As we announced a few weeks ago on Ascension Day services at Church, Elizabeth and I are the proud parents of a blueberry sized baby. We are expecting him or her to be born in early January. We are both excited, but are also a little bit nervous. There are now so many things to worry about, and to take care of.
We are excited, because God’s word tells us that this baby is already a human being. From the moment of conception, God has knit together this baby in the womb. (Psalm 139:13) In other words, we aren’t waiting to be parents, we are currently parents, because God has already made this tiny baby a person. This person has a soul and is loved and cared for by God.
What’s more, I believe that we can trust that this baby has faith. The baby comes to church every week with my wife, and shortly (as the ears form…) will be able to hear the entire congregation singing hymns. It will hear the sermons and scripture readings where the Word of God will be read and proclaimed in it’s truth and purity. Furthermore, the baby eats whatever Elizabeth eats. When she partakes in the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, the baby too partakes. Thus a baby is partaking in the forgivness of sins even in the womb. Through these means, babies have faith, the same way that you and I have faith.
That is not to say that the baby is perfect. Quite the contrary, this baby is a sinner, a poor miserable one. Scripture tells us that “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5) This can’t be denied, though many try to. Babies are sinful. Our confessions speak of sin as being curved in upon oneself (incurvatus est) and that is what we see in babies. There only concerns are about getting fed, or changed, or how they feel.
Babies are sinful, just as you and I are. At times we even tease each other about our sin, saying, “Quit your whining you big baby!” or other such things. Saying these things acknowledges not only the sin in our babies, but also in ourselves. We too are often only concerned with ourselves, curved in upon ourselves. With this, we are living in sin.
But just as the baby in my wife’s womb is being brought to faith by the Means of Grace and the work of the Holy Spirit, so too are we. God washes us in baptismal waters, the same way he does for a newborn baby. God also keeps us in the one true faith through the hearing of His word and feeds that faith through the eating of the very body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
These gifts are freely given to us, so that we who because of sin were separated from God now freely trust in Him. It is a miracle. Nothing in what we say or do should lead us to believe in God, but still through His work, He leads us to trust in Jesus Christ crucified for the sins of the world. In the same way he does so for babies. Yes it seems like babies shouldn’t be able to believe, but God works a miracle in their hearts, and brings them to faith. We shouldn’t be able to believe either, but God allows us to believe.
“But Vicar, babies can’t understand anything? How can they understand faith?” Faith is not about understanding. Faith is about God working salvation for us through the cross, even when we don’t understand it. Faith is about God bestowing those gifts to us though we don’t deserve them. Faith is about Jesus Christ. As I said in last months article, Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. It is completely and totally God’s work.
For this reason, I have no doubt that the baby growing in my wife’s womb already has faith in Christ. It already trusts in Jesus, and thus is already a member of the eternal kingdom of God. That baby has already come into contact with the Means of Grace. We too have been brought into contact with those Means, and now we too have faith. God is good and gracious.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Easter 7 Series B 2009 "The Name of Jesus"
Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me.
I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth;
your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson, with special emphasis on the first two verses.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Is your name important? Does it actually mean something, or does it mean nothing? In the play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet determines that a name doesn’t really mean anything, saying “What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.”
It seems like names don’t mean anything. We toss them around and use them like they don’t matter. I can’t remember how many times, when I was in trouble as a kid, that my mom would call me both of my brothers names before finally realizing that it was me, Adam, that was in trouble. She knew which one was the one who was in trouble, but she the name wasn’t the important thing at the time.
And many of us don’t like our names either, we change them or shorten them, we pick nicknames and demand that people call us that instead. For us people in today’s day and age, names just aren’t really that important at all are they? No matter what you call something, it just doesn’t change what it is.
