Sermon
The Presentation of the Augsburg Confession (June 25th)
June 27-28, 2009
Text: John 15:1-11
Dear Friends in Christ,
For twelve long years, the Holy Roman Empire had been racked with religious controversy. In that time, Emperor Charles V had defeated France, sacked Rome in a dispute with Pope Leo X, and defeated the Muslims who had laid siege to Vienna. Charles had been raised in the Spanish Netherlands - what we would call today Belgium. He was the grandson and heir of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. He had ascended the Spanish throne at age sixteen under the name King Charles I. He was also the grandson of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. He succeeded to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire at age eighteen in the year 1518. Holding two of the most powerful and most wealthy thrones in Europe, he was considered the most powerful man in the world. But there was one matter that he couldn’t seem to get under control - the religious controversies racking Germany. The religious dissent had led to a popular revolt in the mid 1520's called the Peasants War. Tens of thousands died. Yet, Charles could not get his hands on the leaders of the religious dissidents. Part of the problem was the peculiar polity of Holy Roman Empire. The emperor was elected by a small group of nobles called “electors”, and thus was largely dependant upon their support. The most powerful of all these electors was the Duke of Saxony. Frederick the Wise was a cagy, elderly politician, who had played young Charles like a fiddle. By 1529, Charles was older and wiser, and Frederick had died. He was succeeded by his brother, Duke John the Steadfast. And Charles had defeated his most powerful enemies.
Charles ordered the Diet or parliament to assemble in the city of Speyer in the summer of 1529. At the opening of the Diet, Charles ordered that all the German princes join him in a Corpus Christi procession - that is a procession through the streets of the city behind a piece of consecrated communion bread. A number of German princes, led by Duke John, refused. Because of their protest of the Emperor’s command, they were termed “Protestants.”
Both sides maneuvered through summer as the Diet dragged on. Finally, Duke John was able to secure an order from the Emperor to present their confession of faith to the Diet. There were a series of hastily convened meetings through the winter. The protesting princes chose Professor Philip Melanchthon to prepare their statement. He was considered a better writer than Luther. Further, since Luther was an outlaw, he could not attend the Diet. Melanchthon was able to be present.
The Diet again convened in June of 1530, this time in the city of Augsburg. The maneuvering was on again. Finally, on a blistering hot, June 25th, Wittenberg attorney Christian Beyer read the confession before the Emperor in a booming voice, declaring that their confession would prevail against the very gates of hell. It had been signed by seven German princes, and the representatives of the free cities of Nuremberg and Roetlingen. By August, most of Germany and some territories outside of Germany had signed on to the Augsburg Confession. The Lutheran Church was born. To this day, pastors and congregations of the Lutheran Church pledge themselves to the Augsburg Confession.
What did the confessors of Augsburg do? They divided themselves from others. They shattered relationships. They told the majority of Christendom that they would have nothing more to do with them. And they paid dearly for this. Two of those seven princes would spend many years in prison for their confession of faith. Why would they do this? It certainly wasn’t Minnesota nice! They did this because they understood something very profound. As Christians, we are bound by the Word of God, that is the Holy Scriptures. Our relationship, one to another, is based upon Christ and upon His Word. If we are not united in the Word, any relationship we would have would be a false relationship. The Lutherans were first to take such a stand.
The text that has been associated with the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, already in 1531 is John 15: I AM the vine, you are branches. What John the Steadfast, well schooled by Luther and Melanchthon, understood, is that in Baptism we are grafted into Christ. As branches grafted into Christ, His sap, flows through us and nourishes us. That sap is the Holy Scriptures - God’s law which us shows us our sins and God’s Gospel which shows us our Savior. Furthermore, our relationships are determined by Holy Scripture. Either we are together conformed to God’s Word, or our relationship is based upon a lie. This has become a big problem in America. The world tells us that the way to get along is to stand for nothing. If we dare to stand for the truth, it will divide us. It will divide us from those who stand for falsehood. But didn’t Christ come to draw people together? Listen to the very words of Christ recorded for us in Matthew 10:34 and following: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.” So Christ Himself says that the purpose of His coming was divide. He came to divide those who confess the truth of God’s Word from those who profess falsehood.
Why does this make a difference? Because this is not a game. This is a deadly earnest business. Eternal life is at stake. Christ also warns us in Luke 12 to fear that One who kills people and then sends them to hell. Who is that? Christ is speaking of Himself. We confess this every week in the Creed when we say that Christ will judge the living and the dead. One of the constant themes of the Old Testament is that God is about truth and God establishes what that truth is. We either do this God’s way or we are enemies of God. Thanks be to God, that in Jesus Christ, we have perfect forgiveness of our sins and are given, as a free gift, eternal life. Being grafted into Christ, and having God’s Word flowing though us as life giving sap, is not only for this life, but for all eternity. No man made worship, no man made rites, no man made works can please God. All these things are false and must be rejected, as our forefathers did at Augsburg. But the ways of God are not a burden, but a joy. Why, because He has done for us what we could not do. Now Word and Sacrament are gifts to us to graft us into Christ. They are the sap that flows through us and preserves us in the faith. They give us life by the forgiveness of sins. God is angry at man for sin. But that anger was burned out upon Christ. So now, all who are in Christ, have forgiveness and eternal life.
In 1530, the confessors of Augsburg confronted a church that was corrupt. It taught many false and man made doctrines. Because the church was not conformed to the Word of God, that is Holy Scripture, many people ended up in hell. People were taught to please God by their own works of satisfaction. But this is impossible, because the filth and disease of sin is so deep that we cannot earn God’s favor by our works. We are hopelessly lost in sin and death. But our forefathers at Augsburg confessed something else, was well. They knew from Holy Scripture, that, while we cannot earn God’s favor by our works, Christ has already earned God’s favor in our place. And all who cling to this truth, will indeed rise, bodily, from the dead, and live forever with Christ in heaven.
Amen!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
July Newsletter Article
From the Disk of the Pastor - July 2009
Dear Friends in Christ,
During the recent district convention, there was a presentation on the Transforming Churches Network. It was a really a waste of time. The presenter, Rev. Terry Tieman, spent about three hours rehashing the same old song and dance that’s been around for about three decades and which has never really worked all that well. Furthermore, only in one brief segment did he even mention the Bible. Likewise the pastors have been receiving information on revitalization grants from the synod. These would be monetary grants which congregations could seek to pay for special projects to help fire up their congregation. But there are strings attached - hoops to jump through. Many of these things appear to be counterproductive.
