Category: Catechesis

Being Instructed by the Ten Commandments

The Third Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Throughout the school year, students are required to remember many dates, definitions, names, numbers, facts, and figures. The voice of the teacher resonates in the minds of the students. Remember to read the next chapter. Remember to take notes. Remember to turn in your homework assignment. Remember to study for the test. Remembering the correct dates, definitions, names, numbers, facts, and figures is the key to getting good grades.

As the baptized children of God, we are disciples, that is, students of Jesus. We are learning to remember His Word to us. He is the Key to the knowledge of salvation. As those who have been saved His blood, we are beginning to talk and walk like our Teacher. We are learning to listen to Him.

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. In fact, the Sabbath day in the Old Testament was a type and shadow of the reality that we find in Jesus. In Jesus, we have rest and renewal. He teaches us to walk in newness of life. In Psalm 86 we are taught to pray, “Teach me Your way, O Yahweh, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” We speak in prayer and He listens to us. He speaks in the external Word of God and we listen. He leads. We follow. He instructs. We grow.

His Word gives life. God created all things by His Word in six days. Then on the seventh day, God rested. Therefore, Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11). The seventh day is the Sabbath, that is, a day of rest. The Sabbath is a sign that God makes us holy with His Word. Yahweh instructs Moses declaring, “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, Yahweh, sanctify you” (Exodus 31:13). His Word sanctifies. God makes us holy through the work of the Holy Spirit with His holy Word. Therefore, we do not make the Sabbath holy; instead, the Sabbath is a time of rest in God’s Word that makes us holy. Keeping the Sabbath holy means to regard God’s Word as holy.

In the First Commandment, we are instructed in true worship which pleases God. True worship is done in faith and with God’s Word. Without the Word of God, we do not have Christ, forgiveness, life, or salvation. Christ is our Advocate with the Father. In the Second Commandment, we are instructed in calling upon God’s name in prayer. Without faith, we cannot pray. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot walk in newness of life. The Holy Spirit is another Advocate. The Spirit of God is given to us in, with, and under the Word of God. In the Third Commandment, we are taught to rejoice in the Voice of God. When the Word is heard, God speaks to us and fills us with His Spirit. In turn, we speak to God in prayer. Thus, God initiates a divine dialogue. As we hear God, He hears us. However, we are warned that if we refuse to listen to God, He refuses to listen to us. When we reject the Word of God, we resist the work of the Holy Spirit. To despise God’s Word is to despise God.

The Devil is the despiser of God’s Word, and we saw that in the Garden of Eden. The Devil tempts us in order to lead us astray from God’s Word and away from God. The ancient serpent wants us to forget the Sabbath and neglect God’s Word. The evil foe draws ears to hear other voices in the wilderness. The cacophony of the Devil, the world, and our sinful nature call us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. They do not want us to hallow God’s name. They do not want the Word of God taught in its truth and purity. They do not want the children of God to lead holy lives according to it. They do not want God’s Kingdom to come to us or anyone else. Remember, “God’s Kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” (Small Catechism, Lord’s Prayer: 2nd Petition) Again, notice that it is God’s holy Word. Through the holy Word of God, the Holy Spirit is continually given to us. The Holy Spirit makes us holy.

Apart from God’s Word, there is no life. All things were created by the Word of God. Apart from God’s Word, there is no redemption. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. We cannot separate God’s written Word from the incarnate Word of God, Jesus. He is also the incarnate Will of the Father. When we hear the Holy Spirit in the preached Word of the Apostles and the Prophets, we hear Jesus. When we hear Jesus, we hear the Father. Apart from God’s Word, there is no sanctification. The Holy Spirit works through the external Word of God to “sanctify us and keep us in the true faith.” (Small Catechism, Apostles’ Creed: 3rd Article) In the Third Commandment, we are learning to remember the Sabbath day, that is, to gladly hear and learn God’s Word. To remember is to recall, contemplate, and mediate on the instruction of Jesus, our Teacher.

Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier serves as pastor at Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, Los Alamos, NM

By Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier

Children. Children tend to abuse and misuse names. They call each other names. They make fun of each other’s names. They desire to change the identity of another person with a different name. Such behavior is childish. It is the way of the world.

