A Beautiful Selection from a 19th Century German Homily

by Max Kommet, Superintendent of Lüneburg-Celle. Dr. Herl pointed this out to me and we both found it striking on a number of points:

"The celebration of the Lord’s Supper is so full of burning love, its reception so full of grace and righteousness, but then also its celebration the highpoint in the life of the congregation. According to the thinking of Christian antiquity, every complete Congregational divine service culminates in the celebration of Lord’s Supper, to which according to the old Christian practice the whole congregation went every Sunday. They viewed the celebration of the Supper as the high point of their congregational life.…..

They built their chancel so that the altar was the summit. Our Divine Service is as the climbing of a great mountain. It begins with the cry from the depths: “Lord, have mercy!” and lifts itself up to the confession of redemption in the Angel’s song: All glory be to God on high! Then it climbs higher with the epistle and the gospel, to which the Creed echoes back. After the sermon comes intercessions for all troubles and estates upon earth. Then after the bidding of prayer, the giving of thanks proceeds, with the call: Hearts on high! And the course climbs onward. In the thanksgiving we mingle voices with the choirs of the Church triumphant, as we sing with them the thrice holy hymn, and with the Hosanna greet Him who draws near in His Supper. On our knees we pray the Our Father and receive the Words of Institution. From one level to the next we have ascended, and now the congregation has arrived at the summit of the mountain: above her, heaven is open, before her a divine table spread with one bread and one cup for all, she herself one family of the children of God. A household of brothers and sisters in Christ. There is something deeply moving about this journeying of the congregation to the altar, as if it called out in our hearts: “I will arise and go to my Father,” and now the dancing begins in our Father’s house, and the the Kingly feast commences and the angels rejoice, and the Father frolicks over having found again his sons and daughters gathered at the table. They receive Christ’s body and blood, confessing this is nothing else than was upon the Cross. As Paul said: “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death,” and so it is. For every celebration of the Supper is a great proclamation of Christ’s death before God and the world. Here is the high point of the Divine Service, which then draws quickly to a close with the Canticle of Simeon: “Lord, now you let Your servant go in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.” For at the summit of the mountain the Lord has met us in the mystery of the Sacrament, as near as we can draw to Him in this pilgrimage."

As a sort of visual, check out this (HT: McCain):

Darcy said...

that this picture made her think of me. I confess, I LIKE it! My kind of riding lawn mower.

Summary from Giertz

More for my own benefit of learning than for yours in reading!

Giertz in that article referenced below speaks of three obstacles to salvation delineated by the old soul-curers:

* The aversion in man's fallen nature to the Word and to prayer (through which alone salvation is possible, and which is, of course, an aversion to the God whom one meets through them - "we heard the sound of thee...")

* The love of sin

* The struggle that a person experiences, acutely brought to an awareness of the fountain of sin in his fallen nature, to believe that God actually loves HIM and has provided atonement for HIM.

Similarly, he speaks of how God works upon us to remove the obstacles that would keep divine grace from pouring over and through our lives:

First, the call by which one begins to encounter God in his Word, in the Divine Service, in prayer. One knows one's self addressed by God! And which, when it is answered, leads to:

The enlightenment of the Law, leading to repentance and especially outward remedying of sin, which leads to:

The awakening through which one realizes the hopelessness of our fallen state wherein we continue to have a fountain of sin arising from within us that we cannot stop up or cause to cease [one thinks especially of the great Spiritual Psalter of St. Ephraim the Syrian], leading at last to

The conversion by which one comes to the joy of truly believing in Christ as the Savior and Atoner and finding in Him a righteousness that is complete and whole and OURS as gift.

He also presents the dangers that await at each turn: at the call, relying on feelings and not forming the habit of listening to the Word and praying; at the enlightenment of the law, developing a judgmental attitude toward others; at the awakening, despair and thinking that Christianity is impossible; at the conversion - the ongoing struggle to believe the "for me" of the Gospel.

His remedy to each danger is the same: persistence in the Word and in prayer.

In reading this, it strikes me that this is PRECISELY a description of what Catechesis is all about! Bender's material so nails that. Giertz, as quoted yesterday, beautifully describes the whole thing as a "descent," a way God has of striping away every false reliance for comfort until we come to rest in Jesus and in Him alone.

That's Weedon's brief summary of the Giertz reading.