This got me thinking. What if I were a billionaire and therefore had the resources to offer my own grants to congregations? What would I require of congregations? What things really would revitalize a congregation. Some of what I would require is based on my observations of one particular congregation - Advent Lutheran Church, Zionsville, Indiana. Advent was started in the mid- 1990's. It has grown steadily, each year since. Many years it has been the fastest growing congregation in its district, and among the fastest growing in the synod as a whole. First I would require that the pastor preach substantial sermons, heavy with strong, distinctly Lutheran content. Second, I would require the congregation to use services selected from our hymnal. Likewise, I would require them to use hymns from our hymnal, with a special emphasis on those hymns of Lutheran origin. Third, I would require them to offer the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. Fourth, I would require that their Bible Study attendance be at least 80% of their worship attendance, and that their Bible Studies be catechetical in nature. Topics to be covered would include the authority and nature of Scripture, the Small and Large Catechisms, the Augsburg Confession, and the liturgy. Fifth, I would require the restoration of the old Lutheran practice of Private Confession and Absolution and require that at least 50% of those who commune each month also receive private absolution. Of these, only the last item is not in place at Advent, Zionsville. After doing these things for six months, I would give the congregation the grant, for whatever project they are proposing. However, I would do this in the form of a loan, which I would service on their behalf so long as they continued doing these things.
The most controversial probably would be Private Confession and Absolution. If we look at the section on Confession in the Small Catechism it presumes that this will take place in a private setting. It specifically asks the question of what sins we are to confess to our pastor. Further, the first constitution of the Missouri Synod, back in 1847, instructed congregations, wherever possible, to abolish corporate confession and replace it with private confession. Frontier conditions where pastors spent only short periods of time in each parish made this impractical.
Why would I do it this way? Well, because I know that money, while helpful, does not, in itself, revitalize congregations. Nor do special projects. Congregations are revitalized when people are drawn closer to Christ through Word and Sacrament. Part of that growth process is improving life long catechesis. While faith is not bare knowledge, knowing more about who God is and what God has done and continues to do, makes it easier to trust in Him. We cannot believe in a God we don’t know. So in the end it is not the money that will revitalize congregations, but the Holy Spirit, working through Word and Sacrament. If I were a billionaire, I would use some of that money to draw people to these God given means.
IN CHRIST,
Rev. Jody R. Walter
Psalm 119:104-105
Dear Friends in Christ,
During the recent district convention, there was a presentation on the Transforming Churches Network. It was a really a waste of time. The presenter, Rev. Terry Tieman, spent about three hours rehashing the same old song and dance that’s been around for about three decades and which has never really worked all that well. Furthermore, only in one brief segment did he even mention the Bible. Likewise the pastors have been receiving information on revitalization grants from the synod. These would be monetary grants which congregations could seek to pay for special projects to help fire up their congregation. But there are strings attached - hoops to jump through. Many of these things appear to be counterproductive.
This got me thinking. What if I were a billionaire and therefore had the resources to offer my own grants to congregations? What would I require of congregations? What things really would revitalize a congregation. Some of what I would require is based on my observations of one particular congregation - Advent Lutheran Church, Zionsville, Indiana. Advent was started in the mid- 1990's. It has grown steadily, each year since. Many years it has been the fastest growing congregation in its district, and among the fastest growing in the synod as a whole. First I would require that the pastor preach substantial sermons, heavy with strong, distinctly Lutheran content. Second, I would require the congregation to use services selected from our hymnal. Likewise, I would require them to use hymns from our hymnal, with a special emphasis on those hymns of Lutheran origin. Third, I would require them to offer the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. Fourth, I would require that their Bible Study attendance be at least 80% of their worship attendance, and that their Bible Studies be catechetical in nature. Topics to be covered would include the authority and nature of Scripture, the Small and Large Catechisms, the Augsburg Confession, and the liturgy. Fifth, I would require the restoration of the old Lutheran practice of Private Confession and Absolution and require that at least 50% of those who commune each month also receive private absolution. Of these, only the last item is not in place at Advent, Zionsville. After doing these things for six months, I would give the congregation the grant, for whatever project they are proposing. However, I would do this in the form of a loan, which I would service on their behalf so long as they continued doing these things.
The most controversial probably would be Private Confession and Absolution. If we look at the section on Confession in the Small Catechism it presumes that this will take place in a private setting. It specifically asks the question of what sins we are to confess to our pastor. Further, the first constitution of the Missouri Synod, back in 1847, instructed congregations, wherever possible, to abolish corporate confession and replace it with private confession. Frontier conditions where pastors spent only short periods of time in each parish made this impractical.
Why would I do it this way? Well, because I know that money, while helpful, does not, in itself, revitalize congregations. Nor do special projects. Congregations are revitalized when people are drawn closer to Christ through Word and Sacrament. Part of that growth process is improving life long catechesis. While faith is not bare knowledge, knowing more about who God is and what God has done and continues to do, makes it easier to trust in Him. We cannot believe in a God we don’t know. So in the end it is not the money that will revitalize congregations, but the Holy Spirit, working through Word and Sacrament. If I were a billionaire, I would use some of that money to draw people to these God given means.
IN CHRIST,
Rev. Jody R. Walter
Psalm 119:104-105
Sermon for June 20-21
Sermon
The Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 20-21, 2009
Text: Job 38:1-11
Dear Friends in Christ,
When I was a child they used to have a television show called “You Are There”. Walter Cronkite, or was usually termed him, Walter Concrete, would host a documentary of a historical event as though it were a current day news cast. They would have actors play the part of various historical people and reporters would interview them. I remember in one episode, Fred Gwyn played Davy Crockett. Of course none of us were really there at any of these historical events. And one has to wonder how accurately the events were recreated. Considering Cronkite’s now documented distortions in his reporting of the Vietnam War, one hardly considers him a reliable source. As much as we might wish to study history, we were not there. I can tell a great deal about the Battle of Shilo, General Grant’s first great victory. But for all the details I can give you, I was not there. I didn’t see General Albert Sydney Johnston stuck down, accidentally, by his own men. I didn’t see General Grant’s heroic stand with his siege guns at the landing. I didn’t see the mortally wounded General William Wallace being lovingly tended by his wife. I wasn’t there. All I can do is read about it after the fact. This places me into a certain relationship with these events and those who were there. I don’t have the right to challenge their accounts, without clear evidence, since I was not there.
In our text, Christ is speaking to Job. We must make this clear. All throughout Scripture, when God appears and speaks to man, it is always God the Son - that is Christ. The Father never directly interacts with man and the Holy Spirit always works in more subtle ways.
Job lived about the same time as Abraham. We know little about him. He was a wealthy man living about five hundred years, give or take, after the flood. He trusted in God. But God allowed Job to be tested. He allowed Satan to take Job’s wealth, his family, and even his health. Why God allows this is unclear. He obviously had His reasons, but they are not revealed to us. Nor it is clear that we would, in this life, be able to understand God’s reasons. Sometimes God does things for heavenly reasons that we would not understand, since we do not, as yet, fully understand heaven.
