A sermon

Here is a sermon from one of my classmates at the seminary, Pr Eli Davis (He is serving Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Caruthers, California).  He posts them on Facebook for his members, and gave me permission to post it here.  I thought you would be interested in seeing how two different pastors preach the same text to two different congregations.  Enjoy!


Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our text this morning is the Gospel lesson, but I’m not going to start there. A friend of mine this week make a strange statement. He said he wasn’t sure if he believed a verse out of Hebrews chapter five about Jesus. So here it is. “Although he was a son, he learned to listen through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the cause of eternal salvation to all who listen to him....” And he’s got a point. Something in this verse sounds wrong. How can God who knows everything learn? That just doesn’t make any sense.

So with that question unresolved, we come to today’s text. And this text comes right after last week’s text. As soon as the disciples have gathered the twelve baskets of leftovers, Jesus immediately compels them to board the boat and set sail without Him. Jesus then lets the crowds go, and heads up the mountain from the wilderness. And finally, Jesus is alone.

But the last time Jesus was alone, he spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. Not eating. Tempted by Satan with the words “If you are the Son of God.” Tempted to turn stones into bread. Tempted on a mountaintop with worship. Tempted to throw caution to the wind and dive into danger to prove who was God. And to each of these Jesus said no.

But this trip into the wilderness, this trip up the mountain, Jesus was alone. And as nice as that was, that shouldn’t have happened. Satan should have been there waiting for him. Ready with temptations. But no. Nothing.

Do you know why? Because Jesus had passed the last test. His humanity had been through an unbelievable physical trial. No food for 40 days. Under this incredible bodily stress, Jesus stood up to sin. Stood up to Satan. But this trip into the wilderness, Jesus was going to learn something new.

And there’s our question once again. How can Jesus who knows everything ever learn? And yet He does. Think about it. When He was born, He had to learn to walk. He had to learn to talk. Jesus had to learn everything there is about being a human being. Just like we do. Including learning to live in a world overrun by sin. Jesus also learned to withstand temptation even in the most impossible circumstances. Something we’re not good at under good circumstances.

And the last trip He learned under incredible physical stress. This trip, though, would put Jesus under intense mental stress. Remember, His home town rejected Him. His disciples didn’t understand Him. His cousin John was just murdered because of Him. And on the brink of escape, an enormous crowd of needy people swamped him with their sicknesses and hunger.

And so, Satan’s three temptations are back. But this time the answers have changed. This time, Jesus doesn’t face Satan alone. This time, Jesus faces sin the same way we all do. From our own brothers. “Send the people away so that they can go into the villages to go buy food.” “They need not go away, You give to them something to eat.” The temptation of bread returns. But this time the temptation is to say no. The temptation is to escape, and let the crowds suffer on their own. But instead, Jesus has compassion. Instead, Jesus answers yes.

Last time, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” This time, Jesus is alone on the mountain. And the temptation isn’t to worship Satan, but to worship self. Jesus is desperate for a break. But He is needed once again as the disciples are beaten by the waves and overcome by the wind. The temptation is to say no to those in need. But once again, Jesus has compassion. Once again, Jesus says yes.

Then comes the temptation to put Himself in harms way. The first time, Satan said, “
If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, 
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”” The temptation is exactly the same. Throw yourself into the tempestuous water. See if you strike your feet on the stones on the bottom of the sea. See if the angels protect you. Even Peter echoes Satan’s words. “If you are the Son of God.” “If you are, then command me to come to you on the water.” But again, the correct answer this time isn’t no, but yes. “Come,” Jesus said to Peter. Once again, Jesus has compassion.
Even when Peter sinks from doubt, Jesus reaches out His hand and takes ahold of him. For Jesus came precisely to save. Jesus saved the hungry and sick on the shore. Jesus saves the disciples from the storm. Jesus saves Peter from his own doubt. And in the midst of everything that Jesus suffers, Jesus learns to be our Savior.

And learns is the right word. Because everything that happens to Jesus, happens to prepare Him for the cross. The physical stress and temptations in Matthew chapter four. The mental stress and temptations in Matthew chapter fourteen. Both come together Maundy Thursday evening through Good Friday.

Because in Christ’s passion we have wilderness, where Jesus is abandoned by all. We have bread, My body given for you. We have the mountain, Calvary. We have the question, “If you are the Son of God.” We have the doubt. We have the physical pain. We have the mental anguish. All of which Jesus had spent is entire life learning how to bear. And He carried them all to death on a cross for you.

The God who knows all things became man in order to learn how to bear our sin. The Son learned to listen through suffering. Listen to you. Understand your pain. Comprehend your grief. And by hearing, Jesus took your sin into Himself. When we confess our sins at the beginning of service, we give those sins to Jesus, and they remain His.

And therefore He became the source of eternal salvation to all who listen to him. Listen to His absolution. Listen to His forgiveness. Listen to His proclamation. Listen to the promises made in the sacraments. That “Baptism now saves you.” That “This is my body, this is my blood for your forgiveness.” Through listening, Jesus hears you cry out with Peter, “Lord, save me!” Through listening, you hear as Jesus reaches out His hand and takes ahold of you. Even in your physical pain. Even in your mental anguish. For He knows it all first hand.