P.S. It also strikes me as vital that Giertz does not treat these as successive stages; they are cumulative stages. One never leaves behind the calling, when one goes onto the earnest struggles against sin; nor does one leave the earnest struggles against sin, when one is forced to a recognition of the foul fountain of rottenness within; and so when one comes to rest in Christ alone it is as one who hears God's address, struggles against sin, and knows one's self the person described in Romans 7. This preserves the above from falling into a form of antinomianism that celebrates instead of deploring sin.]

There Are Difficulties...

...in the walk of faith that are so personal that they can never be treated from the pulpit. There are conflicts that are so intimate and at the same time so devastating that they require both a more radical and more merciful treatment than the public proclamation can ever given. Therefore, the Church invites troubled souls to seek advice and help and absolution in confession. Even here she is the merciful mother, who has a heart for her children's troubles, both the smallest and the largest. -- Bishop Bo Giertz, *Life by Drowning* p. 17

Patristic Quote of the Day

So once more my complaints have come back to me; once more I am confined to my bed, tossing about in my weakness, and every hour all but looking for the end of life; and the Churches are in somewhat the same condition as my body, no good hope shining on them, and their state always changing for the worse. - St. Basil the Great, Letter 30 (the more things change...)

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

This spiritual wrestling for chastity of the heart and purity of the body is laid on all Christians in all estates; all estates are estates of chastity. -- Albrecht Peters, *Ten Commandments* p. 246

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

As Christians we live in the kingdom of forgiveness, where retaliation and the common order of justice no longer apply. -- Bishop Bo Giertz, *To Live With Christ* p. 456

On Awkward Social Gatherings and Odd Deficiencies

For me, they've just about ALL become awkward. The problem is with my ears. And so when I sit down with a bunch of people, I am almost invariably on edge. At my niece's wedding (sitting directly in front of the band!), there was plenty of table conversation, but I just smiled and nodded and hoped that I nodded at the right times. I noticed it several times during the recent Higher Things. I just have trouble in any kind of a crowd where there's hubbub or background noise or a bunch of folks seated together at a table. I get a lot of what is being said, but there are clearly times I totally miss what is being said. I think poor Pr. Borghardt thought I was a total ninny when I missed his jokes, but most of the time I just couldn't process the words.

If Cindi is at my side she usually helps me through. Her favorite is telling me: "That wasn't a yes or no question" when I've just totally missed someone's point. What's truly hysterical is what my brain makes the words I hear into. Yesterday, we were riding our bikes and Cindi said something that I heard as: "The beans are really sore." I knew that wasn't right, so I asked her to repeat herself. Her KNEES were really sore. Knees to beans? How on earth???

Anywho, for those of you have been puzzled by my puzzled look or inappropriate response to something you said, you now know what's up. Fabulously fit by 50 doesn't fix the hearing!!!

Oh, and one other funny. There Pastor Kesemann was giving his fine presentation on Sola Fide at Higher Things, and unlike me, he's good with powerpoint and has a neato presentation underway. Except he kept omitting the verses from Scripture that he was emphasizing. The rest of the verse was on the screen, but there were these odd blanks right at everything he was stressing. Finally it hit me. I asked the lady next to me what color the missing words were - they were red. She smiled and said: "A little color blind?" Yup. That too. Red on brown or black just doesn't want to show. Go figure.

A Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, we adore You as the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus, and with the whole Church on earth and all the hosts of heaven we ascribe to You honor and blessing, thanksgiving and praise. Holy, holy, holy are You, Lord God Almighty; heaven and earth are full of Your glory. You created us in Your own image and redeemed us with the precious blood of Your Son. By Your Spirit You sanctified us and called us out of darkness into Your marvelous light.

Grant that we may with thankful hearts receive these great mercies and express our gratitude, not only with our lips but also in our lives as we give ourselves to Your service and walk before You in holiness and righteousness all our days. Deliver us from sin and error, from the frailties of the flesh, the allurements of this present age, and the temptations of the devil. Give us faith that works in love, hope that never disappoints, kindness that never fails, confidence in You that never wavers, patience that does not grow weary, and courage always ready to confess Christ, that we may live in Your mercy and die in Your peace; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (LSB Altar Book, p. 439)

Have I Posted Lately

on how the good people of St. Paul's never cease to amaze me with their generosity? With a bit of fear and trepidation, given the current economy, we put forward a request for new altar linens (ours had holes!), and a gold parament and vestment set for Easter. The response of the people was overwhelming. We've not only ordered the gold for Easter, but the scarlet for Holy Week, replaced our acolyte robes (ratty albs replaced with cassocks and cottas), AND ordered six new fair linens for the altar - effectively replacing all our old ones. And there's still a bit left over. Where are we getting the paraments, you ask? D. K. Brunner and Son! Where else? Why pay more when you can get more bang for your buck!