In order to understand Job and many other events in Scripture, we must distinguish between those who question God in faith and those who question God as an act of unbelief. Questioning God, even wrestling with God, is not wrong, in itself. It is unbelief that is wrong. However, we may not get the answer we are seeking when we question God. Job, in questioning God, was still acknowledging that God was his Lord and His redeemer from sin and death. And He got an answer that only God could give. God tells Job that He does not have understanding of the things he is asking. He is asking in ignorance. Why? Because man does not understand the deep things of the universe. Why is this? Because we are creature. We are part of creation. God stands above it. So there are things that we can never understand. We can’t understand these things because we were not there when the foundations of the universe were laid down.
God is not just asking about the physical creation. He is asking about the law, the laws of nature, physics, and metaphysics. C. S. Lewis illustrates this well in the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It is one of the few places where the recent movie missed the point. The White Witch knew the magic that had been revealed. What she didn’t understand was that there was a deeper magic built into the foundations of that universe. It’s not just that she misinterpreted the magic, as the movie suggested. She couldn’t possibly know it. So when she killed Aslan in place of Edmond, Aslan rose from the dead. Death could not hold an innocent who died in the place of the guilty. This was part of that deeper magic, which the White Witch did not and could not know. Likewise, Christ is asking Job, if he understands the hidden foundations of the universe. That deeper law that has never been revealed. Christ asking Job if he understands what God has hidden in the foundations of the universe. The answer of course if that Job does not know this, because he was not there when these things were done. These are questions that no human being can answer.
This text takes right to the mystery of creation itself. God created this universe in six days. Man has always struggled with this. Augustine said that the six days are only a metaphor. In fact God created the universe in a single moment. What would he need six days for, after all. However, Luther’s answer to this is the best. “If you cannot understand how this could have been in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are.” (WLS p.1523) In other words, you weren’t there, so you know nothing. Listen to words of the One who was there.
Many in our world don’t want to acknowledge that we are creature and that we have a creator. For if we have a creator, we are responsible to that creator. We are not free to do as we please. Also if there is a creator, He has built things like laws into the very fabric of the universe. Some we know, and others are kept hidden from us. We don’t know everything. We cannot answer every question. But many in our world arrogantly assume that mankind has all the answers. This is the whole point of Darwinism. It is man’s attempt to shatter any sense of obligation to God. Darwin himself made statements to that effect. But we cannot change what is. God is our creator and redeemer. We owe Him everything.
Do you know who you’re dealing with? This is really the sum of Christ’s words to Job. Do you understand that I made you - I brought you into this world and I can take you out of this world an make another one just like you. All the old clichés apply. Christ is not saying this to be vindictive. He is our redeemer, the One who died for us. Already, Job recognizes Christ as his redeemer. Job already understood that Christ would raise him from the dead. Yet, He is still God. He is still the holy and righteous one. He is still One with whom we should never trifle. The disciples also caught a glimpse of this when Jesus calmed the storm. He told Job that He is the one who sets the limits upon the waves. As Christians we must never presume upon the grace of God. Nor can we reduce God to a single attribute. We must see that this is our creator and redeemer. This is our judge and our Savior. Only then do we understand our place before Him.
Amen!
The Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 20-21, 2009
Text: Job 38:1-11
Dear Friends in Christ,
When I was a child they used to have a television show called “You Are There”. Walter Cronkite, or was usually termed him, Walter Concrete, would host a documentary of a historical event as though it were a current day news cast. They would have actors play the part of various historical people and reporters would interview them. I remember in one episode, Fred Gwyn played Davy Crockett. Of course none of us were really there at any of these historical events. And one has to wonder how accurately the events were recreated. Considering Cronkite’s now documented distortions in his reporting of the Vietnam War, one hardly considers him a reliable source. As much as we might wish to study history, we were not there. I can tell a great deal about the Battle of Shilo, General Grant’s first great victory. But for all the details I can give you, I was not there. I didn’t see General Albert Sydney Johnston stuck down, accidentally, by his own men. I didn’t see General Grant’s heroic stand with his siege guns at the landing. I didn’t see the mortally wounded General William Wallace being lovingly tended by his wife. I wasn’t there. All I can do is read about it after the fact. This places me into a certain relationship with these events and those who were there. I don’t have the right to challenge their accounts, without clear evidence, since I was not there.
In our text, Christ is speaking to Job. We must make this clear. All throughout Scripture, when God appears and speaks to man, it is always God the Son - that is Christ. The Father never directly interacts with man and the Holy Spirit always works in more subtle ways.
Job lived about the same time as Abraham. We know little about him. He was a wealthy man living about five hundred years, give or take, after the flood. He trusted in God. But God allowed Job to be tested. He allowed Satan to take Job’s wealth, his family, and even his health. Why God allows this is unclear. He obviously had His reasons, but they are not revealed to us. Nor it is clear that we would, in this life, be able to understand God’s reasons. Sometimes God does things for heavenly reasons that we would not understand, since we do not, as yet, fully understand heaven.
In order to understand Job and many other events in Scripture, we must distinguish between those who question God in faith and those who question God as an act of unbelief. Questioning God, even wrestling with God, is not wrong, in itself. It is unbelief that is wrong. However, we may not get the answer we are seeking when we question God. Job, in questioning God, was still acknowledging that God was his Lord and His redeemer from sin and death. And He got an answer that only God could give. God tells Job that He does not have understanding of the things he is asking. He is asking in ignorance. Why? Because man does not understand the deep things of the universe. Why is this? Because we are creature. We are part of creation. God stands above it. So there are things that we can never understand. We can’t understand these things because we were not there when the foundations of the universe were laid down.
God is not just asking about the physical creation. He is asking about the law, the laws of nature, physics, and metaphysics. C. S. Lewis illustrates this well in the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It is one of the few places where the recent movie missed the point. The White Witch knew the magic that had been revealed. What she didn’t understand was that there was a deeper magic built into the foundations of that universe. It’s not just that she misinterpreted the magic, as the movie suggested. She couldn’t possibly know it. So when she killed Aslan in place of Edmond, Aslan rose from the dead. Death could not hold an innocent who died in the place of the guilty. This was part of that deeper magic, which the White Witch did not and could not know. Likewise, Christ is asking Job, if he understands the hidden foundations of the universe. That deeper law that has never been revealed. Christ asking Job if he understands what God has hidden in the foundations of the universe. The answer of course if that Job does not know this, because he was not there when these things were done. These are questions that no human being can answer.
This text takes right to the mystery of creation itself. God created this universe in six days. Man has always struggled with this. Augustine said that the six days are only a metaphor. In fact God created the universe in a single moment. What would he need six days for, after all. However, Luther’s answer to this is the best. “If you cannot understand how this could have been in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are.” (WLS p.1523) In other words, you weren’t there, so you know nothing. Listen to words of the One who was there.