That God would do all that boggles my mind. God became man, and took on everything that entails. The all knowing needed to learn. The all powerful needed to face real weakness. The perfect one had to endured all sin. The author of life needed to die. God became everything we are. All so that we could be given what God has. Although he was a son, he learned to listen through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the cause of eternal salvation to all who listen to him.… And we in His boat worship him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God. Thanks be to God.

And now the compassion of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

mystery, reverence and heresy's destruction

As an apology (defense) against caving into culture, especially in our context of postmodernism (where everyone creates their own truth, just as long as it doesn't clash with someone else's truth--not really truth at all if it is only true for you, though), a professor at Wheaton College, Matthew Milliner, has come up with what he calls "9.5 Theses against the Emergent Church."  Most of them were very good, but the one I found most interesting and most helpful was this one, #8:

8. Heresy is boring, not exciting because it eviscerates mystery. If you’re attracted to heresy because it makes you feel naughty then that’s kinda creepy. If you’re attracted to it because you don’t want to “limit God,” then the religion that serves a God who became a particular first-century Palestinian Jew might not be for you.

"Heresy...eviscerates mystery", it deprives mystery of its essential content and purpose. I would add that it's no wonder then that American Christianity suffers from a lack of reverence and proper fear.  As I posted on Facebook the other day, "mystery encourages reverence."  The Faith is mysterious, it must be, otherwise it shouldn't be called "faith".  A non-mysterious belief system is really a non-faith; at that point it is a religion of man.  If you look at your religion and think: 'wow, I can understand all of this', then you may also want to consider this: you have proven yourself foolish time after time in the insignificant, earthly matters, so why do you think you can grasp the heavenly, eternal things?

Let us ever cling more confidently and boldly to the mystery and the holy Mysteries (especially here the Sacraments).  To do this, we must deny ourselves and our own will and intellectual ability and pick up the foolishness of the cross.  Let us consider Solomon's words of wisdom in their full weightiness: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3.5)

Read all of Milliner's Theses here: http://www.millinerd.com/2007/05/95-theses.html

a brief reflection on Absolution in our Lutheran Confessions

From our Lutheran Confessions:

"the preachers on our side diligently teach that confession is to be retained because of absolution...for the comfort of terrified consciences and because of other reasons." (AC XXV.13)

Two things strike me as I reread this today: 

1) The preachers of the Church of the Augsburg Confession (true Lutherans, in other words), they teach the people diligently about Absolution.  It's one thing to teach about something, but it's altogether more intense, more intentional to teach something "diligently".  There was a focus, a plan, there was a goal that the Lutheran preachers had in mind.  Specifically, that goal was the retention of Private Absolution (here called 'confession').  Which brings me to my next reflection on this statement. 

2) The preachers were so intense and intentional about retaining Private Absolution because of: a) "the comfort of terrified consciences," and b) "other reasons."  What were those other reasons?  Just in the short amount of time that we have been posting regular hours for Absolution, I've recognized a few of these "other reasons."  First, the relationship between the pastoral office and parishioner is enriched.  This really can't be helped.  The parishioner is trusting the pastoral office (and so, is trusting Christ) with, not only the secrets of the heart, but the dirty secrets of the heart, the sin.  The penitent is releasing those secrets in a real, tangible way: to a man.  But not only to any man, to the man in the pastoral office.  No matter which specific man is in the pastoral office, those parishioners who make use of this Blessed gift (dare I say "Sacrament", like the Confessions say) are strengthening their relationship with the pastoral office in this place.  And that's a good relationship to have strong.  After all, the pastor is one who is steward of your soul, who also must give an account for your soul on the last great day.  The more you open up to the pastor, the better is He able to do what He is called to do: to care for you individually.  This is certainly a worthy "other reason."  

The other thing I've noticed in the life of those who receive Private Absolution, is the increase of spiritual insight (I don't know what to call it); being "in tune" and focused on things spiritual.  Perhaps this is just more of an observation at this point, rather than a theological point.  Of course, the more 'spiritually observant' you are, the more you see your need for the Savior and the more you are drawn to repentance.  And, as Luther said in the first of the 95 Theses, "the whole life of the Christian is one of repentance." 

And these are just drops in the ocean of the "other reasons", or other blessings that Private Absolution gives to you.  Chief among them, of course, is the absolution, the forgiveness of sins.   Come for the main thing first, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then see all these other things come to you as well. 

Peace be with you.  

A few wonderful articles for you to read...

The first one is from Dr Paul Grime.  He is currently a professor at Fort Wayne seminary.  He also served as the director for our new hymnal LSB.  This article is a look back over the past 5 years and what effect the hymnal has had on our synod, both positives and negatives (mostly positives).  Enjoy.
Read the article by clicking on the following: http://classic.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=18999

The next one is from a pastor in Illinois, Rev Heath Curtis.  He has done a lot of study and writing on the liturgy.  Here is one of his most recent topics: http://gottesdienstonline.blogspot.com/2011/07/thoughts-on-legacy-of-loehe.html

Enjoy.  Post comments below if you'd like.  Or email me with questions.