But to God, names are important. To God names mean something. Throughout the pages of scriptures, God gives people names that mean something. These names identify who the person is, and what they have done or will do. We have Peter, whose name mean rock, and upon whose confession, “You are the Christ” the church is founded. We have Abraham, whose name means Father of the People, who became the father of many nations. The list goes on and on, but the most important name is the name of Jesus, the Greek version of Joshua, which means the Lord saves. Jesus, who would die on a cross for all of our sin, has the very name meaning he will save us.
In today’s text, Jesus prays that the Father might keep us in the name that God has given, the name of Jesus, the name “The Lord Saves.” In that name we are one, in that name we are united as the Church of Christ.
But we haven’t always been in that name. We were born of another name, We were born into the name of sin, into the name of Death, into the name of the Tempter. We have been held captive to this name. We could serve no other name on our own. Instead we were held bondage to the owner of this name, Satan.
We have been subject to the name of Satan since almost the very dawn of time. It was when our forefather Adam ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil that we have been bound to that name. In that act, all of us have been sold into slavery to Sin death and the devil.
And we can see that in our daily lives. We are slaves to sin, and because of that we can not truly love God. Our sin shows itself in every way imaginable. St. Paul tells us in Galatians 5, that the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. Those are the things we are guilty of. We are guilty of these things because each one of them stems from our broken relationship with God. These things are sin. Sin tarnishes the name of God, it separates us from him.
When we are separated from God, we no longer have his name upon us, instead we have the name of Sin Death and the Devil. And really, we don’t want to have God’s name upon us do we? How many times in our lives do we avoid the opportunity to witness to who’s name is upon us? We are at times embarrassed to be known to be a Christian, to have Jesus’ name upon us. Our text tells us that because we have God’s word, that the world will hate us. We don’t want to be hated, we want to be liked. We want to have friends. We want respect. Instead we brazenly claim any other name we can, but we ignore the name of God. We don’t want to claim that name for ourselves. But we will claim any other name.
I am an American. I am a South Dakotan. I am a republican, or I am a democrat. I am doctor, I am a Teacher, I am a whatever, but when it comes to faith we feel like we have to be careful who knows what we believe. We have to be careful who we share our faith with. I don’t want to put my job on the line by claiming to be a Christian. I don’t want to offend anyone who thinks differently then me because I am a Christian. So I will just keep it quite and inside. I won’t tell anyone. I don’t want to be embarrassed infront of my friends, so I ignore my faith in public.
Its easier to do that. We don’t want people to think badly of us. We don’t want to be criticized. Instead we want everyone to like us. But God says in our text today that he has given us his word, and that the “world has hated them” because of it. The world hates Christianity because it is not of this world.
But we do have God’s name upon, even though we are in sin. Even though we deny it before the world, we are God’s possession, and we do have His name upon us.
You received that name in the waters of Holy Baptism. You received a new name, the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. That name is the name above all names, the name at which all other names will bow. That is the name of Jesus. You receive it upon you, and it claims you as its own.
In the ancient Christian church, all the baptisms, for both adults and children were done at one time, the day before Easter. At that time all the baptismal candidates would come into the church in the very early morning before Easter Dawn, and they would be washed in the baptismal waters. Upon coming out of the water, they would receive a new Christian name, and leave behind their old pagan name. Instead of having the name of Apollo, the pagan god, you would have the name Christopher, the bearer of Christ. Instead your pagan name you received a Christian name, one that marked you as Christ.
In modern baptism, we have a remnant of that, as the Pastor asks, “What is this child to be named?” and immediately following, that baby is baptized into the name of God. In baptism we too have left behind our old name, the name of Sin, the name of Death, the name of the devil. Now we have a new name, one that marks us as belonging to Christ.
In the book of Revelation, we see that name being recorded in the book of Life. In baptism, your name was recorded into that book, written in the blood of the lamb. You see it isn’t just claiming the name “Christian” that saves you. Instead it is that by being washed in that name, you are connected to the very death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When you received the name of God, you died with Christ on the cross. When you received the name of God, you laid dead with Christ in a tomb for three days. When you received the name of God, you rose victoriously with Jesus, and now will never die again. Now you have eternal life and you have it to the full.