Many in our world don’t want to acknowledge that we are creature and that we have a creator. For if we have a creator, we are responsible to that creator. We are not free to do as we please. Also if there is a creator, He has built things like laws into the very fabric of the universe. Some we know, and others are kept hidden from us. We don’t know everything. We cannot answer every question. But many in our world arrogantly assume that mankind has all the answers. This is the whole point of Darwinism. It is man’s attempt to shatter any sense of obligation to God. Darwin himself made statements to that effect. But we cannot change what is. God is our creator and redeemer. We owe Him everything.
Do you know who you’re dealing with? This is really the sum of Christ’s words to Job. Do you understand that I made you - I brought you into this world and I can take you out of this world an make another one just like you. All the old clichés apply. Christ is not saying this to be vindictive. He is our redeemer, the One who died for us. Already, Job recognizes Christ as his redeemer. Job already understood that Christ would raise him from the dead. Yet, He is still God. He is still the holy and righteous one. He is still One with whom we should never trifle. The disciples also caught a glimpse of this when Jesus calmed the storm. He told Job that He is the one who sets the limits upon the waves. As Christians we must never presume upon the grace of God. Nor can we reduce God to a single attribute. We must see that this is our creator and redeemer. This is our judge and our Savior. Only then do we understand our place before Him.
Amen!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sermon for June 13-14
Sermon
The Second Sunday After Pentecost
June 13-14, 2009
Text: Mark 4:26-34
Dear Friends in Christ,
Late in his life, Luther was asked how he carried out the work of the reformation. Luther replied: I did nothing. The Word did it all. Melanchthon and I just sat around drinking our good Wittenberg beer, and God’s Word carried out the Reformation. At first we might be tempted to say that this was just a hyperbole. For surely Luther and his fellow professor, Philip Melanchthon did a great deal. Princes like Duke Frederick and later his brother Duke John the Steadfast played crucial roles. Each of these people was a lynchpin without whom there is no Reformation at all. Yet, I would like to suggest to you that Luther is not exaggerating at all. The problem is that we really undervalue the power of God’s Word. Nor do we fully comprehend the very nature of the Word itself. For the Word is Christ, Himself and Christ is the Word. Yet, to the world, the Word looks like nothing. This is the mystery of the Church itself.
In our text, Christ is speaking of the Kingdom of God. How is God’s kingdom built? First we must understand the nature of God’s kingdom. God can build His kingdom by the might of His power. He is unstoppable. Philippians 2:10 tells us that one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that of Jesus is Yahweh - the Lord and ruler of all things. This isn’t what God hopes for. This isn’t what ought to happen. This is what will happen. The question is whether one bows in response to the promises of God’s grace, or if one is compelled to acknowledge this before being sent to hell. While this is true, it is not the aspect of God’s kingdom that is usually meant in Scripture. Scripture, by the Kingdom of God is speaking of the Church on earth and in heaven. It is speaking of those who live in God’s presence by the grace of God and the forgiveness of sins.
Seed is a very small thing. It is often not very reliable. We prefer to plant potted plants. I’ve planted a bunch in my flower bed. If we do start with seeds, we often start them in pots in the house. Or if we have to plants seeds, we watch the weather reports and make certain we have “certified” seed. I remember my father getting sugar beet seed from the sugar factory, to make certain it was good seed. And even then we sometimes had to replant. I remember walking out in the field with my dad or with my uncle Fritzie to see if the crops were coming up.
The Word of God is the seed that is planted to grow the Church. But it is always good seed. In
Isaiah 55:11 we are told that God’s Word will always produce some result. It might bring people to faith, or it might confirm people in their unbelief and seal them for doom. Either way it does something. It never does nothing. Thankfully, many people hear the Word and come to faith. This is how the Church, that is the Kingdom of God is built up. St. Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
The problem comes in understanding how the Word comes to us. The Word of God is divided into Law and Gospel. The Law is what we are to do and not do. The Gospel is what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. The Law is always about doing. The Gospel is about receiving the free gifts of God. Both Law and Gospel are good gifts from God and intended for our good. They both serve an important purpose in our lives. They both are truly the Word God. All too often in recent years, in the Missouri Synod, we have spoken as though the Law were a bad thing. True, it accuse us of our sins. Melanchthon in the Apology to the Augsburg Confession, one of our official confessional documents, states that the Law always accuses. (Article IV para. 38) Yet, is this a bad thing? Further, while the Law always accuses, it is how God communicates His will for our lives. In this, it is a good and helpful thing, though we understand that human beings can never do all that the Law demands. And so we must not set aside the Law. Yet, without the promise of forgiveness won by Christ, the Law would only lead us to despair. The Law becomes something we can embrace only through the Gospel. If Christ has not died for our sins, the Law only serves to justify God in sending us to hell - and it still does this for the unbeliever. So we must always have both Law and Gospel side by side. Then we have the full counsel of God, which reveals both our sins and our Savior.
But even here, we do not have yet, a clear picture of the power of God’s Word. God’s Word is true. That is well understood by most among us. Though perhaps we don’t always have a clear picture of what the Word actually says. But what is often not understood is that God’s Word creates truth. What does that mean? If God says something that is not true, then the universe changes, and what God says becomes true. God said let there be light and what happened? Nothing right? It stayed dark. No. God said let there light and there was light. God said let the air be filled with birds and the oceans teem with fish and what happened? The world was filled with birds and fish. This is what we mean when we say that God’s Word creates the reality it expresses. Such is the power of God’s Word.
This has huge implications for us in our life. Christ teaches us that in Baptism we died with Him. We were placed in the tomb with Him. This is not mere symbolism. This actually happened. In Baptism we were buried with Christ. How did this come to be. I mean that happened nearly two thousand years. How could I have been placed into a tomb two thousand years ago? Well, because God’s Word says it. It says it, that makes it so. Christ says, that bread and wine are His Body and Blood. His saying it makes it so. The bread and wine are now His Body and Blood. His Word has the power to create this reality. When the pastor speaks the absolution, sins really are forgiven, in heaven and on earth. Why, because Christ gave this authority to His Church. He said it. That makes it so. His Word creates the very thing it says.
We live in a time when many do not believe that the Word of God builds the Church. Many of our top Church officials spew out programs that reflect the idea that man rather than God builds the Church. It is in our parishes as well. How often do we hear people say things like, we need to get the right pastor in here to make the congregation grow? No. We need to be in the Word and trust in that Word to build the Church. This is God’s plan for Church growth. It doesn’t look like anything to the world, just as little seeds don’t look like anything. But God’s Word is living and powerful. It creates what it says. And from that Word, which seems so weak and impotent, grows up the vast bulwark of the Church. For Church is the creation of the Holy Spirit as we confess in the creed. It is created by the Holy Spirit through the Word. It is the Word that brings forgiveness, life and salvation. For that is what the Church is all about. The Church is the place where that Word of life is applied to us each of us. The Church is the place where the Word creates life in us.