Fight and be at peace. Both?

At the same time saint and sinner.  We were reminded of this again in Bible class on Sunday as we're going through the seven letters in Revelation 2-3.  We are reminded of it constantly in our daily lives.  As St Paul diagnoses: "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing." (Rom 7.19)  We want to do the good, we want to jump to action and serve and love and bless and pray and worship, but we don't.  We get in the way. 

In the same way, there is also another paradox that looms over us.  St Paul commands to Pr Timothy: "Fight" (1 Tim 6.12), yet in the same letter, just 4 chapters earlier, St Paul commands that we continue steadfast in prayer and supplication so that "we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior." (1 Tim. 2.2-3) 

Two descriptions of the life that is pleasing to our Lord Christ: fight AND lead a peaceful and quiet life.  Fighting and peace, all in the same life.  A mystery.  Here are my thoughts:

• Since we are saint and sinner, there are times when we fight against our own sinfulness (and the sin we find in the world, such as abortion), but there are other times when we remain peaceful and quiet (such as in worship and prayer).  This seems to be the constant tension within us: when do we fight, and when do we endure?  Not only that, but: what do we fight and what do we let go?
•  The cross of Jesus was the ultimate battle.  The eternal war was won there, just as the great Easter hymn confesses: "The fight is o'er the battle won"
• Peace is actually part of the fighting. Ephesians 6 states: "Therefore take up the whole armor of God...as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace."

A mystery, a paradox.  Fight...and be at peace.  God grant it.

reciting the Faith

First: is memorizing the Faith even possible?  Faith is expressed in belief, how can it be recited?  Can we memorize what we believe?  In other words: is it possible to formulate a set of statements that summarizes things that are meant for believing (more than understanding)?

Well, yes!  To say otherwise would do harm to the Faith on a number of fronts, but perhaps most dramatically it would make the Faith (and it's corresponding believing) internal and subjective.  In other words, we could never talk about "the" Faith, but only "my" faith or "your" faith.  But just the opposite is true.  We believe in something that is external to us, that is not dependent upon us or whether we believe it or not.  The Faith is true by itself, without my help, even despite me and what I think.  I cannot add anything to the Faith because it is already defined.

So, because it is external to us AND because it is already defined, therefore, not only is it possible to formulate a set of statements about it (like Scripture and catechisms), but it's necessary to do so.  And if the Faith is expressed in statements, then yes! those statements can be memorized and recited. 

The reason I write about this today is because I read a blog recently that made the following statement about using a catechism:

Don’t allow memorization to occur without understanding.

The gentleman who writes this blog is a modern evangelical-type (generic, American Christianity).  He has written a few books and blogs on the side. 

This statement that he makes is really not much of a surprise.  Many modern evangelicals are descendents of a movement called Rationalism (whether they know it or not).  The goal and main purpose of rationalism was to set faith/believing aside and  .  So even when these individuals (I'm sure you have friends in this camp) speak of faith and belief, what they mean is 'understanding'.  They are not speaking of the true Faith, the connection to God through which God gives His gifts to us, that absolute trust and confidence like a child.  They may even say "trust", "confidence", perhaps even "gifts" (probably not though), but if you dig a bit deeper into what they really mean, you'll find that the faith/believing that they are talking about is the work/action of man.  So, again, it's not surprising to hear a statement like the one above "Don't allow memorization to occur without understanding." 

As opposed to this, we believe the opposite.  Memorize first!  Why?  Because the child already believes the "statements" of the faith.  Baptism gives you the Faith.  The child (including you adults) already believe the 10 Commandments, Apostles' Creed, and Lord's Prayer.  The child already believes that Baptism saves, that the Lord's Supper is the true Body and Blood of Christ, that the pastor's forgiveness in Holy Absolution is God's forgiveness.  What we are doing (in having them memorize and recite Scripture passages and the Catechism) is giving them the words to express what they already believe. 

See how different this is between the Lutherans and the modern evangelicals?  In summary, we take Jesus at His Word.  They don't--they add stuff, like human understanding.  *Blach*!!  I'll take Lutheranism over that any day.  We'll have our kids memorize the Faith first.

By the way, if you would like an example of how this memorization is possible watch this.  This was Cade when He was 3 years old.

forgiveness through man

The following is an excerpt from the Higher Things Daily Reflection for today:

One of the objections you will often hear from non-Lutherans is that “no man can forgive sins.” Or “I don't need the pastor to forgive me my sins; I can just ask God myself.” But what does Jesus say? He commands His apostles to forgive sins. If someone thinks pastors don't forgive sins, they're calling Jesus a liar or else they don't know what Jesus' said.

