Blog of the Ninja Pastor

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world

2011-06-21T16:15:00.000-05:00

In John chapter 8, Jesus Christ our Lord teaches us about Himself, saying: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

To my mind, finer words, truer words have never been spoken. Through the Spirit-blessed Word and Sacraments of the Church, the light of Christ shines on and on... On our hearts, on our lives, and in the world. Christ Jesus our Savior is a greater light than the moon and the stars. He is a shining beacon of life for a dark and darkening world. Without Christ Jesus come to us through the Gospel we would have no hope of a tomorrow, no hope of light, no hope of joy. But with Christ, we have every hope, we have only light and an eternity of joy. Shine on, O Light! For to know You is to know life. For You are truly the way, the truth, and the life.

   Shine on the darkened and the cold;
   Recall the wand'rers to Your fold.
   Unite all those who walk apart;
   Confirm the weak and doubting heart,

   That they with us may evermore
   Such grace with wond'ring thanks adore
   And endless praise to You be giv'n
   By all Your church in earth and heav'n.

   -"O Christ, Our True and Only Light" Lutheran Service Book 839:4-5 (public domain).

It's as if Luther is speaking directly to the Church today

2011-02-18T14:08:00.000-06:00

Today is February 18th, the day in which God our Father called His servant Martin Luther home to Paradise in heaven. Luther was one of the greatest teachers in the history of the Church, one who boldly and courageously took a stand for the Gospel despite great danger.

Here's a little bit from his final sermon, preached at St. Andreas in Eisleben, on February 15, 1546. The text is Matthew 11:25-30, and as always, Luther explicates the text with faithfulness and forthrightness and applies God's Word to the situation of his day. Luther would die three days later on February 18th.

This is a fine Gospel and it has a lot in it. Let us talk about part of it now, covering as much as we can and as God gives us grace.

The Lord here praises and extols his heavenly Father for having hidden these things from the wise and understanding. That is, he did not make his gospel known to the wise and understanding, but to infants and children who cannot speak and preach and are not knowing and wise. Thus he indicates that he is opposed to the wise and understanding and dearly loves those who are not wise and understanding but are rather like young children.

But to the world it is very foolish and offensive that God should be opposed to the wise and condemn them, when, after all, we have the idea that God could not reign if he did not have wise and understanding people to help him. But the meaning of the saying is this: the wise and understanding in the world so contrive things that God cannot be favorable and good to them. For they are always exerting themselves; they do things in the Christian church the way they want to themselves. Everything that God does they must improve, so that there is no poorer, more insignificant and despised disciple on earth than God; he must be everybody’s pupil, everybody wants to be his teacher and preceptor. This may be seen in all heretics from the beginning of the world, in Arius and Pelagius, and now in our time the Anabaptists and antisacramentarians, and all fanatics and rebels; they are not satisfied with what God has done and instituted, they cannot let things be as they were ordained to be. They think they have to do something too, in order that they may be a bit better than other people and be able to boast: This is what I have done; what God has done is too poor and insignificant, even childish and foolish; I must add something to it. This is the nature of the shameful wisdom of the world, especially in the Christian church, where one bishop and one pastor hacks and snaps at another and one obstructs and shoves the other, as we have seen at all times in the government of the church to its great detriment. These are the real wiseacres, of whom Christ is speaking here, who put the cart before the horse and will not stay on the road which God himself has shown us, but always have to have and do something special in order that the people may say: Ah, our pastor or preacher is nothing; there’s the real man, he’ll get things done!

Learning through the Sacraments

2011-01-28T10:20:00.000-06:00

A fascinating blogger named Molly Sabourin who describes herself as an "orthodox Christian" writes a brief, but impassioned article entitled "And Yet Love Happens." She explains how she no longer feels obliged to be an apologist for her Christian faith... especially in the face of terrible tragedies, suffering, and grief. At the heart of her withdrawal from apologetics, she notes that she is instead centered in the Sacraments of the Church, which I would agree with of course- for truly the community of faith is marked by these means of grace. The mysteries of the faith after all-the Sacraments-are the means of grace by which faith is born. Through means such as Baptism, Absolution, and the Eucharist, the people of God die and rise with Christ, receive the full and free forgiveness of their sins by Christ Himself, hearts and minds are nurtured for the kingdom of God, and the children of God are fed and nourished by the body and blood Christ in with and under the bread and the wine.

Anyway, this is what Ms. Sabourin has to say in this brief, but beautiful article:

I feel no obligation anymore to explain God, or why I believe in the Resurrection of Christ despite the universality of death and suffering. I won't pretend that suicide bombers, plane crashes and children with cancer don't make my insides crawl with horror. The truth is I have no real answers to give, and that any I concocted would be speculative at best. Being confronted by tragedy is like a bucket of ice water to the head. Death and suffering, the way they breathe all hot and heavy down my neck, won't let me sleep, or forget that I am vulnerable - just as vulnerable as any and everyone else - to having my comfortable little existence shred to pieces in a heartbeat.

I feel no responsibility to whitewash the pain of being broken with glossy euphemisms proposing that sense can be made of injustice. Thirteen years ago I surrendered my opinions and dependence on reason to the ancient teachings of the Church - I retired my time consuming (wasting?) quest to figure things out (Who, what, where, when, why is God, exactly?) and learned through the sacraments to make peace with the Mystery that is God and His mercy, the Holy Trinity, salvation. And now I'm no longer in the mood for a debate about the peripherals, not when the end is all around me and my only real source of courage is, mysteriously enough, self-denial. No, I will not try and appease your anger, your disillusionment, your doubts; but God help me weep with you when you weep and love you, serve you, just exactly as you are, lest the monsters, pride and despair, sink their teeth into my soul.

The Four-fold Service of the Christ-Mass

2010-12-24T11:31:00.000-06:00

A very merry Christmas to you, dear reader, on this Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord, this Christmas Eve.

It is the Eve of Christmas, the Eve, the Eve of the Christ-Mass. A high feast in the Church's Calendar and of great significance for our Christian faith. Lost amid all the fights about when Christmas starts (today) and the increasing secular celebrations surrounding it is the fact that Christmas is an incredibly rich feast. It is so rich in significance for our faith that over time the church has evolved three distinct masses (at three distinct times of the day) to contain it all.

Although these three masses are often contracted into two, these are three celebrations. Here in our LC–MS, there is even a fourth celebration added, for earlier in the day on Christmas Eve (p.s. some might argue there are still just three celebrations, with the so-called "first" taking place early on Christmas Eve, before the sundown start of the feast... but let's not quibble. I'm calling it four). The services, which together comprise a distinct whole, are as follows:

The First Mass of the Christ-Mass, Christmas Eve
The Announcement to Joseph of the Birth of Christ

Introit: Psalm 24:1, 3-5; antiphon: Psalm 2:6-7

Verse: Alleluia. The Lord said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you." Alleluia.

Collect: O God, You make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Grant that as we joyfully receive Him as our Redeemer, we may with sure confidence behold Him when He comes to be our Judge.

Old Testament: Isaiah 7:10-14.

Epistle: 1 John 4:7-16.

Holy Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25.

The Second Mass of the Christ-Mass, at midnight
The Historical Birth in Bethlehem

Introit Psalm 2:1-2, 4-6; antiphon: Liturgical Text.

Verse: Alleluia. Oh come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! Alleluia.

Collect: O God, You make this most holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light. Grant that as we have known the mysteries of that Light on earth we may also come to the fullness of His joys in heaven.

Old Testament: Isaiah 9:2-7.

Epistle: Titus 2:11-15.

Gospel: Luke 2:1-14.

The Third Mass of the Christ-Mass, at dawn
The Spiritual Birth in the Believer

Introit: Psalm 93:102,5; antiphon Isaiah 9:2a, 6a, 6c.

Verse: Alleluia. The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Alleluia.

Collect: Most merciful God, You gave Your eternal Word to become incarnate of the pure Virgin. Grant Your people grace to put away fleshly lusts, that they may be ready for Your visitation.

Old Testament: Micah 5:2-5a.

Epistle: Titus 3:4-7.

Gospel: Luke 2:15-20.

The Fourth Mass o the Christ-Mass, during the day
The Eternal Generation in the Trinity

Introit: Psalm 98:1-4; antiphon: Isaiah 9:6.

Alleluia. A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, all you nations, and worship the Lord. Alleluia.

Collect: Almighty god, grant that the birth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from the bondage of sin.

Old Testament: Exodus 40:17-21, 34-38.

Epistle: Titus 3:4-7.

Gospel: John 1:1-14.

Weekly Bible Readings

2010-12-06T13:13:00.000-06:00

My daily Bible readings for this week, Sunday, December 5th through Saturday the 12th. The pericopes for Sunday morning were: Malachi 4:1-6, Romans 15:4-13, and Luke 21:25-36.

+ Pax +

HT: Let's Hold Back the Christmas Cheer:

2010-12-01T13:04:00.000-06:00

From Losana Boyd on the First Things (Roman Catholic) Blog:

Advent is the great season of preparation for the greatest of all gifts: Christ Himself. But as our culture makes all too obvious, this is also a season of high commercialism. As Fr. George Rutler from Our Saviour Parish in New York City reminds us:

The season of Advent is lyrically beautiful if one is willing to engage the realities it teaches: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. The alternative is to create a parallel universe partying in a faux Christmas confection of jingle bells, dancing elves, and self-conscious bonhomie, avoiding the Incarnation of God.

Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell—the themes of the four Sundays in Advent don’t exactly seemed filled with Christmas cheer. Instead, they are sobering, encouraging a state of wakefulness from the distractions of frivolity. Advent has become something truly countercultural–at a time when holiday parties and merry making are at a fever pitch, Advent calls us to remember the passing nature of this world and the eternity that awaits.

Be sure to read the rest of Fr. Rutler’s column here.

Weekly Bible Readings

2010-12-01T10:03:00.000-06:00

So with the coming of the new Church Year on Sunday, I'm changing up my morning Bible devotions. I'm making it simple and switching to reading one Old Testament chapter, one New Testament chapter, and one Psalm each morning. This is a lot less than I was reading, but the smaller amounts will enable me to spend more focused time on the Scripture that I'm reading. I will continue to do this every morning except on the Lord's Day and on major feasts and festivals (when I spend time on the assigned pericopes instead). In case you're interested, I'll throw up the week's readings as a graphic once a week. The pericopes for Sunday morning were: Jeremiah 23:5-8, Romans 13:8-14, and Matthew 21:1-9.

+ Pax +

The 95 Theses of Martin Luther - for Debate on the the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences

2010-10-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

October 31, 1517 – Out of love and zeal for truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following theses will be publicly discussed at Wittenberg under the chairmanship of the reverend father Martin Lutther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology and regularly appointed Lecturer on these subjects at that place. He requests that those who cannot be present to debate orally with us will do so by letter.

In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent" [Matt. 4:17], he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.

3. Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortifications of the flesh.

4. The penalty of sin remains as long as the hatred of self, that is, true inner repentance, until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

5. The pope neither desires nor is able to remit any penalties except those imposed by his own authority or that of the canons.

6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God; or, to be sure, by remitting guilt in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in these cases were disregarded, the guilt would certainly remain unforgiven.

7. God remits guilt to no one unless at the same time he humbles him in all things and makes him submissive to his vicar, the priest.

8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to the canons themselves, nothing should be imposed on the dying.

9. Therefore the Holy Spirit through the pope is kind to us insofar as the pope in his decrees always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.

10. Those priests act ignorantly and wickedly who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penalties for purgatory.

11. Those tares of changing the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory were evidently sown while the bishops slept [Matt. 13:25].

12. In former times canonical penalties were imposed, not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.

13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties, are already dead as far as the canon laws are concerned, and have a right to be released from them.

14. Imperfect piety or love on the part of the dying person necessarily brings with it great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater the fear.

15. This fear or horror is sufficient in itself, to say nothing of other things, to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near the horror of despair.

16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ the same as despair, fear, and assurance of salvation.

17. It seems as though for the souls in purgatory fear should necessarily decrease and love increase.

18. Furthermore, it does not seem proved, either by reason or Scripture, that souls in purgatory are outside the state of merit, that is, unable to grow in love.

19. Nor does it seem proved that souls in purgatory, at least not all of them, are certain and assured of their own salvation, even if we ourselves may be entirely certain of it.

20. Therefore the pope, when he uses the words "plenary remission of all penalties," does not actually mean "all penalties," but only those imposed by himself.

21. Thus those indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences.

22. As a matter of fact, the pope remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to canon law, they should have paid in this life.

23. If remission of all penalties whatsoever could be granted to anyone at all, certainly it would be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to very few.

24. For this reason most people are necessarily deceived by that indiscriminate and high-sounding promise of release from penalty.

25. That power which the pope has in general over purgatory corresponds to the power which any bishop or curate has in a particular way in his own diocese or parish.

26. The pope does very well when he grants remission to souls in purgatory, not by the power of the keys, which he does not have,7 but by way of intercession for them.

27. They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory.

28. It is certain that when money clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased; but when the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone.

29. Who knows whether all souls in purgatory wish to be redeemed, since we have exceptions in St. Severinus and St. Paschal,as related in a legend.

30. No one is sure of the integrity of his own contrition, much less of having received plenary remission.

31. The man who actually buys indulgences is as rare as he who is really penitent; indeed, he is exceedingly rare.

32. Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.

33. Men must especially be on their guard against those who say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to him.

34. For the graces of indulgences are concerned only with the penalties of sacramental satisfaction established by man.

35. They who teach that contrition is not necessary on the part of those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessional privileges preach unchristian doctrine.

36. Any truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without indulgence letters.

37. Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.

38. Nevertheless, papal remission and blessing are by no means to be disregarded, for they are, as I have said [Thesis 6], the proclamation of the divine remission.