Amen!
The Second Sunday After Pentecost
June 13-14, 2009
Text: Mark 4:26-34
Dear Friends in Christ,
Late in his life, Luther was asked how he carried out the work of the reformation. Luther replied: I did nothing. The Word did it all. Melanchthon and I just sat around drinking our good Wittenberg beer, and God’s Word carried out the Reformation. At first we might be tempted to say that this was just a hyperbole. For surely Luther and his fellow professor, Philip Melanchthon did a great deal. Princes like Duke Frederick and later his brother Duke John the Steadfast played crucial roles. Each of these people was a lynchpin without whom there is no Reformation at all. Yet, I would like to suggest to you that Luther is not exaggerating at all. The problem is that we really undervalue the power of God’s Word. Nor do we fully comprehend the very nature of the Word itself. For the Word is Christ, Himself and Christ is the Word. Yet, to the world, the Word looks like nothing. This is the mystery of the Church itself.
In our text, Christ is speaking of the Kingdom of God. How is God’s kingdom built? First we must understand the nature of God’s kingdom. God can build His kingdom by the might of His power. He is unstoppable. Philippians 2:10 tells us that one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that of Jesus is Yahweh - the Lord and ruler of all things. This isn’t what God hopes for. This isn’t what ought to happen. This is what will happen. The question is whether one bows in response to the promises of God’s grace, or if one is compelled to acknowledge this before being sent to hell. While this is true, it is not the aspect of God’s kingdom that is usually meant in Scripture. Scripture, by the Kingdom of God is speaking of the Church on earth and in heaven. It is speaking of those who live in God’s presence by the grace of God and the forgiveness of sins.
Seed is a very small thing. It is often not very reliable. We prefer to plant potted plants. I’ve planted a bunch in my flower bed. If we do start with seeds, we often start them in pots in the house. Or if we have to plants seeds, we watch the weather reports and make certain we have “certified” seed. I remember my father getting sugar beet seed from the sugar factory, to make certain it was good seed. And even then we sometimes had to replant. I remember walking out in the field with my dad or with my uncle Fritzie to see if the crops were coming up.
The Word of God is the seed that is planted to grow the Church. But it is always good seed. In
Isaiah 55:11 we are told that God’s Word will always produce some result. It might bring people to faith, or it might confirm people in their unbelief and seal them for doom. Either way it does something. It never does nothing. Thankfully, many people hear the Word and come to faith. This is how the Church, that is the Kingdom of God is built up. St. Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
The problem comes in understanding how the Word comes to us. The Word of God is divided into Law and Gospel. The Law is what we are to do and not do. The Gospel is what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. The Law is always about doing. The Gospel is about receiving the free gifts of God. Both Law and Gospel are good gifts from God and intended for our good. They both serve an important purpose in our lives. They both are truly the Word God. All too often in recent years, in the Missouri Synod, we have spoken as though the Law were a bad thing. True, it accuse us of our sins. Melanchthon in the Apology to the Augsburg Confession, one of our official confessional documents, states that the Law always accuses. (Article IV para. 38) Yet, is this a bad thing? Further, while the Law always accuses, it is how God communicates His will for our lives. In this, it is a good and helpful thing, though we understand that human beings can never do all that the Law demands. And so we must not set aside the Law. Yet, without the promise of forgiveness won by Christ, the Law would only lead us to despair. The Law becomes something we can embrace only through the Gospel. If Christ has not died for our sins, the Law only serves to justify God in sending us to hell - and it still does this for the unbeliever. So we must always have both Law and Gospel side by side. Then we have the full counsel of God, which reveals both our sins and our Savior.
But even here, we do not have yet, a clear picture of the power of God’s Word. God’s Word is true. That is well understood by most among us. Though perhaps we don’t always have a clear picture of what the Word actually says. But what is often not understood is that God’s Word creates truth. What does that mean? If God says something that is not true, then the universe changes, and what God says becomes true. God said let there be light and what happened? Nothing right? It stayed dark. No. God said let there light and there was light. God said let the air be filled with birds and the oceans teem with fish and what happened? The world was filled with birds and fish. This is what we mean when we say that God’s Word creates the reality it expresses. Such is the power of God’s Word.
This has huge implications for us in our life. Christ teaches us that in Baptism we died with Him. We were placed in the tomb with Him. This is not mere symbolism. This actually happened. In Baptism we were buried with Christ. How did this come to be. I mean that happened nearly two thousand years. How could I have been placed into a tomb two thousand years ago? Well, because God’s Word says it. It says it, that makes it so. Christ says, that bread and wine are His Body and Blood. His saying it makes it so. The bread and wine are now His Body and Blood. His Word has the power to create this reality. When the pastor speaks the absolution, sins really are forgiven, in heaven and on earth. Why, because Christ gave this authority to His Church. He said it. That makes it so. His Word creates the very thing it says.
We live in a time when many do not believe that the Word of God builds the Church. Many of our top Church officials spew out programs that reflect the idea that man rather than God builds the Church. It is in our parishes as well. How often do we hear people say things like, we need to get the right pastor in here to make the congregation grow? No. We need to be in the Word and trust in that Word to build the Church. This is God’s plan for Church growth. It doesn’t look like anything to the world, just as little seeds don’t look like anything. But God’s Word is living and powerful. It creates what it says. And from that Word, which seems so weak and impotent, grows up the vast bulwark of the Church. For Church is the creation of the Holy Spirit as we confess in the creed. It is created by the Holy Spirit through the Word. It is the Word that brings forgiveness, life and salvation. For that is what the Church is all about. The Church is the place where that Word of life is applied to us each of us. The Church is the place where the Word creates life in us.
Amen!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sermon for June 6-7
Sermon
The Feast of the Holy Trinity
June 6-7, 2009
Text: Isaiah 6:1-8
Dear Friends in Christ,
This weekend is the 65th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. For those involved, there must have been a great deal of fear. This would have been true of both sides. Civilians that lived there must also have been terrified of the bombardments and all the fighting. It was a fearsome time to be alive. Today, likewise we have many fears. We fear the future. We fear the actions of the government. We are starting to take more seriously the old quip - may God bless and keep the government, far away from us.