I Glanced Through

this document earlier today (and drew a quote from it), but now that I've read the whole thing in detail, I heartily commend it to all blog readers - what profound insight Bishop Giertz evidences! Any who want to understand Lutheran spiritual guidance should begin right here; and all pastors who hear confessions should take his teaching here, drawing on the spiritual masters of our tradition, to heart. It's a long read, but totally, totally worth it.

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

Sunday regains the character of the Lord's Day as an eschatological sign when the celebration of the Lord's Supper is again at its center. -- Albrecht Peters, *Ten Commandments* p. 183

A Taste of Sola...

HT: Pr. Borghardt

Patristic Quote of the Day

For there is no one else that will save us, except He Who so loved us when we were sinners, as even to give Himself up for us. -- St. John Chrysostom on Romans 5

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

One must be careful not to make the Order of Grace a staircase on which one gradually moves up to God. Likewise, it is not a school with definitively separate classes, where one takes one course at a time, one after the other, in order then to graduate and be moved up to the next level. It is rather a descent, a process of impoverishment, in which God takes away from man one after the other his false grounds of comfort. At its heart it is a description of how God’s love overcomes the obstacles and breaks down the dams which prevent the divine grace from freely pouring itself over a life. - Bishop Bo Giertz, *Life By Drowning* - choice reading available here. Thanks so much, Tapani!

Speaking of getting BACK to low carbing...

...down in San Antonio I absolutely LOVED the borracho beans, with the rice. I could easily eat those puppies all day long. Cilantro was clearly a spice in the beans, but there were other flavors in there not so easy to discern. Neither Cindi nor Bekah (nor David) are big bean eaters - I think only Lauren and I are, truthfully. These were beans for a bean connoisseur. Fabulous!

De Carbing

after our trip to San Antonio has been totally enjoyable. Cindi's made delicioso after delicioso. Tonight's though was particular scrumptious. She fried up some chicken breasts in left over bacon grease, and topped them with a splash of salsa, some sautéed onions and cheese (basic salsa chicken). Most intriguing, though, was the veggie dish. She threw together some left over fresh broccoli with some frozen cauliflower and some leftover frozen sea food (shrimp, squid, clam, scallop), heated the whole thing and served it covered in a melted cream cheese and cream sauce. Oh, my. Talk about out of this world! There were NO leftovers of that one, let me assure you...

Talk about Christmas in July...

...SWEET! Luther's Works - Weimar Ausgabe in Google Books! HT: McCain.

Luther Gleanings

from House Postil for Trinity 7:

Aren't these eyes of our dear Lord Jesus Christ the friendliest and most loving eyes you've ever seen? They gaze right down into the hearts of these people, and his whole heart goes out to them, so hopelessly lost without a shepherd...

In short, there is no other task so difficult, as to train people to live piously, nor is there greater service we can render to God...

Spiritual food is far more precious than physical food, because it enables man to live eternally...

This is an example that fathers, mothers, lords, and ladies should follow, for by such service they can merit heaven for their own children and their household. What I mean is: The greatest, most God-pleasing work of faith a person can do, is to follow the example of Christ by helping people's souls, so they don't end up going to the devil...

The second lesson is that we get our priorities straight and make the searching of God's Word our first priority...

So then today's Gospel lesson is intended to teach us to recognize our dear Lord Jesus Christ as a gracious Lord and Father, who is anxious to help us both physically and spiritually.