39. It is very difficult, even for the most learned theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the bounty of indulgences and the need of true contrition.

40. A Christian who is truly contrite seeks and loves to pay penalties for his sins; the bounty of indulgences, however, relaxes penalties and causes men to hate them—at least it furnishes occasion for hating them.

41. Papal indulgences must be preached with caution, lest people erroneously think that they are preferable to other good works of love.

42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend that the buying of indulgences should in any way be compared with works of mercy.

43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed than he who buys indulgences.

44. Because love grows by works of love, man thereby becomes better. Man does not, however, become better by means of indulgences but is merely freed from penalties.

45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his money for indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God's wrath.

46. Christians are to be taught that, unless they have more than they need, they must reserve enough for their family needs and by no means squander it on indulgences.

47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of indulgences is a matter of free choice, not commanded.

48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting indulgences, needs and thus desires their devout prayer more than their money.

49. Christians are to be taught that papal indulgences are useful only if they do not put their trust in them, but very harmful if they lose their fear of God because of them.

50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the indulgence preachers, he would rather that the basilica of St. Peter were burned to ashes than built up with the skin, flesh, and bones of his sheep.

51. Christians are to be taught that the pope would and should wish to give of his own money, even though he had to sell the basilica of St. Peter, to many of those from whom certain hawkers of indulgences cajole money.

52. It is vain to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or even the pope, were to offer his soul as security.

53. They are enemies of Christ and the pope who forbid altogether the preaching of the Word of God in some churches in order that indulgences may be preached in others.

54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or larger amount of time is devoted to indulgences than to the Word.

55. It is certainly the pope's sentiment that if indulgences, which are a very insignificant thing, are celebrated with one bell, one procession, and one ceremony, then the gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.

56. The treasures of the church, out of which the pope distributes indulgences, are not sufficiently discussed or known among the people of Christ.

57. That indulgences are not temporal treasures is certainly clear, for many [indulgence] preachers do not distribute them freely but only gather them.

58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the saints, for, even without the pope, the latter always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outer man.

59. St. Laurence said that the poor of the church were the treasures of the church, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time.

60. Without want of consideration we say that the keys of the church, given by the merits of Christ, are that treasure;

61. For it is clear that the pope s power is of itself sufficient for the remission of penalities and cases reserved by himself.

62. The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.

63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last [Matt. 20:16].

64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.

65. Therefore the treasures of the gospel are nets with which one formerly fished for men of wealth.

66. The treasures of indulgences are nets with which one now fishes for the wealth of men.

67. The indulgences which the demagogues acclaim as the greatest graces are actually understood to be such only insofar as they promote gain.

68. They are nevertheless in truth the most insignificant graces when compared with the grace of God and the piety of the cross.

69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of papal indulgences with all reverence.

70. But they are much more bound to strain their eyes and ears lest these men preach their own dreams instead of what the pope has commissioned.

71. Let him who speaks against the truth concerning papal indulgences be anathema and accursed;

72. But let him who guards against the lust and license of the indulgence preachers be blessed;

73. Just as the pope justly thunders against those who by any means whatsoever contrive harm to the sale of indulgences.

74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those who use indulgences as a pretext to contrive harm to holy love and truth.

75. To consider papal indulgences so great that they could absolve a man even if he had done the impossible and had violated the mother of God is madness.

76. We say on the contrary that papal indulgences cannot remove the very least of venial sins as far as guilt is concerned.

77. To say that even St. Peter, if he were now pope, could not grant greater graces is blasphemy against St. Peter and the pope.

78. We say on the contrary that even the present pope, or any pope whatsoever, has greater graces at his disposal, that is, the gospel, spiritual powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I Cor. 12[:28].

79. To say that the cross emblazoned with the papal coat of arms, and set up by the indulgence preachers, is equal in worth to the cross of Christ is blasphemy.

80. The bishops, curates, and theologians who permit such talk to be spread among the people will have to answer for this.

81. This unbridled preaching of indulgences makes it difficult even for learned men to rescue the reverence which is due the pope from slander or from the shrewd questions of the laity,

82. Such as: "Why does not the pope empty purgatory for the sake of holy love and the dire need of the souls that are there if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial."

83. Again, "Why are funeral and anniversary masses for the dead continued and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded for them, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?"

84. Again, "What is this new piety of God and the pope that for a consideration of money they permit a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God and do not rather, because of the need of that pious and beloved soul, free it for pure love's sake?"

85. Again, "Why are the penitential canons, long since abrogated and dead in actual fact and through disuse, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences as though they were still alive and in force?"

86. Again, "Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?"

87. Again, "What does the pope remit or grant to those who by perfect contrition already have a right to full remission and blessings?"

88. Again, "What greater blessing could come to the church than if the pope were to bestow these remissions and blessings on every believer a hundred times a day, as he now does but once?"

89. "Since the pope seeks the salvation of souls rather than money by his indulgences, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons previously granted when they have equal efficacy?"

90. To repress these very sharp arguments of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies and to make Christians unhappy.

91. If, therefore, indulgences were preached according to the spirit and intention of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved. Indeed, they would not exist.

92. Away then with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace! [Jer. 6:14].

93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Cross, cross," and there is no cross!

94. Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their head, through penalties, death, and hell;

95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace [Acts 14:22].

Source: Luthers Works, volume 31

Blogging Through Joy, chapter 1

2010-10-12T09:50:00.001-05:00

"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." - Isaiah 55:12

So I've decided to re-read "A Little Book on Joy," an amazing little book by LCMS President Rev. Matthew Harrison which is subtitled: "The Secret of Living a Good news Life in a Bad News World." I was inspired to reread this because of some comments made by one of my brother pastors (and good friend) here in the Green Bay Area, Rev. Peter Speckhard. He was speaking on the fruit of the Spirit (which is "love" in all its many facets).

The first chapter of Harrison's book is really more of an introduction to the book than anything else. The brief chapter focuses on the unexpectedness of seeing Mount Kilimanjaro from the air:

As the plane listed, I was surprised then immediately mesmerized by joy at one of the most spectacular sites I've ever beheld. It was like a white ice mountain in a sea of billowing cotton. There, some 20,000 feet below, was the enormous snow covered crater of Mount Kilimanjaro. It was miles wide, glistening and piercing majestically and proudly through a thick blanket of East African cloud cover.

Later, after describing a similarly unexpected viewing of the mountain, this time from the ground, Harrison writes about the one time he purposely tried to go view the mountain, only to be thwarted by rain and weather. It's a perfect metaphor for the quest to find joy. We can't just up and decide that today I'm going to be joyful. Today I'm going to rejoice. It can't come just from inside us... and if we seek it, chances are we won't find it. Again, Harrison writes:

So it is with joy, at least joy as a gift of the Spirit. There's no forcing it, no coercing it, no measuring it, no cooking it up. Whenever that happens, joy quickly is faked and feigned and, in fact, extinguished.... Nevertheless, where there is Jesus, there is joy.

We can't just decide one day to be filled with joy... but we can look to Christ. Jesus Christ, the One to whom the Holy Spirit has called us to have faith in, to believe in. When we look to our Savior, we find joy, and we find ourselves on the path to constant joy... joy even in the midst of this Bad News World we live in.

In fact, there is a kind of joy so profound, so enduring, that it can only be known and felt in one way. Its weaker shadows must be completely dashed and lost. Here's the secret: if we seek joy for its own sake, we will not find it. If we seek Jesus, we shall be engulfed and inundated by joy, and quite by surprise.

Source: "A Little Book on Joy," by Matthew C. Harrison, Lutheran Legacy, 2009, pp. 6-10.

A prayer for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

2010-09-30T13:06:00.001-05:00

From Johann Friedrich Starck's Prayer Book

O gracious God, grant Your Holy Spirit that I may not grieve these creatures of Yours by my sins, nor drive them from me by reckless living, forcing them to stand far off and to forsake me because of my wickedness. Grant that even in this life I may become like the angels by serving, praising, obeying, and glorifying You, so that at last I may be like the angels also in the joys and bliss of the life that never ends. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven - let this prayer resound in my ears and in my heart from now and forevermore. My God, let Your holy angels remain with me in death that they may carry my soul to Abraham's bosom and accompany me to glory. There let me forever be in their fellowship and company, rejoice with them over Your glory and majesty, and chant with them: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts! And so I will praise You for this and for all Your blessings forever and ever. (CPH revised edition, p. 115)

HT: Weedon

"Is" means "Is" - it's the What and not the How

2010-09-21T12:23:00.000-05:00

Scott Diekmann writes at Stand Firm that he "love[s] the note for Article X of the Augsburg Confession in A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord. it pretty much says it all:"

Note: By the time the Augsburg Confession was written, deep divisions had arisen among the various reformers concerning the Lord’s Supper. The Lutherans were very careful to distance themselves from those who reject that the body and blood of Christ are in fact truly present in His Supper and distributed to all those who eat and drink. Transubstantiation, consubstantiation, or any other human speculation asks the wrong question: how is Christ present? Lutheranism has no theory or philosophical explanation of how Christ is present. Rather, Lutherans insist on answering the what of the Lord’s Supper. We believe, teach, and confess that of the bread, Christ said, “This is My body,” and of the wine, “This is My blood.” These are given and shed “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26–28). We reject any teaching that is contrary to our Lord’s Word.

Source: Concordia:The Lutheran Confessions. 2005 (Edited by Paul Timothy McCain) (35). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

Hmmm...

2010-09-19T06:03:00.000-05:00

What He said.

In honor of Holy Cross Day

2010-09-14T07:22:00.001-05:00

Sing, my tongue,
the Savior’s glory;
tell His triumph far and wide;
tell aloud the famous story
of His body crucified;
how upon the cross a victim,
vanquishing in death, He died.

Eating of the tree forbidden,
man had sunk in Satan’s snare,
when our pitying Creator did
this second tree prepare;
destined, many ages later,
that first evil to repair.

Such the order God appointed
when for sin He would atone;
to the serpent thus opposing
schemes yet deeper than his own;
thence the remedy procuring,
whence the fatal wound had come.

So when now at length the fullness
of the sacred time drew nigh,
then the Son, the world’s Creator,
left his Father’s throne on high;
from a virgin’s womb appearing,
clothed in our mortality.

All within a lowly manger,
lo, a tender babe He lies!
see his gentle Virgin Mother
lull to sleep his infant cries!
while the limbs of God incarnate
round with swathing bands she ties.

THUS did Christ to perfect manhood
in our mortal flesh attain:
then of His free choice He goeth
to a death of bitter pain;
and as a lamb, upon the altar of the cross,
for us is slain.

Lo, with gall His thirst He quenches!
see the thorns upon His brow!
nails His tender flesh are rending!
see His side is opened now!
whence, to cleanse the whole creation,
streams of blood and water flow.

FAITHFUL Cross!
above all other,
one and only noble Tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
none in fruit thy peers may be;
sweetest wood and sweetest iron!
Sweetest Weight is hung on thee!

Lofty tree, bend down thy branches,
to embrace thy sacred load;
oh, relax the native tension
of that all too rigid wood;
gently, gently bear the members
of thy dying King and God.

Tree, which solely wast found worthy
the world’s Victim to sustain.
harbor from the raging tempest!
ark, that saved the world again!
Tree, with sacred blood anointed
of the Lamb for sinners slain.

Blessing, honor, everlasting,
to the immortal Trinity;
to the Father, Son, and Spirit,
equal praises ever be;
glory through the earth and heaven
to Trinity in Unity. Amen.

A Dream... a Prayer to the Almighty Trinity

2010-08-31T14:15:00.001-05:00

From the good Rev. William Weedon, whose dreams for the future of our beloved Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod echo my own. He writes: "here are some of my dreams ... for my beloved Synod:

A more merciful Church - greater involvement in alleviating human suffering and bringing the love of Christ to bear in tangible ways in our local communities and throughout the world.

A more evangelical Church - no, not in THAT sense; in the true sense. A Church where the Gospel rings out with its unquenchable joy and shapes all we say and do, and where the Gospel (not the Law!) moves our mission work.

A more liturgical Church - learning to live responsibly within our liturgical heritage in the way Krauth: "possessing liturgical life without liturgical bondage." A Church where the full and rich heritage of Lutheran hymnody rings out full-throated from our congregations.

A more prayerful Church - where the Daily Office, the Litany and such come into their own and shape our parishes as places of prayer. If "my Father's house shall be called a house of prayer for all people" let us return our parishes from being fund-raising organizations to being prayer-raising communities.

A more giving Church - where we recover a lively sense of sacrifice, of sharing earthly goods from the charity that the Gospel has planted in our hearts.

A more gentle Church - where the 8th commandment is truly honored in our practice, above all in learning to explain our neighbor's actions in the kindest way and where we remember the wise words of the Apology that harmony in the Church cannot last unless pastors and churches mutually overlook many things.

A more peaceful Church - where the hope of the future that will surely be ours at our Lord's Appearing removes all hastiness and fear and gives us a calm and measured ability to evaluate the challenges before us.

A more educated Church - where a deep and abiding love for the Word of God leads to full Bible classes and devout reading of the Word in our homes.

"Ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is..."

2010-08-25T11:00:00.001-05:00

Quoting from God's word in Jeremiah, Pastor Peters of Pastoral Meanderings writes:

"Thus says the Lord: 'Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it and find rest for your souls..." (Jeremiah 6:16a) Wow! If that is not a word for today -- especially for Lutherans -- I do not know what is... Amid the doom and gloom of impending judgment and just in the face of the destruction to come, God speaks this simple sentence which offers direction, hope, forgiveness, and redemption all in one...

