Nov 30th, Advent 1

On vacation, Pastor Brummer substituting.

Thoughts going in, Sunday November 23rd, Christ the King Sunday

Eph 1:19 That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he [God] exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that can be invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

This Sunday marks the end of the Church year, and does so with another ‘thematic’ approach: “Christ the King.” The best write-up I’ve ever encountered on this feast comes from the Roman Catholic “Days of the Lord” series. This very thorough treatment is a bit long to quote here, so instead I’ll quote the statement found in the Year A Sundays/Seasons book:

“Christ the King” is a johnny-come-lately to the schedule of festivals and observances on the church calendar. It has neither the biblical warrant of Easter nor the antiquity of the forty days of Lent. Christ the King Sunday I the invention of a 20^th century Pope, Pius XI. Yet Christ the King Sunday is on the calendars of all of the Protestant churches that keep a church calendar. No doubt the appeal of the day is rooted in the need Pius XI saw in 1925. Europe was still reeling from World War I, and economic uncertainty abounded. People were bending the knee and doing obeisance to human saviors and political parties that promised to rescue them. Religion was increasingly relegated to the private sphere. In response to this, Pius XI called for an annual Sunday feast day to assert the kingship of our Savior. The observance of Christ the King proclaimed that no earthly ruler or power is LORD. The day proclaimed Jesus is king not only of our hearts and our private moments and personal salvation, but of all time and space.

With this in mind, even though the gospel reading of the day is the JUDGMENT scene of the separation of the sheep and goats, I like these verses from the day’s second reading in Ephesians as the basis for our meditation. Not only that, the verses in Ephesians fit nicely into the series of "ends" that we have been looking at. For Christ the King Sunday, I'd say that "the end" being celebrated is the "end of the world's system of power and authority."

One thing that really stands out to me in this passage is the tense of the verbs. Everything that St. Paul is talking about has ALREADY HAPPENED. Very often we as Christians tend to think of ourselves as “left behind” and alone in the enemy territory of the world. Jesus **WILL come again to judge the living and the dead, but right now it’s a free-for-all and it’s all just spinning out of control, and sorta up for grabs. Who will win, Jesus or someone else? This passage from Ephesians begs to differ. Jesus is already reigning: (a) by the power of God, vs 19; and (b) over every possible earthly rule, power or authority, vs 20.

The problem right now is that Jesus’ reign does not represent the ONLY power in the world. And this brings us to a profound irony: one would think that if the Christians simply banded together and DEFEATED all of the other powers in a military pre-emptive strike…and forcibly Christianized the entire world, that this would somehow make the reign of Christ more visible, real, and good. It wouldn’t. Every example of ‘ChristenDOM’ history has ever known has been a corrupt perversion of the reign of Christ. Clearly the thing to do is LET HIM REIGN HIS WAY.

How is that? Well, we need to remember what he said: “My kingdom is not of this world.” He’s not the type of king, and his kingdom isn’t the type of kingdom that uses the world’s regular tools. His kingdom isn’t based on the power of the sword, but rather on the power of the Gospel. If the church has a call to mission in furthering Christ’s kingdom, it is NOT to pick up the sword and conquer the earthly powers in his name, it is rather to pick up the GOSPEL and conquer the world with the LOVE of Christ. American Christianity in particular seems to have largely forgotten this.

The other thing that stands out to me from this text is the use of the word POWER. As the biblical exegetes frequently note, in the Greek the word is ‘dunamis’…it’s the word we get our “dynamite” from. Paul says that it’s this dynamite power of God that raised Jesus from the dead that has seated him at God’s right hand and declared him ruler of all. But it’s also the same power that has worked in our lives via baptism; and empowers us to live godly lives. In short, the POWER that raised Christ and made him King over all is the same POWER that drives the Gospel and will ultimately ensure its victory.

The reign of Christ on the throne through the Gospel is a death knell to the world's system of power and authority. The world's system is driven by greed, winner-take-all, force, power, wealth, materialism, pride, and the ability to hold people in the spell of its grip. But every time a person is touched by the Gospel, every time a baptized believer makes the Gospel of Christ the driving factor in their life, the spell is broken.... and it's the beginning of the end for the world's system.

cheers,

TM

Special guest preacher this Sunday, Nov 16th, Pentecost +23

Our very special guest preacher this Sunday, Nov 16th is: Chaplain Craig G. Muehler, CAPT, CHC, USN, (Ret.)

Chaplain Muehler is the Director of the Ministry to the Armed Forces, where, he serves as the chief liaison to the more than 160 LCMS chaplains in all branches of the military, active and reserve, and the Civil Air Patrol. Chaplain Muehler was called to this position in August 2014 upon his retirement from active duty, where he last served at the Pentagon as deputy chaplain of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Muehler, a 1988 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is a trained chaplain with the rank of captain (USN) and holds a master’s degree in Theology in Pastoral Counseling from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill.

