How far We Have Fallen

"How Far We Have Fallen" features samples of what is going on under the banner of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Here is the Christmas Day act of Pastor Dale at St. Paul's Lutheran Church Delaware, IA:

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17062191T2KfRX7X



I leave it to the readers to comment, analyze, and offer nominations for future columns.

The Presentation of Our Salvation

The Presentation of our Salvation

Here is the MP3 audio file of the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church of Layton, Utah for the FIRST SUNDAY after CHRISTMAS, December 28, 2008:
SundayafterChristmas.ThePresentationofOurLord.mp3

Christmas: Christ Born to Dwell Among Us

Here is the MP3 audio file of the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church of Layton, Utah for the Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Eve 2008:
ChristmasEve2008.mp3

A most blessed Christmas to you all, today and always!

It's a Blessing . . . and a Curse

In one of his sermons for Advent I, Martin Luther exhorts: ". . . the Lord will have no flatterer as a preacher. He does not say: Go around the village, or to the one side of it: Go in bravely and tell them what they do not like to hear."

This is the blessing and the curse the Lutheran pastor bears–even the blessing and the curse born for us by Our Lord Jesus Christ, whose spiritual yoke is easy and heavenly burden light even though not so much in the flesh. If as a pastor one bows the knee to the desire for flattery with some well-intentioned, though inadvisable, rationale that this is the only way his people will hear the Gospel, or the way in which he can get the most people to hear the Gospel, we ought remember Christ's words to the pastor of the church at Laodicea:
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'-- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." (Rev 3:15-19, NKJ)

As Lutherans we have been bequeathed a great and mighty wonder, a full and holy cure in the doctrine and practice of the faith once delivered to us. As Lutherans we have been betrothed now and forever to the great Bridegroom Jesus Christ in this same doctrine and practice. Those of us who are Lutheran pastors have been ordained by God to deliver this specific inheritance, these white garments of Christ, to His bride the Church that she may be delivered to Him on the Last Day as virgin chaste and purer even than His mother Mary (2 Cor. 11:2).

It is with this in mind that Christ's apostle Paul exhorts Timothy and all servants of the Word, "Take heed to yourself [i.e. and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you." (1 Tim 4:16, NKJ)

Our Lutheran Confession of the one true faith does just that--takes heed to both the public life, that is the practice, of the pastor and his teaching. It is distressing to me, and I would submit destructive of Lutheranism and the faith of her members and those influenced by her, when the practice of Lutherans becomes indistinguishable from those whom our Confessions actually reject and condemn. The ends do not justify the means. Our Lord has not only secured our end on Calvary--forgiveness of sins unto eternal life--but he has also given us specific means by which He delivers that end to us. It is not up to us to alter those means or dress them up so as to trick people into hearing something Lutheran only after inviting them in on the coattails of the numbers oriented success of Rick Warren, Pat Dobson, Willow Creek, Promise Keepers, or any other means of grace despising preacher or church fad of the day.

The following piece from, “The Judge Is At the Door,” written by an Australian German Lutheran pastor by the name of W. Peters in the late 1800s, is prescient of the state of things in Lutheranism today wherein many bear the name Lutheran in a multitude of synods and such, but few (regardless of synodical affiliation) bear much resemblance to their fathers who risked life and limb to pass along this Confession of the one true faith.

"Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” (Rev 3:3, NKJ)
"Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” (Rev 3:11, NKJ)

From "The Judge Is At the Door" by Rev. W. Peters

"However, the words of [Rev. 3:10] nevertheless contain a serious truth, namely the Church of the Reformation will have to pass through the fiery trial of the last great temptation, a temptation which consists of a general falling away from faith. And this falling away will take place in particular in the Church of the Reformation, that church which has the word of "His patience," namely that word of the cross, that pure Gospel.

"At that time the true Church of the Reformation, which is called the Lutheran Church, will be but a small body. Large masses will bear the name Lutheran, but in name only; namely, there will be a great deal of talk about Luther and his works ... yet Luther's spirit and interpretation, his faithfulness to the Truth, his zeal to retain God's honor only, his courage to confess this, these will not exist or be known, yes, there will be no desire to know this. On the contrary, those who will immovably insist on clinging to the whole truth AS LUTHER TAUGHT it will be despised, they will be reviled as being destroyers of peace, troublemakers, and schismatics.

"In Luther's days it was the Pope who did this ... However, in the last days, in that hour of great temptation, this time the true evangelical Christians will not be branded schismatics by the Pope, but by those who CARRY the name Lutheran. This will be a time in which the "Lutherans" will not be satisfied to leave the old confirmed teachings as they are, but they will nevertheless cling to the name Lutheran, and this will help to fill the measure of confusion, through which untold numbers of weak Christians will be offended, since the so-called Lutheran Christians will separate into many factions, but nevertheless calling themselves brethren. WE ARE NOW LIVING IN THESE SAD DAYS, the days which are portrayed to us in the picture of the congregation of Laodicea.

"When here we speak of the Church of the Reformation which we see pictured in the congregation at Philadelphia, we are not referring to that church body which carries the name of Luther, but to all real believers among that despised body of true believers, including the many innocent souls who are scattered here and there among the sects, namely as our Confession says: Those who walk in simpleness of heart, who do not understand correctly, and who would, if they were properly instructed, come to the Church which holds the truth, who therefore worship at the feet of the body of true believers, at the feet of the Church of the Reformation.