Lutherans are at the crossroads. The ELCA dissidents against the actions of the CWA are meeting now in Columbus to chart the course for the remnant there. Missouri has elected a President more grounded in our Lutheran identity and with a more catholic vision of Lutheran faith and practice than ever before -- perhaps one of our last opportunities to bring this denomination together before the fragmentation leaves us hopelessly divided. And all across America Lutheran congregations struggle with the great temptation to become something other than Lutheran in order to survive (whether that be like a mainline but dying Protestant denomination, a church body without a doctrinal foundation like the UCC, a generic evangelical Christianity that does what works, or a fundamentalist faith with a liturgy).

And there it is... the direction back from the abyss of sectarianism and from a cultural infatuation that renders us strangers to God... Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is... This does not mean attempting to return to a golden age in Christian or Lutheran or Missourian history. This does not mean complete disdain for the opportunity and possibility rendered us by technology and an awareness of what is going on in the world around us. This does not mean becoming like Missouri of 1847 or 1947 or trying to reinvent the ancient Church or recreating what we read about in the infant Church of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. This means following the ancient paths and building them as a highway through the present age and toward the future. It means keeping faith with the faithful along the way and not beginning with a blank page for structure, doctrine, faith, mission, or worship. It means keeping and adding what does not conflict with the past but extends its truth and is recognizable as the offspring of those who have gone before.

Read the whole thing here.

God's Word is a Lamp to my Feet

2010-08-11T08:58:00.002-05:00

Since my last post concerned that treasure which is the Book of Concord, I thought it most highly appropriate that this post be focused on the Word of God (the Bible) which is handed down to us children to lead us to and deliver us to Jesus Christ crucified, risen, and ascended for our salvation.

The concern of some, always, whenever I discuss studying the Book of Concord is "doesn't that mean you're resting your faith 'in the wisdom of men' and not 'in the power of God'?" (see 1 Cor. 2:1-5). But take note! The Book of Concord faithfully confesses not its own words, but that Word of God which we call the Holy Scriptures. Much like the creeds (Apostles', Nicene, Athanasian), the Lutheran Confessions are a faithful summary of Scripture, not a replacement.

And the Word of God, as it is delivered to us in the Holy Scriptures, is just that— GOD'S own words. Since it is entirely inspired by the Holy Spirit, that means that God Himself is the author of every Word of Scripture— a Scripture which is given to us in order to bear witness to Jesus Christ the Son of God and make us wise unto salvation (see 2 Timothy 3:14-17).

In other words, it's God's Word and nothing but God's Word (so help me God!) The Confessions themselves freely and openly acknowledge this when they state that we also believe, teach, and confess that "the true rule is this: God's Word shall establish articles of faith, and no one else, not even an angel can do so (Galatians 1:8)" (SA,II,ii,15). The prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testament alone," in fact, are "the only rule and norm according to which all doctrines, together with all teachers, should be evaluated and judged" (FC, Ep, Rule and Norm, 1).

The Word of God, in other words, that inexhaustible treasure, that living spring, can never be replaced, added to, minimized, or modified. Our translations of God's Word may change (hopefully always for the better), but God's Word itself is constant. We can write confessions that state what we believe the Bible teachers, but we can never replace Scripture— only struggle daily to take it in, to understand it (i.e. read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it), and so come to know the Christ to which Scripture witnesses. By faith, we affirm that Scripture is powerful and efficacious, and that it alone is the source of all we believe and confess.

Take a moment, if you will, to read this excerpt from the writings of Ephraim the Syrian, a fourth-century deacon (A+D ca. 306-373) who wrote an extensive body of poetry and hymns. It is a paean of praise to God's Word:

Lord, who can comprehend even one of your words? We lose more of it than we grasp, like those who drink from a living spring. For God’s word offers different facets according to the capacity of the listener, and the Lord has portrayed His message in many colors, so that whoever gazes upon it can see in it what suits Him. Within it He has buried manifold treasures, so that each of us might grow rich in seeking them out.

The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. As the Apostle says: They ate spiritual food and they drank spiritual drink.

And so whenever anyone discovers some part of the treasure, he should not think that he has exhausted God’s word. Instead he should feel that this is all that he was able to find of the wealth contained in it. Nor should he say that the word is weak and sterile or look down on it simply because this portion was all that he happened to find. But precisely because he could not capture it all he should give thanks for its riches.

Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because he has overcome you. A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring. So let this spring quench your thirst, and not your thirst the spring. For if you can satisfy your thirst without exhausting the spring, then when you thirst again you can drink from it once more; but if when your thirst is sated the spring is also dried up, then your victory would turn to harm.

Be thankful then for what you have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still remains. What you have received and attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage. For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere. So do not foolishly try to drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on.

Indented quotation excerpted from Ephraim's commentary on Tatian's Diatessaron (a harmonization of the four Gospel accounts according to Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Book of Concord quotations from Concordia: the Lutheran Confessions, a Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005.

Life-long Lutheran Discovers Really Big Book (and loves it!)

2010-08-08T01:00:00.064-05:00

I was raised Lutheran. Baptized into the faith through water and the Word when I was 20 days old. Brought to Sunday School as a youth and after attending Confirmation class, I was confirmed in the Evangelical Lutheran Church when I was 4,866 days old.

During High School, I decided that I didn't believe in Jesus or God His Father. I left the faith for a while, but by the grace of God, I was called back to saving faith by the Word in college. After again attending an LC–MS church for several years, I decided that I would attend seminary with the intention of serving God's church as an under-shepherd (pastor).

Imagine my surprise when I discovered the Really Big Book (otherwise known as the Book of Concord of 1580). My surprise, by the way, was not that there was a really big book published 400+ years ago; no, my surprise was that there was a book which contains the official confession of the Lutheran Church. My surprise was that, in order to become a pastor in the Missouri Synod, I would have to read and agree with (subscribe unconditionally to ) everything in that book "because" it faithfully teaches what the Bible reveals.

Hmmm... interesting. How come I've never even heard of this?

And, wait a minute.

Everything? I have to agree with everything in that Really Big Book? You're going to ask me at my ordination if I believe that the entirety of the Book of Concord of 1580 (that self-same Really Big Book) is a "true exposition of Holy Scripture and a correct exhibition of the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church?" (LC-MS Agenda). Not only that, but the answer I will be required to give is: "Yes, I make these Confessions my own because they are in accord with the Word of God"?

Wow. Here I don't even know this book exists and now unconditional subscription to the content of that book is going to be a prerequisite to ordination? Not only that, but I need to be able to say openly, freely, and without reservation that what that book says is in fact my own confession— not the confession of those long-dead reforming saints, but MY OWN!

Truth be known, once I started to get over my shock, then I started to get angry. I was mad. "Don't we just need the bible?!?"

Thanks be to God that I didn't despair. I figured "it couldn't hurt to read the stupid thing" and see what it says. After all, if this Book of Concord is the official confession of the Evangelical Lutheran Church... if it is norm by which the Lutheran Church believes, teaches, and confesses what we believe the Bible says... I might as well give it a shot. Right?

So I started to read. And boy was I shocked! This Really Big Book was a treasure trove! It wasn't a bunch of debatable opinions by a bunch of really dead guys... it was a faithful teaching of what God reveals in Scripture. I began to realize just how silly my question of "Don't we just need the Bible?" was. The Book of Concord wasn't a replacement for the Bible. By no means! Rather, it was a faithful speaking of God's Word back again. And it was awesome! With the Book of Concord by my side, my Bible reading became the exciting adventure I never knew it could be. Before the Book of Concord, I was an intermittent Bible reader, after... I was a voracious reader, for the Bible had become for me that most delightful of feasts.

I still had some hard work to overcome a few things —like understanding the Bible's teaching on the doctrine of Election (which is HUGE!) and learning to value Baptism (which is also HUGE!)— but it's no exaggeration to say that my study of the Book of Concord transformed me. It opened my eyes to so much of what the Bible teaches. I went from being a life-long Lutheran who would have been comfortable joining your friendly Community Church down the street... to being a convicted Christian who would give his right hand before he'd let go of the theology confessed in the Lutheran confessions.

In the end, it's not about "being Lutheran." It's about "Christ and Him crucified" for you (1 Cor. 2:2). It's about God working through real Words and tangible Sacraments FOR YOU! It's about a radical grace that flies in the face of everything that world teaches. And I learned it all through the Book of Concord.

The Lord Jesus said, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41–42). God bless you as you continue to sit at Jesus' feet!

SDG.

n.b. this post was partly inspired by a blog comment of Rev. Jonathan Fisk, whose journey in part mirrors my own. I even shamelessly stole some of his phrases! :) Thanks, Jonathan!

It is better to be tried than to be puffed up.

2010-08-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther (A+D 1483-1546):

What can be set forth to us that is more useful and more suitable for consolation than the example of Peter [walking on the water in Matthew 14:22-36]. He advances on the water to meet Christ. And when he stepped out of the boat, he first walked on the water to come to Jesus. As the evangelist says, he ran with great impetuosity, with heroic and special spirit, because he knew that Christ was there; and he had the Word and the promise of the Word for his petition: If it be Thou, bid me come to Thee on the water" (Matt. 14:28). But soon, when a little wind blows, he wavers and sinks. What now? Where is that great spirit? Why did you doubt?

But it pleased Christ that he should be tried in this way. For if he had not been tried, he would have been puffed up. But it is better to be tried than to be puffed up. For in this way the promises are retained, and in this way we learn to understand those sobs of the saints, as in Ps. 6:1: "O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy anger." For David, too, was such a great man that God gave him the testimony: "I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will" (Acts 14:22; cf. 1 Sam. 13:14). Yet he prays in this way and struggles with the trials of unbelief and despair.

In this way we, too, have been called, and we have promises that are much clearer and more glorious than those the fathers had. Thus Peter praises this good fortune of ours when he says (2 Peter 1:19): "And we have the prophetic Word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place." Grace and eternal life have been promised and offered to us in a much more glorious way than to them. For the Son has come, and all the promises have been fulfilled. We hear the Son Himself; we have the sacraments and absolution; and day and night the Gospel proclaims to us: "You are holy. You are holy. Your sins have been forgiven you. You are blessed, etc." But what do we do? We still tremble, and we cling to our weakness throughout our life. But why are we not aroused by the example of the [patriarchs, who believed to complete perfgection? I reply that they, too, wer weak, just as we are, although we have richer promises than they had. But it comes to pass as God's voice says to Paul: "My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). for

God could not retain and fulfill His promises in us if He did not kill that stupid, proud, and smug flesh in us.

Source: Martin Luther's commentary on Genesis 28, pp. 255-56 in vol. 5 of Luther's Works, American Edition, edited by Jaroslav Pelikan, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1968.

Interview with LC-MS President-Elect Matthew Harrison

2010-08-05T08:35:00.001-05:00

So by now most of you have probably heard that our beloved Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has elected a new Synodical President.

He was elected at the national convention last month and will be installed as the 13th president of the LC-MS in early September.

Rev. Matthew Harrison, however, who has been serving as the Executive Director of LC-MS World Relief and Human Care, is not necessarily a household name to the laypeople of our Synod. He recently gave an interview to the Reporter which, I believe, goes a long way toward revealing what kind of man, he is, what kind of a Christian and pastor he is, and what kind of a president he is going to be. I personally am very excited about the election of Rev. Harrison as our synodical president. I think he is a very learned man, very humble, extraordinarily confessional and grounded in the faith, and exactly the kind of president that Missouri needs in this tumultuous time.

The interview starts out this way:

Interviewer (James H. Heine): "What is your reaction to your election? You will now serve as the 13th president of the Synod."

Rev. Harrison: "It was a profound combination of joy and sorrow, of hope and also a great sense of my own unworthiness and sinfulness. To stand in front of that great body, a body that directs the future of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, which is, humanly speaking, the most significant force on the globe for confessional Lutheranism and for the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments, was very, very humbling."

Read the whole thing here.

As Luther said, "Here I stand; I can do no other!"

2010-07-28T10:15:00.001-05:00

Bold words from C.F.W. Walther, first president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod:

"When a theologian is asked to yield and make concessions in order that peace may at last be established in the Church, but refuses to do so even in a single point of doctrine, such an action looks to human reason like intolerable stubbornness, yea, like down-right malice. That is the reason why such theologians are loved and praised by few men during their lifetime. Most mean rather revile them as disturbers of the peace, yea, as destroyers of the kingdom of God. They are regarded as men worthy of contempt. But in the end it becomes manifest that this very determined, inexorable tenacity in clinging to the pure teaching of the divine Word by no means tears down the Church; on the contrary, it is just this which, in the midst of greatest dissension, builds up the Church and ultimately brings about genuine peace. Therefore, woe to the Church which has no men of this stripe, men who stand as watchmen on the walls of Zion, sound the alarm whenever a foe threatens to rush the walls, and rally to the banner of Jesus Christ for a holy war! ...

Let us, therefore, bless all the faithful champions who have fought for every point of Christian doctrine, unconcerned about the favor of men and disregarding their threatenings. Their ignominy, though it often was great, had not been born in vain. Men cursed them, but they continued bearing their testimony until death, and now they wear the crown of glory and enjoy the blissful communion of Christ and of all the angels and the elect. Their labor and their fierce battling has not been in vain; for even now, after 1500 years, or, in the last-named case, after several centuries, the Church is reaping what they have sowed.

Let us, then, my friends, likewise hold fast the treasure of pure doctrine. Do not consider it strange if on that account you must bear reproach the same as they did. Consider that the word of Sirach, chap. 4, 33: 'Even unto death fight for justice, and God will overthrow thy enemies for thee,' will come true in our case too. Let this be your slogan: Fight unto death in behalf of the truth, and the Lord will fight for you!"

Source: C.F.W. Walther, "The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel," translated by W.H.T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1929 (1984 printing), pp. 28, 29-30.