Do you fear God? We are told in Luther’s explanation to the First Commandment that we are to “...fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Again in the Close of the Commandments; “We should fear [God’s] wrath.” Why should we fear God’s wrath? Because God is Holy. God is just. We should fear God’s justice. Why? Because we are sinners. We stand condemned by God’s law. This is why the old medieval communion hymn instructs us to “ponder nothing earthly minded, and with fear and trembling stand...” (LSB 621) Likewise St. Paul tell us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12) Even Christ has fear as a major theme in His preaching, even though He doesn’t often use the word. Many of the parables, such as the parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21) and the Parable of the Wedding Feast, are warnings to us about the wrath of God. (Matthew 22:1-14)
Trinity Sunday is a day we dedicate to the questions: Who is God and what is His nature? It is the last festival of the church year. It also, by many centuries, is the newest. It still has pimples. It’s only 800 years old. It also is an odd duck in that it celebrates a doctrine rather than an event.
Many people today run around saying nonsense like I just believe what’s in the Bible, I don’t need creeds or long theological explanations. Such thinking is absurd on the face of it. We need a way of expressing what the Bible says. Relatively few men in the history of the world have dedicated themselves wholly to the study of Scripture. Even most pastors are not the students of the Word we ought to be. Further, if each generation were required to discover all this for themselves, they would spend their whole lives trying to reinvent the wheel. So the church, from its earliest days set about creating a language and structure so that the teachings could be handed down from generation to generation. By the end of the of the 1st century you have the “Didache” and the “Shepherd of Hermas” which served as catechisms so that the faith could be passed on. Early on they knew that they had a problem with trying to explain God. They knew that they would literally have to invent the language to express and explain who God is. At the end of the 2nd Century, a North African church father by the name of Tertullian invented a new word - Trinity. God is three in one. Once Christianity became legal, there were several gatherings of representatives of the whole church on earth. We call these the seven great ecumenical councils. Most of the them were convened to deal with some aspect of the question of who God is.
So who is God? God is one. Why? Because that is what the Bible says. The old Jewish creed which Moses gave to the Israelites is “I Yahweh, your Gods am one God.” Yet, from the very beginning, we see the persons of the Trinity acting in various places. This climaxes in the Old Testament, in a vision in the book of Daniel where the Son of Man appears with the Ancient of Days, and the Ancient of Days gives to the Son of Man all authority in heaven and on earth. The bequest given in Daniel parallels, almost exactly, the words of Matthew 28 where Christ says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. The Father is shown throughout Scripture as the seat of God’s Will. Christ says in number of places that He had come to do His Father’s Will. Christ is God who appears to man and deals with man. The Holy Spirit is never visible, but speaks through the prophets and apostles, giving to us God’s Word and breathing life into us. The place where this breaks down in practice is in understanding Christ’s role in the Old Testament. Christ tells us that no one has seen the Father. For example, He says in John 6:46 “...not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.” What this means is that it was Christ, God the Son, who walked in the Garden of Eden and confronted man with his sin. It was Christ who visited wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was Christ spoke from Mount Sinai giving the Ten Commandments. It was Christ who descended from Mount Sinai and took up residence in the Tabernacle. It was Christ who was enthroned between the Cherubim atop the Ark of the Covenant. And it was Christ who appeared in all His heavenly glory surrounded by the angels to the Prophet Isaiah.
Our text is instructive regarding the nature of God. Isaiah says that He is undone. He has seen God. No sinner can see God and live. God is holy and righteous. He hates sin and those who commit sins. This idea of hate the sin and love the sinner is not scriptural. God loves the repentant, not the sinner. So Isaiah, realizing that he is a sinful man, knows that at that moment, as he stands in the temple before the altar of incense, he’s screwed. He has no hope. God the Son has appeared to Him and He cannot stand. He knows that he will be consumed by God’s righteousness and sent straight to hell and there is nothing he can do about it. Then something very strange happens. One of the six winged seraphim takes a set of tongs and removes a burning coal from the altar of incense. The angel takes that burning coal and touches it to Isaiah’s mouth. Then the angel says that his sins have been taken away from him. They have been paid on his behalf. Now, Isaiah can stand before Christ, who is also his Savior.
We are no different than Isaiah. Were Christ to appear here in all His glory, we would be no better off than he was. We are sinners standing before a righteous and holy God. Within ourselves, there is no hope. If we rely upon ourselves, our ticket to hell is already stamped. And we won’t even get frequent flyer miles. But it is the Father’s will that we not be condemned. And God the Son paid the price of our sins. We are not touched with a coal. Instead, Christ comes to us behind various masks so that we don’t have to face the terror that Isaiah faced. Yes, we are still to fear God, but we are spared the moment of crisis. Christ comes us to in His Word and in His Body and Blood. He touches our mouths and makes them holy, not with a burning coal, but His own Body and Blood shed for us. So indeed we come with fear and trembling. We fear because we know that the reality is that Christ is here, just as He was in the temple that day. We just don’t see Him. But we know He is Holy and possessed of a consuming righteousness. But we also know that He has atoned for our sins and pours His atonement right into us. God does this because this is who and what God is. Neither God’s holiness nor His grace are alien to Him. He is the One that is Holy, Holy, Holy. He is the One who in pure love, atones for our sins and makes us holy.
Amen!
The Feast of the Holy Trinity
June 6-7, 2009
Text: Isaiah 6:1-8
Dear Friends in Christ,
This weekend is the 65th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. For those involved, there must have been a great deal of fear. This would have been true of both sides. Civilians that lived there must also have been terrified of the bombardments and all the fighting. It was a fearsome time to be alive. Today, likewise we have many fears. We fear the future. We fear the actions of the government. We are starting to take more seriously the old quip - may God bless and keep the government, far away from us.
Do you fear God? We are told in Luther’s explanation to the First Commandment that we are to “...fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Again in the Close of the Commandments; “We should fear [God’s] wrath.” Why should we fear God’s wrath? Because God is Holy. God is just. We should fear God’s justice. Why? Because we are sinners. We stand condemned by God’s law. This is why the old medieval communion hymn instructs us to “ponder nothing earthly minded, and with fear and trembling stand...” (LSB 621) Likewise St. Paul tell us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12) Even Christ has fear as a major theme in His preaching, even though He doesn’t often use the word. Many of the parables, such as the parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21) and the Parable of the Wedding Feast, are warnings to us about the wrath of God. (Matthew 22:1-14)
Trinity Sunday is a day we dedicate to the questions: Who is God and what is His nature? It is the last festival of the church year. It also, by many centuries, is the newest. It still has pimples. It’s only 800 years old. It also is an odd duck in that it celebrates a doctrine rather than an event.
