It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that we were reminded of the curse of sin given to Adam and Eve in the garden. “From dust you are and to dust you shall return.” Ash Wednesday humbles us by smearing our sin upon our foreheads. We made it through Lententide to the solemn celebrations of Holy Week and pulled out all the stops as we sang those first Alleluias, Easter Morning. “Death be not proud” we proclaimed as Christ Jesus had burst his prison. Death and life fight back and forth throughout the church’s liturgy yet these melodies and passages never quite show the ferocity of the battle like real heart stopping death can.

This Easter season has been one of life and death for me. To understand this you need to have a bit of back story. 10 years ago on Good Shepherd Sunday, (we observed this today but it was sometime in April that year,) my two sisters, mother, dog, and myself were in a near fatal car accident. We had just been told of the wonderful Gospel that death had been conquered by the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep yet I lay unconscious 100 feet from our totaled minivan just north of Indianapolis barely clinging on to life. Doctors warned that I would likely pass in the night and onlookers assumed we had all been taken. After a tough week in the hospital, wonderful pastoral care by our dear friends at Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, and love from grandparents we were all driving home to St. Louis where we would begin the long recovery process which would test all of our nerves.

Fast forward almost 10 years. My wife and I are overjoyed to announce the coming of our second child. Simeon was going to be a delight, a wonderful addition to our family. Kezia’s pregnancy made it into the Prayer of the Church for one Sunday and less than 24 hours after that prayer Simeon had been stolen by death. Our dear child, ripped out of our hands, right after we sang Alleluia, He is Risen Indeed! Right after Jesus had not only resurrected Lazararus with only His voice, but himself and all the saints in Jerusalem with an Earthquake, Simeon Died. Death refuses to stop the fight. Kyrie Eleison!

This week we are again reminded of the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. We sing the words of Psalm 23 and suddenly I hear the screams of my sisters, the shattering glass, and the deafening silence of unconsciousness. But God refuses to leave me in the darkness of death. He has given us life. This year, instead of remembering the accident, we celebrated 1 year of life for my first son Clarence. Clarence became a little sermon to me. When all I could think about was my brush with death and the death of Simeon, Clarence’s joyful smile reminds me that Christ DID conquer death, that God is the master of life and death and that the ground is not our final resting place.

Today, because of the Good Shepherd, Kezia, Clarence and I celebrated his first birthday at the Lord’s table with all the saints and angels including our dear Simeon.

Alleluia, Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!

My good friend Ryan McMillian has recently written a blog post entitled “A question of Worship and ethnic distinctiveness” and in it he poses a valid question. How can we talk about being “One in Christ” while still segregating our church by any number of divisions (i.e. black, white, European, African, English, Latin etc.)

We in the Lutheran church have been loudly arguing about the worship wars for years now. But I argue that those wars are posed around the wrong question. This is my response.

“How do we talk about the universal church but then segregate ourselves in thousands of different distinctions. Lutheran, Baptist, White, Black, English, Croatian and any matter of other ways.

I recently spoke with a missionary who was invited to visit a church with whom we are not in fellowship. They asked him what they can do to help their people. What he said was fascinating.

He did not simply say… you must subscribe unconditionally to our churches creeds (even though that would help them) but he gave them advice that would help the gospel be preached right now. He said… your songs they are beautiful! The harmonies incredible. But are they drawing you to the objective truth or the fickle nature of your emotions? Keep singing your songs, but start singing those songs which the church has passed down for 2,000 years.

Worship doesn’t matter whether you use guitars or pipe organs. In many Lutheran churches we use what is called the Common Liturgy. We say that it is what the church has been using for nearly 2,000 years with some changes to melody, some updates and translation of language and likely some minor additions and changes because you can’t find a prescription in the bible for how to conduct a church service.

The fascinating thing about the Common liturgy is that it really is universal. My mother travels to every continent, many islands, many countries and visits churches in all of them. All of those churches use some form of the common liturgy. All of them. Black churches, Phillipino Churches, Domican Churches, Argentine churches, German Churches, African Churches, Russian Churches, Slovakian Churches, Australian churches.

Every where she goes she hears the same life giving gospel and can follow along because it is the words that she has said from her youth. Just in another language.

