Sacraments

Zeal for Your House

By Paul Koch –

Tradition is an important part of our lives. Sometimes we scrape against our traditions, especially if they are in our way, or somehow slow our progress. Of course, there are traditions that we don’t really understand, and so we would rather not worry about them. Yet traditions are important. They carry with them an ancient understanding of things, a working of the world and our place in it. Our traditions are how we can evaluate new things, how we can understand worth, and even how we chart the future. No matter how cutting edge and modern you might be, we all have traditions that we value. All of us have traditions that we think should be upheld. In fact, we all know that when long held traditions are done away with, there will be consequences. Therefore, older generations will shake their heads at younger ones when they change a tradition because they know it will lead to something unpredictable.

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OT Encounters: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 – Entry Into the Covenant

By Jeff Pulse –

Our Old Testament text for Lent II, February 25, 2018, comes to us from the first book of the Torah, Genesis. The text is Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 and is the establishment of the covenant which is marked by the Sacrament of Circumcision—although the actual verses dealing with circumcision have been left out of the pericope. This is unfortunate because the cutting of the covenant (berith karat) includes the mark of the covenant in the flesh: circumcision. We even have the language that indicates that everyone who is not “cut” shall be “cut off” (vs. 14).

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OT Encounters: Gen 22:1-18 – Sacrificing a Son

By Jeff Pulse –

The Old Testament lesson for Lent I, February 18, 2018, is from the first book of the Torah, Genesis. The text is Genesis 22: 1-18 and is not only the well-known, much discussed account of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son Isaac, but it also holds a special reverence among the Jewish people who refer to it as the “Aqadah,” which in Hebrew is “The Binding.” The reason this account stands out for the Jews is the unique circumstances that surround it. The Abrahamic covenant is in great danger because the LORD has called upon Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the son in the Messianic line. In addition is the peculiar kind of sacrifice; Isaac would be the ONLY living sacrifice in the Old Testament.

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Redirected Glory

By Paul Koch –

When we arrived in the city of Cologne last November you could clearly see the tall spires of the great cathedral towering over the rest of the town. Our local tour guide called it the Black Gothic Mountain. The sulfuric acid in the rain from the burning of coal slowly turned the white sandstone this dark grey, black color. Every time you looked at that building you couldn’t help but slowly lift your eyes heavenward. The architecture was designed to pull your gaze upward. Whether you were standing outside examining the flying buttresses and gargoyles and spires, or you were inside its massive unobstructed nave lined with stained glass windows where the flood of light made you feel small and insignificant compared to the glory of God, you seldom found yourself looking down or even straight ahead. It was imposing, beautiful and massive. It was a confession in stone and mortar of the glory of our Creator.

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Protestantism’s Ironic Rejection of Grace

By Graham Glover –

Wait, what? Protestants reject grace?

Huh? Isn’t it the other way around? Aren’t Protestants all about grace?

The popular narrative says that Protestantism was born to combat the false doctrines of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches who teach that we are forgiven and made right with God not by grace alone, but by grace and works. Protestantism claims that its intent was to “reform” the Christian faith back to its original and true teaching – a teaching that proclaims salvation is found only and exclusively in God’s grace.

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Silent

By Paul Koch –

There is a certain and definite uneasiness that comes with the sound of silence. When no one is speaking, when all distractions are removed, when you are left with just your own thoughts and feelings, you will find a desire to fill the silence with something. Almost anything. TV’s become background noise though no one is watching, people play music on the radio or busy themselves with some activity that takes their minds away from the silence. We may long to get away from it all, to escape to the mountains or a warm beach, to be away from the distractions and noise.

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Adopted in Time

By Paul Koch –

So here we are once again standing at that strange moment in the year when we are going to turn the page on the calendar. Tonight, at the ringing of midnight we will welcome in the year 2018 and say goodbye to 2017. There will be celebrations around the globe as different cultures mark the passing of time in their own way. Some will be at late night parties with friends and family, some will gather in big cities and countdown the final moments with total strangers. I, for one, look forward to a champagne toast and a kiss from my bride as we ring in the new year. One of the great things about New Year’s Eve is it’s a rare moment when we stop and consider the passing of time. We turn our attention to the years that have already gone by and the pondering of how many years we may have left. Amid the parties and the celebrations there is a real attempt on this night to reflect on our use of time.

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A Sermon on Judgment

By Bob Hiller –

What is the image that comes to mind when you think of judgment? Think of our justice system where we say that justice is blind. The idea here is that you have lady justice holding up the scale. She weighs everything to see if she needs to execute with the sword. She is blind to persons or excuses. She simply weighs the evidence on the scale, feels the weight of the law, and executes justice properly.

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OT Encounters: Amos 5:18-24

By Jeff Pulse –

The Old Testament text for this Sunday, November 12, 2017, comes from the prophet Amos in the Book of the Twelve. The text is Amos 5:18-24, which illustrates the common theme in Amos of a complete reversal of what is expected. Thus, The Day of the LORD will not be a bright day, but rather a dark one. This is a result of Israel turning “eschatology into escapism” (R. Lessing; Amos Commentary). Note that this is not unlike the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day. They had specific expectations concerning the coming of the Messiah which would support and allow them to “escape” their current situation, but Jesus turns these expectations on their head, reversing them. Amos’ “Day of the LORD” language (also found in other prophets) is eschatological language which looks beyond the idea of the restoration of Israel. Finally, we see in this text metaphors that link us intimately into the New Testament and the Messiah. The “darkness” of the Day of the LORD can be connected to the Good Friday darkness that descends at Jesus’ death on the cross, and the water motif in verse 24 connected to justice and righteousness points us to the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