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

The struggle on the part of Christians against their inner Pharisee goes right through those who wish to be Christians in earnest. The difficult choice - either praising God or praising self - marks the front line. -- Albrecht Peters, *Ten Commandments* p. 158

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

The Church is a church of sinners, but also a source of forgiveness, where one can get help and be cleansed. They [the early Christians] used to compare it to a hospital, where Christ gathered all who were hopelessly sick and saved them from a certain death. -- Bishop Bo Giertz, *To Live With Christ* p. 452

Patristic Quote of the Day

And as, by voluntarily enduring the death in the flesh, He implanted incorruptibility in it; so also, by taking to Himself of His own free-will the passion of our servitude, He set in it the seeds of constancy and courage, whereby He has nerved those who believe in Him for the mighty conflicts belonging to their witness-bearing. -- Dionysius, On Luke 22

Meet the Other Synod

I've been pondering how to put this into words and fear I shall fail, but nothing tried, nothing gained. What I saw in San Antonio was "the other Synod." The one that tends to be ignored in the official press of our Church, and in the litter of blogdom. As a friend replied to an earlier post, some Districts won't even commend or mention HT because it's not an recognized service organization of Synod.

We major so much in all that's gone crazy - and I do not mean in the least to diminish the seriousness of what HAS gone wrong. I sat at dinner one night with two pastors who have been dismissed from their churches for no just cause; and listened to a friend whose parish is no longer in Synod. The official Synod, the plastic Synod that seeks to be an imitation of dying Evangelicalism with its big personalities and their "ministries," LCMS, Inc. that is all caught up in itself with its bylaws and handbook, is all too real, alas.

But so is this other Synod, where the youth learn their heritage as nothing to be ashamed of or to hide; where they "dare to be Lutheran" and sing the faith with gusto in our hymns and liturgy. Where pastors toil on in some truly grievous situations all for the joy of imparting to these young folk the unshakable hope that is ours in the Gospel; where their parents and youth leaders want to make sure they know the joy of being a Lutheran Christian.

If at times we are tempted to feel the hopelessness of it all, like Samwise and Frodo headed into Morder, there are times we can look up and say: "A light! Look, Mr. Frodo, it's not all going his way!" Higher Things provides such a light. A time of hope for the future of our church and for the young people who, coming to know and love the Gospel of Christ, will, by that Gospel, be strengthened to carry forward a heritage that serves that Gospel and seeks to impart it to others. An army of future Lutheran laity who will not be sold a bill of goods or trade in their rich heritage for a lousy bowl of evangelical pottage because they will not be robbed of Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone. They're out there! I've seen and met them.

Often unsung and not terribly flashy, the other Synod is, I would posit, our true future. It will outlast the other, the plastic Synod, for its strength is the Gospel, the gifts of the Lord; and living from His gracious giving, it lives unassailably in Christ. So, ne desperemus et soli Deo gloria!

ANOTHER Must Buy

I just picked this up at the CPH table at Higher Things, but knew it would be great. It has not disappointed: To Live with Christ: Daily Devotions by Bishop Bo Giertz. Another CPH homerun I'm afraid. Aren't they getting bored yet with hitting them out of the field?

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

In the form of this one man [our Lord], who lived and died for His human brothers before the invisible God in an undivided form, the original commandment, written into the hearts and consciences of all from the beginning, again stepped bodily out of all sinful deformations and demonic distortions. -- Albrecht Peters, *Ten Commandments* p. 79

Patristic Quote of the Day

Woe is he who knowingly chooses to sin with the intention to repent when morning comes, for he knows not what the coming day or the night that precedes it will bring. -- St. Ephraim the Syrian, *A Spiritual Psalter* #142

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

God's kingdom is one of forgiveness. It is where we receive boundless forgiveness and forgive without reflecting on our own perception of righteous justice. -- Bishop Bo Giertz, *To Live With Christ* p. 449

Huge Thanks

to Pr. Gregory and Jamie Truwe and to Larry and Wanda Laxson for hosting us during our stay in San Antonio. We asked the Laxsons - natives both of San Antonio - for their recommendation of the best authentic Mexican food in the area. They sent us to the Picante Grill. We ate there on Thursday evening and it was truly wonderful! We had Rajas Poblanas for an appetizer. Bekah tried a duck dish; Cindi a goat dish; and I feasted on Chile en Nogada. We finished up for dessert with Xango. The old bod did not appreciate the carb overload, but we figured: how often do we get to San Aton? Now we're doing low-carb penance (aka induction!).

Trinity 5 Homily and Intercessions

[1 Kings 19:11-21 / 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 / Luke 5:1-11]

Elijah: “I’ve been faithful; your people have not. I’m the only one left around these parts worshipping You, and I’m so done. I am through. Take me home. It’s over.”