One of the main blunders of heresy is that it tries to understand the Gospel, God's gifts.  What this devotion does so well is explain the Doctrine in light of faith rather than reason.  How?  It points us to the Words of Jesus.  Jesus' Words are to be believed.  It's not a problem if we don't understand them.  It's not a problem if we think one thing contradicts another thing in Scripture.  Jesus' Words are eternal and true--He is the Truth.

So, pastor, how is possible that man can forgive sins?  Isn't it ONLY between me and God?  

My response (as always): Listen to Jesus.  What does He say?  

Jesus breathed on the disciples and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld."

Come to Holy Absolution: Fridays 1-3 and 6-8.  Receive God's true gift to you in this tangible way.   

the discipline of prayer

In order to give the greatest benefit, the discipline of Daily Prayer
needs to be carried out whether we feel like it or not, whether our heart is in it or not.

This is from a book I read recently called Praying with the Church; an introduction to prayer in daily life by Rev Phillip Pfatteicher. His words ring true in all of life, really, but especially so in our individual and corporate life of prayer. If we are Christ's disciples, then we pray. It is just who we are--we were made for this activity, this speaking with our heavenly Father.

It's kind of like eating. Your body was made for eating, it's just who you are as a human being. You don't eat, you will soon cease to have physical, human life. We eat whether we want to or not, whether or not we "feel like it".

So also we pray, as Pr Pfatteicher explains, "whether we feel like it or not". Luther also said similar things about prayer. I'm paraphrasing him, but it was something like this: "the moment we least feel the desire or need to pray, is the very moment when we most need to pray."

So, pray. Pray in the morning when you rise and in the evening when you lay down. (See the catechism for a short form of prayer to use at these times; and don't forget to make the sign of the cross in remembrance of your baptism--it's what Lutherans do, we remember our baptism!) Pray also with your family or those in your household (if you live alone now, know that you are praying with Jesus and the Holy Spirit is praying in you, and the saints and angels in heaven are praying for you, not to mention that your pastor is praying for you each week). And come also and pray with us, often--weekly, and even more often than that if there is the opportunity.

Pray; whether you feel like it or not. Make it a constant in your life, whether it is meaningful or not. It is meaningful and real.

+PH

Ordination

The ordination today of Samuel Beltz in Oskaloosa was absolutely beautiful.

A few of the highlights:
-Holy Communion
-Pr Joel Picard's sermon based upon St John the Baptist's saying: "I must decrease that He [Jesus] might increase".  It was fabulous...and a good reminder!
-about 15 pastors present, including Pr Beltz's father AND grandfather (both are pastors)
-the beautiful chancel area at St John, Oskaloosa
-Pr Beltz's beautiful stole and chasuble (although, I admit that I am biased on this because he has the same set we have at St John's)
-Pr Beltz's wonderful voice as he chanted the Service of the Sacrament
-and, of course, the ordaining of Pr Beltz.

The verse I used in the laying on of hands is one that won't be such a surprise: Colossians 3.16 'Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly' 

One last reflection: It's great to see a man come out of the St Louis seminary who is so well versed and comfortable in the historic liturgy.  I'm looking forward to meeting with him regularly in our Tuesday Greek study in Grinnell.  He'll be a great asset to the group and a fine pastor to the people of Oskaloosa.  (OK, so maybe that was 2 last reflections)

The Lord almighty grant us a quiet night and Peace at the last.

The Gospel is real, really!

The following is from one of my devotional readings from today (Friday after the Fourth Sunday after Trinity). This is from Bo Giertz, who was baptized as an infant in the Swedish Lutheran Church, then became atheist, then stopped rejecting Christ as his baptism held stronger to him than his faulty intellect and was eventually called as bishop of Gothenburg. 
He writes:

It is now obvious that the talk about the cross is God's power of salvation for those who receive it in faith. It's something that affects us, something that shows it's a reality by intervening in our lives. We can't see God. However, we can encounter Him in such a way that there is no doubt who we're dealing with. That happens through the Gospel.

The Christian experience IS truly an experience. Faith is not the adult way of playing make-believe, and Jesus is not our imaginary friend.  He is real.  He really was born, suffered under a specific Roman prefect, truly died and yes, He even rose from the dead.  There were witnesses to all of that.  Those witnesses have recorded what they saw and heard with their own senses.  The Holy Scripture, and specifically the Gospels, are those very recordings.  And because they are the truth, they are God's Word, and because they are God's Word they have power.  They have the power to kill (Law) and they have the power to raise up again (Gospel).   This is how God intervenes in our lives.  Is it mystical?  Yes, in a way.  But that doesn't make it any less real.  In fact, because it is God's Word, it is the most REAL thing we possess here in this life. 

The pope's exoneration of Jews?

It was brought to my attention today in Bible Class that there has been some snippets in the newspaper about the exoneration of the Jews by pope Benedict XVI.  So I've just purchased two of his many books, including his most recent one where he makes these supposed "statements of exoneration".  I am a bit curious about this all, especially from the Roman Church's perspective, because I haven't heard anything about the pope making a formal, verbal statement about it; and if it would be that big of deal, from the pope's perspective, then I would think he'd be a bit more formal.  And, I'm curious how much Jews really care all that much about what the pope has to say (or write, in this case).  More to come later; including what difference this makes for us as Lutherans.