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Beauty in the Mundane

By Bob Hiller –

Last Sunday was amazing! My congregation in beautiful Escondido, CA hosted our circuit’s Reformation service, and it was epic! (A “circuit,” for those of you outside of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, is a group of congregations close in proximity to each other). A massive, multi-congregational choir, an orchestra, a guest preacher from Concordia University (who totally delivered the “goods” of Christ for us), the Sacrament, and, afterwards, an outstanding Octoberfest celebration all worked together for the good of the church! If this incredible service and celebration wasn’t enough, I came home that night to listen to one of the greatest World Series games in recent memory (though, last year’s Game 7 is hard to top). Game 5 of the Astros/Dodgers series was an epic, extra-inning, home-run heavy 13-12 victory for the Astros. I’ve never experienced a game that incredible on a stage that big. Sunday was amazing!

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The hardest part of being a Christian

By Cindy Koch –

From the outside, you may think it’s not easy to be a Christian. From what you hear, there are a lot of rules and righteous stuff to do. You have to love your neighbor and turn the other cheek. You have to be honest and spend a chunk of your weekend at church. People from this church place will flood into our life whether you like it or not. You are now accountable to a whole bunch of other strange people who call themselves Christians. For someone who is doing just fine on your own, this certainly doesn’t sound easy.

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OT Encounters: This is the Feast!

By Jeff Pulse –

The Old Testament text for this Sunday, October 15, 2017, comes from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. The text is Isaiah 25:6-9 and is a portion of one of the few EXPLICIT resurrection texts in the Old Testament. This is not to say or to indicate that the Hebrews had an undeveloped understanding or concept of resurrection. There are many implicit indications in the Old Testament Scriptures of their resurrection theology. However, the EXPLICIT references are few: Job 19, Isaiah 25 and 26, Ezekiel 37, and Daniel 12. Because this is true, our text for today is of extreme significance to the Old and New Testament people.

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Joyfully Losing

By Paul Koch –

What we do here in this place seems, at times, to be disjointed from the world in which we live. I suppose it has always been so: the rhythm and focus of the church is not governed by the cares and fears of our world. It offers something more, something unmovable in the shifting sands of our age. So, there is something of an expected difference that comes from a church. But there are times, and I think this is one of them, where the casual observer of our fellowship might find what we are doing here a bit naive, and perhaps even a little offensive considering what is happening all around us.

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Reckless Blessing

By Paul Koch –

Our lives, whether it is within the church or without, are defined by boundaries. Sometimes our boundaries are logistical and physical like the walls of my home or the doors to the church. They keep us safe and secure and define the space in which we move and interact. Then again our boundaries can be social ones, like the mean kids in Junior High who wouldn’t let me sit at their table at lunch or the inevitable clicks that form at the office or even in churches. These boundaries are defined in some way by similar interests, abilities, or accomplishments. There are also boundaries prescribed by morality and ethics. There are acts and desires that are classified as sins or good works, things are declared to be clean and unclean. These help us to live a particular way to walk a particular path.

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Preaching and the Bureaucratic Malaise of the Church

By Paul Koch –

This week, I gathered together with a decent-sized group of my colleagues for a monthly meeting in which we receive the gifts of our Lord together, study theology, and discuss matters pertaining to our district of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We have a good group of guys, and I always do my best to try and attend these gatherings. After all, there will usually be passionate disagreements about practice, heartfelt please for future endeavors, lots of laughs at the expense of some brother who didn’t show, and certainly a beer or two during lunch.

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Marked by a Cross

By Paul Koch –

Being a pastor affords the privilege to be involved in people’s lives at very intimate moments. From sitting beside a dying grandmother to presiding over a wedding or welcoming a new member into the congregation I have cherished these events. As I’ve attempted to proclaim he Word of God into that moment, time and again, I have found that I’ve been changed and impacted by what is happening. From the look of pride and joy on a father’s face as his child confesses the faith of the family before the congregation. Or the final worlds of assurance from a saint that is longing to meet her Lord face to face. These moments leave their mark. They serve as vivid reminders to me of just what this life of faith is about.

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Ladies, We are Better than That

By Cindy Koch –

I watched your face when I said that to you. Your eyes widen just a little. Your chin shifts back as the syllables sink in. You heard me, but it seems like the words must mean something else. We are better than what? What is she really saying here? You look right and left wondering if anyone else is listening. Consciously the muscles in your face try to relax. You try to take a deep breath and attempt to understand what I really said, but I can still see the exposed panic in your eyes.

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Promises of the Rock

By Paul Koch –

The reading before us today from Matthew 16 is an incredibly important text. It was at the heart of much of the struggles during the great Reformation of the church. The question of the power and the authority of the Pope were centered on this text very text. And the power and authority of the Pope had everything to do with the confession of faith that Luther and the other Reformers were defending. Did they have the right to speak against the established church of the day? Where they operating outside the will and command of our Lord by disobeying the Pope and his minions? And then when you actually look at the words of the text, you find that there is a much deeper question that is at the heart of it all. And that question is asked by our Lord; “Who do you say that I am?”

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The Tangible Memory of God’s Work (i.e. my Hymnal)

By Paul Koch –

Back in 2006, our church body released a new hymnal for use in all congregations under the title Lutheran Service Book. As far as hymnbooks go, and within my limited experience, I think this is one a real gem. The resources bound into this one book are invaluable. As soon as it was in print, my congregation ordered enough to replace all our old hymnals. When the first box showed up, I eagerly opened it up and took one of the first copies for myself. The church’s hymnbook became my hymnbook.

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