Laughing Martin

ACELC Annual Conference: “Christ For Us: The Lord’s Supper”

2012-01-25T16:19:00.006-07:00

It is with great sincerity and a fervent hope that we invite the pastors and people of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod to this most important theological conference:

“Christ For Us: The Lord’s Supper”
@ Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Lincoln Nebraska

February 7-9, 2012

Few matters have stood so consistently central as a point of contention in the Christian Church than the doctrine and practice of the Lord’s Supper. From the first century controversy in Corinth regarding the very nature and purpose of the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 10-11), to the Reformation debate between Luther and Zwingli concerning the presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper (Marburg Colloquy), to the contentious councils of early American Lutherans over Communion fellowship (Akron/Galesburg Rule), we still find today ongoing controversy as to who and under what circumstances is Holy Communion to be administered at our Lutheran altars.

Though already resolved in the Missouri Synod in C. F. W. Walther’s Theses on Communion Fellowship With Those Who Believe Differently, these matters have nevertheless come to be points of contention today within our own fellowship, leading us to ask: How did this most blessed expression of Christian unity become such a matter of disunity in the LCMS? What do Scripture and the Confessions of the Church teach us, and are they still relevant for us today? Do historical context and situational ethics justify variances in understanding and application of the Supper in our times?

In keeping with our objectives to address errors within our fellowship “and institute Biblical practices that hold the promise of God’s blessing” (A Fraternal Admonition), we offer this Conference as an opportunity to provide the pastors and congregations of our Synod with both theological and practical helps from which to evaluate our current practices and challenges toward both faithful administration of the Sacrament and unity of faith in our common ministry and mission in the LCMS.

This Conference is designed to be a “working” Conference which will include both presentations for doctrinal study and Table Talk discussions to engage in “what does this mean” in carrying out faithfully the ministry and mission of our Lord. We pray that you will consider joining us in this fraternal effort to again find unity in our understanding and administration of the Holy Supper as taught in Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions.

Rev. James Gier, Conference Committee Chairman, ACELC

Guest speakers at the conference:

Dr. Detlev Schulz, Professor and Chairman of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, Concordia Theological Seminary—“Fellowship in Holy Communion”

Rev. Clint Poppe, Senior Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Lincoln, Nebraska—“Walther, The True Visible Church, and Holy Communion”

Dr. Holger Sonntag, LCMS Pastor and Author—“The Ban and Church Discipline in Holy Communion”

Dr. Mark Buchhop, Senior Pastor, Wittenberg Chapel – University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota—“TABLE TALK – Teaching Orthodox Communion”

Rev. John Pless, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, Concordia Theological Seminary—“Holy Communion: Doctrine and Practice”; “TABLE TALK – Orthodox Communion Statements”

Rev. James Gier, Senior Pastor, Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Excelsior Springs, Missouri—“Exceptions in the Practice of Holy Communion”

Rev. Brent Kuhlman, Senior Pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church, Murdock, Nebraska—“Berthold Von Schenk: Historical Context and Critique”

Rev. Brian Saunders, LCMS District President, Iowa East District—“TABLE TALK – Orthodox Communion Casuistry”

Rev. Richard Bolland, Pastor Emeritus, Holy Cross Lutheran Church Kansas City, Missouri—“Our Lutheran Heritage”

Creation is a blast! Redux

2012-01-23T20:19:00.002-07:00

Creation is a blast! A trophoblast, that is. At least it is for that "blob of tissue" medical science has labeled: "fetus. "

According to research cited in an article entitled Baby Immunizes Mother:

"As we have learned more about the immune system, doctors began asking themselves why a pregnant mother’s body doesn’t reject the foreign tissue of the baby growing inside her. . . . From conception the unborn child is a genetically unique individual. It appears that under normal conditions the trophoblast is a special set of cells that the body cannot identify as foreign. In addition, the trophoblast makes cells that encourage the mother’s immune system to protect it. Scientists now believe that this amazing feature may actually be provided by the father’s genetic information. In effect, the baby, with the help of the father, immunizes the mother’s system so that it doesn’t reject the baby! So, even before birth, the mother nurtures and the father protects the child." [Creation Moments, July 13, 2006, http://www.creationmoments.com/]

Wow!!! That IS a blast, isn’t it? A blast to evolutionists and pro-abortionists alike.

Trophoblast fits perfectly with God’s revealed Word of the Bible in regard to both the history of creation and the promise of salvation. While evolution requires millions and billions of years of trial and error and death in order to develop genetic characteristics that will enable life to survive and develop into more advanced forms, trophoblast is evidence of a genetic programming that protects a life which already contains everything needed to develop into its mature, advanced form. According to genetic research, there is NEVER a time, from conception to death, that human life is ever anything short of fully human – the chromosomes remain the same.

According to the psalmist, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." [Psalm 51:5]

The human trophoblast cells that beg a Creator also confess a Savior. This built in protection of a little sinner is God the Father’s means to deliver that sinner from the amniotic waters of the womb to the baptismal waters of the church.

Just as no one is born into this world without a mother, no one is born again into the kingdom of heaven without church. Trophoblast is one earthly means that Our Father has created and continues to use in order that His command -- as spoken by His only begotten Son -- may be fulfilled and come to fruition:

In John 3:5, "Jesus answered [the Pharisee, Nicodemus], ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’" [NKJ]
Or as we learn from the Small Catechism explanation to the Apostles’ Creed, "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."

Thankfully, just as God has created and continues to use the earthly means of trophoblast cells to protect and deliver human life into the world, so He has instituted and continues to use the earthly means of the spoken and sacramental Word of the Gospel to deliver and protect human life in His church by faith – for in this, and this alone, is the kingdom of heaven and eternal life.
Yup! Creation is a blast from God. And God does everything to protect and deliver His creation – especially those whom He has made His own children by Baptism.

Let us pray to the Father that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we baptized and forgiven children of God will always abide in the Word – never forgetting or betraying Him who has created human fathers and mothers to nurture and protect their babies in order to bring them into the world and also to the Baptismal font that bestows forgiveness of sins and faith unto eternal life. Amen

Outstretched Hands for Life

2012-01-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Baptized,

To hear how Christ stretches out His hand to touch you on this Life Sunday that you "Be Clean"-click on this mp3 audio link.

Have a blessed week in the Lord rejoicing to be clean in the life He gives.

A rough preaching manuscript follows below if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: 1When [Jesus] came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." 3And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1-3

And there you have it. The answer to the age old question, the answer to your question, "What is God's will for me?" Here it is revealed to you in the words of Jesus Himself, "I will; be clean."

Since the sin of Adam and Eve, every last one of us born into this world is born a leper—our flesh is being ravaged and destroyed by sin every day, and our senses have become so dulled by the disease that we cannot even feel or notice the deadly toll it is taking on us.

So Christ comes down from His mountain, where He sits at the right of the Father, and He breathes His Holy Spirit out into the world in the Divine Service that you and all who receive His Word of forgiveness in faith will be clean. That is His desire, His will for you and for all people, as we learn from the apostle Paul urging Pastor Timothy to lead the people under his spiritual care in "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [Because] this is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:1-4

And if God wants all people to be saved, as with the all nations to be baptized, this must include the littlest people among our nations. So I would be remiss on this "Life Sunday" if I were to neglect to mention the little ones carried in the womb among all the people He wants to save and to be cleansed. Today, January 22, 2012 marks the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the case of Roe V. Wade. This decision has resulted in over 54,000,000 innocent human beings to lose their lives since 1973 to what the medical community and women's choice advocates voluntary pregnancy terminations, that is, abortions.

We trust God has dealt mercifully and His will has been done with these hosts of little ones--innocent as to their role in whatever distress a pregnancy presents, but still in need of the merciful cleansing of our Lord as to their having been conceived in sinful flesh. We pray that He would lead us out of the temptation to sacrifice more little ones for the sake of our own selfishness and deliver us from this evil taking of life so that they may be brought to the font of living water to be cleansed and saved.

What is more, it is His will to lead those mothers who have terminated the lives of their babies in this manner—and even the doctors and medical personal and counselors and spouses and significant others who have been complicit—to repent and come to Jesus to be cleansed as well. Yes, He died for their sins, too. He died to save each and every one of them and give them life with Him in heaven. If not, how is it you could think He died for your most grievous sins, to save you, and bring you into the kingdom of heaven with HIm?

Yes, each and every one of us needs to be made clean, because each and every one of us is infected and infested with the leprosy of sin that will eventually destroy this body and take us to the grave--back to the earth from whence God formed us. And unless the God who created you does something to change this course of events, to cleanse you of this deadly disease of sin, to come and touch you and give you life, you remain as you are, unable to do anything about your disease or even to know how advanced and serious is your leprous condition.

That's what Baptism is for.
What benefits does Baptism give? It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. As Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" [Mark 16:16].
It is not the water indeed that does them, but the Word of God, which is in and with the water, and faith, which trusts this Word of God in the water. For without the Word of God the water is simple water and no Baptism. But with the Word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Spirit. As St. Paul says in Titus chapter three, "He saved us … by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy" [vv. 5-8].
It signifies that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts. And also it shows that a new man should daily come forth and arise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever. As St. Paul says in Romans chapter 6, "We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" [v. 4]. [Small Catechism Explanation of Holy Baptism]

That's what Confession and Absolution is for, both in the Divine Service and privately with Christ's servant of the Word. Indeed everything the pastor does is to lead to just this, that you confess your sin and receive the forgiveness of our Lord that He came to win for you on Calvary and deliver to you in His holy Christian Church.
Confession has two parts: the one is that we confess our sins; the other is that we receive Absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor, as from God Himself, and in no way doubt, but firmly believe that our sins are forgiven before God in heaven by this. [Small Catechism Explanation of Confession & Absolution]

That's why we sing "Create in me a clean heart" as the offertory every Sunday.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.

That's why our Lord invites and even commands us to eat of His body and drink of His blood often in the Sacrament of the Altar.
What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

In order that we can know and believe that Jesus comes down from His mountain of heaven with the same flesh of His human nature--to cleanse us and abide with us and replace our rebellious, leprous, death seeking spirit with His pure life giving Holy Spirit in all these gifts He has given to and through His Church and Office of the Holy Ministry.

This is why Jesus is called the Christ, because He and only He has been anointed in the flesh with the Holy Spirit of God to give this Spirit of Life to sinners in their flesh for eternal life. And this is why Jesus, the Christ sends the Holy Spirit in all these things of His Church--to transform us back into the image of Christ we were created to be in the beginning, but which has been perverted in and lost to us as sinners. Without Christ coming to us in these things we remain dead in the leprosy of our sin and unable to do a thing to save ourselves, to get rid of our own leprous sin, or to rise from the dead.

1When [Jesus] came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." 3And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Just as Jesus came down from the mountain to stretch out His hand and touch and heal the leper and others, He has come down from the mountain of heaven to stretch out His hand and touch and heal each of us most profoundly in our Baptism. What is more, He is touching us even now in His Divine Service--stretching out His hand through the preaching and praying of His holy Word, touching you in your repentant request. As you bow before Him at the throne of His altar He is saying, "My will is to do this for you. Be clean, for you are mine and I am here for you to heal you and give you life."

Just as the leper was healed by the Lord Jesus Christ as He came down from preaching the Sermon on the Mount, He has come down from heaven today, preaching His sermon of forgiveness and giving you His body and blood to heal you for eternity --in the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"If You Remember the 60's You Weren't Really There"

2012-01-08T14:30:00.001-07:00

This is my new favorite hymn.

Ummm. Have I posted this before?

Please forgive me if it is a repeat. :^)

"If You Remember the 60's You Weren't Really There"

2012-01-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite hymn.

Ummm. Have I posted this before?

Please forgive me if it is a repeat. :^)

Done for and Done TO

2011-12-18T13:40:00.013-07:00

To hear what God has done for and, even more, TO you--click on this MP3 audio link--"Done for and Done TO."

The Lord's blessings to you as He prepares you to rejoice in the birth of His only begotten Son and the Holy Spirit prepares you to receive and believe the words of the Father that lift you out of he depths of hell and into the kingdom of heaven.

A rough preaching manuscript follows below if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: 15"The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.' 17And the LORD said to me, 'They are right in what they have spoken. 18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.'" Deuteronomy 18:15-19

That prophet of course is Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. Not only did He speak all that the Father commanded Him, He lived it—and died it—for you.

Now risen from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, Jesus lives it again and speaks it to the ends of the earth until the end of the age as He extends the words God the Father put in his mouth to the world through the ministers of His Word.

"The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me." Luke 10:16

These concluding words, "the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me," are ominous indeed—especially in light of the concluding words of our OT text, "and whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him."

This, of course, is a statement of judgment and condemnation. Here in a few words the LORD is saying, "Okay, you don't want to listen to me? I'm going to hold you to it. I'm going to require of you that you do it all yourself. Have it your way! But remember, your way is death. You have eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, just like your parents and grandparents—just like Adam and Eve. And just like them, you will surely die. What's more, if you do not want to listen to my words, you will die eternally without ever ceasing to exist. Your dying and all the suffering and torment of dying will never be over. For what can the one who is surely dying do to stop his death? What can the one who has fallen and begun the endless descent into the bottomless pit of hell do to stop his fall, and rise to live again?"

But enough of this! You have not come here to ignore the words of the LORD and reject Him. You are here because you have been gathered by the Holy Spirit to listen to the words that this prophet Jesus came to speak in the name of the LORD His Father, our Father who art in heaven. And His words are the words of eternal life. His words are the words that not only tell you what He has done for you in the virgin birth; in the perfectly sinless life; in the holy, precious bloodshed; in the innocent suffering and death; in the descent into the depths of hell; in the resurrection from death, hell, and the grave; in the glorious ascension to heaven of His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. Even more than this, His words are also the words that tell you what He is doing to you save you, to stop your descent into that bottomless pit of hell, to raise you out of the grave, to place you into the kingdom of heaven, and to give you eternal life.

These words by which our mighty God did great things not just for, but to her are the words the blessed virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, received, believed, and rejoiced in according to our Gospel text this morning. Mary actually sings a list of those things that God her Savior has done to her and to all people.

"My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49for he who is mighty has done great things to me, and holy is his name.
50And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
53he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.
54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

And here is what is so amazing and instructive for us in Mary's "Magnificat." Who of us could hold a candle to her in terms of innocence, righteousness, and good works? She is the very mother of God having born the flesh of the only begotten Son of God into the world. Yet she sings this song of praise in total humility before God to Elizabeth and all mankind, and she plumbs the depths of the meaning of those essential words of the prophet, Isaiah [64:6], "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away."

You see, as horrible and destructive as our sinful behavior is, it is our good works—even our best works that are our biggest problem. It is these that make us think more of ourselves than we ought. It is these that tempt us into trusting in our own righteousness and thinking we somehow deserve God's blessings. It is these that prevent us from receiving, believing, and rejoicing in what God does for and especially to us.

So let us now once again join with her and all the hosts of heaven and sing "The Magnificat," rejoicing in God our Savior who has looked on our humble estate and forgiven us all our sins--in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Behold Your God

2011-12-11T15:01:00.007-07:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Gaudete, the Third Sunday in Advent, click on this MP3 audio link--"Behold Your God."

The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, "Arise, O Christian People," LSB #354. The sermon begins at the 3:00 mark.

Behold your God has come to gather you into His arms and tend you like a the flock of His church where He tends you like a shepherd.

A rough preaching manuscript follows below if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

But who wants that?

“Behold your God!” Bah, humbug!

The message of the prophets--“Behold your God!”

The message of John the Baptizer--“Behold your God!”

The message of the apostles--“Behold your God!”

The message of the church, her pastors, and all the baptized--“Behold your God!”

Take a look at your bulletin cover. Imagine John, dressed in camel hair; a diet of locusts and honey; living out in the wilderness preaching and baptizing. And this guy points to another no more impressive himself really—as Isaiah writes elsewhere:
“… he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” [53:2-3] Even his birth as a babe is not worth beholding.

How ironic—and appropriate--that the One who saves us from our sin would have “no beauty that we should desire him, while the one who tempted and lured us into sin had a beauty about him that was appealing to Adam & Eve and continues to be appealing to us today.

That is why sin is so deadly. We don’t know any better than to desire it and even love it. It’s not the sin we do, as bad and as harmful as that is to others. It’s that in our sin we don’t know God—He is actually ugly and undesirable to us.

And so, A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Luther writes: “The law works the wrath of God, kills, curses, accuses, judges, and damns everything that is not in Christ.” This what Isaiah and the voice is crying about.

Why? “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.” [1 Corinthians 15:36]

The voice that cries out these things, even the voice that cries out--“Behold your God!”—is the voice of the Lord.

The same voice that cried out to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?”

The same voice that cried out to Isaiah and the prophets giving them the words they were to speak; the same voice that cried out from Isaiah and the prophets.

The same voice that cried out from John the Baptizer out in the wilderness.

The same voice that cried out from the apostles.

This voice cries out to you “Behold your God!”

Out there, in the world, the wrath of God is at work, killing, cursing, accusing, judging, and damning everything that is not in Christ.

But here, in the Word, the grace of God is at work, raising to blessing, forgiving, and raising to eternal life--in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Behold, the Day Is Coming

2011-12-04T15:20:00.003-07:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Ad Te Levavi, the Second Sunday in Advent, click on this MP3 audio link--"Behold, the Day Is Coming."

The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, "Lo! He Comes on Clouds Descending," LSB #336. The sermon begins at the 4:47 mark.

Behold, the Day Is Coming--indeed it is already here--when Jesus forgives you all your sins and gives you eternal life.

A rough preaching manuscript follows below if you prefer to read along or read instead.

Behold, the Day Is Coming! This is the message of Advent. That is what Advent means: coming. So in the season of the church year called Advent, we prepare for the coming of the Lord, our Savior -- Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Last week we heard the prophet Jeremiah tell us to, Behold the coming of the righteous branch of David, the One who came to bring righteousness to the earth and make us righteous by coming to die and rise and ascend. While the Gospel of Matthew had us Behold our king coming to us humbly on a donkey. Both so we might Behold our king coming humbly in the things of His Church to bestow His righteousness on us by forgiving us our sins.

Now today we Behold the day that is coming when this king who came humbly will come in all His glory.

Malachi tells us that glory is a two-edged something of a two-edged sword. This is something to remember well when we get caught up in the desire for the glory of the Lord.

1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 4:1–3

The sun is a raging inferno that would vaporize us if we were not in the proper place in relationship to it. The temperature at the surface of the sun is about 10,000 Fahrenheit. The temperature rises from the surface of the sun inward towards the very hot center of the sun where it reaches about 27,000,000 Fahrenheit. Yet here on earth, 92,955,807.3 mi away, God has placed us in the perfect place in relationship to the heat it generates to be able to live. In fact, without the heat and light form the sun we couldn’t live.

To be in the proper place in relationship to the LORD for His coming in glory [reference Malachi] text we must be in the relationship of faith that lives in the forgiveness of Christ as a repentant sinner-- confessing our sin as the most heinous before God and the only evil that separates us from His love and places us in the blaze of His righteous anger. That means, for us and our salvation, because of His great mercy and love for us, we behold the glory of the Lord now in a very different way—the glory of the cross.

Easily, the most frequently asked question of me is, “Pastor why do you have to call us sinners all the time – every sermon, every service?” And truth be told, unlike “Jeopardy,” it is not always phrased in the form of a question – “Pastor, my parents/children/friends don’t like to come here because of all that talk about sin in our service and your sermons. You need to be more upbeat and the service should be more uplifting if we want our church to grow.”

But what is more uplifting, more glorious, than to be rescued from the depths of our sin and into the very presence of God in His holy Kingdom? Sadly, much of Christianity would have you believe that, once you have heard the good news and accepted Jesus as your personal Savior who lives in your heart, sin is no longer an issue for you. Therefore, if you believe and have the Holy Spirit, all that is left is to be happy and to tell God and the world how much you love them. So church becomes a matter of entertainment and partying with the Lord—seeking to bask in His glory.

The prophet Malachi shows us how dangerous that glory apart from the cross really is.

Dear people of Trinity, church is all about delivering the forgiveness of sins, or it is nothing at all. It is why Jesus came, it is why he comes, it is why He is coming again –to take away the sin of the world, and to take us away from the sin of the world. Behold! The day is coming when the Lord in all His glory will utterly destroy all sin and sinfulness in the blaze of His glory. To prepare us, this is what He is always coming to do in His Word—destroy our sin and putting us in the proper place in relationship to Him, i.e. faith.

That is what a Savior does. That is what our Savior does. That is what The Savior does.

If you have no sin you need no Savior and Christmas is a hapless holiday, a moldy manger, a feastless festival—and you will be in the wrong place in relationship to the Sun of righteousness when He comes in His blazing glory.

So repent! The kingdom of God is at hand. Advent IS coming, Jesus coming to earth for the salvation of all who believe.

Let it be so among us now and until the very end of our days so that when we behold the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory we will not be consumed in the blaze of glory but be healed as the sun of righteousness

Have a most blessed Advent season, a very merry Christmas and I’ll see you in church – where the LORD is coming and is here to forgive you all your sins and give you eternal life– In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

O Tannenbaum! I Hardly Knew Ye

2011-12-01T12:30:00.022-07:00

"A high wind event creating problems in many parts of the Wasatch Front- especially Davis County- where a recent gust was clocked at 100 mph !"

No kidding!!!

This is what my yard looks like.

Looks like the peach trees made it.

But nine of our ten 30'+ evergreens were uprooted.

O Tannebaum, o Tannebaum,

Wie schön waren die Zweige!

O Tannebaum, o Tannebaum,

Wie schön waren die Zweige!

Yet, Lo, how the rose is budding!

A Righteous Branch

2011-11-27T14:54:00.002-07:00

TEXT: Our Text today is the Old Testament Lesson appointed for the FIRST Sunday in ADVENT, Jeremiah 23:5-8.

5"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Happy New Year! Not only are the days coming, but the days are here. The LORD has indeed raised up a righteous branch for David—and for you. He is reigning and dealing wisely as king of His church, where He is executing justice and righteousness in the promised land that is His kingdom of heaven.

This is what Advent is all about, the coming days of Jesus, a righteous branch—THE Righteous Branch—Who is the LORD, who is even righteousness Himself, come in the flesh to save us.

While the world jumps the gun on Christmas, we who live with Christ by faith in the kingdom of heaven are already celebrating a new year on the church calendar, indeed a new year in the days of the coming of our Lord.

But let's back up a bit and ask a question. Why--when the New Testament has replaced the Old and the Day of the Lord is upon us--why do we bother with the words of an Old Testament prophet? The answer lies in the refrain to the Advent hymn we just sang as the Hymn of the Day. "Hosanna to the Lord, for He fulfills God's Word!"