Symposia, Day 4.2011

Well, that went fast!  Symposia 2011 is over and now off to visit the family in Ohio.  Here are today's highlights.

Paper #1: 'Walther's use of Luther' by Dr Cameron MacKenzie
Walther was a Luther-an to the extreme.  A summary of his appreciation of Luther's teaching would look something like this: Luther's teaching is purely based upon Scripture, therefore to reject Luther would be to reject God's Word.  Did Walther go too far in his appreciation?  Perhaps; but for Walther it was only the Word of God that was authoritative and it just so happened that Luther taught the Word of God. 

Paper #2: 'Missouri’s First Justification Controversy: Edward Preuss Goes to Rome'
Prof Ziegler's paper was one of the two best at the conference.  Edward Preuss was a confessional Lutheran at the time of Luther who shocked the Lutherans by leaving Lutheranism for the Roman Catholic church.  It was a huge surprise at the time and is still shocking.  Prof Ziegler investigated why he left and warned us pastors to keep watch lest the same happen to us.  The major issue is that Preuss lost a proper understanding of the distinction between Law and Gospel and therefore he saw Scripture falsely from then on.  I'll give you two points for your consideration: 1) the spiritual struggle doesn't occur before conversion, but only after when we are marked as God's children and therefore attacked by the 3 great enemies; 2) the Gospel affects our whole person, therefore we do 'experience' our faith (more at times, less at other times), but the feelings we experience (including tears of sorrow and joy) do not (and cannot) produce the faith, rather the faith produces the feelings.  This is what Walther urged in many of his sermons and writings. 

All in all a great experience for a young pastor like myself.  I was able to sit at the feet of not only the presenters, but also many other seasoned pastors from around the synod.  I'm looking forward to returning to you all and incorporating these ancient truths into sermons and lessons. 

God's Peace.
+PH

Symposia, Day 3.2011

Day 3 mostly done, it's gone fast, been great.  5 papers today, plus a reception and banquet tonight with Synod President Rev Matthew Harrison.  Pres Harrison preached today in chapel; great sermon, wonderful service, although I was late and had to stand outside in the narthex area because the sanctuary part was overflowing.  Should be a treat tonight!

The highlight paper of the day was one by Dr David Scaer, 'Walther and the 3rd use of the Law'.  (in case you've forgotten the law is a singular thing, but it functions in 3 ways. 1) like a curb to keep us on track, e.g. the 10 Commandments, 2) like a mirror to show us our sin, which is the main use of the law, and 3) as a guide, to show us how to live out our baptismal lives as Christians in the world.)  Dr Scaer's paper was about how Lutherans misuse the 3rd use by de-emphasizing it.  Although the main use of the law is the 2nd, to show us our sin, if we neglect to preach/teach the 3rd use then we get into all sorts of ethical/moral trouble.  The main example is in the cultures acceptance of homosexual behavior and how this has affected the church.  The ELCA in particular, in not teaching the demands of the law concerning how Christians properly act in marriage, etc, have allowed for unChristian behavior.  In summary, he said, "The 3rd use of the law allows us to make a temporary retreat to paradise [in the Garden of Eden, where man lived perfectly before God], and allows a view of the future in the greater paradise of eternal life."  Very intriguing. I've never considered it this way; not sure what I think about it, though. 

Now, it's time to get ready for the banquet.  I'll write again after tomorrow's papers and take off for Ohio in the afternoon. 
God's Peace.
+PH

Symposia, Day 2.2011

Another full day.  7 papers today and a chapel service and then Choral Vespers (which was actually Evening Prayer like we've been doing for evening prayer offices).  I won't give descriptions of all the papers for today, but just give some highlights.  I appreciate all you checking in a seeing what's going on.  Being here makes me long to be back in Victor.  But, alas, a vacation stands in my way, which I am also looking forward to. 

Today marked the end of the Exegetical Symposium and the beginning of the Confessions Symposium (hence the name symposia, which is plural for symposium.)  Anyhow, we began today with some very interesting papers, one on the 'supposed' problem with the river of blood (the 1st plague of Egypt) found in Ex 7.  Apparently some scholars don't think that 'blood' really meant 'blood', but either some sort of algae or a mineral deposit.  Since when does God not mean what He says in His Word!?  And that was the conclusion of the paper: that we must take God at His Word, when He reveals things to us in Scripture, He really does mean it!  And the final Exegetical paper (exegesis literally means 'to guide out'; in theology it means getting the meaning of the text from the text itself as opposed to eisegesis, which means that someone is getting a meaning of the text by putting his/her own thoughts into the text; exegesis is good, eisegesis is bad.)  the paper was about the King James Version.  We got a brief history of the King James Version and how it has affected other English translations of the Bible.  Our ESV, for example, is a descendant of the KJV. 
After the Exegetical papers, we were given 5 Confessional papers today dealing with CFW Walther (our synod's first president) and his relationship with theologians and other Lutherans of his day.  There are a lot of misconceptions about Walther, and some of the these misconceptions are being challenged.  I'll just mention one now and you can ask me about more later, if you care.  Perhaps the most significant misconception is that Walther was the 'father of confessional lutheranism' after the time of the reformation.  Walther was NOT, it was actually Martin Chemnitz (the second Martin).  This is not to discount the priceless contributions he made to lutheranism in America, it's just that, technically speaking, he didn't take the lead role. 
Another paper that very much interested me was one given by one of my favorite professors, Dr Naomichi Masaki (yes, he's Japanese...and proud of it...and hard to understand at times).  He gave a paper on a little known Lutheran Father named Theodor Kliefoth.  In his time (1800s in Germany) Kliefoth was very well respected by all confessional lutherans, including Walther.  But he's not very well known to us primarily because most of his writings are still in German.  So I need to learn German to start translating. 