God: “You’re so not done. Here’s what I have for you to do next. Give Syria a new king; give Israel a new king; and train up the prophet who will replace you. You’re not done till I say you’re done. And by the way, your math is off. I’ve still got 7,000 left even in this idolatrous land of Israel who have not been faithless to me. Let me take care of the results, you just do what I tell you. Now, get moving. Vacation over.”

God’s ways just don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense to us so much of the time. Especially His delight in working through weakness, through what certainly appears to be failure and foolishness. But such is His way. He delights in forking over salvation through the word of the cross, rescuing people by the proclamation of a crucified Christ as God’s power and God’s wisdom - at work mightily saving those who believe.

So there’s Simon Peter, whose boat that Christ (who is both the power and wisdom of God) had absconded with for a pulpit. As Peter and the others listen to Jesus, they are busy at work: washing nets, mending them, putting them away. A long night of work out on the lake had netted them zero. They’d come up empty and they couldn’t even go home to their rest because of the man who had taken over the boat. And now that He’s finished speaking, He’s got a bright idea. “Put out in the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Can you see Peter give Andrew the look; James and John giving Peter the “oh no” sign. Peter looks up from the nets, nicely stowed away, and sighs: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” A not unusual experience for those who toil under the burden the curse: “thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” How many are the times YOU’VE poured effort and toil into something only to have it come up empty or worse? You know something of Peter’s frustration then.

Like Elijah, Peter was trying to say: “I’m through. We’re done. We want to go home. It’s over.” His sheepish look added a “please.” Like Yahweh speaking to Elijah, Jesus gives Peter an answer with a look that says: “No, sir. It’s not over till I say it’s over. Didn’t I tell you what to do?”

Peter meets that look and lowers his eyes, admitting defeat: “At your Word, then, I will let down the nets.” With a groan, knowing how foolish, how pointless it was to drop nets in broad daylight in the sight of the fish. With perhaps more than a tad of resentment over a land-loving Rabbi giving fishermen marching orders. With certainly zero expectation of a catch.

And then it happened. The Lord of the sea commands his fish and they swarm the nets. Not one or two, not three or four, schools upon schools swimming into the nets till the the nets are snapping and tearing. James and John in the other boat swamped too. Fish flip flopping every which way, glistening in the sun. And joy turns to terror.

Simon Peter realizes that there’s more here than can be possibly explained by the smarts of man or the power of humanity. In Jesus, he’s come face to face with a wisdom and a power at work that can only belong to God Himself. And he had so doubted what he’d been told to do. So he’s shamed and terrified, and in the presence of that awful holiness he drops to his knees and bends his head and mutters: “Go away. Go away, Lord. Leave me. I’m a sinful man. You don’t want to be hanging around the likes of me.”

How right and how wrong. Peter was a sinful man. Just like you. Just like me. Always thinking he knew better than God, wiser than God, stronger than God; doubting the power of God’s Word to deliver what it promises. How foolish! And when he’s brought face to face with his own folly, he thinks God can’t want anything to do with the likes of a doubter like him. He hasn’t a clue. You or me either. For that’s not true. Not true at all.

And so Jesus says to Simon, to James and John and those with them, to you and to me: “Don’t be afraid." Which is to say: Don’t be afraid, I didn’t come into the flesh to destroy you. I came to save you - to save you in a way that you might think foolish, but it will do the job! I came save you and keep you in company with Me, the One who will walk the way of weakness and powerlessness even to death on a cross and then you’ll see that my foolish weakness is the greatest power that ever existed! All your wisdom and power will crumble before the might of My cross as I bear your sins to death - all of them, including your doubts about me and how I work in this world. I’ll cover them all with my own blood so that you will live with Me forever in My unending life - for dead I shall not remain. After I die and make my life an offering for sin, I shall live again in a life that is forever beyond the grip of the grave and that life I will share with you, I will put into you. And then I’ve got some work for you to do. No more fish to catch. It will be people you’ll be netting instead - netting with the word of the triumph of my cross, netting with the water that gives new birth and the bread and wine that hide and are my own body and blood giving out forgiveness. Oh, they look so weak and so foolish, like a man hanging dead on a tree, but that’s how I will make you share in my victory over sin, death, and Satan! Don’t be afraid. Come, live with me.