That Gospel saves the whole church in exactly the same way no matter the instruments, the tempo, the language, or the color of the skin. It saves by the blood of Christ Jesus on the cross.

To that I give a big “AAAAAAAAAMEN! Preach it Brother!”

The Lutherans have an interesting way of talking about tradition which I think is apropos. The Roman church accused us of throwing out all tradition. We simply said NO! We keep all traditions which focus us on Christ. But we reject all those which distract and all those which men have put forward as commandment where scripture makes no such claim.

What we keep is not for tradition sake but for the life of the Church. It is that the church hear the Gospel in the way the God has helped his church develop over 2,000 years.

So the question to ask is not whether Guitars or Organs lead better worship, whether Black or White Preachers preach better sermons, whether English or Latin is more Godly.

The question is this. Does your worship show you that you have been saved by the blood of Christ? Or does your worship make you look to your emotions for salvation?

The blood of Christ is real and objective. Emotions are as fickle as the wind. The blood of Christ is that solid rock on which Christ builds his church. Emotions are sinking sand.

Before I go, I just wanted to post a hymn from our churches hymnary which helps drive home this point. It talks about how the sun never sets on the church because people on every rock and every island are singing their song in every language at all hours of the day. When I go to sleep after saying my Lord’s Prayer, someone on the other side of the world wakes up and says it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pigh8VHr-ZE

‘The Day Thou Gavest

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,

The darkness falls at Thy behest;

To Thee our morning hymns ascended,

Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,

While earth rolls onward into light,

Through all the world her watch is keeping,

And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island

The dawn leads on another day,

The voice of prayer is never silent,

Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The sun that bids us rest is waking

Our brethren ’neath the western sky,

And hour by hour fresh lips are making

Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,

Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:

Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,

Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.'”

Everyone should read Ryan’s blog. I think he is going to come up with some great insight. If you missed the link on the top here it is again.

http://narrowingthelenz.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-question-of-worship-and-ethnic.html

Today is the day which many Americans gathered around their tables to Give Thanks for the bounty they have been given. In usual fashion, our family began to recount the things for which we are especially thankful. This tradition, for the first time in my life, brought me to tears.

This past year, though filled with many joys such as the birth of my son, the celebration of my first wedding anniversary, and the acceptance of a new position closer to my family, has left me in a state of despair and sadness. Each day I struggle to put on a smile, struggle to interact with my family, and struggle to thank God. I am hurting from within. Such is the weight of sin on our lives.

Like a looming storm it blocks out the light from our lives and drives us deeper into our selves and as we examine our lives we see clearly that we are nothing but poor wretched sinners. We put our faith in gods of our own creation and blaspheme the one true God. We run from his Word and lust after sin, death, the world, and the devil.

The effects of our sin can be seen most vividly in the recent storm that has destroyed large areas of the Philippines. Thousands of bodies line the dirt streets of these severely impoverished islands. Children begging on the streets, grown men weeping on the streets as the corpses of their children are carried away in dump trucks. Our sin can only bring death into the world. What is there to be thankful for?

In a sort of biblical irony, the answer to our despair can be found amidst those suffering in the wake of the typhoon. A man, still in shock, surrounded by dead family and a dismantled home, gives thanks that his life was spared.

This man standing helpless in utter chaos reminds us of our baptism. We are torn from the comforts of the womb, against our will, to enter the cruel world. No longer protected by our mother we are helpless, hopeless, starving, and burning. Only a few hours of neglect would lead to our demise.

Luther writes “We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ our Lord, or come to him.” We are like the paralytic man who was quite literally dragged to the foot of Jesus to be healed. Kicking and screaming we too are dragged to the “Font of Every Blessing” in which we are washed clean in the blood of the lamb. Even though our world is falling down around us and we are in constant need, the Lord blesses us first by forgiving our sins and continues by providing our “food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home, land, animals, wife, children and all that we have.”

Just like the paralytic man, the unbaptized infant, or the man in the storm, we are guarded and protected, blessed and preserved, and tended and nourished because of Jesus Christ. We have been declared justified and righteous for His sake.

“For all this, it is our duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true!”

Tonight, as my family recounted for what they were thankful, I was given the strength to Thank God for all that I was given. Despite all of my sadness, guilt, anger, and despair, I was able to thank God for forgiveness and my daily bread.

Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, scattered the darkness in my mind, and dragged me to faith, against my will. And for that, I am thankful.

Today I was sharing a wonderful little booklet about depression written by a Lutheran pastor with a co-worker of mine. Immediately, as if by gut reaction, she asked if I had heard about the recent death of Sylvia Browne, a well known Psychic or Medium. I’m not typically one who plays with Ouiji boards or studies the occult, so in my ignorance on the subject I admitted that I had not heard of her death (or her existence for that matter.) She looked at me, somewhat disappointedly, and said, “She’s not here to tell us heaven’s secrets, now she is up there with the secrets.” That’s a direct quote and herein lies our problem.        

I understand the desire to talk to people who have gone before us. The belief that perhaps our brothers and sisters are armed with heavenly wisdom and are still looking out for us is a very enticing one. I was asked today if I would want to know my future if that were possible, and perhaps it is my sinfulness, but I would certainly like to know in order to make proper plans. But God makes no promise of this revelation after the closing of the scripture. But what is this scripture.

In the Enchiridion of Martin Chemnitz, the superintendent asks “Are all things that are sufficient for people as the Word of God for faith and conduct of life contained in the sacred writings?” [II 39] Perhaps it would make more sense this way. “Is it true that EVERYTHING we need to know about FAITH and LIFE are contained in scripture?” Armed with that understanding the pastor being examined would respond (among other things,) “Since, then, we have in Scripture [all] things that are necessary for salvation and life eternal, therefore in matters of faith is it alone is properly sufficient for us.” Chemnitz reminds us that everything we need to know about faith is contained in scripture and therefore nothing else is needed (not even a medium or our dead relative.) Perhaps this is a tad confusing to be arguing against extra-biblical wisdom from an extra-biblical source.

So here is a biblical one. Take a look at 1 Samuel 28. King Saul is afraid of the Philistines. They have a massive army which could easily wipe out Israel. Usually Saul would consult Samuel or even God directly in such a time but sadly Samuel has died only a few chapters prior and God is not responding to Saul. King Saul gets desperate and sneaks into enemy territory to find a medium (for they had all been cast out of Israel in accordance with God’s command.) With the help of his soldiers he finds one and asks her to conjure up Samuel. This medium is skeptical for she knows the risk she is taking helping an Israelite do contrary to God’s will. To calm her, Saul makes an oath “As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this.” She attempts to conjure Samuel and the image of an Old man arises. She is certain that it is Samuel and becomes frightful. She is torn out of her trance, yet the old man continues to speak with Saul saying, “The lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines. Tomorrow, you and your sons will be with me,” (1 Sam 28:19.)

People over the centuries have argued that perhaps this was actually Samuel by special exception from Yahweh himself and others (such as Martin Luther) argued that since God cannot be made to lie and the devil is the king of deceit it is likely a demon in the form of Samuel compelled by God to recount the words already spoken by Samuel before his death. Either way, the language is pretty clear that God is not happy that Saul went to a medium and Saul is going to die for it.

God makes this clear also in the Decalog. He commands, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.” Martin Luther explains this in his Small Catechism “We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie or deceive by his name.” Later in the Smalcald Articles he writes, “The invocation of saints is also one to the Antichrist’s abuses that conflicts with the chief article and destroys the knowledge of Christ… we have everything a thousand times better in Christ,” (SA II II 25.) He goes on to say that even though the angels and saints very well may be praying for us, it is not our duty to call upon them for help, we have Jesus himself praying for us.

Now what does this all mean. The fact that we miss our deceased friends and relatives is not a bad thing. The idea of being reunited with them is not a bad thing. The desire for heavenly wisdom is not a bad thing. The longing is not a bad thing for we all have it and it is one of the many reasons we pray often “COME LORD JESUS!” But God has not given us this privilege for “The wages of sin is death,” (Rom. 6:23) and death is separation from God and each other. He has not promised any revelation outside of his Son, (Hebrews 1.) Thankfully for us, the revelation from that Word is better than any advice a medium can conjure up, it is eternal advice, it is the Gospel.

“For God so loved the whole world, that He gave His only begotten Son. That whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have eternal life,” (John 3:16.)

In Christ, you are not dead in your trespasses and sins but alive to God.

May the Peace of God which surpasses all understanding be with your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.

