Lutheran Evening Prayer 11-30-11

Reading:
1 Peter 2:13-25

It is interesting in the world today.  Many are standing up against the different issues of our day.  The "Occupy" movement is among the newest ones that are trying to set things right for those that suffer.  They disobey the laws, become disrespectful to property, and other acts that are not good.

St. Peter gives us a different way of seeing the world and how to stand against it.  It is by following the rules, being obedient to the government.  It is doing this you silence the ignorance of foolish people.  We are to be true disciples of Christ that take His example as the way to be.

Jesus did not deserve to be tormented, mocked, spit at or any of these things.  He especially did not deserve to die on the cross.  Yet He did it without a word being uttered about how unfair it was.  He went willing to die on the cross so that He could administer His saving life to you and to me. 

This is the example that we are to follow.

Lutheran Confession Quote of the Day

Besides, catechism study is a most effective help against the devil, the world, the flesh, and all evil thoughts.  It helps to be occupied with God's Word, to speak it, and meditate on it, just as the first Psalm declares people blessed who meditate on God's Law day and night.

Longer Preface Large Catechism.

Lutheran Evening Prayer 11-28-11

Reading:
1 Peter 1:13-25

"Therefore preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 

Advent is a penitential season within the Holy Church.  This is rather hard to believe with all of the hustle and bustle of this time of year.  However, after watching how the Black Friday shoppers acted, we probably could all use a little repentance.

Holy Mother Church, calls the faithful to a time of quiet.  She wants us to come into the Church where we here and prepare to once again experience the mystery of the Word made flesh.  We are to be spending this time in the Scriptures, reading the Bible which is the greatest love story ever told.  To hear again the angels announcing the Good News that God is with us and among us and is going to save us.  This is our hope that we rest that God's grace towards us is only because of Jesus Christ.

This prayer is used daily in the Anglican Communion and thought it picked up on the theme of the reading of preparing our hearts and minds:

Almighty God, help us to cast away the works of darkness and put upon us the armor of light.  Now in the time of this mortal life in which Thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility.  That in the last great day when He will come again to judge both the living and the dead, we might rise to the life immortal.  Through Jesus Christ.

Lutheran Confession Quote of the Day

A Christian, profitable, and necessary and preface, and faithful, serious encouragement from Dr. Martin Luther to all Christians, but especially to all pastors and preachers.  They should daily exercise themselves in the catechism, which is a short summary and epitome of the entire Holy Scriptures.  They should always teach the catechism.

Longer Preface to the Large Catechism, pg. 351

Lutheran Evening Prayer 11-27-11

Reading:
1 Peter 1:1-12

"According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you."  (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Today marks the beginning of Advent.  Advent is a the time of year that prepares us through works of mercy, prayer and alms giving for the celebration of Christmas, but just as important is the look forward to His return.  The Holy Mother Church calls us to walk once again through the time of preparation and to look towards Christ's sure and certain return.  So we spend these next four weeks in fasting and prayer in preparation for His return.

You must remember that our preparations are not done to earn our status before God.  Because as St. Peter was teaching here our living hope that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading is according His great mercy.  God's mercy is what secures our inheritance because of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross for us.  His death on the cross, where He spilled His most precious blood is what allows us this inheritance.  It is sure and certain not because of our works but because of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.

St. Peter went on to tell those whom he was writing that they did not see Jesus, they love him and believe in Him.  This is the same for us today.  We have not seen Jesus in the flesh like they did in Jerusalem and throughout the Holy Land when Jesus walked among us.  However, we do still have Jesus coming to us today.  He does so through the Word and Sacraments.  It is in these great gifts that God gives to His Church that His presence is lived out today and we experience with certainty what they promise and that "obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:9)

May you all have a blessed Advent as we prepare once again for the great mystery of the Word made flesh and for His second coming!

Lutheran Confession Quote of the Day

They do not care that the churches are rightly taught and that the Sacraments are duly administered.  They let all kinds of men into the priesthood without proper selection.  Afterward, they impose intolerable burdens, as though they delighted  in the destruction of their fellows.  They demand that their traditions be observed far more accurately than the Gospel.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXVII (XIV) Church Authority 3

Lutheran Evening Prayer 11-22-11

Reading:
Revelation 19:1-21

"Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb"

St. John was blessed to be given these visions of things to come.  Through a gift from God, he was able to see a time in heaven when the voice of the saints cry out to our God the praise that is due His Name.  What a sight this must have been to see.  To see the elders and the living creatures falling in worship before God.  This is the sign of true worship when you come before the Holy God and fall on your face in worship.

This is what our worship is to look like here on earth as well.  We meet weekly to come into the presence of God through Word and Sacrament.  We must remember that Jesus is present in a special way in both Word and Sacrament, so that His presence is real to offer us salvation, the forgiveness of sins.  He has invited you in the waters of Baptism to His feast.  He placed upon you the fine linen robe of His righteousness.  You are now seen as one of the invited.  Then He invites you to His feast, where you feed upon the Lamb Himself that comes to you under the veil of bread and wine. 

May as we approach our Lord in Word and Sacrament waiting for His final return, may we fall down and worship Him now and may we sing along with the voice of the great multitude:
   "Hallelujah!
    For the Lord our God
         the Almighty reigns.
    Let us rejoice and exult
         and give him the glory,
    for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
          and his Bride has made herself ready;
    it was granted to her to clothe herself
          with fine linen, bright and pure -"

Lutheran Confessions Quote

They pretend that monastic works area a [justifying] service; they pretend that they merit the forgiveness of sins and justification.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXVII (XIII) Monastic Vows 63

Evening Prayer 11-20-11

Reading:
Matthew 28:1-20

"And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age."

On Good Friday, all looked lost.  The One that the disciples thought would be the one to set them all free was nailed to a cross between two thieves.  All seemed over and fear gripped the disciples as they tried to make sense of what they had experienced over the week of Christ's Passion.  They saw them remove the Body, they knew that He was a placed in the tomb. 

But thanks be to God, that was not the end of the story.  The sacrifice was offered and now Jesus Christ would be the One to take His life back again.  So He is resurrected, never to die again.  He tells those that have seen Him after the resurrection, "do not be afraid!"  We do not have to fear Jesus because He is the One that was sent to restore us with our Heavenly Father.  The angel reminds the women that he is risen as he said.  You see Jesus keeps His promises.

So when He says that He will be with us always, He means it.  He continues to be present among us in Word and Sacrament.  These are the means of grace that He left to His Church so that she could give them to each of us.  These life giving tokens of God's grace and mercy to a fallen world.  We do not have to try to climb to some spiritual height to get to Jesus, no rather He continues to come to us and seek us out.  So it is in the Ark of the Church that we continue to be near Jesus and have His presence in Word and Sacrament given to us each week.

Confession Quote of the Day

Likewise, they neither hear nor teach the Gospel about the free forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake, the righteousness of faith, true repentance, or works having God's command.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXVII (XIII) Monastic Vows. 54

Evening Prayer 11-19-11

Reading:
Matthew 27:57-66


Conspiracy theories where alive and well during Jesus' time just like they are today.  You can see the chief priests and Pharisees getting quite concerned at this point.  They remember hearing Jesus speak about the fact that you could destroy the Temple and He will rebuild it three days.  (John2:19)  He did not mean the Temple that was there in Jerusalem, but rather He was speaking about His own body that was going to be offered on the cross for the sin of the world.  This Holy Body would lay for three days and then it would be raised to life again.  This is what the priests and Pharisees were concerned about.  They knew all that Jesus taught was Truth and they saw Him perform miracles, now they were concerned what if He was right.

But of course they wanted to paint it to be that the disciples would come and take the body and then say that He lives.  However, having a missing body would not really prove anything, now would it.  However, a resurrected body that could be seen, touched, spoken with, walked with, and having a meal with, now that might get peoples attention! So they could place all of the seals that they wanted, Jesus came back from the dead and did many wonderful signs to show that He is alive!

This is our blessed hope that because He lives we too shall live.  We have died in Holy Baptism and now have received the new life of Christ so that death no longer has a hold on us.  We know that we will now spend eternity with Jesus because He paid our debt in full when He died on the cross and rose again!  There is no conspiracy, there are too many witnesses that record the resurrection of Jesus in multiple ways.  Lay hold of the truth by faith and live!

Lutheran Confession Quote

Evangelical poverty does not come from the abandonment of property, but from not being greedy, from not trusting in wealth, just as David was poor in a most wealthy kingdom.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXVII (XIII) Monastic Vows 46

Evening Prayer 11-18-11

Reading:
Matthew 27:33-56

The crucifixion is the pivotal point in history.  Just as the conception and birth of Jesus rings through with the joy of the "Word was made flesh and dwelt among us."  So the crucifixion, the death of Jesus is when the precious blood of Jesus was spilled for you and for me. All of the Old Testament sacrifices pointed to this moment of time when the Lamb of God would take away the sin of the world.  Jesus was the perfect Lamb that was led to the slaughter.  He willingly went to the cross on our behalf so that you and I could have eternal life and have a relationship restored with our Heavenly Father.

