First Lightning Bugs

of the season spotted tonight while taking Lucy out for her necessities.  Last year seemed like we had LOTS of them around.  I'm curious if this year will follow suit.

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

In our spiritual journey from the font to the grave, we walk before God the Father as beggars.  Yet that is only half the story.  We may be beggars, but, paradoxically, we also associate with the holy angels.  This wonderful paradox is confessed most clearly in the Divine Service by the curious juxtaposition of the Kyrie, "Lord, have mercy," and the Gloria, "Glory to God in the highest."  -- Dr. John Kleinig, *Grace upon Grace* p. 30.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Christ and grace are not preached so that people may remain in their sins.  On the contrary, the Christian doctrine teaches:  You have been released from captivity not so that you may do what you please but in order no longer to serve sin. -- Blessed Martin Luther, Homily for Ascension (HP II:122,3)

Patristic Quote of the Day

"He has converted my soul: He has led me forth in the paths of righteousness, for His Name's sake" Psalm 22:3. He has brought me forth in the narrow ways, wherein few walk, of His righteousness; not for my merit's sake, but for His Name's sake. -- St. Augustine on Psalm 23

REMINDER: Ascension Day - "that He might make us partakers of His divine life" (Preface)

The Feast of our Lord's Ascension into heaven will be celebrated this Thursday (June 2) at St. Paul's with Divine Service at 7:15 a.m.  Join us for the bright joy of this day!

Hail thee, festival day,
Blest day to be hallowed
Day when our risen Lord
Rose in the heavens to reign.

He who was nailed to the cross
Is ruler and Lord of all people.
All things created on earth
Sing to the glory of God.

Daily the loveliness grows,
Adorned with the glory of blossom;
Heaven her gateway unbars,
Flinging her increase of light:

Hail thee, festival day!
Blest day to be hallowed forever;
Day when our risen Lord
Rose in the heavens to reign.
--LSB 489 (Fortunatus, c. 530-609 AD)

Day's Wrap

Up early this morning to Edwardsville to let Roger kick our rears at Bootcamp.  Home for breakfast and then began setting up pool - I don't know how we'd do it without David's help!  Then off to hospital to see Mike; stopped at store for some groceries and filled up the tank on the way home.  Coming home, noted the blue, blue sky against the backdrop of Hamel Coop with the flag waving in front for Memorial Day - wished I had time to stop and capture the picture.  It'd be a classic for Old Route 66.  Day concluded with dinner with David and Meaghan, Crys and Scott and Erin.  We had burgers, ribs, Jen's layered salad, jello salad, chips and such, and topped it off with ice cream and brownies.  Afterwards, a round or six of pinochle.  Winning is such an irrelevant detail, don't you think?  The big thing is having a good time and making the women feel important.  We always strive for that.  Now it's 9 and I'm already ready for bed.  Did I really used to stay up all hours of the night?  Not any more - that's for sure.

Quote of the Day

from Pr. Buetow:  "How good to have a Lord whose first miracle was an open bar at a wedding!" 

Kettner/Kress wedding homily

Evermore and evermore.  When the Bride insists, absolutely insists, that at her wedding we have to sing all about Jesus, about our Lord’s birth forever blessed when the Virgin full of grace by the Holy Ghost conceiving bore the Savior of our race, and that babe, the world’s Redeemer first revealed His sacred face, evermore and evermore, it’s as though she thinks the big thing happening today is Jesus and what He did and does and NOT herself, the beautiful bride, or her handsome and proud groom, now, not even the red- or silver-vested fathers who are dancing for joy today.  It’s as though you two think your wedding is all about Jesus.  How radical can you get?

 

But you’re thinking runs right with Paul in today’s reading from Ephesians, who seems to think that weddings and marriages are really all about Jesus too.  Notice how he brings it all to that point when he says:  “This mystery is profound, but I am saying it refers to Christ and the church.”  This being made one flesh.

That is, no one gets what God’s up to today in joining Karen and Bryan as one until one sees that they are stand-ins – both of them – for something far bigger. 

Bryan, you are in the place of Jesus today, and so your Lord crowns you as king of a new family.  It’s just that the crown he places on your head is like unto His own:  a servant’s crown of thorns.  Today Jesus names you chief servant of your wife and future family.  And He bids you take as your example how His own love for the Church.

His is a love that does not delight in pointing out His church’s failings and sin; rather, it is a miraculous love that gives Himself up for her so that He can present His Church to Himself, sanctified, cleansed, in splendor without any wrinkle or blemish, holy and pure.  He sees her that way because He sees her through His own self-giving sacrifice.  So Jesus summons you today, Bryan, to love Karen with that sort of love – to learn to see her as pure and holy in your sight as she is in His, and to treasure, honor, and keep her. 

And Karen, you get to stand in the place of the Church.  So when St. Paul lays on you the big submission word, you know he’s not being a male chauvinist pig.  He’s talking about you joyfully receiving the gifts that the Lord has commanded Bryan to serve you.  When taken up into the Lord we are miles away from Bryan lounging in his chair and commanding you:  “Yo, wife!  Go get my beer!”  No, that’s not the Lord’s way at all.  But just as Bryan is called to see you as pure and holy as the Lord declares you to be; so you must come to see him through the lens of the Lord.   To respect and honor Him as though He were Christ to you.

