Author: Kathy Strauch

The day Israel longed for had come. The promised Salvation had now appeared in the flesh and rested in the arms of Simeon.

In his arms, Simeon received the great Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He held in his own hands the fulfillment of the promise given to Adam and Eve—the seed who had come to crush the head of the serpent. The Messiah who had been prophesied through countless generations was now being cradled in the arms of a man.

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29–32)

Simeon burst into a song of praise upon holding the Christ child. The Salvation of the Lord had not come in power but in weakness. Christ was not untouchable in his deity. He had humbled Himself to be received into the arms of sinners for whom He came.

In the Divine Service the Lord gives Himself into the mouths of sinners. He comes to us not in a terrifying display of power but in the bread and wine, His body and blood given for us. We have seen the Salvation of the Lord in the Word and Sacraments.

We can join in Simeon’s song because we too have seen the Salvation of the Lord. We have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. As Simeon received into his hands his salvation, we have received into our mouths the same Christ.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

We depart the Divine Service in peace along with Simeon because we depart in the peace that Christ alone brings. He has once again united Himself to us through Word and Sacrament. He is our peace and gives to us peace with God through the forgiveness of sins.

By Kathy Strauch

What do you believe? In the Divine Service we confess what we believe using the words of the Apostle’s creed. We proclaim the truths of Scripture. But, why do you believe?

Jesus loved teaching by asking questions. On one occasion He asked His disciples a simple yet critical question, “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15) Peter, per usual, was the first to open his mouth in response. Without beating around the bush, he was unwavering in his confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15) 

Peter was confident of his assertion—at the time. Peter’s courage would fail, not once, not even twice, but three times in a single night. He denied even knowing Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God, as he confessed.

The beauty for me in this text is not Peter’s tenacious confession. Jesus’ words in response to His disciple’s proclamation is what gives me comfort. 

“And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17) 

Jesus pronounces a blessing on Peter. However, Jesus does not praise Peter himself for his confession, but His Father in heaven. This confession of faith did not originate with Peter. It was given to him. 

We, like Peter are blessed because of the faith we have been given, and our confession which follows. Since the fall, unbelief is our natural disposition. We cannot create faith within ourselves, that’s the work and gift of the Holy Spirit.

Martin Luther beautifully articulates this in the third article of the Apostle’s creed when he writes, 

“I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” 

The Spirit creates faith and sustains faith through the Gospel—through the Word and sacraments. In the waters of our Baptism we were given the faith we confess. Through the hearing of the Word and the Lord’s Supper, He feeds and preserves the faith He created.

Through the Divine Service, the Spirit works through these means to sanctify and keep His saints in the true faith. For this reason, the church is perpetually confessing her faith. Hermann Sasse affirms this when he writes,

“Christ’s church is always a confessing church. Not only does each Christian confess his personal faith, but the church, the whole company of believers, gives testimony of the revelation that has happened. Out of such consensus of faith, worked by the Holy Spirit, is a true confession born.”

So, why do you believe in God the Father, in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, and in the Holy Spirit? You believe for the same reason Peter believed and confessed. It was revealed to you and me by our Heavenly Father who loves us, sent His Son for us, and sends His Holy Spirit to us to comfort us with His Gospel gifts.

Kathy Strauch is a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan and is a graphic designer.

By Kathy Strauch

For three years I walked past the statue. Although my schedule varied from day to day, it was almost impossible to get anywhere on campus without coming into contact with the statue. So, nearly every day, I caught a glimpse at a mystery captured by two bronze figures.

The statue called ‘The Divine Servant’ portrayed a scene from John’s Gospel. The apostle Peter sat astonished as Jesus knelt before him, washing his grimy feet caked with dirt. God, the Word of Life, the One who spoke everything into existence, was kneeling before a sinner washing his dirty feet.

This statue beautifully illustrates what God does for us in the Divine Service. In the Divine Service, God is at work delivering gifts and serving sinners through His Word, through Jesus. Through the Divine Service, God cleans and takes away the filth of sin from the sinner. He washes us and makes us as white as snow.

Pastor Norman Nagel wonderfully describes the Word of God as imparting gifts when he writes, 

“The greatest gifts are all given by the Word of God, The Word of God not only tells what these gifts are but also conveys them. When the word of forgiveness is spoken to you, forgiveness is given to you…It is then as if God takes your hand and presses His gift into it with the assurance, “Now you have really got it. Without a shadow of doubt, it is surely yours.”