His active-duty assignments have included Destroyer Squadron Thirty-One, Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Ill.; Naval Security Group Activity, Kunia, Hawaii; U.S.S. Inchon, Ingleside, Texas; Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas; 2d Marine Logistics Group, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; 3D Marine Aircraft Wing, Miramar, Calif.; Naval Medical Center, San Diego; and 3D Marine Division, Okinawa, Japan.

Chaplain Muehler’s decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (two), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two), the Joint Meritorious Unit Award and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Commendation.

Thoughts going in, Sunday November 9th, Pentecost +22

1Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

            It's at times like this that I feel a bit sorry for churches located in the southern hemisphere--at least if they want to use the same common lectionary we do (and they do). The lectionaries are a product of the northern hemisphere church. All you have to do is look out your window. The flowers are gone; the leaves have turned and are now almost all gone; the cold winter--always symbolic of death--is knocking on our door. Thus, just in time, the lectionary encourages us to contemplate the "ends." We contemplate the end of life in this world on All Saints day/Sunday; and then again this Sunday. Next Sunday we'll contemplate the end of history with Paul's reading that it will happen like a thief coming in the night. The following Sunday, the last Sunday of the church year, we'll contemplate the rule of Christ The King--which is itself a death knell to the world's idea of power, reign, and authority. And then we'll begin the church year all over again with Advent--yet Advent isn't just thinking about the soon arrival of Baby Jesus in the manger, it begins by reminding believers that he will come again to judge the living and the dead. In other words, from All Saints through the first Sunday of Advent, our focus is constantly on the "ends"... whether our personal end, or the end of the present world order, or the end of time/history itself... and at some deep emotional level, it all makes sense for us to hear these things now as days become shorter/darker, and nature itself seems to be reminding us of these things. Unless you live in Australia, where nature itself is coming to LIFE... the days are getting longer, and buds are beginning to bloom. What looks like the end *here, is just the beginning, *there.

            I'm not sure that's a 100% accurate parallel to the reading above from St. Paul's letter to the church at Thessalonica, but it's pretty close. They had somehow missed a link in the discussion chain from Paul's earlier instruction and had begun to believe that *IF you died prior to the return of Christ, this somehow meant that you had missed out. Paul, in pure pastoral affection, takes this opportunity to encourage them that not only have their loved ones who've died in the faith not missed out, but he gives them a solid foundation for viewing death from the perspective of faith, and for caring for each other in our grief. These are perhaps St. Paul's most pastoral words--and as you can imagine, this text is a mainstay for funeral sermons.

            There are really 3 main ideas going on in the text: GRIEF, HOPE, and RESURRECTION. The first, GRIEF, is often very misunderstood. I have been to more funerals than I care to count where the emphasis seems to be on the artificial denial of grief... all because the deceased was a believer. And so the pastor, (or more likely a well-meaning relative) tries to turn the event into a 'no-grief-zone.' No crying, remember Grandma's in heaven with Jesus... there's nothing to be sad about. Hold the phone. Grandma can be in heaven with Jesus, but we still miss her here! And besides, that's not what St. Paul said in the passage. He didn't say Christians don't grieve; he said we don't have hopeless grief; we don't grieve like the rest who have no hope (v13).

            Which introduces the next big idea, Christian HOPE. This too can be misunderstood. KC Royals fans hoped their team would win the world series, and they made it close, but in the end it wasn't to be. We can hope that it's not going to be a harsh winter, but who knows? Regular human hope is a wistful desire for something with absolutely no guarantee. This is not Christian hope. Christian hope is the confident expectation that God will act as He said He would, based upon the foundation that it has already begun. The main thing that separates Old Testament believers from New Testament believers is that they had much less to go on than we do, and yet they believed anyway. The latter days are here. God has already acted decisively in the world. That's the whole point of the opening of Hebrews: In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things (1:1-2a). Since God promised to act, then acted, Christian hope is about the assurance that all of the rest of the stuff God has promised will also come to fruition. The forecast may be up in the air, but God's promises are not.

            And then finally, the last big theme is RESURRECTION. As with grief and hope, resurrection can sometimes be misunderstood. Many people think this is what happens when we die; our souls live on in heaven and our bodies get buried or cremated. This is a very comforting and Christian thought, but it's not resurrection. It's what happens before resurrection. In other words, resurrection isn't our souls going to be with Jesus, it's what happens when Jesus comes back to earth to be with all believers of all time. Resurrection is new body time, without the downsides of the original body. No more high cholesterol or diabetes; no more aches and pains; no more getting old; no more dying.