A Luther Gem

2010-07-19T13:57:00.001-05:00

The entirety of what follows is an insightful post by the Rev. Eric Brown (LCMS). He quotes Dr. Martin Luther and then comments upon it:

Get used to believing that Christ is a real Savior and that you are a real sinner. For God is neither joking nor is He dealing in imaginary affairs, but He was deadly serious when He sent His own Son into the world and sacrificed Him for our sake, etc. (Romans 8:32; John 3:16). Satan – who is alive and well – has snatched these and similar reflections, which come from soothing Bible passages, from you memory. Therefore, you are not able to recall them in your present great anguish and depression. For God’s sake, then, turn your ears my way, brother, and hear me cheerfully sing. I am your brother. At this time I am not afflicted with the desperation and depression that is oppressing you. Therefore, I am strong in my faith. The reason I am strong in the faith – while you are weak and harried and harassed by the devil – is that you may lean on me for support until you regain your old strength.

Note especially that end. . . therefore I am strong in my faith - and the reason. Not because I am awesome, not because I am great - but so that while you are weak and Satan is beating the tar out of you, you may lean against me and I may speak God's Word of life to you so that you regain strength.

And of course, the opposite is true - there will be times when I am weak, when I am beat down and weary - and that those times it may be that you are strong. Why are you strong? Because of your own awesomeness? No - but so that you might speak a word of comfort to me and bolster me to stand in the face of Satan.

Everything in our life, even the strength of our faith, our confidence, those moments of surety which we have - these are for our neighbor, these are so that we might love the neighbor.

I think this is what Romans 1:17 means - consider Romans 1:16-17 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (17)For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

God's righteousness is revealed, is spoken by me in faith, for the sake of your faith. God's righteousness is revealed, is spoken by you in faith, for the sake of my faith. We constantly proclaim the Gospel to each other, bolstering each other, lifting each other up - and thus we live.

It's a wonderful, wonderful observation. My life is never about me - Just as Christ's life was never about Himself - it's always about you (whoever you happen to be).

HT: Confessional Gadfly

Commemoration of Ruth

2010-07-16T01:00:00.038-05:00

Today, July 16th, is a day set aside to commemorate Ruth of Moab, the subject the Biblical book that bears her name. By doing so, we praise God for His mercy and favor shown to Ruth, and through Ruth (as an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ) to us. SDG.

Ruth of Moab ... is an inspiring example of God's grace. Although she was a Gentile, God made her the great grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17), and an ancestress of Jesus himself (Matthew 1:5). A famine in Israel led Elimelech and Naomi of Bethlehem to emigrate to the neighboring nation of Moab with their two sons. The sons marriend Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, but after about ten years, Elimelech and his sons died (Ruth 1:1–5). Naomi then decided to return to Bethlehem and urged her daughters-in-law to return to their families. Orpah listened to Naomi's but Ruth refused, replying with the stirring words: “Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). After Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, Boaz, a close relative of Elimelech, agreed to be Ruth's “redeemer” (Ruth 3:7–13; 4:9–12). He took her as his wife, and Ruth gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of David (Ruth 4:13–17), thus preserving the Messianic seed. Ruth's kindness and selfless loyalty toward Naomi, and her faith in Naomi's God, have long endeared her to the faithful and redounded to God's praise for his merciful choice of one so unexpected.

Source: LCMS biographies

For a prayer today, I commend to you verses 1, 3, 7, and 4 of "For All the Faithful Women" (LSB 855). To God our heavenly Father, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we pray:

1 For all the faithful women
   Who served in days of old,
To You shall thanks be given;
   To all, their story told.
They served with strength and gladness
   In tasks Your wisdom gave.
To You their lives bore witness,
   Proclaimed Your pow'r to save.

7 For Ruth, who left her homeland
   And ventured forth in faith,
Who pledged to serve and worship
   Naomi's God till death,
We praise You, God of Israel,
   And pray for hearts set free
To bind ourselves to others
   In love and loyalty.

3 O God, for saints and servants,
   Those named and those unknown
In whom through all the ages
   Your light of glory shone,
We offer glad thanksgiving
   And fervent prayer we raise
That, faithful in Your service,
   Our lives may sing Your praise.

4 All praise to God the Father!
   All praise to Christ the Son!
All praise the Holy Spirit,
   Who binds the Church in one!
With saints who went before us,
   With saints who witness still,
We sing glad Alleluias
   And strive to do Your will. Amen.

It's God, All God, and Nothing but God (so help me, God!)

2010-07-15T13:15:00.002-05:00

So I'm studying the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord and I'm on article II: "Free Will, or Human Power." The status of the controversy which was resolved by the Formula of Concord (formula for peace between the controversial theological points) concerns what power, if any, sinful human beings have to cooperate or participate with God's work of converting to faith in Christ. The following says it all:

In order to explain this controversy in a Christian way, according to the guidance of God's Word, and to decide it by His grace, our doctrine, faith, and confession are as follows:

In spiritual and divine things the unregenerate person's intellect, heart, and will are utterly unable, by his natural powers, to understand, believe, accept, think, will, begin, effect, do, work, or concur in working anything. They are entirely dead to what is good (Ephesians 2:5). They are corrupt. So in mankind's nature since the fall, before regeneration, there is not the least spark of spiritual power remaining or present. No person can prepare himself for God's grace or accept the grace God offers. A person is not capable of grace for and of himself. He cannot apply or accommodate himself to it. By his own powers he is not able to aid, do, work, or agree in working anything toward his conversion. He cannot do this fully, halfway, or even in part—not even in the smallest or most trivial part. He is sin's servant (John 8:34) and the devil's captive, by whom he is moved (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Timothy 2:26). Therefore, the natural free will according its perverted disposition and nature is strong and active only to do what is displeasing and contrary to God (Genesis 6:5).

In other words, there is nothing —absolutely nothing!— we can to bring ourselves to saving faith in Jesus Christ my Lord or even to prepare ourselves for grace. Nothing, nada, nichts, rien, niente! And so what a miracle of God's mercy that He uses His precious means of grace to call us to faith... that (despite all this) we are called by the Gospel, enlightened with His gifts, sanctified and kept in the true faith. Glory to God in the highest! Thanks be to God!

Source: Formula, Solid Declaration, II:6-7, "Concordia, the Lutheran Confessions: A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord" (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), first edition, p. 551.

Jesus Wins!

2010-07-10T09:05:00.000-05:00

On this day, the opening day of the convention of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LC–MS) in Houston, TX, many are concerned about who will win and who will lose— in voting about the structure of our synodical organization, in terms of who the next president will be, etc. In light of that, the Rev. Herbert C. Mueller Jr., president of the Southern Illinois District of the LC–MS:

God has given me the privilege of serving as pastor of three congregations in my life. Each time I have come as the new pastor, I've asked what they would like to study in adult Bible class. Each time someone has piped up, "Let's look at Revelation! That should be fun!" And so we do.

The second or third time through I came across this idea: get out a modern language Bible, your favorite, then read through the whole Book of Revelation in one sitting (it takes about 90 minutes). Don't sweat the details, but when you're done, reduce the message to two words. Answer? Jesus wins.

Whatever Satan, the world or we sinners try, Jesus wins the final victory. As we hear when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, "The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). Every time I read it, there's the same result: Jesus wins!

This is true even now, though it's hidden. But we look forward to the day He will appear and we shall see Him as He is. When the disciples saw Jesus ascend and disappear into the clouds, two angels stood by them and said, "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven," that is, visibly, openly, for all to see (Acts 1:11).

Where is Jesus now? He is seated at the right hand of God (which is everywhere, we said last month), ruling over all things for His Church. "From thence," from that position of power, we confess the next line of the creed, "He will come to judge the living and the dead."

Everything for our salvation has been completed, His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven for us. Only this remains. He is coming again. Right now, the Bible says, "He must rule until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:25-26), a victory, the Book of Revelation assures us, Jesus wins. "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and authority and power" (15:24).

That's when He comes again to judge the living and the dead.

What happens to us? If we are still alive when He comes, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52). If we have died before He comes, we will be raised from the dead imperishable. Either way, we are given new, glorified, sinless bodies, "for this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?' The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (15:53-57).

See? Jesus wins!

What about the judgment? Remember the Scripture, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Remember the promise of Jesus, "He who hears my word and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24). Sin, death and the devil are judged and thrown into the lake of fire together with those whose names are not in the book of life (Revelation 20:10-15). But for all who are in Christ by faith, Christ Himself promises, "this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:39-40).

You need fear the judgment only if you are not found in Christ. My prayer for all of you is that we may be like St. Paul, writing to the Philippians, seeking to "gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection…" (Philippians 3:8-10).

Remember, Jesus wins!

Why Luther Is Not Protestant

2010-07-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

Today's post is a re-post from Pastor Peters, wherein he comments ably on the article "Why Luther Is Not Quite Protestant," by Phillip Carey of Eastern University. Enjoy...

[In the article,] Carey examines the logic of faith in a sacramental promise. In other words, he spends his time comparing and contrasting the role of faith and the promises of God that form the means of grace. He sees in Luther something not quite in keeping with the way Protestants generally see things. This is the catholic Luther (the only real Luther) who does not make faith itself the primary foundation upon which conversion, baptismal regeneration, absolution, and the Lord's Supper are based. According to Carey this is, at least in part, the reason why there is "no revivalist tradition native to Lutheranism" and why the revivalist tradition of Protestantism is foreign to Lutheran understanding of the working of God and the faith that apprehends His work.

For Protestants (read this Calvinists, especially), the certainty of salvation rests upon faith. Carey has put it this way: Whoever believes in Christ is saved (major premise); I believe in Christ (minor premise); therefore, I am saved (conclusion). But for Luther it did not work this way. For Luther, justification does not require either a conversion experience or a decision. These are acts of the will that detract from Christ and His work. The minor premise in all of Luther's approach is "Christ never lies but only tells the truth" - not "I believe..."

So for Luther the certainty rests not on MY faith but on CHRIST and His Word/Promise: It looks like this, according to Carey: Christ said "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (major premise); Christ never lies but always tells the truth (minor premise); therefore, I am baptized (I have new life in Christ, I am saved, etc.) -- conclusion.

The sacramental Word is wholly external. There is a great difference between having faith in Christ and depending upon that faith for your new life, justification, and salvation. The efficacy is in the sacramental Word and not in the faith itself. This is key to Luther and the key difference between Lutherans and the Protestants.

This is especially pointed when it comes to sacramental absolution. Calvin thought it wise and good pastoral practice to offer private absolution but not as a sacramental act. Instead, Calvin saw this as a conditional statement -- conditional upon faith in Christ -- but for Luther this is the unconditional Word of Christ that does what it promises.

Calvin:

Christ promises absolution to those who believe in Him.

I believe in Christ.

[Therefore,] I am absolved of all my sins.

Luther:

Christ says "I absolve you of all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Christ never lies but always tells the truth.

[Therefore,] I am absolved of all my sins.

For Luther, to NOT believe in this absolution is to call Christ a liar while for Calvin the priest can never say these words unconditionally and the absolved must posit his assurance in his or her faith to know that he or she is forgiven.

We could go on and on.... in the end, Carey sees Luther's understanding of justification tied to sacramental piety -- a very catholic understanding, indeed. While there is much to consider in this article, it does highlight the issues within the LCMS about borrowing from those whose revivalist traditions are in direct conflict with our understanding of the means of grace and the efficacy of Christ's Word and promise. It goes to the heart of what takes place on Sunday morning and to the nature of what should be sung as the hymns or songs of the faithful. It challenges those who use the language or vocabulary of Protestantism to speak to those outside the Church and the duplicity of a witness which says one thing and means something other (or maybe not, if, indeed, those who do this have lost touch with the efficacy of Christ's Word and promise as the minor premise of this sacramental piety and liturgical life).

HT: Catching Up On My Reading

Commemoration of Isaiah, prophet

2010-07-06T07:18:00.003-05:00

Today, July 6th, is set aside in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LC–MS) for the commemoration of Isaiah the prophet. This is what our LC–MS Commission on Worship says about him:

Isaiah son of Amoz is often considered to be the greatest of the writing prophets and is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament prophet. His name means "Yahweh [the Lord] saves." Isaiah prophesied to the people of Jerusalem and Judah from about 740 B.C. to 700 B.C. and was a contemporary of the prophets Amos, Hosea, and Micah.

Isaiah was a fierce preacher of God's Law, condemning the sin of idolatry. He was also a comforting proclaimer of the Gospel, repeatedly emphasizing God's grace and forgiveness. For this he is sometimes called the “Evangelist of the Old Testament.” No prophet more clearly prophesied about the coming Messiah and his saving kingdom. He foretold the Messiah's miraculous birth (Is 7:14; 9:6), his endless reign (Is 2:1–5; 11:1–16), and his public ministry (Is 61:1–3), but most notably his “Suffering Servant” role and atoning death (52:13—53:12). The apostle John's description of Isaiah, that Isaiah saw Jesus' glory and spoke of him (John 12:41), is an apt summary of Isaiah's prophetic ministry.

Consider this fine Martin Luther (A+D 1483-1546) hymn from our new hymnbook, Lutheran Service Book. "Isaiah, Mighty Seer," LSB 960:

Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old,

The Lord of all in spirit did behold

High on a lofty throne, in splendor bright,

With robes that filled the temple courts with light.

Above the throne were flaming seraphim;

Six wings had they, these messengers of Him.

With two they veiled their faces as was right,

With two they humbly hid their feet from sight,

And with the other two aloft they soared;

One to the other called and praised the Lord:

"Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!

Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!

His glory fills the heavens and the earth!"

