Ashes to Ashes and Life!

"By the sweat of your face
    you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
    for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
    and to dust you shall return." Gen 3:19


To the dust you shall return was the sentence. For eating of the tree of knowledge which God had forbidden, Adam's sentence was death. His sentence (and ultimately ours) was that he would return to the dust from which he was formed.

There in the middle of the garden was also the tree of life. Had he eaten of the free gift of the fruit from the tree of life, he would have lived. But, he did not. Adam and Eve neglected the food that was good for them; that God had desired for them to eat, and chose that thing that they were not to have. How often it is that we, too, neglect the free gift of life given to us through the sacrifice of His Son, our Savior, Jesus the Christ! How often we neglect to come to the table that He has prepared for us! There Jesus is! "Come and eat." He says. "This is my body given for you for the forgiveness of sins." Do not neglect this life-giving gift!

In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther wrote that the benefit of receiving the Lord's Sacrament of Holy Communion "...is shown us in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins; namely, that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation."

That is the Good News. Today is Ash Wednesday. This evening we will remember with the imposition of ashes that from dust we have come and to dust our bodies shall return. But, we will also eat at the Lord's Table and remember that in Him there is life and salvation.

God's Peace - Pr. J
 

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Today, my husband and I celebrate two birthdays.

For 44 years, since my husband first joined the United States Marine Corps, we have been observing the birth of United States Marine Corps. We usually celebrate on the Saturday closest to the birthday with dinner and the traditional cake ceremony with other Marines and families from the area. We no longer stay for music or dancing. Being with friends for the ceremony and dinner fill us up. I do my dancing to the sound of the piano or organ the next day. And... let, me tell you! Bertha and Linnea can make those old Lutheran hymns most danceable!

Yes, thanks to these two wonderful musicians (and Leslie who fills in at times) I have learned to love Lutheran hymns. There was a time, when I was young, that I felt they were kind of ho hum. Maybe, it was the musicians; maybe, it was just me.

Today, even as I honor my husband and the birth of the United States Marine Corps today, I thank God for the birth of another mighty warrior, Martin Luther. His battle was against false teachings prevalent in the church at the time. There remains false teachings in the church on earth today. Let down your guard and the devil sneaks them right back in. The battle continues; the battle against forces that would dilute or change the word of God to the harm of all whom God has called; to the harm of all who unknowingly follow false teachers and prophets.

"A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours,
thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever."
                        Martin Luther

Happy Birthday!

God's Peace - Pr. J

James 2:14-26 Works Follow Faith

James 2:14-26 NIV
It appears that Martin Luther had a bit of a problem with James. Given the state of the church that he belonged to, it was not unreasonable for him to worry that some might misunderstand James to say that we need faith plus works for salvation. This is not the case. The only good work that can save us is the work that Jesus completed on the cross for us. We are saved by faith in Christ alone!

However, if we truly believe that he died for our salvation, we will love him. We will love him so much that this love will overflow to us in service to others even as his love was so great he was willing to give even his life for us.  Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me." "Yes," Peter responded three times. Jesus said simply: “'Feed my lambs.' 'Take care of my sheep.' 'Feed my sheep.''' (John 21)

We are not saved by our works. But, we will care for his sheep if we truly love the one who gave himself for us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Matthew 16 - The Cross and The Kingdom

I have run into a slight problem in the New Testament. There is so much to consider in each chapter, that I can't possibly cover everything in a blog post! So, I have resorted to choosing my personal favorite verses.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?'" (Matt 16:24-26 NIV)

Take up your cross and follow Jesus! What does this mean? Where exactly did Jesus lead us? He took up his cross, forsaking his own life, that other's might live. He took up his cross and died. He went to the grave. But, the grave could not hold him. He lives and he reigns in the Kingdom of Heaven. This is what Jesus calls us to: cross-bearing self-sacrifice, death, and ultimately the Kingdom of God.

I was greatly surprised at some of the comments at our Bible Study on Wednesday. It showed me that ears have been open to hearing the proclamation of this Kingdom. The greatest concern that I heard was that we should live in God's presence in His Kingdom, even today. The fear of death was not an issue for those at the study; rather, the concern was and is how can we live more fully in God's presence, following in the footsteps of Jesus today. The question was asked how can we have the faith needed to experience God in our lives, present every minute of every day, in this world? We discussed faith and baptism extensively. Ultimately the answer to the questions: how can we believe; how can we follow; how can we live in His Kingdom today was: "ask." "Ask and you will receive." (John 16-24) Martin Luther wrote in the Small Catechism on the third Article of the Apostle's Creed: "I believe that by own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the one true faith."