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the One who has come to fulfill His Father's Word of salvation. The Word of salvation is the Word God has spoken with His Son since before the foundation of the world, the Word of promise spoken to Adam and Eve as they cowered in sin and shame in the Garden. The Word spoken by the Law and Prophets is fulfilled in Christ Jesus, the Word made flesh, who Himself has said it is these Old Testament Scriptures "that bear witness about me."

And so we sing the song of Advent, "Hosanna"—save us now." 5"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

This Righteous Branch, is Himself the Tree of Life, from whom we all like Adam have turned away in favor of the knowledge of good and evil.

This Righteous Branch is the One who took that sin upon Himself and bore its curse upon the tree of Calvary.

This Righteous Branch is now the One who has been raised to bear fruit beyond measure where He reigns as king, dealing wisely with the world and its people through preaching and His Word in His holy Christian Church. In this Church He is executing justice and righteousness even as He once executed justice and righteousness on a cross outside of Jerusalem in the flesh of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

This Righteous Branch is now the One, who having been raised from the dead, has also ascended to the right hand of the Father from whence He comes to judge the living and the dead according to His justice and righteousness in the land of His choosing.

While we wait for His coming again in all His glory on the Last Day, He is preparing us for that Last Day by coming to us now in the Word and Sacrament of His Church to judge us now. This judging of the living and the dead is what Jesus established His church and sent out His disciples and ministers of the Word to do according to Matthew 18—execute His justice and righteousness. "tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. . . . where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

So in His Church Christ is continuing to fulfill the OT Scriptures.

6In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'

This is the name in which we have been gathered here at Trinity, Layton. The Lord our is our righteousness. He has placed His name upon us in Holy Baptism. He continues to come to us and execute His righteousness and justice to us in preaching and His Word and even in His own flesh and blood in Holy Communion. In these things we are saved and dwell securely with Him and Him with us.

7"Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they shall no longer say, 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' 8but 'As the LORD lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own land."

Indeed these days are already here. This land is the kingdom of heaven, and our Lord has brought you up to dwell in it forever by forgiving you all your sins--in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Our Father & Eucharist--The Perfect Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T13:40:00.007-07:00

Dear Pilgrims in Christ,

And that is what we baptized believers are--travelers in this world—who live, and move, and have our being in the Way, the Truth, and the Life Who is the Word of God made flesh in Christ Jesus.

When we pray the prayer given us by the Son of the Living God known alternately as "The Lord's Prayer" and "The Our Father," we pray the perfect prayer of praise and Thanksgiving.

Part and parcel of giving thanks, indeed central to it, is coming before our Lord as beggars who know our life is completely in His hand and at His mercy, body and soul and all things.

So we pray together--and this together is of utmost importance as indicated by our Lord's choice in the use of the plural pronouns 'our" and "us" throughout--in THE FOURTH PETITION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER:
Give us this day our daily bread.
What does this mean? God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all wicked people; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What is meant by daily bread? Everything that belongs to the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

Thus, it is neither mere accident nor empty repetition that the members of Christ's Bride, His Holy Christian Church on earth pray this prayer whenever they gather for the Holy Eucharist (which means Thanksgiving) in the greatest of Thanksgiving feasts to receive the body and blood of our Lord for eternal life.

A most blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours. I hope and pray that The Holy Eucharist is the entree` to your and our every Thanksgiving.

Here Is the Bridegroom!

2011-11-20T16:16:00.006-07:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Last Sunday of the Church Year, "Here Is the Bridegroom!"--click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, "Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying," LSB #597. The sermon begins at the 2:25 mark.

Here is the Bridegroom! Rejoice and spread the Word. He has come to meet us.

A rough preaching manuscript follows below if you prefer to read along or read instead.

SERMON for the LAST SUNDAY of the CHURCH YEAR: November 20, 2011

"Here Is the Bridegroom!"

TEXT: 1[Jesus said:] "The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Matthew 25:1-6

Dear Baptized,

"Here is the bridegroom!" Yes, He is here and each of you baptized is a member of His beloved and holy bride.

If this sounds at least vaguely familiar, and maybe even redundantly repetitive to you—well, then, Sweet! That means the Lord has kept me faithful in my call to give you "nothing but Christ and Him crucified," as our dear Lord's apostle, Paul, puts it.

This really is the same message I preached here to you last week, as I reminded you that "You are a sheep and the Holy Spirit has called and is gathering you at the right hand of the King." And this really is the same message I ought to be preaching to you every week in some way, shape, or form. "Here is the bridegroom!"

This is what every called and ordained servant of the Word since the Lord breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples has been placed into the office of the ministry and sent out to proclaim: "Here is the bridegroom!" This is the good news of the Gospel and the New Testament of our Lord in Word and Sacrament--in water, blood, and Spirit crying.

As we learn from the Gospel of Matthew account of John the Baptizer (which we will hear more about three weeks down the road in Advent), this is the Good News of the New Testament for which every OT prophet was sent to prepare God's chosen people. As the last and greatest of the prophets, "John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah."

IOW, John was crying out to those wandering in the desert of sin, "Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him."

This really is the preaching of Jesus Christ Himself, that He has handed down to His servants of the Word and poured His Spirit out in abundance to proclaim to a world lost in sin and blinded to His presence among them ever since Adam and Eve first went their own way and tried to hide from God. "After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'" "Here is the bridegroom!"

This is also what Baptism itself is all about. In baptizing little Talbot here today, we welcomed him into the kingdom of heaven and introduced him to the bridegroom and made him a member of Christ's holy and beloved bride, the Church. We gave him the lamp of faith—the same lamp each of you was given when you were baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. These lamps of faith, filled with the Holy Spirit lighten the darkness of this sinful world and open your blinded hearts to see "Here is the bridegroom!--standing before, behind, among, along side, above, and below you.

If you think about it, this also means that a whole lot of people are wandering around out there with empty lamps and smoldering wicks. Like the five foolish virgins, though their lives may appear to be as pure, or purer, than anybody else, when the Lord reveals Himself on the Last Day the baptized whose lamps are not filled with the Holy Spirit will be caught on the wrong side of the door that has safely locked behind Christ and His elect, His holy and beloved bride,

This Holy Spirit who fills the lamps of faith gifted to each of the Baptized comes only and always in, with, and through the Word of God in the preaching, teaching, and Sacraments of His bride, the Church.

Don't be caught with an empty lamp. Don't risk being one of those wandering around in the dark when our Lord reveals Himself in all His glory—the glory that you can know, believe, and participate even now as a member of His holy and beloved Bride. Come to the Lord's house and table often to hear His Word and receive His very body and blood from which the Holy Spirit proceeds to keep your lamp of faith filled. And go forth with your lamp lit so that your neighbors, the family and friends with whom live and work and play every day, may also know where to get their lamps filled to see, Here is [their] bridegroom!—Christ, the Son of the Living God—that they too may "Come out to meet him." Now while and where He may be found.

The Church is where "the dealers" of oil for your lamps of faith are located. Of course that oil, the Holy Spirit is not for sale. But is only delivered and dispensed where "Water, blood, and Spirit crying, By their witness testifying To the One whose death defying Life has come, with life for all."

Dear Baptized, Life has come with life for you. "Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him." For He has come here to meet you--forgiving you all of your sin and giving you life now and forever--in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Right Hand or Left?

2011-11-16T14:38:00.003-07:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Second-Last Sunday of the Church Year, "Right Hand or Left?," click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, "The Day Is Surely Drawing Near," LSB #508. The sermon begins at the 5:30 mark.

Have a most blessed week in your Lord, Jesus Christ, living with Him at the right hand of the Father.

Here is a rough preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

SERMON for the SECOND-LAST SUNDAY of the CHURCH YEAR:

November 13, 2011

"Right Hand or Left?"

TEXT: [Jesus said:] "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. Matthew 25:31-34

Right hand or left? Sheep or goat? Do you ever wonder?

Dear Christian, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, I have been placed into the office of the ministry here in Layton to tell you and all who will listen: "You are a sheep and the Holy Spirit has called and is gathering you at the right hand of the King."

You are a sheep because God has made you a sheep. At your Baptism, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, God said, "Here I am. Follow me. Be my sheep. I will take care of you for every day of your life, just be my sheep."

To say you are a sheep is another way of saying that you are a disciple. For disciples follow and live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. That is what Matthew 28:19-20 is all about: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Yes, this is Jesus' command to His Church to make disciples, but it also tells how to make a disciple, and therefore, it tells us what a disciple is. A disciple is one who is Baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AND a disciple is one who is taught to observe, that is to live or abide in, all things that Christ the Lord has commanded -- in other words, everything God has spoken to us by His Word as recorded in Holy Scripture.

In point of fact, this Baptism and teaching to observe is not two things but one. Being Baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit means to be given everything God has to give. When that water trickled over your brow with the Words of God's very name, you became heir to God's kingdom.

In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks of the day when that kingdom that has already been given to you as an inheritance of faith by His New Testament, will be given to you in full in the flesh—your own resurrected flesh.

Between now and the day of His judgment, you live in your Baptism as a child of God by being taught all the things that God has given you in His Word and by living in and according to that Word of God. And it is in your Baptism, or better put, in God's baptism, that you, along with all the brethren of Christ who share the baptism of God, that Christ is with you always, even to the end of the age - that is even to the time of today when He will come again in glory to separate the sheep from the goats.

From the moment the first drops of water touched your tiny (or not so tiny) head, and God's Word was received through your ears by the proclamation of the Gospel and into your heart by faith, until you take your last breath and close your eyelids for the last time, Jesus is with you in your Baptism and you are with Him as you follow Him by hearing and receiving all that His Word has to give.

Simply put, in Baptism Jesus becomes your Good Shepherd and you become His sheep. As a sheep you are all about listening and following the voice of your Shepherd.
"And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." [John 10:4 ]

Listening and following your Shepherd, you are a member of His flock. Even though you don't see them, by hearing God's Word, the voice of your Shepherd, you are gathered with all His other sheep, those of the different pens throughout time and the far reaches of the earth. [John 10:16] As sheep you are the brethren of Christ of whom He speaks in our Gospel. Living in the Word with all the other sheep, confessing the truth in Christ that Word brings, is how you are among those on His right hand who fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, sheltered the homeless, clothed the naked and visited the sick and imprisoned. And because you are content with hearing the voice and following the person of your Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, you don't even know that as you follow, you are doing the work of God.

In the 23rd Psalm we have a beautiful picture of the church, the sheepfold of God and His kingdom on earth. For in it the Lord tells us what a sheep does.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; he leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

But Pastor, you protest, that didn't really say anything about what the sheep does, it tells what the Shepherd does.

You are so right, dear Christian. You are so right. For there you have it! Being a Christian is all about the Shepherd. And you are a sheep because the Lord is your Shepherd. The Lord is your Shepherd--the Good Shepherd. That is who He is and what He does. You are His sheep who live at His right hand. Therefore you will never be lacking for any good thing, because He is here being your Shepherd.

Jesus makes you lie down in the green pastures of His Word and leads you beside the still waters of His Baptism. You eat and drink in what He has set before you -- because you are a sheep.

Jesus restores your soul by forgiving you your sin, He leads you in the paths of righteousness by giving you His name and the works He has prepared for you to do. You confess your sins and speak of His wonderful works -- because you are a sheep.

Jesus comforts you with the rod of His Law and the staff of His Gospel, the means by which the great comforter, the Holy Spirit, brings you to repentance and forgives you all your sin to create faith in you by which you walk through this dying world with Jesus, your Good Shepherd in front, along side and behind your every step - because you are a sheep.

Jesus prepares the table of His Supper by setting His resurrected body and blood before you so that you can participate in His resurrected life, He anoints your head with the oil of the Holy Spirit so that you will remain in the faith that receives His gifts to overflowing. You eat of His body and drink of His blood to give strength to your weak and dying flesh, you receive His Holy Spirit to give comfort to your flagging spirit, and you receive life - because you are a sheep.

The goodness and mercy of Jesus, the Son of God and your Good Shepherd follows you every day of your life as His Holy Spirit pursues you with His Word, and you dwell in the house of the Lord forever as Jesus dwells with you by the Baptism He has placed upon you and the body and blood He has placed within you. You live in the presence of God and have a seat in His heavenly kingdom even now--because you are a sheep who has been gathered by the holy Spirit to His right hand in the Holy Christian Church.

Pity those poor goats. The goats on Jesus left have none of this because they are not sheep. They think they have done many good things, yet they have not taken in Christ and did not recognize Him as the Son of God and their Savior because they did not listen to the voice of the Shepherd. The goats are always wanting because they have and desire no shepherd.

Goats do not lie down and feed in green pastures of God's Word or drink of the quiet waters of Baptism because they are busy climbing mountains, eating and drinking whatever garbage they come across. You are not a goat.

Goats do not have their sins forgiven or walk in the paths of righteousness because they are too busy enjoying their sin and pretending to be righteous. You are not a goat.

Goats do not have any comfort and are constantly driven by fear because they are too busy trying to ignore, cheat, or beat death and have no desire to hear what God would have them do or what He has done for them, they only want to tell what they want God to do for them or somehow prove what they can do for God. You are not a goat.

Goats do not eat at the table of the Lord and their cups are perpetually empty because they are too busy fighting with God, spilling their cups as they climb their mountains and fight their battles. You are not a goat.

Goodness and mercy does not follow goats and goats do not dwell in the house of the Lord now, or ever, because they are too busy chasing evil, following their own desires, and trying to build their own mansions. You are not a goat.

But remember, it's not as if you yourself have never been a goat, or that you wouldn't love to be a goat again, or as if you don't wander over to the left hand. Your sinful human nature, that goatish flesh of yours, is always tempted--and too many times successfully so—to go butting in and climbing around all that garbage piled to the left.

As you pity those poor goats, remember there but for the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit go you and me. You and I were once goats. This is what we believe and confess together in the Third Article of the Creed:
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 up me and all the dead and will give eternal life to me and to all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.

No, dear Christian, you are not a goat any longer. You are a sheep. You have been saved from being a goat and suffering at the left hand of God. You have been delivered by His strong Right Hand. You are baptized into the One true faith. You hear God's precious Word proclaimed for the forgiveness of your sin. You eat of His body and drink of His blood. By these very things you have the anointing of His Holy Spirit, the salvation of your souls, the presence of God your Savior, you dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and you are among those at his right hand who will most certainly hear Christ your King say, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!"

Dear Christian, this is the Gospel of the Lord. You cannot hear or speak it to others too often. You are a sheep. Welcome to the right hand of God--In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Blessed Are All Saints

2011-11-06T15:05:00.008-07:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for All Saints' Sunday, "Blessed Are All Saints" click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, "Oh How Blest Thy Faithful Children," a hymn for All Saints written by Rev. Eric Stefanski, sung to the tune of Galilean. The sermon begins at the 5:45 mark.

Have a blessed week in the Lord as dear children of God, blessed to be saints in the kingdom of heaven now and forever.

A servant of the Word and His folk,

Pastor Hering

Here is a rough preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:3-12 ESV)

Dear Blessed Ones of the Father,

Truly God is proclaiming to you in the All Saints' Day Gospel reading for today that you are among those who are blessed. And to be among those who are blessed is to be a saint, to be sanctified—that is, made holy. Blessed are all saints, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• God has given you new birth and marked you as one of all those saints in Holy Baptism;

• God is proclaiming you to be one of all those saints in the Word I am preaching to you now and wherever the Word of God is preached and taught for the forgiveness of the poor in spirit;

• God enfleshes you with Himself and all those saints when He gives you the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion;

• and God sends you forth into the world as one of all those saints carrying the benediction of His name-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

You who believe these things are indeed all saints who are blessed because in these things Jesus comes to you and you are made one with Him—the blessed One of whom the beatitudes of Matthew's Gospel speak.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. Jesus became poor in spirit for us when "For our sake [His Father] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become) the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 Therefore theirs is the kingdom of heaven who are poor in spirit and confess their sins. For they are forgiven and blessed in Christ.

4"Blessed are those who mourn. Jesus mourned as He wept over Lazarus at his tomb and over Jerusalem for their unbelief, and as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that not His will but His Father's be done. Therefore they shall be comforted who mourn the curse of their sin and certainty of their death for they are blessed in Christ and share in His resurrection.

5"Blessed are the meek, Jesus became meek though he was in(C) the form of God, did not count equality with God(D) a thing to be grasped, 7but(E) made himself nothing, taking the form of a(F) servant,[b](G) being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:6-7 Therefore they shall inherit the earth who do not claim their own sinful works but Christ's work as their glory.

6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, Jesus, though the Son of God knew He was to be in His Father's house, hearing and speaking His Word and doing His will. Therefore they shall be satisfied who seek the righteousness of Christ in His house of Word and Sacrament.

7"Blessed are the merciful, God desires mercy, not sacrifice so He sent the merciful One Jesus. Therefore they shall receive mercy who receive God's mercy in Christ rather than offer their feeble sacrifices..

8"Blessed are the pure in heart, Jesus pure—spotless without blemish of sin. Therefore they shall see God who have been purified by His blood and washed in the living water..

9"Blessed are the peacemakers, Jesus suffered and died to bear the wrath of the Father and make peace with Him on our behalf. Therefore they shall be called sons of God who are made one with the only begotten Son of God.

10"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, Therefore theirs is the kingdom of heaven who remain faithful unto death bearing all the world's disdain.

11"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Blessed are all saints who have gone before us to deliver this faith to us. We remember them, like Roger, for their living in W & S to the last day.

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15

with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:20b-21

During the service of the Sacrament we in the Sanctus, "Holy, Holy, Holy," we sing: "Blessed is He, blessed is He, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord."

"Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Matthew 21:9

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. Psalm 118:26

Jesus is the One who comes in the name of the Lord to make us blessed along with Roger and all the saints who have gone before us. So now blessed are you who come in the name of the Lord--baptized, forgiven children of God YOUrs is the kingdom of heaven and blessed are you with all Saints --In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

HYMN OF THE DAY: Oh How Blest Thy Faithful Children

TEXT: Rev. Eric Stefanski TUNE: Galilean (LSB #826)

1. Oh, how blest Thy faithful children
Ever dost Thou give them rest,
By the cross their sins removest
Far away as east from west.
Now they dwell by grace forever
Cleansed from sin, from fear set free;
For Thy death hath opened Heaven,
And in death they live to Thee.

2. Blesséd now the poor in spirit;
Thou to them dost Heaven give
Who confessed themselves as beggars,
Looked alone to Thee to live.
Blesséd are we pining mourners
Comforted alone in Thee:
By Thy grace Thou wilt sustain us
'Til at last Thy face we see.

3. Blesséd are the ones who meekly
Ever trust Thy gracious will,
Who have suffered lack, but gladly,
For Thy promise Thou fulfill:
A new Earth and a new Heaven
Thou shalt give for their abode,
Treasures there beyond all measure
Glory that naught can erode.

4. Those who for it thirst and hunger
Shall forever more be filled
With the righteousness of Jesus,
Which God's righteous wrath hath stilled.
They are purchased with His merit:
'Gainst their debt His blood sufficed;
They show mercy, for receivéd
They the mercy won by Christ.

5. Lord, Thy sufferings hearts pure maketh
In them who by grace shall see
Thee in glory, for Thou takest
From them all iniquity;
And peacemakers Thou has made them
By the peace received from Thee:
That the sons of Thine own Father
All might know them now to be.

6. Now rejoice we in the sufferings
Which we for Thy sake receive,
Since Thou didst for us win Heaven;
Grant us ever to believe
That the prophets and the martyrs
Gathered 'round Thy holy throne
With Thine angels shall receive us
Entered there by Christ alone.

∆ 7. For Thy saints above we praise Thee,
Who hast led them there by grace;
For Thy Church this prayer we raise Thee:
Bring us also to that place.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Praise and glory be to Thee
Gracious, everlasting, clement,
Holy, Blessed Trinity. Amen.

++++++++

Help Us Help Pastors

2011-11-05T23:01:00.007-06:00

The Augustana Ministerium (TAM, http://augustanaministerium.org ) is a pan-Lutheran group formed in 2004 to the aid of faithful pastors who have been mistreated in, or unbiblically removed from their calls by their congregations, as well as to generally uphold and promote our Lutheran confession of the Office of the Holy Ministry.

Since the election of Rev. Harrison as president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, TAM membership and contributions have waned, though the number of illegitimate "Divine Deposals" of pastors does not seem to be on the wane at all. So now, in addition to not having the resources to continue current subsidy levels for the men who have been deposed in the past, TAM faces the reality of being unable to provide any future financial assistance to additional men in need.

This is in no way meant to detract from Pres. Harrison’s faithful execution of his elected office. What it does mean is “so that we may obtain this faith [of AC IV], the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacramentsm,” it takes individual pastors and laymen of our LC-MS congregations to do whatever they can to support what first “was instituted” by our Lord Himself. [See AC V.]

Pastors, please consider joining the ministerium [http://augustanaministerium.org/AM-Application.html ].

Laymen, please consider joining the confraternity [http://augustanaministerium.org/AC-Application.html ].

Congregations, please consider including TAM in your mission budget items.

The annual dues--$50 for pastors, $40 for laymen--cover the registration fee for TAM's annual Theological Conference and Plenary. The 2012 Theological Conference and Plenary is being planned for sometime in late July-early August in the greater Chicago area. Audio recordings and textual documents of past Theological Conference presentations are accessible at http://augustanaministerium.org/essays/ .

Respectfully submitted for your consideration,
Rev. Kurt Hering
TAM Dean of Pastoral Care

It's Time! -- for All Saints to Fall Back

2011-11-05T17:02:00.005-06:00

It's Time . . . !

to fall back chronologically. Please remember to set your clocks back an hour before you hit the hay tonight and enjoy the extra hour of sleep or weekend fun.
to fall back theologically. That is, to turn away from the sin that separates us from God and clings to the things of a dying world, and fall back into the arms of the one Who forgives sin and offers eternal in the kingdom of heaven in His holy Christian Church.

Whether it's been a week, a month, a year, or a lifetime--God, our Father in heaven, is waiting like the Patient Father of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) to welcome you home and feast with you and All His Saints at His table in the Divine Service here at Trinity and wherever the Word of God and Him made flesh in Christ Jesus--is delivered for the forgiveness of sins in His preaching, teaching, and Sacraments.

C.F.W. Walther's Birthday

2011-10-25T15:55:00.004-06:00

To commemorate the bicentennial of his birth, here is a sermon on Jude 3 for Reformation Day [1876] by C. F. W. Walther.

Thanks be to God for faithful pastors and teachers of The One True Faith.

"Why Dare and Can We Never Give Up the Church's Struggle for the Pure Doctrine?"