And off they went, then, just as Elisha followed Elijah burning his bridges (that is, his oxen!), so Peter, James and John walked away that day from their livelihood and found in the presence of Jesus the wisdom and the power of God.

So when you’re fed up, discouraged and ready to throw in the towel, and you say to God: “I’m done. I’m through. It’s over” - don’t freak out when he says to you: “No, it’s not over till I say it’s over. You do the task I've bidden and leave the results to Me. I’ve got more work for you to do. Come, live with me and I’ll show you. Don’t be afraid. I’ve got you and you’re mine - and I love you. Here: grab hold the net, my story, my Gospel. You toss it in right there where you live and work, and don’t make the mistake of thinking it weak. It will bring up a pile of men for my kingdom. You’ll see. Let’s get going. We’ve got some boats to fill.” Amen.

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. Brief Silence.

O God of our salvation, hear our prayers for Your Church, that faithfully casting the Gospel net of the Crucified and Risen Lord, she may toil with zeal to catch multitudes for the Kingdom. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

God of our hope, remember all Church workers who struggle with depression and anxiety when they see little or no fruit from their labors. Grant them steadfast trust in Your Word and encouragement through Your unfailing promises. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

O Lord God of hosts, remember our nation and its leaders. Strengthen and uphold them in every good deed; and surround with Your compassion on all who serve in our armed forces, especially Aaron and Dan. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

Give ear, O God of Jacob, to our prayers for those who cry out to You in difficult circumstances: the lonely and frightened, the unemployed and homeless, the sick and the dying, and especially those who have asked our prayers: Alice, Chloe, Janet, Aaron, Yvonne, Julie, Kaylee, Ryton, Betty, Glenn, Jerry, Rick, Ray, Elizabeth, Ruth, Rolene, Alfred, Florene, Susie, Al, Mary, Lois, Kari, John, Beth, Eldon, Lynn, Debbie, Joanne, Pat, Sophia, Bill, Don, Donald, Sam, and Ray. Give to each the comfort and joy that come from You alone. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

O Lord, You are our light and our salvation, and You set a feast before us that we might know Your forgiveness, taste Your kindness, and live in You forevermore. Grant us repentant faith to welcome the gift of the Savior’s body and blood to our salvation and abundant blessing. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

Join our prayers and praises with those of Your faithful people of every time and place and unite them in the ceaseless petitions of our great High Priest until He comes in power and great glory as victorious Lord of all. Through Him, with Him and in Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all power and glory are Yours, almighty Father, forever and ever.

Random San Antonio Pics...

A real treat in San Antonio was catching up with a long-time internet friend Helen Jensen (pictured with Cindi and me). I am still totally amazed at her wall of honey story! We learned about about bees also from Pr. Kent Heimbigner, who has taken up the craft as well. It was so good to see so many friends from all around the country and looking forward to a similar joy in Michigan in a couple weeks - hopefully not as hot as San Antonio?

Some Higher Things Reflections - San Antonio

Years ago, Pr. Klem Preus made the observation that Americans like to worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship. At Higher Things the motto has been that when we worship, we worship; when we work, we work; when we play, we play. It's been a liberating and guiding principle.

Just having gotten back from Sola - San Antonio, let me offer the following random reflections:

* The worship - WOW. Just WOW. Wonderful, graceful, reverent liturgists. Loemker on the organ, the special music provided by the young people, the young folk belting out the hymns, the reverence during the services, and last but not least, the clarity of Gospel proclamation. Wow, wow, wow! Dare to be Lutheran indeed!

* The heat - WOW. Just WOW. We've decided that San Antonio - wonderful place that it is - is located right next door to hell and someone left the door open. I think it topped out at 106 on Thursday under a bright, sunny sky. I think we all just got used to smelling.

* The teaching opportunities - WOW. Just WOW. I was amazed at the variety of sectionals and break-aways presented and how frustrating not to be able to catch more of them!

* The organization - WOW. Just WOW. How on earth do the Higher Things folk pull this off? Prs. Borghardt, Cwirla, Buetow, Kuhlmann, Deaconess Ostapowich, Gina and her crew, Jon and Stan - you folks are pros! Down to the last detail, thought through and well planned and executed.

