The life of the body after an amputation or when a part ceases to function.

As we grow older, some of our body parts begin to work less well or even fail completely. Eyes, ears and the various joints of hips, knees and back come to mind most readily. When this happens, the body does not die, yet its function and completeness is diminished. The same is true if a part of the body is amputated. At first the nerves give a phantom feeling that the part is still there, there is pain at the loss both mental and physical, and then there is resignation that the part is gone, never coming back and the body must make due without it.

We, each one of you who are in Christ, regular attendee or not, each one of you is a part of the body of Christ of which He is the Head. Each one of you is important to the proper functioning of the body and if you are absent either by choice or illness or whatever, the entire body suffers. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12ff.

We are all one body, we need one another, we need to care for one another and not neglect the various parts of the body. I have that fungus stuff in my two large toe nails. I can either try and ignore it and hope it goes away, and it won’t, or I can take care of it and treat it and bring them back to good health. This analogy is not given so that we might think of those who are not here as some sort of toe fungus. The point is, we either take care of all of the body parts or all the parts of the body suffer.

It would be beyond wonderful if all the members of Prince of Peace came to the Lord’s house every Lord’s day to receive from Jesus all that sustains and keeps each member of the body in perfect and eternal health. May we all pray to that end that the Lord of the Church, Christ Jesus our Head and Savior, would draw us together in love, harmony and charity to receive the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of eternal life. None of us deserve such lavish gifts from God but we all need them.

May He who has made each one of us a new creation in Him by the washing of water and the Word, may He continue to unite us together in Him and sustain us all into eternity. God does not amputate members from His body but rather He nourishes and revives them all that His Body would always be perfect and complete. The Lord bless and keep you all by His mercy and grace, healthy, safe and secure in Him. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Missing Christmas – what was I thinking!

In 1988 while on the Okinawa, Japan aka “the Rock”, I was to celebrate my first Christmas away from home and I was going to do so without celebration. My mother had written and asked what I would like and I had sent back that I would wait until I returned to the States to celebrate Christmas.

Christmas morning arrived, a cold and overcast morning and I stayed in my bed. My fellow officer in the room next door however, had other plans. Everyone from his home town and every relative he had must have sent him some gift. He began opening presents and another of our friends was video taping him, I could hear him through the walls. Each gift opened came with a “hello, so and so, thanks for the what ever.” With each additional gift and exclamation of joy by him, I slunk further beneath my covers in sadness and dejection.

But it was all of my own making. The offer of gifts had been made and I refused them. My expectation of no loss and future joy was dashed to pieces by the reality of one who gladly received and rejoiced at the reception of gift upon gift. I promised myself then and there that I would not miss another Christmas, not turn down another gift offered, not presume to be able to make it on my own without the love and compassion of those who loved me.

So many actually reject the gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ. They presume that they can make it on their own and the presents, gifts of God’s grace and mercy, the forgiveness of sins, is not something they either need or desire. Sadly, in some cases, there are those who approach the gift of salvation and free forgiveness for Jesus sake, as something that they don’t deserve so they won’t receive it. They will turn it away because they are certain that their sins are too great. This is wrong. No sin is to great to negate God’s gift of mercy, grace and salvation. And conversely, no one is so good that they deserve this gift. That is why it is called gift.

We are all sinful, we are all deserving of God’s wrath and just punishment for our sin. Yet, God is merciful to all because Jesus died for all men, for all sin and to save all men from eternal death. The gift of Jesus’ righteousness is freely given to all who will receive it. It is given by His Word and in Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Every Lord’s Day is “Christmas” even as it is also “Easter”. It is a day of receiving underserved gifts from God, freely given because He loves you. Lord willing, I will never miss another “Christmas”. I hope and pray you won’t miss any either as the Lord has so many gifts to shower upon you too.