God’s Word creates and gives what it declares.

A hymn expresses this creative nature of the Word through the lyrics, “Thy Strong Word bespeaks us righteous, bright with Thine own holiness.” (LSB 578, Thy Strong Word) The Word speaks and we are righteous with the righteousness of our Lord by faith in that Word. We are righteous because He has declared us to be so through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

The Word is always at work in the Divine Service giving life because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. (Romans 1:16) God is at work creating and sustaining faith where His Word is present. (Romans 10:17)

This strong Word pierces through the darkness of our sin and unbelief in the waters of our Baptism. Here, the Word recreates, resurrects, and places His saving name on the Baptized. The strong Word that Baptized us continually comes to us through His Gospel proclaimed, the absolution declared to us, and through the Lord’s Supper where He continually feeds us His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

Apart from the Word, apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) The Divine Service cannot exist apart from the Word of God. The focus of the Divine Service is the Word of God because the focus of the Divine Service is always Jesus and His gifts.

Kathy Strauch is a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan and is a graphic designer.

By Kathy Strauch

As the church, we corporately gather each week. We are active in worship. We sit, stand, kneel, confess, pray, and sing. However, it is not our verbs that give life to the Divine Service—the heart of the Divine Service is in God’s verbs, Christ’s work given to us. 

As we enter into the Divine Service, we do so in song. We join our voices to sing and in our singing, confess what God in Christ has done for us. 

Martin Luther describes our inclination to sing in this way, “For God has cheered our hearts and minds through his dear Son, whom he gave for us to redeem us from sin, death, and the devil. He who believes this earnestly cannot be quiet about it.”

As baptized and redeemed children of God, we cannot help but sing. Our mouths overflow with song in thanksgiving of Christ’s work for us. 

Our hymns are an expression of this faith the Holy Spirit has created in us. Faith clings to Christ and trusts in Him alone, therefore, our songs and hymns reflect this confession. 

Author, Chad Bird describes the function of a hymn in this way, “Their aim is to plant the Chosen Seed, Jesus Christ in the ear and in the heart. They bear the resemblance of a sermon, shrunk in length, rhymed, and set to music. Many a hymn preaches more in four stanzas than a pastor struggles to say in six pages of sermon text. And in the preaching of the hymn, the Spirit is at work through the Word to rebuke and console, to pierce and heal through the law and the Gospel.”

In the singing of Christ, the Holy Spirit is at work in us through the Word. The apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Through hymnody, Christ is delivered to us through the mouths of our neighbors. Wherever Christ is proclaimed, there the Holy Spirit is at active in creating, sustaining, and strengthening faith. 

The apostle Paul encourages us, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16).

Through song, we confess our faith together; We confess our sinful condition, 

“I lay my sins on Jesus, The spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all and frees us From the accursed load
I bring my guilt to Jesus To wash my crimson stains
Clean in His blood most precious Til not a spot remains”.  (I Lay My Sins on Jesus, LSB 606)

and we sing boldly as we comfort each other with the works and promises of Christ, 

“God’s own child, I gladly say it; 
I am baptized into Christ! 
He because I could not pay it, 
Gave my full redemption price
Do I need earth’s treasures many
I have one worthy more than any 
That brought me salvation free,
lasting to eternity!” (God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It, LSB 594)

We not only confess with our local congregation, but with the whole Christian church. Hymnody gives a voice to the church, a united confession of faith that echoes throughout generations. We sing with the saints and join their voices in proclaiming what our God in Christ has accomplished for us. Sing loudly, sing boldly, confessing who your Savior is and what He has done for you!

Kathy Strauch is a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan and is a graphic designer.

by Kathy Strauch

Do we have to go through the confession this week? It makes me uncomfortable and I’d much rather skip it. And, why do we begin the Divine Service in this way? 

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:8–9

We begin the Divine Service confessing that we have sinned. We confess the problem actually runs much deeper than sins we commit outwardly. We have not only sinned but we are, at the root, sinners. We are sinners because we are sinful. Outside Baptism, sin is all that defines us.

That’s the reason why I would rather skip this part of the Divine Service. It reveals my Old Adam. My sinful nature would rather run than be confronted with the truth. 

God’s Law is a mirror that shows me who I really am—I am by nature sinful and unclean. I have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone. I have not loved God with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbor as myself. I justly deserve His present and eternal punishment. 

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, says John. The truth is that we are dead in our transgressions. The power of sin that rules over us means that we are by nature enemies of God. 

