By Cindy Koch –
The darkness is coming. I feel it lurking at the end of this long, sad week. Those of us who have been here before have been waiting for these tragic footsteps into the shadows. Even though we know what is coming, there is no escape from where we must travel. Retracing our murderous tracks, we hesitantly remember our own lies that killed an innocent man. Help us, dear Lord.
By Paul Koch –
On Tuesday, I read news that the last male northern white rhino had died. Named Sudan, the rhino is survived by two females, and while scientists have hope for in vitro fertilization to save the species, the outlook isn’t very promising. The head of the wildlife conservancy that was caring for Sudan had this to say, “It’s very sad to lose Sudan because it shows clearly the extent of human greed and what sort of impact humans beings can have on nature. If we don’t take care of what we have, we will definitely continue to lose it, particularly lose other species that are currently endangered.”
By Jeff Pulse –
The Old Testament lesson for the Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday), March 25, 2018, is from the Book of the Twelve: Zechariah. The text is Zechariah 9:9-12 and is the prophecy of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on what is now called the Sunday of the Passion. This is the beginning of Holy Week and all that is involved in the events leading to the most important celebration of the Church Year: Easter.
By Paul Koch –
C.S. Lewis famously wrote that he believed that all the doors of hell are locked from the inside. In other words, those that are there are there because they want to be, because they are defiant to the end and actually choose hell. Perhaps they don’t see it as hell. They see it as their own exertion of free choice, of doing what they want. Now, that may sound strange to our ears, but I think he was on to something. He had a clear understanding of the radical nature of our faith. You see, the gift of faith has given you something that the rest of the world does not have—a sort of superpower if you will. By faith, you can see what others cannot. And the first thing that you are given to see is sin. Because of faith, you are no longer blind to the bondage of sin, and you know that the doors of hell are locked on the inside. Those who are stuck there are only there because they cannot see this reality. They cannot see their own bondage. They have rejected God, and so they have loved an imprisonment of their own making.
By Jeff Pulse –
The Old Testament lesson for Lent IV, March 11, 2018, is from the fourth book of the Torah, Numbers. The text is Numbers 21:4-9 and is the interesting account concerning the grumbling and sinning of the Israelites and the LORD’s response of sending the “fiery serpents” into their midst. Moses’ making of a bronze serpent and raising it upon a pole is directly referred to in the New Testament passage from John 3:14: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so also the Son of Man must be lifted up.”
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.
By Joel A. Hess –
Like many simple-minded fools, I love the movie Talladega Nights: the ballad of Ricky Bobby. Next to the scene when he first speaks publicly and doesn’t know what to do with his hands, I love the baby Jesus prayer he gives early in the movie. He begins the prayer, “Dear sweet baby Jesus” and continues with “tiny infant Jesus” and “use your infant powers.” His family is annoyed by his obsession with baby Jesus and tells him that Jesus is a grown man. Ricky Bobby says, “I like the Christmas Jesus best, and I’m saying grace. When you say prayers, you can say what you want…” Of course, his buddy Cal says, “I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo t-shirt.” One of the kids adds, “I like to think of Jesus as a ninja.”
By Paul Koch –
If you were to look up the statistic for mass shootings in this country, you would find that out of the top ten, five incidents have occurred within the last three years. Let that sink in for a moment. Five of the deadliest shootings in our history have occurred in just the last three years. It has become such a regular part of our experience, part of our cultural discussion, that when seventeen children and faculty at Stoneman Douglas Highschool in Florida were murdered this past Valentine’s Day, we just shook our heads in disgust and then went about our day as if nothing happened. Oh sure, people get mad and they are good at pointing fingers.
By Paul Koch –
Have you ever spent time with someone who is dying? And I don’t mean someone who is surprised by death’s arrival—the brutal car accident or the massive heart attack that sent us rushing to speak final words in a moment’s notice. No, I mean the brother or sister on hospice care who knows that they will not see another Christmas or another birthday but is patiently waiting for our Lord to call them home. Have you been there with them, talked with them, prayed with them, wept with them, and laughed with them?
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).