Wisdom and Eloquence Conference

The "Wisdom and Eloquence" conference offered last week by Father Petersen was wonderful. It is a cross between a Higher Things conference and a weekend Bible retreat. For three days we worshiped, studied and played. It was wonderful to see so many children as I am certain they out numbered the adults 4-1. Worship three times each day with the Sacrament every day was very refreshing and healing. The plenary with Father Bender was not only enlightening but it enhanced ones own ability to teach the Catechism. The sectionals provided a wide variety of topics that brought forth lively discussion and learning. The evening "fun" brought home simple yet fun ways to enjoy the family and family time.

All the way around it was done well and I highly recommended it for those who can get to Ft. Wayne for three days in August as I hope and presume it will be again next year. Check out Father Petersen's blog at http://redeemer-fortwayne.org/blog.php and you can see what went on.

Thanks again Dave, it was a pleasure and a privilege.

Good, Better, Best!

Having worked for years in the military and in the private sector, I am familiar with “best practices” as the mantra for improvement in all areas of production, safety and efficiency. No company or organization wants to be second best, no one wants to loose customers because someone else did the job better, offered better quality, etc.
Our schools have standardized testing to see who is best and those who aren’t, strive to make improvements. Even the government on all levels tries to improve so that they are at least perceived to be the best they can be.
Good, is not bad is it? Better however, is not the best is it? Best requires lots of effort and constant evaluation to remain with the best practice or best quality, right! We as consumers want the best, we don’t want to settle for something less than the best if we do not have to. If we spend good money we expect the best for our buck. More and more frequently you are going on line to investigate and research products and services before you buy. You want to be not only an informed consumer, but a good steward of the resources you have.
The Japanese began making knockoff products right after WWII and they were scorned for the poor quality and lousy reliability. Yet they kept working to make things better, trying to bring things up to the quality standard already attained in the United States. At the same time, American quality began to slide. The pendulum swung very far to the East, leaving many American companies in trouble.
Americans refocused on quality and production efficiency, even using many of the Japanese improvement methods to “retool” their companies. America has moved back up the ladder and many more products produced in America are worth buying once again. America had to get back to what made us great. Hard work, good quality, efficient production and the like.
Good wasn’t good enough and even better was not something to write home about. We had to be the best, have the best, produce the best, get the best return on investment, offer the best education, etc.

If it is so important to get the best dishwasher or clothes washer, the most fuel efficient automobile or the flat screen television with the a picture with the finest definition, or the best education, then why is it ok to just have good worship practices, and only good practices of personal piety? Why wouldn’t we, who are redeemed in the Blood of Jesus, desire to have the best worship practices, the best personal piety, study to learn what is best within Christ’s Church?
Our beloved brother, Martin Luther, worked painstakingly to eliminate the bad practices within the Roman church and return the Church to the best practices of the historic Church. “ I believe one holy, Christian (catholic) and Apostolic Church.” What does this mean? What does she look like? How is this done?
If you have not already read the handout that was in your mailer several weeks ago(the one that gives the service in detail and then the detailed explanations of each element of the service), then I encourage you to read it. Come on Sunday morning following fellowship time and ask questions about what you have read. More information and discussion will follow each element so that you, child of God, who is drawn to God’s house by His Holy Spirit, might know what are the best practices in Christian/Lutheran Worship and why.
You go out on a date, to a wedding or funeral and you want to look your best. You go to a restaurant, order your food and expect it to be the best. You go to a concert, movie or show and expect the performances, sound and service to be the best. You have visitors to your house and you expect everyone in your household to behave their best and have their best manners.
Welcome to God’s house where He always gives you the best, His best for He loves you.

A Lutheran Revelation

A few years back, while at the Higher Things conference in St. Louis, I met a person who shared the following with me.