The papers were great, the conversation was fabulous, but the most important highlight of the day was...I got to play soccer with some the guys on the old seminary team.  Good fun, great exercise.  I'm outa here. 

God's Peace. 
+Pastor Huelsman

Symposia, Day 1.2011

...my mind is mush.  What a day!  It was jam-packed with great theology and great discussion.  We had a Chapel service at 10 and Vespers at 4:45pm besides the 5 Exegetical papers.  The (brief) summaries are as follows:

Paper #1 - 'The Role of Christ's Second Coming in the Church's Mission: Learning from Paul's Eschatology in 1-2 Thessalonians' by Dr Charles Gieschen (personal note: Dr Gieschen and I coached 7th-8th grade boys soccer together for three seasons during my time in Fort Wayne...and we won the conference two of those years!)
-Summary: Eschatology (which means 'end times') is not just in the future, when Christ will come again on the Last Day. Eschatology is past, present and future.  Past eschatology is the crucifixion, and present eschatology is the effects of the crucifixion for us today, namely in Word and Sacrament.  Part of eschatology is God's wrath. God's wrath now and at the Last Day is real and will come because of sin.  God is seeking to rescue sinners from the present helpless idolatry we live in, as well as the hopeless future in hell by giving us the benefits of the wrath He placed on His Son, Jesus, on the cross; this He does by Word and Sacrament.  

Paper #2 - 'Democracy or Torah Solidarity? Reflections on Scriptural Ecclesiology' by Dr Dean Wenthe
-Summary: He went all the way through history and gave a summary of how the church was structured in different times.  In most times and places the Church had what was called an Episcopal structure, which we do NOT have in the LCMS.   He showed us where our structure came from and told us some dangers that could come (and has come in congregations from time to time). In the end we have to find our true identity in Christ and His Sacraments; we must hear and follow the True Shepherd's voice, not promote our own self, but seek His good and gracious will in all matters.  We are not an earthly organization, but a heavenly church and we should resist anything that takes away from Word and Sacrament.

Paper #3 - 'The Ecclesiology of Acts' by Dr Kavin Rowe (Dr Rowe couldn't be here because his father is on his death bed, but Dr Just read his paper)
-Summary: (Note 'ecclesiology' means the study of 'church', which includes what it is and how it is structured, etc.) Acts is not so much about church order but about how Christians are to be Christian in a non-Christian context.  He looked at Acts 19, and Acts 25-26. He made a bunch of great points, but the main one is the answer to the questions: How does church and politics relate to each other?  Are they compatible?  The answer(s): Yes and No.  Yes, they are compatible because Jesus is not competing to rule against "Caesar", they different types of ruling.  But on the other hand, they are not compatible because Christianity "turns the world upside down" because "Caesar" is not ultimately in charge, for every knee will bow to Jesus.

Paper #4 - 'Luke and the Foundations of the Church' by Dr Peter Scaer (personal note: Dr Scaer was my Advisor during seminary)
-Summary: Jesus is THE Shepherd, the Church is founded on Him and by Him.  And so He sends out pastors to continue establishing and building His Church.  First, He built His Church on Peter, both Peter himself and his confession (we can't separate the two).  Then He sent out the 12 apostles, the 7 deacons, and the 70 pastors.  And whoever hears them, hears Jesus.  This is a comforting promise for us.

Paper #5 - 'Paul's Use of the Old Testament in Philippians' by Dr John Nordling
-Summary: Paul doesn't quote the OT directly, but alludes to it in many places.  He was so familiar with the Scriptures that, as he wrote the letters by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the OT just flowed out of him, perhaps unintentionally at times. The same is true for us, that when knowing the Scripture so well, it will just flow out of us in teaching and preaching. 

