CrossTalk: The Power to Restore

As I write this morning, reports are coming out of Dallas about snipers, IEDs, personal bombs, and de-arming robots. It sounds more like a war than America! What is happening to respect for authority? Who has stolen our respect for human life?

Add to these the incessant attacks on Christians in California, Iowa, Oregon, and even in our own state. We are reeling and asking what happened to mutual respect and decency? What is happening to chastity and marriage? Who, or what, is attacking the homes of our land and destroying our families?

What shall we say to all this? Today let me give you two words: encouragement and faithfulness.

First, a word of encouragement. "If God be for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32) The sufferings and death of Jesus Christ stands as your certain guarantee of God's care for you.

If you already believe in Christ Jesus, you are receiving His forgiveness through Word and Sacrament. What is left to be afraid of? Be reassured that God the Father, who gave His only-begotten Son for will never stop giving. Fear not. God has your back.

If you despise the God of the Bible and cheer the new and hostile tone against Christianity, He doesn't hate you back. God gave His only-begotten Son for you; and He did not come "into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him" (John 3:17). You, too, are invited to change your mind and receive His forgiveness and goodness.

Second, a call to faithful living. There is a very good reason that Satan is attacking marriage, life, and respect for authority. It is because these are the greatest threat to his power. These are no mere human institutions, they are God's own institutions.

Because they are holy, because they are markers of God's continued grace in this world of sin that Satan attacks them. Today, more than ever, the people of God should understand that the simple act of cherishing a child or remaining chaste, is a meaningful act of spiritual warfare for the whole world.

So be bold, people of God! Confess with your very lives that human life is a sacred and holy thing. Confess with your sexuality that marriage is a gift that God gave as an icon of Christ and the Church. Confess with your home life that the human family is a very participation in the life of heaven. See Marriage, Life and Family as an image of the Triune God who created you.

In so doing, let Christ's word of forgiveness, life and salvation overpower the hate, despair, perversion, and hopelessness of our society. Where you have opportunity to strengthen your marriage, to affirm human life, or to hold together your family, take it. Where you have temptation to give in to the world and undermine these precious gifts, hold out.

And when you have fallen and failed in your own marriage, life, or family, humbly repent and eagerly receive the forgiveness of Christ. Forgiveness and restoration is the entire reason that Jesus has come. That is how He has always restored this fallen world. And that is how He will renew and restore your own world as well.

Making Peace with Vocations We Don't Have

...today’s children tend to be hounded by the notion that they must find their passion, follow their heart, achieve their dreams--do, be, and feel special, sparkly, valuable, and happy. This is tough on kids who don’t have a clear “passion” to chase. It’s rough on those whose hopes elude them.  

In Lutheran circles, we point to the doctrine of vocation as a counter-balance to the pressure to focus on ourselves. Even so, it can be easy to wonder if our vocations are enough. Stay-at-home moms worry that they ought to accomplish more outside the home. Single women fear that without husbands and children, they are cut off from life’s deepest and most meaningful work. 

We need to become more comfortable with the idea that life is about receiving different gifts, different paths, and different opportunities. Despite our lip service to diversity, our culture resists accepting the real differences between individuals, cultures, and even human bodies.

Read the rest here.

Being the Remnant Church: “Don’t Go to Egypt”

From: LCMS Revitalizing Congregations blog

There are several different words that have been used recently to describe the religious landscape of our rapidly changing culture. Some are more helpful than others.

The term “post-Church” is a bit confusing because there are still many churches in America and we are actively starting new churches. It takes some explanation to clarify that the term post-Church is a shortened version of “post-Constantinian Church” — a historical reference that tends to confuse as many people as it helps.

“Post-Christian” is another term that is widely used. It rightly indicates that the  American church has greatly diminished in numbers and influence from the peaks of the middle of the last century. While it is an accurate description of our culture, it is not a meaningful way of describing the Church in our culture.

Among the options, the best descriptive title of the Church in present day America is probably the “Remnant Church.” Not only does the word remnant aptly describe the diminished Church in our nation, it is a biblical description that provides critical guidance to church leaders and members.

The most frequent use of the word remnant in the Bible is in reference to the people of Judah who were spared from the Exile or who were preserved in it to return to Israel.  Not surprisingly, Jeremiah uses the term more extensively than any other book of the Bible. We can learn some valuable lessons about being the Remnant Church in America from the Word of the Lord that Jeremiah proclaimed to the remnant of Judah. One of the most important lessons is “Don’t go to Egypt” (Jeremiah 42:19).