That’s why, as Dr. Norman Nagel writes: “Confession is facing up to God with no fudging. Confessing is as He says it is: “You sinner.” Yes, me — sinner.”

God’s Divine Service gifts flow from the beginning to the end of the service. Although my Old Adam may fight against and despise it, my new nature in Christ sees confession only as a gift of faith. It is faith that hears the Word of God declaring us sinful and confesses the same. Yes, we are sinners, but more importantly, we are forgiven sinners. This is the dynamic of repentance. Sinners confessing their sin because they yearn for comforting absolution.

As the Augsburg Confession [XII:2-6] affirms: “repentance consists properly of these two parts: One is contrition, that is, terrors smiting the conscience through the knowledge of sin; the other is faith, which is born of the Gospel, or of absolution, and believes that for Christ’s sake, sins are forgiven, comforts the conscience, and delivers it from terrors. “

Repentance consists of two parts, confession and absolution. Just as the processional was all about Jesus, so repentance, confession and absolution, is all about Jesus. 

Confession is all about Jesus who became our sin for us. When confess, we place our sins on Christ. Our sins have been given to Christ and done away with. We no longer carry the guilt, shame, and death sin once rightly held over us. 

We are, like the Israelites, placing our sins on the One who can take that sin away. As it is written: “He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites — all their sins — and put them on the goat’s head.” (Leviticus 16:21)

 We place our sins on the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world in His death. The goat spoken of in Leviticus is a shadow of Christ. It was Christ who carried our sins to His death. 

The gifts of grace and peace from absolution flow;
The pastor’s words are Christ’s for us to trust and know,
Forgiveness that we need is granted to us there;
The Lord of mercy sends us forth in His blest care.
(The Gifts Christ Freely Gives, LSB 602)

The Divine Service begins with forgiveness. Sinners cannot enter or stand in the presence of a holy and righteous God. We do not have a God who is only holy and righteous, we have a God filled with compassion and mercy for sinners. 

Absolution is peace gifted in forgiveness. Absolution brings us life when we are dead in sin. This gift is delivered to us in the words of our pastor who speaks the words of Christ to us. The absolution are life-filled Gospel words. 

We are free to confess because we no longer bear the punishment for our sins. That punishment was placed on Jesus. He took responsibility for the wrong we have done and the good we have left undone. Jesus has freed us from working for our salvation. We are given the gift of faith to believe the words of absolution from our pastor. Because we are forgiven, we have peace to live a life of thankfulness in service to our neighbor. 

We are forgiven. It’s who we are. We are redeemed, forgiven, baptized children of our God. The absolution is a promise — you are forgiven for Christ’s sake.

Kathy Strauch is a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan and is a graphic designer.

by Kathy Strauch

It’s all about Jesus. That’s what we heard at Higher Things conferences this summer and that is what we confess. The Scriptures are about Jesus. The apostle Paul writes, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2) From beginning to end it’s all about Jesus crucified and risen for you and me.

We heard this message proclaimed to us through daily worship, breakouts, plenaries, and in the bookends of the conference—the Divine Service. 

Have you ever had questions about the Divine Service or asked your pastor about it? Why do we follow the historic liturgy? What is all the sitting, standing, singing, confessing, and preaching about? What is going on during the Divine Service?

The Divine Service is a gift. Here God gives us life and salvation by delivering the work of Christ to us through the Word and sacraments. 

“For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.” 

We confess these words. We do not enter into the Divine Service with our own works. The Divine Service is not a transaction with God. Rather, we come confessing our sin and asking for forgiveness and a renewed heart that only God can create in us. 

The Divine Service was familiar to me, the processional, however, was not. So, what is the processional all about?

It’s all about Jesus. 

While I was not familiar with this part of the liturgy, I was familiar with the imagery. As the processional made its way forward with the crucifix lifted high and leading the procession through the congregation, I was reminded of a reflection of this in the Old Testament. 

“And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” (Numbers 21:8–9)

The Israelites had grumbled against God and Moses and, as a result, God sent fiery serpents to visit His people. But, God had also attached a promise to the sign of the bronze serpent. “And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” 

Just as Jesus opened up the Scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus takes Nicodemus back to this story to demonstrate that all Scripture testifies to Himself.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14–15)

The serpent in the desert is an image of Christ. It was Jesus who was lifted up on the cross for us. When the poisonous fangs of our sin, death, and the devil sink into us, it is Christ and Him crucified we look to for eternal life. 