Lord Jesus, hot was the conflict which once our fathers had to fight; but glorious was the victory which you granted them. Therefore, we today joyfully extol and praise you. For what our fathers once had to gain by fighting, your precious pure saving Word, that today is still their children's, our precious inheritance. However, this holy war has not yet ended. The foe is continually trying to tear from us what we have. Therefore, you also constantly cry to us: "Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Rev3:11. "Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Jude 3.

Therefore, grant that the remembrance of our fathers who fought faithfully until death will today enkindle us to fight in our days as they did, so that we may be as victorious as they, some day be crowned by you, and also rejoice with them forever and ever. Amen. The text: Jude 3.My dear friends of the Lutheran faith, confession, and conflict. The history of the Reformation, whose remembrance we today celebrate, is the story of a continuous war of almost 30 years, from the year 1517 when Luther publicly posted his 95 Theses against the papal abomination of the indulgence until the year 1546 when Luther died.

This war was not so much a physical as a spiritual one. On the one side stood Luther, a defenseless monk, no weapons in his hand but the Bible, and supported alone by a few generally faint-hearted friends. On the other side stood the well-reinforced pope with the temporal and spiritual sword, as he called it, that is, the power of church and state, in his hand, supported by a countless host of prelates, of cardinals, bishops and archbishops, of priests, monks, and nuns, as well as by the greatest world monarchy of that time in Christendom, the Emperor.

On the one side, however, stood error, on the other, the truth; on the one side, the word of men, on the other, God's Word; and, this is the main thing, on the one side stood the invisible Jesus Christ, the King of truth and the Lord of salvation with all his holy angels, on the other, Satan, the prince of darkness and ruin with his entire hellish army.

Today 359 years ago, on October 31, 1517 it was as Luther with those 95 Theses first declared war on the pope and all his followers, girded himself with the sword of the Spirit, as David once did with his sling against Goliath, left his dark monk's cell in the name of the Lord the living God, made his appearance, and to all who wanted to stand on the side of the Lord and his true Church gave the signal for the attack and the holiest war which was ever waged on earth. Then followed one engagement upon another, orally and in writing.

In the year 1518 Luther was victorious in a secret duel in Augsburg with the Cardinal Cajetan on the subject of the one little word: "Revoco," that is, "I recant;" but all the rhetoric of the wily Italian was in vain: Luther did not recant and thus left the arena as victor.

In the year 1519 followed a public debate between Luther and the papal sophist Dr. Eck in the Leipzig Disputation in which the matter dealt chiefly with the standing of the papacy and the councils; but at the close all who were of the truth, even papists, granted Luther the prize of victory.

Two years later in the year 1521 Luther was finally cited to appear in Worms, in order to appear personally before Emperor and empire to defend himself and hear his sentence. All the friends of Luther trembled but not he. He stated: "And if there were as many devils in Worms as tiles on the rooftops, I would go; and if my friends would make a fire from Wittenberg to Worms which would reach up into heaven, I would still enter the mouth between his large teeth, confess Christ, and let him rule."

Thus a hot battle began. But see! As Daniel came unhurt from the lions' den and as the three men came unscathed from the fiery furnace, so Luther again left Worms unconquered; for his closing declaration is and remains: "I do not recant! Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise, God help me. Amen!"

A second hot Reformation battle was fought during the presentation of our Confession to the Diet at Augsburg in the year 1530. Because he was excommunicated by the pope and outlawed by the emperor, Luther could not stand in this great, decisive conflict at Augsburg with the rank and file of the confessors of the Gospel; but as the real God-chosen general in this war he was not only the one who by the writing of the Torgau Articles, so to say, had sketched the battle plan and dictated the articles of peace, but he was also the one who during the diet led and encouraged from Coburg the little group in Augsburg who stood before the foe by his daily letters.

And what happened? What Luther even during the raging conflict had composed and sung: A mighty Fortress is our God, A trusty Shield and Weapon; He helps us free from ev'ry need That hath us now o'ertaken, that was gloriously fulfilled. Also this decisive battle was won. In spite of the threatening bloody imperial recess, the huts of the righteous of all Christendom again sang of victory.

However, the story of the Reformation is not only the story of a war from without, but also a spiritual civil war. After Zwingli, the Swiss preacher, had at first agreed with Luther and had bravely battled with him for God's Word against the papal doctrines of men, Zwingli soon fell away and declared: It is against reason to believe that Christ's body and blood is in the Lord's Supper. With dismay Luther saw that Zwingli intended to replace the pope with human reason. So after the futile exchange of several polemical writings between Luther and Zwingli in the year 1529after the Colloquy at Marburg there finally came ad ecisive battle.

Whether the words of the truthful and almighty Son of God: "This is my body, this is my blood," still stand firmly, hence whether God's Word must give way to reason or whether reason must give way to God's Word, that was the second casus belli, the second great cause of war which was to be decided in Marburg. And praise God! Luther did not give ground even here; as he in Worms had preserved God's Word against the pope's authority of the church, so in Marburg he preserved the same Word of God against the authority of human reason.

And thus Luther continued the fight until he was finally called into the land of eternal peace, in order to be crowned there and to celebrate with all faithful soldiers the feast of triumph of eternal life.

Now my dear brethren, has the victory of the Reformation of the Church finally brought peace? Alas no! The Church is to triumph above; here it must fight until the peal of the last trumpet. That God's Word testifies to us on all pages, and so also the apostle Jude, who has the surname Thaddeus, writes in our text: "Beloved, when I have all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you, and exhort you THAT YE SHOULDEARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH WHICH WAS ONCEDELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS."

On the basis of these words permit me today to answer the question: WHY DARE AND CAN WE NEVER GIVE UP THE CHURCH'SSTRUGGLE FOR THE PURE DOCTRINE? I answer:

1. Because The Pure Doctrine Of Our Church Is Not Our Possession, But A Treasure Only Entrusted To Us For Our Faithful Administration,

2. Because The Loss Of This Treasure Would Be Something Much More Terrible Than All The Strife And Discord Among Men, and finally,

3. Because This Conflict Is One COMMANDED By God, And Therefore Is Certainly BLESSED By God In Time And In Eternity.

I. The first reason why it is supposed that the time has finally come to stop the strife for the pure doctrine in our Church is because this everlasting quarreling and fighting, as it is called, is against love.

Christ, they say, says in clear words: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Jn 13:35. Therefore, John also writes: "He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." 1 Jn 3:14.

Yes, Paul says expressly: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And now abideth faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." 1 Cor 13:1.13.

When the Galatians quarreled and fought with one another, the same apostle severely reprimanded them and wrote: "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed of one another." Gal 5:15.

It is true, my friends, that brotherly love is the indispensable sign of true Christians; without love all other virtues are only an empty pretence and all gifts, no matter how great, are unprofitable; it is true that loveless quarreling and fighting can bring only ruin; yet it does not in the least follow that for us the time has finally come to give up all the struggle for the pure doctrine in our Church; for as we have already heard the Apostle Jude writes thus in our text: "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you THAT YE SHOULD EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH WHICH WAS ONCEDELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS."

Concerning the true faith the apostle, therefore, says that it was "once delivered unto the saints." True faith, or what is the same, the pure doctrine is, therefore, not given but only "delivered" to the saints, that is, not granted to them but only given into their charge, not made their possession over which they are free lords and with which they can do as they please but only something entrusted to them as belonging to another, that is, God's possession, which they merely as servants and stewards must faithfully preserve and administer.

Now tell me yourself: Does love demand that a steward give away some of the property entrusted to him, or that he make a reduction of the debt to the debtors of his lord? or that he can calmly take for himself the treasures of his lord which are given to him to guard and keep? Was it, for example, love when that steward, in order to make him his friend, said to a debtor who owed his lord 100 measures of oil: "Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty"? Lk 16:6. Was that not rather unfaithfulness, yes, open deceit and theft? Does not Christ for that reason also call him the "unjust steward"?

Would it be love if in order to avoid a battle a general would allow merely a small opening to be made for the enemy in the wall of a fortress given to him to defend? Would not such a general rather be called to account and punished as a traitor?

Or is it love to steal their possessions from others in order to do good to the poor?

And finally, would it be love if Luther would have immediately become silent about the discovered and known truth?

So judge for yourself: Would it be love if in the conflict for the pure doctrine "delivered" to us, that is, entrusted to us only for faithful administration, we Lutherans would finally give up? if in order to make friends among men and in order to pass for loving and peaceable people, we would let it go? No, that would not be brotherly love, or love of our neighbor, to say nothing of love toward God, but self-love, not faithful stewardship of the great possession entrusted to us by God only to be administered but shameful embezzlement of another's possession, yes, nothing else before God but robbery and theft. And thieves shall not inherit eternal life.

Of course, our love should be ready for the sake of peace to yield in such things over which we have the say, but not in things over which not we but others are in control; true, our love should be ready to sacrifice everything which we have, even our life if necessary, however, not the possessions of others but only our own. That is why in the year 1522 Luther said to his opponents: "My love is ready to die for you...; but faith or the Word you should adore. You can expect anything you want of our love; but fear our faith in all things.

"Oh my dear friends of the Lutheran faith, confession, and conflict, do not be misled when today those are everywhere accused of lovelessness who still do not give up the battle for pure doctrine in our Church. Bear in mind: This doctrine, as our text says, is the faith which "was once delivered unto the saints." It, therefore, is not our property which we would have the power and freedom to give away. It is rather God's property which we can but administer and not only we ourselves but all Christendom, yes, which the entire world should preserve and leave behind and give to the coming generation. On that day God will, therefore, say to us also in regard to the pure doctrine of his Word which he has entrusted to us Lutherans: "Give account of thy stewardship!"

True, it is a bitter disgrace to have to let oneself be regarded as heartless and loveless people; yes, believe it, my friends, this disgrace will often completely break the hearts of those fighting for God's pure Word. This disgrace, however, all true soldiers have always had to endure. Therefore, our pious fathers also say in the confessional writings of our Church: "To dissent from the agreement of so many nations and to be called schismatics is a grave matter. But divine authority commands all not to be allies and defenders of impiety and unjust cruelty." Therefore, that the world might see that love is still in us Lutherans, let us in all earthly things show our love so much the more richly; however, in matters pertaining to God, to the pure doctrine of his Word which "was once delivered unto the saints" let Christ's utterance be our motto and guiding star: "He that loveth father, or mother, and he that loveth son, or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me."

II. However, my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, we still cannot give up the struggle for the pure doctrine in our Church because secondly, the loss of this treasure would be something much more frightful than all the strife and discord among men.

It is true, my friends: The conflict and strife being continually carried on in all Christendom, not only between the different church denominations but often between the members of the one and the same church, is such a great calamity, that it simply cannot be expressed in words nor deplored sufficiently, yes, neither wept over enough with bloody tears. Is it not a calamity that all who want to be children of the one and the same heavenly Father, the servants of the one and same Savior, temples of the one and the same Holy Spirit, fight with one another? Is it not a calamity that those who are to fight against the countless and mighty foes of Christendom as one man draw their sword against each other? How Satan must rejoice when he sees this disunity among Christians. How many unbelievers are offended and, therefore, do not want to become Christians because they think: How can that be the only saving religion whose confessors, so to say, lacerate one another? And also how many weak Christians go astray in their Christianity and fall again to the world!

What? many, therefore, say, is it not high time that we Lutherans finally give up our struggle for the pure doctrine in our Church? that we, as Isaiah has prophesied, beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks? that we at last make peace with all Christians, extend them the hand of reconciliation, and we unite with them in one great congregation of peace? Certainly, my dear hearers, if we Lutherans could purchase a salutary, universal treaty of peace with our blood, no Lutheran, to say nothing of a Lutheran minister, would consider his blood so precious but would rather with a thousand joys shed it in this behalf. And yet, my dear brethren, we cannot give up our struggle for the pure doctrine in our Church.

This the Word of God teaches on all its pages, this also our text teaches us when we read: "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of THE COMMONSALVATION, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Because the apostle wanted to write to the Christians "of the common salvation" he deemed it necessary, first of all, to admonish them to "contend for the faith." So according to this apostolic explanation the question concerns nothing less than "the common salvation.

"Dare we, can we, therefore, now give up the conflict for the pure doctrine in our Church? Never! Yes, if we were fighting over money and goods, over honor before men, over good days, in brief, over earthly things, woe would be us if we would never ask whether peace in the world and Church is thus being destroyed, whether unbelievers and weak Christians were being offended, whether God's work was being hindered or not. But it is a different matter when we "contend for the faith which once was delivered unto the saints." Then we are not fighting over temporal but eternal treasures, then we are fighting not over man's but God's honor, then we are fighting not for this but for eternal life, then according to our text we are fighting in one word, "for the common salvation." That is why even all the prophets and apostles and Christ himself constantly fought for the pure faith; and indeed Christ expressly says in Matthew 10: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." Mt 10:34-36.

The strife which arises because one fights for the pure doctrine is, therefore, not an unfortunate but a blessed strife which Christ did not come to end and forbid but rather to send and to incite in this world.

Of course, if no one would falsify God's Word, no conflict would be necessary, yes, it would be a serious, terrible sin. But flesh, world, and Satan are continually bent upon falsifying God's Word or the pure doctrine; and never has it been falsified in so many ways as just in our times so that now millions die the death eternal because of the poison of falsified doctrine.

So dare we, can we be silent so as not to destroy earthly peace? For is it more terrible that temporal peace be taken from men, or rather that they be robbed of God's Word which alone can save their souls? Is this not worth more than the whole world? Does not Christ say: "What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world," and thus also the peace of the whole world, "and lose his own soul?" Mt16:26.

Suppose, when in the fourth century the doctrine of Christ's divinity was attacked by Arius, that neither Athanasius or any other person would have fought this falsification; suppose, when in the fifth century the doctrine of man's conversion only through grace was assailed by Pelagius, that neither Augustine nor any other person would have fought against it; suppose, when in the 16th century the entire doctrine of Christ had been falsified by the papacy that neither Luther nor any other person would have fought against it; suppose, when at the end of the past century rationalism forced its way into the Christian Church, that no one would have fought against it. True there would have been infinitely less strife and dissension in the world, but where would the pure Word of God be now? where would the Lutheran Church be now? Where would the true doctrine of the way to salvation be now? All this would have disappeared long ago from the surface of the earth, and with it the salvation of countless people would have been lost.

Oh my dear friends, let us indeed sorrow and lament over this: that false teachers constantly assail the pure doctrine in our Church and thus are at fault for the conflict and strife in the Church; however, let us never lament but rather extol and praise God that he always awakens men who fight against those false teachers, for, I repeat, this pertains to "the common salvation."

III. And yet, my dear hearers, the most important, the most irrefutable reason why we dare not nor cannot give up the fight for the pure doctrine in our Church is this: Because this conflict is one commanded us by God and is therefore certainly one blessed in time and in eternity.

Permit me now in the third place to speak to you about this and, therefore, grant me a few moments of your attention. There are now many well-meaning Christians who say that naturally not all struggles for the pure doctrine should be rejected, one must at times rather most earnestly fight for it.

Thus, for example, it was absolutely correct that Luther 400 years ago fought until death for the pure Gospel as courageously as a lion against the falsifications of the papacy. That is why his conflict had such a result the like of which the history of the Church has never again pointed to. But now it is clearly time to end the fight for the pure doctrine in our Church and instead of fighting against one another build with one another, instead of the sword to seize the trowel. For what is the result of all the strife in our time? Nothing but greater splits and confusion.

As well as these preachers of peace mean it, they nevertheless are caught in a great error. First of all, it is not true, that the conflict for the pure doctrine in our Church in our times which has already lasted longer than 30 years has had only great splits and confusion as its result. Rather to God's honor it is to be said as a result of this conflict the Church of the Reformation with its golden pure doctrine has again risen among us as though from the dead, more than a thousand congregations have again rallied around the old pure confession of our Church; from our America the sound of the old pure Gospel has at the same time gone out into all lands and has won new confessors of the truth everywhere and gathered them around the good old banner of our pious fathers. Others, indeed thousands upon thousands who already were about to give up the old eternal faith completely were at least stopped on the road of error, some were moved more and more to return to the way of the truth they left.

This present conflict has been rightly and gloriously blessed by God beyond all hopes, prayers, and understanding. Suppose this were not true; suppose it seems as though finally all struggle in our days for the pure doctrine in our Church were completely without results and useless. We nevertheless dare not and could not give up this Conflict. And why? Because the great God has commanded it in clear words. For who is it who in our text so earnestly summons all saints, that is, all Christians through the Apostle Jude to "contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints"? It is the great God himself. For these holy men of God have spoken being moved by the Holy Ghost.

What more do we need? Which man, yes, which angel, will dare to say "No, do not fight" when God says "Fight!"?And when we are now fighting at the command of the great God, dare we ever fear that our struggle would be in vain? Never! What God does or commands to be done cannot be anything but blessed in time and in eternity. For as the wise man Sirach writes: "Defend the truth until death, then will God the Lord fight for you." Sir 4:33.

Oh, therefore, let us never listen to those who praise and extol the conflict of the Reformation for the pure Gospel but want to know nothing of a similar conflict in our days. God's command: "Contend for the faith!" applies to all times, also to ours.

Let also our hearts be kindled by the fiery zeal with which Luther and his faithful helpers fought. Let us not like a coward surrender without a fight what they in hot conflict and with word, writing, blood, and tears gained by conflict, but faithfully preserve it and courageously defend it against all assaults until death. Let us consider no truth revealed for salvation as insignificant and agree to its falsification; for here applies: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Nor let us be concerned that for the sake of our conflict our names are rejected as malicious people. Even Luther and his helpers once had to experience this, and today millions bless them after they are long since at rest in their graves.

If today we show that we are not the degenerated but the true children of the Reformation, some day when we also lie dust to dust, our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will bless us. Granted that our name remains covered with disgrace before men until Judgment Day because of our struggle for the pure doctrine in our Church, nevertheless if we remain faithful in the struggle, as truly as God is righteous and true, for the sake of Christ Judgment Day will be the day of our crowning and our entire eternity a festival of eternal victory and peace. Oh, what joy, what glory that will be when also we poor despised, scolded, and hated people will be received into the countless host of all the holy soldiers of God from Adam until the last faithful fighter who triumph before God's throne!

In conclusion I say to all of you: Then let us follow Christ, our Lord, And take the cross appointed And, firmly clinging to His Word, In suffering be undaunted. For who bears not the battle's strain The crown of life shall not obtain. Amen. [TLH 421, st. 5]

How Often Will My Brother Sin Against Me?

2011-10-16T15:34:00.003-06:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Third Sunday in Michaelmastide, "How Often Will My Brother Sin Against Me?" click on this MP3 audio link.

Have a blessed week in the Lord knowing that His answer to the question, "How often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?" is "Every time, dear brother."

A servant of the Word and His folk,

Pastor Hering

Here is a rough preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: Matthew 18:21-35 21Peter came up and said to [Jesus], "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

Dear baptized, forgiven children of God,

How often will my brother sin against me?

That is how we are prone to frame the question, isn't it? Forget the forgiveness part. Woe is me. Everybody is against me. And so they are.

How often will my brother sin against me? Every time. Often.

Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Jesus answer is, "Everytime. Often"

This is the good work of the Christian. Forget $$$ contributions. Forget time and labor spent. Forget whatever help and aid you have ever rendered. The apple to the teacher. The giving up the last slice of pizza.

Forgiveness is the fruit of faith and the good work for which we were created in Christ Jesus . . . , which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [Ephesians 2:10]

Forgiveness is the love [Paul prays for in our Epistle that it] may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Forgiveness is that of which the prophet Micah speaks, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Apart from the forgiveness of sins there simply is no good work; nothing excellent; nothing pure and blameless; no righteousness or fruit of righteousness; no justice; no kindness; no love.

To walk humbly with your God, according to His statues is to not even ask the question, How Often Will My Brother Sin Against Me?" Much less the "and I forgive him," part.

The First table of the Law (Commandments 1-3) is all about your forgiveness—for that is who the only true God along side of Him there is no other is—the forgiving God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Second table of the Law (Commandments 4-10) is all about our forgiving our neighbor. At the same time it reminds us that every sin our brother often commits against us, is also the sin that we commit against our brothers—and sisters, and fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors, not to mention competitors and enemies.

So we pray in THE FIFTH PETITION of the Lord's Prayer:

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. What does this mean? We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins nor deny such petitions on account of them. We are not worthy of any of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them. But we pray that He would grant them all to us by grace. For we daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. So will we truly, on our part, also heartily forgive and readily do good to those who sin against us.

"Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?" Often. Every time.

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." [Matthew 19:25-26]

This is why Church is so important. For as we confess in the Third Article of the Creed, in Church God the Holy Spirit "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." This is why in the Third Commandment God tells us to "remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy"--which means that we do "not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it." For the forgiveness in which we are to live and move and have our being is only given to us in His Word as it is proclaimed and delivered in His holy Christian Church.

Take a look at the bulletin cover. Here you see the answer hanging below the question, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?

The Son of God is begotten, crucified, risen, and ascended from all eternity to answer that for you in the same way every time: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

"Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?" Often. Every time. Why? Because you are forgiven all of your sins and this is what it means to live in the kingdom of heaven—now and forever--in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

At the Point of Death

2011-10-10T12:48:00.003-06:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Second Sunday in Michaelmas, "At the Point of Death" click on this MP3 audio link.

Rejoice in the Lord this week that He has come to you at the point of death to give you eternal life.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here is a rough preaching manuscript (half outline, half manuscript) if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: John 4:46-5446[Jesus] came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48So Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." 49The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." 53The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." And he himself believed, and all his household. 54This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Dearly beloved of God,

It was when his son was "At the Point of Death" that the Jewish nobleman went to Jesus and asked Him "to come down and heal his son."

Isn't that the way it is with all of us? It's not until we are "At the Point of Death" that we face up to our problems and do something about them.

Cars, appliances, computers, sometimes even clothes.

Personal health.

Dickens' Scrooge character confronted by the Ghost of Christmas Future.

It was "At the Point of Death" when God first promised a Savior to Adam and Eve--a death not imminent enough to Eve in her mistaken and false confession, or to Adam to keep him from also eating of the fruit.

Again that is how we are, isn't it? Even knowing things aren't healthy, because the ultimate effects aren't imminent enough we do them anyway—especially when it comes to sin. Breaking the Commandments is the way of death—but not usually right away. It takes a while.

So the Holy Spirit works by the preaching of the Law to bring sinners to where we are "At the Point of Death" in order that they will repent and be saved, that is turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to come down and heal us before we die eternally.
"God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, . . ." Ephesians 2:4-6

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." Deuteronomy 32:39

And even this begins with God's own Son. It was "At the Point of Death" that our dear Lord, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary gave up His Spirit and proclaimed once and for all people of all time, "it is finished!" The Father killed His only begotten Son by the hands of men as a sacrifice for our sins--something He delivered Abraham doing to his only son of the promise, Isaac. And the Father also raised the Son that He killed, so that after we have died and been killed, we too will be raised by Him to eternal life.

