The Misinterpretation

Sometimes when you preach a sermon, it get misinterpreted. Even though the entire point of the sermon and every single line points to a certain wonderful revelation, I found that it is still possible for the entire sermon to be misinterpreted.

For example, this past Sunday I preached an entire sermon which pointed to the fact that the Church is not silent. It is not silent in the fact that, as Church, we make the confession about who God is and what he has done for us. And that forgiveness of sins and peace we have in our God, that is taught to us week in and week out, is then on our lips that we might confess as Church that very same peace to the world.

Yet, because I had in part an emphasis that the Church is not Silent, I think some may have interpreted it as, not a call to confess and spread the Gospel, but a call to be noisy in church, a call to interrupt the pastor's sermon with "Amen" as often as one likes, a call to wave your hands in the air and be a non-self-controlled evangelical in the worse sense.

But even still, that is the nature of the sinful flesh - to grasp onto the wrong ideas and cling to false hopes and self serving desires. And indeed that sinful failing is called to repentance, and even that sin is indeed forgiven.

Truly, that's the real point anyway, that people might hear of their God, repent of their sins and trust in that forgiveness found in Christ. God is still sanctifying his people - in the now. He is still by His Word bringing them to a right understanding. God willing, these people will one day understand even more fully what it means that the Church is not silent.

And if not then God will have mercy and He will come again. (Advent Thought of the Day)

+Kyrie Eleison+

Father, Provider

Finding the reason why we give thanks can sometimes be lost on Thanksgiving. Thankfully (truly), I heard a wonderful sermon on giving thanks at the Thanksgiving Eve Service here at my vicarage congregation. It was about giving thanks in thought, word, and deed for all the first article gifts that our Lord provides.

I also had a conversation with our church secretary (who is simply indispensable) on Tuesday about giving Christmas gift. We discussed how hard it is to shop for dads. The joke is, as you know, that dad always gets a tie for Christmas, Father's Day, Birthday, etc. In my family it's always DVDs. :)

That conversation got me thinking about why it is so hard to buy gifts for dad, and thinking about the Thanksgiving holiday got me thinking about all that God provides me. And the light bulb (at least the loosely screwed in one) in my head went off.

I think one of the reason why it is so hard to shop for dad is because of Dad's vocation. God has given my father the role of provider, this is the one whom He has put in place to provide me with many of those first article gifts. So when I go to buy gifts for my dad, I think what does dad want? And it is hard to figure that out, because dad is the provider, he has and is the one who gives. Is there anything that I could give my dad, that He could not get for himself? Truly no. And indeed the one thing dad really wants is to be with me and provide for and care for me. Basically he want to love his son.Certainly he would love to receive gifts, but what gift is better than a son who looks to his father for care and comfort?

And my father truly is simply an imperfect picture that points to my heavenly Father. He provides me with all things. What could I hope to provide my Father with, that He has not provided me? What could I offer my Father as gift and sacrifice of thanksgiving that is not already provided by Him? And the answer is truly nothing. Surely my heavenly father rejoices that I would seek to bring him a gift. But I am sure that His ultimate joy comes from knowing that I look to Him for all thing with the very faith that He has given me through His Son Jesus Christ. His ultimate joy comes from knowing that He cares for me and I look to Him for that care.

Thank the Lord for fathers and mothers that provide for their families, fathers and mothers that love and care and point to a reality that there is a greater Father at work loving and caring for His children.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

+Kyrie Eleison+

Snares of Death

We walk about this life and the snares of death surround us. Sin seeks to entrap us and entangle us. It seeks to bind us that we may not get away. It seeks our death as is the wages of such binding sin. The drunkard knows this well, so does the addict. The fornicator and the gossip understand as well the strength of such holds. They understand the death which comes from such a strong stranglehold on one's life.

Yet our Lord Jesus Christ is our only hope. In fact he sought out the snares of death, every sin that would cause every man to die. He was bound in that snare of death, bound in our sins , releasing us from that bondage and taking death upon himself. Yet, the snares of death could not hold Him, and he broke the chains of death and rose again.

He was bound that I may be free. He died that I might live. He rose that I might live in Him with the confidence that no snare of death may ever hold me forever. Amen.

+Kyrie Eleison+

"Participants in the Altar"

A question was brought up this morning concerning the Lord's Supper and closed communion. The struggle was that if in the Lord's Supper was truly god's forgiveness being given, then why do we refuse to give communion to those who believe "the same" as we Lutherans do?