Many people today run around saying nonsense like I just believe what’s in the Bible, I don’t need creeds or long theological explanations. Such thinking is absurd on the face of it. We need a way of expressing what the Bible says. Relatively few men in the history of the world have dedicated themselves wholly to the study of Scripture. Even most pastors are not the students of the Word we ought to be. Further, if each generation were required to discover all this for themselves, they would spend their whole lives trying to reinvent the wheel. So the church, from its earliest days set about creating a language and structure so that the teachings could be handed down from generation to generation. By the end of the of the 1st century you have the “Didache” and the “Shepherd of Hermas” which served as catechisms so that the faith could be passed on. Early on they knew that they had a problem with trying to explain God. They knew that they would literally have to invent the language to express and explain who God is. At the end of the 2nd Century, a North African church father by the name of Tertullian invented a new word - Trinity. God is three in one. Once Christianity became legal, there were several gatherings of representatives of the whole church on earth. We call these the seven great ecumenical councils. Most of the them were convened to deal with some aspect of the question of who God is.
So who is God? God is one. Why? Because that is what the Bible says. The old Jewish creed which Moses gave to the Israelites is “I Yahweh, your Gods am one God.” Yet, from the very beginning, we see the persons of the Trinity acting in various places. This climaxes in the Old Testament, in a vision in the book of Daniel where the Son of Man appears with the Ancient of Days, and the Ancient of Days gives to the Son of Man all authority in heaven and on earth. The bequest given in Daniel parallels, almost exactly, the words of Matthew 28 where Christ says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. The Father is shown throughout Scripture as the seat of God’s Will. Christ says in number of places that He had come to do His Father’s Will. Christ is God who appears to man and deals with man. The Holy Spirit is never visible, but speaks through the prophets and apostles, giving to us God’s Word and breathing life into us. The place where this breaks down in practice is in understanding Christ’s role in the Old Testament. Christ tells us that no one has seen the Father. For example, He says in John 6:46 “...not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.” What this means is that it was Christ, God the Son, who walked in the Garden of Eden and confronted man with his sin. It was Christ who visited wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was Christ spoke from Mount Sinai giving the Ten Commandments. It was Christ who descended from Mount Sinai and took up residence in the Tabernacle. It was Christ who was enthroned between the Cherubim atop the Ark of the Covenant. And it was Christ who appeared in all His heavenly glory surrounded by the angels to the Prophet Isaiah.
Our text is instructive regarding the nature of God. Isaiah says that He is undone. He has seen God. No sinner can see God and live. God is holy and righteous. He hates sin and those who commit sins. This idea of hate the sin and love the sinner is not scriptural. God loves the repentant, not the sinner. So Isaiah, realizing that he is a sinful man, knows that at that moment, as he stands in the temple before the altar of incense, he’s screwed. He has no hope. God the Son has appeared to Him and He cannot stand. He knows that he will be consumed by God’s righteousness and sent straight to hell and there is nothing he can do about it. Then something very strange happens. One of the six winged seraphim takes a set of tongs and removes a burning coal from the altar of incense. The angel takes that burning coal and touches it to Isaiah’s mouth. Then the angel says that his sins have been taken away from him. They have been paid on his behalf. Now, Isaiah can stand before Christ, who is also his Savior.
We are no different than Isaiah. Were Christ to appear here in all His glory, we would be no better off than he was. We are sinners standing before a righteous and holy God. Within ourselves, there is no hope. If we rely upon ourselves, our ticket to hell is already stamped. And we won’t even get frequent flyer miles. But it is the Father’s will that we not be condemned. And God the Son paid the price of our sins. We are not touched with a coal. Instead, Christ comes to us behind various masks so that we don’t have to face the terror that Isaiah faced. Yes, we are still to fear God, but we are spared the moment of crisis. Christ comes us to in His Word and in His Body and Blood. He touches our mouths and makes them holy, not with a burning coal, but His own Body and Blood shed for us. So indeed we come with fear and trembling. We fear because we know that the reality is that Christ is here, just as He was in the temple that day. We just don’t see Him. But we know He is Holy and possessed of a consuming righteousness. But we also know that He has atoned for our sins and pours His atonement right into us. God does this because this is who and what God is. Neither God’s holiness nor His grace are alien to Him. He is the One that is Holy, Holy, Holy. He is the One who in pure love, atones for our sins and makes us holy.
Amen!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Letter to the Editor
Letter to the Editor
Topic: The Murder of Dr. George Tiller
May 31, 2009
There is an old saying: Two wrongs don’t make a right. This does not appear in the Bible but it certainly reflects a scriptural idea. This concept, that two wrongs don’t make a right, is certainly true in the case of the murder of Dr. George Tiller.
Dr. Tiller was an infamous abortionist, who was one of the very few in the country who would perform late-term abortions. The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod is strongly pro-life, and condemns the practice of abortion. Dr. Tiller, a former member of a Missouri Synod congregation, was excommunicated by that congregation for his abortion practice. (The congregation he was currently attending is part of another Lutheran body.) We stand by that action. Our sister congregation acted properly in disciplining Dr. Tiller. Such action is always intended to lead a person to see their sins and come to repentance. Excommunication is never intended to bring that person harm.
While we condemn Dr. Tiller’s actions as an abortionist, we just as strongly condemn the actions of the person who took his life. Murder, even of a murderer, is never acceptable. God teaches us in Romans 13 and other places, that the government is in place to enforce justice. We are never to take private vengeance. This is simply not given to private individuals. Murder in any circumstances is a grievous sin. It was our utmost desire that Dr. Tiller come to repentance, and perhaps in time he may have. We do not know. Only God sees all ends. Sadly, because of this heinous act of violence, Dr. Tiller no longer has that opportunity.
Rev. Jody R. Walter, pastor LCMS
Immanuel, Frederic
Rev. David Emmons, pastor LCMS
Zion, Turtle Lake/Immanuel, Clayton
Rev. Mark Schoen, pastor LCMS
Shepherd of the Valley, St. Croix Falls
Topic: The Murder of Dr. George Tiller
May 31, 2009
There is an old saying: Two wrongs don’t make a right. This does not appear in the Bible but it certainly reflects a scriptural idea. This concept, that two wrongs don’t make a right, is certainly true in the case of the murder of Dr. George Tiller.
Dr. Tiller was an infamous abortionist, who was one of the very few in the country who would perform late-term abortions. The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod is strongly pro-life, and condemns the practice of abortion. Dr. Tiller, a former member of a Missouri Synod congregation, was excommunicated by that congregation for his abortion practice. (The congregation he was currently attending is part of another Lutheran body.) We stand by that action. Our sister congregation acted properly in disciplining Dr. Tiller. Such action is always intended to lead a person to see their sins and come to repentance. Excommunication is never intended to bring that person harm.