The beams and lintels trembled at the cry,

And clouds of smoke enwrapped the throne on high. (for the tune, click here)

Let us pray: Lord God heavenly Father, in the earliest days after the Fall, you immediately proclaimed to our first parents the promise one day of a savior. Through the mouth of your servant Isaiah you reaffirmed that promise and foretold His virgin birth. O Father, we thank you for sending to us your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank you that sent Him to be our own suffering servant, that all our sins and sufferings were laid upon Him. Let the words and the example of Isaiah point ever and always to Your Son Jesus Christ, that we might be given faith to receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation that He won for us on the wood of the cross. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"The Only Remedy is the Diligent Study of the Word of God"

2010-07-05T12:57:00.001-05:00

As quoted by Rev. Matthew Harrison, Executive Director of World Relief and Human Care... fascinating, eye-opening words from then-LCMS President F. Pfotenhauer, in his 1923 Synod Address:

Our Confessions, therefore declare: “We believe, teach, and confess that the sole rule and standard according to which all dogmas together with all teachers should be estimated and judged are the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament alone, as it is written Psalm 119:105: ‘Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,’ and St. Paul: ‘Though an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, let him be accursed,’ Galatians 1:8” [Formula of Concord, Epitome, Summary Rule and Norm; Triglotta, 777].

Hence, if a church-body wishes to be preserved from party spirit or be cured of this malady when it has broken out, the only remedy is diligent study of God’s Word. The Word of God has the property of unifying and preserving in unity. Those who say that doctrines should not be discussed in order to avoid divisions within the church do not know what they are talking about. Luther writes in the Smalcald Articles: “Therefore the church can never be better governed and preserved than if we all live under one head, Christ, and all the bishops, equal in office (although they be unequal in gifts), be diligently joined in unity of doctrine, faith, Sacraments, prayer and works of love” [Smalcald Article II/IV, 9; Triglotta, 473].

Our Synod has so far been preserved from party spirit. Although its members are scattered over distant lands and differ much as to conditions and manner of living and external interests, still there are no different tendencies, no divisions, among us despite our many frail- ties and weaknesses. It would be unheard of within our Synod to speak of a liberal party in opposition to a conservative party. We are all joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. One and the same spirit prevails in all our district conventions and in all our educational institutions. That such is the case we owe not to ourselves, but to the Word of God, which has been diligently preached and studied in our midst ever since the organization of our Synod and is still preached and studied in our churches and schools, at our conferences and synodical meetings. In our midst the Word of God has revealed its power to create and preserve unity. On the one hand, in divine matters, it permitted no other voice than that of Jesus to gain authority among us; on the other hand, it prevented the adiaphora from becoming so prominent as to estrange and to divide us inwardly, so that they were decided, often after a spirited debate, either by the minority’s submitting to the majority or by the majority’s yielding to the minority when that was demanded by charity.

May the faithful God restrain and ward off from us all doctrinal indifference which seeks to insinuate itself into our midst, so that we may confess with the fathers of our Synod: “Thy testimonies are my counselors.” Then we shall continue peacefully in one mind in spite of the fury of the devil, the world, and our flesh; we shall prove ourselves a salt in this unionistic age and be able to do the great work of the church in a God-pleasing manner. To this end may the Lord bless our present convention!

Let our prayer be the closing sigh of the authors of the Formula of Concord: “May Almighty God and the Father of our Lord Jesus grant the grace of His Holy Ghost that we all may be one in Him and constantly abide in this Christian unity, which is well-pleasing to Him! Amen” [Formula of Concord, Epitome XI, 23; Triglotta, 837].

Does Being Lutheran Matter?

2010-06-30T09:50:00.000-05:00

A thoughtful and challenging essay by Rev. Paul T. McCain of Concordia Publishing House.

Today is the 480th anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession, in 1530. It is also the 430th anniversary of the publication of the Book of Concord, in 1580. Both events are special days in the history of the Lutheran Church. These documents define what it means to be, and to remain, a Lutheran. Are the historical relics of the past, or the living confession of Christians today who call themselves Lutheran? Does being Lutheran still matter?

There seem to be three types of responses to the question, “Does being Lutheran still matter?” One is, “Are you kidding me? You better believe that it matters. Let me tell you why.” Another response is a sort of “mental shrug” to the question, “Well, of course we want to be and remain Lutheran, that goes without saying, there’s no real need to talk much about it though.” And then, sadly, there is this response, “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is being a Christian. We need to focus on what unites us rather than what divides us.” As I watch and analyze events and trends in Christianity and Lutheranism, both in this country and around the world, I am increasingly convinced of two things: first, being and remaining genuinely Lutheran matters more then ever, and second, the reasons why this is true are unclear at best to many people, including many Lutherans.

To be Lutheran is to be a person who says, “This is what God’s Word, the Bible, teaches. This and nothing else is true and correct. The Lutheran understanding teaching and confession of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most accurate and most faithful to God’s Word. Nothing more, and nothing less, will do, for this is the truth.” In our day and age these sorts of bold assertions are often met with angry responses, such as, “How dare you insist that Lutheranism is actually the true teaching of God’s Word. How can you think you have the truth? All that matters is if a person is sincere about their faith in God.” We live in a time when truth is viewed as something relative, impossible to know for sure. The attitude common today is reflected when we hear things like this, “I have my truth. You have your truth. As long as we respect our differences, that is all that matters.” It seems today that the most important “truth” for many people is their profound doubt that truth can be known, and the conviction that those who claim to know the truth are wrong.

Before we go further we need to clear up a common misconception. While insisting on the truth of Lutheranism, we can never allow ourselves to do so in an arrogant, haughty or self-righteous manner. People who are passionate about the truth of Biblical Lutheranism know that the Bible teaches often and clearly that we are all sinful human beings in need of God’s constant mercy, which He so lavishly gives in Christ. To be truly Lutheran is to receive the gifts of God with humility, repentantly recognizing our great need. It is tempting for Lutherans to be proud and arrogant of their great heritage, but this is a terrible evil! To be Lutheran is to be always mindful of our great sin and our great need for a Savior. To be a Lutheran is to be a sinner calling out to fellow sinners, “Come and see!” Furthermore, we would never want anyone to think that we Lutherans are saying, “We, and we alone, are the only ones who will be in heaven. In fact, you can’t be a Christian unless you are a Lutheran.” Not so! Not at all. We realize that the Word of God is powerful and active, wherever and whenever it is heard, read or meditated on. There are many Christians in other denominations and churches. They are not Christians because of the errors in their churches, but in spite of those errors. Let’s then have none say, “You Lutherans think you alone are Christians.” We have never said that, we have never believed it, and we never will. The reason we insist on Lutheranism for everyone who will listen is because we believe so passionately that it truly is the most correct and most accurate understanding of the Word of God.

Another point that confuses people is the fact that there are so many different churches to choose from. It is an awful mess, so it seems. Yes, it can be confusing, but it really is not as complicated as some would think, or want to maintain. Up until the year 1054 there was basically one unified Christian church, distinct from a number of non-Christian or anti-Christian heretical groups. In 1054 the church divided into Eastern and Western Christianity. By the time of the late Middle Ages, the Western Church, which had come to be known as the Roman Catholic Church, had reached a point of deep corruption, most importantly in what it believed, but also in the morals and life of the clergy and church leadership. In 1517 there began what we know today as the Reformation, when Martin Luther, a professor and monk in Wittenberg, Germany posted a series of “talking points” on the practice of selling “indulgences” by which people were led to believe they could buy forgiveness of sins, for their dead relatives in purgatory. A person has to decide if the Lutheran view of Christianity is correct, or the Roman Catholic view is correct.

After the Reformation, many groups developed from the teachings of persons other than Martin Luther, most notably, two men: Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, who did much of his work in Geneva. These two men and their writings gave rise to many churches that can be traced back to and grouped under the general category of “Reformed” churches. In America in the 19th and 20th century there arose many splinter groups from Reformed churches. These would include “Charismatic” and “Pentecostal” groups, along with groups that rejected all denominations and became, in effect, a denomination of their own, the so-called “non-denominational” churches. A decision must be made about which branch of the Reformation is correct.

But there is an additional challenge unique to our century and more so the past half-century. Today, despite all their denominational differences and historic confessions, the vast majority of Christian churches in Protestantism have been nearly overwhelmed by the rise of liberal Christianity. This unites them more so than any other feature of their confession of faith. Historic differences are no longer regarded as divisive since these divisions were based on one group’s understanding of the Biblical text as opposed to another group’s understanding of the Bible. For example, the difference between Lutheran and Reformed views of the Lord’s Supper are very important and based on very serious and clear differences in how the words Jesus spoke at the Last Supper are understood. Liberalism however regards the words of Jesus in the Bible as unreliable. It teaches that we can not be sure that what is recorded in the Bible is true and accurate, therefore, there is no point in being “dogmatic” about much of anything having to do with the Bible. Modern liberalism has swept through all Christian denominations, Lutheran Reformed, Protestant and Roman Catholic.

This impacts our question, “Does being Lutheran matter?” for we have to realize that there are many churches in the world today that claim to be Lutheran but have been nearly entirely overcome by liberal views of the Bible. Therefore, they have compromised away the distinct doctrinal position of Lutheranism. They may still be fond of historic Lutheranism, but no longer insist that it, and it alone, is true and that other views of the Bible are in error. When we ask the question, “Does being Lutheran matter?” It is a question that must be asked first of those who still use the name Lutheran, but no longer insist on the exclusive truth claims of historic, genuine, authentic Lutheranism. Let’s examine the world’s largest Lutheran organization, the Lutheran World Federation.

Clear-headed analysis of what is happening in world Lutheranism reveals that the greatest threat to being and remaining genuinely Lutheran comes from groups that call themselves Lutheran! Let’s think about the Lutheran World Federation, for instance. No organization in the world has done more in the past fifty years to deconstruct genuine Lutheranism than the Lutheran World Federation. It has tolerated, even encouraged, a loose and unfaithful understanding of the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, all the while ostensibly claiming a certain identity with them. The predecessor bodies that formed the Lutheran World Federation would not reject and throw out false teachers such as Rudolph Bultmann who worked to “demythologize” the New Testament, casting doubt on the words and deeds of Jesus. To this day the Lutheran World Federation pays mere lip service to the ancient Christian creeds, but tolerates in its midst churches whose pastors and theologians who doubt, and even brazenly deny, the most fundamental tenets of the Christian faith, casting doubt on the miracles of Jesus, His virgin birth, His bodily resurrection, and so forth! A number of LWF member churches have embraced the anti-Apostolic and anti-Scriptural practice of the ordination of women, abortion, and homosexuality. The LWF, despite its claim that it is Lutheran, can not even insist on faithfulness to the most basic of all the Lutheran confessions, Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. The LWF, and most of its member churches, compromised and walked away from the Lutheran insistence on the Lord’s Supper when it entered into all manners of “full communion” with Reformed churches that continue to this day to deny that the bread and wine in the Holy Communion are in fact the body and blood of Christ. The LWF leadership structure has embraced a compromise of the very heart of the Gospel itself with Rome, when it accepted the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” in which it allowed Rome to continue its formal anathema of the Biblical doctrine that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, apart from any works. In our own country, we have seen the devastating consequences of this compromising view of Lutheranism in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is in full communion fellowship with the most notoriously liberal of one of the most outrageously liberal protestant churches in the world, the United Church of Christ. The UCC does not even insist that its member pastors confess their believe in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity! And, most recently, we have witnessed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America scuttling even the most basic Biblical teaching concerning human sexuality, gender, family, and marriage, all in the name of love, understanding and progress, so-called. Lord, have mercy!

Within our own Synod there is the constant temptation to want to bury our head in the sand and hope and pretend these situations are not taking place or that somehow, perhaps by magic, they will just all go away or that we can ignore these realities and go on with business as usual. These pressures and theological trends also are at work in conservative Lutheran church bodies. And while it may be the case that the overt liberalism of mainline Protestantism appears to be less of a threat to more conservative Lutheran churches here in the USA. It has been correctly noted that conservative Lutherans tend to be tempted more toward generic Evangelical Protestantism, than the kind of liberalism we see in the mainline protestant denominations. We face the temptation to adopt the methods, forms and appearance of the “big box” non-denominationalism that has little regard or place for the Sacraments, that continually throws people back on to their emotional reactions with God as the certainty of faith, that would shift the focus of the Christian life away from a strong focus on the objective reality of Christ’s saving work, and on to a life that is more about my feelings, and my “decisions” for Christ. Doctrine is downplayed and revivalism and emotionalism become the most prominent parts of church life. A clear confession that God has instituted and ordained an office of the ministry is watered down, in favor of a form of American democracy at work in the Church’s ministry. These are very real and present dangers for conservative Lutherans. The assertion of an inerrant Bible and a belief in the miracles recorded therein is no substitute for a firm adherence to the Confessions of the Lutheran Church, not merely in a polite nod toward them, but actually implementing what they teach about Lutheran doctrine and Lutheran practice among us. Replacing the historic liturgical worship of the Lutheran Church with entertainment-worship styles, that is, suggesting we can take up the style of Evangelicalism, without threatening the substance of Lutheranism among us, is a false and misleading dream.

Does being Lutheran matter? Many would suggest that to insist on being and remaining Lutheran is to insist on what divides us from other Christians rather than on what unites us with them. “I’m more interested in people being Christian, rather than Lutheran” is a comment one actually hears these days quite often, sadly and tragically, even from Lutheran pastors. Clearly this is something we must be on our guard to avoid. Being Lutheran is not a matter of culture, tradition or habit, at least it should not be simply that. No, being Lutheran is about being passionate about the truth, the full truth, and nothing but the truth as revealed by God in Holy Scripture. As much as we care about the truth of God’s Holy Word and the proclamation of a pure and unadulterated exposition of the Scriptures, being Lutheran matters. Martin Luther was concerned that people would be using his name, but then he realized that using the name “Lutheran” was a way to identify with what he stood for, to identify with his confession of the Gospel, in other words, to clearly identify oneself as a person who holds to a specific confession of Christ and none other. There are so many competing points of view of what Christianity is. Being Lutheran therefore is a way to distinguish and teach and confess and bear witness to the Christian faith in a very specific and faithful way.