By Joel A. Hess –
Well, here it comes again. Lent. I used to say that this was my favorite time of year. It should be for a pastor, right? It’s time to get serious about the faith. Get back to basics. Restore the Roar. Those are just a some of our eye-popping, life-changing Lenten themes you have probably seen at various churches as if the perfect theme name will get people excited about coming to church. And of course, there are the Rs: Repent, renew, reflect, rediscover, rejuvenate, rehearse, rehash, regurgitate, blah blah blah.
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.
By Joel A. Hess –
Jesus wants to be found by those who look for Him. But to look for Him we have to get up and go out. @pontifex
The leader of a good portion of Christendom tweeted the above tweet just a couple of days ago. Yes, I follow him because his twitter tag is so cool, “pontifex!” Sounds like a Pagan priest. Oh, wait, what? Sadly, there seem to be many high church Lutherans who balk at being associated with or looking like evangelicals, yet have no problem being confused with this guy’s minions. Why is wearing a collar and being confused for a priest more acceptable to some than wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt and being confused with an evangelical? Seriously, many high church Lutherans and fine friends of mine have told me they feel closer to Rome than Wheaton. Yes, they are still my friends because we are men enough to be able handle jabs at one another.
By Paul Koch –
In his letter the to the church in Corinth, St. Paul speaks in sobering terms about his role in the mission and work of our Lord’s church. He seems to understand the magnitude of what he is doing and the crucial nature of just what it is that the church is called to do while awaiting the return of Christ. What he pictures is not some weak and inconsequential gathering that drifts along unnoticed in the massive workings of the world. Nor does he imagine some brutal or tyrannical operation where fear and oppression guide the daily activities.
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.
By Jeff Pulse –
Our text for Epiphany 5, February 3, 2018, is from the book of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. The text is Isaiah 40:21-31 and is part of the larger narrative of chapter 40 which first addresses the question of God, “Will you save us?” (40:1-11) and then approaches the question, “Can you save us?” (40:11-31). Of course, as we should expect from Isaiah, the answer is “Yes!” He does this by showing/discussing the LORD’s power. R. Lessing outlines this second portion as follows: 12-17: Yahweh’s transcendence over the nations; 18-20: Yahweh’s transcendence over idols;…now, our text for today, 21-24: Yahweh’s transcendence over rulers; 25-26: Yahweh is the transcendent Creator; 27-31: Yahweh wields His transcendent power for the sake of His people.
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.
By Paul Koch –
Sometimes we come together at church are we feel a bit let down by what we hear and experience. I know that we aren’t supposed to say things like that. We’re supposed to say how we are always uplifted and edified by gathering around our Lord’s Word and sacraments. But if I were to put out on the church sign that today’s sermon was going to be from the book of Jonah, why, you would have certain expectations. You would expect some story featuring a guy trying to skip out on his responsibilities, and a big storm, and the casting of lots, and the throwing of Jonah overboard, and finally a great fish that swallows him whole and carries him back to Nineveh to do the Lord’s work. You would be ready and looking forward to this powerful and dramatic story that has fueled the imaginations of God’s children for thousands of years.
By Joel A. Hess –
“Nazareth! Is it possible for anything good to come from there?” (John 1:43-51). Nathaniel wasn’t mocking the idea. He truly never thought of Nazareth as a place of any significance. He quickly surveyed his memorization of Messianic quotes and came up with a blank. It wasn’t the tiniest of towns. It certainly wasn’t the worst. It was like vegetable lasagna or the Dave Matthews Band. Blah. Nothing.
By Paul Koch –
The story of our Lord’s baptism in the Jordan River is one of my all time favorite texts from Holy Scripture. This is the text that begins our Lord’s public ministry. It is here in these waters that he makes the definitive step from being Jesus born of Mary to the Savior anointed by God to redeem all of mankind. It is an exciting and dramatic moment full of intrigue and drama that we don’t want to miss out on. In fact, I believe that in this simple and short text we find the very heart of our hope and confidence as the children of God. For this isn’t just some quaint history lesson, but a record of how it is that our Lord atones for our sins. This contains our assurance to endure as brothers and sisters in Christ.