God. God gives to us the gift of His name. He desires to change our identity with His name. For example, the name of Yahweh was placed upon the people of God when the High Priest spoke the Word of God in benediction. The High Priest would say, “Yahweh bless you and keep you; Yahweh make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; Yahweh lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

Notice that name of Yahweh is spoken three times testifying to three persons of the Blessed Holy Trinity. In the New Testament, we are given the gift of the name of the Lord our God in a unique way. In Holy Baptism, we are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are adopted sons of God by grace. We are clothed with Christ the only-begotten Son of God. Because we are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts enabling us to cry out “Abba, Father!” The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Adoption who qualifies us to pray with Jesus saying, “Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy name.”

As our Father is holy, we are to be holy in our conduct. We do not generate our own holiness. We receive our holiness from Jesus who alone is the Holy One. Jesus is the true High Priest. He mercifully makes atonement for the sins of the people. Because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. As our High Priest, He continues to pour out His Holy Spirit upon us, making us His holy people, a holy nation, a holy priesthood, and a holy temple. (1 Peter 2:5, 9)

Thus, we are called to offer spiritual sacrifices of prayers, praise, and thanksgiving. The baptized are consecrated as priests of God. Priests pray. We are learning to pray that God’s Kingdom would come to us and others. God answers our prayer “when He gives His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here on earth.” (Small Catechism: Lord’s Prayer, Second Petition) As those who name the name of the Lord, we are learning to depart from iniquity.

In the First Commandment, the people of God are warned about the temptation of the ancient serpent who seduces us into false worship. Now in the Second Commandment, the baptized are warned about the plan and purpose of the devil who desires to deceive us into misusing the name of the Lord our God. The evil one does not want God’s name to be kept holy in our lives. Thus, he tricks us into living lives contrary to God’s Word. Even worse, he joins his efforts by employing the world and our own sinful flesh to fight against us. He is the spirit who is at work in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2) who act like the corrupted culture. The will of the demonic foe is to entice us, trap us, and capture us in vice and other great shame. He wants to destroy our faith leaving us in doubt and despair. He does not want God’s Kingdom to come to us. He wishes that we would stay under the condemnation of the law because of our sin.

Therefore, we are taught to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the schemes of Satan. (Ephesians 6:11) We are outfitted with the helmet of salvation and the shield of faith. (Ephesians 6:16-17) There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1) In Christ, we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we are beginning to learn to walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4) We live according to the Spirit and set our minds on the things of the Spirit which lead to life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6) We are armed with the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:17) Yet, we fight this spiritual battle by prayer and supplication in the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:18) The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Supplication. (Zechariah 12:10) We do not know what we ought to say when we pray; yet, the Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27)

Likewise, the Holy Spirit instructs us in the will of God as it is revealed in the Ten Commandments. Through God’s revealed will, we are taught to “call upon His name in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.” (Small Catechism: Second Commandment) Thus, to properly use God’s name is to petition God as our heavenly Father. As the children of God, we are called to lead holy lives according to the Word of God. “Anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God’s Word profanes the name of God among us.” (Small Catechism: First Petition) Thus, we pray that He would forgive us, renew us, and lead us through His Word and Spirit. We petition our heavenly Father asking “that our hearts may be set to obey His commandments” (Matins: Collect for the Morning) and that we would put away the childish ways of the world.

Our Father desires to protect us from the evil one. God’s will is done in our lives “when He breaks and hinders the plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature.” (Small Catechism: Lord’s Prayer, Third Petition) God’s kingdom comes “when He gives us His Holy Spirit, so that, by His grace, we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” (Small Catechism: Lord’s Prayer, 2nd Petition) God’s name is kept holy in our lives when we hear His Word in its truth and purity and begin to live holy lives according to it. (Small Catechism: Lord’s Prayer, First Petition) As His adopted sons by grace, we are maturing into our new identity in Christ. We are being formed into the image of His only-begotten Son. We should fear and love God so that we properly use His name. We are learning to continuously ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we may be able to resist temptation and to live a godly life following the example of Jesus.

Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier serves as pastor at Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, Los Alamos, NM

By Rev. Michael Keith

I remember it clearly. I was in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario. I was in the Grand Hall where they keep the Stanley Cup – the trophy for the Champions of the National Hockey League. It has the look and feel of a cathedral. You could go up to the Stanley Cup and look at it, but you couldn’t touch it. You could stand beside it and get your picture taken. There was a sense of respect and reverence in the room. This is the trophy that I have watched presented on TV to the champions every year since I have memory. This is the trophy that all the greatest hockey players of all time like Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux, gave all they had to give to win. This is the trophy they triumphantly held over their head in victory as they skated around the rink. It is abundantly clear when you are in that room that the Stanley Cup is something special.

I often do not see that sort of reverence and respect when people are coming into church on Sunday. The reason, as far as I can tell, is not to be intentionally irreverent or disrespectful. I think it is that people don’t know that in the Divine Service there is something special. More than that – that there is something holy. Better yet – Someone holy.

When we gather for Divine Service around the Word and the Sacraments heaven meets earth. Jesus is present. He is there to give out His gifts through His Word proclaimed and preached, through the watery word of Holy Baptism, through His Body and Blood in Holy Communion. Jesus is present with His gifts in a way that He is not present anywhere else. Indeed, there is Someone – very special in the room.

Our behavior reflects what we believe. When I go to a movie theatre I get popcorn and a drink and I sit down to be entertained. That’s why I am there. That’s what I expect. I paid my money and I bought the overpriced popcorn and coke – entertain me! Some people might approach going to Divine Service in the same way. I walk in with my Starbucks coffee and grab a seat, sit back – and wait to be entertained. If we believe that is what going to church is about then that is how we will behave.

But, if we believe that going to church is about receiving gifts from Jesus who is actually, truly, there for us… well, our behaviour ought to reflect this belief, no? For my American friends – if the President came for a visit to your house would you stay seated on the couch and greet him “Hey – what’s up Pres?” I don’t think so – unless you were intentionally meaning to disrespect both the man and the office he holds. The office of President is held in high regard among Americans and the behaviours around the President reflect this belief.

That’s why the Church in her wisdom has taught us certain behaviours to observe in Divine Service that reflect what we believe. When we come into a church we usually speak in hushed tones because we recognize we are in a holy place set apart for God’s use. We sit in the pew before Service preparing ourselves to be in the presence of God and to be thoughtfully engaged with the Liturgy. We quietly pray. We don’t let our kids run around in the sanctuary screaming their heads off. They can do that outside – have fun! – but not in the place and time where we come in contact with the Holy. No, here we are reverent, respectful, and humble. We confess our sinfulness. We receive cleansing in the Absolution. When we come forward we bow to the altar – reverence the altar – because our Lord’s Body and Blood are there. Jesus is there.

Our behavior reflects what we believe. There are many ways our behavior might reflect this belief. We don’t need to get legalistic about it and prescribe certain behaviours that “must” be observed. We don’t need to judge those who may have behaviours different than our own. However, we can learn from those who have gone before us and how they behaved in the presence of Jesus. We can become thoughtful about why we are in the church for Divine Service. Jesus is there. For you.

Our behavior reflects what we believe.

Rev. Michael Keith serves as pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church and SML Christian Academy in Stony Plain, AB Canada.

By Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier

As the baptized people of God, we have access to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Thus, at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy we gather before the face of God remembering our baptism in which we daily die to sin and rise again to walk in newness of life. Therefore, we are taught to go before God’s face in humility. We humbly confess to Him with fellow believers that we have sinned against the True God in thought, word, and deed. Then we petition Him asking that He would forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in His will and walk in His way. For the sake of Christ, we are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

We gather together at the place of grace, that is, where Christ Himself is in our midst as the High Priest granting us remission of sins and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Through the message of the cross, the Holy Spirit is working in us to bring about new thoughts, new words, and new deeds. We have a new desire to be instructed by God. The Word of God is efficacious, that is, it effects a change in those who hear it. The Spirit of God enlightens us and guides us to walk in the Light. Our entire life of faith is depicted as walking with God through the wilderness of this fallen creation.