This is why when Jesus gave up His spirit, the veil in the Temple was torn in two.  This huge veil separated man from God.  But now that perfect God - Man offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of the world, man now had access to God again.  We come to God through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice that was offered.  We do not come before God through anything that we do, but only as we are found in Jesus.

May we constantly look to the cross.  The prayer for today states,"O Lord Jesus Christ, for this and all Your other suffering and pain, we give You thanks and praise.  We pray You, let Your holy, bitter suffering and death be not lost on us, but grant that at all times this may be our comfort, and that we may boast in it; and that as we ponder it, all evil desire in us may be snuffed out and subdued, and all virtue may be implanted and increased, so that we having died to sin, may live in righteousness, following the example You have left us...'

Confession Quote of the Day

So they made this change that monasticism is a state in which one acquires perfection.  If we follow this logic, monasticism will be no more a state of perfection than the life of a farmer or mechanic.  For these are also states in which one acquires perfection.  All people, in every vocation, should seek perfection, that is grown in the fear of God, in faith, in love toward one's neighbor, and similar spiritual virtues.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXVII (XIII) Monastic Vows 37

Lutheran Quote

On account of this, the cross is both holy and blessed!  Once nothing but a dry piece of wood, it was changed, like Aaron's staff, into a green branch full of heavenly blossoms and fruit.  Once an instrument of torment for the punishment of sinners, it now shines in heavenly splendor for all sinners as a sign of grace.  Once the wood f the curse, it has now become, after the Promised Blessing for all people offered Himself up on it, a tree of blessing, an altar of sacrifice for the atonement, and a sweet smelling aroma to God.  Today, the cross is still a terror- but only to hell.  It shines upon its ruins as a sign of victory over sin, death and Satan.

C.F.W. Walther

Evening Prayer 11-17-11

Reading:
Matthew 27:11-32

Who would you choose?

So many times in today's society we will hear, did you choose to follow Jesus?  So many times we will hear the affirmative, "Yes, I have chosen Jesus".  That sounds good doesn't it?  However, I hate to tell you but if the choice was really up to you, you would act like those in the reading today.  Your choice would not be to follow Jesus.  You would follow after someone else and choose someone else and this is why. 

Our nature is so disordered that we do not even know how to choose good. We are truly rotten to the core.  We have nothing good in us apart from Christ.  For us to choose Him means that we had to make the first move and that creates a work on our part in salvation.  If it would be a work then it is not grace and mercy.  But rather God chooses us first.  That is why the Scriptures state that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. (Romans 5:8) 

It is sad in this account that you hear the people say, "Let his blood be on us and our children."  I pray this everyday for my children but I have a different meaning.  For me when I say this I am praying that my children will be strengthened in the True Faith every day, living their lives as baptized children of God, trusting in the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  These poor people were bringing condemnation on themselves and their children with their words.  The Blood of Jesus was not a comfort to them as it should have been but rather it was sealing their fate as they continued to harden their hearts against Him.

As He was mocked, beaten and crucified, remember it was done for you, me and the sin of the whole world.  There is nothing that you can do that will separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  Place your hope in Jesus and His work on the cross for your salvation.  Be thankful that He choose you and loves you with an everlasting love!

Lutheran Confession Quote

First, it is certain that a monastic life does not merit forgiveness of sins, but we receive this freely through faith, as has been said before.  Second, for Christ's sake, through mercy, eternal life is granted to those who through faith receive forgiveness and do not apply their own merits against God's judgment, as Bernard also says with very great force: 
     It is necessary first of all to believe that you cannot have
     the forgiveness of sins except by God's good will.  Second,
     you cannot have any good work, unless He has given it.
     Finally, you cannot merit eternal life by works, unless this
     is also freely given.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXVII (XIII) Monastic Vows 31-32

Lutheran Quote of the Day

"And so Christ, by wrestling with the power of the devil, with the horror of death, and with the agonies of the damned, brought back from them a glorious triumph for our salvation."

-- Francis Pieper

Evening Prayer 11-16-11

Reading:
Matthew 27:1-10

"thirty pieces of silver"

This is really amazing, that for thirty pieces of silver, one of the beloved disciples would betray their Lord into the hands of those that would kill Him.  Now we know that Jesus was to be delivered up to death and that He willingly laid down His right to life, so that He could apply His life to us.  But really, when you have been with Jesus for the three years of earthly ministry and know that He is God in the flesh, how could you sell Him out for 30 pieces of silver?

Don't we though do the same each and every time that we fall into sin?  We choose to walk away from God and go back to the filth and wretchedness that we left.  We fall into sin because we still struggle against the old man that is in us.  Just as Judas changed his mind and tried to undo what he had done, we too are hopefully struggling against the sin in our life.  Instead of trying to make it right ourselves, we turn in repentance to Jesus Christ and look to the saving cross to be saved.  We place our faith fully on Jesus Christ and what HE did for us.  That is where we find forgiveness of sins and peace in our hearts. 

We will continue to struggle in this life with sin and the devil.  But we need to remember that greater is He that is in us (Jesus), than he that is in the world.  Jesus has overcome sin, death and the devil when He went willingly to the cross.  He experienced the pains of death that He did not deserve so that He could set us free from the bondage to sin.  We are victorious because Christ is victorious!

May we not be like Judas who appears to have tried to make himself right with God by changing his mind about what He did, but not understanding the gift of the Gospel, he fell into despair and killed himself.  May we hear the words and believe them that we are baptized child of God and an heir to God's kingdom.  May we hear the words of Absolution from our faithful Pastors that we are truly forgiven on account of Christ.  And may we hear the words of the Pastor at the distribution of Holy Communion,"The true Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Given and Shed for YOU!" and may this be our trust and hope.

Evening Prayer 11-14-11

Reading:
Matthew 26:36-56

"Remain here and watch with me"

They disciples have just finished receiving the first Eucharist, where Jesus promises to come to them under the veil of bread and wine with His very body and blood.  Now Jesus is continuing to prepare for His crucifixion.  Seems like such a small thing, watch with me.

It is so easy to blame the disciples at this point.  What is wrong with you?  Here is God in the flesh asking you to watch with Him as He enters His darkest hour and you could not do it.  You must be so weak that you could not do this.  But before we jump on the disciples, shouldn't we look at ourselves, do we spend time with Jesus like we should?  Do we spend time in His Word everyday?  Do we desire to be with Him at the Lord's Supper?  Do we spend time in quiet conversation with Lord?  We will most likely have to admit that no we do not.  Jesus tells us the problem, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. 

The problem for us is that we are weak, our faith is dim.  That is why we do not cling to our faith, but we trust fully in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, who is everything that I can not be.  He is the one that is faithful, when I am faithless.  He is the one that is perfect, when I am so much less than that.  He is the one that is merciful, when I can't find love in my heart for my neighbor.  He is the one that intercedes on my behalf with my heavenly Father because I don't know how to pray.

So we pray that God's Spirit will enliven in us a love for His Word and Sacrament so that we will desire to spend time in God's Word and seek Him in the Sacraments.  With God's love producing our faith and fanning it into a flame, it can be accomplished.  Watch with me.

Evening Prayer 11-13-11

Reading:
Matthew 26:20-35

Take, eat...Drink of it, all of you.

During these last weeks of the Christian year, the lectionary guides us through end times issues.  Our Lord throughout the Gospel of Matthew uses different parables to explain His return.  In today's lesson our Lord is leaving to His Church the most blessed gift that He could give to them...His very Body and Blood.

Jesus knew that He was going to be betrayed as discussed in v. 21.  He had His face set stedfastly to go to Jerusalem where He knew that He was going to die and offer Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.  But He wanted to give this gift to the Church.

In the Sacrament of the Altar, Jesus comes to the us today.  He is there under the veil of bread and wine to give to us His very Body and Blood for the strengthening of our faith and the forgiveness of sins.  This covenant was not being sealed with the blood of goats and other animals that only pointed to Jesus, but rather it was being sealed with the Blood of Jesus Christ Himself.  This is what we partake of every time we come to Holy Communion.  We hear the Pastor tell us the words, given and shed for YOU!  This is sealing you into God's covenant and assuring you of God's grace and favor towards you because of Jesus Christ.

"O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a remembrance of Your passion.  Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption my continually be manifest in us; for You live and reign with the Father and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen"

Evening Prayer 11-12-11

Reading:
Matthew 26:1-19

"Why this waste?"

The plot to kill our Lord, continues to thicken.  The chief priests and elders are continuing with the High Priest, Caiaphas, to plot to arrest Jesus and kill Him.  Isn't this amazing, those religious leaders of the day, those that had the most knowledge about the work of the Messiah, were plotting to kill Him.  The chief priests who offered the sacrifices everyday, which all of these pointed to the day that Jesus would die on the cross, plotted to kill him.  It is almost too difficult to believe.  Yet it is true.