1.  The tree of life with ev’ry good

In Eden’s holy orchard stood,

          And of its fruit so pure and sweet

          God let the man and women eat.

     Yet in this garden also grew

     Another tree, of which they knew;

          Its lovely limbs with fruit adorned

Against whose eating God had warned.

2.  The stillness of that sacred grove

     Was broken, as the serpent strove

          With tempting voice Eve to beguile

          And Adam too by sin defile.

     O day of sadness when the breath

     Of fear and darkness, doubt and death,

          Its awful poison first displayed

          Within the world so newly made.

3.  What mercy God showed to our race,

     A plan of rescue by His grace:

          In sending One from woman’s seed,

          The One to fill our greatest need–

     For on tree uplifted high

     His only Son for sin would die,

          Would drink the cup of scorn and dread

          To crush the ancient serpent’s head!

4.  Now from that tree of Jesus’ shame

     Flows life eternal in His name;

          For all who trust and will believe,

          Salvation’s living fruit receive.

     And of its fruit so pure and sweet

     The Lord invites the world to eat,

          To find within this cross of wood

          The tree of life with ev’ry good.

LSB 561 The Tree of Life

“Flesh of My Flesh”.  This is an excerpt for a sermon preached by Pr. Petersen of Redeemer Lutheran Church Fort Wayne.

I may not be a seasoned veteran of the paternal wars. I have not the stripes to give sage advice to young men aspiring to be fathers, or young men in general; but as any decorated soldier of those conflicts knows, being a first time father of an infant is much like being thrust into D-Day with nothing more than a blow gun. You feel helpless. Time simply slips by without your control. You hear the ticking of the clock as you bounce, cuddle, swaddle, sing, read, and cry your child to sleep. You begin to think, “Father, I am not worthy or able! Why have you given me such a calling!” Yet ironically, whenever you leave your wife and child to go to work, your child is taken from you to nurse or to be held by the countless other family members; you feel as if a part of your being has been taken from you. Lost, empty, alone, and somewhat afraid that your progeny will suffer some great tragedy which you can only watch with shock. You try to remember how old the child is, “6 weeks, gosh has it really been that long” and at the same time “has it really been that short?” This is the timeless nature of Fatherhood.

Perhaps you can do this exercise with me, try to remember a time before you had children. Can you think of the exact moment you decided you wanted to be a father? If you are anything like me, you can hardly remember a time when you weren’t. Our past memories seem to morph into a picture from our children’s baby book. Your 21st birthday, your graduation, that camping trip with your dad all are hard to remember without seeing the face of your child or children. You can’t seem to imagine a time when you weren’t a father. Upon realizing this is just a trick of your brain you become sad that you have not shared those memories with your child and begin making plans for backpacking trips across Europe, Cheese Making projects, and trips to the cigar shop and in less than a second your past, your present, and your child’s future all mold into one timeless form. It is as if we were predestined before the formation of the world to care for this child.

Now I’m not saying that Christian fathers are any better at being fathers than non-believing fathers or that God somehow gives you a Super Dad gene, but I am saying that Fatherhood is not a calling which we ourselves can claim to be any good at accomplishing. Yet somehow, the battle is won. Countless young men and women are raised up and taught the truth and graduate into the real world of home economics, all taught by sinful fathers just like you and me.

Despite our flaws, selfishness, and untrustworthy behavior, our children look at us with loving eyes. They let you know that they are proud of you, they feel safe in your arms, and are thankful for the food you put on their table. This happens no matter how miserable you are at fatherhood, because in you they see the caring hand of their heavenly Father. The eternal Father who masks our shortcomings, who tenderly provides all that we need to support this body and life, who gave His only son to spare us from the wages of our sin. To our children, we are good fathers, not by our own merits, but because the Father we all share has called us father of these children, has asked us to teach them the truth, and to appear as the loving hand of God Himself. It is in this sense that fatherhood is timeless. Our call to fatherhood extends back thousands of years to Noah, to Adam, to the formation of the world. God himself knew us and knew our children from the beginning and promises to provide Fatherly love to us for all eternity. He does this through fathers like you and me.

Praise God, for the love of our fathers, the father figures in our life, and the love of our Heavenly Father, who calls us worthy of this vocation despite our wretchedness. Amen