They said that they had been concerned with the changes their pastor had brought to their congregation with regards to worship practice; lots of bowing, kneeling, chanting, vestments and processions. Although they were not prepared to leave the congregation, they thought the pastor was over the top and that what he was doing was not Lutheran and was not done within the LC-MS. Yet, when the first note of the first hymn of the opening service at the St. Louis Cathedral sounded, 1200 junior high and high school kids along with the many adults, turned toward the center aisle, bowed deeply and remained so until not only the Crucifix had passed, but all of the clergy including the celebrant who was the icon of Christ in that place and then they all turned and faced the altar. All of this was done while they sang “A Mighty Fortress”. This person said they observed many, many of those who worshiped there that week to kneel or bow when they entered the church when they had walked as far forward as their seats and before they entered the pews, acknowledging God upon His throne before them. Again many made the sign of the cross, bowed at the Holy Name, and gladly knelt for prayers and confession.

This person concluded this revelation by saying that if 1200 kids did this without prompting, there must be an awful lot of pastors and congregations who have very reverent worship not for shows sake but out of a profound and deep understanding of who is in their midst and the great privilege it is to be allowed to come before Him. Finally they said that although they might not be ready to incorporate those acts of piety into their life and worship, they respected and understood and even appreciated their validity and the pastors efforts to bring all to a more profound reverence of and before God.

I have always treasured these revelatory words as I too, have endeavored first by study and then by example and practice to bring a more reverent practice to our worship life. This is not to say that past practice was irreverent, yet there is in all things, good, better and best practices. None of what I do is to be prescriptive but rather instructive and descriptive. We can never be too reverent, never too humble as we present our sinful selves before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, presuming His mercy and grace, desiring His forgiveness and righteousness.

I, like most of you and like the Vicar, grew up in congregations where many of the best practices of the Holy, Christian and Apostolic Church had been lost or set aside in favor of what was less formal, more common or profane, and less reverent. These changes came about slowly but mostly for the same reasons. We are a stiff-necked and stubborn people. We are no different than our fellow Christians of old of whom the Old Testament speaks so clearly. We should not expect any greater mercy from God for our secularized worship and practice. Now there will be those who presume that my statements are condemnations of their former pastors, they are not. Each pastor has had issues to deal with, for in every time and place, the children of God have rebelled against God and His servants and gone astray. The under-shepherds of the flock have had to work through the problems at hand and could not always deal with everything. Certainly the pressures of the world and their influence on the sheep have led to tensions that have led to change. In almost every case these changes have gone from the greater to the lesser, the best to less good, from reverent and faithful, to less reverent and less faithful, from the sacred to the more secular.

There is no mirror upon the altar by which I observe you and your reverence before God. There is only God upon His throne, high and lifted up who sees all that you do, knows the thoughts of your heart and your mind. Luther says that the only reason we only bow or kneel during the creed, is that the pews are in the way of our falling on our faces before God. Certainly he has many Biblical texts that substantiate his observation. Yet, I believe if we all thought about who it is that we come before, God; who we truly are, wretched sinners; and what we need and desire, forgiveness, mercy, grace and salvation; we might then learn to humble ourselves, to become less fearful of what we think about humbling ourselves, and to be less concerned about the opinions of others and then truly recognize that God is present and that we are coming before Him.

Read your Bibles, study the liturgy, read the history and practice of the Church, long before Rome, preserved by Luther and practiced in the Lutheran church throughout it’s history. May the Lord lead you to a more humble, reverent and pious worship life in the presence of our Almighty and Merciful Lord. Amen.

Living as animated dust

On this holy day of Ash Wednesday, one is reminded quite vividly as to what and who we are. Our first parent was taken from the dust of the earth, formed into man, and God breathed life into him. Animated dust, the crowning achievement of God's creation. "Let Us make man in Our image!" Man, in the image of God. This is a mind bending, mind numbing truth. This truth and either our fear or disdain for or of it has led so many to believe other things, lies though they be.