Those that should have known Him did not.  Even His own disciples who were with Him still did not get it.  However, this woman at the house of Simon got it.  She saw Jesus for who He is and anointed Him with the ointment.  She does this out of love for Jesus.  The disciples do not say, wow look how much she loved him.  Instead they start complaining that she is wasteful.  Really, she was wasteful anointing the body of Jesus Christ, the God-Man.  How could anything that could be done to Him  be wasteful?  So close to the crucifixion and the disciples did not get it.

Are we that much different?  Until the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see Jesus for who He really is, we really don't know Him.  And even after the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, we still struggle with sin in the life.  That is why the Holy Spirit is constantly calling us back through repentance.  To rely on God to change us and not that we can change ourselves.  We must rely on God's grace.  Nothing that we can ever do for the Lord will be put to waste, but as is promised in the Scripture, all things work together for good to those who know the Lord.

Lutheran Quote of the Day

First, we hope that all good people everywhere understand that we keep the dignity of the Mass and show its true use with the greatest zeal.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXVII (XIII) 99 The Mass

Treasury of Daily Prayer

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod published a prayerbook, called the Treasury of Daily Prayer.  In this book are the offices of Morning and Evening prayer and prayers for each day.

On Thursday the prayer is for the right use of the Sacrament of the Altar, or the Lord's Supper.  I found this part of the prayer very strengthening.

"We implore You, O Lord, for our altar, that it may ever be a place where the medicine of eternal life, the forgiveness of our sins, strengthens us in body and soul; that disbelief and impenitence may stay far from all who come there so that they may not eat and drink to their own judgment."  TDP pg. 1308.

Evening Prayer 11-10-11

Reading:
Matthew 25:14-30

'Well done, good and faithful servant.'

How we all long to hear these words!  Whether it is from our boss, friends, family or whomever, we all desire to hear that we have done a good job.  Getting compliments is something that makes us feel good.  But are what are the good works that are being described, are these works towards salvation or something else?

Some will try to tell us that we can work ourselves to God and that there is a checklist that we have to complete.  Or some will compare it to a balance sheet where there are credits and debits for our good deeds and bad deeds.  We just hope at the end that our good outnumber our bad.  The problem with both of these approaches to works is that they put the burden of our salvation on us.  This leaves us in despair because we all know that truly we can not be good enough for God.

When you really read the story, the man going on the journey gave the talents to the servants.  They did not earn them they were given them.  So it is with us and our salvation.  It is given to us as a gift on account of what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross when He died and then rose again.  We do not earn it, nor could we, we just receive it by faith for the gift that it is.  But now that we have the gift of salvation, we are to do something with it.  The Scriptures tell us that faith without works is a dead faith.  (James 2:14-24)  We live out the gift of the forgiveness of sins by living a life of works of mercy and witness to the life of Christ.  In doing so, we help to call others out of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ.

With a life of works, our Lord will return and thank you for your time in the vineyard.  He will be glad to see that gift that He gave to you in Holy Baptism did not get hidden but displayed for the world to see.

Lutheran Quote of the Day

Our adversaries have no references and no command from Scripture for defending the use of the ceremony for freeing the souls of the dead.  Yet they receive unlimited revenue from this.  Certainly it is not light sin to establish such services in the Church without God's command and without the example of Scripture and to apply the Lord's Supper to the dead.  (It was set up for commemoration and preaching among the living.)  This violates the Second Commandment by abusing God's name.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXIV (XII). 89  The Mass

Evening Prayer 11-9-11

Reading:
Matthew 25:1-13

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Do you know when the Lord is going to return?  Do you know when your life is going to end?  These are some of the largest questions that loom around people.  We often think that the answer to this is, unfortunately I do not know.  But is it really unfortunate that you do not know when the end will occur?

You see from the moment of your birth, because of sin, we are destined to die.  That is what sin pays us, it gives us death.  But for those of us that are Christians, we are different in that regard.  In the waters of Holy Baptism, God calls you by name and chooses you for Himself.  He buries your old sinful nature and gives you the righteousness of Christ.  This gift that is given to you in Baptism is the free gift of the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.  So now, we know that unless the Lord returns we are going to die, but we no longer fear death because we have been united to Jesus Christ, the One that overcame death and the grave.

We are to be living each moment as if it could be our last.  We live our lives in state of repentance, surrounded with the Word of God and His Sacraments.  These gifts of God, then produce in us fruits of the Spirit and works of faith where we reach out to meet the needs of others.  We live out faith so that others may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

Waiting until the last minute and then making the change is not what God is looking for.  He wants us to live in the constant state of readiness for His return!  Be like the 5 wise virgins who had their lamps ready for the return of the Bridegroom. 

Lutheran Quote of the Day

Liturgy agrees well with our belief that one minister who consecrates gives the Lord's body and blood to the rest of the people, just as one minister who preaches offers the Gospel to the people.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession XXIV (XII) 80 - The Mass

Evening Prayer 11-8-11

Reading:
Matthew 24:29-51

"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."  Matthew 24:36

Over the last few months, due to a particular Pastor, there has been a lot of interest in the end times.  When is it going to occur?  Will the faithful be raptured out of here?  What will it look like?  All of these questions appear to be honest questions, however, is this really what we are supposed to be thinking about.

In the verses today, our Lord is teaching us that no one but the Father knows the time of His return.  So when you hear someone telling you that they know when Jesus is coming back or that the end of the world is happening at a given time, beware of a false prophet!  We are told in these verses that we are not going to know when the Son will return for He is going to be like a thief in the night.  Our lives are going to go on as usual right up to the point of His great return.   We are told to stay awake!  We are to be ready for His return.

His first coming was missed by many because He came in great humility.  When He returns there will be no missing Him.  The sun will be darkened, moon will not give light, stars will fall from heaven, powers from heaven will be shaken. We will see Him coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory!

For those that are His in the waters of Holy Baptism, where you have been given new life because your sins are forgiven, when you see Him you will be glad.  For those that are not faithful to our Lord and have not received the forgiveness of sins, to those it will be a dreadful day because they will be outside the time of grace and mercy. 

May you continue to prepare for the coming of our Lord by watching and praying.  Be ready, be awake for you know not when He will come.

Lutheran Quote of the Day

Rather, it offers the Gospel and the Sacraments to others, so that they may conceive faith and the Holy Spirit through them and be brought from death to life.

--Apology of the Augsburg Confession Article XXIV (XII) 59 The Mass

Indian Valley Lutheran Church Blog

We have created a blog for our Church.  The site is:

www.ivlc.blogspot.com

This web site will contain information regarding our Congregation.  We will also be posting sermons to this site to help feed you with the Word of God if you were not able to attend our weekly service.

Evening Prayer 11-5-11

Evening Prayer 11-5-11

Reading:
Matthew 23:1-12

"Do as I say, not as I do"

How many times do parents tell their children this statement.  I will tell you what to do, but don't look at what I am actually doing.  Unfortunately our lives tell much about what is going on inside of us.  So if our actions do not match what we are saying, this rapidly shows a disconnect and more than likely our children are not going to follow what we say.

It was pretty much the same with the Scribes and Pharisees.  These Jewish leaders had no problem continuing develop laws and rituals to try to make themselves clean.  They wanted to try to earn their righteousness before Almighty God.  So they would add rule after rule to be sure that they were doing everything right.  However, their hearts were not right and their actions could not make them right before God.  This was madness and drove people to despair because they could not be good enough.  This is what happened to Martin Luther who drove himself to despair as he tried to celebrate his first Mass perfect as a work before God.

They are teaching us the way of righteousness but it is one of Law.  The Law shows us our sins and prescribes to us our wage for that which is death.  But we are fortunate in that there is one who came and lived this perfect life.  That person is Jesus Christ.  He is the God-Man who lived among us and did everything perfect.  He alone is without sin.  He then willing laid down His right to life so that He could give us His righteousness.  This is an alien righteousness, it comes to us, not from us.  This righteousness of Christ is given to us as a gift so that God does not put to our account our wrong doings, but instead looks on the righteousness of Christ.  This great exchange, our filthy rags of sin, and death, for the righteousness of Christ which brings life and peace occurs at your Baptism.  You are put to death and Christ now lives in your heart by faith.

Do not try to earn yourself before God, for you can never be good enough.  Rather trust fully in the completed work of Christ upon the Cross.  Look to Him and trust Him to be your righteousness before your Father in Heaven.

Evening Prayer 10-3-11

Scripture:
Matthew 7:13-29


"Not everyone who say to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."  Matthew 7:21


In today's pluralistic society, it is very difficult to find the truth.  Many will tell you that the truth is whatever you think it should be.  I wish somebody had told me that prior to taking many different exams that I did not do so well with.  If I had known that rule then, I may have been a straight A student.

But belief in Christ is not a choice that you get to decide if it is true.  Many will tell you from within the Church even that sin is not sin, that marriage is not necessarily between a man and a woman, that a child in the womb is not really life.  These are cultural sins that lead  a society astray.  But these same people will call themselves Christians.  These beliefs though speak to a Christ that is different than the Christ in the Scriptures.  If marriage was not important then why was the first miracle of Jesus performed at a wedding, why did Jesus himself quote the Old Testament that for this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.  When the Church loses it prophetic voice to speak about sin, it diminishes what Jesus Christ did on the Cross.  He did not go to the cross and die for us so that we could stay in filthy sins, NO, He came and died and rose again so that we could have life more abundant.  He came to set us free from our sins so that they no longer have a hold on us. 

If you are in a Church that has departed from the traditional understanding that the Scriptures are the inerrant and inspired Word of God, that Jesus Christ is the perfect God Man that came and lived a perfect life and then offered Himself on the Cross and died and rose again.  If you are not hearing the you are saved by Grace through faith on account of Jesus Christ.  Then you need to assess if you are in the Church that Jesus will recognize when He returns.  Our Lord speaks with Authority because He is God in the flesh.

Evening Prayer 5-17-11

Reading:

Luke 9:37-62

"Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child."

In today's reading a man has a son that is possessed of a demon.  The child had been brought to the disciples but they were not able to get rid of the demon.  So the man does not wait any longer and brings the child to Jesus.  He brings him to Jesus empty of any other hope and clinging to Him for an answer. 

Why couldn't the disciples exorcise the demon?  Just a few verses ago Jesus gave them the power to do so.  So why not now?  Could it be that the disciples were beginning to think that the power that they had came from themselves?  You see they are now beginning to argue among themselves as to who is the greatest.  You can almost see them saying, I healed three men and exorcised 2 demons! What did you do?  Because they were potentially trusting in their own power to drive out the demon they found out that they had no power.  In thinking they are the power they lost their power.  Instead of looking to Jesus they looked to themselves and came up woefully short. 

So the man comes to Jesus and Jesus drives the demon from the boy and he is healed.  Isn't this really what we as Christian parents do with our children.  We know that they we can not by ourselves save our children.  So we bring them into the Church to be surrounded with God's Word and Sacraments.  We bring them to the Baptismal font trusting that Jesus will work a mighty act on this child and instill in this faith, hope and love.  We know that in Baptism, we are united to Jesus and die with Him so that we can rise again to newness of life.  This is what we do as Christian parents, we bring the child who can not save themselves to the only person who can, Jesus Christ our Savior.  The One that kept His face steadfastly towards Jerusalem where He would die to save us.  This is who we bring our children too in faith.  This is the One that we trust will save our children from their sins and bring them to everlasting life.

Evening Prayer 5-16-11

Reading:
Luke 9:18-36

"But who do you say that I am?"

I life there are many questions that need to be answered.  We take tests to see if we have all of the prerequisite knowledge that is needed before moving onto the next class or the next concept.  We take SAT's to see if we have the knowledge to enter college.  All of this to try and weed out people before they get into something that they can not handle, or to rank people to find out who did the best.  None of these tests and questions really matter however, it is really about the question that Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?"

The answer to this question though has nothing to do with how much you know.  You see the answer to this question is not something that YOU can come to a knowledge of on your own.  You can not study enough to find out who Jesus Christ really is.  Listen to the words of the Small Catechism, "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith."  (Small Catechism The Creed)  The answer to this question has eternal consequences.  Without Jesus you are lost in your sins.

Jesus has come and is God in the flesh.  He took your sins upon Himself.  He became the fulfillment of the Law, which is why Moses appeared with Him on the mount in today's lesson.  He was the promise of the prophets, why Elijah was there.  He is everything that we were supposed to be, but couldn't.  He took our sins and nailed them to the cross where He gave Himself to redeem us.  He then gives the gift of His Holy Spirit that calls us to repentance by the Gospel.  We hear the Law and we are accused and guilty, then the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel that Jesus Christ came, died and rose again for you!  This is the Good News that it is not about us, but about Jesus Christ.  He did it all, we receive the benefits of life, health and salvation from Him who loved us and washed us in His own Blood.

The question is not a trick question, but it is not discerned by human knowledge.  It is a gift of God as He calls you to Himself.  So when you can profess with Peter that, "You are the Christ of God.", do not boast that you found God, but rather be humbled that God has found you.

Evening Prayer 4th Sunday of Easter 5-15-11

Reading:

Luke 9:1-17

"Feeding the 5,000"

Jesus Christ has just sent out the 12 apostles with the power and authority to heal and to cast out demons, and to tell people that the kingdom of God is at hand.  They go out with this authority given to them by Jesus Christ and they do miraculous things.  The Scriptures state that they preached and healed everywhere.  So where ever they went, the power of God was working among them and reaching out to the people that they came in contact with.  This must have been a wonderful site and time for the Apostles.

They come back to Jesus and begin to tell Him all of the things that they have done.  Now the crowds start to press in on them and they get nervous because people are starting to get hungry.  So they go to Jesus and tell Him to send them all away.  He would not do such a thing.  These people were hungry for the Word of God, Jesus would not tell them to go away.  So He tells the Apostle's to feed the people. Immediately doubt and uncertainty fill the minds of the men who just were doing miracles as they say,"we only have two small fish and 5 loaves of bread."  They know that they can not feed them all with this, or so they think.

Jesus takes the bread, blesses it and breaks it.  When it is all over everyone has eaten and there is still more left over.  In this miracle the Church Fathers have seen an image of the Eucharist.  The Body and Blood Jesus.  For the last 2,000 years the Church has been celebrating the Eucharist.  The Pastors take bread, give thanks and break and distribute.  In doing so they are giving to the people the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity are given to us.  He can not be depleted.  This is the never ending Feast and there is always more to come.  Each time we gather at the Altar we hear the words "given and shed for you".  The Body of Christ is never diminished but is constantly present for us when He gives Himself to us so that we can have His life in us as we eat His flesh and drink His blood.

May we constantly trust in our Saviors Word that "This is my Body and This is My Blood".  May they be words that show us the never ending love our Savior has for us as we feast at His Table.

Update

I am sorry for not having posted anything in quite some time.  Unfortunately, the new class that I have been taking towards completing my MBA has required more time out of me and keeping up with this on a daily basis has been difficult. 

I will, by the grace of God, be hoping to post more frequently again.  I hope that you find the words edifying in your walk with our Savior.

He is Risen!  The Lord is Risen Indeed!  Alleluia!

Wednesday Lenten Services

Each Wednesday evening throughout Lent, we will be meeting at Indian Valley Lutheran Church at 7pm to study the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Passion of Christ.

1.  Suffering in the Garden
2.  The Scourging
3.  Crowning with Thorns
4.  Carrying the Cross
5.  The Crucifixion

If you are in the area and would like to join us, please visit www.ivlc.org for directions.

Evening Prayer Wednesday Lent 1

Reading:
Mark 4:1-20

"The Sower"

As we go through the season of Lent, there is much talk about repentance.  Repentance is the turning away from sin and moving in the complete opposite direction.  So for us it is turning from our sinful desires and nature towards God who is loving and ready to give us the righteousness, not the righteousness that we think we posses, rather He is giving to us the righteousness of Christ.  But who does the turning?

In today's parable we see the sower who goes out and spreads the seed.  Some fall on different soil.  Some fell along the roadside and are picked off quick.  Some fall on ground but have no roots and die off quickly.  Others get choked with cares of this world.  Finally some fall on good soil.  But what is the good soil?

The good soil is a person who is broken, who realizes that they can not of their own reason and accord come to God.  It is a person who realizes that they are a sinner and that their sin separates them from God.  This person when they hear the Word of  God, they will be changed by the Word because their soul will be comforted by the fact that it is no longer about their works, but rather it is about the work of God.  We are passive in salvation.  It is God who calls us by the Spirit, the Spirit brings us to the Son, and the Son shows us the Father.  We can not do anything but decide to walk away from God's grace and mercy.  That is what the other soil showed us.  Those that choose to not hear the Word at all are easily picked off by Satan.  Others receive it with joy, but then they realize that it is not about them and their works, or the temptations get to great or the suffering too much and they die off because they feel they are unworthy.  Others start to sprout up but get distracted.  In all of these it is man choosing to walk away from God.  God is there with His mercy in the face of His Son.

But to those that are broken, the Word of God becomes powerful and alive.  For they realize that by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the Gospel is not a theory, it is a Person and that Person is Jesus Christ.  He is the one that died on the Cross to save you from your sins and make you right with His Father.

May we continue to repent daily of our sins, return to the promises of our Baptism and allow the Spirit to change the soil of our hearts so that we can produce good works for the Kingdom.

Evening Prayer 3-10-11

Reading:
Mark 1:14-28

"the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the Gospel"

Jesus is beginning to call His disciples.  These men that He chose were not men of stature within the Jewish life.  They were not the teachers and scribes or priests that were always in and around the Temple.  Rather Jesus begins this Apostolic ministry with choosing some brothers that were fishermen.

Notice that the disciples did not choose Jesus.  He first calls them.  This is how it is for each and everyone of us.  God's Word calls us to faith by a work of the Holy Spirit.  I do not choose God, but He chose me.  He chose me because He loves me and He sent His Son to die for my sins and the sin of the whole world.  You and I do not have to try to muster up the faith to be able to come to Jesus.  Rather He has done it all and then out of His grace and mercy calls you to Himself.  This is grace.  The response to this graciousness of God is one of love and adoration.  We should want to immediately leave the other stuff behind and follow after Jesus.  He has called us and allowed us to share in His ministry.

So we go out into the world like fishermen.  We cast out the nets into the world.  Our nets are made up of the two chords of Law and Gospel.  One without the other makes a net that does not stay together.  The Law sends up an S.O.S. - show our sins.  It shows our short comings and how we are not perfect nor are we ever going to be good enough for God.  The Gospel sends up another S.O.S.- show our Savior.  This is where we preach that you don't have to be good enough because God already forgave you when His Son died on the cross for you.  Just accept the gift that Jesus did it all and paid it all.  Many fish (men) will fall through our net because they will still cling to trying to be righteous on their own, or they will negate the Law fully and believe it does not matter how you live.  Either way they fall out of the net and back into the cesspool of despair.

May as we continue our Lenten journey, may we bold in proclaiming the Law and Gospel to a lost world in need of the only Savior Jesus Christ.

Ash Wednesday

During the forty days of Lent, God's baptized people cleanse their hearts through the discipline of Lent:  repentance, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  Lent is a time which God's people prepare with joy for the Paschal Feast (Easter).  It is a time in which God renews His people's zeal in faith and life.  It is a time in which we pray that we may be given the fullness of grace that belongs to the children of God.

--Treasury of Daily Prayer pg. 26

Evening Prayer 3-9-11

Reading:
Mark 1:1-13

"You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

Today is Ash Wednesday.  It is the first day of the Great 40 Days of Lent.  This great season of the Church calls us right from the beginning to remember who we really are.  When the ashes are placed upon our heads, the Pastor recalls the words..."Remember O man that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return."  We are dust that had breathed into it the breath of God so we are made in His image.

However, because of the choice of Adam and Eve in the Garden we have a problem that has marred the image that God placed in us.  We have a sin problem that separates us from God.  This sin problem is so great that we can not make ourselves right before God or begin to make the steps towards God.  Sin makes us think that we can do it on our own and that we somehow have what it takes to stand before God.  This is pride and self-righteousness that gets in our way.  You are lost in your sins and need to repent from them.  To repent means to turn around and walk in a different direction.

We are not without hope because as we read today, God is well pleased with His Son.  His Son who is the perfect Lamb of God who has come into the world to bear the sins of all humanity is that One that He is well pleased with.  He is not pleased with us, but He is pleased with His Son who died on the Cross for us and calls us by the Gospel to new life.  In Baptism God causes the change in you when He removes your sinful garments and places on you the righteous robe of Christ.  So when He sees you, He no longer sees your shortcomings, but the perfect life and work of His Son with whom He is pleased.  Wow, that is comforting news that God does not see my imperfection but the perfection of Jesus and He accounts Jesus' righteousness to me.

May we take the time this Lenten season to really look at our lives and allow the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin in our lives so that we can keep a Holy Lent.  By repenting may we receive the comfort of the Gospel and continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Evening Prayer 3-6-11

Reading:
John 12:20-36a

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

Jesus is beginning to teach those who would listen about what is going to have to happen to Him.  He knows that everything that He is doing is moving Him step by step closer to the moment when He will have to die for the sins of the world.  He begins to experience in His humanity a troubled soul.  The One that is perfect and without sin is beginning to feel what is expected of Him, to experience death.

Jesus in saying this that when He is lifted up will draw all people to Himself, is teaching that He will die by crucifixion.  He will be nailed to the cross for the sin of the world.  He will then be lifted up on high on the cross.  To many it will look like complete foolishness but to those that God is saving it will become the power of God.  Jesus on the Cross shows us the depth of the love of God, in that He would become man and die for His people.  He did not deserve to die because He had no sin.  But He came to live among us to fulfill the Law perfectly and then to die the death that we deserve.  He did it though so that He could make atonement for our sins.  He spilled His precious blood to cover our sins.  It is when we stop looking at our works and our righteousness and focus fully on Jesus lifted high on the cross that we are drawn to Him and we are saved.

It is in the cross that we are assured of our salvation because of this perfect sacrifice.  Jesus Christ as our High Priest willingly offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for all of the sin of the world.  He died on the cross and then took His life back up three days later so that He could give His life to us.  He defeated sin, death and Devil so that we who are in Christ have nothing to fear.  There is the great hymn that states,

"Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore  His sacred name."  (LSB 837)

Evening Prayer 3-5-11

Reading: 
John 12:1-19

"You see that you are gaining nothing.  Look, the world has gone after him."

As Jesus prepares for the Passover He is attending a meal with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  Many are trying to push their way into the place to see if Lazarus was really raised from the dead.  It states that many people believed because of this.  Then it is on to Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.  This time He is greeted with loud Hosannas and praise from the people as He rides into the Holy City. 

The people are at times following Him because of miracles that He performs.  Often times is this not the case that people are looking for a "miracle".  They want to see the face of Jesus in a piece of toast, or the Blessed Virgin in the tree.  All of these things they look for to try to stimulate their faith.  When they are looking for these "physical" miracles, they miss out on the miracle that really matters.

The miracle that really matters is the one where God takes flesh upon Himself and goes to a cross to die for His people.  This is not as exciting as Jesus in piece of toast.  It is certainly a lot less offensive then seeing God nailed to a cross.  However, Jesus in a piece of toast does not save you.  Jesus, God in the Flesh on the cross shedding His perfect blood for you, that is priceless.  This is the miracle that is applied to your life in Holy Baptism where God takes off your filthy rags of self righteousness and changes them for the beautiful garment of Christ's righteousness that He gives you.  This miracle is brought to fruition under the veil of bread and wine where you eat and drink the precious Body and Blood of Jesus.  The real miracle is everytime that the Word of God is proclaimed and a sinner if called to believe in Jesus as His Lord and Savior.

But we often look in the wrong place.  When we stay in God's Word and participate in the Sacraments we partake of the greatest miracle.  This miracle then changes our lives so that others can see that we have been with Jesus and glorify our Father in heaven.  It is when the Church, acts like the Church by preaching the Word and administering the Sacraments that people will say ," look, the world has gone after him."  Amen.

Evening Prayer 3-4-11

Reading:
John 11:38-57

"Unbind him, and let him go."

This story continues with the resurrection of Lazarus.  Our Lord goes to the burial site of his dear friend after he wept.  He asks to have the stone removed from the entrance of the tomb.  They are concerned because he had been dead for 4 days and that the body would smell.  But Jesus is not concerned with this and the people do as Jesus asks.

They remove the stone and Jesus calls out "Lazarus, come out."  The creator of life is calling into the tomb of death and by the power of His Word He brings forth life.  Lazarus rises from the dead and comes walking out of the tomb still wearing his burial clothes.  What a site this must have been.  As the mourning turned to I am sure at first a bit of fear to see a dead man walking, then to joy to realize that death did not have dominion over Lazarus any longer.  The Word of God does what it says, it brings about life.

It is the same with us.  In the waters of Holy Baptism, God calls out and adopts you as His son.  He calls out into the sinful life of our humanity and the plunges us into the waters of Baptism which is the water and the Word.  We come forth out of the darkness and into the light of Christ.  Because of our Baptism and being united to Jesus, Jesus says to us as well unbind him and let him go.  Sin, death and the Devil no longer have you bound because you have been set free by Jesus Christ.  You are free because Jesus Christ has set you free to set your mind on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  To Him be the glory.  Amen.

Evening Prayer 3-3-11

Reading:
John 11:17-37

"I am the resurrection and the life."

Lazarus was a close friend whom Jesus loved.  Today's reading includes the shortest verse and yet one of the most profound verses in the Bible, "Jesus wept."  Our Savior and God experienced in His humanity what it felt like to lose a loved one to the cold grave of death.  He saw and experienced the mourning that occurs when a family loses someone whom they love to the grave.  He saw and experienced that lost and it touched His heart.  God who knew that because of mankind's sin had to die, saw it, felt the effect on those left behind and He wept.  Death is the cruel equalizer, because unless Jesus returns before hand, it is the one thing that every human being must and will experience.

But this reading today is really filled with such hope and comfort.  Jesus is quite clear when speaking with Martha that she will see her brother again.  She did not understand that Lazarus was going to be raised again in front of her.  But Jesus goes on to say "I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."  This is profound for you see we are not just physical beings and when we die we go to nothing.  Rather we have a soul that is created in the image of God.  This soul lives for eternity.  Though we lay the body in the ground, we know that the soul lives on and as we profess in our great Creeds of Faith we believe in the resurrection of the body.   When Jesus returns to reign, we will all receive our resurrected bodies and be like Him in glorification.

There is such hope in these words of Jesus when being faced with death.  We need not fear death because Jesus Christ overcame death and the grave.  He swallowed it up when He rose again victorious on Easter morning.  This is the hope that all Christians have that He overcame the power of death and it no longer has dominion.  Death has no more power because Jesus Christ lives.  His perfect life, death on the cross, and resurrection assures us that we have nothing fear because our salvation is based fully on that perfect work of His.  Trust Jesus that He will forgive you of your sins and lead you to everlasting life.  Amen.

Evening Prayer 3-2-11

Reading:
John 11:1-16

"This illness does not lead to death."

Lazarus has a special place in the heart of Jesus.  He was one whom it specifically mentions that Jesus loved.  Jesus was also very close with Mary and Martha.  So when Lazarus became ill, it would be perfectly expected of Mary and Martha that they  would call for Jesus.  However, in this situation, Jesus did not just immediately respond.  Instead He waits a few days and then goes to see them.

Jesus tells the disciples that Lazarus has died.  But He tells them that this has occurred so that He can show forth the glory of God and that He may be glorified in it.  Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead again and that this was just a temporary "falling asleep".  Jesus is preparing to shine the light of His divinity on this situation and show that He is the resurrection and the life.

Lazarus' illness, may have only led to a temporary death for him.  But we have a problem called sin.  Sin leads to eternal death.  It causes us to be separated from God and nothing that WE do can ever bring us back into a right relationship with Him.  We fall short every day of what God intended us to be.  You know the Law and feel it's bite everytime you make a mistake and miss the mark.  You know that you are not in a right standing with God.

But there is Good News.  This sin illness does not have to make us die and eternal death.  Jesus Christ came to live among us so that He could give Himself up for us.  This means that Jesus Christ is the perfect God Man.  He took all of the sin of the world upon Himself and He nailed it to the Cross of Calvary where He spilled His precious blood to cover them all.  This is your hope that Jesus who laid down His life and then took it back up on Easter morning is your righteousness.  He is the one that stands blameless before the Father and pleads for us.  "Lord forgive them for they know not what they do."  Jesus is your way to Heaven.  He is the one that lights the way.  He is the one that promises that death no longer has a hold on you.  He has given you a free gift, it is yours without ever having asked for it.  May you hear the Word of God that you are saved on account of Jesus Christ alone and trust in Him for your salvation.  Amen.

Lutheran Confession Quote

"On the other hand, we hold and believe, according to the simple words of Christ's testament, the true, yet supernatural eating of Christ's body and also the drinking of His blood.  Human senses and reason do not comprehend.  But, as in all other articles of faith, our reason is brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

Formula, Epitome VII Lord's Supper 42

Evening Prayer 3-1-11

Reading:
John 10:22-42

"I and the Father are one."

This is one of the more important facets of the teachings of Jesus Christ.  In this statement Jesus is teaching that He is God in the flesh.  The mystery of the Holy Trinity is one that is hard to grasp.  The Father is not Son, the Son is not the Father, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son.  Yet they are not three god's but one God.  St. Athanasius was an early Christian Father who penned the Athanasian Creed.  This Creed attempts to spell out the correct teaching of the Holy Trinity as understood by the Church catholic.  You can read this creed here.

Jesus then teaches that we are sheep that follow the voice of the Shepherd.  Sheep are really dumb animals however, they will not follow just anyone's voice.  They will follow the voice of the Shepherd.  Jesus promises us that since we are His sheep no one will be able to snatch us from Him.  He is the protector of the sheep and this is why we follow Him, because He loves us to the point that He will lay down His life for the sheep. 

Christianity is so hard to understand from our viewpoint.  Why would God do this?  Why would God leave His throne in Glory to become man and then die for us?  He does it because He loves you and He is showing you His love by laying down His life for you.  In doing so, He then imparts His divine life to you through the Word and the Sacraments.  So Jesus calls you to Himself and then gives you His life to flow through you by partaking of the Sacraments.  In doing so you have the Divine life flowing through you so that you can go and do good works and bring the love of Jesus to others. 

Lutheran Confession Quote

V.  Law and the Gospel

"The Gospel comforts consciences against the terrors of the Law, points only to Christ's merit, and raises them up again by the lovely preaching of God's grace and favor, gained through Christ's merit."

Formula, Epitome V 7

Evening Prayer 2-27-11

Reading:
John 9:1-23

"I went and washed and received my sight."

This poor man was born blind.  He never in his life time had been able to see the beauty of God's created world around him.  Instead he would be stuck in darkness of sight and have to beg for money to care for himself.  Having a disability in these days, often it was assumed that the person or their parent must have sinned and this caused the calamity to be brought upon the person.  This is why they asked Jesus,"Who sinned, this man or his parents"  (John 9:2)  But Jesus quickly sets it straight that this poor man's blindness was not due to sin, but rather that God's works could be revealed. 

So our Savior spit on the ground made mud and placed it on the young man's eyes and told him to wash.  When he did he could see.  What a marvelous thing that he could now see and behold with his own eyes the beauty that God had created around him.

It is the same way for each of us.  We are born spiritually blind.  We are just like this man we stumble around this world trying to figure out our spiritual life on our own.  When we realize that we are truly blind and don't know where to go, we become like him in that we are beggars trying to find mercy.  It is at this point that our Savior, Jesus Christ, reaches down and calls you to Himself.  It is here that He brings you to Holy Baptism where you take off your filthy clothes and He places on you His righteousness.  He takes the scales from your eyes so that you can see clearly who you are and more importantly who Jesus Christ is.  We do what our Lord commands to do by taking water with the Word and pronouncing I baptize you in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  It is here in they mystical waters that your sins are washed away because Jesus Christ applies His life to you in these waters.  You know see yourself as a sinner who has been redeemed and you see Jesus as your only hope of Glory.  Now you can see things from a spiritual perspective because the Holy Spirit has been given to you and lives in you by faith.

May you say with the blind at because of your Holy Baptism, "I went and washed and now I see!"  Amen.

Lutheran Confession Quote

III.  The Righteousness of Faith Before God

Against both the errors just mentioned, we unanimously believe, teach, and confess that Christ is our Righteousness neither according to His divine nature alone nor according to His human nature alone.  But it is the entire Christ who is our Righteousness according to both natures.  In His obedience alone, which as God and man He offered to the Father even to His death, He merited for us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life."

Formula, Epitome III 3.

Evening Prayer 2-24-11

Reading:
John 8:1-20

"Neither do I condemn you,"

This woman was caught in the act of adultery the Scriptures tell us.  We often liken the sexual sins to some of the worst sins that we can commit.  This probably arises from mankinds keen ability to try to rank everything in terms of better or worse.  We like to look around and think to ourselves, wow, I am not doing that, so I must not be all that bad.  We think that some sins are worse than others and that if we stay away from the big ones, God will just let us squeak by.  That is how the Pharisees treated their relationship to God, it was all about how well they were doing in keeping the Law.  So they felt their righteous indignation at this woman caught in this horrific act and they would have her stoned to death.

Jesus approaches this differently since He is the author of the Law.  He says to the group,"whoever does not have sin, let him cast the first stone."  Can you imagine the look on the faces of those that are standing around Him.  What does He mean, the Law says to do this.  I am right in doing this.  However, those words of Jesus cut to the root of the problem.  We are all sinners.

As sinners we deserve death.  That is what St. Paul records for us in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death."  We are all sinners as Romans 3:23 and have fallen short of God's glory for us.  Sin means essentially that you missed the mark.  Just like when you are shooting at a target, there is the bulls eye that is dead center, if you miss it be 1/100 of an inch you still did not hit it.  So it is with the Law you can try all you want, but when you miss one part you missed it all.  We all deserve death according to the Law.  This is what Jesus was attempting to teach them.

However, because our God came in the flesh and lived a perfect life for us, something is different.  Jesus now says, "I don't condemn you either"  The Law drives us to despair.  It sends up the S.O.S., Show Our Sins and that we need another S.O.S., the Gospel of Shows Our Savior.  The Gospel tells us that we are freely forgiven by God on account of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He offered on the Cross.  This is gift of eternal life is already bought and paid for by the Blood of Jesus Christ.  That gift is yours.  The Savior will not condemn you, He came to save you.  He came to show you how much He loves you by going to the cross and dying in your place so that you no longer need to fear death and the grave.  You have been given the gift of eternal life because the Author of Life says so. 

Do not trust your works, only trust the works of Jesus Christ.  He is the one that came to prepare your way home to His Father.  To Him be the Glory forever and ever.

Lutheran Confession Quote

"There are only two efficient causes for a person's conversion:  (1) the Holy Spirit and (2) God's Word, as the instrument of the Holy Spirit, by which He works conversion.  A person must hear this Word.  However, it is not by that person's own powers, but only through the grace and working of the Holy Spirit that he trusts the Word and receives it."