Faith, the ability or strength to bear our crosses, life in the Kingdom of God; these are not things that we earn on our own or even choose to do. They are all gifts from God. Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S.  If you want to know more about the cross-bearing life or the Kingdom of God that is at hand, join us in Bible Study at Zion. It does not matter what book or chapter we're studying; you will almost always find us discussing the Cross and the Kingdom.

Jeremiah 6 - Peace, Peace, No Peace

“From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.
They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
    when there is no peace.
Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when I punish them,”
      says the Lord."  (Jer 6:13-15 NIV)

Another litany of God's people's sins... And, again... the prophets and priests stand judged among them. Apparently, they looked the other way when the people took the wrong path, not following in the way of the LORD. They looked the other way and when they were lost in the forest of sin, they not only did not help; it was as though they did not even recognize the trouble that they all were in. "Peace, Peace," they said. They pretended all was well when all was not well. According to the prophecy of Jeremiah, they will fall with everyone else when Jerusalem is taken by the enemy.

How often are the problems of the world brushed aside with platitudes or even by looking the other way? My husband sometimes gets a little bothered by my words and actions. He hates conflict and would prefer that I, too, avoid it by looking the other way. I'm not all that fond of conflict, either. But, pretending nothing is wrong and looking the other way does not help anyone or anything. Ignoring it just makes matters worse. When you're sick, you usually try to get well, don't you?

Martin Luther, thought the church on earth was ill. It had a few problems (still does). He drew up 95 theses for discussion. Ninety-five items which he thought should be discussed. Included was the quote regarding proclaiming peace from Jeremiah 6.

"92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, ``Peace, peace,'' and there is no peace! (Jer 6:14) 
93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, ``Cross, cross,'' and there is no cross!
94. Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, death and hell. 
95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace (Acts 14:22)."

The struggle for truth is not always easy, but it is right. Hardships may come for saying and doing the right thing. Martin Luther was hounded and hunted for speaking the truth. He was a bit confrontational. The first disciples were put to death (perhaps not John - we don't know for sure). Jesus was killed by hanging on a cross. Truth may hurt, but, it is way better than the false peace that will cause even more suffering for all people in the end.

Truth trumps peace. But, know this: you can have peace as well as truth. But, the peace that comes with the truth is the peace of heart and mind that comes with walking with the LORD (who is the truth) no matter what trials and troubles you encounter in this world for speaking and living the truth. When you are willing to be honest and confront the fact that all is not well and you (we) must change directions and follow the LORD, then you will know both truth and peace.

And... above all prophets and priests really ought to quit pretending all is well, when all is not well.

My persistent prayer is that the "Peace of the LORD" be with you always.  Pr. J.
 

Isaiah 29 - Works Without Faith Is Dead

"The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?"" (Isa 29:13-15)
 

Sunday morning rituals and then the rest of the week what do we do? On Sunday mornings we praise the LORD with our lips, but how much honor do we give the LORD during the rest of the week? Some of the saddest moments of my life is when I realize someone worships on Sunday morning purely out of ritual or because they think this "act" is the good work that will grant them eternal life. Or, maybe, it's to enhance their political or business life. I assure you, works without faith is useless.

James tells us (James 2:17-19)  "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." 

I know! I know! Martin Luther was not impressed with James. He considered it an "epistle of straw." But, think for a moment... If we have faith - that is a living faith, we will live that faith and it will show in all that we say and do and that goes beyond Sunday morning. Likewise works without faith is useless for our or any one's salvation. Faith, indeed, will produce good works. It is a natural outflowing of our faith and our love of God. Showing up on Sunday morning and not worshipping and honoring God, not living in the Way, the rest of the week is merely a once a week (or month or year) good work.  Maybe we attend this worship service it's because we like the people there or that the people actually do good works. Maybe, it's the preacher you like or maybe you are just paying your dues - just in case - to appease God. Hopefully, the Word you hear during that one hour on Sunday morning will produce the faith you have pretended to have.

You can pretend all you want. Maybe the pretending will become a reality for you. I don't know. There is a 12-step motto that tells us to "fake it 'till you make it." Who knows, it might work. God can accomplish great things through little steps.