God spoke this command to the remnant remaining in Israel to redirect them after they had made plans to go and live in the land of Egypt. As a remnant, the people had lost their status, strength, and security. They faced serious hardships because they were small in number, vulnerable to their enemies, and living under the rule of a hostile government. They were faced with the harsh realities of being a remnant and they didn’t like what they were experiencing.

Though God had told this remnant that He had a purpose for them in Israel and He had assured them that He would preserve them in their land, they were looking for a better solution to the hardships of being small, insignificant, and vulnerable as a remnant. They looked to Egypt for their new source of status, strength, and security. Concerned for the well-being of His people and wanting them to look to Him alone for what they needed, the Lord responded clearly and forcefully through His prophet: “Don’t go to Egypt.”

As the  Remnant Church in America, we need to take the command “Don’t go to Egypt” to heart and understand how it applies to us in our context.

Like the remnant of Judah, we have lost much of what we once enjoyed in our culture in terms of status, strength, and security. The Church is no longer respected as an institution, clergy are often viewed with suspicion, and believers are treated with disdain when speaking the Word as Christ’s witnesses. The political clout that had promoted and preserved biblical values has given way to defeats in all three branches of our government. That same government has taken an active role in fighting for the perceived rights of the advocates of immorality and against the liberties of the people of faith who will not embrace them.

Some Church leaders are calling on Christians to fight against this rapidly rising tide of hostility toward orthodox Christianity and to remain steadfast in the Faith whatever the costs may be. But many others are calling their people to go to Egypt.

The Egypt that entices the Remnant Church in America is not a foreign country, but our own country that has become foreign to us. The status, strength, and security that the Church has lost is now found in the activist organizations that endorse and promote various sins under the banner of equality and in the politicians who have found new life in supporting their causes.

Going to Egypt for us is leaving the Word of the Lord in one way or another in order to find ways to tolerate, accept, or embrace the popular values of our culture in order to regain the status, strength, and security that we no longer have. “Don’t go to Egypt” is a clear warning to flee from that temptation and a call to embrace our remnant status and purpose.

The road before us is not pleasant and it is certain to be filled with the hardships of being small in number, insignificant in the public square, and vulnerable to our adversaries. In other words, being the Remnant Church is a call to the Cross. We can either take up our crosses and bear them in Christ for the sake of the world or we can abandon that call, set our sights toward Egypt, and attempt to reclaim greatness in the world. Our Savior’s urgent plea for His Remnant Church — for our sake as well as for the sake of those who are perishing around us —  is “Don’t go to Egypt.”

[Next in the series: Embrace God’s Purpose for the Remnant]

Questions to consider: 

• How has the overall church’s decrease in numbers and influence in America had an effect on my congregation? Our members? Me?

• What is the “Egypt” that is tempting us to rely on something other than the Lord and His Word for the prosperity (or survival) of our congregation?

• What do we as a congregation need to do to overcome the temptation to “go to Egypt”? What do I need to do to overcome this temptation?

What Happened at Nicea?

A recent blog by Fred Sanders at "The Scriptorium" gives a nice synopsis of the Council of Nicea -- which began on May 20, 325.

Athanasius in particular perceived that if Christ truly reveals God and reconciles us to God, then Christ must be fully divine, must in fact be homoousios, of one essence, with God. Many theologians in the fourth century continued to be squeamish about applying this metaphysical “substance” language to God and Christ, but the strategy of Nicaea was to adopt it as a necessary implication of Christian commitments. Once Arius had raised the ontological question so forcefully, it could only be answered in ontological terms. Earlier theologians, even one as great as Irenaeus, did not use such explicitly ontological terms to describe the Son’s relationship to the Father; nor did they use explicitly ontological terms to deny the Son’s unity with the Father. Arius started it. When he innovated, Nicaea innovated right back. You might be able to do theology without the help of categories like substance, but once you invoke them, there are wrong answers and right answers.

CrossTalk: Jesus Loves His Enemies

In just two and a half weeks, we will observe the most solemn day on the Christian calendar. We call it Good Friday. It marks the day when God Himself died for the sins of the world.