For it is to this you have been chosen since the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), even as the Christ was foreknown and even His work of suffering and dying for you was finished (Hebrews 4:3) from the foundation of the world.
". . . you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. . . .'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.'"
(1 Peter 1:18-21, 24-25)

And here is the best news of all. You are in the Word! And since the Word of the Lord remains forever, so do you—so will you.
Jesus said . . ., "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. [John 11:25-26]

It is "At the Point of Death" that God saves you in the waters of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, killing the Old Adam sinner in us and burying us into His death—the death that ends in Resurrection and Ascension, His that is now ours by faith, and later on the Last Day will be ours in our own flesh forever as well.

It is "At the Point of Death" that God saves you in the preaching of repentance and the forgiveness of sins. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) And the "faith (through which you are saved by the grace of God for Christ's sake) comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17)

It is "At the Point of Death" that God saves you in the body and blood of the Sacrament of the Altar. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16) For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-36) And it is this death of the Lord and your participation in it that saves you.

It is "At the Point of Death" that God forgives you all of your sins and raises you to a life that never ends—in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Why Are You Anxious?

2011-10-02T19:53:00.002-06:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, "Why Are You Anxious" click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, LSB #760, "What God Ordains Is Always Good." The sermon begins at the 4:40 mark.

Have a blessed, anxiety free week in the Lord as His righteous ones in Christ Jesus.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here is the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: Matthew 6:24–34 24[Jesus said:] “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 25“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Dear beloved Son[s], with [whom God your Father is] well pleased--and that is what every one of you is baptized to be,

Why Are You Anxious?

[Pregnant Pause]

This is a powerful and important question our Lord asks His disciples up on the mountain. Notice He doesn’t ask “if” the disciples are anxious. He asks them, Why Are You Anxious?

It is one He asks every one of His baptized children. Why Are You Anxious?

And it is one He asks of you, His beloved ones gathered at Trinity today. Why Are You Anxious?

[Pregnant Pause]

Well? Why are you?

• Because some ancient calendar runs out and the end of the world is near?
• Because of our continuing economic woes?
• Because of Islamic terrorists or other enemies?
• Because of our own militaristic endeavors?
• Because Pres. Obama might get re-elected?
• Because Pres. Obama might not get re-elected?
• Because of global warming?
• Because of creeping socialism?
• Because of greedy capitalists?
• Because of health concerns?
o Cancer? Heart? Flu?

Do you need any more proof that you are a sinner? Which one of us isn’t anxious about something?

I cannot remember a time in my life when there wasn’t something I was anxious about personally.

Neither can I remember a time when our political leaders and social activists weren’t giving us something to be anxious about.

It’s all about control.

It’s all about who your master is.

It’s all about little faith.

O you of little faith? 31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“The Lord will never allow a righteous soul to perish of hunger.” – St. Jerome on Matthew 6:33
“The earth would have to run out of bread or the heavens would have to run out of rain before a Christian would die of starvation.; indeed, God Himself would have to starve to death first." [Luther's Works, Vol. 21, p. 207 on Matthew 6:33]

As Christ’s apostle, Paul, quotes the psalmist: “None is righteous, no, not one; 1no one understands; no one seeks for God.” [Romans 3:10-11]

So, “if none is righteous, no not [even] one, wherein lies the hope and certainty that neither you nor I need ever fear starving to death and perishing of hunger? Paul continues: “there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” [Romans 3:22-25]

In other Words, you as a sinner, a worrier always anxious about something are nevertheless a righteous one in Christ by baptism into faith.

Faith prays THE FOURTH PETITION of the LORD’S PRAYER, “Give us this day our daily bread”-- not in order to persuade God to do it, but so that we cast all are cares and anxieties about our bodies and earthly life on Him. As Luther explains, What does this mean? God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all wicked people; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. What is meant by daily bread? Everything that belongs to the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

Dear beloved Son[s], with [whom God your Father is] well pleased, Why Are You Anxious? Not only does God our Father who art in heaven give us this day our daily bread, He also forgives us our sins for the sake of His beloved only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. And in this forgiveness is our daily bread of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven, for it makes us righteous ones who live in the very body of Christ.

Once again, Luther speaks great words of comfort in this regard.
"When you are baptized, partake of Holy Communion, receive the absolution, or listen to a sermon, heaven is open, and we hear the voice of the Heavenly Father; all these works descend upon us from the open heaven above us. God converses with us, provides for us; and Christ hovers over us--but invisibly. And even though there were clouds above us as impervious as iron or steel, obstructing our view of heaven, this would not matter. Still we hear God speaking to us from heaven; we call and cry to Him, and He answers us. Heaven is open, as St. Stephen saw it open (Acts 7:55); and we hear God when He addresses us in Baptism, in Holy Communion, in confession, and in His Word as it proceeds from the mouth of the men who proclaim His message to the people."--Martin Luther (1/19/1538 [LW 22:202])

So, Why Are You Anxious? All of your sins are forgiven. The kingdom of God has sought you and continues to seek you to make and keep you righteous and well fed--in the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Top Ten Reasons Only One of Ten Lepers Returned to Jesus in Faith

2011-09-26T13:14:00.002-06:00

Top Ten Reasons only One of Ten Lepers Returned to Jesus in Faith

10) He had no TCN to transform His old fashioned ministry.
9) He had no PLI to train Him in leadership principles and skills.
8) He had no CTCR or CCM to make a ruling.
7) He had no DRP to resolve the disputes of the nine.
6) He had no DP or CoP to step in.
5) He had no LC-MS to give Him credibility and a pretty purple logo.
4) He appeared to believe His own opinions should be accepted without question.
3) Not enough eye contact.
2) The other nine had Him in their hearts.

And the Number One reason only one of ten lepers returned to Jesus in faith . . .

No Praise Band!

Rise and Go Your Way!

2011-09-25T15:44:00.008-06:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, "Rise and Go Your Way" click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, LSB #814, "O Bless the Lord, My Soul." The sermon begins at the 1:55 mark.

Rise and go your way in Christ, the way of salvation, washed clean of the leprosy of your sin and born into the kingdom of heaven.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here is the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: Luke 17:11-19 11On the way to Jerusalem [Jesus] was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13and lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." 14When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus answered, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."

Dear Baptized,

"Rise and go your way!" This is what the Lord, your God, is telling you every time you hear the words by which you were born again from above and into the kingdom of heaven--in the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

"Rise and go your way!" This is what the Lord, your God, is telling you when the Church begins her liturgy of the Divine Service every Lord's Day with the Invocation--in the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

"Rise and go your way!" This is what the Lord, your God, is telling you when—having confessed your sins--you receive absolution from the pastor--in the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

"Rise and go your way!" This is what the blessed Martin Luther wanted to call to your mind when he wrote his instructions for daily prayer in The Small Catechism, where he wrties:
"In the morning, when you rise/In the evening, when you go to bed, you shall bless yourself with the holy cross and say, 'In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.'"

"Rise and go your way!" because in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism that has been poured over you, God "works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. Which are these words and promises of God? Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark, 'Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned'" [Mark 16:16]. - Small Catechism, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Part Two

"Rise and go your way!" because, "the Word of God, which is in and with the water of [the Sacrament of Holy Baptism], makes Baptism a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Spirit. As St. Paul says in Titus chapter three, 'He saved us … by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy'" [vv. 5-8]. - Small Catechism, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Part Three

"Rise and go your way!" because in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism the "water God has poured over you signifies that the old Adam in you should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts. And also it shows that a new man should daily come forth and arise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever. As Paul says in Romans chapter 6, 'We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life'" [v. 4]. - Small Catechism, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Part Four

When Jesus told the Samaritan sinner--I mean leper--"Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well," He was giving this one even more than what He had given the rest. The other nine were cleansed of their leprosy and had their bodily disease healed just as certainly as had the Samaritan sinner—I mean, leper. But something more happens with the Samaritan sinner—I mean, leper. In addition to being cleansed and healed of his leprosy, Jesus declared the Samaritan leper—and by leper, now I mean sinner—to be saved.

Why? Because by his cleansing and healing encounter with Jesus, the Holy Spirit brought him to believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God.

How can I say this so confidently? Because, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:3, "No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit." And when the Samaritan sinner "turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks," he was repenting of his sin and confessing, "Jesus as his Lord.

Here it will be helpful to understand something about the disease of leprosy, because to do so is also to understand sin. The white, flaky skin and terrible festering sores of leprosy are an indication and result of a systemic condition. As if leprosy's uncleanness and sores of the flesh are not enough, it also causes a numbing of the nerves that prevents one from feeling pain. While this might seem like a good thing, it prevents one inflicted with the disease from realizing the damage being caused and the danger posed. Sin works the same way.

Because sin is such an insidious condition, Luther reminds us of the importance of hearing the Word and receiving the body and blood of our Savior often in his Large Catechism explanation to THE SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR.

75 But if you say, "What, then, shall I do if I cannot feel such distress or experience
hunger and thirst for the Sacrament?" Answer, "For those who are of such a mind that they do not realize their condition I know no better counsel than that they put their hand into their shirt to check whether they have flesh and blood. And if you find that you do, then go, for your good, to St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. Hear what sort of a fruit your flesh is:
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these. [Galatians 5:19-21]

76 Therefore, if you cannot discern this, at least believe the Scriptures. They will not lie to you, and they know your flesh better than you yourself. Yes, St. Paul further concludes in Romans 7:18, "I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh." If St. Paul may speak this way about his flesh, we cannot assume to be better or more holy than him. 77 But the fact that we do not feel our weakness just makes things worse. It is a sign that there is a leprous flesh in us that can't feel anything. And yet, the leprosy rages and keeps spreading. 78 As we have said, if you are quite dead to all sensibility, still believe the Scriptures, which pronounce sentence upon you. In short, the less you feel your sins and infirmities, the more reason you have to go to the Sacrament to seek help and a remedy.

On p. 329 of LSB, you will find The Small Catechism's "Christian Questions with Their Answers,: Prepared by Dr. Martin Luther for those who intend to go to the Sacrament" [to receive the body and blood of Christ]. Let us now examine ourselves together. Please recite the answers with me as I ask the questions beginning on p. 329.

[Ask Questions of, and recite Answers with congregation]

Dear Baptized, you who have been instructed, examined and absolved according to the Word of God, come now to the table of the Lord. And for you who have not yet been so instructed, examined, absolved, or baptized, come receive these things here at Trinity so that with the Samaritan sinner and all the Baptized, you will believe and be saved when you hear Jesus say to you--"Rise and go your way!" Even more than the ten lepers, you have been washed clean. Because you have been forgiven all your sins and born from above to life in the kingdom of heaven, now and forever--in the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Who Is the One Who Shows Mercy?

2011-09-18T20:43:00.004-06:00

Dearly Beloved of God,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, "Who Is the One Who Shows Mercy?" click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, LSB #852, "O God of Mercy, God of Might." The sermon begins at the 1:50 mark.

Have a great week in Christ knowing He has shown you mercy and given you eternal life.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here is the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

Who is the One Who Shows Mercy?

TEXT: Luke 10:23-37 23Turning to the disciples [Jesus] said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

The One who shows mercy is the One whom the disciples saw and heard—Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God.

He is also the One whom many others don't see even though they behold Him with their eyes every day,
For what can be(AL) known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,(AM) have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20

and don't hear even though they have the very Word of God.
And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. John 5:37-40
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:24-27

Who are the ones who do not see, or hear, or follow the One Who shows mercy? We tend to think, we would like to think they are only those who are blatantly evil, plainly hurtful to others and harmful to society. But Jesus tells us differently.

25And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" 27And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." 28And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."

The ones who do not see, or hear, or follow Jesus are the ones who want to inherit eternal life by what they do rather than by what they receive. No one ever inherits anything by what they do, but by what their benefactor does.

So the ones who go through life asking the wrong question, what must I do, get an answer that is impossible. Sensing this,

29But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."

Clearly this is not something the lawyer was likely to do. It would be inconvenient. It would be dangerous. It would even make him unclean.

Yet this is the requirement of the Second table of the Law--not only that we do "not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every bodily need [in every need and danger of life and body]."--Small Catechism Explanation to the Fifth Commandment

Yet, lest you and I think we would never be so smug and uncaring as the lawyer and the priest and the Levite,
And furthermore, "that we not despise or anger our parents and masters, but give them honor, serve them, obey them, and hold them in love and esteem."-- Small Catechism Explanation to the Fourth Commandment
And if that is not enough, "help him to improve and protect his property and business."-- Small Catechism Explanation to the Seventh Commandment
"defend him, ‹think and› speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything." -- Small Catechism Explanation to the Eighth Commandment

And if all this is not enough, because according to Ephesians 5:21 baptized believers in faith live their lives "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.". Scripture sets before us what the Small Catechism lists as a TABLE OF DUTIES--for Various Holy Orders and Positions, by Which These People Are to Be Admonished, as a Special Lesson, about Their Office and Service
FOR BISHOPS, PASTORS, AND PREACHERS
Therefore, an overseer [pastor] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive. He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (1 Timothy 3:2-4, 6; Titus 1:9)
‹WHAT THE HEARERS OWE TO THEIR PASTORS
In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:14)
One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. (Galatians 6:6)
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages." (1 Timothy 5:17-18)
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)›
CONCERNING CIVIL GOVERNMENT
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:1-4)
‹WHAT SUBJECTS OWE TO THE RULERS
Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. (Matthew 22:21)
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.… Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (Romans 13:1, 5-7)
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work. (Titus 3:1)
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. (1 Peter 2:13-14)›
FOR HUSBANDS
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. (Colossians 3:19)
FOR WIVES
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. (Ephesians 5:22; 1 Peter 3:5-6)
FOR PARENTS
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
FOR CHILDREN
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." (Ephesians 6:1-3)
FOR MALE AND FEMALE SERVANTS, HIRED MEN, AND LABORERS
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. (Ephesians 6:5-8; see also Colossians 3:22)
FOR MASTERS AND MISTRESSES
Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with Him. (Ephesians 6:9; see also Colossians 4:1)
FOR YOUNG PERSONS IN GENERAL
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. (1 Peter 5:5-6)
FOR WIDOWS
She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. (1 Timothy 5:5-6)
FOR ALL IN COMMON
The commandments … are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Romans 13:9) "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people." (1 Timothy 2:1)

So what does this all say to the lawyer, or more importantly to you or me as to our ability to, "go, and do likewise"?

Who is it Who is the One Who has submitted not only to His Father and mother, but to earthly authorities, and even to you and to me in going to Calvary? Who is the One Who Shows Mercy?

The One who shows mercy is the One you are hearing today; the One whose very body and blood you have come to eat and drink; the One in whom you live and move and have your being; the One who lived, died, rose, and ascended for His neighbor; the One who has sent the Holy Spirit to forgive you all your sins and keep you with Him in His holy Christian Church and life everlasting --in the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Be Opened!

2011-09-11T20:05:00.005-06:00

Dear People of Trinity,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, "Be Opened!" click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, LSB #545, "Word of God, Come Down to Earth." The sermon begins at the 2:30 mark.

Have a great week in Christ as He has commanded heaven to "Be Opened!" to you.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here is the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead. Thanks to Rev. Dean Kavouras (Pastor at Christ Lutheran Church, Cleveland; Chaplain Cleveland Emergency Services and FBI - Cleveland Division) for his 9/11 observations.

Dear people of Trinity,

Some will never forget what they were doing on September 11, 2011, and for others (like me) it was all a blur. Certainly, as Americans, our lives have never been the same.

And yet, as Christians, we have never known another way and will not know any other way until our Lord comes again.

Matthew 24:6-8: 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.

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

As Americans today we want and need to remember the many who died and their survivors who suffered such great loss—that these men and women are among God’s gifts to us, as is our country and our laws, by which we live in relative peace and security even in these times of economic uncertainty.

As Christians we want and need to remember the One who died that we might live. Remember not just as some mental exercise or emotional experience, but as an ongoing work of our Lord by which He unites us to Him in a state of forgiveness that surrounds us with the very kingdom of heaven and all its hosts of angels to protect us from the evil one, and saints who rejoice with us in singing thanks and praise to God in Christ Jesus.

As Americans today we want and need to know that we will always respond when our people are threatened—and we want the world to be reminded of that as well.

As Christians we want and need to know our Lord is here to respond to our needs of daily bread for the body and the bread of life to sustain our faith—and our neighbors and indeed the world needs us to bring those things to them as well.

As Americans today we want and need to pay tribute to those who answered that call 10 years ago, who ran into the peril as everyone else was running out.

As Christians we want and need to give thanks to the One Who not only provided those that answered the call on 9/11/2001, but who has saved us from an eternity of 9/11 infernos and continues to walk with us through and protect us in the Valley of the Shadow of death.

As Americans we want and need to be ever vigilant and remember 9/11 was no one day deal, no mere random incident, but the work of those who want to see us gone.

As Christians we want and need to be ever vigilant and remember the evil one still prowls around like a hungry lion seeking whom He may devour.

As Americans we want and need the hope of gaining, by God’s gracious blessing, a degree of closure if possible, and the power to move forward if we can.

As Christians we want and need the hope of gaining, by God’s gracious blessing, an ultimate victory over death and the grave and attaining eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.

We heard last week, the Lord lifts up the lowly and only the lowly to give them this forever victory and kingdom. Now, as we remember 9/11/2001, God reminds us that as great a country as the United States is, it is not forever. And while we always should give thanks to Him for our nation and pray for our leaders and those who serve to protect us at home and abroad, we have an infinitely more desperate need and greater nation to which we belong.

This need is fulfilled and this nation of heaven is constituted for us only in Christ’s holy Christian church. Like 9/11 this no one day deal. Just like we, as Americans, need continual protection from our enemies abroad and even from our own selves within.

So our dear Lord provides it through the preaching and sacraments of His Word by which He continues to protect us and keep us in His kingdom of heaven until He comes again on the Last Day to give us that kingdom in the flesh.

And because this kingdom and protection of God comes to us only by the Word, we have the same need and want as the deaf mute of our Gospel text today.

TEXT: Mark 7:31–37 31[Jesus] returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.”

Last week the tax collector and little Kaden showed us how the Lord lifts up the lowly and only the lowly. Now today, 9/11, our Gospel not only shows us the healing of one deaf and mute 2000 years ago, but speaks God’s Word to us today so that our sinful Ears, Mouths, Hearts, and even heaven itself “Be opened” to us now.

A sinner cannot come to know or believe in God by his own free will any more than a deaf man can will himself to hear. And just as Jesus used His fingers and saliva to open up a deaf man’s ears and loose his tongue, so He uses earthly means of the preached Word and Sacraments to open up dead hearts and loose tongues to confess sins and faith.

Because our flesh is attacked by the evil one and we are enclosed by the world every minute of every day, the “Be opened!” command and touch of our Lord is something that we continue to need until the day we leave this sinful flesh behind in the grave. So our risen and ascended Lord sends the Holy Spirit to deliver the proclamation by which Jesus touches our flesh every Lord's Day in the Divine Service and whenever and wherever the Word of forgiveness of sins in Him and His name is delivered and received in faith.

Dear people of Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ is touching your ears, your tongues, and your hearts today and commanding them to, “Be opened!” so that “you [are able to] confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, [and] be saved.”

He is also commanding the kingdom of heaven to, “Be opened!” and giving you eternal life by forgiving you all your sins --in the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Be Opened!

2011-09-11T20:05:00.004-06:00

Dear People of Trinity,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, "Be Opened!" click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, LSB #545, "Word of God, Come Down to Earth." The sermon begins at the 2:30 mark.

Have a great week in Christ as He has commanded heaven to "Be Opened!" to you.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here is the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead. Thanks to Rev. Dean Kavouras (Pastor at Christ Lutheran Church, Cleveland; Chaplain Cleveland Emergency Services and FBI - Cleveland Division) for his 9/11 observations.

Dear people of Trinity,

Some will never forget what they were doing on September 11, 2011, and for others (like me) it was all a blur. Certainly, as Americans, our lives have never been the same.

And yet, as Christians, we have never known another way and will not know any other way until our Lord comes again.

Matthew 24:6-8: 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.

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

As Americans today we want and need to remember the many who died and their survivors who suffered such great loss—that these men and women are among God’s gifts to us, as is our country and our laws, by which we live in relative peace and security even in these times of economic uncertainty.

As Christians we want and need to remember the One who died that we might live. Remember not just as some mental exercise or emotional experience, but as an ongoing work of our Lord by which He unites us to Him in a state of forgiveness that surrounds us with the very kingdom of heaven and all its hosts of angels to protect us from the evil one, and saints who rejoice with us in singing thanks and praise to God in Christ Jesus.

As Americans today we want and need to know that we will always respond when our people are threatened—and we want the world to be reminded of that as well.

As Christians we want and need to know our Lord is here to respond to our needs of daily bread for the body and the bread of life to sustain our faith—and our neighbors and indeed the world needs us to bring those things to them as well.

As Americans today we want and need to pay tribute to those who answered that call 10 years ago, who ran into the peril as everyone else was running out.

As Christians we want and need to give thanks to the One Who not only provided those that answered the call on 9/11/2001, but who has saved us from an eternity of 9/11 infernos and continues to walk with us through and protect us in the Valley of the Shadow of death.

As Americans we want and need to be ever vigilant and remember 9/11 was no one day deal, no mere random incident, but the work of those who want to see us gone.

As Christians we want and need to be ever vigilant and remember the evil one still prowls around like a hungry lion seeking whom He may devour.

As Americans we want and need the hope of gaining, by God’s gracious blessing, a degree of closure if possible, and the power to move forward if we can.

As Christians we want and need the hope of gaining, by God’s gracious blessing, an ultimate victory over death and the grave and attaining eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.

We heard last week, the Lord lifts up the lowly and only the lowly to give them this forever victory and kingdom. Now, as we remember 9/11/2001, God reminds us that as great a country as the United States is, it is not forever. And while we always should give thanks to Him for our nation and pray for our leaders and those who serve to protect us at home and abroad, we have an infinitely more desperate need and greater nation to which we belong.

This need is fulfilled and this nation of heaven is constituted for us only in Christ’s holy Christian church. Like 9/11 this no one day deal. Just like we, as Americans, need continual protection from our enemies abroad and even from our own selves within.

So our dear Lord provides it through the preaching and sacraments of His Word by which He continues to protect us and keep us in His kingdom of heaven until He comes again on the Last Day to give us that kingdom in the flesh.

And because this kingdom and protection of God comes to us only by the Word, we have the same need and want as the deaf mute of our Gospel text today.

TEXT: Mark 7:31–37 31[Jesus] returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.”