But, let us not think that God does not know our motivation? That even though on the outside (on Sunday morning) it looks like we are worshipping; but, in reality we might be just serving self. We might be able to hide it some of the time from some of the people, maybe even all of the people. (Except your Pastor - there's a good chance he/she already knows your motivation) But, you cannot hide your motivation, your plans, from the LORD, ever! He promised to be with you always and He is. Do you think He does not see what you don't want Him to see. Don't delude yourself into thinking that somehow you can hide the fact that there are other things that you put before God during the rest of the week.

Real faith produces good works. It will inspire us to worship and honor God and to feed His sheep, so to speak, the rest of the week.

May God bless the words of our lips, the meditations of our hearts and minds, the work of our hands and every step that we take that all may honor and glorify God, our Creator and Redeemer. Amen
(OK - so I revised that last prayer a little bit)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

P.S. Sorry so late today. The power went off before I could post about 6 a.m.. In the meantime, I planted some flowers and went kayaking. Have a blessed day!

Psalm 119 - Martin Luther and Studying Theology

Wow! I am thinking that if you have read Psalm 119 this morning, as is the plan, that is probably enough for a devotional reading for one morning... Only two chapters after the shortest chapter in the Bible, we have the longest chapter with 176 verses. That is a lot of word to take in and to try to comprehend for one sitting.

As I was going through it, I was imagining using it for one Sunday when Keith (cantor) gets back from vacation. I'm pretty sure that he would tell us that we would have to read it - forget the chanting.

Martin Luther said that he loved Psalm 119 so much, that he would not take the whole world in exchange for one leaf of it. According to Martin, if you wanted to learn how to study theology 119 teaches us three rules to follow when studying the Word. They are prayer (oratio), meditation (meditatio), and testing (tentatio).
This is a blog and to cover chapter 119, it would take way too many of my words for a blog. Martin's are much better than mine. So, if you like to learn how to study theology click on the link: How to Study Theology by Martin Luther

Have a blessed day!

God's Peace - Pr. J

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (vs. 105 KJV, my personal favorite from chapter 119)

Psalm 46 - A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Some strange dreams again, lately.  Not sure where my subconscious is roaming these days... I woke up thinking I was laying up against a wall of sand bags for protection.  Don't know whether the dangers I was dreaming about were natural disasters, war, or maybe spiritual warfare.  Regardless of what the ill that is trying to prevail, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (vs 1, NIV) 

Martin Luther expressed Psalm 46 quite well, much better than I possibly could, in my favorite hymn, by him, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe --
His craft and pow'r are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He --
Lord Sabaoth His name,
From age to age the same --
And He must win the battle.

And tho this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thru us.
The prince of darkness grim --
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure --
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow'rs --
No thanks to them abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Thru Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still --
His kingdom is forever.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Job 42 - Without God, I Cannot Pray

What an awesome ending of grace and mercy.  Job repents and receives renewed life!  He is blessed even more now, than before.

Job's friends too, are forgiven, after Job prays for them. The LORD tells them that Job will pray for them and God will forgive them.  Job does and the LORD does. Isn't that interesting?  Is this, "pray for his friends," a command to Job? Or... does God know, in advance, that Job will do this for them?  It does bring about some questions regarding prayer.  Actually, a question I was given the answer to many years ago. 

About 10 years ago, I took a sabbatical to practice the discipline of prayer.  I kayaked from the mouth of the Huron River to Ontonagon, MI.  The purpose was to study the life of Bishop Frederick Baraga, the first Bishop to the Marquette Diocese and missionary to the Native Americans. He was an ardent prayer, rising early, much as Martin Luther and many other evangelists that left huge footprints on the earth in regards to mission work.  Waking up early to spend large amounts of time in disciplined prayer didn't work so well.  At least, not in the way I had hoped for.  I had hoped to be able to discipline myself for prayer at specific hours with specific purposes.  What I found instead was that I would pray for the people whose homes I paddles by.  I would talk to God spontaneously; not with requests, but just random conversations, and out of boredom with myself, I prayed the catechism over and over.  But, the main thing I learned about prayer, for myself, out on the water was: But, for the grace of God, I cannot pray. 

Just as somehow, God inspires or commands or whatever He has done that has Job praying for those friends who persecuted him, the Holy Spirit inspires us to pray.  The Holy Spirit prays through us.  It is not our work.  It is a work, it is a gift of God.  But, for the grace of God, we cannot even pray.

May the LORD, teach us to pray.

God's Peace - Pr. J