Being and remaining truly Lutheran takes courage and determination. It is not easy. Faithfulness to the Word of God is never easy, or convenient, or popular. This places unique demands on our pastors and congregations and our church body, since we are determined to be and remain truly Lutheran. Dr. C.F.W. Walther, the first president of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, offers important insight in his masterful study of Lutheranism titled The True Visible Church on Earth.

Contrary to our detractors, the Lutheran Church has never claimed to be the only church outside of which there is no salvation. No, not at all. We do believe that the teachings of the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Book of Concord of 1580, are in fact the pure, divine truth, because they agree with the written Word of God on all points. It is for this reason that the Lutheran church, and consequently our Synod, demands of all members, especially of our ministers, that they acknowledge the Lutheran Confessions without reservation and show their willingness to be obligated to them. And it is precisely because we so value and honor the purity of the Gospel given as a gift to us that we stand with Scripture (1 Cor. 1:10; Rom. 16:17) and our Confessions (AC VII; FC SD X) in rejecting every fraternal and ecclesiastical fellowship that rejects the truth of the Lutheran Confessions, either in whole or in part.

This is why we say that being and remaining Lutheran does matter. We Lutherans therefore have no choice but to keep on standing up, and calling up for true, orthodox, confessional Lutheranism. We want no poor imitations, but the real thing. We will continue to call for complete faithfulness to God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions, recognizing the blessing that such faithfulness has been since the time of the Lutheran Reformation. Our desire is always to be maximally faithful, not merely minimally so.

With this call for faithfulness comes the Lord’s call for outreach. In no way must we ever permit ourselves to pit faithfulness against outreach. Faithfulness to the Word results in outreach with the Gospel. Faithful outreach is based entirely on a faithful proclamation of the Word. The constant hallmark of a genuinely Lutheran Synod, and a genuinely Lutheran congregation, is this two-fold emphasis: faithfulness to Scripture and the Confessions, and outreach with the Gospel.

God forbid that we would ever apologize for wanting to be, and remain, a truly Lutheran church, or that we would ever hesitate clearly to speak up when we notice others walking away from the truths of the Word and the Lutheran Confessions for the sake of unity, which is no unity at all, since it is not based on agreement in the teachings of the Word, but only on an agreement to disagree! Thus, we pray that the Lord would continue to strengthen and embolden us to be a true, faithful and courageous Lutheran church body, to the glory of His holy name and the extension of His kingdom.

It is particularly interesting and encouaging to me to notice how many younger people are keenly interested in Lutheranism. They want substance in worship and in Bible study and in every aspect of their church life. They want authenticity, not the showy and manipulative hype that their parents and maybe now even grandparents found so alluring in the past several decades. They have been raised in a culture that at every turn is trying to manipulate them into buying something. They have had enough of that. They see how shallow it is and they want instead substance and content and rich depth of meaning. This is where Lutheranism excels, for we rejoice in the depths of God’s truths, not resting content with simply “once over lightly.”

We wonder why, when people have a choice, they leave the Lutheran church. Why bother to remain Lutheran if there is nothing anything worth remaining for? If the differences that distinguish Lutheran from any other option in Christendom are never mentioned, or made to appear no more important than picking amongst various ice cream flavors, is it any wonder why people leave our congregations to find “greener pastures” in other churches? That is why the constant challenge we face is gently, pastorally, warmly and winsomely to be working hard at reinforcing good understandings and encouraging careful thinking and reflection, helping our people to see the issues of our day, and thereby recognizing and appreciating the fact that Lutheranism is the best option for anyone who wants to remain genuinely faithful to God’s Word.

So, how does one remain Lutheran? Fond hopes, fervent wishes, pious prayer? Yes, all that, but more. The old Benedictine motto: “Ora et labora” applies! Pray and work and then, pray and work some more. Teaching is key. We must disciple people into the truth. This involves long, hard work. Passion, energy, excitement, dedication, enthusiastic desire to pass along the truth-these are key to being and remaining Lutheran. Nothing is more exciting than the truth, and if that is so, shouldn’t our attitude toward it be equally one of excitement and energy and conviction? If Lutheranism appears to be dreary, dull and plodding whose fault is that but ours? High-quality intensive teaching is the key to the future of Lutheranism. We sing, “Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word” and then we work to make it so among us, for our sake and for the sake of those who will come after us.

Does being Lutheran matter? Yes, it matters. It matters as much as being and remaining true to Christ and His Word and Sacraments matters, as outreach with the Gospel matters, and as loving our neighbor matters. May God bless our efforts, and may He guide our work together in this high calling and noble task of being, and remaining, genuinely and faithfully Lutheran.

Source: http://cyberbrethren.com/2010/06/25/does-being-and-remaining-lutheran-still-matter/

Commemoration of St. Irenaeus of Lyons, pastor

2010-06-28T10:02:00.000-05:00

Today, June 28th, is the day in the church calendar which celebrates Irenaeus of Lyon, an early church father (c. A+D 130 - 202) who battled the Gnostics.

In terms of background, it is believed that Irenaeus was native of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey) who studied in Rome and later became pastor in Lyons, France. Around 177, while Irenaeus was away from Lyons, a fierce persecution of Christians led to the martyrdom of his bishop. Upon Irenaeus' return, he became bishop of Lyons.

Among Irenaeus' most famous writings is a work condemning heresies, especially that bewildering array of loosely-affiliated heresies called gnosticism (which is making a huge 21st century comeback, by the way). Since most gnostics taught all that matter is fundamentally flawed and evil and that our central goal in life is denying the material and embracing the spiritual only, Irenaeus in turn defended the worthiness of earthly creation and matter to be the creation of the true and only God and upheld the incarnation of Christ was a crucial event in salvation history.

Irenaeus also affirmed the teachings of the Scriptures handed down to and through him as being normative for the Church. He also defended the Chrsitian faith as "Apostolic" against the Gnostics who claimed a separate, secret Christian tradition apart from the apostles. Irenaeus insisted that it was the apostles and the Scriptures they wrote which gave true knowledge of Christ and the Father and our salvation.

Here is a small bit of his writing on that subject:

We have learned from none others the plan of our salvation, than from those through whom the Gospel has come down to us, which they did at one time proclaim in public, and, at a later period, by the will of God, handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith. For it is unlawful to assert that they preached before they possessed "perfect knowledge," as some do even venture to say, boasting themselves as improvers of the apostles. For, after our Lord rose from the dead, [the apostles] were invested with power from on high when the Holy Spirit came down [upon them], were filled from all [His gifts], and had perfect knowledge: they departed to the ends of the earth, preaching the glad tidings of the good things [sent] from God to us, and proclaiming the peace of heaven to men, who indeed do all equally and individually possess the Gospel of God. Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter. Luke also, the companion of Paul, recorded in a book the Gospel preached by him. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia.

These have all declared to us that there is one God, Creator of heaven and earth, announced by the law and the prophets; and one Christ the Son of God. If any one do not agree to these truths, he despises the companions of the Lord; nay more, he despises Christ Himself the Lord; yea, he despises the Father also, and stands self-condemned, resisting and opposing his own salvation, as is the case with all heretics.

Source: Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter 1.

Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

2010-06-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

So I missed it. With the wife and kids gone this weekend to attend the baptism of my newest niece, Emma Grace, I worked overtime on some long-delayed projects and totally missed celebrating the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. And so... better late than never... I give you this post by the Rev. Matthew Lorfeld, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, La Crescent, MN:

Presentation of the Augsburg Confession to Emperor Charles V, June 25 1530

Today the Lutheran Church turns 480 years old. While today will slip by for many Lutherans without the fanfare of Reformation Day (October, 31), today marks the day in which God fearing laymen stood up for the Gospel against Pope and Emperor.

A Diet (Imperial Council) was held in the city of Augsburg in 1530 to address, among other issues, Luther's followers. The main issue however was that Suleiman was just routed at Vienna (thanks to excessive rain and early snow) and the Emporer wished to push back against the Ottoman invasion. He needed his German princes to be on board, and in his mind, for them to be on board was to follow the Empire's spiritual head, the Pope. So Charles V ordered the princes to participate in a Corpus Christi procession as a show of good faith.

Margrave George of Brandenburg, as spokesman for the princes, replied, "We cannot and dare not do it. If it were a procession designed to honor the Emperor, or if any worldly affair, we should be the first to attend. But as this procession is given out as an act of worship which is not commanded in the Scriptures, and rather belongs to that class of which the Saviour says, Matt. xv. 9: ' But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,' so we must decline performing an act which would only burden our conscience with guilt before God."

When asked again by the Emperor to honor Christ and the "Holy Mother Church" by participating in the procession, lest they dishonor the Sacrament, the reply was ever resolute, "That be far from us. It is because we desire not to desecrate the sacrament that we refuse to sanction this ceremony. What we yesterday said, we repeat to-day ; the festival of Corpus Christi is a mutilation of the sacrament; and carrying it about in procession, is against the institution of the sacrament itself, which was also commanded by Christ to be received and partaken of entire and unmutilated."

The previous day, Margrave George demonstrated the resolve of the princes when ordered to participate in the same Chorpus Christi procession, "We base our refusal," he continued, in a calm and unfaltering tone, " on the plain word of God, from which we cannot swerve, because our souls are bound up in it. We do not refuse from disobedience to his imperial majesty, but because we fear the sin of opposing God's word. In all human affairs, we are ready to serve his majesty with our property, life and blood, and thus prove that we keep the oath of allegiance. But in divine affairs, we have another and a higher Lord and King, to whom we owe obedience for our poor souls' sake. His Majesty is lord of our bodies, but not of our souls. Yes," he continued, in a more determined tone, advancing nearer to the Emperor, " before I would deny my God and his Gospel, I would here kneel before your Imperial Majesty and suffer my head to be cut off!"

The Emperor responded in his Netherland dialect, "Dear Prince, no heads off! No heads off!"

(For a more detailed reading, check out The Diet of Augsburg, by Carl August Wildenhahn, John Gottlieb Morris, from which this account was taken pages 201-207)

The reason I go to such length in telling this story is because it is the same willingness to forsake all, even life, for the sake of the Gospel. This is what every pastor does when they vow that they will preach and teach according to Scripture as the only rule and norm. It is because of this confession that they also confess that the Lutheran Confessions are a true exposition of Scripture, and fully subscribe to them. Then in the ordination / installation service the pastor also states "and I make this confession my own."

This last phrase is key. It puts each pastor's neck out their as they stand shoulder to shoulder with the Confessors, including Margrave George. This does away with confessional minimalism which says "I only subscribe to the doctrinal content of the Confessions." Of course in saying this, it makes the individual a subjective arbiter of what is doctrinal and what is not doctrinal (often the terms "practice" or "descriptive" will be used). In my, not-so-humble,neck-extended, opinion, this is simply a stepping away from the spirit of what it means to make these confessions my own. So on this day, I rejoice in the confession of the pure doctrine of Christ and His Gospel.

The Holy Cross of Christ

2010-06-10T01:00:00.001-05:00

Please prayerfully consider with me these words of St. John of Damascus (A+D 676-749). John, sometimes called "Chrysorrhoas," or "streaming with gold" (i.e., "the golden speaker"), was an Arab Christian monk and priest in the late 7th/early 8th century:

Every action of Christ and all His working of miracles were truly very great and divine and wonderful, but of all things the most wonderful is His honorable cross. For by nothing else except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ has death been brought low, the sin of our first parent destroyed, hell plundered, resurrection bestowed, the power given us to despise the things of this world and even death itself, the road back to the former blessedness made smooth, the gates of paradise opened, our nature seated at the right hand of God, and we made children and heirs of God. By the cross all things have been set aright!

– John of Damascus, Book IV: Chapter 11

Silence in the Divine Service

2010-06-09T13:02:00.005-05:00

So my article for our congregational newsletter in July is going to talk about a number of different actions and gestures that I do in leading the Divine Service (worship) that require a little teaching in order for their significance to be fully realized. It's inspired by Pastor Weedon in a post from last year. One of the things that I don't mention in this forthcoming article is the use of silence.

And yet, silence is an important part of the Divine Service. For example, in the service (after the Invitation to confess our sins), there is "silence for reflection on God's Word and for self-examination. Despite the fact that the hymnal specifies the reason for the moment of silence, people often wonder what's going on. It's a break from everything that competes for our attention. It allows us to meditate on God- on His Word and on our failure to follow it. Silence allows us to consider the sins we need to confess before Him.

One that's a little more difficult is the moment of silence before the Collect of the Day. The Collect of the Day is a brief historic prayer that summarizes some of the thoughts of the Gospel reading. The moment of silence before the Collect is more difficult because the editors of our hymnal (Lutheran Service Book) opted not to mention the moment of silence in the pew hymnal; the silence is only mentioned in the Altar Book where it says: "The presiding minister faces the altar. A brief silence may be observed. The presiding minister may raise his outstretched hands in the gesture of prayer while speaking or chanting the COLLECT OF THE DAY." The silence, then, recognizes that the pastor's "Let us pray" is an invitation; the congregation is thereby invited to lift its prayers in silence to God. The collect that follows then "collects" those individual intercessions and gives them voice.

In any case, the next time there is a moment of silence in your congregation, don't wonder "what's going on? Is the pastor confused?" Instead, use the God-given opportunity to collect your thoughts and offer them to God. Pray to the God of heaven and earth for God's unmerited favor. And trust that -because of Christ Jesus and His cross- you will receive all the benefits of that cross— peace, favor, grace, and love. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Lutheran Confessions and the Word of God

2010-06-03T08:21:00.000-05:00

Pastor Weedon points out an incredibly apt statement in the Treasury of Daily Prayer's assigned readings from the Book of Concord. Here in a single sentence is what it means to subscribe the Confessions:

In my humble opinion I judge that all these [AC, Ap, Treatise] agree with Holy Scriptures and the belief of the true and genuine catholic Church. - Johann Brenz (A+D 1499-1570).

