Church

Sacrament-Shaped Hole

By Jaime Nava –

For the forgiveness of sins: that’s why we Lutherans have the Sacraments. We’re not talking man-made ordinances, either, like we’re accused of. Peter twice says that Baptism saves us (Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21). Paul says that we are buried with Christ in Baptism and will also have His resurrection (Romans 6:4-7). He says that Baptism is now circumcision (you know, the thing babies didn’t choose at eight days old), not of the flesh but of the heart, not by man but by Christ Himself (Colossians 2:11-12). Confession and Absolution is also clear in the Bible. Whatever those men placed into the Pastoral Office forgive or don’t forgive has the same effect in heaven (John 20:21-23). This means you can expect to hear that you are forgiven the moment you confess your sins. We are also taught that we have koinonia in the cup we drink and bread we partake of in the Lord’s Supper. We have the forgiveness of sins, as Jesus said (Matthew 26:26-28). So let’s be clear. God gives tangible things that provide forgiveness that is felt, tasted, heard and not some floating mystical holy “maybeness” of emotion.

Continue reading →

The Idol of Conservatism

By Bob Hiller –

I’m not one to talk much about politics. Though, truth be told, I consider myself a pretty conservative guy. I like my government small and my morals traditional. A number of my friends are further left of center from where I stand, but we have great conversations about our views and go our way more edified for the chat. Our talks are respectful and actually pretty entertaining. I am always learning from the perspective of other people, even when I think they are off base. But, at the end of the day (and at its beginning), I think a more conservative attitude towards life is a better way to go. You see, I’m a pretty conservative guy.

Continue reading →

Even Jesus Paused to Fish

By Ross Engel –

Today, I’m on vacation. Technically, it’s the third day of my vacation, but who’s counting? One of the cardinal rules of a vacation is that you take your watch off and slow down the frantic pace of life. Instead of using the smartphone for emails and work, the phone is switched to airplane mode to become a camera and only a camera! It is glorious to be able to do that! I will admit that I do check my emails in the morning and the evening just to make sure I don’t miss anything major. It is really important to take time off from work. It keeps a person refreshed, and it’s extremely important to enjoy time with family without the constant fervor of work. I typically come back from some time away with my family with a less distracted work ethic and a more cheerful demeanor.

Continue reading →

Cry Room

By Cindy Koch –

Screaming, scolding, sobbing, shushing… Sunday morning church can be an emotional event for both parent and child. Just last Sunday I held a tired darling little baby girl in the Cry Room, sobbing through the scheduled silence of church. I was transported back to a few years earlier rocking my very own bawling baby, hearing only his angry cry (and not the prayers).

Continue reading →

Playing Nice 2016

By Jaime Nava –

Voting on mustaches and hearing weirdos compare the benefit of a resolution to a bag of bacon might seem like a waste of time to some people. It’s not. I didn’t expect to laugh so hard from the convention floor this week. Coming to tears with laughter reveals something about our church body. Although we’re doing serious work, we’re not taking ourselves too seriously. I think it’s a reflection of knowing we’re sinners who are forgiven, and that’s pretty cool.

Continue reading →

Anti-Christian

by Ross Engel –

“You had a hogwash of a Baptism. You need to get yourself saved!”

I clenched my fists in anger and my heart broke as I heard a youth recount how he was told by the “pastor” of his Christian school that his Baptism was “absolute hogwash.” This administrator of his school had recently told him that he was “bound for hell” because he was a member of “that Lutheran cult church.”

Continue reading →

The Smiling Face of Church Politics

By Paul Koch –

I want to share with you a story about one of the most enjoyable times I have had since becoming aware of things like Synods, church voter’s meetings, and district conventions. Like many of the Jagged Mafia, I spent most of my days in wonderful bliss regarding the need or pervasiveness of politics within the Church. I simply went to church, received the gifts, and knew nothing of the bureaucratic procedures and policies that kept the lights on, the mortgage paid, or for that matter, provided insurance and retirement plans to church workers.

Continue reading →

Guys – Stop ordaining our women!

By Cindy Koch –

I know you think it’s a helpful and progressive thing. I’m guessing you know some pretty amazing gals. I’m sure you’re concerned about sounding like a jerk. But stop it, for the sake of our women.

A leader of the church is someone amazing, but not because there is something amazing about the person. One is amazing because God puts gifts in his hands and words in his mouth. God chooses and uses things and people to deliver his gifts.