Without God’s Word as a Lamp unto our feet and a Light unto our path, we are left alone on an unfamiliar trail amid darkness. If you have ever walked around in the night without a light, you know about stubbing toes, banging shins, and even stumbling to the ground. If you have ever hiked on a trail when the sun goes down in the middle of the wildness where there are poisonous snakes, you know the importance of having a flashlight. However, if the batteries die and you wonder off the trail, then you risk being lost and even bitten by a snake.

When the Triune God originally gave the Ten Commandments to His people at Mount Saini, He was preparing them for the journey ahead through the wilderness into the Promised Land. He would guide them and lead them to safety. In fact, the Pre-incarnate Christ would tabernacle in their midst. He promised to be present with them in a pillar of cloud by day to show them the way and a pillar of fire by night to give them the light.

Yet, before they set out on their pilgrimage, God instructed them about the obstacles that would be found along their way. Thus, He gave to them the Ten Words. Notice that this instruction began with the proper identity of God and His people. The Triune God spoke and said, “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:1). The people of Israel did not make themselves God’s people by their thoughts, words, or deeds. In fact, they were slaves in Egypt and could not free themselves from their own captivity. They needed a Deliverer who would deliver them from the oppression of Pharaoh. God had freed them and liberated them from the house of slavery. To confess God as Yahweh, is to confess God as the One who redeemed them. Yahweh is their only Savior. They have been freed from slavery to Pharaoh and made servants of the One True God. They had been baptized in the waters of the Red Sea.

Thus, God began to instruct them by saying, “You shall have no other gods before me.” There is no need to have a different god who did not save them. There is no need to bring another god alongside the True God. There is no need to look for an alternative face for God. There is no need to try and win God’s favor with one’s own thoughts, words, or deeds. There is no need to worship God in the way of the contemporary corrupted culture.

Israel is taught that as soon as they begin to walk in God’s way, temptation will come trying to lead them astray. The land of Canaan will be filled with creative ways to worship God. The Ancient Serpent will be waiting for them along the path. The Deceiver deceives people into making gods in their own fallen images. The Tempter tempts people to form gods from the imagination of their own corrupted hearts. Such gods are false. They cannot save or redeem. Thus, the True God warns His people about false worship which is done without God’s Word and without faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Out of love for His people, God instructs them in what is pleasing to Him. The people of God do not need any other gods. Instead, they are to learn to fear, love, and trust in Yahweh above all things. The people of God already have the True God who redeems and saves them. The first commandment instructs us in true worship.  

Now that Christ is incarnate, we confess Jesus as Lord, that is, Yahweh who redeems us. Jesus is our only Savior. There is no other name by which we are to be saved. We belong to Him. He is our God and we are His people who live under Him in His Kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness

Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier serves as pastor at Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, Los Alamos, NM

By Cambria Stame

“Remember, you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Today, your pastor will speak these words to you as he traces the sign of the holy cross in ashes upon your forehead as a reminder of your hopeless mortality. There seems to be no hope in death, only an inconsolable, desperate, miserable grief that will forever hold your soul in thrall. In death, your life is reduced to ashes. Fallen captive to the passions and pleasures of the world, you succumbed to that which strangles the souls of men. Lust, pride, envy, worry, bloodshed—these things you carried on your back as you collapsed back into the earth. Your epitaph is hardly worth reading. Your life amounts to no more than a handful of dust. You will surely die. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

But if Scripture has taught us anything, it has taught us that God raises dead men back to life. He breathed life into a valley of dry bones. He raised a little girl whose father was sick with grief. To the amazement of Mary and Martha, he restored Lazarus back to life after four days in the tomb. These resurrections, and all others recorded in Scripture, are woven into the fabric of the cross. For God in the flesh was lifted up, that you might be lifted up out of the ashes.