Accordingly, this is something all Lutherans and all Lutheran Churches can say. Our own beloved Church, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, in its humble opinion judges that the entire Book of Concord agrees with Holy Scriptures and the belief of the true and genuine catholic Church.

Praise be to God! Amen.

Holy Trinity Sunday

2010-05-31T09:10:00.001-05:00

So yesterday was the First Sunday after Pentecost. It was a wonderful celebratory service - with sung introit, confessed Athanasian Creed and wonderful Trinitarian hymns. Included was, of course, Reginald Heber's (A+D 1783-1826) "Holy, Holy Holy."

   Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
   Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
   Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
   God in three persons, blessèd Trinity!

   Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
   Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
   Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
   Which wert and art and evermore shalt be.

   Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
   Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
   Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
   Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

   Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
   All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea.
   Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
   God in three persons, blessèd Trinity!

Pentecost Monday

2010-05-24T09:26:00.003-05:00

A blessed and happy Pentecost Monday to you!

Yesterday at Church we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost Day. Pentecost is an amazing high point in the Church Year and it was a beautiful and moving service - we sang the Introit (which we have never done before), the choir sang at both services, we had a thank-you presentation to this year's Sunday School Teachers and Staff, and we heard the Good News of what it means to be a child of God in the Post-Pentecost Age. Of course, we also had the privilege of receiving the Sacrament of the Altar together in unity of faith. Forgiveness given, Forgiveness received - and lives restored - all by the grace of God and to the glory of God.

Not only that, but as part of our spotlight on the work of the Holy Spirit -as He continues to serve us faithfully and powerfully through the Word and Sacraments- we took the opportunity (in place of the Nicene Creed) to confess together Martin Luther's Explanation to the Third Article of the Creed from the Small Catechism. It's a powerful testimony not only to the deadness of our hearts, but to how the Holy Spirit lifts us out of death and into life through His own work:

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the bodya, and the life everlasting.

What does this mean?

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.

In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.

In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers.

On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.

This is most certainly true.

Christ Has Ascended

2010-05-13T10:33:00.005-05:00

Today is the fortieth day after Easter. Forty days since our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, rose from death and the grave. Forty days during which Jesus showed His once-dead body as living-- to Mary Magdalene, to Peter and John, to the ten disciples, to the two disciples on the Emmaus road, to the eleven disciples, to seven by the seashore, even to five hundred disciples, to James...

See, the Lord ascends in triumph;
   Conqu’ring King in royal state,
Riding on the clouds, His chariot,
   To His heav’nly palace gate.
Hark! The choirs of angel voices
   Joyful alleluias sing,
And the portals high are lifted
   To receive their heav’nly King.

Who is this that comes in glory
   With the trump of jubilee?
Lord of battles, God of armies,
   He has gained the victory.
He who on the cross did suffer,
   He who from the grave arose,
He has vanquished sin and Satan;
   He by death has crushed His foes.

While He lifts His hands in blessing,
   He is parted from His friends;
While their eager eyes behold Him,
   He upon the clouds ascends.
He who walked with God and pleased Him,
   Preaching truth and doom to come,
He, our Enoch, is translated
   To His everlasting home.

Now our heav’nly Aaron enters
   With His blood within the veil;
Joshua now is come to Canaan,
   And the kings before Him quail.
Now He plants the tribes of Israel
   In their promised resting place;
Now our great Elijah offers
   Double portion of His grace.

He has raised our human nature
   On the clouds to God’s right hand;
There we sit in heav’nly places,
   There with Him in glory stand.Jesus reigns, adored by angels;
   Man with God is on the throne.
By our mighty Lord’s ascension
   We by faith behold our own. (LSB 494)

Theology of the Cross

2010-05-10T01:00:00.003-05:00

Dr. Hermann Sasse (A+D 1895—1976), student, pastor, scholar, teacher, and confessor Herman Sasse, is recognized as one of the leading voices of confessional Lutheranism in the 20th century. He speaks cogent words about the development of the theology of the cross, now sadly being lost to the seemingly unstoppable forces of triumphalism which is dominant in most corners of the American Christianity:

Something very profound happened in the inner life of Christendom when for the first time in the churches and monasteries of Europe the suffering of the cross was understood. This change becomes visible in the representations of the Crucified, who now no longer stands as victor at the tree of the cross but hangs there suffering, later even writhing in agony and dying. This change took place in the late Middle Ages, when the great realistic crucifixes hung in the high choir of the Gothic churches replaced the triumphing Christ. The depth of Christ's suffering is deeply felt and experienced. The lowly Christ, the God-man in His deepest humility, becomes mankind's Brother. It became an ideal of medieval Christian piety to fashion oneself like Christ (imitatio Christi), even to the point of mystically experiencing all the agonies of the cross. Certainly it was only a narrow stratum of church people who experienced this, but all were affected by this piety. The liturgy and the way churches were built made sure of this.

It is significant that the discovery of the suffering and death of Christ as a fearful reality went hand in hand with a new realization of the seriousness of sin and of its forgiveness. There is nothing to equal this in the ancient church. Much can be said against what was taught about sin and its forgiveness in the Middle Ages. No one at that time grasped the depth of the Biblical understanding of sin. The whole system of penance was faulty, yes, a denial of the Gospel. Yet the observation of Claus Harms remains true: At that time people at least still felt sin and let forgiveness cost them something, and therefore the Middle Ages stood higher than the modern world.

Source: "We Confess Anthology," translated by Norman Nagel, ©1999, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, p.43

Praying as a Family

2010-04-21T01:00:00.002-05:00

From Pastor Peperkorn (pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, Kenosha WI), as published on his Lutheran Logomaniac blog:

Prayer isn't something that just comes naturally. Prayer must be taught. Our Lord Himself demonstrates this when He teaches the disciples how to pray. He says,"Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…" (Matthew 6:9 ESV) We know that God both hears and answers our prayers. We know that it is a great benefit and blessing. But thanks to our old sinful flesh, we pass on our desire to hide from God and refuse to talk to Him. Our children learn not to pray from us.

Praying as a family can be almost as hard as praying alone or praying in your marriage. In some respects, it is even harder. How do you find the time? What if I don't want to pray? What if the kids are acting up or there's a game on that I want to watch? The reasons not to pray seem to go on and on.

The great thing about the Christian faith, though, is that it is never too late. Each day begins anew. Things can and do change. They can get better. How important is that to remember, as we bask in the glow of the resurrection!

So then, let's get to it. Here are a few simple steps to help make prayer a part of your common life together as a Christian family:

Do it. Nike got it right. You don't debate whether to brush your teeth or eat breakfast in the morning. Christians pray. It's that simple. Think through how to make this a habit . It typically takes about six weeks to establish a habit. Give yourselves that six weeks. Make reminders. Put a note on the steering wheel or on the fridge (or on the remote control!). Make a commitment that as a family, we are going to pray together once a day (plus meals, which we will cover next month).

Keep it simple. The Lord's Prayer and Luther's Morning or Evening prayer would be a great place to start. We've done that for years in our family, especially while our children are young. But by making that a part of our life as a family, it has slowly been ingrained into us and our children.

Teach the words. Children learn how to speak from their parents. They learn how to pray from their parents, too. Give them the language of faith. Be deliberate about it. By being deliberate about it, you are telling your children that this is important, and that it is worth learning and doing. Start with the Lord's Prayer, and then work your way out to other prayers.

Give yourself the context to succeed. You know your own family. When are they going to be the most likely to actually hear and pay attention? Nine o'clock at night? Right after supper? Right after breakfast. Each family is different. I would encourage you to think about what is prime time for your family, and then figure out how to work prayer into that prime time. If your children are tired, crabby and just want to either go to bed or fight with each other, that may not be the best time to work on praying.

Don't despair! It is very easy to get discouraged with children. It's work. But it is totally worth it.

This is a gift you can give to them that will literally last forever. Pray for patience for yourself and your spouse. Pray for your children, that they learn how to receive God's Word and speak back to Him what He has given to them.

The blessings will flow from this. Believe me. I hope you're ready!

+ God be with you +

Pastor Peperkorn

[From the April 2010 Messiah's Messenger

Jesus: the Only Truth from Heaven

2010-04-19T01:00:00.001-05:00

More words to treasure from H.W. Gockel:

One of the deepest cravings of the human heart is to know the truth. The anxious mother's heart would give anything to know the truth about her wayward boy. The lover is hungry for the truth of his beloved. The worried family tosses restlessly on sleepless pillows because it does not know the truth about a father, son, or brother who has been reported missing from the field of battle. —If only they knew the truth, there would be an end to this agony of uncertainty.

But a far deeper hunger for the truth is gnawing at the heart of every man and woman. Even the person who professes to have no religion at all will confess in his honest moments that he is troubled by a torturing uncertainty. In the presence of others he may boast that he can get along without a faith in God. He may even proudly assert that there is no God. In his secret heart of hearts, however, he cannot down the haunting question: But what if there is? What if there is a God?

If there is a God, what kind of God is He? What does He think of me? What does He intend to do with me? How do I fit into His plans for the universe, particularly His plans for the human family? What is my personal relationship to Him — and His to me?

Whether a man lives in Chicago, Cleveland, or New York, in Bombay, Calcutta, or Shanghai, he is distressingly conscious of a hunger for the truth about these questions....

I know that men have given answers to all these questions. Philosophers have crowded our libraries with learned books on just these subjects. They have spun impressive theories. But what I need as the polestar of my life — my guide, my chart, my compass — is not a theory that has been invented by a man who is just as subject to error as I am. No, I need the truth — God's truth.

I have found that truth — in Jesus!

I have placed my trust in the words of Christ, first of all, because God Himself has told me that the words of Christ are trustworthy.... And so I look to Jesus for the truth.

But more. God the Father placed His stamp of divine approval on His Son and on His teachings both at the occasion of the Savior's Baptism and again on the Mount of Transfiguration.... I accept the words of Christ as truth, then, because God Himself has vouched for the truthfulness of His own beloved Son.

I place my trust in the words of Christ, furthermore, because Christ with His own lips has assured me that His Gospel is the truth. "If you continue in My Words," He says, then are you My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the trtuth shall make you free." ....

I place my trust in the words of Christ, finally, because the whole Bible is nothing but one chorus of testimony to the heavenly wisdom of the Savior. To the holy writers, Jesus is God's truth come down from heaven. "In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," the Bible tells us. "In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, opens His Gospel with the well-known words: "In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." ....

In a day such as ours, when "darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people," when men's hearts are failing them for fear, when the hope of ever coming to the knowledge of the truth in spiritual matters is gradually begin given up as vain and futile — Christ is still mankind's only hope. He is still the Light of the world. He is still the Way. He is still the Truth.

Source: H.W. Gockel, "What JESUS means to me," St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1948, pp. 73-79. N.b. language of Scripture citations lightly updated by blogger.

Jesus: My Savior From Sin

2010-04-17T10:49:00.004-05:00

Words to treasure from H.W. Gockel:

Of all the things that Jesus means to me He is, above all else, my Savior. By His suffering and death in my place upon the Cross He has paid the penalty of all my sins. The Bible assures me that though my "sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." And why? Because "the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin."

I know that to many people today the word "sin" does not mean very much. Sin, they say, is a mistake or a fault which can't be helped and which therefore is not so serious. Sin to many people is just a flaw which somehow or other will be forgotten when God begins to settle His accounts. There are man and women who shrug off the idea of sin as being — "just one of those things."

But God thinks otherwise. No matter how lightly men may speak of sin, no matter how cleverly they may seek to explain it or excuse it, God has placed His curse upon it. "The soul that sins, it shall die." The "wages of sin is death." "Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them."

Sin, according to God, is a frightful thing, which if it remains unforgiven, will result in the eternal separation of a man from his Maker....

I, too, have felt the dreadful weight of sin. Again and again I have had to say with the Apostle Paul: "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing." With David I have had to confess: "Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." As I look back to my childhood days, I see the undeniable truth of God's verdict: "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." I must agree with Him when He says that by nature I was among "the children of wrath, even as others."

But why speak about my sin — when I began to speak about my Savior! Because no man can tell what Jesus means to him until he has first told what sin has meant to him. To tell the full story of a rescue at sea, one must first tell the story of the shipwreck which made that rescue necessary.... If Christ is to be our Savior, we must know from what we must be saved.

Right here is where Jesus stepped into my life and filled it with a joy and a peace which surpass all understanding. For in Him I have God's assurance of full and free forgiveness of the entire burden of my sin. Without Christ there would have been, there could have been, no forgiveness. Without Christ the course of my life would have led straight to a judgment which would have been too terrible to contemplate. For "none of them can by any means redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom for him; for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases forever." "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." No other name than the blessed name of Jesus!

Source: "What Jesus Means to Me," by H.W. Gockel, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1948, pp. 9-10, 12-13. N.b. Language of Scripture citations lightly updated for language.

The First Thing Jesus Did

2010-04-16T08:45:00.001-05:00

Thought-provoking comments from Touchstone editor Patrick Reardon:

“That instant of the Resurrection of Jesus was the most decisive moment in the history of the world. It was the event of deepest importance for every human being who ever lived. It was the supreme kairos. The Law and the Prophets were fulfilled in that moment, and the existence of the human race took on an utterly new meaning.
“What, however, was the first thing Jesus did when the Resurrection life came surging into His body? The simplest and plainest thing imaginable: He reached up, pulled the kerchief from His face, folded it, and set it aside, as though it had been a napkin used at breakfast.”
“The universal Christ, the eternal Word in whom all things subsist, was still the same Jesus, to whom an act of elementary neatness came naturally. He spontaneously did what He would likely have done in any case, much as another man might unconsciously scratch his ear, or yet another look around for a stick to whack the weeds with as he walked along.
“The risen Lord was the same Jesus His friends had always known. He had just returned from the realm of hell, where He trampled down death by death. He was on the point of going forth as a giant to run His course. He was about to begin appearing to His disciples, providing them with many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
“Nonetheless, He was still the same person, whose instinctive habits remained identical. First, He took a moment to fold the kerchief He had used, and only then did He stride out to change the direction of history and transform the lives of human beings.”

via Touchstone Magazine – Mere Comments: The Christ of the Folded Napkin.