Friends in Christ, Jesus has given you his name, so that when God the Father looks at you, he doesn’t see your former name of sin, he doesn’t see all those times when you thumbed your nose at Him. Instead, God sees Jesus every time He looks at you. Thus He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant, you are serving me in Christ’s name, the name of Jesus, the name which means God saves.”
Jesus prays in today’s text that you might be kept in that name. IN our world today, we will face many struggles. People will die unexpectedly. Friends will suffer from sickness and disease. People will hate you because you are in that name. Through it all, God has promised to keep you in that name. God has promised that you will remain His, for nothing can snatch you out of his had. He has promised, and that promise is written in the blood of Jesus Christ, crucified for the sins of the world.
Jesus name means God saves. Jesus name is written upon you. Jesus name cannot be erased by anyone else no matter what. You are His. He will now guard and protect you even to life ever lasting. Names do mean something. God’s name means you have forgiveness life and salvation. Nothing is as sweet as that promise: Life in Jesus Name.
Amen.
I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth;
your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
-John 17
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson, with special emphasis on the first two verses.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Is your name important? Does it actually mean something, or does it mean nothing? In the play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet determines that a name doesn’t really mean anything, saying “What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.”
It seems like names don’t mean anything. We toss them around and use them like they don’t matter. I can’t remember how many times, when I was in trouble as a kid, that my mom would call me both of my brothers names before finally realizing that it was me, Adam, that was in trouble. She knew which one was the one who was in trouble, but she the name wasn’t the important thing at the time.
And many of us don’t like our names either, we change them or shorten them, we pick nicknames and demand that people call us that instead. For us people in today’s day and age, names just aren’t really that important at all are they? No matter what you call something, it just doesn’t change what it is.
But to God, names are important. To God names mean something. Throughout the pages of scriptures, God gives people names that mean something. These names identify who the person is, and what they have done or will do. We have Peter, whose name mean rock, and upon whose confession, “You are the Christ” the church is founded. We have Abraham, whose name means Father of the People, who became the father of many nations. The list goes on and on, but the most important name is the name of Jesus, the Greek version of Joshua, which means the Lord saves. Jesus, who would die on a cross for all of our sin, has the very name meaning he will save us.
In today’s text, Jesus prays that the Father might keep us in the name that God has given, the name of Jesus, the name “The Lord Saves.” In that name we are one, in that name we are united as the Church of Christ.
But we haven’t always been in that name. We were born of another name, We were born into the name of sin, into the name of Death, into the name of the Tempter. We have been held captive to this name. We could serve no other name on our own. Instead we were held bondage to the owner of this name, Satan.
We have been subject to the name of Satan since almost the very dawn of time. It was when our forefather Adam ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil that we have been bound to that name. In that act, all of us have been sold into slavery to Sin death and the devil.
And we can see that in our daily lives. We are slaves to sin, and because of that we can not truly love God. Our sin shows itself in every way imaginable. St. Paul tells us in Galatians 5, that the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. Those are the things we are guilty of. We are guilty of these things because each one of them stems from our broken relationship with God. These things are sin. Sin tarnishes the name of God, it separates us from him.
When we are separated from God, we no longer have his name upon us, instead we have the name of Sin Death and the Devil. And really, we don’t want to have God’s name upon us do we? How many times in our lives do we avoid the opportunity to witness to who’s name is upon us? We are at times embarrassed to be known to be a Christian, to have Jesus’ name upon us. Our text tells us that because we have God’s word, that the world will hate us. We don’t want to be hated, we want to be liked. We want to have friends. We want respect. Instead we brazenly claim any other name we can, but we ignore the name of God. We don’t want to claim that name for ourselves. But we will claim any other name.
I am an American. I am a South Dakotan. I am a republican, or I am a democrat. I am doctor, I am a Teacher, I am a whatever, but when it comes to faith we feel like we have to be careful who knows what we believe. We have to be careful who we share our faith with. I don’t want to put my job on the line by claiming to be a Christian. I don’t want to offend anyone who thinks differently then me because I am a Christian. So I will just keep it quite and inside. I won’t tell anyone. I don’t want to be embarrassed infront of my friends, so I ignore my faith in public.
Its easier to do that. We don’t want people to think badly of us. We don’t want to be criticized. Instead we want everyone to like us. But God says in our text today that he has given us his word, and that the “world has hated them” because of it. The world hates Christianity because it is not of this world.
But we do have God’s name upon, even though we are in sin. Even though we deny it before the world, we are God’s possession, and we do have His name upon us.
You received that name in the waters of Holy Baptism. You received a new name, the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. That name is the name above all names, the name at which all other names will bow. That is the name of Jesus. You receive it upon you, and it claims you as its own.
In the ancient Christian church, all the baptisms, for both adults and children were done at one time, the day before Easter. At that time all the baptismal candidates would come into the church in the very early morning before Easter Dawn, and they would be washed in the baptismal waters. Upon coming out of the water, they would receive a new Christian name, and leave behind their old pagan name. Instead of having the name of Apollo, the pagan god, you would have the name Christopher, the bearer of Christ. Instead your pagan name you received a Christian name, one that marked you as Christ.
In modern baptism, we have a remnant of that, as the Pastor asks, “What is this child to be named?” and immediately following, that baby is baptized into the name of God. In baptism we too have left behind our old name, the name of Sin, the name of Death, the name of the devil. Now we have a new name, one that marks us as belonging to Christ.
In the book of Revelation, we see that name being recorded in the book of Life. In baptism, your name was recorded into that book, written in the blood of the lamb. You see it isn’t just claiming the name “Christian” that saves you. Instead it is that by being washed in that name, you are connected to the very death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When you received the name of God, you died with Christ on the cross. When you received the name of God, you laid dead with Christ in a tomb for three days. When you received the name of God, you rose victoriously with Jesus, and now will never die again. Now you have eternal life and you have it to the full.
Friends in Christ, Jesus has given you his name, so that when God the Father looks at you, he doesn’t see your former name of sin, he doesn’t see all those times when you thumbed your nose at Him. Instead, God sees Jesus every time He looks at you. Thus He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant, you are serving me in Christ’s name, the name of Jesus, the name which means God saves.”
Jesus prays in today’s text that you might be kept in that name. IN our world today, we will face many struggles. People will die unexpectedly. Friends will suffer from sickness and disease. People will hate you because you are in that name. Through it all, God has promised to keep you in that name. God has promised that you will remain His, for nothing can snatch you out of his had. He has promised, and that promise is written in the blood of Jesus Christ, crucified for the sins of the world.
Jesus name means God saves. Jesus name is written upon you. Jesus name cannot be erased by anyone else no matter what. You are His. He will now guard and protect you even to life ever lasting. Names do mean something. God’s name means you have forgiveness life and salvation. Nothing is as sweet as that promise: Life in Jesus Name.
Amen.
Monday, May 4, 2009
May Newsletter Article
No, this is not a sermon, but it is still something I wrote.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." -Hebrews 11:1
Faith is a difficult thing in today’s world, especially if we look at the definition that the author of Hebrews gives. In today’s world, “Seeing is believing.” If you can’t see it or touch it, then how do you know that it is real? Science takes that to the extreme saying for something to be true, we have to be able to duplicate it in a lab, and be able to explain it.
We like to be able to follow that law, “Seeing is believing.” We want to be able to have some sort of proof that what we believe is the truth. We don’t always get that in religion. We can’t talk to any eye witnesses from the day of Jesus. There aren’t photographs of Jesus on the cross, or even more importantly for faith, resurrected from the dead. We don’t have recordings of Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount. We don’t have scientific evidence of any of Jesus’ miracles. All we have is 4 different historical accounts of Jesus (the Gospels) and a few other references in history, along with a smattering of letters written by early Christians. Is that enough to believe?
It wouldn’t be enough to be published in a scientific paper as truth, not according to modern standards. But some things in life are unexplainable. Some things in life are completely beyond explanation, despite the efforts of people everywhere. No matter what science says to try and explain it, it can never fully understand the love a mother or father has for their child. It cannot explain the reason that someone will forgive someone else time and time again, even when the same situation happens over and over. These things are completely unexplainable.
Faith is also unexplainable. It sounds ridiculous to human ears because it involves trusting in something we can’t see. We cannot see God, and we cannot always tell how he is caring for us or providing for us. It is impossible. But there is still a certainty that we have. We know that God loves us and provides for us. We know that Christ has died for our sins. We know that God will give us eternal life in heaven with him. We know these things, but we cannot prove them or see them.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” That is faith, that is why we confess we have faith, and not that we have “certainty.” As Thomas first saw Jesus resurrected and said “My God and my Lord,” so too do we say it now, though we have not seen Jesus face to face like Thomas. But Jesus speaks of us saying, “Blessed are those who have not seen, but yet believe.” (John 20) That is us. We have not beheld Christ with our eyes, but we believe, because we know him to be there in truth. In this case, seeing is not necessarily believing.
Even though seeing is not believing in this case, we do physically experience Christ. We partake in His very body and blood, even though we do not understand why. We eat them and in that eating gain life and salvation. We are covered by His blood in the waters of Holy Baptism, but we don’t understand how. It is about more than just understanding it is about faith. It is being certain of what we cannot see or understand, and being sure of what we hope for.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." -Hebrews 11:1
Faith is a difficult thing in today’s world, especially if we look at the definition that the author of Hebrews gives. In today’s world, “Seeing is believing.” If you can’t see it or touch it, then how do you know that it is real? Science takes that to the extreme saying for something to be true, we have to be able to duplicate it in a lab, and be able to explain it.
We like to be able to follow that law, “Seeing is believing.” We want to be able to have some sort of proof that what we believe is the truth. We don’t always get that in religion. We can’t talk to any eye witnesses from the day of Jesus. There aren’t photographs of Jesus on the cross, or even more importantly for faith, resurrected from the dead. We don’t have recordings of Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount. We don’t have scientific evidence of any of Jesus’ miracles. All we have is 4 different historical accounts of Jesus (the Gospels) and a few other references in history, along with a smattering of letters written by early Christians. Is that enough to believe?
It wouldn’t be enough to be published in a scientific paper as truth, not according to modern standards. But some things in life are unexplainable. Some things in life are completely beyond explanation, despite the efforts of people everywhere. No matter what science says to try and explain it, it can never fully understand the love a mother or father has for their child. It cannot explain the reason that someone will forgive someone else time and time again, even when the same situation happens over and over. These things are completely unexplainable.
Faith is also unexplainable. It sounds ridiculous to human ears because it involves trusting in something we can’t see. We cannot see God, and we cannot always tell how he is caring for us or providing for us. It is impossible. But there is still a certainty that we have. We know that God loves us and provides for us. We know that Christ has died for our sins. We know that God will give us eternal life in heaven with him. We know these things, but we cannot prove them or see them.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” That is faith, that is why we confess we have faith, and not that we have “certainty.” As Thomas first saw Jesus resurrected and said “My God and my Lord,” so too do we say it now, though we have not seen Jesus face to face like Thomas. But Jesus speaks of us saying, “Blessed are those who have not seen, but yet believe.” (John 20) That is us. We have not beheld Christ with our eyes, but we believe, because we know him to be there in truth. In this case, seeing is not necessarily believing.
Even though seeing is not believing in this case, we do physically experience Christ. We partake in His very body and blood, even though we do not understand why. We eat them and in that eating gain life and salvation. We are covered by His blood in the waters of Holy Baptism, but we don’t understand how. It is about more than just understanding it is about faith. It is being certain of what we cannot see or understand, and being sure of what we hope for.
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