            If there's a 'downside' to this passage, it's probably that the word 'rapture' has been applied to it--not that there's anything wrong with the word, it's the Latin for 'caught up,' but in its sensationalized/popularized teaching of today, 'rapture theology' has totally shifted the focus away from Paul's message. The emphasis isn't on being 'caught up,' the emphasis is on the return of Jesus. Here Paul uses a customary/ceremonial term that everyone would be familiar with in his day: parousia. The parousia was when the emperor, or his legate, came to visit. Before he got within sight of the city, a herald was sent ahead to sound the alert; to blow a horn. This was a sign to the city's residents that they were to drop what they're doing and come out of the city, lining the way, so as to cheer the emperor upon his arrival. Paul's point is that the return of Jesus will be a lot like this, only GREATER. At his parousia it will be not only the living believers who come out to greet him, but also those who have died in the faith. And this event will usher in those great words of the creeds:  the life of the world to come.

Cheers,

T.M.

Thoughts going in, Sunday November 2nd, All Saints Sunday

Rev. 7:9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" 13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" 14 I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16 'Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,' nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center before the throne will be their shepherd; 'he will lead them to springs of living water.' 'And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"

            As I blog this on Thursday the 30th of November, the calendar on the wall says tomorrow is Halloween. Ah, the child's favorite 'holiday,' with its promise of the mega load of candy. Halloween really isn't Halloween, though. It's All Hallow's Eve--the liturgical prelude to November 1st, All Saint's Day. NOT that I'm one of those Grinch-like Christians who has a problem with trick-or-treating. My only point is that there's more going on with the day than meets the eye.

            Something like that is at work in this Sunday's first reading, from John the Seer's Revelation, chapter 7. First, a liturgical observation. Sunday itself is not All Saint's Day. It is simply the 21st Sunday after Pentecost. But we and many other congregations follow the long tradition of transferring the liturgical celebration of All Saints to the first Sunday in November, creating an All Saint's Sunday. In this way we ensure the celebration can be observed by more than just those who live in religious communities.

            Days like this are so rich with themes for exploration. There is much more to discuss than time in which to discuss it. For instance, I love the way the passage ends in vs 17 with the "Head & Shoulder's" promise from God of "no more tears:"  17 For the Lamb at the center before the throne will be their shepherd; 'he will lead them to springs of living water.' 'And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'" This echoes the sentiments of the prophet Isaiah from so many years before:  On this mountain the Lord will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. (Is 25:7-8). Both are passages of VICTORY. They speak to the fact that in the end, God wins... and death dies; cause for celebration indeed! This is the life of the world to come, that the creeds talk about. It's also interesting to me that both the readings specifically mention the idea of every tear being wiped away. This implies a complete lack of sorrow. SOMEHOW, every regret... every misstep, every mistake, every gaff, every loathsome memory we have of letting down friends, family, ourselves, and God Almighty,... in short, everything that brings a tear to our eye ... somehow... will be made right by God himself.

            But I am also taken with the first part of the reading from Revelation: After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice (vss 9-10). To be clear, John the Seer uniquely *SEES* something that others don't. He sees a very present reality that is veiled to everyone else, but REAL nonetheless; he sees the heavenly throne room with the 'Church Triumphant' in worship--perfectly echoing the worship of the Church here on earth. Those who are familiar with the modern Lutheran Liturgy's hymn of praise "This is the Feast of Victory" will no doubt detect a resemblance in what is 'cried out' by the great host arrayed in white of Revelation and the lyrics of the hymn: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" (vss 10 & 12). Compare with the stanza: Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever, Amen. [note: for more similarities see Rev chapter 5]. The point is that 2 very important truths are being reflected in the liturgy: #1 Those who have gone before us are not lost; they are safe and sound in the presence of God, and #2 in the Eucharistic liturgy of the Church *we mystically join with *them in worship and praise, creating a closeness that is unparalleled at any other time and place.

            These are words of comfort that I often try to offer those in grief. While there is nothing wrong with visiting a loved one's final resting place, in faith we are never closer to them than when we are gathered together around the holy table; where our worship here echoes the worship in heaven; where angels, and archangels, and all the company of heaven laud and magnify His glorious name evermore singing Holy, holy, holy... and where the veil that separates us from them is pierced, as heaven joins earth when Christ's body and blood are mystically joined to the sacramental bread and wine.

            John the Seer looked and saw all of this (vs 9); he was blessed with a heavenly vision. But in faith, WE TOO can look and see this as well. In faith, we too can look and see a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. In faith, we can look and see in that multitude... those we've known and loved who are no longer with us. What if we're not 'sure' of their salvation? What if we're not sure how 'strong' their faith was, or if they'd been baptized, or if they'd accepted Jesus into their heart, or if they'd prayed the sinner's prayer with enough fervor and sincerity? What then? I was discussing this very topic with someone not long ago. When it comes right down to it, who among any of us has "enough faith" to merit heaven? Who among us ever gets 'wet enough' in baptism, or is sincere enough in asking Jesus to come into our heart? When faith becomes a badge of merit, God's grace is no longer in the picture. This is not a road we want to go down. That multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne... are there because God is gracious and merciful, loving and forgiving, and WANTS THEM THERE.

            John the Seer looked and saw them. This passage invites us to look and see them too.

Cheers,

T.M.