Hear how Christ has conquered death for you, “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” Thus, these Lenten ashes are not so morbid as one might originally suppose. The ashen token is a memento mori, for it gives you a cause to remember death, not that you may fear its impending gloom, but that you may remember the one who caused Death to die. It is a reminder that sin surely demands your life, but that God demanded it back in your Baptism. When you were plunged into the font where Word and water collide, you died and were made alive again; you were lost, and was found. As Christ is risen, you have risen indeed.

Embrace your Lenten ashes. Fix your eyes upon these crosses that adorn the foreheads of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Rejoice and be glad, for death has no sting and hell holds you captive no longer. You, like the noble phoenix, arise from your ashy chamber. As the phoenix issues forth from the dust in a flurry of fire, you are reborn from an equally mighty act of nature: a baptismal flood. Resplendent in all his resurrection glory, the phoenix is colored crimson, and you are too, by the blood of your crucified and risen Lord.

The first time I attended a Lutheran church, I did so on Ash Wednesday twelve years ago. While the “smells and bells” of the liturgy certainly impacted me, what stood out to me the most was the way Scripture, quite literally, touched me. My pastor, like all other men of the cloth, used his hands to baptize, bless, and embrace—his hands are vessels of the life God gives us. Yet, he is equally as acquainted with death as he is with life. Pastor now dipped his hands into ashes, into filth, into grime, into death—as Christ did. He cupped my chin, looked me in the eyes, and pronounced me dead. Brushing ashes onto my forehead, he supplied the vector that pointed me back to my Baptism. Like the host of saints who had gone before me, I too was made alive again as Christ knelt down and mixed water in with the dust. Christ applied this ointment to give me seeing eyes of faith, saying as he always does, “Arise, to life be reconciled.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, remember that you are dust, and lend your ears to this baptismal requiem: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” A blessed Ash Wednesday to all of you.

Cambria Stame is a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Danville, California.

By Rev. Michael Keith

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

These somber words come at the beginning of the Lenten Season as they are spoken to us on Ash Wednesday. They aren’t the most cheery words ever spoken to be sure, but they are true and they confront us with a truth that we so often seek to ignore, deny, and hide. We are going to die.

In our modern day we do most everything possible to hide the reality of death away. We don’t even like to hear people talk about death. It is almost as if we think, superstitiously, that if we talk about death someone might die! You are probably a little uncomfortable reading these words even now. We’re afraid of talking about death. We’re afraid of thinking about death. We’re afraid of death.

The Church, in her wisdom, doesn’t let our fears dictate what we think about or talk about. In fact, the Church brings us face to face with some of these difficult realities. Through Word and ritual the Church confronts us with our fear of death. And perhaps like no other time than on Ash Wednesday as the cross of ashes is placed upon our foreheads and we hear “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  We are very personally confronted with the fact that we will die. We are given the opportunity to look into one of the deepest questions of life: Death.

If you came to church on Ash Wednesday, or at any other time, and only heard the message “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” that would be pretty disheartening wouldn’t it? If the only thing you heard was—you are going to die—that’s it, that’s all folks—well, that would leave you without much hope. It might lead you to despair. It might lead you to wonder if there was any meaning to life at all if all it leads to is death.

That’s why I think so many people are afraid of talking or thinking about death. That’s why I think that there are so many people who have no meaning in their lives. They think this life is all there is and so they try to get all the meaning they can out of this life—but that will never work. You can’t get meaning out of the “stuff” of this life if ultimately it only ends in death. That’s why there are so many people who live lives of despair. They have no hope. They have no assurance that when they die they will have eternal life. So rather than wrestle with the inevitable – they in fear ignore it. They seek to distract themselves. They do everything they can to shield themselves from the fact that they will die.

As Christians we don’t hide from death. As Christians we face it head on. We even have a cross of ashes put on our foreheads. We are reminded that we will die. And our response? “Yes, some day I will die. Yes, I am a sinner and the wages of sin is death. But what of it? Jesus lives! And because He lives so shall I live. He has rescued from death and the grave and has opened for me the way to everlasting life!”