A good day.  A full day.  Ready for some r and r.  I continue to pray for you all and am looking forward to returning. 
God's Peace.
+PH

Free Conference

Safe and sound in the Fort.  The trip was, well, internally exciting.  And we could have done without some of it, but that's just how things go sometime.  I'll fill in the details on a later occasion, perhaps because they're more embarrassing than anything else. 
We got here at about 8:30am (Eastern Time) and met up with Joy folks for a nice breakfast, then I was quickly off to the Free Conference held at Redeemer here in Fort Wayne. 
It's good being back here.  There's a comfort to returning to a place like this: Joy and I have spent most of our married life here (so far), our first child was born here, seminary beat up on me here (it's a love-hate relationship), but most comforting is returning to so many familiar faces.  I didn't expect to miss much of anything here, but, lo and behold, I did.  Familiar faces bring back the fond memories, and one thing that I'm looking forward to is continuing to make these same 'familiar face' relationships with all of you back home in Lincoln Township.
But enough with the sentimental junk...
The Free Conference was great!  We began with a Divine Service (historically called 'Low Mass' because it was a spoken mass and not on a Feast Day).
Then we had the first presentation.  Rev Jonathon Fisk (RevFisk for you You-tubers) was the presenter.  His main points were as follows (sorry for the length):
1. The Church throughout the ages has used various 'tools' for carrying out its mission (the Missio Dei, or "Mission of God").  These 'tools' varied from time to time and place to place.  One very important example of this is the printing press, invented during the 16th century in Germany (I think) which Luther and other Reformers used to copy and distribute their writings, such as the small catechism, etc.  They saw an opportunity and took it and ran with it and many people were blessed because of it.
2. These 'tools' are neither good nor bad in themselves, but are neutral; but they can be used for both good and bad.  In Luther's case, he used the tools for a great good.
3. We are coming into a time today when there are tools that have been used in the past (even in recent past) which are being overtaken by more useful and more widely used tools.  Examples are: Facebook, Text-messaging, Wikipedia, and other social networking technology that is making communication easier, less expensive, and more powerful. 
4. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and especially Confessional Lutherans, need to do like our ancestors and take a hold of these new 'tools' for the sake of the Missio Dei.  Synod, for example, is operating on an 'old tool' system that, if it doesn't figure out a way to embrace and utilize the new tools, it will become obsolete.

My observations: I agree with him, BUT with some reservations.  We must still recognize that the true Missio Dei is fundamentally what our Lord said it was: Word and Sacrament.  (And RevFisk would absolutely agree with this; because he said it.)  We should make use of these new tools of communication and structure, etc so long as they are submissive to the Word and Sacrament; or let me say it more directly: the new tools must get out of the way of Word and Sacrament.  Tools are useful, but they are just that, tools.  And tools can be overused.  Hence the saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."  The Word and Sacraments aren't broke, they are pure and perfect, they are the foundation of all Doctrine and practice and spiritual health and yes, even evangelism.  So, let's use the new tools (like this blog), in order to draw us all to a richer life together (fellowship) in Him who is our Life, Jesus. 

The next presentation was by our own District President, Rev Brian Saunders.  He spoke on the relationship of pastor with people.
His main points:
1. Fundamental to the health of the Church is the relationship of shepherd and sheep, as the Bible describes us.
2. Pastors have been given the distinct responsibility of Seelsorger (German: "carer of souls"), and that is what they must do.
3. This is most dramatically shown in pastoral at the Lord's Table.  As Pres Saunders said, "We've gotten real sloppy in the last century or so." 
4. One thing that our church body has to work through is the question, "Who is the pastor of the pastors?"  In Luther's time the structure of the church was a little different.  At that time pastors did have pastors, they were called bishops.  Bishops were, technically, the pastor of the congregations in a larger area (for example, Iowa District East or Montana, etc).  Things have changed for us, but not necessarily for the better.  It is still something that is being studied and is starting to be discussed.  And it will be a healthy discussion.  Not only for pastors, but for the flock under their care.

After an intense, yet healthy discussion on the topics, we ended the day by chanting Vespers together from Brotherhood Prayer Book.  It was beautiful and we heard a great sermon from Pr Peterson (pastor of Redeemer, Fort Wayne).



For now: supper.
Have a great evening, and check back in for more tomorrow as Symposia officially gets under way.  (And maybe I won't write so much...wow that's long!)

God's Peace.
+PH

A basic Family Tree

of Christianity.  As promised, here is a chart showing the breakdown of Christian church bodies.  Please be aware that this chart isn't without error (for example, Lutherans are not "Protestants"), but it gives a basic picture. 

Source: http://www.chartingpluralism.com/historicalchristianitychart.jpg

From the OT Reading

in the Treasury of Daily Prayer for yesterday, from Ezekiel 33.  (Note: "son of man" here is Ezekiel.)

 ¹⁰"And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: 'Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?' ¹¹Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

 ¹² "And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. ¹³Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die. ¹⁴Again, though I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, ¹⁵if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ¹⁶ None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live. +

I sure do love the Scriptures.  Just listen to the Gospel clarity, there!  "The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses," (which is all the time) yet "I say to the righteous that he shall surely live..."  The Lord's declaration of righteousness is what counts!  And we know that this declaration is nothing else but the revelation of His righteousness, Christ Jesus, who is spoken over us initially in our baptism and who is given to us again and again as He remembers us in Word and Sacrament. 

