Homily - Holy Thursday

Here's tonight's homily for Holy Thursday ... and I absolutely love this icon (never seen it before; just now found it) that brings out the Calvary on the Altar theme that von Schenk drives home!

“Calvary Brought Down to Today”
Holy (Maundy) Thursday
Exodus 12:1-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; John 13:1-15, 34-35

We have left the season of Lent, and now we enter the “Holy Triduum” – the Holy Three Days. The season of Lent has prepared us for this most sacred time by drawing us to our Baptism and by reminding us of the real, spiritual battles we wage against our own sin, our own fallen flesh, the fallen world, and the devil himself. Lent has prepared us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Now we stand at Calvary’s holy mountain to do just that.

Our first reading reminds us of the Passover sacrifice and meal. For any other people, it looked like any other kind of meal. But for Israel, the people of God, it was their meal of deliverance. Sacrifice a lamb, smear its blood on the doorposts, roast and eat that lamb, and off they went – out of slavery and into freedom. Talk about a colossal “eat and run”! But it was God’s way of delivering His people. It was God’s way of preparing them for the greater Lamb who would take on human flesh and blood and take away the sin of the world.

In our second reading we hear how the Old Testament Passover becomes our New Testament Passover. We too have a sacrifice and a meal that sets us free. To folks outside the Church, it looks like a pretty poor meal indeed – only a little bite of bread and a small sip of wine. But to God’s redeemed people, to us, it is our Lord’s Meal of deliverance – freeing us from our own sin, our own fallen flesh, our fallen world, and even from Satan himself. And all of this because of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. You see, He was sacrificed and roasted on the Cross; His blood was smeared on the doorposts of the Cross. And off we go, out of slavery in our sin and death and into the freedom of forgiveness and the light of God’s life.

Then, in our Gospel reading, we hear of the great love of our Savior Jesus Christ. It happened in the hustle and bustle of celebrating the Passover meal. Jesus took off His outer garment and wrapped Himself with a towel. He poured water into a basin and got down on His hands and knees to wash His disciples’ calloused, sweaty, dirt encrusted feet. What great love! What great sacrifice! And then our Lord gave His new commandment: “that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

All three of these things converge into one in these Holy Three Days. The Passover sacrifice and deliverance; our Lord’s Meal of Body and Blood for forgiveness and life; and our Lord’s command to love one another with the sacrifice of oneself: they all combine into what one pastor once called “the Calvary Love.” Let’s listen to Pastor Berthold von Schenk (The Presence, pp. 88-92).

Mark well this amazing situation. Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Altar in the city of Jerusalem at the time of the great feast. What was uppermost in the mind of the people in Jerusalem? Was it not fundamentally the idea of sacrifice? That is the word which echoed and re-echoed through the streets.

It is before the final sacrifice, the culmination of all sacrifices, that Jesus says: “This is My Body, given for you.” Then He speaks these important words: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Sacrificial words in a sacrificial setting, at a sacrificial moment. There can be no doubt that when Jesus instituted the Sacrament He associated it with the sacrifice of the Cross.

Now listen to Paul again, “As often as ye do this, ye do show forth the Lords death till He come.” Holy Communion and Calvary are always linked together. We cannot add to Calvary. We cannot repeat it. How then, is our Communion related to the Sacrifice of the Cross? We can get some help by taking note of the Jewish sacrifice. There were three parts. As in the Jewish Temple sacrifices there was the presentation of the victim, the slaying of the victim, and the taking of blood into the Holy of Holies, so in Christ these all were fulfilled.

At Bethlehem the Lamb was presented
At Calvary the Lamb was slain.
At the Ascension the Lamb ascended into the veil and now has our High Priest and Advocate presents forever the sacrifice once offered upon the Cross.

Calvary, then, is now in Heaven, an eternal fact, where the Master Himself, in His risen and glorified Body, with His wounds shining more brilliant than all created light, obtains mercy for you and for me. And the Altar?—Here we have under the veils of bread and wine, the same Body once crucified, now risen and glorified. And in Communion, as nowhere else, the believer is caught up in this great continual act, this timeless offering of the one sacrifice on the Cross.

The Church on earth and the Church in heaven is one Church. It cannot be broken up. The Body of Christ cannot be torn asunder. On the Cross the sacrifice was perfectly offered. Now our Lord continually pleads this sacrifice. At the Altar the Christian Church pleads the same offering which our Lord is continually offering in heaven, only now under the veils of bread and wine.

Remember, there are not two sacrifices. There is one sacrifice, the same sacrifice, in one Church, presented and pleaded before the Father. The sacrifice of Christ cannot be divided into two parts. Therefore, at the Altar we touch Calvary. The same Body which was offered then is present at the Altar; and every time I communicate I show forth His death, the same death. I link myself to it, and Calvary becomes a reality. At Communion we are actually on the mount called Calvary. We see it all. Some of us stand, as did John, in mystified wonder; others, like Mary, in love and tears; some, like the soldiers; and others, still, like the Centurian [sic], and say: “Surely, this is the Son of God.” The Lord’s Supper is not the symbol of the death of Christ, but it is the personal appropriation of the person of Christ in His death. The Communicant takes the crucified Saviour into Himself as the bread and wine serve as carriers…. This is what Paul meant when he said: “Is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ?” (1 Cor. 10).

The whole sacrifice of Calvary is focused to a point at the Altar. It is brought home and made a reality as I kneel to receive the true Body and Blood given and shed for me. Then it was offered on the Cross, now, in heaven triumphant—through the bread and wine. Here I truly touch Calvary, which is now being pleaded by my High Priest. Here I find the secret whereby I can touch my God, the secret whereby divine love can also be born in me and thus radiate through me into the lives of my fellow-men.

Here at the Altar I find love. Here, as I touch Calvary and the pure love of Golgotha radiates in and through me, I can say, “Take me, Lord Jesus. Take also my body, which I am willing to break for Thee; take also my blood which I am willing to shed for Thee. I offer my whole life to Thee through Thy dear life by which alone I can be saved, by which alone I can help bring to salvation my wife, my children, my home, my friends.”

At the Altar is the cresset where we get our fire of the Calvary Love. How this love is needed! We have lost much of it. We have to invent all kinds of methods to attract the people. We must advertise, we must entertain. Why? Because the Church has lost its way to the Altar it has also lost its way into the heart of the world. For the pure love of Calvary alone can save the world. It is that love for which the world is aching. But we must first recapture it ourselves.

Let us find the reality of Calvary, of love, by the way of the Altar. There we can again touch the wounds of Christ; and by touching the wounds of Christ, we shall touch the wounds of the world.

May God grant us a joyous celebration of these Holy Three Days as we find Calvary brought down to today at the Altar. In the name of the Father, and of the X Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Letter to my congregation

Here's the letter that I have written to my congregation informing them of the Issues, Etc. fiasco. It will be inserted in the Sunday bulletin so that I will not have to detract from the joyous solemnities of celebrating our Lord's Resurrection.

Holy (Maundy) Thursday
20 March 2008

Pastoral Letter – Urgent Information

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings as we celebrate the most sacred mysteries of our Lord’s Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. As I write this, we celebrate our Lord’s Passover of His Body and Blood and His command to love one another. As you read this, we celebrate our Lord’s glorious Resurrection from the dead and His victory over the grave. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

However, this pastoral letter really concerns something quite different. Many of you have listened to the radio program Issues, Etc., whether regularly or occasionally. Issues, Etc. has been a great blessing to many people because of its faithful and bold proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its consistent approach of looking at contemporary issues with a Christian worldview. Hope congregation itself has supported Issues, Etc. and has welcomed Pastor Todd Wilken (host) to preach on a few occasions. Not only have I had the privilege of being long-time friends with Pastor Wilken, but I have also been privileged to be a guest on the radio program on several occasions.

Sadly and regretfully, I must inform you that on Tuesday, 18 March 2008, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod cancelled Issues, Etc. and terminated the employment of Rev. Todd Wilken and Mr. Jeff Schwarz (producer). This is quite a shocking development, especially because Issues, Etc. has been such a strong voice of the Gospel over the radio and Internet airwaves. Actually, Issues, Etc. has developed a nationwide following of listeners and has been successful from a financial standpoint. So this decision is just plain sad and confusing!

On Wednesday, 19 March, KFUO-AM finally posted an explanation for this cancellation on their website. It reads:

For programmatic and business reasons, the decision was made this week to discontinue the “Issues, Etc.” program on KFUO-AM. We look forward to bringing you new programming in this time slot in the near future. Also, we thank “Issues” host Rev. Todd Wilken and producer Mr. Jeff Schwarz for their years of service on behalf of the station. Those interested may still download past “Issues, Etc.” programs from the “Issues” archive on this website. Thank you sincerely for your continued support of KFUO's radio ministry.

As you can see, the “official statement” does not give much of reason for canceling the most popular and successful program on KFUO-AM – a program that was doing exactly what the Church is called to do: proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I mention this for three reasons. First, because many of you have followed Issues, Etc., have supported it over the years, and have enjoyed listening and learning. I thought you should know what’s happening.

Second, I want to alert you to a need and an opportunity to give to that need. With this sudden and mostly unexplained cancellation of Issues, Etc. the lives and families of some dear brothers in Christ are being adversely affected. Now Pr. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz are without means – salary and benefits – to provide for their families. Not only that, but the Schwarz family has an especially unique need as Jeff’s wife, Beth, suffers from a nerve disorder, and is in the process of getting into the Mayo Clinic to see what can be done. A standard severance package has been offered to both Wilken and Schwarz, but it comes with the string of a “gag order” attached. (That is, they are being asked to sign a document stating that they will not discuss the conditions of their termination of employment.) The Issues, Etc. team is seeking legal counsel before they accept the conditional severance package.

So, I do encourage you to show compassion for and give support for two men who have given so much of themselves and, most importantly, of God’s Truth to us. If you would like to give some money to help both the Wilken and Schwarz families, here are two ways you can do that:

a. Send a contribution to “Wilken/Schwarz Fund”
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Box 247
Hamel IL 62046

b. If you’d like to give online, you can donate via “PayPal” at the website for “The Wittenberg Trail” (http://wittenbergtrail.ning.com/).

The third reason I mention this travesty of canceling Issues, Etc. is to encourage you to take some action, as I already have. Of course, please pray for Pr. Wilken, Mr. Schwarz, and all listeners of Issues, Etc. that God will bring good out of this sad situation. Also, as you are so inclined, please contact the folks at the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and tell them how disappointed you are over this decision. Also, ask that they reinstate Issues, Etc. Here’s some contact information:


LCMS: 888-843-5267 (or 314-996-1200)
KFUO: 314-725-0099

Email for David Strand
(head of LCMS communications office): David.Strand@lcms.org

Street address of the LCMS (for postal mail):
1333 S. Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122-7295

LCMS Information Center: infocenter@lcms.org

If you are so inclined, you can also sign an online petition that seeks the reinstatement of Issues, Etc. to the airwaves and of Pr. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz to their positions. (As of about 12:00 noon on 3/20/08, there are 1224 signatures. And the petition just began on the evening of 3/19/08!) You can view and sign this petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/Issues/ .

Of course, please keep reading my personal “blog” at http://rasburrysres.blogspot.com and join the discussion of these and other matters.

In Christ’s service,

Pastor Randy Asburry

Holy Triduum Hymn

Here's a great hymn for the "Holy Triduum" (Holy Three Days). Sure helps put everything - including these past couple of days - in proper perspective!

Sing, my tongue the glorious battle;
Sing the ending of the fray.
Now above the cross, the trophy,
Sound the loud triumphant lay;
Tell how Christ, the world's redeemer,
As a victim won the day.

Tell how, when at length the fullness
Of the appointed time was come,
He, the Word, was born of woman,
Left for us His Father's home,
Blazed the path of true obedience,
Shone as light amidst the gloom.

Thus, with thirty years accomplished,
He went forth from Nazareth,
Destined, dedicated, willing,
Did His work, and met His death;
Like a lam He humbly yielded
On the cross His dying breath.

Faithful cross, true sign of triumph,
Be for all the noblest tree;
None in foliage, none in blossom,
None in fruit thine equal be;
Symbol of the world's redemption,
For the weight that hung on thee!

Unto God be praise and glory;
To the Father and the Son,
To the eternal Spirit honor
Now and evermore be done;
Praise and glory in the highest
While the timeless ages run. (LSB 454)

Issues, Etc. Online Petition

Here's a great way to show your support for Issues, Etc., Pr. Todd Wilken, and Mr. Jeff Schwarz, and speak out for reinstating the program. Sign the online petition here.

An Answer leading only to more Questions

So ... the official "explanation" for the Issues, Etc. cancellation is out. You can find it at www.kfuoam.org, but be ready to wait for your browser to load it. I'm guessing that lots and lots of folks are trying to read the statement for themselves and even check out the restored Issues, Etc. archives. (More on that in a moment.) But you needn't try to access the archives at www.issuesetc.org; you'll only get a message saying "Issues Etc. is no longer available." (Yep, still sad reality!)

Since you may not want to wait for kfuoam.org to load, here's the "explanation":

For programmatic and business reasons, the decision was made this week to discontinue the "Issues, Etc." program on KFUO-AM. We look forward to bringing you new programming in this time slot in the near future. Also, we thank "Issues" host Rev. Todd Wilken and producer Mr. Jeff Schwarz for their years of service on behalf of the station. Those interested may still download past "Issues, Etc." programs from the "Issues" archive on this website. Thank you sincerely for your continued support of KFUO's radio ministry.

This "answer" only leads to more questions.

• Do we really get an explanation/answer? (I think not. Just a good dose of "bureaucratese")
• What kinds of "programmatic and business reasons" could possibly lead to canceling what I'm positive was the most popular, most listened to, and most financially successful program on KFUO-AM? (I believe someone commented on Pr. Weedon's blog, and based on actual meeting minutes, that KFUO-AM's finances were actually improving)
• Why hide behind the limp-wristed language of "the decision was made"? By whom? Who's man enough to own up to it - that is, if it were truly a "right decision"?
• What kind of "new programming" can possibly compare to the great, Christ-centered, Gospel-focused, rubber-hits-the-road training in apologetics and evangelism heard on Issues, Etc.? (After all, the art had already been honed, the skills had already been polished, the guests had been proven. Now the "new programming" will have to start from scratch and earn its way into peoples hearts and minds.)
• Will support of KFUO's "radio ministry" truly continue - by the LCMS? by listeners, that is, in the same way that they supported Issues, Etc.?

So, readers (and I know you're reading :-), what say you?

And now to the comment about the slowness of KFUO's website. Could that reveal a whole host of people nationwide, and even around the globe, trying access what remains of Issues, Etc., people who are interested and concerned now that Issues, Etc. has been silenced? Could it be that more people actually listened to Issues, Etc. than was presumed leading up to this infamous cancellation? Could it be that the powers that be "misunderestimated" (Thank you, Pres. Bush, for coining that term ;-) the scope of their decision? Let's hope so!

I suspect that David Strand and the communications folks at the LCMS International Center are monitoring blogs such as this. In fact, I hope so. So, Mr. Strand, would you do us the kindness of answering the real, ongoing questions with real, satisfactory answers? I know I would appreciate it, and I'm sure many, many others would too.

Screwtape returns?

Here's a good bit of wisdom from one of my parishioners who has already corresponded with the LCMS (yes, already sent this!) regarding the "Holy Tuesday Treachery" of canceling Issues, Etc. In good C. S. Lewis style my parishioner reminds us of what's really transpiring here (i.e. more than mere politics and cut-throat corporate tactics, though those are very much in play too, I'm sure), as you can see from the references to Wormwood and Screwtape. (And thanks to C. S. Lewis for giving us this wondrous way of looking at the reality of such things!)

My dear nephew Wormwood,

I offer heartiest congratulations on your recent victory, the cancellation of that most odious radio program, Issues, Etc.! The complete erasure of the existence of the program from the Internet and elsewhere with no explanation...oh what a glorious coup! Not only does this remove one of The Patient's lifelines, but it has encouraged him to violate the 8th Commandment again and again, by spreading gossip and inciting anger and hatred. Clearly, you have learned your lessons well.

Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape

Let the puns begin

Here's another tip of the hat to Pr. Cwirla's ongoing "coverage"/commentary on the Issues, Etc. travesty. Get a load of this political cartoon in real picture disguise! I have no idea if he or someone else did this (I hope he has better things to do during Holy Week! :-). Also check out his latest comments here.

Support Pr. Todd Wilken & Mr. Jeff Schwarz

For those who wish to send financial support for Pr. Todd Wilken and Mr. Jeff Schwarz and their families (especially so that they do not have to rely on a some severance package with potentially shady strings attached!), please consider these two options:

1. Send financial gifts for the Wilkens and Schwarzes to:
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Box 247
Hamel IL 62046
Designate it "Wilken/Schwarz Fund."

2. Donate via PayPal at the Wittenberg Trail.

Bring Back the Archives!

Thanks to Pr. Bill Cwirla for pointing out that the archives of Issues, Etc. should be restored to the show's website. As he says, "While there may have been reasons for canceling the show - and we will wait to hear the official rendering of those reasons - there was no reason to remove the archival content of the show from the web. Countless people have turned to these essays and interviews to confront the issues facing the church today."

Let me echo Pr. Cwirla. With him, I do find it ironic in the extreme that the very same Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod that wants to set the world "ablaze" with the "love of Jesus" now silences one of the strongest voices that has been doing just that (and I'll resist the temptation to comment on the extreme lovelessness that seems apparent in this cancellation and firing). Not only that, but the irony runs even more extreme when we see the archives of the show removed - as if Issues, Etc. never existed? Does someone have a problem with real life and recent history? Sorry, such tactics will not go unnoticed! The Issues, Etc. archives have given and will continue to give a treasure trove of resources for many to hear the Truth of God's message of mercy in Jesus Christ and for many to engage in the Church's ongoing task of reaching out to a lost and dying world.

So, in addition to contacting the LCMS and/or KFUO to register our extreme dissatisfaction for the cancellation of Issues, Etc., let's also give a clarion call to restore the archives of shows past. As Pr. Cwirla says, "If you are at all interested in apologetics and evangelism in the way of Lutheran orthodoxy, bring pressure to bear on the LC-MS to release the rights to the Issues, Etc. archive so that it can be restored to the web. There is no godly reason not to allow this, though it is a mistake to attribute godliness to institutions. For now, Issues, Etc. is in a Babylonian Captivity."

Once again here is the contact information that I have:

LCMS: 888-843-5267 (or 314-996-1200)
KFUO: 314-725-0099

David Strand's email: David.Strand@lcms.org

Street address of the LCMS (for snail mail):
1333 S. Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122-7295

LCMS Information Center: infocenter@lcms.org

And...

...for a YouTube version of the Issues, Etc. travesty and the information for contacting the LCMS and/or KFUO radio, check this out.

Day of Infamy - Call for Prayer

March 18, 2008, will go down in infamy for many in Lutheran circles, and, I imagine, in some other Christian circles as well. Today is the day when bureaucrats of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod exercised infamous wisdom and spurious judgment by canceling the popular and well-respected radio program Issues, Etc. The show's host, Pr. Todd Wilken, and producer, Mr. Jeff Schwarz, were summarily fired (no, that's not too strong a word!) with absolutely no reason given - even when they asked for one.

(As a matter of full disclosure, I must say that Pr. Wilken and I have been friends for over 20 years, first, as seminary classmates and buddies, then as brother pastors, including a brief stint of 3-4 years as co-editors of a little journal for pastors called Doctrine & Practice. I have also come to respect Mr. Jeff Schwarz as a faithful comrade in arms in the Church's task of proclaiming the Truth of God's mercy and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.)

Very little is known at this point about the whys and wherefores of this incredulous cancellation and callous firing. When others have called the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, they have received a nice little bureaucratic two-step that gave the most minimal information and no rationale for such a jolting development. So, we must wait and see what the story (spin?) turns out to be.

At the outset, let me suggest that all who are concerned should contact the LCMS and/or KFUO radio - by phone calls, letters, and emails - to express their great sadness and concern that Issues, Etc. has been canceled and that faithful servants of the church have been so shamefully treated. Rev. David Strand is the head of the communications office, and you can contact the LCMS Information Center. Here are the details:

LCMS: 888-843-5267
KFUO: 314-725-0099

David Strand's email: David.Strand@lcms.org

Street address of the LCMS (for snail mail):
1333 S. Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122-7295

LCMS Information Center: infocenter@lcms.org

On the one hand, I am not that surprised at this infamy. I strongly suspect there is an agenda at work in the executive halls of the Missouri-Synod, namely, to steer the church body's course away from its roots, its theology, and its practice, as taught in the Scriptures and confessed in the Lutheran Confessions, and into the murky waters of American Protestantism/Pentecostalism. Issues, Etc. has long been a voice trying to stem that tide.

Then, on the other hand, I cannot help but be shocked and saddened. Supposed church-men hanging fellow church-men out to dry? Apparently little thought given to the needs of the families of each of these men? (And, yes, there are some great needs! If you would like to contribute to help Pr. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz, see these details on Pr. Weedon's blog.) And here, in my mind, is what clinches the appropriateness of the label "infamy" for this tragic event: the host and producer of Issues, Etc. were not even given the courtesy to say "Good-bye" to their loyal listeners. Not only are Pr. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz directly affected by this bureaucratic infamy, but so are their dear families, as well as their listeners who gained greater appreciation for the Christ-centered Gospel so faithfully proclaimed over the airwaves.

How shall friends and faithful listeners of Issues, Etc. respond? Allow me to suggest some thoughts based upon God's commandments and teaching in Scripture. First, let's fear, love and trust in our gracious, forgiving God and His Son Jesus Christ, who Himself was treated with bureaucratic infamy and betrayal and rewarded with the death sentence upon a cross. (Yes, today's infamous deed came on the heels of this morning's reading from Mark 14 in our Morning Prayer for Tuesday of Holy Week!)

Second, let's properly use God's holy name by calling upon it in this time of trouble for Todd, Jeff, their families and their listeners. Let's also thank Him for the good that Issues, Etc. has certainly done over the years. Our God is faithful, and He will answer prayers to provide for and strengthen His redeemed children, especially now in the Wilken and Schwarz households. But also, let's pray for the "powers-that-be" (I didn't know if I should toss out the oh, so "flattering" term of "bureaucrat" again ;-). Let's pray that our Lord will lead them to repentance for their infamy and callousness. Let's pray that our Lord will have His proper justice rather than the perverted justice we see unveiled before our eyes (and in the now silent airwaves). Let's pray that those who are trying to silence the voice of Issues, Etc., for whatever the real reason might be, may be brought back to God's mercy in our Savior Jesus Christ.

Third, let's drive ourselves more and more into God's words of promise, mercy, hope, and forgiveness, especially as we continue to wend our way through Holy Week. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who endured the cross, scorning its shame, and thus shows us the way of perfect love. We all have our gut reactions and our desire to see justice done. We all have our inclination to get all guns blazing to set right this infamous wrong. But let's not draw our strength or comfort from such things. Let's, instead, confess our sinful passions. Let's draw our strength from our Lord's Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection, for He alone brings blessing out of tragedy, life out of death, and joy out of sorrow. Whatever machinations may happen, whatever proper ways of righting this wrong may occur, whatever future a once good radio show may or may not have now, the Lord of life will sustain us and comfort us in these dark days. He will certainly sustain and comfort Todd and Jeff and their families.

Fourth, let's remember God's command to love our neighbors and our enemies, just as our Lord did on the cross. Our first reaction to such infamy will be to get even, or unseat whatever bureaucrat(s) made this utterly misguided decision, or.... Let's seize this opportunity to follow St. Peter's words of wisdom: "have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing" (1 Peter 3:8-9). Let's also remember the words of St. James: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:4-2). And let's keep St. Paul's words in the forefront of our minds and hearts: "Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Colossians 3:12-14).

So, Todd and Jeff, my prayers are with you and your dear families. May our gracious God supply your every need, and may He give you the joy and comfort of sins forgiven and new life in Christ Jesus our Lord. I consider it no accident or mere happenstance that we at Hope got to pray the words of Psalm 91 this evening. I will continue to pray these words for you and with you: "Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place--the Most High, who is my refuge--no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways" (Ps. 91:9-11).

Bearing the Cross of Christ

A brief devotional reading from Martin Luther on this Tuesday of Holy Week:

The cross teaches us to believe in hope even when there is not hope. The wisdom of the cross is deeply hidden in a profound mystery. In fact, there is no other way to heaven than taking up the cross of Christ. On account of this we must beware that the active life with its good works, and the contemplative life with its speculations, do not lead us astray. Both are most attractive and yield peace of mind, but for that very reason they hide real dangers, unless they are tempered by the cross and disturbed by adversaries. The cross is the surest path of all. Blessed is the man who understands this truth.

It is a matter of necessity that we be destroyed and rendered formless, so that Christ may be formed within us, and Christ alone be in us.... Real mortifications do not happen in lonely places away from the society of other human beings. No! They happen in the home, the market place, in secular life.... "Being conformed to Christ" is not within our powers to achieve. It is God's gift, not our own work.

He who is not crucianus, if I may coin a word, is not Christianus: in other words, he who does not bear his cross is no Christian, for he is not like his Master, Jesus Christ. (A reflection on the cross; cited in For All the Saints: A Prayer Book For and By the Church, vol. III, p. 1011.)

St. Patrick, Missionary to Ireland

In honor of St. Patrick on this March 17, 2008, here's a little something I wrote for my congregation's newsletter:

Who was St. Patrick?

When I say, “March 17,” chances are good that you think, “St. Patrick’s Day.” And once you think of St. Patrick’s Day, you probably think of all the green clothes and hats you can wear, the green food you will eat, and the green decorations that go up just about everywhere. You might even think of delicious corned beef and cabbage (Yum!), and perhaps even green beer. (Although that still doesn’t seem right. I mean why taint perfectly good beer by turning it green? ☺)

However, St. Patrick’s Day is about much more than that. March 17 is the Church’s day to commemorate the great bishop of Ireland and his tireless work to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ among people who were quite hostile to Christianity. Through the faithful and even life-threatening work of preaching the Gospel of Christ and founding many churches, God used St. Patrick to convert Ireland from pagan religions such as Druidism to Christianity. March 17, then, commemorates the death of St. Patrick in the middle of the fifth century.

The LCMS website gives this summary of St. Patrick’s life:

Patrick is one of the best-known of the missionary saints. Born to a Christian family in Britain around the year 389, he was captured as a teenager by raiders, taken to Ireland, and forced to serve as a herdsman. After six years he escaped and found his way to a monastery community in France. Ordained a bishop in 432, he made his way back to Ireland, where he spent the rest of his long life spreading the Gospel and organizing Christian communities. He strongly defended the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in a time when it was not popular to do so. His literary legacy includes his autobiography, Confessio, and several prayers and hymns still used in the church today. Patrick died around the year 466.

On one occasion, in A.D. 433, Patrick defied the orders of King Loegaire and refused to honor a pagan festival. The king, then, tried to assassinate Patrick, but Patrick and his coworkers were able to escape unharmed. Tradition says that God’s deliverance from this peril prompted Patrick to write his best-known hymn, known today as “I Bind Unto Myself Today.” This hymn is an excellent confession of the Holy Trinity and of God’s deliverance from sin and evil through Jesus Christ. Here’s the text from our hymnal, Lutheran Service Book, 604:

I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me forever,
By pow’r of faith, Christ’s incarnation,
His Baptism in the Jordan River,
His cross of death for my salvation,
His bursting from the spiced tomb,
His riding up the heav’nly way,
His coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself today
The pow’r of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need,
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The Word of God to give me speech,
His heav’nly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile foes that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In ev’ry place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me those holy pow’rs.

I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three,
Of whom all nature has creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation;
Salvation is of Christ the Lord!

So, this March 17, instead of merely donning the green and enjoying corned-beef for St. Patrick’s Day, we also thank God for the Bishop of Ireland and his faithful preaching of the Gospel and his confession of the Holy Trinity. No matter what opposition we face, we can also proclaim the goodness and mercy of our holy, Triune God, just as St. Patrick did.

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

Holy Week draws our attention to our Savior's extreme Passion and excruciating Crucifixion. What a marvelous love our Lord Jesus has shown us as He laid down His life for sinners such as us! The hymn "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" (LSB 449) leads us to ponder just these things, namely, our Savior's Passion to save and redeem us as it begets true adoration from us back to Him.

O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown.
O sacred Head, what glory,
What bliss, till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, has suffered
Was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
And grant to me Thy grace.

What language can I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever!
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never,
Out live my love for Thee.

Be Thou my consolation,
My shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion
When my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee,
Upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfold Thee.
Who dieth thus dies well. (LSB 449)

Homily - Palm Sunday

Look, the Humble King
John 12:12-36 (Procession Gospel & Alternate Holy Gospel)

It was a ticker-tape parade for a battle that would come several days later. The King was entering His domain. So the color purple on the altar reminds us of our King’s true royalty. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” But our King had no special attraction about Him. “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him” (Is. 53:2). On this Palm Sunday we behold an unattractive King, a King without worldly pomp, a humble King. And while this King may be humble on earth, both then and now, He brings us into His eternal majesty. Look, the humble King!

Look at Him humble on a lowly donkey. St. John’s version of the procession into Jerusalem is quite simple: “And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it.” But this was no mere happenstance. The other Gospels tell the story of Jesus making preparations to ride on this donkey. He sent two of His disciples to find a young donkey, untie it, and bring it to Him. Jesus knew what He was up to. Earthly kings and rulers ride on whites stallions or in Lincoln Continentals or bulletproof limousines. But Jesus? He’s a different kind of King, a humble King. He rides on a donkey not even full-grown. He rides in His ticker-tape parade on a borrowed little Chevy pick-up truck. Look, the humble King!

The prophet Zechariah had foretold this lowly procession. He prepared the Jews then and us now for our humble Messiah. “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Jesus never intended to come into the world in majestic, splendid, awe-inspiring pomp and circumstance. He never intended to come in the ways of the world. So, we dare not expect Him to come in majestic, splendid, awe-inspiring ways in our day, either. He did not come to teach businessmen the successful methods of business. He did not even come to cleanse society of the riff-raff of drunks, thieves, gamblers, or perverts. No, He came to bring salvation, not a social agenda. Leave the social agendas to earthly rulers and workers. Jesus brings the Gospel of salvation—the Gospel of forgiveness and life in Jesus, the Gospel meant for everyone from earthly rulers to businessmen to society’s riff-raff, including politicians who get exposed as perverts. The Gospel of salvation in Jesus may and does indeed bear fruits that benefit society; and that’s very good. But Jesus’ mission was to bring heaven to you, not turn this present earth into heaven. Look, the humble King on His lowly donkey!

Look at the humble King with His bewildered disciples. His disciples did not understand these things at first. Even Jesus’ inner circle, His trusted cabinet, did not grasp what He was doing and saying by riding on a donkey. Sure, they knew He was the Savior. Peter had confessed Him as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16). They had heard Him teach the people and tweak the super-religious Pharisees. They had seen Him perform His miraculous signs. What on earth was He doing riding a donkey? That they just could not—or maybe would not—understand.

And we are just like them. King Jesus comes in lowly, humble fashion, and even today His followers do a doubtful double take. Jesus comes in the lowly, humble waters of Baptism. What do His followers do? Seek some other, man-made, more spectacular source of strength and life with God. Jesus comes the lowly, humble words of Absolution spoken by the mouth of a pastor. What do His followers do? Rely on themselves to create their own clean hearts and forgive themselves apart from the spoken words of Jesus’ forgiveness. Jesus comes in the lowly, humble meal of Communion. What do His followers do? Treat the meal as if nothing of consequence were happening in the eating and drinking or forget that eternal life comes through this very Meal. We disciples do not understand all these things.

What saved the disciples then? What saves us now? “When Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him.” Only after Jesus suffers the betrayal, the denial, the mock trial … only after He suffers the sentencing, the flogging, the cross-carrying … only after He is spiked to the rough wood and hangs there for six hours, suffocating, burning with agony … only after He dies a wretched criminal’s death … only after He lies lifeless in the tomb … only after He rises from the dead—only then do we understand these things. The King came to suffer, die, and rise again. The King came not to bring earthly health or wealth, power or prosperity. No, the King came to bring treasures far more valuable, much longer lasting: life and peace with God. You can’t put a price on that! But you may receive it—simply receive it; receive it in faith—just as you do with any free gift. Look, the humble King with believing disciples!

Look, the humble King despised by proud Pharisees. The Pharisees put Jesus’ name on the “Jerusalem’s Most Wanted” list. He committed no crime, no treason, and no terrorism. He didn’t even hurt anyone. But the Pharisees plotted and schemed how they might rub Him out and kill Him. You see, Jesus had stolen something from them. He took away their religion. They spoke good things of God, but then they despised God’s works and God’s people. They looked down on other people for not being, well, as important or religious as they. Of course, they could not judge people’s hearts. But that did not stop them from seeing the outward differences or problems and then judging in their own hearts. Their own hearts did not fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Their own hearts trusted in themselves and their own efforts to please God. That’s what Jesus took from them. And He did it by raising the dead, by loving and forgiving sinners.

Our lowly, humble King takes away our self-centered religion too. He tears down everything in us that makes us think we belong to ourselves. He tears down everything in us that makes us think we are better than others, by what family we come from, by what church we attend, by what standing we have at work or in the community. He takes it all away and nails it to the cross in His own body. And in return He gives us His life—a humble life, a servant life, a life that receives eternal gifts from God, a life that seeks to serve God by serving whatever humble person crosses our path.

Look, our humble King revealed in His dying and rising. The Greeks came to Philip and said, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Perhaps they only saw Jesus from a distance as He entered Jerusalem. No doubt, they wanted a face-to-face meeting with the Lord of Life, a personal encounter with the humble King. Philip told Andrew; Andrew took Philip, and they both told Jesus. King Jesus responded with a mini-parable: “I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” How would the Greeks see Jesus? In His dying and rising. How do we see humble King Jesus? In His dying and rising. “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” That’s where He paid the price to bring you into life eternal and the never-ending kingdom of God. He died, went into the ground, but then came out alive. And now humble King Jesus bears much fruit in you by delivering the fruit of His dying and rising to you.

Dr. Luther put it this way: “If I now seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will not find it given there. Nor must I hold to the suffering of Christ … in knowledge or remembrance, for I will not find it there either. But I will find in the sacrament or gospel the word which distributes, presents, offers, and gives to me that forgiveness which was won on the cross” (AE, 40:214). No, we cannot go back to the cross to find forgiveness—no, we weren’t there when they crucified our Lord, and we can’t go there in time or space. But King Jesus can and does bring the fruits and benefits of His cross to us. Look, humble King Jesus enters His new Jerusalem, His Church, riding humble and mounted under bread and wine. Here He enlivens and strengthens us. Here He resuscitates and sustains us. Here He reigns for us.

As an excellent new hymn says: “Now He who bore for mortals’ sake / The cross and all its pains / And chose a servant’s form to take, / The King of glory reigns. / Hosanna to the Savior’s name / Till heaven’s rafters ring, / And all the ransomed host proclaim / “Behold, behold your King!” (LSB 444:4) Amen.