Last week the tax collector and little Kaden showed us how the Lord lifts up the lowly and only the lowly. Now today, 9/11, our Gospel not only shows us the healing of one deaf and mute 2000 years ago, but speaks God’s Word to us today so that our sinful Ears, Mouths, Hearts, and even heaven itself “Be opened” to us now.

A sinner cannot come to know or believe in God by his own free will any more than a deaf man can will himself to hear. And just as Jesus used His fingers and saliva to open up a deaf man’s ears and loose his tongue, so He uses earthly means of the preached Word and Sacraments to open up dead hearts and loose tongues to confess sins and faith.

Because our flesh is attacked by the evil one and we are enclosed by the world every minute of every day, the “Be opened!” command and touch of our Lord is something that we continue to need until the day we leave this sinful flesh behind in the grave. So our risen and ascended Lord sends the Holy Spirit to deliver the proclamation by which Jesus touches our flesh every Sabbath and whenever and wherever the Word of forgiveness of sins in Him and His name is delivered and received in faith.

Dear people of Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ is touching your ears, your tongues, and your hearts today and commanding them to, “Be opened!” so that “you [are able to] confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, [and] be saved.”

He is also commanding the kingdom of heaven to, “Be opened!” and giving you eternal life by forgiving you all your sins --in the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Lord Lifts Up the Lowly

2011-09-04T13:08:00.004-06:00

Dear Saints of God,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, "The Lord Lifts Up the Lowly," click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, LSB #559, "Oh, How Great Is Your Compassion." The sermon begins at the 3:14 mark.

Have a great week in Christ as He lifts you up and gives you eternal life by His holy Word.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: 9[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14

Dear Baptized,

The Lord lifts up the lowly—and only the lowly.

What better example of this than little Kaden this morning.

Sadly, there are many more opposite examples. You think we do not have Pharisees today?

A couple called me a little over a week ago wanting to have their 8 mo. old baby daughter blessed. I asked them to come in and meet with me so we could talk about it.

We met last Saturday. Turns out both parents were baptized Lutheran, one at the very same font at which Kaden was baptized today. Neither were brought to church or taught the Word of God by their parents afterward.

Not surprisingly, then, when I asked them just what it was they expected me to do for their child in blessing her, they didn't really know. So I took them through the explanation of Baptism in the Small Catechism, as well as showing them the oprder of Baptism in our hymnal—the order by which little Kaden was born again by the Holy Spirit into the kingdom heaven this very morning.

I gave them copies of both and asked them to study them together in private at home and come back to have any questions answered and decide how to proceed.

When I called them back, they told me that I had made them uncomfortable. The baby's father said, "You made us feel like sinners."

"Well, you are. So am I. So is your baby daughter. That's why we have baptisms. We talked about that right? I'm not going to baptize a baby only to have you, her parents take her away from Christ's church and apart from God."

But what was it that turned these parents off? It was the Word of God in Luther's Small Catechism explanation to Baptism and the order of Baptism itself. You heard the order of Baptism today. Now let's review and confess Luther's Small Catechism explanation to Baptism together.

Small Catechism Explanation of Baptism--LSB, p. 325:

IV. THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY BAPTISM

As the Head of the Family Should Teach It in a Simple Way to His Household

FIRST

What is Baptism? Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and combined with God's Word.

Which is that Word of God? Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" [Matthew 28:19].

SECOND

What benefits does Baptism give? It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

Which are these words and promises of God? Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" [Mark 16:16].

THIRD

How can water do such great things? Certainly not just water, but the Word of God in and with the water does these things, along with faith which trusts this Word of God in the water. For without God's Word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the Word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus chapter three, "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying." [vv. 5-8].

FOURTH

What does such baptizing with water indicate? It indicates that the old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

Where is this written? St. Paul writes in Romans, chapter 6: "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." [v. 4]

It is difficult to witness anybody reject the love of God when it is offered. How sad that after showing these parents what God has done for them in Baptism and what He wants to do for their baby girl that "You made us feel like sinners."

So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:14

But what do we teach our little ones if we baptize them only to never bring them back to hear the Word of God and receive His forgiveness again?

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea." [Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2]

Now I do not want to be too hard on these parents. After all, they don't know any better. How could they? It is only what they were taught by their parents, and what their parents were taught by their parents.

"I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:5-6

This little girl is now the fourth generation. But at least now this family has heard the Word of God. They have been warned and told what God has for them, what He wants for them..

And at the end of seven days, the word of the LORD came to me: 17(AB) "Son of man,(AC) I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall(AD) give them warning from me. 18(AE) If I say to the wicked,(AF) 'You shall surely die,'(AG) and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person(AH) shall die for[d] his iniquity,(AI) but his blood I will require at your hand. 19(AJ) But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity,(AK) but you(AL) will have delivered your soul. 20(AM) Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice,(AN) and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die.(AO) Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin,(AP) and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul." Ezekiel 3:16-21

But I am not telling you this to pound my chest like the Pharisee and make that family look like the tax collector of Jesus parable. As I told them, I am sinner too. I need what Baptism gives. And so do you. I am telling you this as a warning and as encouragement to you.

You and I not only need what God gives in Baptism gives, but what God keeps on giving to the Baptized in the worship life of the Church in the Divine Service and the Sacrament of the Altar. Without these things to keep us with Christ in our Baptism, we simply cannot remain in faith, because faith is always receiving, must always be receiving or it is not faith.

Church and worship and the sacraments are not about what we give to God, but what He gives to us. He does not need to be told how great or amazing He is.

Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:5-7

And having done that on Calvary, He sends the Holy Spirit to continue to be our servant today in His Holy Christian Church.

So in the DS we begin with the same Word and name of God by which we were born again into the kingdom of heaven. We confess that we are indeed sinners, and are forgiven. We sing the Kyrie, and God has mercy. We hear the Word preached to repent and receive the kingdom of God and we do—at the Lord's table.

Dear Baptized, rather than saying, "thank you that I am not like other me," God grant us ever to plead, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Yes, the Lord lifts up the lowly. He has lifted Kaden up through the water of Holy Baptism--and He is lifting you up as well in the absolution, the preaching, and the Sacrament of the Divine Service today—by forgiving you all your sins He is opening the kingdom of heaven to you and giving you eternal life -- the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Hanging on His Words

2011-08-28T13:00:00.003-06:00

Dear Saints of God,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, "Hanging on His Words," click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, LSB #644, "The Church's One Foundation." The sermon begins at the 3:45 mark.

Have a great week in Christ as you are hanging on his words for eternal life.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: 41When [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

45And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers."

47And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words. Luke 19:41-48

Dear Saints of God,

You too are hanging on His words today.

The Holy Spirit has brought you to where you can find Jesus so you can live now and forever by "hanging on His words. "

In our Gospel today He is to be found in Jerusalem—the city founded by God to be a city of peace and safety. That city of peace and safety is where the people were "hanging on His words," thus preventing the chief priests and scribes from destroying Jesus—at least that day, for His time had not yet come.

However, by the end of the week it would be Jesus, the very Son of God, who would be hanging on His own words for all the people, pouring His blood out and dying on the cross for them so that by hanging on His words they, and you, would not be destroyed eternally.

Yes, Jesus comes for that very reason, to bring with Him righteousness and peace--and the safety that goes with it--on this day in history recorded for us by Luke, who wrote as an historian as well as an evangelist--it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, Luke 1:3.

But that peace and safety comes at great cost. For the price is His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death—suffering and death that every one of His followers including His disciples then, you now, and every baptized child of God until He comes again must indeed share. So, When [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

He has come to bring peace to His people in the heavenly realm, that is, in the presence of God there is safety because He has come to forgive the sins that separate us from Him and earned His wrath. But the way He does it is just not easy to take—in fact, impossible for men apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Hanging on His words with Him is simply not something our flesh is inclined to do by choice.

So to those who live the life of the flesh Jesus gives warning:

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. Matthew 10:34

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

As awful as that sounds, it is just what we need, in order that you may continue to hang on His words, which is nothing other than faith. God sends and keeps sending messengers to bring that sword, that Word of God to His people who have such a hard time receiving and believing it that they often fall prey to the wolves in sheep clothing who bring another Gospel, another Jesus than the One who goes to the cross--hanging on His own words for us--and baptizes us into His death and resurrection in which He is hanging onto us by His words.

4"You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD:

When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? 5Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding?They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. . . . Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. 7Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the just decrees of the LORD. . . . "How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us'? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. 9The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them? . . . from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. 11They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace. [Jeremiah 8:4-11]

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! Luke 13:34

So because of all of this

• Because of all of the rejection and unbelief His Word and messengers will meet in Jerusalem and wherever they go

• Because of all the suffering and death He knows His followers, He knows YOU will have to endure

• Because He knows the devil has you targeted as an individual since both Christ and His church are safe and at peace with God [Revelation 12:17]

"When [Jesus] drew near and saw the city of God," Jesus wept for Jerusalem,"--and all her citizens past, present, and future-- just as He had also wept for Lazarus before calling him out of the tomb back into the world of trial and tribulation. And just as He wept for Jerusalem that day He wept also for you and the trials, tribulations, and death you must face like every one of His dearly beloved and baptized saints.

But there is something else for us to learn from our Gospel today and never forget. It is something that every Lutheran pastor is taught, something with which he and his congregation must agree , and something which is to form everything we do in our Lutheran churches.

". . . in those things which concern the spoken, outward Word, we must firmly hold that God grants His Spirit or grace to no one, except through or with the preceding outward Word, in order that we may [thus] be protected against the enthusiasts, i.e., spirits who boast that they have the Spirit without and before the Word, and accordingly judge Scripture or the spoken Word, and explain and stretch it at their pleasure, . . .

All this is the old devil and old serpent, who also converted Adam and Eve into enthusiasts, and led them from the outward Word of God to spiritualizing and self-conceit, and nevertheless he accomplished this through other outward words. 6] Just as also our enthusiasts [at the present day] condemn the outward Word, and nevertheless they themselves are not silent, but they fill the world with their pratings and writings, . . . " [SMALCALD ARTICLES: PART III ARTICLE VIII.3, OF CONFESSION]

So to protect us from the false prophets, from our own enthusiastic feelings, and even from the very devil himself, Luther explains this Gospel lesson preaching that, "Christ drove out the merchants that pandered to base appetites, and made room for his Word." Why? Because "The things that make for peace" are never to be found in the visions, feelings, or works of men—no matter how pious and well-intentioned. They are only to be found in the express will of God as revealed in His Holy Word, and confessed in the teaching and practice of His Holy Christian Church. And they are certainly never up for sale.

After hanging on His own word—by which He suffered, died, was buried, rose from the dead—He has now ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, from whence Jesus now sends the Holy Spirit to point you and even bring you to where He is to be found.

• Always through the cross.

• Always to have us live in the Baptism that makes us one with Him

• Always preaching repentance and the kingdom of heaven

• Always to have us confess and be absolved

• Always to draw us to the table of His very body and blood.

• Always by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in His body here on earth, The Holy Christian Church.

• Always forgiving your sins and giving you the name of the One Who Is Faithful so you can always be hanging on His words for eternal life-- the name of the Father ,and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

How Much Do You Owe?

2011-08-21T13:17:00.003-06:00

Dear People of God,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity, "How Much Do You Owe?," click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, LSB #730, "What Is the World to Me?" The sermon begins at the 3:05 mark.

Have a great week knowing as one Baptized into Christ, though you owe everything to the Lord, He has wiped your debt clean and will never call you to account again.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

Here the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: "1[Jesus] also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2And he called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.' 3And the manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.' 5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'" Luke 16:1-5

Dear people of God,

How Much Do You Owe?

• Mortgage-- the average homeowner owes $95,000

• Car loan-- the average new car loan is over $27600

• College-- The average college senior graduated this year with more than $19000 in debt.

• Credit Cards— The average American household with at least one credit card has nearly $10700 in credit-card debt.

• Total household debt--The average household has $117951 in debt.

• Share of Federal Debt-- $109,792 per household

Now *that's* a lot of debt!

But if you think about it, it isn't even a drop in the bucket compared to what we owe our master, God the Father of us all. After all, what do you have that has not been given to you? Do you think you have earned and deserve all that you have in this world? Think again.

The parable Jesus presents in our Gospel text today is all about debt. On the face of it, commends a hired hand for acting dishonestly to save his own hide when he realizes how unmanageable his debt has become. Unless we understand what is going on around this parable we walk away from it thinking it is a lesson on dealing with our finances and investments in this world in order to win friends and influence people, because in doing so we somehow are feathering a heavenly retirement nest. But as always, in reading the Scripture and hearing the Word of God, if all we get out of it is what we have to do to pay off our debt and gain access to our heavenly home, we leave ourselves on the outside of the window looking in.

The very first words of our Gospel text that introduce this parable of the "steward of unrighteousness." are very important. They tell us Jesus has turned from addressing the Pharisees and is speaking to His disciples. However, we also must remember that the Pharisees are still present. They are listening in as Jesus teaches, i.e. catechizes His disciples. But they are not listening in to gain wisdom and understanding, they are listening in to gather testimony against Jesus because He is nothing but trouble for them and they seek His death. So Jesus teaches His disciples in a parable that makes for one of those difficult and cloudy texts, impossible to understand apart from other parts of Scripture that clear the clouds.

As Jesus himself warns the Pharisees on another occasion, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness of me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. John 5:39 40

Furthermore, let us remember that earlier in chapter 9 of His Gospel Luke indicates a point in Jesus ministry where He clearly is heading to Calvary and needs to prepare His disciples for that day:

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face . . . to prepare for Him. "For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." Luke 9:51- 56

So, here in today's parable we have Jesus catechizing His disciples, preparing them for His death on the cross and His subsequent departure, which will leave them in charge of proclaiming and spreading the message of the kingdom of heaven. This He does with a parable so that hearing, the Pharisees will not understand, because they do not recognize Him as the Christ, who by His crucifixion is THE key to understanding all of Scripture -- and therefore, also this parable.

Now that we have an idea of what is going on here, let us take a closer look at the story Jesus tells. For today, rather than getting all caught up in the details in the middle, let's focus on the beginning and the end of the story. It is at the beginning and the end that we see what is truly happening and why.

The parable begins: ""There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions."

The word "charges," i.e. accusation, is very important here for two reasons.

1. Nowhere in the parable do the charges become fact born out by evidence.

2. The person or persons making the charges are never revealed.

The Greek word for "accusation" here is "diabollo," the same word from which we get the devil's name. Satan was our accuser before the throne of God until Jesus ascended victorious to cast Him out of heaven, and throughout His ministry the Pharisees were Christ's accusers. Keep this thought in mind, we will come back to it shortly.

But now, let us take a quick look at how Jesus closes the parable: "The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness."

Here the Greek word so often translated "shrewd" is perhaps better understood by us as "prudent" or even "wise."

What was so prudent and wise about the steward's actions toward the debtors? It could only be the forgiving of their debts. Here is the nugget of the story that prepares the disciples for what is to come, that journey to Jerusalem to which Jesus had steadfastly set His face that He might be received up on the cross to forgive the debts of a sinful world that owes the Master, the Lord their very lives. It is the same nugget that leaves the Pharisees shaking their heads and leads to their being the agents for Christ's death.

These Pharisees were continually trying to trap Jesus, accusing Him of sinning against the Scriptures and blaspheming God and His name. Eventually they succeeded in making their accusations stick--at least in the realm of this unrighteous world. The result was that the only righteous one among us was slain on a cursed tree to bear the unrighteousness of those He came to serve. Jesus, the very Son of God who knew no sin and was falsely accused, became sin for us so that He could pay the price and wipe out all our debt before His father, the rich man and Lord of Heaven to whom we all owe our very lives and all that we have.

On the cross, Jesus the Christ, the steward of unrighteousness--that is, the one who managed our sin and bore its consequences for us--begged His Father, the master of the estate, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

He paid our debts, delivering us from sin and bondage to the accuser. Having done so, He is received up into heaven where He has prepared a place for us to live with Him forever. And having completed His task of clearing away the slate of our debt, He sends us forth as His forgiven people to deliver that forgiveness to others that they may know all accusations the evil one brings against them have been wiped clean as well.

This is what we pray in The Fifth Petition of the Lord's Prayer as recorded in Matthew 6:12: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." What does this mean? "We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that he would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us."

So, dear people of God, I ask you again, "How Much Do You Owe?"

And the answer is, "nothing!"

That is what Baptism is all about. The forgiveness for which Jesus begged His Father as He poured out His blood saying, "forgive them, for they know not what they do."; the forgiveness of which Jesus spoke when He cried out on the cross, "It is finished!" is poured over your head in Holy Baptism.

That is what the Sabbath Day preaching and teaching of the Word in the Divine Service is all about. Once again, after a week or more of having the world pile the weight of supposed debt upon you, our dear Lord proclaims to you that you owe Him nothing. Your debt has been paid by His dear Son. You are forgiven.

And, of course, that is also what the Sacrament of Holy Communion is all about as well. In the body and blood of Christ, the One Who bore and paid off your unbearable and unpayable debt for you, you are being given the very body and blood by which He made your payment so that you owe nothing to Father.

And in that body and blood of Christ, as well as in Holy Baptism and God's Word of absolution that forgive you all your sins, you are receiving what you could never earn or pay off—a forever home in heaven—in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Beware of False Prophets

2011-08-14T14:30:00.003-06:00

Dear Lambs of God,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity, "Beware of False Prophets," click on this MP3 audio link. The audio includes the Hymn of the Day, LSB #716, "I Walk in Danger All the Way." The sermon begins at the 3:50 mark.

Have a great week as sheep of the Lord's pasture, where you are fed the food of eternal life and protected from the wolves in sheep's clothing who would devour you with the pleasing but poison fruit of their false teaching.

A servant of the Word and His folk,
Pastor Hering

P.S. Here the preaching manuscript if you prefer to read along or read instead.

TEXT: 15[Jesus said:] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15

Dear Lambs of God,

Why does Jesus tell us to “Beware of false prophets?” Answer: Because these “ravenous wolves,” regardless of their pious appearance and stated intent, are destructive to souls and enemies of salvation.
Most of you have probably heard the phrase coined by “Pogo” cartoonist, Walt Kelly, as the caption for a two panel Earth Day poster in 1970 that shows Pogo and Porky in a trash filled swamp. It reads: "We have met the enemy, and he Is us."

The same is true for God’s people, those He has called, gathered enlightened and continues to sanctify by the Gospel to keep them with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.
He protects us from without and within by that most Holy institution of His, the Church.

Jesus specifically points out that these ravenous wolves “come to you in sheep’s clothing” because the devil “masquerades as an angel of light,” and it is “the abomination in the temple” which is most destructive to the Church and the souls gathered in her sanctuary.

God devoted much of Scripture to warning us about false prophets, O.T. and new because the sad and sobering truth is that the students of the false teachers are doomed to share the same eternal destruction as their teachers.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23

In order that we might identify these false teachers, who by all outward appearances look to be ministers of Christ, Jesus switches to another metaphor.
16You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7:16-20

There are 2 basic types of diseased fruit, that is, 2 types of false teaching about the works of God’s people.

1. Works righteousness to keep you from looking to Christ
2. Freedom to do whatever I please

Works righteousness to keep you from looking to Christ

For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,... Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

This works righteousness is not always obvious to spot. it often dresses itself up as faith in Christ. The problem is it offers qualifiers to God’s grace – ifs, ands or buts that nullify the sufficiency of what God has done in Christ to save us and what He continues to do to keep us in faith unto eternal life.

Freedom to do whatever I please
Rom 3:31 goes on to say, Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Rom 6:1 2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

It is most certainly true there will be none in heaven who have gotten there by their own good works or righteous living. But neither will there be any in heaven who use the blood bought forgiveness of Christ as a license to continue to revel in sin.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor 6:9 10

1. Works righteousness to keep you from looking to Christ
2. Freedom to do whatever I please

These are the things that attack us from within and threaten our very salvation.

But God gives us a very sure and certain way to test the prophets. Do they testify of Christ and the “it is finished” of His Gospel?

No, not all "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “ The will of the Father is that we look to His Son and live in the blessings he bestows freely and abundantly upon us.

Beware of false prophets because they offer false hope. They lack the authority of God and give no certainty – only possibilities and unfulfilled conditions like the father of lies who tempted Adam and Eve with the original false hope:
“Did God really say . . . ? You will not surely die.”

Beware of false prophets who give you conditions like, “If you do this, then . . . ,” leaving you to wonder if and when the conditions might be fulfilled. Beware of false prophets because they give you nothing certain and always leave you with something to do, or something to complete, or something to decide.

God’s prophets however, come with His authority to call a thing what it is: to call sin, sin; to call sinners, sinners; call that which is forgiven, forgiven; to call that which is not forgiven, not forgiven.

So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:21 23 NKJ)

That which He has given, He guards and protects, for you are valuable to Him. Just as Jesus came and taught with authority, He sends His servants of the Word, starting with the Apostles and continuing through those they trained and appointed in the churches and on through the Church today so you can tell what and who it is that comes from Him.

"He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." (Luke 10:16 NKJ)

Christ says, He who believes and is baptized *shall* be saved (Mark 16:16 NKJ), so His Apostle tells you Baptism now saves you (1 Peter 3:21). Beware of false prophets today who, though they speak every other word about Jesus and what He once did, fail to tell you where Christ still works today.

Christ says, “Take eat, this *is* my body, given for you”, so His Apostle tells you the Lord’s Supper is a participation in the body of Christ. Beware of false prophets today who, though they speak every other word about Jesus and what He once did, fail to tell you where Christ still comes in the flesh today (1 John 4:2).

Christ commands His disciples to go forth and forgive sins and deliver the kingdom of heaven. So the Apostles did. Beware of false prophets today who, though they speak every other word about Jesus and what He once did, fail to actually forgive your sins as Christ commands His servants to do, but instead leaves you to claim that forgiveness by your own work.

In all of these things--Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Absolution--God means to give you the finished work of forgiveness and eternal life. Beware of false prophets who stop short of giving you the whole thing and make each of these things a holy work the person is to do, and thus offer you false hope. For a hope that neither knows nor confesses that salvation is won, and done, and received in its entirety is no hope at all.

On Calvary, our Savior said “it is finished.” And in Baptism he says “you are God’s beloved child.” There is nothing left for you to do to get in good with God or to enter the kingdom of heaven. It has all been done for you by and in Christ Jesus. It has all been completely given to you by the Holy Spirit in Your Baptism. God’s decision has been rendered and His kingdom has been opened to you – you are forgiven all your sins to live forever in heaven – in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Miracle of Daily Bread

2011-08-07T21:25:00.002-06:00

Dear creatures of God,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity, "The Miracle of Daily Bread," click on this MP3 audio link.

Have a great week in the Lord as you go forth fed with His Bread of Life knowing by faith the miracle of daily bread for your body will also be granted you as a beloved and forgiven child of God.