"It was Luther who prophesied that it would get so bad that the true word of God would in time be found only in the homes. That time is at hand, and we may yet live to see the day that the Church of the Reformation, namely the Church of the true doctrine, will not be found in any external body or synod named Lutheran."

Weighing in on Matters of State

Check out this video clip of a citizen weighing in on the matter of our U.S. Second Amendment rights:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4069761537893819675&p+r=goog-sl

This gal has it right. She absolutley nails it in her last sentence of the video.

Our right to bear arms is what regulates the militia, keeping it honest so that the government does not use it to take our property and other rights away as did the British militia from their own citizenry in the revolutionary War.

Personally, I do not own a firearm, but I am seriously thinking of taking classes and buying one before it is too late. The Second Amendment is what secures all of our other rights and freedoms. Methinks, perhaps, the more of us who are armed the safer we will be from the bad guys.

You Are the Advent Generation

Here is the MP3 audio file of sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church of Layton, Utah for the First Sunday of Advent, November 30, 2008:
Advent1.YouAretheAdventGeneration.mp3

Have a most blessed Advent.

Real Food for Real Thanksgiving

Here is the sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church of Layton, Utah on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 for the Thanksgiving Eve. To hear this sermon as preached from the pulpit click on the MP3 link:
Thanksgiving2008.RealFoodforRealThanksgiving.mp3

Have a most blessed Thanksgiving Day and feast.

TEXT: Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven-- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." (John 6:53-58, NKJ)

Now that’s Real food for Real Thanksgiving. That’s food that doesn’t just stick to your ribs, but that gives God to you and unites you with Him now and for eternity.

Imagine a Thanksgiving feast of cardboard cutouts and photographs instead of real people gathered around real food.

Imagine what how that would have gone over if that is what the Pilgrims had offered the natives to thank them for their neighborliness.

This is exactly what many settle for, what many even desire and clamor for in the church today.

However, God has gathered you here today, as always at this altar – to receive real food for real thanksgiving. You do not have a thanksgiving that proceeds from you as a matter of making offerings to God, whether by word or deed, as in so much of what passes for worship. Here you do not gather to participate in a mere re-enactment or representation of what once happened. You are gathered in the presence of the real Christ to receive His very real body and blood.

And that allows you, no even more, causes you, to overflow with real thanksgiving.

As our Lord Jesus Christ says: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Matthew 9:16
That is, we can in no way hope to appease God and make good for our sins based upon our sacrifice, no matter what it might be. He only desires to have mercy on us according to His steadfast and abounding love.

Again our Lord, in response to the people’s question, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" . . . answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." John 6:28-29

Therefore, to live in thanksgiving, means first and foremost to acknowledge and rely on Him as the giver of all things, especially the forgiveness of sins.

Thus fed with the true bread of life, we are free to serve our neighbor according to his need our calling.

This is all God wants from and for us in our relationship with Him. To believe in His Son, Jesus the Christ, who gave His life for us on the cross. Living in repentance, confessing our sin and receiving his absolution, his forgiveness is the life of highest thanksgiving. We have nothing to offer Him in thanksgiving that He hasn’t first given to us – except for our sin. So He simply calls on us to believe in His Son, so that He might continue being your God and supplying your every need forever. This is why the Lord’s Supper is also called the Eucharist, the Greek word for thanksgiving. Receiving His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins is to offer our sins to him in thanksgiving.

This thanksgiving is explained in the first three commandments, summed up by Christ, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind."
You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

And our Epistle lesson speaks of what it means to live in thanksgiving to God among our fellow man.
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Since God provides everything we need, we are to live lives of thanksgiving to our neighbors by serving them in our own vocations, i.e. our callings as pastors or hearers; authorities or citizens; Husbands or wives; parents or children; employers or employees; teachers or students; in service one to another no matter one’s station.

This is what the 4th - 10th Commandments are about, or again as Christ sums them up, “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Honor your father and your mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.
You shall not murder. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.
You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.
You shall not steal. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.
You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it. And also so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.

The life of thanksgiving is lived in simple obedience to God’s Word and in simple service to all of those around us, not in order to earn anything before God, but because He already has given us everything we need.

When we realize this fundamental truth, we can live in thanksgiving, much like the Apostle Paul, who writes in Phil 4:11-13, I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (NIV)

Let us, therefore, come before the Lord, the giver of all things -- the Father, our creator, as the giver of everything visible and invisible; the Son, our redeemer, as the giver of salvation, the forgiveness of our sin unto eternal life; and the Holy Spirit, our sanctifier, as the one who delivers that forgiveness to us through the Holy Christian Church that we may live in faith today until the resurrection of the body when we will live forever in the full and glorious presence of God .

And let us come into His Presence with thanksgiving this night – let us come to the Holy Eucharist, the true and Godly Thanksgiving feast, to receive real food His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. And let us depart in his peace quietly and humbly to serve our neighbor. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. And in this way we bring real food for real thanksgiving to all people through Him who loved us, gave His life for us, and gives life to the world through us –
in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen