This same Jesus gives us His Word, the Bible. This same Jesus gives us His flesh and blood in the Lord’s Supper. This same Jesus gives us the daily bath of the forgiveness of sins in Holy Baptism. We may love pizza or a good cup of coffee, but you and I know nothing in this world compares to Jesus Christ and our love for our precious Savior. Now we’re talking love!

This is the end of October and, to Lutherans, Oct. 31, 1517, is not out of date! This is the date in history when Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Castle Church door in Germany. This was not an old-fashioned, wimpy move on Luther’s part; this was contemporary and gutsy and cutting edge! This was the beginning of the Reformation when, in essence, Luther said, “Grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone--yes, Christ alone!”

This man, Martin Luther, is the “one old Lutheran” mentioned above with still-relevant quotes that speak to the modern ear. Sin is still sin. People still are in the need of God’s full, free forgiveness. People still are looking for hope and meaning in this life. People still are looking to live, laugh and love.

Lutherans know where to find all three--in Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

My fellow contemporary Lutherans: Happy Reformation! Our faith is not out of style. It’s real, it’s active and it has no end. So, go ahead, live, laugh and love!

About the Author: The Rev. Dr. James A. Baneck is president of the LCMS North Dakota District.

Reprinted from the October North Dakota District edition of The Lutheran Witness. LCMS congregations may reprint for parish use. All other rights reserved.

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The Jobs of Steve Jobs

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:30:00 GMT

Commentary by Gene Edward Veith

Steve Jobs, the head of Apple Computers who died Oct. 5, was by all accounts a brilliant man, a visionary.

In the few days since his death, in obituaries and other places, many have speculated about his formative years—yes, even about his faith-life. What motivated him? What did he believe? Was he raised in a Christian family? He was reportedly raised as a Lutheran. Later, though, his beliefs were notoriously difficult to pin down. Was he agnostic? Wasn’t he a Buddhist? As with his private life, evidence is elusive, and we simply do not know. Yet, he proved to be one of the few individuals who actually changed the world.

Before Steve Jobs and some friends started Apple, computers were mainly business machines, big and bulky and requiring technical expertise just to use them. Jobs, though, developed “personal computers.” Instead of having to type in code, a user could click an “icon” using a “mouse.” Other companies would run with these concepts and sell more computers than Apple ever did, but many of the seminal ideas and technologies of today’s Information Age came from Jobs.

He went on to merge technology with art. Computers became not just scientific tools but media for artistic expression. Not only were the new Macintosh computers built with an aesthetic flair, but they also could be used for publishing words and images (revolutionizing the publishing industry, changing the face of journalism, and putting the power of the printing press in the hands of anyone with an Internet connection). Architects, engineers, artists, and designers started doing their work on Apple computers.

Jobs revolutionized the entertainment industry. He pioneered computer animation. He helped develop modeling software that created three-dimensional animated images. One of his companies was Pixar Animation Studios, which made movies such as Toy Story. Such technology made its way into live action films, taking special effects to new levels. Jobs then remade the music industry with the iPod and iTunes.

As if all of this were not enough, he made personal computers even more personal with the iPad and the iPhone.

No one can deny that Steve Jobs was gifted. And gifts imply a Giver. No one can deny that Steve Jobs was good at his jobs. He had a vocation, a calling. And a calling implies a Caller.

In the Catechism that young Steve may or may not have studied, we learn that God “has given me...my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.” Our human faculties are continual gifts of God. The Catechism further teaches that “[God] richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.” These days that would surely include computers. And in the Table of Duties we learn that “Employers and Supervisors” and “Workers of All Kinds” occupy “Holy Orders and Positions.”

The Lutheran doctrine of vocation teaches that God works through human beings—in their different stations of life in the workplace, the family, the culture, and the church—to care for His creation. God calls Christians through the Gospel in their baptisms into a life of faith. He then sends them into the world to live out that faith in love and service to their neighbors. Christians know who called them. But God, in His governing of His creation, works even through those who do not know Him and those who have forgotten Him.

Jobs served his neighbors not by simply giving them what they wanted but by giving them things they had not even dreamed about. He impacted the culture not by following its lead but by leading it in new directions.

To be sure, every human creation, like every human being, is tainted with sin. For all of his giftedness, Jobs was a sinner. Similarly, we misuse the new information technology he bequeathed to us, but it remains a gift of God, one that opens up new horizons for both sin and grace.

As Christianity Today’s Andy Crouch has pointed out, the original logo of Jobs’ company combines two biblical images: a bitten apple, the sign of the Fall, colored with a rainbow, the sign of God’s promise of mercy, pointing ahead to a new covenant, to Christ, to baptism. Thus, though probably unintentionally, the Apple logo is an “icon” of Law and Gospel. Unfortunately, the latest rendition of the logo does away with the rainbow. Like Steve Jobs, we have all taken a bite out of the Apple. Nevertheless, God’s work and His promises remain.

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About the Author: Dr. Gene E. Veith Jr. is the Provost and professor of Literature at Patrick Henry College, Purcellville, Va.; director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.; a columnist for World Magazine and Table Talk; and the author of 18 books on Christianity and culture.