This is the exact polar opposite of what we would expect! After all, if you had created something from scratch only to have it turn on you and attack you, what would you do? If you liked it well enough, you might give it another chance. But if it kept on attacking you incessantly and viciously, I think any reasonable person would finally reach the conclusion that it needed to be put down.

But God has created us out of nothing. He created us to be and to behave as human beings -- namely to be perfect depictions of His own love right here in the world. "In the image of God" He created us. But far from depicting God's selfless love in the world, we are habitually self-seeking. Instead of living in eternal gratefulness for the unmerited tender mercies that God has given us, we resent His authority and rebel against His rules.

It would be perfectly reasonable for God to "put us down." He would have every right to wipe us off the face of the planet and start over. But He doesn't! Instead, He came to earth to BE put down. He came to BE wiped off the face of the planet for you. That's what happened on Good Friday.

 What punishment so strange is suffered yonder!

 The Shepherd dies for sheep that loved to wander;

 The Master pays the debt His servants owe Him,

  Who would not know Him.

 The sinless Son of God must die in sadness;

 The sinful child of man may live in gladness;

 Man forfeited his life and is acquitted;

  God is committed.

What shall we say to all these things? How could we be anything else than totally won over by such love toward us? Do we thank Him by continuing to ignore Him, His Word, His Worship, His purpose for our lives?

Are we not in the least bit curious to know more about this God who would go to such extreme lengths for us? Why would He do such a thing? If He loves me so much as to do this for me, what does that say about His commandments for me? Can these possibly be so hateful toward me when everything else I know about Him is so loving towards me? How can you continue to hate and war against a man who is -- even now -- giving Himself so totally to you?

If you are not regularly attending Church to hear the gracious words of this crucified God, do youself the biggest favor of your life. Come and hear Him out.

If you are already hearing His words and worshiping this crucified God, remember just how blessed you are to know Him. Recall the joy of the day when you first came to know the joy of His love. And pray this is infinite, self-sacrificial love He gave to you while you were still His enemy, might be made into your own infinite and self-sacrificial love for your enemies.

CrossTalk: New Light, New Hope

As I write these words, the sun is bright, the air is cold, and the Baby New Year, 2016, is only a few hours old. There is a good reason we call the New Year a "Baby." Just as with the birth of a new child, there is a sense of wonder and excitement at the possibilities and the hopes for this new life. So also, a new year brings us the excitement and hope that comes with fresh starts and new possibilities.

For me, the most striking feature of the New Year is light. The past three weeks have been the darkest of the year. With only four minutes of variation, we have seen the sun only a little more than 9 hours a day. But once you have made it to New Years Day, you start seeing the daylight increasing by leaps and bounds. Tomorrow, we gain another minute; and in a week, we will have gained seven more! Last fall, while the days were growing shorter by leaps and bounds, the sense of darkness was oppressive. But now we get to experience the opposite effect.

When you stop to think about it, this is really a remarkable thing. Planets like Mercury, Venus and Jupiter have very little tilt in relation to the sun. This means that their days are about the same length year in and year out. But the earth is tilted 23 degrees on its axis. As a result, we get to experience predictable seasonal changes every year. This is not simply "nature" that we are experiencing, it is God's special creation that makes each day from here on out increasingly light and cheery.

In other words, just as last fall, God was intentionally giving us less light and teaching us endurance and patience. So also now, God is intentionally giving us ever more light in our days and teaching us that the darkness never lasts forever but will always be dispelled by the light. In fact, it is no mere accident that this reversal of trends -- from increasing darkness, to increasing light -- happens right around Christmas. By God's own plan, the seasonal rhythms that He put into nature serve to illustrate the Spiritual reality that Jesus is born to be the Light of the world. As the prophet had foretold, "the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light! And those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a Light has dawned. ...For unto us a Child is born. To us a Son is given." (Isaiah 9:2,6a)

It is with the coming of Jesus that we see another reason for hope and joy. We are told in Matthew 1:21 that He is to be called "Jesus" because He will save His people from their sins. "Jesus" means Savior, specifically "the LORD saves!" Sins and shortcomings are a huge reason for sadness and sorrow. They have an accumulative effect. With each shortcoming, you get farther and farther behind. With each sin, your relationships are more and more strained. No matter what you do, you cannot get back on top of things and life seems to be spiraling out of control. If only there were a "RESET" button. If only you could wipe out the sins of the past and start fresh. If only you could get rid of the baggage that haunts your past and fills you with dread of the future. Short of this, there is no optimism for the future. You can only expect the sins and shortcomings of the past to continue to poison your future.