While we condemn Dr. Tiller’s actions as an abortionist, we just as strongly condemn the actions of the person who took his life. Murder, even of a murderer, is never acceptable. God teaches us in Romans 13 and other places, that the government is in place to enforce justice. We are never to take private vengeance. This is simply not given to private individuals. Murder in any circumstances is a grievous sin. It was our utmost desire that Dr. Tiller come to repentance, and perhaps in time he may have. We do not know. Only God sees all ends. Sadly, because of this heinous act of violence, Dr. Tiller no longer has that opportunity.
Rev. Jody R. Walter, pastor LCMS
Immanuel, Frederic
Rev. David Emmons, pastor LCMS
Zion, Turtle Lake/Immanuel, Clayton
Rev. Mark Schoen, pastor LCMS
Shepherd of the Valley, St. Croix Falls
June Newsletter
From the Disk of the Pastor June 2009
Dear Friends in Christ,
One of my pet peeves as some of you know is when people are more against something than for anything. This always distorts and damages. When your focus is what you are against, the truth itself is lost. The only thing that matters is that we oppose the thing we are against.
In the United States, and in American Lutheranism, there is a history of strong anti-Roman Catholic attitudes. Lutherans are not unique in this. Talk show host Barry Farber speaks of growing up in North Carolina in the 1930's. He is Jewish. But the relationship between Jews and Evangelical Christians was quite good in those days. So even though the KKK was active in his community, Jews rarely felt the wrath of the Klan. But Catholics were far less fortunate. Unfortunately, many American Lutherans drank in this societal attitude. The result was a great deal of damage to our theology and our piety. The truth itself was the first casualty.
As Lutherans we have a clear pattern for establishing the truth. We have the Scriptures and the Confessions. The two sources are there to keep us bound to the truth. It must be understood that the Confessions, that is the Book of Concord, is not a second scripture, but a collection of writings faithfully drawn from the Scriptures. The Confessions serve to keep us from doctrinal drift. Non-confessional churches tend to drift from one view to the next. In Bremen, Indiana, were I vicared, a man claimed God called him to start preaching and start a church. He did and it grew to some size. He was getting on in years so he groomed his son to become pastor after him. He sent the son off to England to get some education. The son returned and split the church. The father was an Arminian while the son was a Calvinist. The congregation had nothing to which it could turn to judge which was correct. The point here is that unlike many such free churches, we have a pattern of sound words and teaching. We can study and find the truth. And indeed this is what we must do. We must constantly be searching through the Scriptures and the Confessions seeking that which is true and from God. While we do this we must shut out other influences. We don’t use the Bible to justify our being against this or that. We use it to find the truth. If that makes us against this or that group so be it. But if it means we are in agreement with this or that group, that is fine as well.
We have quarrels with Rome and with the Reformed. We have some disagreement with the Calvinists (Presbyterians, for example), but we have much stronger disagreements with the Arminians (Pentecostals). We also have much in common. So back to Rome. In our Catechism it speaks of making the sign of the cross. It is not necessary that we make the sign of the cross or not make it. But many refuse to do so because it would look too “Catholic.” Yet, the sign of the cross has a long and rich history in Lutheranism. It is a remembrance of our Baptism. While of itself, making the sign of the cross is not of great import, it is wrong to refuse to do so because we are anti-Catholic. Likewise, the Lord’s Supper was held in low regard and some theologians even went so far as to de facto deny the real presence to show that they weren’t “Roman”. The truth of God’s Word was lost.
Our focus must always be on being Lutheran. We must not be against this or that. We have something in common with all other Christians churches. In some cases we have much in common. Our liturgy and common piety will look rather Roman. Our preaching will sound almost Calvinist. This is perfectly fine. We need not be concerned about this. This is simply reflecting who we are as Lutherans. Our focus needs to always be on who we are, rather than who we are not. That is how we stay focused on the truth of God’s Word.
IN CHRIST,
Rev. Jody R. Walter
Psalm 119:104-105
Dear Friends in Christ,
One of my pet peeves as some of you know is when people are more against something than for anything. This always distorts and damages. When your focus is what you are against, the truth itself is lost. The only thing that matters is that we oppose the thing we are against.
In the United States, and in American Lutheranism, there is a history of strong anti-Roman Catholic attitudes. Lutherans are not unique in this. Talk show host Barry Farber speaks of growing up in North Carolina in the 1930's. He is Jewish. But the relationship between Jews and Evangelical Christians was quite good in those days. So even though the KKK was active in his community, Jews rarely felt the wrath of the Klan. But Catholics were far less fortunate. Unfortunately, many American Lutherans drank in this societal attitude. The result was a great deal of damage to our theology and our piety. The truth itself was the first casualty.
As Lutherans we have a clear pattern for establishing the truth. We have the Scriptures and the Confessions. The two sources are there to keep us bound to the truth. It must be understood that the Confessions, that is the Book of Concord, is not a second scripture, but a collection of writings faithfully drawn from the Scriptures. The Confessions serve to keep us from doctrinal drift. Non-confessional churches tend to drift from one view to the next. In Bremen, Indiana, were I vicared, a man claimed God called him to start preaching and start a church. He did and it grew to some size. He was getting on in years so he groomed his son to become pastor after him. He sent the son off to England to get some education. The son returned and split the church. The father was an Arminian while the son was a Calvinist. The congregation had nothing to which it could turn to judge which was correct. The point here is that unlike many such free churches, we have a pattern of sound words and teaching. We can study and find the truth. And indeed this is what we must do. We must constantly be searching through the Scriptures and the Confessions seeking that which is true and from God. While we do this we must shut out other influences. We don’t use the Bible to justify our being against this or that. We use it to find the truth. If that makes us against this or that group so be it. But if it means we are in agreement with this or that group, that is fine as well.
We have quarrels with Rome and with the Reformed. We have some disagreement with the Calvinists (Presbyterians, for example), but we have much stronger disagreements with the Arminians (Pentecostals). We also have much in common. So back to Rome. In our Catechism it speaks of making the sign of the cross. It is not necessary that we make the sign of the cross or not make it. But many refuse to do so because it would look too “Catholic.” Yet, the sign of the cross has a long and rich history in Lutheranism. It is a remembrance of our Baptism. While of itself, making the sign of the cross is not of great import, it is wrong to refuse to do so because we are anti-Catholic. Likewise, the Lord’s Supper was held in low regard and some theologians even went so far as to de facto deny the real presence to show that they weren’t “Roman”. The truth of God’s Word was lost.
Our focus must always be on being Lutheran. We must not be against this or that. We have something in common with all other Christians churches. In some cases we have much in common. Our liturgy and common piety will look rather Roman. Our preaching will sound almost Calvinist. This is perfectly fine. We need not be concerned about this. This is simply reflecting who we are as Lutherans. Our focus needs to always be on who we are, rather than who we are not. That is how we stay focused on the truth of God’s Word.
IN CHRIST,
Rev. Jody R. Walter
Psalm 119:104-105
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