If God is good, and He is the Highest Good, then how could or why would there be evil in the world and more importantly, why do I find evil in me if my first ancestor was formed in the image of God? God is good, holy, love, why then am I, child of God in whom His image has been restored by the water and Word of Holy Baptism, wicked, cruel, and sinful? The tendency of many who have these questions or some that are similar is to remake god in their own image, according to their own reason and understanding, as limited and often dim as that may be.

As I sit here with ashes falling from my forehead unto my desk, starring at the Crucifix on my wall, I try to fathom the infathomable. Infinate God, eternal God, setting aside the constant use of His divinity and taking human flesh and blood into Himself that He alone might restore man to communion with his Creator and Redeemer. How could He love so much? How could He love me so much, especially knowing how much I would sin, the pain and suffering my sin would cause Him to endure, the hell that would be His to keep me from such eternal suffering, dying without death?

I do not presume to understand the unimaginable. Nor do I presume to be able to plumb the depths of God's mercy and grace. Yet I know that I am the beneficiary of His inestimable love.

I have the blessed privlege of serving two congregations this day, one twice. An amazing way to begin this Lenten season for this not so humble pastor is to have ashes upon my forehead and the body and blood of Jesus upon my lips and in my mouth. Simul iustus et pecattor most clearly and intimately joined in my heart and upon my head.

More than just animated dust. Fearfully and wonderfully made. Even more amazingly and profoundly redeemed. His blood poured forth freely from His body into the very dust of the earth that it, the ones taken from it, would be washed clean, restored to the image of the Triune God. All else are lies even and maybe especially if you understand it and it makes sense.

Our redemption at the cost of the life of God's Only Begotten Son is not understandable, does not make sense. The Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are being saved it is the wisdom and the power of God. Amen.

They all look the same - but they are not

A dear friend of mine went to a meeting the other day and upon entering the meeting hall he removed his coat and hung it up. In the pocket of his coat were his car keys and the keys to the church. There were several coats hanging there that looked the same, black, hung to mid-calf, wool, long sleeves etc. You get the picture and you can probably guess what happened.

The meeting ended and people retrieved their coats as they went to leave. Some other gentleman took my friends coat, put it on and drove off. When my friend went to retrieve his coat it was not where he had put it and so he waited to see if someone might return with his coat. No one did. When everyone had claimed their coats there was one that remained that looked like his but was not. His keys were not in the pocket, it was a different manufacturer and different size. Fortunately there was a pen in one of the pockets that allowed those who remained to determine the location of the man who was wearing the wrong coat. A few phone calls later and the errant and careless gentleman was contacted and asked to return. Of course he was already an hour and a half down the road so it would take that long to return. Three hours and much frustration later my friend had his coat and was enroute home. They all look the same but they are not and putting on the wrong one is a no win situation for anyone.

The same can be said for Christian denominations, Churches, rites and even teachings. They all look the same so what difference does it really make which one I "put on". For the sake of this writing I will divide Christendom into three groups, Lutherans (confessional and liturgical), Roman Catholic, and reformed (all who are not in the first two groups). I know this is extremely general and will not suffice for the entirety of the conversation but its lack of specificity will, I think, add to the point I am trying to put across.

Let me continue with another brief story: Back in 1988, while serving in the USMC, I had taken a unit to Korea. We were training at their mountain warfare school on the ropes course. We had to cross a very wide (approx. 150 yards) and very deep (approx. 125 feet) canyon on various rope bridges.