Fishing for Men

2011-07-26T16:04:00.002-06:00

Dear saints of God,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, "Fishing for Men," click on this MP3 audio link.

The peace of the Lord be with you, knowing that He is sure to supply your every need and give success to your labors as His forgiven child living in the sanctuary of the ark that is His Church.

You Will See Clearly

2011-07-17T17:02:00.002-06:00

Dear people of God,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity, "You Will See Clearly," click on this MP3 audio link.

Have a blessed day and week in the Lord as one who sees clearly because of the merciful goodness of our Father in heaven who gave His Son to die for you and forgive you all your sins.

One Sinner Who Repents

2011-07-10T22:36:00.001-06:00

Dearly beloved of God,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Third Sunday after Trinity, "One Sinner Who Repents," click on this MP3 audio link. If you have friends or loved ones who have strayed from the church, you will want to listen to this sermon and share it with them. And if *you* have given up on church, please listen with care.

The sermon refers to the three panels of the artistic depiction of the Parable of the Lost Sheep in the graphic on this page. So you will want to keep the window open so you can follow along.

Have a blessed day and week in the Lord as One Sinner Who Repents and rejoices in the kingdom of heaven.

Come, for Everything Is Now Ready

2011-07-03T13:29:00.001-06:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday, "Come, for Everything Is Now Ready," click on this MP3 audio link.

The audio begins with the Hymn of the Day, "Lord Jesus Christ, You Have Prepared" LSB #622. The sermon begins at the 6:10 mark.

Have a blessed day and week and as you go forth fed with the very bread of life.

Really?!

2011-06-21T21:59:00.003-06:00

PETA Killed a Shocking 94 Percent of Adoptable Dogs and Cats in its Care During 2010

PETA's "Animal Record" report for 2010, which the animal rights group itself filed with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, shows that PETA employees killed 94 percent of the dogs and cats in their care last year. During all of 2010, PETA found adoptive homes for just 44 pets.

Lifted Up

2011-06-19T19:56:00.009-06:00

A blessed Feast of the Holy Trinity and a Happy Father's Day to you. If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for The Feast of Pentecost, "Lifted Up," click on this MP3 audio link.

The audio begins with the Hymn of the Day, "God Loved the World So That He Gave" LSB #571. The sermon begins at the 3:27 mark.

Have a blessed week as the Holy Spirit lifts you up with Christ to eternal life with His Father in heaven now and forever.

So That the World May Know

2011-06-12T23:00:00.003-06:00

He is risen!

Alleluia!

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for The Feast of Pentecost, "So That the World May Know," click on this MP3 audio link.

The audio begins with the Hymn of the Day, "Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest" LSB #498. The sermon begins at the 3:10 mark.

Have a blessed week as the Holy Spirit keeps you with Christ in the One true faith for your eternal life, and to do the good works He has created you in Christ Jesus to do so that the world may know Him and receive eternal life also.

The Spirit of Truth

2011-06-05T19:20:00.005-06:00

He is risen!

Alleluia!

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Exaudi Sunday, "The Spirit of Truth," click on this MP3 audio link.

The audio begins with the Hymn of the Day, "Preserve Your Word, O Savior LSB #658. The sermon begins at the 3:18 mark.

Have a blessed day and week as the Spirit of Truth, the Helper sent from the Father by Christ who has brought you to him continues to help you by keeping you in Christ to do His work and guard you from all evil.

BTW, click on the graphic and give it a good look. Remember, "the devil is in the details."

The Ascension of Our Lord

2011-06-02T17:25:00.006-06:00

Jesus’ Ascension to “the right hand of God” was not about leaving His people behind. It was about departing from sight to fill the whole world while remaining hidden in it amidst His holy Christian Church. There He has sent His Holy Spirit to work amongst baptized believers and keep them with Him through the means of grace in the Communion of Saints for the forgiveness of sins even unto the end of the age.

[Jesus said:] “Now I am going to him who sent me, . . . 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:
. . . 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.” John 16:5-15

[Jesus said:] “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." John 15:26

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. Mark 16:19-20

For(AR) through [Christ] we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ephesians 2:18-22

A READING FROM THE LUTHERAN BOOK OF CONCORD
THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD
THE SMALL CATECHISM
PART III: THE CREED

THE THIRD ARTICLE
Sanctification
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
What does this mean?
Answer: 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 up me and all the dead and will give eternal life to me and to all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.

Prayer for the Feast of The Ascension of Our Lord:

Almighty God, as Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ascended into the heavens, so may we also ascend in heart and mind and continually dwell there with Him, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Insidious Implications for Memorial Day

2011-05-27T16:30:00.001-06:00

On this first day of the 2011 Memorial Day weekend in these United States of America let me exhort all readers to thank the one true God--Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit--for the men and women of our American military forces who have sacrificed their lives so that we are be able to live peaceful, free, safe, and fruitful lives in this great nation. And please pass along this exhortation, if not this article to all your friends and loved ones who happen to share this blessed citizenship with us.

Now, let me ask you a question. When is the last time you have heard anything about U.S. military casualties in a national network radio or television broadcast, or as a front page or otherwise prominent news article in your newspaper of news magazine of choice? As long as I am dealing in rhetorical questions, however long it has been, why do you think that is?

While you are searching your memory banks and processing your conclusions, let me ask you one more question. Were you at all bothered by the "photoshopped" image of the flag at the top of this article?

Well, you should be. While that image is my creation, it is emblematic of how our current administration--following the lead of the previous administration--and national news media view the involvement of our military forces.

Where's my evidence? Having heard of the latest U.S. military casualties in Afghanistan this past week on one of the many syndicated conservative radio talk shows this morning, my curiousity was piqued. So I did a Google search of "U.S. miltary fatalities." Here is what I found. A link to iCasualties topped the list. And here are the articles linked from iCasualties reporting on our latest U.S. military casualties in Afghanistan.

The Florida Times Union
American troops killed in 2 explosions in Afghanistan
Posted: May 27, 2011 - 6:17am
By Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Eight U.S. troops who died in the latest attack in southern Afghanistan were hit by two different blasts while they were on foot patrol.

. . . U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information, have confirmed that all eight victims were Americans.

It was the deadliest day for NATO in Afghanistan since April 27, when a veteran Afghan military pilot killed eight U.S. troops and an American civilian contractor at Kabul airport.
ISAF Joint Command- Afghanistan
2011-05-C-098
For Immediate Release

KABUL, Afghanistan (May 27, 2011) – Eight International Security Assistance Force service members died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan yesterday.

Now, perhaps you are wondering, “Who in the name of United States sovereignty is the ISAF?” Well, again, you should be. The ISAF is the International Security Assistance Force. According to its website, “ISAF was created in accordance with the Bonn Conference in December 2001. . . . [The ISAF was] initially limited to providing security in and around Kabul. In October 2003, the United Nations extended ISAF’s mandate to cover the whole of Afghanistan (UNSCR 1510), paving the way for an expansion of the mission across the country.”

Here is the ISAF mission statement from their website.

"In support of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, ISAF conducts operations in Afghanistan to reduce the capability and will of the insurgency, support the growth in capacity and capability of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and facilitate improvements in governance and socio-economic development in order to provide a secure environment for sustainable stability that is observable to the population."

Are you disturbed yet? If so, are you more disturbed by my manipulation of our flag or the coopting of the sacrificial service of our nation's military men and women along with the national news media's dereliction of duty in reporting it?

A quick check of the website home pages for ABC, NBC, CBS, & CNN news services shows not one of them listing yesterday’s U.S. military fatalities in Afghanistan. Not even Fox News saw fit to include it among the stories featured on its home page.

Sadly, even a search for “latest us military fatalities in Afghanistan” on CNN’s page at 12:30 p.m. MDT did not turn up a single hit to a report of this tragic, national news story. The same search did turn up a report on the Fox website, where the third hit links this story:

7 Americans Killed in Explosion in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan – Nine NATO service members were killed Thursday in Afghanistan, including seven U.S. troops among eight who died when a powerful bomb exploded in a field where they were patrolling on foot, officials said.
. . . Thirty-eight international service members have been killed so far this month, including at least 13 Americans. So far this year, 189 coalition troops have died in Afghanistan.

Which brings us back to my original questions.

When is the last time you have heard anything about U.S. military casualties in a national network radio or television broadcast, or as a front page or otherwise prominent news article in your newspaper of news magazine of choice?
However long it has been, why do you think that is?

Is it not just a bit strange and provocative that after being bombarded by U.S. military casualty figures for the seven years following 9/11/2001

we rarely, if ever hear of these casualties anymore;
and when we do they are reported primarily as fatalaties of NATO and/or ISAF service members?

So take another good look at that flag above. It is the flag under which your sons and daughters are being sent to battle--minus the red and white stripes. As we remember and thank God for the men and women who gave their lives for their fellow citizens--for you and me--let us also pray that their lives have not been given in vain.

While as God's baptized and forgiven children in Christ we are citizens of heaven and aliens here on earth, still let us pray as citizens of the United States of America in this world that God grant Memorial Day to always be a day for us to remember our fallen U.S. miltary heroes and never become a day of remembrance for the sovereign nation that once was.

When He Comes

2011-05-22T13:00:00.000-06:00

He is risen!
Alleluia!

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Cantate Sunday, "When He Comes," click on this MP3 audio link.

The audio begins with the Hymn of the Day, "Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice" LSB #556. The sermon begins at the 3:18 mark.

Have a blessed day and week in Christ Jesus, singing to the Lord when He comes--now in His holy Christian and face to face, in the flesh, on the Last Day.

No One Will Take Your Joy from You

2011-05-15T13:49:00.000-06:00

He is risen!
Alleluia!

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Jubilate Sunday, "No One Will Take Your Joy from You," click on this MP3 audio link.

The audio begins with the Hymn of the Day, "With High Delight Let Us Delight" LSB #483. The sermon begins at the 2:58 mark.

Have a blessed day and week in the Lord, living by faith in paradise with Him where no one can take your joy from you.

Hearing Voices

2011-05-08T16:30:00.000-06:00

He is risen!
Alleluia!

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Misericordias Domini Sunday, "Hearing Voices," click on this MP3 audio link.

The audio begins with the Hymn of the Day, "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" LSB #709. The sermon begins at the 3:25 mark.

A blessed day and week in the Lord to you as people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

We Are All Thomases

2011-05-01T12:39:00.003-06:00

He is risen!
Alleluia!

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Quasimnodo Geniti Sunday, "We Are All Thomases," click on this MP3 audio link.

The audio begins with the Hymn of the Day, "O Sons and Daughters of the King" LSB #470. The sermon begins at the 5:15 mark.

A blessed day and week in the Lord to you as the Lord gives you as much and more than He gave to Thomas--to taste and see that He is good and He is here for you.

Time for a Brat Fry!!!

2011-04-28T10:21:00.006-06:00

Alrighty friends and neighbors, it's time for a good old fashioned, Sheboygan style brat fry featuring Johnsonville brats and Coors beer. The latter is not my favorite. I prefer a tasty Polygamy Porter or Guinness. But this is war!

"Dateline Milwaukee: Grocers prepare for anti-Walker stickering--Among products targeted for stickers are Johnsonville brats, AngelSoft toilet paper, Sargento cheese and Coors beer."

It's a lot like Luther's take on adiaphora, when somebody is forcing an issue under false claims of sin and offense, it's time to confess by promoting the exact thing against which they are demagoging.

So let's all enjoy a sizzling Johnsonville brat and an ice cold Coors this weekend.

And when you're through,

don't forget to wipe.

The Witness of Womb and Tomb

2011-04-24T20:14:00.001-06:00

He is risen!

Alleluia!

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for the Resurrection of Our Lord, "The Witness of Womb and Tomb," click on this MP3 audio link.

The audio begins with the the Alleluia! Hymn, “Alleluia, Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven” LSB #477, and includes the reading of the Easter Gospel of St. John. The sermon begins at the 9:55 mark.

A blessed Eighth Day to you as the risen Christ lives in you and you in Him--now by faith in His resurrection, and even forevermore as we await our own.

Holy Saturday Prayer, Devotional Reading & Catechesis

2011-04-23T12:00:00.002-06:00

Prayer

O God, creator of heaven and earth, grant that as the crucified body of Your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with Him the coming of the third day, and rise with Him to newness of life, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Devotional Reading

Ephraim Syrus, 4th century theologian and hymnist writes of our Lord's burial in the sealed tomb:

They sealed you up within the tomb, and set guards, that Your resurrection might be believed among those who deny You. It was... for You that they sealed the tomb and set guards, O Son of the Living One! If they had neglected You and left You and gone after they buried You, there would have been room to lie and say that the disciples stole You. O Quickener of all! When they craftily sealed Your tomb, they made Your glory greater.

Daniel was a type of You, so also Lazarus; one in the den, which the Gentiles sealed up, and one in the tomb, which people opened. . . .

If they had left Your tomb open, their mouth [could have remained] open. But they went away because they had shut Your tomb and sealed it and closed their own mouths. Yea, they closed it, and when they had senselessly covered Your tomb, all the slanderers covered their own heads.

But in Your resurrection You persuade men concerning Your birth. You were pure in the womb that was sealed and alive in the tomb that was sealed. The womb and the tomb, being sealed, were witnesses to You [and to Your divinity].

The belly and hell cried aloud of Your birth and Your resurrection: The belly, which was sealed, conceived You. Hell, which was closed up, brought you forth. Nature did not cause either the belly to conceive You or hell to give You up! . . . Thus do they proclaim that You are of heaven.

Sealed was the tomb to which they had entrusted You, that it might keep You dead, that is, safe, and virgin was the womb, which no man knew. Virgin womb and sealed tomb, like trumpets, proclaimed Him in the ears of a deaf people.

Catechesis

Luther's Large Catechism
V. The Sacrament of the Altar

Further Admonition and Encouragement Regarding the Sacrament as we prepare for the feast of the Resurrection of our Lord for those asking why, if we have already been forgiven, one needs to receive the Lord's Supper.

64 In the second place, there is besides this command also a promise, as we heard above. This ought most strongly to stir us up and encourage us. For here stand the kind and precious words, “This is My body, which is given for you.… This is My blood … shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” 65 These words, I have said, are not preached to wood and stone, but to me and you. Otherwise, Christ might just as well be silent and not institute a Sacrament. Therefore consider, and read yourself into this word you, so that He may not speak to you in vain.
66 Here He offers to us the entire treasure that He has brought for us from heaven. With the greatest kindness He invites us to receive it also in other places, like when He says in St. Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 67 It is surely a sin and a shame that He so cordially and faithfully summons and encourages us to receive our highest and greatest good, yet we act so distantly toward it. We permit so long a time to pass ‹without partaking of the Sacrament› that we grow quite cold and hardened, so that we have no longing or love for it. 68 We must never think of the Sacrament as something harmful from which we had better flee, but as a pure, wholesome, comforting remedy that grants salvation and comfort. It will cure you and give you life both in soul and body. For where the soul has recovered, the body also is relieved. Why, then, do we act as if the Sacrament were a poison, the eating of which would bring death?
69 To be sure, it is true that those who despise the Sacrament and live in an unchristian way receive it to their hurt and damnation [1 Corinthians 11:29–30]. Nothing shall be good or wholesome for them. It is just like a sick person who on a whim eats and drinks what is forbidden to him by the doctor. 70 But those who are mindful of their weakness desire to be rid of it and long for help. They should regard and use the Sacrament just like a precious antidote against the poison that they have in them. Here in the Sacrament you are to receive from the lips of Christ forgiveness of sin. It contains and brings with it God’s grace and the Spirit with all His gifts, protection, shelter, and power against death and the devil and all misfortune.
71 So you have, from God, both the command and the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ. Besides this, from yourself, you have your own distress, which is around your neck. Because of your distress this command, invitation, and promise are given. This ought to move you. For Christ Himself says, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” [Matthew 9:12]. In other words, He means those who are weary and heavy-laden with their sins, with the fear of death, temptations of the flesh, and of the devil. 72 If, therefore, you are heavy laden and feel your weakness, then go joyfully to this Sacrament and receive refreshment, comfort, and strength [Matthew 11:28]. 73 If you wait until you are rid of such burdens, so that you might come to the Sacrament pure and worthy, you must stay away forever. 74 In that case Christ pronounces sentence and says, “If you are pure and godly, you have no need of Me, and I, in turn, no need of you.” Therefore, the only people who are called unworthy are those who neither feel their weaknesses nor wish to be considered sinners.
75 But if you say, “What, then, shall I do if I cannot feel such distress or experience hunger and thirst for the Sacrament?” Answer, “For those who are of such a mind that they do not realize their condition I know no better counsel than that they put their hand into their shirt to check whether they have flesh and blood. And if you find that you do, then go, for your good, to St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Hear what sort of a fruit your flesh is:
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these. [Galatians 5:19–21]
76 Therefore, if you cannot discern this, at least believe the Scriptures. They will not lie to you, and they know your flesh better than you yourself. Yes, St. Paul further concludes in Romans 7:18, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” If St. Paul may speak this way about his flesh, we cannot assume to be better or more holy than him. 77 But the fact that we do not feel our weakness just makes things worse. It is a sign that there is a leprous flesh in us that can’t feel anything. And yet, the leprosy rages and keeps spreading. 78 As we have said, if you are quite dead to all sensibility, still believe the Scriptures, which pronounce sentence upon you. In short, the less you feel your sins and infirmities, the more reaso79 In the second place, look around you. See whether you are also in the world, or if you do not know it, ask your neighbors about it. If you are in the world, do not think that there will be lack of sins and misery. Just begin to act as though you would be godly and cling to the Gospel. See whether no one will become your enemy, and, furthermore, do you harm, wrong, and violence, and likewise give you cause for sin and vice. If you have not experienced this, then let the Scriptures tell you about it, which everywhere give this praise and testimony about the world.
80 Besides this, you will also have the devil about you. You will not entirely tread him under foot [Luke 10:19], because our Lord Christ Himself could not entirely avoid him. 81 Now, what is the devil? Nothing other than what the Scriptures call him, a liar and a murderer [John 8:44]. He is a liar, to lead the heart astray from God’s Word and to blind it, so that you cannot feel your distress or come to Christ. He is a murderer, who cannot bear to see you live one single hour. 82 If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows are every moment aimed at you [Ephesians 6:16], you would be glad to come to the Sacrament as often as possible. But there is no reason why we walk about so securely and carelessly, except that we neither think nor believe that we are in the flesh and in this wicked world or in the devil’s kingdom.
83 Therefore, try this and practice it well. Be sure to examine yourself [1 Corinthians 11:28], or look about you a little, and just keep to the Scriptures. If even then you still feel nothing, you have even more misery to regret both to God and to your brother. Then take this advice and have others pray for you. Do not stop until the stone is removed from your heart [Ezekiel 36:25–26]. 84 Then, indeed, the distress will not fail to become clear, and you will find that you have sunk twice as deep as any other poor sinner. You are much more in need of the Sacrament against the misery which, unfortunately, you do not see. With God’s grace, you may feel your misery more and become hungrier for the Sacrament, especially since the devil doubles his force against you. He lies in wait for you without resting so that he can seize and destroy you, soul and body. You are not safe from him for one hour. How soon he can have you brought suddenly into misery and distress when you least expect it!
85 Let this, then, be said for encouragement, not only for those of us who are old and grown, but also for the young people, who ought to be brought up in Christian doctrine and understanding. Then the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer might be taught to our youth more easily. Then they would receive them with pleasure and seriousness, and so they would use them from their youth and get used to them. 86 For the old are now nearly past this opportunity. So these goals and others cannot be reached unless we train the people who are to come after us and succeed us in our office and work. We should do this in order that they also may bring up their children successfully, so that God’s Word and the Christian Church may be preserved. 87 Therefore, let every father of a family know that it is his duty, by God’s order and command, to teach these things to his children, or to have the children learn what they ought to know [Ephesians 6:4]. Since the children are baptized and received into the Christian Church, they should also enjoy this communion of the Sacrament, in order that they may serve us and be useful to us. They must all certainly help us to believe, love, pray, and fight against the devil.

Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO : Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 439n you have to go to the Sacrament to seek help and a remedy.

Holy (Good, i.e. God's) Friday Prayer, Devotional Reading & Catechesis

2011-04-22T11:00:00.000-06:00

Prayer

Almighty God, graciously behold this Your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, to be given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death on the cross; who now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Devotional Reading

Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria & confessor of the faith after whom the Athanasian Creed is named, writes of the Crucifixion of our Lord:

But if any honest Christian wants to know why the Lord suffered death on the cross a...nd not in some other way, we answer thus; in no other way was it expedient for us, indeed the Lord offered for our sakes the one death that was supremely good. He had come to bear the curse that lay on us; and how could He “become a curse” otherwise than by accepting the accursed death? And that death is the cross, for it is written “Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree. [Deuteronomy 21:23, Galatians 3:13]”

Again, the death of the Lord is the ransom of all, and by it “the middle wall of partition” [Ephesians 2:14] is broken down and the call of the Gentiles comes about. How could He have called us if He had not been crucified, for it is only on the cross that man dies with arms outstretched?

Here again, we see the fitness of His death and of those outstretched arm: it was that He might draw His ancient people with one and the Gentiles with the other, and join both together in Himself. Even so, He foretold the manner of His redeeming death, “I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Myself. [John 12:23]”

Catechesis

Luther's Large Catechism
V. The Sacrament of the Altar

Admonition and Encouragement Regarding the Sacrament for those asking why, if we have already been forgiven, one needs to receive the Lord's Supper.