"But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared." (Psalm 130). Because of Jesus, your dream for a RESET button is not just wishful thinking. God has actually repaired the past -- your past. The price was great, but it has been paid!  Because of Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection, God Himself can indeed give you a fresh start through the forgiveness of Jesus!  This is the greatest reason for optimism. In Christ, you are no longer weighed down by your past. You need no longer be doomed to the past patterns of self-destruction. In Christ, God breaks the bonds of addiction to sin. In Christ, God Himself lifts you out of the ruts. In Christ, you have a fresh start, like a newborn babe.

This brings us back again to the Baby New Year, 2016. It's a picture of what God can do for you in Christ. Fresh as a baby, innocent, pure, unscarred, with nothing to prevent it's full development into the person that God created it to be. The New Year is a time for hope because Jesus is in the world. All that is gloomy, dark, old, and sinful, is made new in Him.

Joy to the world! The Lord has come!

CrossTalk: Kindness As Spiritual Warfare

"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does  not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20).

It's hard to miss the ever-increasing level of rancor and hostility in our world today. The internet seethes with it, and cable news shows have turned it into big money. It bothers me. A lot. And it probably bothers you.

There are several obvious culprits. Cable television has fragmented and polarized the news-reporting business. Social media and internet blogs have made it possible to isolate ourselves into ideological echo-chambers where we hear only what we want. The internet, in general, has so swamped us with information that we rely on our favorite spin-meister rather than weigh the facts for ourselves. On top of all this, "conversations" carried on by keyboard and backlit screens make it easy to forget the humanity of the person on the other end. We yell at the screen and type words that we  would never, ever, say if we were speaking face-to-face.

We could go on forever about all these explanations, but that would miss the bigger picture. It sees only the temptations; but  fails to recognize the Tempter. "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians  6:12). The ghosts and goblins running around on Halloween are not real. But Satan's presence in our everyday conversations is very real.

Satan is less interested in the position you fight for than in the fact that you're fighting. He loses when you are willing to die for something; but he wins when you are willing to kill for it. The anger and the rancor that swirls all around you -- and oftentimes pulls you in -- is not just a by-product of disagreements. It is Satan's primary intention.

Satan is all about tearing apart relationships. He wants to turn children against parents, husbands against wives, voters against elected officials, workers against employers, citizens against police, brother against brother and, most of all, creatures against their Creator.

The apostle Paul saw this clearly. So he teaches, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:31-32). This is not merely about ettiquette. This is spiritual warfare.

When we resist the spirit of the world, when we refuse to become angry with those who oppose us, we are standing with Christ against Satan. This does not mean that we simply surrender the field and let the blasphemies of Satan go unopposed. But it does mean that we speak the truth in love. It means that we defend Christ, and not ourselves. It means that we live in peace -- even when the world rages against us.

There are worse things than losing an argument. Losing your humanity is the real danger. What is worse than being insulted? Insulting. What is worse than being deceived? Deceiving. What is worse than dying? Murdering.

So take a break from social media. Turn off the cable news show. Seek out those who disagree with you and have a face-to-face conversation over a glass of lemonade. Nobody has ever been won over by an internet meme. Nasty emails do not create unity or foster love.

When anger is directed at you, remember who the real enemy is: not your neighbor who is angry, but Satan who angers him and wants to anger you. Always remember that we do not battle flesh and blood but principalities, powers and the rulers of the darkness of this age.

Most of all, take comfort in the fact that real battle has already been won. Jesus rose from the dead to defeat Satan. You are not responsible to save the world. Jesus does that for you. You are only given to live in that victory by forgiving others as God in Christ forgives you. You are blessed to be tenderhearted toward those who oppose you, just as the Father tenderly gave His only-begotten Son to a world that opposes Him.

The Son of God has absorbed the wrath of the world. There is no more need to respond in wrath. Jesus lives and reigns to all eternity. He is still in charge. His Word will not and cannot lose. But His victories are hidden and unnoticed. They happen one heart at a time. They happen every time the peace of Christ rules in the hearts of those who trust in Him.