Now since neither of you will live up to that in its fullness due to the fact that both of you still have that nasty old Adam running around inside wanting his own way and sometimes getting it, the vital importance of forgiveness.  For it is forgiveness that will hold your marriage together when all else fails.  The world foolishly thinks that the glue of marriage is the feeling of being in love – and you can look all around you and see how well that nonsense works.  Rather, it is Christ’s forgiveness poured out on each of you in abundance, from your Baptism, to your hearing of absolution and your partaking of the Eucharist.  In all of them, Jesus gives you forgiveness for all your sin and even more – forgiveness which you will share with each other and that will keep you together through the most trying and difficult times.  He has forgiveness bigger than any screw-ups you will inflict upon each other – and in that forgiveness – seeing each other as God has declared the other to be, your marriage will not only survive – it will grow and flourish. 

So you were right that it was all about Jesus and so why not:  Of the father’s Love begotten?  It’s HIS story that shapes your wedding and that will shape your marriage, and as you live in this Jesus way toward each other – Bryan fulfilling something of the role of Christ; Karen fulfilling something of the role of the Church – as you live a marriage like this, people notice that you’re weird, different, not normal.  And when they want to know why and what gives, you have the answer right at hand:  It’s because everything – including our marriage – isn’t about US, it’s about Jesus!  Jesus, whose death has wiped our sin and whose resurrection has given us a life that no death will ever be able to take from us – evermore.  So….

Christ to thee with God the Father and oh Holy Ghost to Thee, hymn and chant and high thanksgiving and unending praises be, honor, glory and dominion and eternal victory.  Evermore and evermore.  Amen.

 

Rogate this week

and so Easter is fast waning.  This Thursday is the Feast of the Ascension (7:15 p.m. at St. Paul's - you all come now, you hear?).  Unique to have the day (Rogate) named from the Gospel reading rather than the Introit - "Ask already, will ya?" might be a rough paraphrase.  This is the Sunday when the Church focuses on the joy of prayer in the name of Jesus.  Tonight and tomorrow we'll sing all nine stanzas of Luther's Vater Unser.  Don't worry - the cantor relieves the congregation a bit with doing the even stanzas.  And so the Easter season wends to its closing.  On Thursday we'll move the Paschal Candle stand from sentry duty at the Altar back to the Baptismal font.  Then one more week of Easter joy till its fulfillment in the Day of Pentecost, which closes out the "Semester Domini." That means "plain old" DS 3 comes back - and how we'll welcome it!  The Kyrie and Gloria and Alleluia - all back to "normal."  Easter was overwhelmingly joyous, but we know that it is but a foretaste.  The 50 days are a bit of heaven on earth, but we're not in the Parousia yet, no matter how joyously we anticipate it.  Back to kneeling to receive our Lord's body and blood; back to the regular liturgy; back to pilgrim church.

This is one of our own John Klinger's pet projects...

...and it looks to be shaping up amazingly:  Walther. Check out the trailer!  John will be leading the Bible Class on this when it is released this fall.  I'm eagerly looking forward to it.

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

Through the attacks of the evil one we are drawn further out of ourselves and deeper into Christ. -- Dr. John Kleinig, *Grace upon Grace* p. 22.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

These two things, diligently preaching and earnestly praying, pierce the devil's heart. -- Blessed Martin Luther, Homily for Rogate (HP II:110).

Patristic Quote of the Day

For, behold, we take divine Scripture, and thence discourse with freedom of the religious Faith, and set it up as a light upon its candlestick. -- St. Athanasius, Discourse I Against the Arians (par. 9)

This morning before the wedding rehearsal...

...Pr. Kress baptized his youngest granddaughter.  He and Lisa look mighty proud:

Some Fascinating Advice...

...from Pr. David Petersen on pastoral social conventions in the LCMS.  I smiled as I read it and thought how Pr. Plvan will never be "George" to me - he will always be Pr. Plvan.  Same with Pr. Lobien.  Same with Dr. Nagel. 

Pool Time!

Yeah, it's still a bit cold outside, but we hope to get the pool up this weekend.  We picked up a new salt-water system at Walmart this evening, with several bags of salt.  We'd gotten a new pool last week.  John Meinzen was right:  the pools last for two years.  The salt water system lasts for about four (we've used our through two pools).  I'm eager to get the new stuff up and going, but it will have to wait till Memorial Day and, boy, oh, boy, do I hope David is available to help sort out the set up and the hoses! And then it would be great if the temp really heats up...

New Lutheran Quote of the Day

The devil's attack on us serves to strengthen our faith because it drives us back to God's Word as the only basis for our spiritual life.  We cannot rely on our own resources in the battle against Satan and the powers of darkness.  If we rely on our own wisdom and power, we will fail.  In that situation, our only hope is Christ and His Word.  -- John Kleinig, *Grace upon Grace* p. 22.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Our need to pray in the face of immanent peril is great, for a Christian is never safe from the devil and his own flesh, from falling into sin and shame. -- Blessed Martin Luther, Homily for Rogate (HP II:106)

Patristic Quote of the Day

He (our Lord) neither suffered Himself to be taken before the time came, nor did He hide Himself when it had come; but gave Himself up to them that conspired against Him, that He might show to all men that the life and death of man depend upon the divine sentence; and that without our Father which is in heaven, neither a hair of man's head can become white or black, nor a sparrow ever fall into the snare. - St. Athanasius, Apologia de Fuga

Big thanks to Deb

who came out this week to help with Jo's transition from hospital to home (with a trip to the emergency room thrown in there).  It was very kind of her and greatly appreciated. Her calmness and clear-headedness, and her soothing presence make a huge difference.  

I smile because it reminds me of the time that Deb dropped everything and came down to help with Cindi's last pregnancy - while she was herself 8 months pregnant!  A true servant heart - and a big blessing!  Thanks once again, Deb!