We have, in the first place, the clear text in Christ’s very words, “Do this in remembrance of Me” [Luke 22:19]. These are inviting and commanding words by which all who would be Christians are told to partake of this Sacrament. Therefore, whoever wants to be Christ’s disciple, with whom He here speaks, must also consider and keep this Sacrament. They should not act from compulsion, being forced by others, but in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, to please Him. 46 However, you may say, “But the words are added, ‘As often as you drink it’; there He compels no one, but leaves it to our free choice.” 47 I answer, “That is true, yet it is not written so that we should never do so. Yes, since He speaks the words ‘As often as you drink it,’ it is still implied that we should do it often. This is added because He wants to have the Sacrament free. He does not limit it to special times, like the Jewish Passover, which they were obliged to eat only once a year. They could only have it on the fourteenth day of the first full moon in the evening [Exodus 12:6, 18]. They still must not change a day.” It is as if He would say by these words, “I institute a Passover or Supper for you. You shall enjoy it not only once a year, just upon this evening, but often, when and where you will, according to everyone’s opportunity and necessity, bound to no place or appointed time.” 48 But the pope later perverted this and again made the Sacrament into a Jewish feast.
49 So you see, it is not left free in the sense that we may despise it. I call that despising the Sacrament if one allows a long time to elapse—with nothing to hinder him—yet never feels a desire for it. If you want such freedom, you may just as well have the freedom to not be a Christian and not have to believe or pray. One is just as much commanded by Christ as the other. But if you want to be a Christian, you must from time to time fulfill and obey this commandment. 50 For this commandment ought always to move you to examine yourself [1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5] and to think, “See, what sort of a Christian I am! If I were one, I would certainly have some small longing for what my Lord has commanded me to do.”
51 Since we act like strangers toward the Sacrament, it is easy to see what sort of Christians we were under the papacy. We went to the Sacrament from mere compulsion and fear of human commandments, without natural longing and without love, and never thought about Christ’s commandment. 52 But we neither force nor compel anyone. Nor does anyone have to do it to serve or please us. This should lead and constrain you by itself, that the Lord desires it and that it is pleasing to Him. You must not let people force you to faith or any good work. We are doing no more than talking about and encouraging you about what you ought to do—not for our sake, but for your own sake. The Lord invites and allures you. If you despise it, you must answer for that yourself [2 Corinthians 5:10].
53 Now, this is to be the first point, especially for those who are cold and indifferent. Then they may reflect upon it and rouse themselves. For this is certainly true, as I have found in my own experience, and as everyone will find in his own case: if a person withdraws like this from the Sacrament, he will daily become more and more callous and cold, and will at last disregard the Sacrament completely. 54 To avoid this, we must examine our heart and conscience [1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5], and we must act like people who desire to be right with God [Psalm 78:37]. The more this is done, the more the heart will be warmed and enkindled, so it may not become entirely cold.
55 But if you say, “How can I come if I feel that I am not prepared?” Answer, “That is also my cause for hesitation, especially because of the old way under the pope.” At that time we tortured ourselves to be so perfectly pure that God could not find the least blemish in us. For this reason we became so timid that we were all instantly thrown into fear and said to ourselves, “Alas! we are unworthy!” 56 Then nature and reason begin to add up our unworthiness in comparison with the great and precious good. Then our good looks like a dark lantern in contrast with the bright sun, or like filth in comparison with precious stones. Because nature and reason see this, they refuse to approach and wait until they are prepared. They wait so long that one week trails into another, and half the year into the other. 57 If you consider how good and pure you are and labor to have no hesitations, you would never approach.
58 Therefore, we must make a distinction here between people. Those who are lewd and morally loose must be told to stay away [1 Corinthians 5:9–13]. They are not prepared to receive forgiveness of sin, since they do not desire it and do not wish to be godly. 59 But the others, who are not such callous and wicked people, and who desire to be godly, must not absent themselves. This is true even though otherwise they are feeble and full of infirmities. For St. Hilary also has said, “If anyone has not committed sin for which he can rightly be put out of the congregation and be considered no Christian, he ought not stay away from the Sacrament, lest he should deprive himself of life.” 60 No one will live so well that he will not have many daily weaknesses in flesh and blood.
61 Such people must learn that it is the highest art to know that our Sacrament does not depend upon our worthiness. We are not baptized because we are worthy and holy. Nor do we go to Confession because we are pure and without sin. On the contrary, we go because we are poor, miserable people. We go exactly because we are unworthy. This is true unless we are talking about someone who desires no grace and Absolution nor intends to change.
62 But whoever would gladly receive grace and comfort should drive himself and allow no one to frighten him away. Say, “I, indeed, would like to be worthy. But I come, not upon any worthiness, but upon Your Word, because You have commanded it. I come as one who would gladly be Your disciple, no matter what becomes of my worthiness.” This is difficult. 63 We always have this obstacle and hindrance to encounter: we look more upon ourselves than upon Christ’s Word and lips. For human nature desires to act in such a way that it can stand and rest firmly on itself. Otherwise, it refuses to approach. Let this be enough about the first point.

Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO : Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 436

Holy (Maundy) Thursday Prayer, Devotional Reading & Catechesis

2011-04-21T11:33:00.002-06:00

Prayer

O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a remembrance of Your passion. Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption may continually be manifest in us; for you live and reign witht eh Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Devotional Reading

C.F.W. Walther writes:

"The apostle [Paul] wishes to say: Consider, beloved Christians, that when you receivethe blessed cup and the blessed bread, each one partakes of the body and blood of Christ; they are both common to ...all of you. You come into body-and-blood fellowship with one another. For just as many grains become one bread, so in the Holy Supper, you, though youa re many, become one Body, one mass, because you are partakers of the one bread and with it one and the same body and blood of Chrsit.

"Because of the presence and praticipation of the body of Christ, the Holy Supper is a meal of the most intimate fellwoship and therefore, at the same time, the highest love-meal. Just as fervent love is demanded, so fervent love is delivered. We all come together, as children of the same family, to the table of our common, heavenly Father. As great as the distinction between communicants in civic life may be, in the Holy Supper all distinctions evaporate. We are all the same, in that we each eat the same earthly and heavenly drink the same earthly and heavenly drink. In this Meal, the subject and his king, the slave and his master, the beggar and the rich, the child and the old man, the wife and the husband, the simple and the learned, truly all communicants stand as the same poor sinners and beggars, hungry and thirsty for grace. Although one may appear in a rough apron while another in velvet and satin, adorned with gold and pearls, when they depart, all take with them that for which they hunger and thirst: Christ's blood and righteousness as their beauty and glorious dress. No one receives a better food and better drink than the other. All receive the same Jesus, and with Him, the same righteousness."

Catechesis

Luther's Large Catechism
V. The Sacrament of the Altar

Who receives this Sacrament worthily?

Since this treasure is entirely presented in the words, it cannot be received and made ours in any other way than with the heart. Such a gift and eternal treasure cannot be seized with the fist. 37 Fasting, prayer, and other such things may indeed be outward preparations and discipline for children, so that the body may keep and bring itself modestly and reverently to receive Christ’s body and blood. Yet the body cannot seize and make its own what is given in and with the Sacrament. This is done by the faith in the heart, which discerns this treasure and desires it. 38 This may be enough for what is necessary as a general instruction about this Sacrament. What may be said about it further belongs to another time.
39 In conclusion, since we now have the true understanding and doctrine of the Sacrament, there is also need for some admonition and encouragement. Then people may not let such a great treasure—daily administered and distributed among Christians—pass by unnoticed. So those who want to be Christians may prepare to receive this praiseworthy Sacrament often. 40 For we see that people seem weary and lazy about receiving the Sacrament. A great multitude hears the Gospel. Yet because the nonsense of the pope has been abolished and we are freed from his laws and coercion, they go one, two, three years, or even longer without the Sacrament. They act as though they were such strong Christians that they have no need of it. 41 Some allow themselves to be hindered and held up by the excuse that we have taught that no one should approach the Sacrament except those who feel hunger and thirst, which drive them to it. Some pretend that it is a matter of liberty and not necessary. They pretend that it is enough to believe without it. For the most part, they go so far astray that they become quite brutish and finally despise both the Sacrament and God’s Word.
42 Now, it is true, as we have said, that no one should by any means be forced or compelled to go to the Sacrament, lest we institute a new murdering of souls. Nevertheless, it must be known that people who deprive themselves of and withdraw from the Sacrament for such a long time are not to be considered Christians. For Christ has not instituted it to be treated as a show. Instead, He has commanded His Christians to eat it, drink it, and remember Him by it.
43 Indeed, those who are true Christians and value the Sacrament precious and holy will drive and move themselves to go to it. We will present something on this point so that the simpleminded and the weak who also would like to be Christians may be more stirred up to consider the cause and need that ought to move them. 44 In other matters applying to faith, love, and patience, it is not enough to teach and instruct alone. There is also need for daily encouragement [Hebrews 10:24–25]. So here also there is need for us to continue to preach so that people may not become weary and disgusted. For we know and feel how the devil always opposes this and every Christian exercise. He drives and deters people from them as much as he can.

Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO : Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 435

Holy Wednesday Prayer, Devotional Reading & Catechesis

2011-04-20T12:18:00.003-06:00

Prayer

Merciful and everlasting God, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all to bear our sins on the cross. Grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in Him that we fear not the power of sin, death, and the devil; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Devotional Reading

"'Through [Christ] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God' (Rm 5:2). Christ died for us, reconciled us, brought us to Himself, and gave us unutterable grace...What grace is this? It is being counted worthy of the knowledge of God (2Co 10:5), being forced from error and coming to a knowledge of the truth (1Ti 2:4), and obtaining all the blessings that come through baptism (Tit 3:4-7). He brought us near that we might receive these gifts. For it was not that we might have only remission of sins and be reconciled; but also that we might receive countless blessings beside. Nor did He even stop at these, but promised others, namely, those unutterable blessings that surpass both understanding and language (Phil 4:7). This is why Paul has set them both down also. For by mentioning grace he clearly points at what we have at present received, but by saying, 'And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God,' he unveils the whole of things to come.

"Paul rightly said, 'in which we stand.' For this is the nature of God's grace. It has no end, it knows no bound, but evermore is in advance of greater things, which in human things is not the case. A person who has become a ruler and possesses glory and authority, yet he does not stand in it continuously, but is quickly cast out of it. If another does not take it from him, then death comes and is sure to take it from him. God's gifts are not of this kind. For neither man, nor occasion, nor crisis of affairs, nor even the Devil, nor death can come and cast us out of them. Even when we are dead we then have greater possession of them, and go on enjoying them more and more. So if you feel in doubt about the things to come; believe in them on the basis of those things now present, which you have already received.

"Paul says, 'And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God,' that you may learn what kind of soul the faithful ought to have. It is not only for what have been given, but for what is to be given, that we ought to be confident, as though it were already given. For one 'rejoices' in what is already given. The hope of things to come is even as sure and clear as that which has already been given. In that way also we 'rejoice.'

"For this reason he also called them to 'glory.' For if it contributes to God's glory, come to pass it certainly will, though it does not for our sakes, yet for Him it will. The blessings to come are worthy of being gloried in. Even the evils of this present time are able to brighten our countenances, and make us find in them even our rest."
John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans

Catechesis

Luther's Large Catechism
V. The Sacrament of the Altar

How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? / Who receives the pwoer and benefit of this Sacrament?

28 But here our wise spirits twist themselves about with their great art and wisdom. They cry out and bawl, “How can bread and wine forgive sins or strengthen faith?” They hear and know that we do not say this about bread and wine. Because, in itself, bread is bread. But we speak about the bread and wine that is Christ’s body and blood and has the words attached to it. That, we say, is truly the treasure—and nothing else—through which such forgiveness is gained. 29 Now the only way this treasure is passed along and made our very own is in the words “Given … and shed for you.” For in the words you have both truths, that it is Christ’s body and blood, and that it is yours as a treasure and gift. 30 Now Christ’s body can never be an unfruitful, empty thing that does or profits nothing. Yet, no matter how great the treasure is in itself, it must be included in the Word and administered to us. Otherwise we would never be able to know or seek it.
31 Therefore also, it is useless talk when they say that Christ’s body and blood are not given and shed for us in the Lord’s Supper, so we could not have forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament. Although the work is done and the forgiveness of sins is secured by the cross [John 19:30], it cannot come to us in any other way than through the Word. How would we know about it otherwise, that such a thing was accomplished or was to be given to us, unless it were presented by preaching or the oral Word [Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 1:21]? How do they know about it? Or how can they receive and make the forgiveness their own, unless they lay hold of and believe the Scriptures and the Gospel? 32 But now the entire Gospel and the article of the Creed—I believe in … the holy Christian Church, … the forgiveness of sins, and so on—are embodied by the Word in this Sacrament and presented to us. Why, then, should we let this treasure be torn from the Sacrament when the fanatics must confess that these are the very words we hear everywhere in the Gospel? They cannot say that these words in the Sacrament are of no use, just as they dare not say that the entire Gospel or God’s Word, apart from the Sacrament, is of no use.
33 So we have covered the entire Sacrament, both what it is in itself and what it brings and profits. Now we must also see who is the person that receives this power and benefit. That is answered briefly, as we said above about Baptism and often elsewhere: Whoever believes the words has what they declare and bring. For they are not spoken or proclaimed to stone and wood, but to those who hear them, to whom He says, “Take, eat,” and so on. 34 Because He offers and promises forgiveness of sin, it cannot be received except by faith. This faith He Himself demands in the Word when He says, “Given … and shed for you,” as if He said, “For this reason I give it, and ask you to eat and drink it, that you may claim it as yours and enjoy it.” 35 Whoever now accepts these words and believes that what they declare is true has forgiveness. But whoever does not believe it has nothing, since he allows it to be offered to him in vain and refuses to enjoy such a saving good. The treasure, indeed, is opened and placed at everyone’s door, yes, upon his table. But it is necessary that you also claim it and confidently view it as the words tell you. 36 This is the entire Christian preparation for receiving this Sacrament worthily.

Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO : Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 435

Holy Tuesday Prayer, Devotional Reading & Catechesis

2011-04-19T16:57:00.004-06:00

Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, grant us by Your grace so to pass through this holy time of our Lord's passion that we may obtain the forgiveness of our sins; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Devotional Reading

"'[Jesus our Lord] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification' (Rm 4:25). See how after mentioning the cause of His death, he makes the same cause likewise a demonstration of the resurrection. For why, he means, was Jesus crucified? Not for any sin of His own. This is clear from the resurrection. For if He were a sinner, how would He have risen? But if He rose, it is quite plain that He was not a sinner. If He was not a sinner, why was He crucified? He was crucified for others, and if for others, then surely He rose again. Now to prevent your asking, 'How, when He became liable for such great sins, did we come to be justified?' Paul points out the One who blots out all sins, using both Abraham's faith by which he was justified, and the Savior's suffering and death, by which we were freed from our sins to confirm what he said. And after mentioning His death, he speaks also of His resurrection. For the purpose of His dying was not that He might hold us liable to punishment and under condemnation, but that He might do good to us. For this cause He both died and rose again, that He might accomplish righteousness."

John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans

Catechesis

Luther's Large Catechism
V. The Sacrament of the Altar

What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?

...20 So we have, in a brief way, covered the first point that deals with this Sacrament’s essence. Now examine further the effectiveness and benefits that really caused the Sacrament to be instituted. This is its most necessary part, so that we may know what we should seek and gain there. 21 This is plain and clear from the words just mentioned, “This is My body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” 22 Briefly, that is like saying, “For this reason we go to the Sacrament: there we receive such a treasure by and in which we gain forgiveness of sins.” “Why so?” “Because the words stand here and give us this. Therefore, Christ asks me to eat and drink, so that this treasure may be my own and may benefit me as a sure pledge and token. In fact, it is the very same treasure that is appointed for me against my sins, death, and every disaster.”
23 On this account it is indeed called a food of souls, which nourishes and strengthens the new man. For by Baptism we are first born anew [John 3:5]. But, as we said before, there still remains the old vicious nature of flesh and blood in mankind. There are so many hindrances and temptations of the devil and of the world that we often become weary and faint, and sometimes we also stumble [Hebrews 12:3].
24 Therefore, the Sacrament is given as a daily pasture and sustenance, that faith may refresh and strengthen itself [Psalm 23:1–3] so that it will not fall back in such a battle, but become ever stronger and stronger. 25 The new life must be guided so that it continually increases and progresses. 26 But it must suffer much opposition. For the devil is such a furious enemy. When he sees that we oppose him and attack the old man, and that he cannot topple us over by force, he prowls and moves about on all sides [1 Peter 5:8]. He tries every trick and does not stop until he finally wears us out, so that we either renounce our faith or throw up our hands and put up our feet, becoming indifferent or impatient. 27 Now to this purpose the comfort of the Sacrament is given when the heart feels that the burden is becoming too heavy, so that it may gain here new power and refreshment.

Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO : Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 433

Holy Monday Prayer, Devotional Reading & Catechesis

2011-04-18T12:34:00.004-06:00

Prayer

Almighty God, grant that in the midst of our failures and weaknesses we may be restored through the passion and intercession of Your only begotten Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Devotional Reading

‎... it is the sweetest comfort that sin, which made its habitation in human flesh, was condemned in the same human flesh, in the person of Christ. Our body is the body of death, but in that same body of ours which the Son of God assumed from us, death was again destroyed. Although our sins have separated us very far from God (Is. 59:2), so that we have been alienated from the grace, righteousness, and life of God (Eph. 2:12), yet the Son of God has brought very close to us those heavenly blessings which had been removed far from us (Eph. 2:13-19), laying them before us through His incarnation in the flesh which is of the same substance with our own, so that of His fullness we have received grace for grace (John 1:16). This is the most comforting and salutary exchange, that the Son of God has received from us a human nature and sanctified and blessed and exalted and glorified it in His own person.

Moreover, in His Holy Supper He joins Himself to us in that flesh, so that we may be strengthened by this most certain pledge of the salvation and glorification of our nature; for He does not blush to call us brothers. Therefore, because we are such, He also joins Himself to us in that flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14). Flesh brought death into this world and, again, the flesh of the Son of Man was given for the life of the world in order that he who eats the flesh of Christ may have eternal life. (John 6:54)

– Martin Chemnitz, second-generation Lutheran theologian, reformer, churchman, and confessor. In the Lutheran tradition he is known as Alter Martinus, the "Second Martin": Si Martinus non fuisset, Martinus vix stetisset ("If Martin [Chemnitz] had not come along, Martin [Luther] would hardly have survived") goes a common saying concerning him.

Catechesis
Luther's Large Catechism
V. The Sacrament of the Altar

1 Just as we have heard about Holy Baptism, so we must also speak about the other Sacrament, in these same three points: What is it? What are its benefits? and Who is to receive it? And all these points are established through the words by which Christ has instituted this Sacrament. 2 Everyone who desires to be a Christian and go to this Sacrament should know them. For it is not our intention to let people come to the Sacrament and administer it to them if they do not know what they seek or why they come. The words, however, are these:
3 Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also, He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
4 Here also we do not wish to enter into controversy and fight with the defamers and blasphemers of this Sacrament, but to learn first (as we did with Baptism) what is of the greatest importance. The chief point is God’s Word and ordinance or command. For the Sacrament has not been invented nor introduced by any man. Without anyone’s counsel and deliberation it has been instituted by Christ. 5 The Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Creed keep their nature and worth, even if you never keep, pray, or believe them. So also this honorable Sacrament remains undisturbed. Nothing is withdrawn or taken from it, even though we use and administer it unworthily. 6 Do you think God cares about what we do or believe, as though on that account He should allow His ordinance to be changed? Why, in all worldly matters everything stays the way God has created and ordered it, no matter how we employ or use it. 7 This point must always be taught, for by it the chatter of nearly all the fanatical spirits can be repelled. For they regard the Sacraments, unlike God’s Word, as something that we do.
8 “Now, what is the Sacrament of the Altar?”
Answer, “It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in and under the bread and wine, which we Christians are commanded by Christ’s Word to eat and to drink.” 9 Just as we have said that Baptism is not simple water, so here also we say that though the Sacrament is bread and wine, it is not mere bread and wine, such as are ordinarily served at the table [1 Corinthians 10:16–17]. But this is bread and wine included in, and connected with, God’s Word.
10 It is the Word, I say, that makes and sets this Sacrament apart. So it is not mere bread and wine, but is, and is called, Christ’s body and blood [1 Corinthians 11:23–27]. For it is said, “When the Word is joined to the element or natural substance, it becomes a Sacrament.” This saying of St. Augustine is so properly and so well put that he has scarcely said anything better. The Word must make a Sacrament out of the element, or else it remains a mere element. 11 Now, it is not the word or ordinance of a prince or emperor. But it is the Word of the grand Majesty, at whose feet all creatures should fall and affirm it is as He says, and accept it with all reverence, fear, and humility [Isaiah 45:23; Philippians 2:10].
12 With this Word you can strengthen your conscience and say, “If a hundred thousand devils, together with all fanatics, should rush forward, crying, ‘How can bread and wine be Christ’s body and blood?’ and such, I know that all spirits and scholars together are not as wise as is the Divine Majesty in His little finger” [see 1 Corinthians 1:25]. 13 Now here stands Christ’s Word, “Take, eat; this is My body.… Drink of it, all of you; this is My blood of the new testament,” and so on. Here we stop to watch those who will call themselves His masters and make the matter different from what He has spoken. It is true, indeed, that if you take away the Word or regard the Sacrament without the words, you have nothing but mere bread and wine. 14 But if the words remain with them, as they shall and must, then, by virtue of the words, it is truly Christ’s body and blood. What Christ’s lips say and speak, so it is. He can never lie or deceive [Titus 1:2].
15 It is easy to reply to all kinds of questions about which people are troubled at the present time, such as this one: “Can even a wicked priest serve at and administer the Sacrament?” And whatever other questions like this there may be. 16 For here we conclude and say, “Even though an imposter takes or distributes the Sacrament, a person still receives the true Sacrament, that is, Christ’s true body and blood, just as truly as a person who ‹receives or› administers it in the most worthy way.” For the Sacrament is not founded upon people’s holiness, but upon God’s Word. Just as no saint on earth, indeed, no angel in heaven, can make bread and wine be Christ’s body and blood, so also no one can change or alter it, even though it is misused. 17 The Word by which it became a Sacrament and was instituted does not become false because of the person or his unbelief. For Christ does not say, “If you believe or are worthy, you receive My body and blood.” No, He says, “Take, eat and drink; this is My body and blood.” Likewise, He says, “Do this” (i.e., what I now do, institute, give, and ask you, take). 18 That is like saying, “No matter whether you are worthy or unworthy, you have here His body and blood by virtue of these words that are added to the bread and wine.” 19 Note and remember this well. For upon these words rest all our foundation, protection, and defense against all errors and deception that have ever come or may yet come.

Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO : Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 433

He Came to Die

2011-04-17T13:00:00.005-06:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Palmarum, Palm Sunday, "He Came to Die," click on this MP3 link.

The audio begins with the the Hymn of the Day, "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth," LSB #438. The sermon begins at the 5:03 mark.

A blessed Holy Week to and yours as you join all the baptized children of God who cry, "Hossana!". For Jesus came to die for you that you might live forever.

Will You Never See Death?

2011-04-10T13:00:00.000-06:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Judica, the Fifth Sunday in Lent, "Will You Never See Death?," click on this MP3 link.

The audio begins with the the Hymn of the Day, "My Song Is Love Unknown," LSB #430. The sermon begins at the 3:15 mark.

Have a blessed week as you keep the Word of God in faith even as that Word, and Him made flesh to dwell with His people keeps you with God in the kingdom of heaven.

The Kingdom of God Has Come Upon You

2011-03-27T13:02:00.000-06:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Oculi, the Third Sunday in Lent, "The Kingdom of God Has Come Upon You," click on this MP3 link.

The audio begins with the the Hymn of the Day, "Lord of Our Life," LSB #659.

The sermon begins at the 2:50 mark.

Have a great week in the Lord, knowing the kingdom of heaven has come upon you to give you the water of life now and forever.