The Great Fifty Days

2010-04-09T01:00:00.014-05:00

What great joy, what rejoicing lives in the hearts of God's people during these fifty days. As Easter, the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord, is the Queen of All Feasts, so the Great Fifty Days of Easter is the heart and center of the Church Year. Alleluia! Christ has risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

The following text is from the LC-MS website:

Just as the calendar year is divided into the seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall, so does the Church divide its calendar into seasons like Advent, Epiphany, Lent, etc. The weeks following the celebration of Jesus' resurrection are often called the Easter season. There is, however, another phrase that was historically used to designate these days: The Great Fifty days.

The Great Fifty Days begins with Easter Sunday and concludes on the Day of Pentecost. (The word Pentecost actually comes from the Greek word for fifty.) The seven weeks that span the time between Jesus' resurrection and the sending of the Spirit are sometimes even called a "week of weeks."

During these fifty days several customs are often observed that assist in highlighting the festivity of the season.

The paschal candle is moved from its normal place near the baptismal font to a prominent place near the altar.
The liturgical color of white is used during the entire fifty days-longer than at any other time of the church year.
The "Alleluia," which is omitted during the penitential season of Lent, is restored to the liturgy as the premier expression of joy celebrating Jesus' resurrection.

While such customs may or may not be celebrated in every parish, they point to the fact that the fifty days following Easter are a time of profound joy for the people of God.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

N.T. Wright on the Great 50 Days of Easter

2010-04-07T01:00:00.015-05:00

Bryan Owen over at Creedal Christian offered up this interesting quote from Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright's book "Surprised by Hope" (New York: HarperCollins, 2008). I neither own Wright's book nor have I read it, but this excerpt struck me. I was, in fact, saying virtually the same thing (although far less winsomely) just the other day to the Ninjawife.

I think this quotation resonates with me because I feel the very same way. We put such effort into Lent and Holy Week... everything builds and builds and builds to this fantastic climax and peak of the season... and then it's over in a heartbeat. Part of me is always left there, standing bereft, and saying "that's all there is? All this build-up and it's over in the blink of an eye? What about the services and the celebration of Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, Easter Wednesday? Easter Sunday, the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord is so huge, so fantastic... but it's over so quickly..."

Anyway, here's the excerpt from Wright:

I have come to believe that many churches simply throw Easter away year by year; and I want to plead that we rethink how we do it so as to help each other, as a church and as individuals, to live what we profess. I am speaking here particularly from, and to, the church I know best. Those who celebrate in other ways will, I think, be able to make appropriate adjustments and take whatever they need to apply to their own situations.

For a start, consider Easter Day itself. It’s a great step forward that many churches now hold Easter vigils, as the Orthodox church has always done, but in many cases they are still too tame by half. Easter is about the wild delight of God’s creative power – not very Anglican, perhaps, but at least we ought to shout Alleluias instead of murmuring them; we should light every candle in the building instead of only some; we should give every man, woman, child, cat, dog, and mouse in the place a candle to hold; we should have a real bonfire; and we should splash water about as we renew our baptismal vows. Every step back from that is a step toward an ethereal or esoteric Easter experience, and the thing about Easter is that it is neither ethereal nor esoteric. It’s about the real Jesus coming out of the real tomb and getting God’s real new creation under way.

But my biggest problem starts on Easter Monday. I regard it as absurd and unjustifiable that we should spend forty days keeping Lent, pondering what it means, preaching about self-denial, being at least a little gloomy, and then bringing it all to a peak with Holy Week, which in turn climaxes in Maundy Thursday and Good Friday … and then, after a rather odd Holy Saturday, we have a single day of celebration.

All right, the Sundays after Easter still lie within the Easter season. We still have Easter readings and hymns during them. But Easter week itself ought not to be the time when all the clergy sigh with relief and go on holiday. It ought to be an eight-day festival, with champagne served after morning prayer or even before, with lots of alleluias and extra hymns and spectacular anthems. Is it any wonder people find it hard to believe in the resurrection if we don’t throw our hats in the air? Is it any wonder we find it hard to live the resurrection if we don’t do it exuberantly in our liturgies? Is it any wonder the world doesn’t take much notice if Easter is celebrated as simply the one-day happy ending tacked on to forty days of fasting and gloom? It’s long overdue that we took a hard look at how we keep Easter in church, at home, in our personal lives, right through the system. And if it means rethinking some cherished habits, well, maybe it’s time to wake up.

The Road to Emmaeus

2010-04-05T01:00:00.001-05:00

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Below: the trailer for Northwestern Publishing House's "Journey to Emmaus, a 30-minute film released last year.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The Resurrection of Our Lord

2010-04-04T01:00:00.000-05:00

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The tomb is empty.

The grave could not contain Him!

It never could contain Him!

Christ lives and lives forever!

And because He lives, we shall live also!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Rejoice now, all you heav'nly choirs of angels; rejoice now, all creation; sound forth, trumpet of salvation, and proclaim the triumph of our King. Rejoice too, all the earth, in the radiance of the light now poured upon you and made brilliant by the brightness of the everlasting King; know that the ancient darkness has been forever banished. Rejoice, O Church of Christ, clothed in the brightness of this light; let all this house of God ring out with rejoicing, with the praises of all God's faithful people (the Exsultet, or Easter Proclamation).

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Holy Week: What Happened on Saturday?

2010-04-03T01:00:00.004-05:00

As evening falls (the Jewish day begins at sunset), Jesus' corpse is removed from the cross and laid in a fresh-cut tomb

Matthew 27:57-61

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

Mark 15:42-47

And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Luke 23:50-56

Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

John 19:38-42

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

A guard is set to watch over the tomb of Jesus to prevent His corpse from being stolen

Matthew 23:62-66

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Holy Week: What Happened on Friday?

2010-04-02T01:00:00.005-05:00

Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested by the authorities (perhaps after midnight, early Friday morning)

Matthew 26:47-56

While [Jesus] was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; seize him." And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Mark 14:43-52

And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard." And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, "Rabbi!" And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled." And they all left him and fled. And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
naked.

Luke 22:47-53

While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

John 18:2-12

Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go." This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one." Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

Jewish trial, phase 1: Jesus has a hearing before Annas (former high priest and Caiaphas's father-in-law)

John 18:13-14, 19-24

First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said." When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" Jesus answered him, "If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?" Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Jewish trial, phase 2: Jesus stands trial before Caiaphas and part of the Sanhedrin

Matthew 26:57-68

Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'" And the high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?" They answered, "He deserves death." Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, "Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?"

Mark 14:53-65

And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.'" Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." And the high priest tore his garments and said, "What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards received him with blows.

Peter denies Jesus

Matthew 26:69-75

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean." And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man." After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you." Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

Mark 14:66-72

And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus." But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you mean." And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them." But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know this man of whom you speak." And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and wept.

Luke 22:55-62

And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, "This man also was with him." But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know him." And a little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not." And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

John 18:15-18, 25-27

Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, "You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.... Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You also are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Perhaps after sunrise, phase 3 of Jesus' Jewish trial: final consultation before the full Sanhedrin; sent to Pilate

Matthew 27:1-2

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.

Mark 15:1

And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.

Luke 22:66-71

When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, "If you are the Christ, tell us." But he said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God." So they all said, "Are you the Son of God, then?" And he said to them, "You say that I am." Then they said, "What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips." Judas hangs himself

Matthew 27:3-10

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."

Phase 1 of Jesus' Roman trial: first appearance before Pontius Pilate; sent to Herod Antipas

Matthew 27:11-14

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You have said so." But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?" But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Mark 15:2-5

And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so." And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you." But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Luke 23:1-7

Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king." And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so." Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, "I find no guilt in this man." But they were urgent, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place." When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time.

Phase 2 of Jesus' Roman trial: appears before Herod Antipas; sent back to Pontius Pilate

Luke 23:6-12

When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

Phase 3 of Jesus' Roman trial: Jesus' second appearance before Pilate; condemned to die

Matthew 27:15-26

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream." Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!" So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Mark 15:6-15

Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" And they cried out again, "Crucify him." And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him." So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Luke 23:13-25

Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him." But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas"— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, "Crucify, crucify him!" A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him." But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

John 18:28-19:16

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. So Pilate went outside to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" They answered him, "If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you." Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death." This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber. Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!" When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God." When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin." From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar." So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

Jesus is crucified (from approximately 9 AM until Noon)

Matthew 27:27-54

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

Mark 15:16-39

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!" So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah." And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down." And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

Luke 23:26-49

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

John 19:16-37

So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but rather, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, "They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst." A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken." And again another Scripture says, "They will look on him whom they have pierced."

HT: Justin Taylor

Holy Week: What Happened on Thursday?

2010-04-01T01:00:00.005-05:00

Jesus instructs his Peter and John to secure a large upper room in a house in Jerusalem and to prepare for the Passover meal

Matthew 26:17-19

Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'" And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

Mark 14:12-16

And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us." And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Luke 22:7-13

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it." They said to him, "Where will you have us prepare it?" He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there." And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

In the evening Jesus eats the Passover meal with the Twelve, tells them of the coming betrayal, and institutes the Lord's Supper.

Matthew 26:20-29

When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?" He answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Judas, who would betray him, answered, "Is it I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said so." Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

Mark 14:17-23

And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me." They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, "Is it I?" He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Luke 22:14-30

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. "You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

After supper Jesus washes the disciples' feet, interacts with them, and delivers the Upper Room Discourse

John 13:1-17:26

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean."

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."

After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, 'Where I am going you cannot come.' A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward." Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

"These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: 'They hated me without a cause.' "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

"I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

"A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me." So some of his disciples said to one another, "What is this that he says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me'; and, 'because I am going to the Father'?" So they were saying, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We do not know what he is talking about." Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, 'A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

"I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father." His disciples said, "Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Jesus and the disciples sing a hymn together (probably from Psalms 113–118), then depart to the Mount of Olives

Matthew 26:30

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Mark 14:26

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Luke 22:39

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.

Jesus foretells Peter's denials

Matthew 26:31-35

Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same.

Mark 14:27-31

And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not." And Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." But he said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." And they all said the same.

Luke 22:31-34

[Jesus said:] "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death." Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me."

Jesus gives his disciples practical commands about supplies and provisions

Luke 22:35-38
And he said to them, "When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?" They said, "Nothing." He said to them, "But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors.' For what is written about me has its fulfillment." And they said, "Look, Lord, here are two swords." And he said to them, "It is enough."

Jesus and the disciples go to Gethsemane, where he struggles in prayer and they struggle to stay awake late into the night

Matthew 26:36-46

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

Mark 14:32-42

And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch." And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

Luke 22:40-46

And when he came to the place, he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."

HT: Justin Taylor

Holy Week: What Happened on Wednesday?

2010-03-31T01:00:00.006-05:00

Wednesday in Holy Week is silent.

Although Holy Week contains arguably the most important seven days in the history of mankind... although we know much of the history of Jesus' words and actions throughout this week... Wedneday is silent. Whatever happened on this day is not revealed to us. The holy writers have drawn the veil.

Perhaps it was a day spent in quiet contemplation of Scripture... perhaps there were quiet hours spent in prayer. Pastor Weedon writes (1): "the heart of that mad, crowded Holy Week was quiet... Tomorrow the soldiers would come, and Friday there would be God's great signature in the sky... Thursday and Friday would belong to time and eternity, but Wednesday was of heaven alone." In any case, Holy Scripture is silent- as this Wednesday is silent.

This day, to prepare ourselves for adoration of Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection, let us also take time for prayer... time for quiet contemplation of our own selves using God's Ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)... time to lift the veil on our hearts and see the bitter evil which resides within us... within every single one of us (Rom. 3:10-31), and understand anew how desperate our plight would be apart from Christ.

The Passover of Christ is set to begin... as Christ's passes into death, and from death to life. Hosanna in the highest! Thanks be to God.

This quote is perhaps from something called "The Pilgrim" pp.27-28. Pastor Weedon references it at the bottom of his blog post, but I'm unsure whether it includes these words or not.

Holy Week: What Happened on Tuesday?

2010-03-30T01:00:00.009-05:00

Jesus' disciples see the withered fig tree on their return to Jerusalem from Bethany

Matthew 21:20-22
When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

Mark 11:20-21
As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered."

Jesus engages in conflict with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem

Matthew 21:23-23:39

And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From man,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

"What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

"Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her."

But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet'? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?" And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you--but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Luke 20:1—21:4

One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority." He answered them, "I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?" And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From man,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet." So they answered that they did not know where it came from. And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

And he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.' But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.' And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Surely not!" But he looked directly at them and said, "What then is this that is written: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."

The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. So they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's." He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,

and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. And the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."

And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him." Then some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well." For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

But he said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is David's son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.' David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?"

And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

The Disciples marvel at the Temple; Jesus delivers the Olivet Discourse on their return to Bethany from Jerusalem

Matthew 24:1-25:46

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

"So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Mark 13:1-37

And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?" And Jesus began to say to them, "See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

"But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

"But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning-- lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake."

HT: Justin Taylor

Holy Week: What Happened on Monday?

2010-03-29T09:36:00.002-05:00

On Monday morning Jesus and the Twelve leave Bethany to return to Jerusalem, and along the way Jesus curses the fig tree

Matthew 21:18-19

In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

Mark 11:12-14

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Jesus enters Jerusalem and clears the temple

Matthew 21:12-13

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them,“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Mark 11:15-17

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

Luke 19:45-46

And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

In the evening Jesus and the Twelve leave Jerusalem (returning to Bethany)

Mark 11:19

And when evening came they went out of the city.

HT: Justin Taylor