The processional is all about Jesus. The work of Christ is literally held up and placed before our eyes as we entered into the Divine Service. The gifts given in the Divine Service flow from His cross. He gives Himself to us. The processional, just like the entirety of the Divine Service has its focus on Christ crucified for you.

Kathy Strauch is a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan and is a graphic designer.

Kathy Strauch

When the night has come and the land is dark…No I won’t be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me. (“Stand by Me” – Ben E. King)

Jesus always embraces, welcomes, and forgives sinners. It is His association with, as well as compassion and love towards sinners that is most scandalous to the world. He runs after the doubters, the unbelievers, the sinners. Jesus goes after the poor, the lost, the sick, and the dead. They are the reason that Jesus came.

I am the reason Jesus came. I am the poor, the lost, the sick, and the dead in my sinful nature. In the waters of my baptism, it was Jesus who went after me and grabbed hold of me. I was embraced, welcomed, and forgiven by water connected to the Word. My spiritual poverty was filled with the riches of Christ. I was given a gift wrapped in water. I was eternally washed with Christ and a new identity was given to me. Christ placed His faithful Name on me in Holy Baptism and I belong to Him.

I have been adopted, purchased, and placed under the protection of the Good Shepherd. Martin Luther writes in the Large Catechism, “He has taken us as His own property under His shelter and protection so that He may govern us by His righteousness, wisdom, power, life, and blessedness.” All of the blessings of Psalm 23 are mine through the gift and promise given to me in my baptism. The Lord has made me His sheep through the water and the Word. I lack nothing because Jesus gave me everything, He gave even His own life for me and to me. He refreshes, forgives, and keeps my soul. He governs me by His righteousness that He has given to me. His goodness and love will follow me and run after me all the days of my life because I belong to Christ. His goodness and love will always stand by me.

The promise of baptism is a Jesus who stands by me. The promise is that Jesus will always be faithful though I am faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). He wrapped Himself around me in the waters of my baptism and took my sins from me giving me His righteousness. The promise is that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). He has promised He will never leave me and God cannot lie.

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). Even though the darkness of my flesh, the world, and the devil come against me, I will not fear because I am baptized and so I belong to Christ. I have been clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27). I have died with Christ and have been raised with Him (Romans 6:4). My sin has been answered for in my Savior’s life and death for me. When the night comes, when fears, doubts, and sin threaten me, I will fear no evil for my Savior is with me. Jesus will eternally stand by me.

Kathy Strauch is a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan and is a graphic designer.

Kathy Strauch

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

The book of Acts begins with these words from Luke, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach…” Jesus’ earthly ministry was only the beginning of His work. As we can see in throughout Acts, it is Jesus who is building His church. Jesus is always in His church, with His church, and works through His church. And He continues to be with, lead, and sanctify His church today.

Church is the place where you belong, but not because of the music, activities, or programs that may be offered. You belong in the church because you are a sinner. You belong in the church and have been placed into the church because you are a redeemed and baptized child of God. You belong in the church because God has graciously placed you into His Body through the work of His Son. The church is made up entirely of broken, sinful people who are loved and redeemed by Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. It is the place where peace and forgiveness can be found because the church is where Christ is present through Word and Sacrament.

The prayer of the father in Mark 9, “I believe, help my unbelief” is a prayer I often find myself praying. It’s honest. It’s a cry to our Heavenly Father asking for the faith that is His alone to give. It’s also a prayer that Jesus loves to answer, and the means by which He often answers this prayer is through the church. It was through the church, through water and the Word, that God baptized you and the Holy Spirit created faith in you. Jesus answers that prayer and fills our unbelieving hearts with faith. Whenever we remember our baptism, whenever the pastor declares the absolution of our sins, whenever we take the Lord’s Body and Blood, God is working in, and softening our hearts of unbelief. It is through the church that Jesus does this. It is through the church that Jesus sustains and feeds our faith through His Word of Absolution and through the Lord’s Supper.

Gene Edward Veith states, “[God] employs certain means by which He converts the lost and sustains His people…God’s grace, the message of His love and forgiveness through Christ, come to people too, through the Sacraments, which are tangible manifestations of the Gospel.” God loves and cares for us and our souls using the church as the means by which He baptizes, communes, and feeds His own. He washes us and places us into a body of believers in order to strengthen and sustain the faith He has created in us. After all, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Kathy Strauch is a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan and is a graphic designer.