* The commitment - WOW. Just WOW. I felt downright guilty that I had NOT been a leader in organizing and getting my own parish youth to attend. Pastor after pastor had given up a week for the sake of letting their youth experience what a wonderful thing our Lutheran faith is and how we can celebrate and rejoice in it. Hold me to this, folks, but I am inspired and committed. Next summer I will be at GIVEN. And I'll be bringing some youth along with me. I can't wait!!!

More later, I'm sure...

Home!

And some 16 hours later, we climb out of the car. I have a lot to post about our trip and the Higher Things Conference, but it will have to wait for tomorrow. Thanks be to God that we made the long journey there and back with no difficulties whatsoever - and thanks for the prayers, those of you who were praying!

Homily for Trinity 4

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is really giving a variant on the golden rule. Not just, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Instead: “Do unto others as you would have your heavenly Father do unto you.”

Do you want God not to judge and condemn you? Then don’t you judge and condemn others. Do you want God to forgive your sins and give you richly all things to enjoy? Then you let go those grudges and put stinginess far from you. That’s the gist of the Gospel today.

But there’s something inside of us that doesn’t like this Gospel one little bit. Something inside of us that very much LIKES judging and condemning others. Something inside of us that is very reluctant to let go of wrongs suffered; something that enjoys playing the scene repeatedly in our mind’s eye to fan the flames of resentment and keep the bitterness burning. There is something inside that thinks Jesus surely got it reversed when he said “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

That something inside is the old Adam. Why does the old Adam like to judge and condemn others? Because he’s filled with pride. He thinks better of himself than he has a right to! And the one sure way he has of bolstering himself up is to point out, condemn and gossip about the failings of others. And why does the old Adam want to hold grudges and refuse to let go the wrongs he’s suffered? Because he thinks in his heart of hearts that if he doesn’t look out for #1, who will? We’ll just be doormats that others will wipe their feet on. The old Adam does not trust that vengeance is the Lord’s and that He will repay, as Paul taught in today’s epistle. And why is the old Adam stingy? Because he doesn’t trust the Father to provide for his every need. He’s always thinking that it’s all up to him and that it’s his hard work that has earned every penny and why on earth should he give any of it away to those who haven’t worked as hard as he?

Does that old fellow sound familiar? He should. He lives inside of you and me. And he wants to be our boss. He wants to rule our lives.

But we have been claimed by Another, haven’t we? We have been marked with the sign of the cross and we belong to the New Adam, to the Crucifed and Risen Lord Jesus. We’ve been baptized into Him. His life has been given us as our own. [As we saw with Clara this morning]

Think of our Lord. Did he come into the world to judge and condemn? No. He came to rescue us who were judged and condemned by the law as worthy of death. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him!”

Did he come to us to pay us back for our countless rebellions? No. He came to divorce us from our sins by taking them from us and bearing them Himself under His Father’s judgment as He hung on the tree. “Father, forgive” is the cry of His life. And all who in faith shelter under His cross are just that: forgiven. His cross is like a great umbrella that shields us from the wrath of God.
So did He come to take from us? No way! He came to give to us. Rich measure, pressed down, and shaken together, pouring into our laps a heavenly bounty.

And unlike the old Adam with his distrust of God, our Lord Jesus accomplished of all of that by trusting His Father. And He was not disappointed in His trust, was He? He who had not judged and not condemned and who had forgiven and given everything, even to the point of laying down His life, was raised on the third day, vindicated as the Just One and raised on high to the right hand of the Father to rule over all things.

Joseph in our Old Testament reading is a perfect picture prophesy of this. Instead of getting even with those wretched brothers of his who had betrayed him into slavery, he saw the hand of God behind all the events of his life so that even though his brothers had intended evil, God overturned it for good. Joseph was exalted and make ruler of all Egypt and promised to forgive and provide. Just so our Lord Jesus was not overcome by evil, but instead overcame evil by good.

And that’s the life He has given us a share in in our Baptism. He calls us to drown that old Adam and his distrust of God. To confess that we have logs in our own eyes – logs of pride, resentment, stinginess, and behind all of those, distrust. To confess this to God and to receive His absolution – because that is how you “take the log out of your own eye” so that you can finally be of some use to your brother. When you see yourself truly: as a prisoner who had been condemned justly and sitting on death row, but who has been given an undeserved pardon and reprieve; then you are a sinner who can be of some use to your neighbor! You can carry the good news of that free pardon to other sinners too, telling them of what the death of Christ has won for us all, unlocking the chains that bind them in shame and fear. That’s just the opposite of judging and condemning, isn’t it? It’s forgiving and giving.