--Formula Epitom II Free Will 19

St. Polycarp

Today is the feast of St. Polycarp

Polycarp of Smyrna, Pastor and Martyr

Born around AD 69, Polycarp was a central figure in the Early Church.  A disciple of the evangelist John, he linked the first generation of believers to later Christians.  After serving for many years as bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp was arrested, tried, and executed for his faith on February 23, in AD 155 or 156.  An eyewitness narrative of his death, The Martyrdom of Polycarp continues to encourage believers in times of persecution.

-- Treasury of Daily Prayer , pg. 1233

There is a Lutheran Society called after his name, the Society of St. Polycarp.  If you are interested in reading more regarding this society, here is the link to the Society of St. Polycarp.

Evening Prayer 2-23-11

Reading:
John 7:32-53

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink."

Our Lord teaches in the Gospel of St. Matthew that "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."  But can we in our natural state hunger and thirst after righteousness and how do we thirst and come to Jesus to receive a drink?

We can not by means of our reason come to Jesus Christ.  We are set completely contrary to what God wants for us and our desire is to actually try to hide from God or deny that He exists.  To thirst implies that one is craving or desiring something.  But our sinful nature does not want to crave and search after God.  We want to think that we are able to do it ourselves.

However, when we try to please God to earn our status before Him.  We realize how woefully short we fall from the glory and perfection that He intends for us.  Then we look at the cross and see what God has done for us in that while we were still sinner Christ died for us.  He died for you!  He did everything that we were supposed to do  and could not do.

This causes us to cling to Jesus Christ because the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see Jesus on the cross as the way of salvation.  When we are then Baptized, the Holy Spirit is given to us and we are then to overflow with joy in the salvation that was given to us as a gift.  This is what He means will flow from us as living waters.  It is the grace filled life of the Christian taking the Good News of Jesus Christ out to the world.  This gives the medium for the Holy Spirit to work on lives, convict of sin, and then proclaim salvation and forgiveness of sins in the face of Jesus Christ.

We are satisfied and overflowing with the love of God when He calls us and unites us to His Son.  This is the blessed hope that all have to be found in Christ.  Let us drink deeply of the Lord so that He can fill us to overflowing with His love and mercy and then reach out to others with that love.

Lutheran Confession Quote

"We reject the teaching that in a person the human nature and essence are not entirely corrupt, but a person still has something good in him, even in spiritual things (e.g. capacity, skill, aptitude, or ability tin spiritual things to begin, to work, or to help working for something good)."

Formula Epitome I 16

Evening Prayer 2-21-11

Reading:
John 7:1-13

"My time has not yet come"

Today, Jesus is speaking with those of his family that are requesting Him to make the trip to attend to the Feast of Booths.  Jesus lets them know that "His time has not yet come". 

The Jews were already plotting to kill Him.  He was leading people astray many thought.  They felt that He was destroying their faith and He had to be stopped.  Is it really much different today?  Ask people what they think of Jesus, some will say that He was a great teacher, others will say He came to do nothing but judge people and condemn them, others will say that He was crazy.  Many times we hear the same thing regarding us as Christians in this society.  We are bigots, racist, hypocrites.  We are always trying to impose our "rules" on others. 

We must remember that people who are in the darkness want to stay there.  They are there because they do not want to see who they really are and we can not expect them to act like Christians.  However, we must continue to stand up for those that have no voice, the poor, the orphans, widows, and the unborn.  We must not stop speaking about the truth of life in the womb.  We are not putting in rules, we are trying to protect human life that is made in the image and likeness of God.

After all this is why Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem mankind.  He came and was like us in every way yet without sin.  He died voluntarily on the cross so that He could make us right with God.  This is what occurred when He time was come and that is why He stated from the cross, it is finished.  The perfect sacrifice was offered that covers the sin of the whole world.  Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save the world but dying in its place. 

Just look to Jesus Christ and trust that He did it all and you will be saved.  It is all about Him and not about you.  The world has hated Him from the beginning because He called out the sin.  He still gives His life for the world and offers salvation to all.

Lutheran Confession Quote

Original Sin

"On the other hand, we believe, teach, and confess that original sin is not a minor corruption.  It is so deep a corruption of human nature that nothing healthy or uncorrupt remains in man's body or soul, in his inware or outward powers."

Formula, Epitome I. Original Sin 3.8

Evening Prayer 2-20-11

Reading:
John 6:60-71

"Lord, to whom shall we go?"

These words are often echoed in the Liturgy of the Divine Service just directly preceding the Gospel reading.  The congregation will repeat these words, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."  What a great statement to be made prior to the reading of the Gospel.  It truly speaks to the fact that as Christians we believe, teach and confess that Jesus Christ is the center of the Gospel and that the reading of His Gospel brings Him into our midst in special way.

Our Lord just finished teaching yesterday that He was the bread that came down from heaven and that we have to eat His body and drink His blood to have His life in us.  Today we see many of the disciples are walking away from the Lord.  You see these that walked away, knew full well what Jesus was teaching.  He was not speaking symbolically.  Or rather if He was speaking symbolically they did not understand it and then Jesus would have said to them, "wait come on back, I don't mean it literally".  No rather He let them walk away from Him because He was speaking about His very Body and Blood that is given and shed for you and for me.  It is when we partake of this Holy meal that our Lord dwells in us and we in Him.

We who have been called by God and washed in Baptism see Jesus for who He really is, the Holy One of God.  He is the one that laid down His life on the cross so that He could administer His life to you.  Jesus is the one that continues to feed us with His body and blood in Holy Communion so that we can grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, be filled His grace and heavenly benediction.  These gifts are constantly given to us by Jesus because He loves us and wants to be with His people that He redeemed.

Treasury Prayer for Saturday

The Treasury of Daily Prayer which is published by Concordia Publishing House (www.cph.org), is a great resource to strengthen your devotional life with God's Word and a structured prayer life.  One of the gifts is to read prayers that have been prayed by Christians throughout the ages.

This prayer is used for Saturday and a snippet of it is provided here that truly sets out our life in Christ.

"Redeem us by Your mercy.  We know that a single sin eternally destroys our fellowship with You.  We know that we have eternally earned Your wrath.  We know that by our sin we are not worthy to be named Your children.  But our hope is not in our works; our hope is found in Your grace alone, O God.  We pray You to forgive us for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son.  Through Him, grant us the power to hate our sins, so that we may lead a life well-pleasing to You in true humility and in knowledge of Your holy will.  O Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

--Treasury of Daily Prayer pg. 1309
 

Evening Prayer 2-19-2011

Reading: 
John 6:41-59

"I am the bread of life."

These words seem so simple don't they.  Surely Jesus in these verses was not speaking about His flesh and blood because that would have been something that the Jews would have found offensive.  For remember the Jews were not allowed to partake of the blood.  They could not partake of the blood because they were taught in the Holy Scriptures this truth, "the life is in the blood"  (Leviticus 17:14)  In verse 11 of this same chapter of Leviticus God tells them that He has given the life on the altar to make an atonement for their sins.  This is a powerful teaching.

So here Jesus is teaching the disciples that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood if they are to have His life in them.  You see it is not about some great spiritual awakening and feeling that keeps you with Jesus, rather it is your continual feeding on Him in Holy Communion.  In this great Sacrament our Lord breaks through among His people with His body and blood.  He comes among His people to feed them so that you should want to take of His blood because it is in the blood that you receive His life.  This Sacrament is not some spiritual thing, but a physical thing, where Jesus comes to us in, with and under the form of bread and wine to administer His very true and present body and blood to us.  In doing so He gives us life, health and salvation. 

Our Lord promises to never leave us nor forsake us.  (Hebrews 13:5)  So He continues to be among us through His proclaimed words of Holy Scripture.  Where His word goes out to convert the heart and allow the Holy Spirit to implant faith in our hearts.  He then comes to us in Holy Baptism where we die and rise to a new life in Him.  Then in Holy Absolution where the Pastor constantly reminds us that we are forgiven on account of Jesus Christ.  And finally in the Holy Communion where He feeds us with His most Precious Body and Blood.  Our Lord is not some distant God, but one that is constantly near to us to give us His life so that we can dwell in Him and He can dwell in us.

Lutheran Confession Quote

Absolution, or the Power of the Keys, is an aid against sin and a consolation for a band conscience; it is ordained by Christ in the Gospel (Matthew 16:19).  Therefore, Confession and Absolution should by no means be abolished in the Church.

-- Smalcald Articles Part III Article VIII Confession 1

Philipp Melancthon

Philipp Melancthon (1497 - 1560) was a brilliant student of the classics and a humanist scholar.  In 1518, he was appointed to teach along with Martin Luther at he University of Wittenberg.  At Luther's urging Melancthon began teaching theology and Scripture in addition to his courses in classical studies.  In April 1530, Emperor Charles V called an official meeting between the representatives of Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism, hoping to effect a meeting of minds between two opposing groups.  Since Luther was at that time under papal excommunication and an imperial ban, Melancthon was assigned the duty of begin the chief Lutheran representative at this meeting.  He is especially remembered and honored as the author of the Augsburg Confession, which was officially presented by the German princes to the emperor on June 25, 1530, as the defining document of Lutheranism within Christendom.  Melancthon died on April 19, 1560.

Treasury of Daily Prayer pg. 1214-1215
 

Evening Prayer 2-16-11

Philipp Melancthon (birth), Confessor

Reading:
John 5:30-47

"Moses on whom you have set your hope."

Jesus is continuing His discourse with the Jews who were seeking to kill Him after He healed the man on the Sabbath day.  He goes on throughout the reading today, letting the Jewish people know that they are missing the point because they are only concerned with the externals in regards to spiritual issues.  They know the Scriptures and the fullness of the Scriptures point to Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and yet they did not want to see it. 

Jesus cuts to the chase when He tells them that there is one who accuses you:  Moses, on whom you have set your hope.  Jesus was teaching them regarding the Law.  The Law is there to be used to be a curb, to let us know what sin is, to be a mirror, so that we see sin for what it is in ourselves, and finally a rule, where it is a guide for life.  But the bottom line is that the Law can not save, it only brings death to us.  For the wages of sin is death.  (Romans 6:23)  This is what the Jews were hoping in that they could keep the Law and therefore earn the righteousness before God.  But Jesus let's them know it is the Moses and the Law that accuse them and find them falling short of what God had intended them to be.

In order to be found righteous before God we have to be perfect.  Guess what for us humans, it is impossible to do that.  So God fixed it for us.  He sent His only begotten Son into the world to live the perfect life for you and for me.  Jesus was like us in every way, He was born, raised on the lap of His holy Mother, learned the Scriptures, was tempted and tried BUT NEVER SINNED.  (Hebrews 4:15)  He then offered Himself as the perfect Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world on the cross.  Now He continues to come to us through the Gospel and through the Sacraments to give us His righteousness.  We do not come to Jesus, He comes to us with open arms and gives us life, forgiveness and salvation as a gift.  What a wonderful God we serve!  He does not leave us as orphans, but washes in Holy Baptism to cleanse our sin and unite us to Himself, feeds us with the words of Holy Scripture so that we can be strengthened in our faith, comes to us under the veil of bread and wine to give us His very body and blood.  All of this to be sure that we are united to Him and His righteousness.

Do not trust the Law for your salvation.  That is not the purpose of the Law.  But when you realize that you can not keep the Law and that you have no health in you.  Look to Jesus Christ and realize that He already died for you while you were yet a sinner.  Plead Lord have mercy and forgive me for Jesus sake.  You will find such peace when you no longer trust yourself but God for your salvation.

Lutheran Confession Quote

"Baptism is nothing other than God's Word in the water, commanded by His institution."

"Of the Sacrament of the Altar, we hold that the bread and wine in the Supper are Christ's true body and blood."

"The Keys (Office of the Ministry) are an office and power given by Christ to the Church for binding and loosing sin."

--Smalcald Articles Part III, Articles V (Baptism), VI (The Sacrament of the Altar), VII (The Keys)

Evening Prayer 2-15-11

Reading:
John 5:19-29

"We all worship the same God"

In today's pluralistic society we are very concerned about offending people.  We are neighbors with people that are potentially from different religious backgrounds, how can we say that we as Christians have the corner on truth and what does that mean.  We hear so often in our society that Jewish people, Muslims and Christians all worship the same God, but is that really true?

It is true that the Christian faith was given birth from within the Jewish race.  Our great God and Savior when He became man took flesh of the Virgin Mary.  This is the same God that spoke to Abraham when He promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations.  (Romans 4:16-18) It is true that all three religions are monotheistic.  But there is a major dividing line between the three religions, and that is the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He is God in the flesh.  The Scriptures teach us today that He has the authority to judge and to give life, just as His Father who sent Him.  For the Muslim this is blasphemy to think that man and God are one, for the Jew it is folly to believe that Messiah would die the disgusting death on the cross.  Either way they deny the One that comes to give life by His death and resurrection.  Jesus is quite clear that is we do not honor the Son we do not honor the Father.  (John 5:23)  Jesus is also clear that He is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him.  (John 14:6)

Our God left the throne of Glory to become man.  He came to find us where we were, dead in our trespasses and sins.  He took our pain, our sorrow and our sin upon Himself.  Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary for the sin of the whole world.  Do you see this, you do not work yourself to God, He came to you and calls you by the Gospel to Himself.  Our God knows that our works would never make us good enough, so He paid the price for us.  He now gives Himself to us through the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments.  To deny Jesus is to deny God.

Do not be deceived into political correctness.  In a true and false test, there is a true and a false.  Same with Christianity, it is either true or it is not.  If it is not true, then mankind is truly lost.  But thanks be to God that He sent His Son to die for me and for you so that we do not need to fear death, but can lay hold of the promises of God that He will call us again at the end to raise us up in the resurrection.

Lutheran Confession Quote

"All people" He says.  No one is an exception who is a human being.  This repentance teaches us to discern sin; We are completely lost; there is nothing good in us from head to foot; and we must become absolutely new and different people."

--Smalcald Article  Part III Article III Repentance 35

Evening Prayer 2-14-11

Reading:
John 5:1-18

"Do you want to be healed?"

People are always looking for a miracle.  You can see it society today, if a person thinks they see an image of our Lord or the saints in some object thousands upon thousands of people will flock there to hope to see it.  People make pilgrimmages every year to holy sites around the world for the hope of being healed or the hope of being close to God.  Sometimes they go a lifetime looking for the miracle without getting what THEY were looking for.

Jeremy Camp who is a very good Christian singer and ordained Pastor has an incredible testimony.  He married a young lady early on after they found out that she had cancer.  She was in remission and they were married and while on the honeymoon she began with pains in her stomach.  When they returned from the honeymoon they found out that it had spread and was throughout her body.  She ended up dying a few months after they wed.  Tragic story.  He speaks openly about how he could not understand that God did not heal her.  They did all of annointings, prayers and things.  Why did she have to die?  He healed others why not her?  These are all normal questions to ask in times like this.  The answer is what he came to find out.

God is still God.  Despite what we want, despite what we are looking for, God is in control.  Though his wife passed from this life, she passed into the arms of the savior, Jesus Christ.  He wrote a song called, "I still believe" and it states:
    "I still believe in Your faithfulness, I still believe in Your Truth.  I still believe in Your Holy Word.  Even when I don't see, I still believe."
  This is faith that we cling to God despite all else that may be going on around us.  We may not get the healing that the man received in today's story, but despite the fact that our physical body will breakdown because of our sin, we have hope in the resurrection because of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ overcame death and the grave.  Because He lives we too shall live and we will experience joy beyond our wildest notion when we see Him face to face.

Lutheran Confession Quote

"As for satisfaction, this is by far the most complex part of all.  For no one can know how much to render for a single sin, let alone how much for all."

--Smalcald Articles Part III, Article III (Repentance) 21

Luther was teaching here that the only satisfaction for our sins is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  We do not pay for our sins, He paid for them all when He died for us.  If we are trusting in our works to make us right before God, we will always be in misery and without certainty that we are saved by the works of Jesus alone.

Evening Prayer 2-13-11

Reading:

John 4:46-54

"Go, your son will live."

In today's reading Jesus is confronted with an official whose son was ready to die.  This is such a tragic time and having two children of my own, I still not sure that I  can imagine the flood of emotions that this man was feeling.  So he reaches out to Jesus to heal the child before he dies.  You can picture this man begging Jesus to please come to my house before my child dies and heal him.  All Jesus does is respond with the words, "Go; your son will live."  (John 4:50)  The man believes and then finds out that his son was healed at the very hour that Jesus spoke these words. 

You see Jesus does not have to be physically there to bring about the healing.  He is the Word of God, the second person of the Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity that has come into the flesh.  When He speaks it acts and does what He says.  So when He stated that the official's son would live, it was as good as Him standing next to the child.  The Word does what it says.  We just have to receive it.

The same is true today for us.  We are dead in our trespasses and sins.  We are so disordered because of the fall of Adam and Eve that we can not begin to make the first move towards to God.  So we bring our children into the Church, good as dead because of the sin that separates them from their heavenly Father.  It is in the Church that our God comes to the child through the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments.  Jesus Christ comes to them in them in the water of Holy Baptism and forgives them of their sins and gives them new life.  They die, but rise again to newness of life in Christ in this mighty Sacrament.  You no longer need to fear death because you have been baptized and are made an heir of everlasting salvation on account of your life in Christ.  Jesus' perfect life is applied to you in that Sacrament by grace through faith.  You take God at His Word, just as the official did in today's reading.

It is here in the Church that we hear that our child will live.  Not because of some good that they may do, but because God has declared this child righteous because of the work of Jesus Christ.  Jesus says to you and I today,"Go; your son will live."