We don’t ignore the harsh reality of death because we have hope in the face of death! Jesus, our resurrected Lord and Saviour, has defeated death. And this gives us hope and assurance in the face of death. No, this does not mean that we just gloss over death and the way it hurts us and rips us apart. Death hurts those who are left behind in a most profound way. But even there—while we grieve and mourn—we have hope. Even in our sadness we have comfort. Even at the graveside we know that this is not the end. Yes, we hurt and suffer—but we know that we are not alone! We know that Jesus is with us as He promised in our baptism as we go through this loss.

On Ash Wednesday with a cross of ashes on our foreheads—we hear the Good News of Jesus Christ proclaimed to us. We hear that our sin is forgiven. We hear that our death has been defeated by Jesus’ resurrection. We hear that we have been given eternal life.

And this gives us hope. This gives us meaning in this life. We realize that there is more to life than just what we see. We realize that there is more to life than just to eat, drink, and be merry. There is a God who loves us. He loves us so that He sent His Son to die for us and to rescue us from sin and death.

Knowing that there is a God who loves us and cares for us and has prepared a place for us to live forever with Him—gives us hope. It gives us peace. We don’t have to hide from death. We don’t have to be afraid of death. For in Jesus, we have life!

Rev. Michael Keith serves as pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church and SML Christian Academy in Stony Plain, AB Canada.

By Rev. Michael Keith

Pax Domini. What’s that now? Does that having something to do with pizza being delivered in 30 minutes or less?

No, it’s about one of the coolest moments during Divine Service. Pax Domini: the peace of the Lord.

The Divine Service often begins with Confession and Absolution. We then join in the Kyrie and the Gloria in Excelsis, hear the Word of God read and preached, confess the Creed, join in the prayer of the Church, and all of this points us and leads us to the Service of the Sacrament.

It is in the Service of the Sacrament that we find the Pax Domini. After Jesus has spoken His Words through the office of the pastor in the Words of institution “Take eat; this is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. Drink of it all of you; this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” the pastor then takes one of the consecrated hosts and the chalice and holds them up before the congregation and says “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” The congregation responds with a faith-filled “Amen.” This is the Pax Domini. And it’s so cool!

On the evening of the day Jesus rose from the dead He appeared to His disciples in the locked room. The disciples were afraid they, too, might be arrested and put to death like Jesus. The disciples’ initial reaction at Jesus appearing in the locked room may very well have been fear and terror as they had all abandoned and betrayed Him in some way. Yet, into this sinful, chaotic, and fearful place the resurrected Jesus physically appeared to the disciples and said to them “Peace be with you.”

And so Jesus does this for you today. Into your fearful, chaotic, sinful life He is physically present with His Body and Blood in the Holy Sacrament just as He promised—and He speaks a word to you. He speaks peace to you: the Pax Domini. It is in this Holy Supper that you know you have peace. It is in this Sacrament that you know that God is at peace with you despite your sin and rebellion and betrayal. It is in the Body and Blood of Jesus given and shed for you that you are forgiven, renewed, and strengthened. You respond with “Amen.” This is not a greeting between the pastor and the people. This is a proclamation. In Jesus, in this Sacrament, in the Body and Blood of Jesus now held before you, the peace of the Lord is with you always. You respond in faith and trust at the Lord’s Word. “Amen.” Yes, I believe that! I believe that through the Body and Blood of Jesus I have peace with God because of the forgiveness of sin. You sing the Agnus Dei—the Lamb of God—as you recognize that it is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world who is present for you in the bread and the wine. You then come forward to the altar to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. You are strengthened and preserved in body and soul to life everlasting. In the peace of Christ, you depart in peace.

That’s why the Pax Domini is so cool. It proclaims the profound truth that in the Sacrament of Holy Communion Jesus is physically among His people to speak a Word of peace. A Word of forgiveness. A Word of hope. A Word of life. The peace of the Lord is with you always. Amen.

Rev. Michael Keith serves as pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church and SML Christian Academy in Stony Plain, AB Canada.

Rev. Eric Brown

Sometimes we can view the Reformation as though what was taught was “fighting words.” We can sometimes think of the Reformation as the big, bold battle where we played our theological version of King of the Mountain, where Luther knocked down all his opponents then jumped up and down shouting, “We’re number 1! In your face, losers!”