Faith to Confess

2011-03-20T22:13:00.002-06:00

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Reminiscere, the Second Sunday in Lent, "Faith to Confess," click on this MP3 link.

The audio begins with the the Hymn of the Day, "When in the Hour of Deepest Need," LSB #615.

The sermon begins at the 3:25 mark.

Have a great week in the Lord, and may you ever feast on crumbs from the Lord's Table and confess what a great blessing it is to receive them.

Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Laugh!

2011-03-18T14:10:00.003-06:00

Here's a somewhat dated but very funny pic for those familiar with the recent history of the Utah Ute/BYU Cougar football rivalry. Seeing it on a bumper sticker this morning gave me a much needed good and sustained laugh.

Honk! Honk! Honk! (I am a Trinitarian, after all.)

Led Up by the Spirit

2011-03-16T20:17:00.007-06:00

Dear children of God in whom He delights,

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Invocavit, the First Sunday in Lent, "Led Up by the Spirit," click on this MP3 link.

The audio begins with the the Hymn of the Day, "O Christ, You Walked the Road," LSB #424.

The sermon begins at the 2:05 mark.

Have a great week in the Lord as He leads you up by the Spirit through the wilderness of this world and into the kingdom of heaven.

Hearing the Word

2011-02-27T15:35:00.004-07:00

Greetings fellow followers of Christ Jesus!

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Sexagesima 2011, "Hearing the Word," click this MP3 link.

The audio begins with the the Hymn of the Day, "Preach you the Word."

The sermon begins at the 2:52 mark.

"[You who have ears to hear, let [you] hear."

A servant of the Word and His people,
Pastor Hering

Whatever Is Right I Will Give You

2011-02-20T14:03:00.008-07:00

Greetings fellow vineyard workers!

If you would like to hear the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, Utah for Septuagesima 2011, "Whatever Is Right I Will Give You," click this MP3 link. Whatever Is Right I Will Give You

The audio begins with the the Hymn of the Day, "Salvation unto Us has Come."

The sermon begins at the 3:38 mark.

Thanks be to God, He given what we could never deserve, but what is right for the sake of His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Super Bowl MVT: Most Valuable Theologian

2011-02-14T13:35:00.002-07:00

The Rev. Dr. Martin (Cheesehead) Luther--ca. 1545 Super Bowl MVP.

Listen to Him!

2011-02-13T15:16:00.004-07:00

At the Transfiguration of our Lord, God the Father commands Jesus' disciples to ignore what they have seen and instead to Listen to His beloved Son. And His beloved Son commands them to not even speak of what they have seen and experienced until they have rest of the story that is to come as they head to Calvary's cross.

To hear why God the Father and God the Son give these rather bizarre commands, click on this mp3 audio link of today's sermon for

The Transfiguration of Our Lord.

God grant you listening ears to hear and a receptive heart to believe what you hear for your salvation and eternal life.

The Righteous Shall Shine Like the Sun

2011-02-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to be a baptized child of God?

For one thing, it means you are wheat!

To hear God's Word about wheat and the harvest day to come, click on this mp3 audio link of today's sermon for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany.

God grant you listening ears to hear and a receptive heart to believe what you hear for your salvation and eternal life.

The Passion and Confession of Church Music

2011-02-04T13:12:00.016-07:00

Martin Luther considered music to be second only to God’s Word amongst the treasures in the world. He writes: “Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”

Now in my thirteenth year as pastor of God’s people at Trinity Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in Layton, Utah (http://www.trinitylayton.org/), it has been my experience here and observation of fellow Lutheran pastors hither and yon that there is no issue that is as near and dear to the people--or as troublesome to the relationship between under-shepherd and flock--as that of church music and hymnody.

It all boils down to whether the music of our liturgy and hymnody is going to flow from the passion that sings about our faith based upon feeling of our hearts, or from our confession that sings The Faith once delivered to us by the Holy Spirit through the prophets and apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As sinners, both the layman and the pastor are pietists and enthusiasts at heart. That is, our deepest desire is to express for ourselves, show each other, and prove to God how much we love Him. In the case of the pastor that desire is complicated and magnified by the desire to please our people and be admired by them—not to mention the fear of rejection and the possibility of losing members and even the salary by which we are supplied our daily bread and support our families.
So the worshipper’s inclination is to desire and demand music that gives us the opportunity to do the former.

But recalling Luther’s regard for the Word of God as the highest treasure, which itself proclaims “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ [Romans 10:17],” as much as Luther himself loved music, I am certain he would be adamant that the music of our liturgy and hymnody must always be in harmony with and take second seat to the right proclamation of the Word no matter if even an angel from heaven were to demand otherwise or take offense. As Luther has also written, “Accursed be the love and harmony for the preservation of which men endanger the Word of God.”

Lest you think I am merely being contrarian and picking at nits in this matter of church music, you will have to argue with C.F.W. Walther on this one as well.

When another Lutheran pastor asked him whether it was advisable to introduce the singing of Methodist songs in a Lutheran Sunday School, this founding father and first President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod replied in part:
No, this is not advisable, rather very incorrect and pernicious.
1. Our church is so rich in hymns that you could justifiably state that if one were to introduce Methodist hymns in a Lutheran school this would be like carrying coals to Newcastle. The singing of such hymns would make the rich Lutheran Church into a beggar which is forced to beg from a miserable sect. . . .
2. A preacher of our church also has the holy duty to give souls entrusted to his care pure spiritual food, indeed, the very best which he can possibly obtain. . . . If the preacher claims, that he allows only “correct” hymns to be sung, this does not excuse him. For, first of all, the true Lutheran spirit is found in none of them; second, our hymns are more powerful, more substantive, and more prosaic; third, those hymns which deal with the Holy Sacraments are completely in error; fourth, when these little sectarian hymnbooks come into the hands of our children, they openly read and sing false hymns. . . . . *

If he wrote this about what was being sung by Sunday School children from the Methodist hymnody of a century and a half ago, in which we find such favorites as “Rock of Ages” and “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” what would he have to say about including a song written by Twila Paris in our Lutheran Service Book, employing the monastic music of Taizé, or using the latest pop Christian hits in the Divine Service?

Perhaps this little illustration will help you understand what could be so troublesome and injurious about our use of the hymnic and liturgical music of other Christian church bodies.

About a month ago, we were having a new used organ installed here at Trinity. We have a little storefront church in a strip mall next to the Gold's Gym in Layton, UT, with the usual double glass door entrance. While the man was busy installing and testing the instrument I walked out of my office and noticed a sparrow perched on the sidewalk about three feet away from the door. He couldn't have been more than three inches tall. Since his tiny little body was facing east, he had his head cocked so he could look into the building. I stood right there at the door for a couple of minutes staring at him. He didn't seem to be aware of, let alone threatened by my presence.

At first I thought he might be injured, or too cold to fly, or some such. So I opened the door and stepped out and he still didn't flinch or even blink. I stepped within an inch of his little beak before he actually moved and flew up to the rafters above.

My conclusion? I am virtually certain the poor little birdie was captivated by the musical notes he was hearing as the installer tested the high notes to the point of being hypnotized.

I think there is a lesson for us in this about church music. Just like the little sparrow, music is a powerful force for us as Luther has noted (inadvertent pun) in the positive sense. But if we are so hypnotized by the music that we become blissfully unaware of the text (i.e. message) or context (i.e. schismatic origin) of the music, our faith can become as vulnerable as the little birdie I could easily have booted into oblivion as it was transfixed before me that cold, winter day.

Perhaps, Luther and Walther perceived the possibility and probability of just such a vulnerability and risk to the unsuspecting flocks of God’s people when they insisted that our confession of God’s Word remain pure and unadulterated even and especially when it is accompanied by the power of music.

Lord give us faithful pastors and laymen to uphold them in resisting the passion of our sinful hearts and maintaining the right confession of The Faith in the liturgy and hymnody of our Church Music in the LC-MS.

* Walther’s letter of response can be found in it’s entirety at http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/djw/lutherantheology.walthermethodist.html

2011-01-30T13:20:00.001-07:00

What sort of man and God is this Jesus?

One who calms the storms of this world and the storms of our lives--all ismply by the speaking of a Word.

To hear His Word that calms your every storm, click on this mp3 audio link of today's sermon for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany.

The peace of the Lord be with you in the week to come, and every day of you life.

So Long, Charlie, I'm Glad I Knew Ye!

2011-01-28T13:41:00.023-07:00

Charlie Callas, one of my all time favorites, died of complications from pancreatic cancer this past Wednesday.

While I'm feeling rather melancholy, I still can't help but walk around with a smile and more than a few chuckles because he is a big reason why this Martin is laughing. He was either 83 or 86, depending upon which report you read. Here are some Youtube clips of this rubber-faced, elastic-limbed genius.

Evolution of a Comedian

A man for all seasons of life.

Plate spinner extraordinaire!
(I never did "get" this form of entertainment.)

Who are the real idiots--the vapid voluptuous "models," or the drooling derelict "readers?"

What a Drag!

PRIME ROASTS

Ff. to 4:22 for this Callas classic moment.

So long, Charlie! Although you are now "thppphhhttt!" you remain a true First Article gift from God that will always make me laugh out loud.

Does Unity Really Come from Emphasizing Diversity?

2011-01-26T10:29:00.004-07:00

So what are we teaching our kids when our public (read government) schools send out the following?

Attached is a list of Multi-Cultural Conference opportunities for students. _____________ High School will not be providing transportation to these conferences, but we will excuse students from their classes if they choose to attend.

2011 Multi-Cultural Conference Dates
o SLCC “Empowering Latino(a) Youth Towards Higher Education” Hispanic/Latino(a) High School College Day Feb. 12th
 Online Registration due by Feb. 2nd
 http://www.slcc.edu/schoolrelations/hispanic-latino.asp
o SLCC Multi-Ethnic Financial Aid Night Feb. 15th 5:30 PM
 Contact school relations office 801-957-4543
o U of U BSU High School Conference (Black Student Union) Feb. 17th.
 Online Registration due by Feb. 14th https://www.sa.utah.edu/secure/newstudents/BSU_new.htm
o U of U Asian American High School Conference Feb. 24th
 Online Registration due by Feb. 10th
 https://www.sa.utah.edu/secure/newstudents/AASA.htm
o SUU Multi-Cultural Overnight Feb. 24-25th
 Register by Feb. 17th
 www.suu.edu/mcovernight (435)586-7741
o USU Hispanic Leadership Conference Feb. 25th
 Online Registration due by Feb. 18th
 http://www.usu.edu/admissions/diversity/hlc.cfm
o U of U MEChA Conference (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan) Mar. 2nd
 More info to come… (we hope!)
o SLCC Pacific Islander College Conference “Knowledge is Power” March 15th 9:00-2:00
 Online Registration due by Mar. 1st. Contact Lola Akeripa for questions 801-957-4290
 http://www.slcc.edu/schoolrelations/pacific_islander.asp

What Is God's Will for You? 'Be Cleansed!

2011-01-23T14:29:00.008-07:00

Dear Baptized,

Do you ever wonder what God's will for you is? To hear all about it in today's sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church of Layton, Utah about Jesus' cleansing of a leper,click on this mp3 audio link,

What Is God's Will for You? "Be Cleansed!"

The Lord grant you every blessing during the coming week living as His cleansed and holy people.

Aardvark Alley: Review: True Grit

2011-01-15T01:06:00.000-07:00

Aardvark Alley: Review: True Grit

Watchmen of the Lord

2011-01-14T22:48:00.003-07:00

Here is a sermon for all Christ's servants of the Word, and those who hear them, as it was preached to the pastors of the Utah Circuit of the Missouri Synod's Rocky Mountain District during Matins of their January winkel at Trinity, Layton. You can give it a listen by clicking this mp3 link--Watchmen of the Lord.

FYI, there are a couple things in the preaching not in the manuscript.

Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Laugh!

2011-01-14T13:20:00.003-07:00

With apologies to Larson and Lynch.

"If You Remember the 60's You Weren't Really There"

2011-01-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite hymn.

Ummm. Have I posted this before?

Please forgive me if it is a repeat. :^)

Only in Utah

2010-12-27T21:19:00.002-07:00

We follow a whole different set of rules in Utah--even when it comes to the laws of physics. ;^)

FCC: Freedom, Chutzpah & Captivity

2010-12-23T12:36:00.004-07:00

You have got to appreciate the irony and pure chutzpah of this big fat lie from a bunch of big fat liars led by our big fat liar-in chief.

Fox News reports that the Federal Communications Commission in its infinite wisdom and magnanimity has decided to rescue us from the oppressive nature of the internet as we currently suffer it.

“President Obama said in a statement that the (FCC) plan ‘will help preserve the free and open nature of the Internet while encouraging innovation, protecting consumer choice, and defending free speech.’"

So please enlighten me. Exactly how does the FCC taking the internet captive preserve its “free and open nature?” What am I missing here?

Am I breaking God’s Commandments to honor the earthly authorities established by God and not bear false witness? You be the judge. Just remember, our government officials in the United States of America are bound by and pledged to uphold the Constitution and freedoms of “We the People.”

Methinks the vast majority of “We the People” have been so mal-educated and misrepresented by our government that they are totally oblivious to the fact that the Constitution with its Amendments exists to keep us free from government intrusion, not to enable government to intrude on our freedoms under the pretense of protecting that which they are taking away.

Among You Stands One You Know

2010-12-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Dear people of the God who is coming, indeed who is already here,

To hear all about the One who was born to stand among you--the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world--click on this mp3 audio link. Among You Stands One You Know

The Lord blessings to you as you prepare to celebrate the birth of God Incarnate and the Holy Spirit prepares you to know and believe he was born to save you from your sin and give you eternal life.

What Have You Come in to See?

2010-12-12T19:11:00.006-07:00

Dear Baptized children of God,

To hear where you can find the kingdom of heaven near at hand for you today, click on this mp3 audio link.
What Have You Come in to See?

Continued Advent blessings as the Holy Spirit prepares you to receive in faith what the world and human reason reject as unsightly, even Jesus Christ our Lord in water, Word, and wine.

When "Christians" Aren't

2010-12-09T19:20:00.005-07:00

Check out this example of what happens when "Christians" dump the "Our Father," i.e. the "Lord's Prayer," of the one holy Christian (catholic) and apostolic church for the pietistic "Ijustwanna's" straight from the hearts of men: among other things, the petition we need answered most and which our Lord invites, desires, and even commands us to pray is lost--along with the gracious gift of which it speaks.

Westboro Church to Protest at Elizabeth Edwards' Funeral

"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this [Matthew 6:7-9a]:"

". . . And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

"What does this mean?

"We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins, nor deny such petitions on account of them; for we are worthy of... none of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them; but that He would grant them all to us by grace; for we daily sin much, and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. So will we verily, on our part, also heartily forgive and also readily do good to those who sin against us."
[Luther's Small Catechism explanation to the Fifth Petition of the Lord's Prayer http://www.bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php#lord]

Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Laugh!

2010-12-08T11:55:00.004-07:00

I'm sure if you are a sinner like me, you have experienced boredom with the life and vocation you have been given by God many times over.

But this is beardumb. And methinks it is a once in a lifetime experience.

The Son of Man Coming

2010-12-05T13:15:00.004-07:00

People of Zion,

To hear how you can recognize the Son of Man Coming with your redemption, both now and on the Last Day, click on this mp3 audio link.
The Son of Man Coming

Continued Advent blessings as you prepare for Christmas and our Lord prepares you for His second coming and your redemption.

A Complimentary Lesson from AVG

2010-12-02T13:09:00.005-07:00

"complimentary": 2. given free as a courtesy or favor [Mirriam-Webster's complimentary online dictionary]

Given the Lutheran appreciation of (if not obsession with) things that are free, and the fact that most of my internet friends and readers are Lutheran, I suspect that I am not alone in having suffered a computer meltdown due to a well-meaning, yet aberrant and incapacitating AVG update last night.

This debacle goes to show you that just because something is free does not mean it is ultimately beneficial or without cost to somebody.

In my case, the only cost to me was some recreational, read "Bejeweled Blitz," computer time last night and an hour's trip to Prime Systems computer shop this morning. However the cost to the proprietors of Prime Systems, and thousands of reputable computer shops like them, is great in that they are cleaning up the mess AVG created for their customers on their dime—not to mention the lost income and additional labor costs for countless other proprietors who do their own tech support and rely on AVG to keep their computers open for business. Kudos to Prime Systems and their ilk!

That nothing--and I do mean nothing--is actually free or ultimately without cost in this world is even and most especially true when it comes to our salvation in Christ. Though priceless and not available for our purchase, our salvation came at a cost. Truth be told it came at the greatest of costs—the holy, precious blood, and the innocent suffering and death of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thanks be to God, He does not pass that cost to us, but graciously offers it to us through the work of the Holy Spirit in His holy Christian church by the preaching of the Gospel along with the waters of Baptism, the proclamation of Absolution, and the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in Holy Communion. In this way we receive the complimentary service of our Lord that not only cleans up the mess we sinners have made of our lives, but gives us eternal life with Him in the kingdom of heaven.

The Feast of St. Andrew

2010-11-30T11:50:00.003-07:00

"The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew" by Charles Le Brun, 1646-47, The Getty Museum

Today, January 30 is the day the holy Christian church celebrates God's gift of the life and martyrdom St. Andrew. He was the brother of Simon Peter, and originally a disciple of John the Baptist until he "found the Messiah."

"The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, 'What are you seeking?' And they said to him,(BK) "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, 'Come and you will see.' So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus." -- The holy Gospel for the Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle, John 1: 35-42a

From St. Andrew we learn at least four things:
1) A disciple's, i.e. a believer's, finding of the Messiah is really a matter of the Messiah finding him.
2) A believer, having been found by the Messiah, as he goes forth in his daily life amongst his acquaintances brings them to meet Jesus as the believer lives his faith.
3) The life of a believer is not an easy road, and he is not necessarily going to be loved or even tolerated by the people of the world in which he lives.
4) God gives the strength, courage, and peace to endure anything and everything that the believer will encounter as he bears the cross of Christ that gives him life.

Church history has it that St. Andrew was martyred on an "X" shaped cross. According to the 15th-16th century Lutheran theologian, Valerius Herberger;
"When St. Andrew was threatened witht he cross, he said joyfully, 'If I feared the punishment of the cross, I would never have preached the mystery of the cross.' Then when he saw the cross, he spoke, 'Hail, precious cross, you who were dedicated by the body of Christ; may He receive me through you, who redeemed me through you.' And when he was living after three days on the cross, his hearers wanted to take him down by force, but he said, 'Ah, let God take care of it! Do not make the peace of the Gospel suspect by your unnecessary revolt against the government.' That was apostolic constancy and long-suffering! This is what it means to 'leave everything and follow Christ,' all the way to the last catch of fish!" -- [The Daily Treasury of Prayer, CPH, p. 968]

Your King Is Coming to You

2010-11-28T12:02:00.009-07:00

Advent greetings to you!

To hear how our Lord comes to you today, humble, even as He came to Jerusalem some 2000 years ago, click on this mp3 audio link.
Your King Is Coming to You

Have a blessed Advent as you prepare for Christmas and our Lord prepares you for His second coming and the resurrection of all flesh.

Oil for Your Lamp

2010-11-21T14:51:00.005-07:00

Dear saints of God,

To hear how God keeps the lamp of your faith filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit so you will be ready when our Lord comes to take you home on the Last Day (or your last day), click on this mp3 link. Oil for Your Lamp

Have a blessed week in the Lord filled with His gifts of faith and love. "Let us give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endureth forever."

Meet My Feminine Side

2010-10-27T19:05:00.001-06:00

I am blessed and proud to have had a feminine side for over 32 years now.

Her name is Donna.

Thanks be to God!

Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Laugh!

2010-09-23T16:54:00.002-06:00

Wrong Place, Wrong Time: aka, Puff, the Ill-timed Draggin

At the 3 minute mark of this police chase video, the squad car tips the fugitive vehicle into a parked car. Watch the door of the parked car open twice, and see if you can figure out why this "innocent" bystander was also arrested.

The Faith of a Child

2010-09-12T18:45:00.005-06:00

This video is cute, and the child adorable. But please don't miss the great lesson it provides to show us that we sell our children, ourselves, and God's Word short when we dumb things down and give our children silly things to do or say in Church, or worse yet keep them out of "adult" worship services, instead of suffering the little children to, and training them up in the things that create faith--like this beautiful Psalm.

Listen carefully at the beginning and you will hear that this precious little girl knows a good gift when she receives one.

From Faith to Faith

2010-09-12T17:57:00.003-06:00

Dearly beloved of God,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To hear how God, our Father, gives you the kingdom of heaven, His righteousness, and all the things that go with them, click on this MP3 audio link. From Fate to Faith

Let us not be anxious, but pray that He gives us this day our daily bread. And rejoice that however little our faith, for the sake of His dearly beloved Son and the people He has created and redeemed, He is sure to do so.

Martyrdom: The Increase of Christ

2010-08-29T14:43:00.003-06:00

Greetings, grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To hear what the baptized have in common with St. John the Baptizer, and how we are blessed by Christ our Lord even as the world curses us, click on this MP3 audio link. Martyrdom: The Increase of Christ

Thanks be to God that though we become separated even from our own life, by the power of His Holy Spirit at work in the Word and Sacraments of the Church, He never lets us be separated from our true head, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Your servant of the Word,
Pastor Hering

The Devil Is in the Numbers

2010-08-20T17:23:00.006-06:00

You have heard it said, "The devil is in the details." One of the details in which he cloaks himself is the numbers and the games well-meaning Christians, including pastors, play to increase them.

Here, the Flood, is both informative for and illustrative of God's Church--not in exact numbers, but in the stark contrast between

the number of those who reject God's message and method of deliverance, and those who believe it and are saved. "God’s patience waited in the days of Noah,while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." 1 Peter 3:20

Likewise, Jesus' conclusion to the parable of The Wedding Banquet: "For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14

Give this little 1.5 minute clip a listen and see what you think:

Issues, etc. sound byte of the week winner--the Rev. Dr. Laurence White, "Is Christianity about the Numbers?"

"The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers.” Deuteronomy 7:6-8

When Jesus Draws Near

2010-08-08T12:28:00.006-06:00

Greetings saints and sinners alike,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To hear how Jesus draws near to you to give you peace just as certainly as He did to the people of Jerusalem in today's Gospel lesson, click on this MP3 audio link. When Jesus Draws Near

Thanks be to God He does draw near to us, for of ourselves we never could or would draw near to Him. God grant that you too hang on His words for eternal life.

Your servant of the Word,
Pastor Hering

One Who Is Faithful

2010-08-01T12:23:00.002-06:00

Greetings all!

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To hear who is the one that is faithful and what that means for you, click on this MP3 audio link. One Who Is Faithful

Thanks be to God He has given us His One and only Son to be and do for us what we cannot be or do of ourselves.