Continue reading →

Don’t Go to Church for the Pastor

By Bob Hiller –

Don’t go to church for the pastor. It won’t end well. He is not a celebrity. He is not a spiritual guru with special insight into the workings of heaven. He is not a magical priest who alone has the power to save. He’s no one to put your faith in. He’s a sinful dude with a message he has to deliver. To be sure, that message is from God. And it is the most important message you will ever hear. That message is worth showing up for. But the guy who delivers it? As much as you might like him, as funny and handsome as he might be, he’s just not the one you should go to see.

Continue reading →

The Church of Trial and Error

By Paul Koch –

I have been the pastor of exactly two congregations since taking my ordination vows. At both of these churches I was the sole pastor and neither of them were what we might call “large” on the buts-in-the-pew scale. They were very different congregations with very different histories and habits, and both of them I have learned to love more than I thought possible for a group of sinners crowded into one place. Though my 13 years of experience isn’t as grand or well-rounded as many of my colleagues, it has taught me some valuable lessons that are worthy to remember and hand on to others. One in particular is simply this

Continue reading →

Denominational Loyalty

By Graham Glover –

I’d love it if more of you were Lutheran. Specifically, it would be great if you were a member of or in fellowship with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It’s not that the LCMS has a monopoly on the truths of Christendom, but as I proclaimed in my ordination vows, I believe her confessions to be a correct exposition of the Holy Scriptures and a right exhibition of the Christian faith. This is why I am and will remain a loyal member of her communion.

Continue reading →

The Church Doesn’t Need The Government

By Joel A. Hess –

Surely, this 4th of July has been one of saddest for me. It’s hard to get excited about the freedoms our country was founded upon as they are speedily being stolen from us by the current administration, aristocratic courts, and big businesses. The current forced cultural revolution looks exactly like the one imposed by the Chinese tyrant Mao Zedong. Leaders who come in the name of progress almost always leave the people they say they are helping dead.

Continue reading →

Culture’s Large Catechism

By Jaime Nava –

According to this 2011 report, 0.2 to 0.3 percent of Americans consider themselves transgender. As percentages go, that’s not a big number. Our country loves to lift up the strong minority for the sake of some cause or another. Since gay marriage has passed, folks are now clamoring to support a new and shiny minority. I’m not saying that transgender people don’t face their issues. These are people who feel what is tangible isn’t really real. Anorexics feel the same way, too. They have their struggles and need support as anyone who feels that their body isn’t their reality. Interestingly, many feminists are finding issues with the transgender movement, as well.

Continue reading →

I Want Results and I Want Them NOW!

By Bob Hiller –

Dan Patrick had a pretty fascinating interview with the great Lenny Dykstra this past week. Dykstra was truly one of the great ball players back in the 1990s with the Philadelphia Phillies. Well, as he told Patrick, he “medicated” himself to being one of the great ball players. Dykstra is quite open about his steroid use in the ‘90s and really quite good at normalizing it. Dropping every “excuse-to-sin” cliché in the book, Dykstra demonstrated how “using” was standard. “The only [players] who weren’t using were stupid, unless they hate money.” There’s the old, “everyone else was doing it” line. “As weird as it may sound, I did it for the right reason, for my family and for my ability to stay on the field, because I am not physically built to withstand the 160 game season.” Yes, of course, we all know that “the ends justify the means,” and his family’s well-being is a worthy end, isn’t it?

Continue reading →

Post-Seminary Vicarage

By Jaime Nava –

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. This quote, attributed to Mark Twain by many, sums me up so completely. In high school, I thought I had things nailed down. In undergrad, I found it difficult to think that I could learn any more than I already had. Even in my beginning years of seminary, I felt like I had a pretty good handle on knowing. This satirical article could have been me.

Continue reading →

Wretched Comprehension

By Ross Engel –

In the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke, there is a scene where Luke (played by Paul Newman) is working on the chain gang and is belted unceremoniously down the side of a hill by the prison captain. As he lies in the dust, the Captain stands over him and exclaims, “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”

This iconic quote has been used in a wide variety of places. It was quoted in the intro to a Guns N’ Roses song (Civil War) and even an episode of the cartoon show Darkwing Duck, just to name a few. I’ve had the quote in my head for the past few days as I was considering some of the conversations I’ve had recently about the faith.

Continue reading →

Soccer and the Rise of Theological Frauds

By Paul Koch –

Small talk at a recent wedding reception:

Guest: “So you’re a pastor, huh? I enjoyed that sermon. What sort of pastor are you?”

Me: “I’m a Lutheran. Missouri Synod, if you know what that is.”

Guest: “Lutheran, no kidding. I used to go to a Lutheran church, grew up in a Lutheran church. Do you guys still do the traditional stuff, or do you have a band?”

(Why do they always want to know if we have a band?)

Continue reading →