The first bridge was a single rope bridge. Not much of a bridge but more like some thread strung across this canyon 125 feet off the ground. You had to lay on the rope with one foot tucked up behind your rear end, the other leg hanging down for a balancing post and pull yourself along on your belly with your arms. (there were many other techniques used, but no other techniques worked for the duration of the trek)Uncomfortable to say the least as the rope was not in the most pleasant of places. Precarious for certain as there was no net and no one was coming out to get you if you became fatigued, got scared or what ever (that's what I told them even though I did rescue several as did the instructors). (You did have a harness on your waist with a carribeaner that clipped to the single rope so that if you lost your grip you would not fall to your death. Many did not make it and had it not been for the small little clip that held them to the rope we would have had several funerals. (we did have to slid out and drag some of them across and that really was never racking)

The second bridge was two ropes, the first was like the former bridge and the second was like it as well only about four and one half feet higher up and parrallel. The two ropes were very loosely kept together by many small ropes tied in between them at uneven intervals. As you "walked" along with your feet on the bottom rope and holding on for dear life to the top rope, you found the bottom one swinging from side to side constantly threatening to throw you off and leave you litterally hanging there. The best technique was to walk sideways, arms extended, leaning on the top rope and shuffling your feet along the bottom one. Other techniques were used but they resulted in many falls, greater fatigue and much more fear. Again you had the harness and clip to hold you from falling all the way down. It was fatigueing and nerve wracking as well but a bit easier than the first although you had no real confidence in either rope truely supporting you. Most all made it across this one with out retrieval but it was hard and slow going.

The final bridge was a three rope bridge. One bottom rope and two top ropes. The top ropes were tied to the bottom rope so as to form a V with your feet on the bottom and one hand on each of the other ropes. It still swayed but with the two hand ropes you almost enjoyed and played with the sway as you walked fairly easiely across with little fatigue other than the distance of 150 yards going toe to toe on a sagging rope and balancing with your arms. All made this one and in pretty good shape except for those who feared heights. Of course they were a mess on each of the bridges and yes, I did compel them to cross each bridge.

So why the reminising? Well, at the risk of great criticism from any who might venture to read this, I am going to suggest that the ropes represent Biblical truths or more accurately the Means of Grace given us by God for Jesus sake for the salvation of our souls.

The single rope is the Word of God, without which there is no hope of crossing that canyon for the Word made flesh who was crucified has become the reconciliation between heaven and earth, God and man and without Him, Jesus CHrist, there is no hope, no way to enter into eternal glory.

The two ropes are again the Word of God which is foundational and the second is Holy Baptism.

The three are the two mentioned above with the third being the Holy Supper of our Lord.

Bear in mind that no analogy is perfect and most certainly this is so when trying to analogize Divine things. For in the analogy man is pulling or walking across each bridge on his own and no man enters heaven of his own effort or merit. The safety clip and harness that kept each man from certain death should he leave the bridge, no matter the reason, knows of no such "once saved always saved" parralell in Holy Scripture.

By the way, as my troops crossed the various bridges, their "friends" would jeer at any falter, laugh at any weakness, even step on and bounce the ropes on which a fellow Marine was depending to cross. It was also March in Korea which meant for us, bone chilling icy rain which caused you to shiver most of the time, made the ropes slick all of the time, all of which added to the difficulty of crossing. These conditions are not unlike those that Christians face each day of their lives as they journey through the world, not of the world, enduring and suffering the temptations and trials of the world, the devil and our own sinful nature.

All Christian denominations claim to have the Word of God and to depend on it solely for truth, understanding and clarity of God's promises yet their methods of reading and interpretation may leave them with a very tattered or even rather thread bear rope on which to support their "faith life". Most denominations have abandoned the "third rope", the Holy Supper, because it does not fit within human reason and understanding. Thus the bridge on which they traverse is more shaky than the three rope one. In these denominations they do not "lean" on that rope of Baptism for their theology has made baptism the work of man not the work of God.

They all make some sort of claim to have all three means of Grace and yet, if you reach into the pockets of their coats you will find they have the wrong keys and the coat does not fit well. They may all look the same but they are not.

Too many stories and a need to prepare for tomorrow's proclamation of the Word necessitate the trunkation of this blog. I shall return for this is a topic that must be further exercised that the truth be known that all might benefit from God's grace given us in His Word, preached, in the Water, and enfleshed in the Bread and Wine. To God alone be all glory, honor and power.