"He shall surely live."  Love it!

Day off, Dartball, and Symposia

So what does a pastor do on his day off? 
You got it...sleep.
Well, actually, not quite.  You see, a pastor's day off is actually a pastor's wife's day off (if the pastor isn't too lazy).  Today it worked out that Joy finally got a break (it's been a while; i repent).  This morning I sent her off to the IC and she didn't come back till after supper.  I enjoyed time with the kids and I think we were all refreshed come the end of the day (and the house wasn't a complete wreck either, which is usually the case when mom leaves for a while, so that was a bonus!).  This evening was a bit different since it was Monday; and Monday means Dartball; but let's not talk about that.
But overall (minus the absence of my bride) the day was quite pleasant and now I'm ready for the mad dash to Symposia and vacation.  Although, from what I've heard from seasoned pastors, it's supposedly questionable whether it's really worth it for a pastor to actually go on vacation simply because of all the front-end work that needs to be done for the week he misses, and all the catching up that needs to be done when he returns (I'm sure it's not just pastors).  We'll see, I guess.
By the way, if you don't know what 'Symposia' is, here's a link to the schedule for the week: http://www.ctsfw.edu/Page.aspx?pid=607
Check it out if you care to.  In years to come, I hope to take anyone interested from the congregation, especially the elders.  It's a lot of theology in a short amount of time and by the end of the week your mind is mush, but it's so great; it's such a blessing and I pray that I'll come back with some new insights to pass along.  And, actually, what I can do is write a post at the end of each day with a summary of what went on and some new theological gem I discovered (like a theological pirate or something...).  Now all I have to do is remember to do it.  Feel free to remind me. 
God's Peace.
+PH

Cutting it short; when does Christmas really end...or begin?

Perhaps the most common and simple understanding is that Christmas is one day: Christmas day.  Santa comes in preparation the night before, laying out the presents to be unwrapped by those who have been expectantly waiting for the unexpected gifts for months in a room billowing with nostalgia. 
Another common understanding is that Christmas is actually twelve days, like the song, although I'm not sure how many of us really get five golden rings, or even two turtledoves for that matter. 
And perhaps you have your own understanding or your own way of thinking about it that came from family tradition or even just personal preference. 

Whatever the case, when we start talking about the real Christmas, the Time of Christmas, as it has been passed down to us from Church tradition, then we do find a concrete answer to it all.  In summary, here it is (in case you were wondering):
The Time of Christmas is the first "Time" in the Church Year and consists of three "Seasons", which are Advent Season, Christmas Season, and Epiphany Season.  The Time of Christmas always begins on the first Sunday in Advent (well, technically it begins at sundown on the night before Advent 1).  The length of this Time changes each year because it goes all the way to Ash Wednesday (which is determined by the ever changing date of Easter).  This year, The Time of Christmas began on November 28 and will end on March 8; that's 101 days!  That's just about the longest Christmas can be (since Easter is so late). 

What people normally think of as Christmas is actually the Christmas Season, which is twelve days, as the song describes.  Christmas Season goes from Christmas Day (technically, sundown on Christmas Eve) till January 5th (again, at sundown).  January 6th is Epiphany, or, as some have called it, "The Gentile Christmas," because that is the reading of the Magi, the wise men from the east, worshiping the Boy, Jesus. And by the way, we have an Epiphany service this year on Epiphany, January 6 (next Thursday); and President Brian Saunders is coming to preach!

Anyhow, there seems to me to be a few things that contribute to the common misconception of this Time of year.  First, and perhaps most obvious, is ignorance of the Church Year calendar.  Since society, and therefore your workplace or school, doesn't run according the Church Year, most Christians don't really give it any thought.  I would encourage you all to know and appreciate the Church Year in your devotional and prayer life (but more on that in a future post).  Another reason for the misconception also has to do with society, but more specifically with the media.  After Christmas day, there is this abrupt stop (for the most part) in anything Christmas in the media: Christmas songs aren't played on the radio, Christmas movies/programs stop, etc.  And that's fine, the networks/stations have probably found that people just don't watch or listen to it anymore after Christmas day; which leads me to my third observation, namely, Christmas burnout.  We are simply bombarded by so much 'Christmas' at the front end of the Time of Christmas, that we just...can't....go...on...like...this...anymore (*phew*).  We just stop caring about Christmas.  And that's fine, too.  Because in the Church, Christmas overload is overload of the two parts that make up the word Christmas: Christ and mass (what we call "Service of the Sacrament").  And it's always good to be overloaded with both, although they are, technically one and the same: Christ is given in Mass and Mass is Christ given.  So even when you have been overloaded with Christmas and just don't seem to care anymore, you may know for certain, with faith-in-Christ-certainty, that Christ continues to care for you with everlasting faithfulness.  So come, continue to receive Him in preaching and the Sacrament, and be recovered by the One who covers you with His life-blood, even Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church Year, especially Christmas. 

*(For an organized lay-out of the Church Year, look in our hymnal LSB, page x.)