Yet, if you look at the history of the Reformation, that’s not how Luther approached things. Oh, to be sure, Luther could verbally spar with the best of them, but what actually stands out is how much Luther was willing to yield to his opponents, if only they would let the Gospel be preached.

It was this way at the beginning of the Reformation. In the beginning of 1519, Luther was asked by Cardinal Cajetan (whom the Pope had sent to Germany to settle the burgeoning debates there) to stop writing anymore on these things; and Luther agreed… so long as those who were actively condemning his teaching would be silent as well. It was not a matter of ego for Luther—he didn’t have to prove himself right. His point was to not let the Gospel be condemned. But they continued to rant against the Gospel, so Luther was compelled then to defend the Gospel. And the Reformation continued.

This was also Luther’s approach when dealing with other reformers. By the late 1520s there was a raging debate between Luther and Zwingli about the Real Presence of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Supper. They had a famous meeting in Marburg in 1529, where they went back and forth, but when it came time to conclude, Luther offered a phrasing that was in the middle: We’ll let you be, just don’t condemn us for confessing that Christ is bodily present in His Supper as His Word says. But Zwingli wouldn’t go for it. He was determined to denigrate the Real Presence. Thus, the Lutherans were compelled to proclaim loudly Christ’s presence. And the Reformation continued.

Even when the Lutherans gathered at Augsburg and presented the Augsburg Confession, it was not a massive “we’re right, you’re wrong” screed. Over and over the Lutherans point out that what we believe, teach, and confess is nothing less than what the Scriptures teach and what the Church used to teach. There’s no need for battles; please, just let the Gospel be preached! In fact, the last article of the Augsburg Confession says, “It is not our design now to wrest the government from the bishops, but this one thing is asked, namely, that they allow the Gospel to be purely taught, and that they relax some few observances which cannot be kept without sin.” (AC 28:77) Just allow the Gospel to be purely taught. But they wouldn’t, so there was separation and division. And the Reformation continued.

This whole approach was summed up by Luther in 1535 when he was lecturing on Galatians. Luther noted, “In the same way we are willing to concede everything possible to the papists, in fact, more than we should; but we will not give up the freedom of conscience that we have in Christ Jesus.” (AE 26 – Galatians 2:6) The reformers were willing to let other folks do what they want, even retain positions of leadership and authority, just so long as they didn’t undercut the Gospel. But they kept on diminishing Christ, and so we, the evangelical Lutheran church to this day remains adamant that the Gospel of Christ Jesus—that we are saved by faith through grace—must never be silenced.

We don’t seek victory. We don’t seek to destroy. Instead, we strive to remain faithful, and if others reject the Gospel, so be it. As we sing, “The Word they still shall let remain/ nor any thanks have for it.” So be it. “He’s by our side upon the plain/ with His good gifts and Spirit./ And take they our life,/ goods, fame, child, and wife,/ though these all be gone,/ Our victory has been won; the Kingdom ours remaineth.” We don’t need to defeat anyone, for our victory isn’t won by us. It was won for us by Christ upon the Cross. To Him alone be the glory!

Eric Brown serves as pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Herscher, Illinois.

Rev. Michael Keith

So, you know that candle that is in the church that is on a stand? It is often found near the baptismal font or the altar—but not always. It’s called the Paschal candle. Have you ever wondered why the Paschal candle is lit on some Sundays and on some occasions, but not on others? C’mon…you know you have!

Now, the truth is that when we begin talking about candles in the church and the meaning behind them it can be a messy business. Quite frankly, there seem to be as many meanings and traditions associated with candles as there are stars in the night sky. So, this is not so much about what is “right” and “wrong” when it comes to the understanding of candles in the church—the Paschal candle in particular. However, here is how the Paschal candle is often used in the Lutheran church.

We will begin with the Easter season. Many congregations bless a new Paschal candle each year at Easter. At the Easter Vigil or on Easter Sunday the Paschal candle is lit. It represents the resurrected Jesus among His people. That is why the Paschal candle is lit through the Season of Easter up to Ascension Day. On Ascension Day the candle is often removed from the church after the Gospel reading or simply extinguished.