Today in the Eucharist, Christ continues His giving to you, pouring into you more life than you can hold. He reaches you forgiveness for all our sins and seals that forgiveness to you with His own body and blood. Can you taste of this Supper, and the rich forgiveness it gives, and dare to walk away from this table with the old Adam still in charge, still living in pride, still bearing grudges in your hearts, still with closed hands and hearts, refusing to open up and give? No way. You cannot. You dare not.

Rather, we dance out of this place with joy to live out what our New Adam, our Lord Jesus, has given to us: the mercy that we have here tasted and known, so that we get to - GET TO - “do unto others as our heavenly Father has done and will do unto us” and to Him be glory with the Son and the Holy Spirit now and ever and unto ages of ages! Amen.

Commemoration of Isaiah the Prophet

From the Treasury and our Synod's website:

July 6
Isaiah

Isaiah son of Amoz is considered to be the greatest of the writing prophets and is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament prophet. His name means “Yahweh [the Lord] saves.” Isaiah prophesied to the people of Jerusalem and Judah from about 740 B.C. to 700 B.C. and was a contemporary of the prophets Amos, Hosea, and Micah. Isaiah was a fierce preacher of God's Law, condemning the sin of idolatry. He was also a comforting proclaimer of the Gospel, repeatedly emphasizing God's grace and forgiveness. For this he is sometimes called the “Evangelist of the Old Testament.” No prophet more clearly prophesied about the coming Messiah and his saving kingdom. He foretold the Messiah's miraculous birth (Is 7:14; 9:6), his endless reign (Is 2:1–5; 11:1–16), and his public ministry (Is 61:1–3), but most notably his “Suffering Servant” role and atoning death (52:13—53:12). The apostle John's description of Isaiah, that Isaiah saw Jesus' glory and spoke of him (John 12:41), is an apt summary of Isaiah's prophetic ministry.

[It was in honor of his commemoration that we sang about his augural vision in "Isaiah, Mighty Seer" during today's liturgy]

What a Wonderful Sunday

I dearly love this Sunday for both the hymns, the readings, and the singing! Angel and Cindi really blessed us with an outstanding rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" during the offering (in honor of Independence Day weekend), accompanied fabulously by Dr. Coan on the Clavinova. The hymn of the day for Trinity 4 is such a winner too: "O God, My Faithful God" - especially verse three, five, and six:

Keep me from saying words
That later need recalling;
Guard me lest idle speech
Should from my lips be falling;
But when within my place
I must and ought to speak,
Then to my words give grace,
Lest I offend the weak.

Let me depart this life
Confiding in my Savior;
By grace receive my soul
That it may live forever;
And let my body have
A quiet resting place
Within a Christian grave;
And let it sleep in peace.

And on that final day
When all the dead are waking,
Stretch out Your mighty hand,
My deathly slumber breaking.
Then let me hear Your voice,
Redeem this earthly frame,
And bid me to rejoice
With those who love Your name. (LSB 696)

We also got to sing "Isaiah, Mighty Seer" during distribution - and it was a joy to hear that hymn belted out so strongly by the congregation. Beautiful. Dr. Coan's interpretation intrigues me too, because he actually pulls back on the "Holy is God the Lord of Saboath" - the very point when I would be inclined to shake the rafters. But it works, and then he lets loose especially on the last couplet about the beams and lintels trembling.

I need to remember...

...to fold in "In him is salvation, life, and resurrection from the dead; by him we are redeemed and set at liberty" into my Sola presentations... (Tuesday in Holy Week, Maundy Thursday - Introit).

Philip Proposed a Blog Topic

that I've been puzzling over since he brought it up: a universal way of signing "I'm sorry!" You're driving down the road and cut off someone you didn't see was there. They honk and pull past you. How do you indicate to them that you didn't intentionally do it and asking their pardon? Does anyone know what the ASL way of communicating that is?

Interesting Mollie Post

on Brothers of John the Steadfast. Close the seminaries?

Born on the Fourth of July...

...Seldon Stuart Weedon. AKA, Butch! Happy birthday, oldest brother. Can you really be 64???

What a Cool Way

to celebrate the 4th! Listen to JFK read the Declaration of Independence on Pr. Harrison's blog:

We hold these truths...