And the question that must be answered is this: What does it mean to believe the same?
The best understanding, I think, would mean to believe exactly the same as the person who is sitting next to you. The expression of this common belief would be holding to a common confession of faith or creed. And indeed from that common confession, understanding of terms and presuppositions must be conveyed as well, as best as can be taught. (As I hesitate to write even "as best as can be taught", because it borderlines on disunity.)

Here is my case study. My real life example of closed communion. I had a buddy in college who was a biblical baptist (and I say biblical, because if he could be convinced according to scripture of something other than what the Baptist confession teaches, then he would believe otherwise). Needless to say, through our conversations, he believed the real presence of Jesus Christ was in, with and under the bread and wine. He believed "is" means "is". Scripture convinced him. Yet, even with that, he did not believe in the grace bestowing gifts of Baptism. He continued to attend service at his Baptist church, and still believed their unwritten common confession.

And here is the important part, by partaking in their communion (their fellowship, if you prefer), literally by worshiping at their altar, he was then a participant in their altar making the confession that he believed what those others around him believed. By his worship he was adjoining himself to their fraternal communion and even a confession that was contrary to his own. He was a participant in their altar.

So also this is what Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 10:14-22. He speaks of being a participant in the altar of demons or in the altar and communion of the Christ. One cannot be partakers of both. In the same way, one cannot be a participant in two different altars whose beliefs contradict. I'm not trying to say one Christian altar is of demons and the other is of Christ, but I am saying they make different confessions.

A man can only participate in one altar. One altar is correct, one altar is incorrect. One may have the Supper, one may not. And if he serves the altar that does not confess the body and blood of the Lord, and then participates in the altar who confesses and indeed gives the body and blood of the Lord through bread and wine; that man beware, for though he confesses correctly, his heart is far from the Lord, and it is quite possible that judgment is upon him.

Comments are welcome.

+Kyrie Eleison+

I Am an Uncle

I have been an uncle for sometime over a little more than two months now, because that is how long my sister Betsy has been pregnant.

Some may say, "Jay, you're not an uncle yet. Your niecphew hasn't been born."

Well, I have decided to let the theology surrounding "life" shape my worldview. As Christians we rightly call the child a child from the moment of conception. It is a child. That being said. I now have relation to that small child living in my sister's womb - I am an uncle. This is a wonderful revelation. For now, I rightly see my place as a person in relation to my sister's child. I now have a whole 7 months to ponder this new relationship that God Himself has placed me into. What a wonderful blessing to be able to think of the many ways that I can serve and love my niecphew before I see this child face to face!

I am so happy to be an uncle and I can't wait to hold my niecphew come June 19th(ish), 2010!

+Kyrie Eleison+

Rome: Total War

I bought a video game a few months ago called Rome: Total War, but I never had the opportunity to really sit down and play it. I really enjoy Roman history and ever more as I realize how intensely it has impacted Christianity.

The real reason I bought the game was for one reason. The History Channel had a show on that boasted "video game technology" called Decisive Battles Of the Ancient World. It used the game engine from Rome: Total War to recreate its battles. I watched the show on a regular basis while in college until it had run its course.

Anyway, I just started playing it recently. The goal is to play as one of the major Roman families or one of its enemies such as Carthage or the Selucid Empire and conquer the whole of the world. Pretty straight forward, but really immerse.

Now if they'd only come out with Christianity: Total Conversion...

+Kyrie Eleison+

A Little Poetry

I started reading a little poetry.

I really like the hymn Of the Father's Love Begotten. Aurelius Clemens Prudentius wrote it. So, I bought a compilation of some of his hymns.

Here is a discriminate sampling from his Hymn at Cock-Crow taken from The Hymns of Prudentius.

Awake! the shining day is born!
The herald cock proclaims the morn;
And Christ, the soul's Awakener, cries,
Bidding us back to life arise.

Though sleep be but a passing guest
'Tis type of death's perpetual rest:
Our sins are as a ghastly night,
And seal with slumbers deep our sight.

But from the wide roof of the sky
Christ's voice peals forth with urgent cry,
Calling our sleep-bound hearts to rise
And greet the dawn with wakeful eyes.

Gold, honours, pleasure, wealth and ease,
And all the joys that mortals please,
Joys with a fatal glamour fraught--
When morning comes, lo! all are nought.
But Thou, O Christ, put sleep to flight
And break the iron bands of night,
Free us from burden of past sin
And shed Thy morning rays within.

This is just a fantastic hymn overall. And is much longer than what I have given. It beautifully and wonderfully wraps into itself lots of imagery of sleep, death, morning, life, sin, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Wonderful.

+Kyrie Eleison+