The Paschal candle is also lit when there is a baptism. The use of the Paschal candle at a baptism visually reminds us of the connection between this sacrament and the resurrection of our Lord. Jesus is at work through the waters of Holy Baptism distributing the fruits of the cross and resurrection. We are reminded that through Jesus’ Word and promises in Holy Baptism we are raised to new life.

In a similar way the Paschal candle is used at a funeral. When we see the Paschal candle lit and standing near the head of the casket we are reminded that this one is a baptized child of God. We are also reminded of St. Paul’s words in Romans 6:3-5: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

There is a wonderful “bookending” that happens here as the candle is lit at baptism and at the funeral—a reminder that from beginning to end our Lord Jesus is with us—in our coming in and our going out from this time forth and even forevermore. Jesus is with you through all your life: the good, the bad and the ugly. He is with you through your death. He is with you to carry you to eternal life.

The symbolism behind the use of the Paschal candle can be helpful and encouraging to us. It draws us to remember our resurrected Lord Jesus and His defeat of sin, death, and the devil for us. It helps us to remember that we have received all that Jesus has to give in our baptism. We can draw comfort and strength when we see the Paschal candle lit at a funeral—knowing that this one has died to sin and has been raised to new life in Jesus.

Now, I know there will be people who will say: “That’s not what we do at our congregation!” Or, “That’s not how I understand the Paschal candle!” Or, “We light our Paschal candle every Sunday!” Okay. Keep on keepin’ on. Stars in the night sky and all that. Don’t freak out. This is just one of the more common explanations of the meaning behind the use of the Paschal candle. No matter how it is used in your congregation, it should remind you that Jesus has lived, died on the cross, and risen from the dead for you—that you have been washed in the waters of Holy Baptism and that Jesus has defeated sin, death and the devil for you, granting you new life—eternal life.

Rev. Michael Keith serves as pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church and SML Christian Academy in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada. He can be reached at keith@st-matthew.com

Rev. Eric Brown

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” – Revelation 12:11

You don’t have to look very hard to find Lutherans debating. I think it’s almost a Lutheran hobby. Get a couple of pastors together, toss out an idea, and you might very well have a perpetual motion machine. What can really get folks going is a debate that doesn’t have a clear answer. One of those debates is centered on this part of the year: Who is Saint Michael?

 Now, you have some who will say that Michael is the highest archangel and those who will say that Michael is actually Jesus (as Michael means “One who is like God”). And if you sit back you can watch folks go at it, back and forth. What’s the answer? Well, beats the tar out of me. I simply don’t know.

Now, this isn’t me dodging debate—it’s just that this is one of those debates where I don’t have a strong position, so I don’t get mixed up in it. However, not having a strong position does let one step back a bit and see other things—things that might even be more important. Take, for example, this beautiful and clear verse from Revelation.

In the second lesson for St. Michael’s, we hear the defeat of Satan; Satan is cast out of heaven. And Satan is described as our accuser—the one who accuses us before God—who points out our sin before God. And yet in verse 11, Satan is conquered. Indeed, we are included in those who have defeated Satan. Yet how? Certainly not by our own strength. And definitely not by how wonderful we think we are. Not even by how skillfully we debate.

”And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb.” It’s all about Jesus, who shed His blood for you and for me. All together we are covered by His blood which He shed to atone for our sin—which He shed to cover us and protect us from the accusations Satan hurls against us.

Christ’s death is more important than our lives. His death covers the entirety of this life, and we are viewed by God, not on the basis of who we are or what we’ve done, but by what Christ Jesus the Righteous One has done for us. In Him, we conquer. Christ’s victory is our victory, because in Holy Baptism He clothed you in the robes of His own righteousness, and all that is His is now yours.

When God sees you, He sees Christ; He sees you righteous and holy and perfect and wondrous. While still in this life, we struggle against sin, and the accusations that are leveled against us often do hit home, but we are righteous in Christ, and come the Last Day, when He returns and we are raised to new life in Him, we will be fully like Him, and you, too, will be one who is like Christ our Lord forever and all eternity. Hence we pray, come quickly, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois.