Category: Life Issues

This week we are highlighting an article from October 2011 to supplement Pr. Borghardt’s video short from yesterday,
Can Lutherans Celebrate Halloween? In this article Pr. Buetow encourages us to live on October 31st
the same way we live every other day – as baptized children of God.

Rev. Mark Buetow

Witches, wizards, skeletons, devils, and superheroes? Never mind that. Let’s get to the candy! As Halloween approaches, many calling themselves Christians will get all worked up about this supposedly satanic holiday. With emphases on witches and devils and violent horror, these folks get upset and say that Christians have no business observing this holiday and ought to do something better, something more godly and pious. Thus all over “Halloween” celebrations are replaced with “Fall Festivals.” There’s even a group who invented a new holiday on October 31 called “Jesus Ween.” (Does anyone else think that just sounds odd and creepy all at once?) So can you be a Christian and celebrate Halloween? Can you dress up and go to a party? Go trick-or-treating? Have fun? The fact is, a Christian CAN celebrate and enjoy Halloween. Read on to find out why.

First, a little bit of history. Halloween is taken from the old English “All Hallows Eve.” “All Hallows” refers to “All Saints” which is the festival on November 1 on which the church remembers all her baptized saints and especially those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Since Christian festivals begin at sundown on the day before, October 31 is the Eve of All Saints (just like December 24 is Christmas Eve) or All Hallows Eve, shortened and smushed together over time to “Halloween.” So, at its root, Halloween was just the Eve of the day when all Christian saints were remembered. And when we’re talking about saints, we’re talking baptism! And how can a day which reminds us of our baptism be bad?

On Good Friday, Jesus destroyed the power of the devil. He died for the sins of the world. He died for your sins. St. Paul writes that on the cross, Jesus disarmed the powers of hell (Colossians 2:15). That means when Halloween rolls around and little ghosts and goblins are running around they’re nothing more than jokes and mockeries of the devil. He has no power. He can’t harm you. The devil has no claim on those who have been buried and raised with Jesus and clothed with Christ in their baptism. Those upon whom the blood of the Lamb of God has been sprinkled cannot be snatched out of their Father’s hand! That means when we go out on Halloween, costume or not, we look like Jesus. That’s what your heavenly Father sees when He looks at you. You may be a ghoul or a superhero for trick-or-treating or a party but to your Father in heaven you’ll always look like His Son, dearly beloved and precious.

But isn’t October 31st also a traditional time for pagans to do their thing? Sure. That’s because whenever the church has a holy day, the devil tries to copy it and mock it and lead others astray. So the end of October has long been a time when pagan religions carried on rituals and other weird practices. But let’s face it. Halloween in America has become nothing more than a day to have some fun. Go and get loads of candy. Go to a party and bob for apples. Dress up and act a bit silly. As Christians, we’re so free, having been rescued by Christ from sin and death, that we can laugh at inflatable tombstones and dress like zombies. Perhaps, in some small way, Halloween is the world’s way of trying to pretend death is something to laugh at. But for those who are in Christ, we know that’s all death is. Something to be laughed at. Mocked. Because death has been defeated by Jesus. Your death has been overcome. We know we don’t come back as vampires or zombies. Rather on the Last Day, Jesus will come again and raise us up and there will be no more death.

So live on Halloween the way you live every other day. Make the sign of the cross in the morning to remember that you are a child of God, marked by the Lord has His own child. Go and enjoy your day and eat your candy with a clean conscience, knowing that your robe of righteousness is no dress-up but true clothing whereby you have been covered in Jesus. Serve your neighbor and avoid anything that will harm or be a bother to them. (Not EVERY Halloween activity is a good idea!) And at the end of the day, make the sign of the cross again and know that you are still the Lord’s because of Jesus. And dare to be Lutheran too, remembering that October 31 is also the day that the Reformation began, the time when Martin Luther reminded the church that Christ was the big deal and that superstitions, even if they’re in the church, are still silly and useless. And who needs to be afraid of such things when we have such a Savior who has redeemed us, purchased and won us from all sin, death and the power of the devil? So Happy Halloween! Happy because you are a baptized saint in Jesus.

Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in Du Quoin, IL. He is also the Media Services Executive for Higher Things and creator of the Bible 101 video series.

Rev. Ryan J. Ogrodowicz

It can turn the world upside down for the Christian to hear a family member admit to a same-sex relationship. Suddenly, a once peaceful bond is now complex and strained. Your conscience might be conflicted, but now begins the burdensome task of dealing with a person you care deeply about but who practices sin, violating the faith. It is not always easy to find the answers on how to engage such a person. As society continues to grapple over sexual ethics, it may appear as if there are only two options for the Christian: Embrace homosexuality for fear of being labeled an unloving bigot, or condemn all homosexuals to hell for 
practicing the “unforgiveable sin.“

You might be wondering where God’s Word stands in all of this. And you might be thinking it’s a little more complicated than either always condemning or always embracing, and you’re right—it is. The reason is that not every sinner 
is the same.

Now your Lutheran alarm might be sounding. What does he mean “not every sinner is the same?” Doesn’t Scripture say “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3: 23)? Doesn’t the Psalmist tell us that “no one living is righteous before you” (Psalm 143: 2)? Of course, this is true. Everyone is corrupted by the sickness of sin, with no exception. Sin has desperately polluted the heart, mind and flesh of every person on earth. No one can escape this without God’s deliverance and help through the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When I say sinners are different, what I mean is that some sinners are very comfortable in their sin, while others have been called to faith through the Gospel and now actively seek God’s forgiveness and refuge. The Word of God is clear. Homosexuality is one of a host of other sins excluded from the kingdom of God when the sinner remains unrepentant (1 Corinthians 6: 9-11). We see this in those advocating the same-sex lifestyle, claiming it to be God-ordained while having neither convicted consciences nor the desire to change. For such people the law needs to be preached in order to give them knowledge of their sin and the realization that sin condemns us before our holy and just God. Approving sin is the exact opposite of this, and is anything but acting out of Christian love, and does no favors to the one dead in his or her trespasses.

That being said, there are some homosexuals who are perfectly aware they are fighting a force outside their control—a fight hard enough to cause physical ramifications and even suicide. People have killed themselves because they found no way to cope with a same-sex desire. What anyone tormented by sin needs to hear is that all of his or her sins have been richly paid for by the blood of Jesus at Calvary’s cross. This message, the message of Christ crucified for our justification, is what needs to be heard by the tormented sinner. The Law will only continue to accuse. It is the Gospel that brings healing and forgiveness to the sinner in the depths of woe and despair.

So when do you attempt to gently but firmly show someone their sinful behavior and when do you console them with the sweetness of the Gospel? If already you’re finding this difficult to do, you are not alone. Even the most seasoned pastor can wrestle with how to apply God’s Word. It’s difficult. Better yet, it’s impossible without the aid of the Holy Spirit, who alone is the teacher of this art. C.F.W. Walther once said, “Only the Holy Spirit, in the school of experience, can teach people how to deal with this doctrine…the proper distinction between Law and Gospel is the greatest skill that any person can learn.”

As with any correspondence, having an open chain of communication is important. Being a friend genuinely concerned about a friend or loved one’s spiritual well-being may, by God’s grace, provide an opportunity to help. By all means, invite them to church. They, as do all sinners, need to be in the presence of Christ on Sunday morning confessing their sins and receiving God’s forgiveness. Also, when speaking the law to somebody, it does not have to come across in anger or self-righteousness. On the contrary, the Christian can be firm in his or her conviction and faith while being gentle and compassionate. As the Word says, “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3: 15). You can gently, lovingly and compassionately proclaim God’s Law to a sinner in need just as much as you can declare the Gospel.

Finally, know that we never get all of this right. We never treat our neighbor perfectly. Sometimes we say too much; other times we say too little. Sometimes we’re bold to the point of being downright scary. Other times we hide in the shadows. Whenever you’re struggling with what to do and how to do it, pray for God’s guidance; ask for His wisdom. Be patient, repent, and receive His forgiveness in Christ. The great thing in all this is that our assurance comes not from our work towards others, but rather by being baptized into the One who has died to free us from the condemnation of every sin, vice and affliction—
our Savior Jesus.

And this is good news for all of us.

Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz is the pastor at Victory in Christ Lutheran Church located in Newark, Texas. He can be reached at pastoro@viccla.org.

Rev. George F. Borghardt

You know what that is! Don’t make me say it. Don’t make me spell it.

Have you noticed that people think and talk about that way too much? That is everywhere! You learned about that in “that ed.” It fills your televisions, computers, and your text messages. We even make thatual-innuendos. There’s that-ography and homo-that-uality. Too much that!

I’m not saying to be prudes about that. That, where the Lord intended for it to be, is good. That in marriage is pure, it’s holy, and it’s sanctified. Marriage is the place for your God-given that-drive. It’s where true love has its free expression.

God gave that. It comes to us as good. He created the heavens and the earth through the Word. He spoke. It all happened through Jesus. Everything was good. Each day: good, good, good, good, good. Five days, five goods.

On day six, when man was created, your Lord Jesus breathed the breath of life into man and man became a living being. You’d have thought that everything would have been good. But it wasn’t good. It’s not good for man to be alone. So God made a helper suitable for Him.

You know the rest of the story. God puts Adam down for a nap. He makes a woman “from his side.” Adam sees woman. Woman sees Adam. It’s a magic moment! Love at first sight! And God looked all that He had made and said it was “very good!”

A man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife and the two become one flesh. That’s marriage. That’s where God gives that to happen. That is the two becoming one flesh. The unity between husband 
and wife isn’t the sentimental stuff of unity candles or ooshy-gooshy feelings. It’s fleshy. It’s honeymoony. It’s all that!

But then along comes sin. The Fall. Hiding from God. Covering everything up with fig leaves. Sin really wrecked that for everyone! Sinning by doing that outside of marriage is called “fornication.” That may just sound like a fancy, four-syllable naughty word, but it’s the word that God calls that between two people who aren’t married. And when people who are married but not married to each other do that, it is called “adultery.” Adultery isn’t a good word either: there’s even a commandment about that one (and yes it includes forbidding fornication). And St. Paul calls that between people of the same gender an ”unspeakable” sin. And that by yourself? Definitely not helpful.

The Second Adam is born to save His bride, to save you from all your sins, all your “that” sins, with His holy life and bitter sufferings and death. He lived a chaste and decent life in all that He said and did. He loves and honors His bride. His life counts for yours. The One who breathed life into Adam breathed His last breath to save you from your sins.

Jesus cleanses her with the washing of water with the Word, and His Church is forgiven. She is perfect. She is holy. She is spotless. She is sinless. She is pure. She is His Bride.

Christ has set you free from that-ing outside of the place where the Lord Jesus gave you for the doing of that. You are free to honor Him, not only with your words, but with your body as well. Your living for others, respecting them, and keeping that in marriage, where it was given, is a holy and acceptable sacrifice of praise to Him.

But what if you’ve already done that and you weren’t supposed to? You thought it was okay because you were in love. Or maybe things got out of hand and the next thing you knew, that just happened. You think you can’t resist doing that again.

Remember: You were bought with a price—the price of the Son of God. Like Eve, you are His bride born out of His side—His spear-pierced side. ”That” sin is forgiven. You are forgiven.

You know what that is. You know where that belongs! It belongs in marriage. There is no need to be constantly thinking and dwelling on that. That only leads to more that. You are in Christ. You are forgiven…and that’s that.

by Rev. Philip Young

It happens quite frequently when people find out that I do college ministry. They comment with words similar to this: “That’s awesome! What a tremendous opportunity!” I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment. But then comes the question, “How large is your group?” I tell them: “Three so far.” (We’ve been up to five and down to two.) The response? An uncomfortable “Oh.”

For some reason, many people think that college ministry should be easy. They have in their minds our Lord’s words to Peter and Andrew, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), and they believe that the college campus is the ideal setting to fish for men. It actually is, but that doesn’t mean that the fish jump into the boat any more than they do in any other setting in the world.

I’ve watched fellow pastors analyze LCMS campus ministry opportunities by looking at the size of the school. For example, the thinking is that since there are over 5,000 students at a particular school, surely we should be able to get our share of converts and have at least 50 (1 percent) in a college group. It doesn’t always work that way. In fact, not even all the LCMS students come to Lutheran student groups or attend church.

Regarding Christ’s words about fishing for men, a wise pastor once taught me that fish don’t want to be caught. Peter and Andrew were fishermen, and they knew this truth. That’s why they cast a net. The fish that they sought on a daily basis were happy to swim away, but the net brought them in.

Now what is it about colleges, especially public and private secular institutions, that would make students want to be caught by the Holy Spirit and renounce their Old Adam? I could make the case that colleges are the hardest places to fish with their deep, dark depths of evolutionary theory, atheism, sexual perversion, false religions and communism. But too much of that talk could make you think that fishing for Christ is dependent on the fishermen.

So often the “so-called” campus ministry experts say that you have to entice and lure students with free food and dynamic music and sports programs and exotic spring break destinations. Fish are smart! I’ve had the worm stripped clean from my hook tons of times. I’m happy to give out free pizza (as long as there is slice of pepperoni left for me), but pizza will not be the means for bringing in the catch for Christ.

The net that God gives his Church is the Means of Grace—the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Word and Sacrament. Recall what Jesus told his disciples after the resurrection: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a). Our Lutheran Confessions say, “To obtain such faith [justifying, saving faith] God instituted the office of preaching, giving the gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, he gives the Holy Spirit who produces faith, where and when he wills, in those who hear the gospel. It teaches that we have a gracious God, not through our merit but through Christ’s merit, when we so believe” (Augsburg Confession V 1-3). Therefore, sound teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the Divine Service are to remain foremost in pastoral campus ministry efforts.

From one semester to the next, I don’t know what kind of catch God will bring in. From the Word, though, I do know the character of fish, whether in schools or out. There is nothing that the Holy Spirit will use to gather them other than His appointed means.

To all our campus ministry pastors, sponsor congregations, and students: Rejoice when even one is unwillingly caught in God’s net and hauled aboard!

Rev. Philip Young is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and he serves as the pastoral advisor to the Lutheran Student Fellowship group at Vanderbilt University.

by Sarah Dooms

You’re on your way to college. It’s a time to experiment, try new things—to use a cliché, “find yourself.” Right? Maybe yes, but how does all of that fit into the life of a Christian? New lifestyles with differing values and beliefs will surround you. Do you doubt what you have always believed to be true? Do you rebel? Try something out before you’re confined by grown-up life? After all, you are out from under your parents’ thumb. God gives us freedom, but what does that mean? St. Paul tells us that “everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial” (1 Corinthians 10:23) or constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” You may feel overwhelmed by the choices you face. I know I felt that way.

I can most easily compare college life to living in a bubble. You think you’re out in the real world, but it’s simply a different one. Just as that colorful sheen exists on the outside of a bubble, that same shine can distort your life while at school. I will never dispute that living at college teaches you many valuable things. Inside and outside of the classroom, life is full of fun and different experiences. However, I have encountered many ups and downs. Without the solid support system of the family and friends who love me, and the receiving of God’s gifts at church each week, a stable and happy existence has turned out to more difficult than I had expected.

Developing a new church home is essential. The faithful routine of attending church to hear God’s Word and promises is completely necessary. We are sinful creatures and college life often glorifies that. Hearing the Law and Gospel convicts us of our sin and grants us Christ’s forgiveness. While I admit, it’s difficult to wake up early on a Sunday morning, you will never regret doing so.

I also encourage communication with those who are important to you and have your best interests at heart. I am by no means saying you must call your mother or father every day, but the advice from a loved one who shares your faith and beliefs is irreplaceable. Whether it takes the form of a short phone call, a quick e-mail, or even a chat via Facebook, that connection with someone who has supported you your whole life will help keep you true to yourself amidst a collection of new friends and temptations. And don’t forget your campus pastor as a gift to help keep you grounded in God’s Word.

Finally, never feel bad about taking your time in making an important decision. It’s a terrible feeling to think want something in the moment only to regret it later. There’s nothing wrong with being spontaneous or even impulsive at times, but in matters that involve your morals you should take extra precautions. The unhappy fact that many around you are participating in inappropriate behavior with their newfound freedom should not depress you or shake your awareness that it’s wrong. Do not indulge because you feel you’re alone. Trust God’s plan for you. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

College is often seen as a time to make mistakes and you will surely make them, but thankfully we have forgiveness in Christ. Through His sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead we have the promise of everlasting salvation. Remain steadfast in your worship life, the study of His Word and the partaking of His Body and Blood. Accept guidance from the loved ones He has given you. He will sustain you.

Sarah Dooms is a sophomore volleyball player at Valparaiso University and is studying Communication and Public Relations. Sunday mornings you can find her listening to Pastor Foy’s sermons at Prince 
of Peace Lutheran. Her e-mail 
address is sarah.dooms@valpo.edu

by Jonathan Kohlmeier

There are more than 800 million active users on Facebook. People from all over the world, of many different religions and world views, log into the same website to communicate with others every single day. In many ways, that makes it even harder to dare to be Lutheran than it is in our daily physical lives.

Many people use Facebook and other social media as a way to keep in touch with friends, family, people with the same interests and favorite celebrities. Others use it for self-promotion or as a place to express their opinions. Still others use social media as a virtual scrapbook of things going on in their lives or things that they find interesting.

Amidst those more than 800 million Facebook users, how are we supposed to dare to be Lutheran on Facebook? We do it the same way as we dare to be Lutheran in real life—through the Small Catechism as a baptized child of God! We are baptized children of God at home, at school, at church, and wherever else we may be.

The internet and social media in particular add yet another forum where love of God and neighbor are often found in short supply. In addition, it is very easy for Facebook to become an idol. We can spend hours and hours on the website, all the while shirking our vocations as children, students, and baptized children of God. We completely disregard the 8th commandment. We gossip about what our Facebook friends are posting, we don’t defend our neighbor, we rarely speak well of them and we definitely don’t explain everything in the kindest way. We covet our neighbors’ lives. We wish we were as happy as they appear to be. “Just read their profiles, after all!” We covet their possessions and the people in their lives. We don’t receive everything as gift from God and we fall into anxiety and unbelief. Everyone else’s lives seem so much better than our own. Repent! Stop hating your neighbor. Stop living as if Christ did not die and rise for you.

Even though it might magnify our constant failure to keep God’s Law, Facebook is a First Article gift of God. It truly is a great communication tool. It has made the world so much smaller. Distance means very little when, with the click of a mouse, you can keep up with those who are geographically far away. It is a great resource for planning events, sharing pictures and videos and keeping up on what your favorite celebrities or organizations are up to. It provides another platform to discuss things that are important to you. Sports fans connect with sports fans and Lutherans connect with Lutherans from 
all over the world! There are great Facebook pages (http://facebook.com/higherthings) that post resources that confess the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for you.

As we scroll through our News Feed, we are reminded to pray for those in our lives, in the midst of good times and bad. Even though we are more connected to those who are far away from us than we have ever been before, sometimes we feel alone sitting at our computers. The church’s prayers are often written in first person plural. When we pray those words, “Our Father..,” we are joined with the whole church-—in a much more real way than 1s and 0s across the internet. We are with the whole church in Christ. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are praying it both for ourselves and for the whole church. When others pray they are praying for themselves and for you!

Although Facebook is virtual, we still live as those who are baptized. Our sinful Old Adam is daily drowned by repentance and a new man is risen to live in righteousness. We have been set free from sin—not so that we can run right back to that from which we have been set free. Rather, we are free to keep the Law of God and live forever. In Christ—in our baptism—we do keep the law, both on Facebook and in all other aspects of our lives.

While Facebook is a great virtual reality, it should not replace those things that are real. You can discuss a lot of theology on Facebook but that is still not where Christ has promised to be. It does not replace receiving His gifts in church each week. Christ comes to you, not virtually, but truly in His Body in the Lord’s Supper. His Word is delivered into your ears. His Body and Blood are placed into your mouth. You are freely given forgiveness of your sins and eternal life in a very real and physical way.

Facebook is a great gift, but with a couple keystrokes it could be gone. Your hope, truth, trust, and life are much more certain and sure than that. They are found in Christ, into whose death and resurrection you have been baptized!

Jon Kohlmeier is IT Assistant for Higher Things which includes managing our Facebook page. You can add him on Facebook at facebook.com/jonkohlmeier.

With school finally over and a summer job or college on the horizon, you may be wondering what the future holds? Here’s something to help you think about the Lord’s plans for your future! For more great articles in our quarterly magazine, subscribe to Higher Things online or a print copy of the magazine today! http://dtbl.org/2084

Rev. Rick Marrs

Before the 1800s, answering lifelong career questions was fairly straightforward for young people. Most of them did what their parents did (e.g., farming, local merchant, trade skill) or whatever apprenticeships their parents arranged for them, sometimes starting before they were teenagers.

That was true for boys, at least. Girls got married and became mothers and cooked and cleaned and milked cows. But in our diverse culture and economic system today, teenagers literally have tens of thousands of career options available to them. While having options is a blessing, having that many options can be overwhelming. Think about how easy it is to choose between two to three flavors of ice cream in your home freezer and how difficult it can be to choose between the scores of tasty options at Baskin-Robbins. Then consider how difficult your ice cream selection would be if that was going to be the only flavor you could have for ten years!

Questions, Questions
Teens realize that much hinges on their career selection. Not only will their career choice directly impact how they will spend more than 80,000 hours of their lives, but it will influence their marriage and family, their type of home and neighbors, their socioeconomic status, and the like. This process of career decision-making (and it is a process, not a one-time event) leads to many important, inter-related questions for teens:

“Should I do what I’m interested in or what I’m good at?

“Should I seek the vocation that will pay the most money, or do something I’ll be happy (yet poorer) doing?

“What if I start in one career and then change my mind?

“Who can help me make such important decisions?”

“And how does God’s will work into all this?”

Help!
Who can help? Most high schools have counselors who have been trained to know how to give career guidance to teenagers. They may introduce you to computer programs (like Discover) or inventories (like the Strong Interest Inventory or the Self- Directed Search) that can help you sort out your interests, abilities, values, and decision-making processes. Many of these programs and inventories are available to take online for a fee, but your counselors will likely be able to provide such services for no cost, and they can then help you understand the results.

One of the most helpful models used in these programs is called the Holland Hexagon. This heavily researched theory proposes that there are, broadly speaking, six categories of careers and six types of people who feel compatible with those careers. Realistic people prefer jobs in which they are doers, handling mechanical or material problems (e.g., engineers, builders, farmers, athletes). Investigative people like math and science. Artistic people like art, music, and drama as a way to express themselves. Social people like to help others (e.g., counselors, teachers, pastors). Enterprising people like to work with people also but in more persuasive modes, like business and sales, politics and law, etc. Conventional people are the organizers in life, keeping records and analyzing information (e.g., accountants, administrative assistants, etc).

Actually, all people are some combination of all six types, and nearly all jobs require some skills in all six areas, but people do tend to have two or three areas that are of greater interest to them than the others. Simply put, people who find a vocation that matches their interests and skills are generally more satisfied than those who enter a vocation that is a mismatch for them.

High school and college counselors can also help you learn to investigate career options. Most teens simply do not know how people in various occupations actually spend their time and energy. It is important to read books, articles, and Web site descriptions about various occupations. Teens can also ask to shadow adults in their work for a day. Many adults are impressed with teens who take such initiative and are intrigued by what they do.

A Word of Warning
One modest warning about some career counselors: if you are considering a church-work career, some counselors may subtly steer you away from it. My experience suggests that career counselors are not necessarily anti-church or anti-Christian, but they have subtly bought into the world’s notion that really bright people should seek after high income, high status jobs. If you make good grades and have high test scores, your counselor may suggest that a career in medicine or law or engineering would be best for you because you can make more money. If you are considering a church-work career, but they push you to consider a higher paying career, this may be your opportunity to gently and respectfully tell your counselor about the hope (and riches) in Christ that are yours (1 Peter 3:15).

What Does God Want?
And how does God’s will work in this career decision-making? Our culture would lead us to believe that career choice is only about self- fulfillment. However, young Christians should be aware that the Lord has created the infrastructure of our world’s economy. Most people’s work allows them to contribute thousands of hours of good works that God has prepared in advance for them to do (Ephesians 2:10) in order to help feed others (through farmers, truckers, grocers), to heal others (through doctors, nurses and therapists), to care for others (through administrators, counselors, social workers), to educate others (through teachers, administrators, government officials), to protect others (through police, firefighters, soldiers), to build and repair things (through manufacturers, carpenters, mechanics), to share the Gospel professionally (through pastors, DCEs, deaconesses), even to entertain and provide beauty for others (through musicians, actors, artists). These roles are what Luther called vocation, God’s calling (voca) for us all. Beyond our callings as workers, we also have callings as fathers, mothers, children, citizens, and Christians. All of these are blessings to us from God that we are called upon to balance and do as a loving response to Christ blessing us in the Gospel.

The Lord will likely NOT Facebook you or send you an e-mail telling you what profession He wants you to enter. But He will provide you, if you are looking, with a variety of possible experiences that you can then pray about and sift through to decide how you think He has gifted you and how you would like to use those gifts.

With so-called “gay marriage” once again in the news, here’s and article from the Fall 2010 issue of Higher Things magazine that will give you some wisdom and help in speaking the truth in love to someone you know that may be struggling with homosexuality.

The scariestmoment of my life was the day my 11th grade composition teacher asked me to stay after school.“I’m concerned”he said.“You seem unhappy. Is something bothering you?”My heart stopped.Did he know? “No,”I lied,“everything’s fine.”“Are you sure?”he pressed“Is there anything you need to talk about?”It was hard to breathe.“No,really, there’s nothing at all,”I answered.After an uncomfortable silence he said,“Well,OK, you can go. But remember if anything bothers you, you can talk to me.”“Sure,”I said,“I’ll remember.”

How could I tell a teacher that I was homosexual? I didn’t want to be. I wasn’t born homosexual. But I didn’t choose it either. I had tearfully begged God to change. But nothing had changed. I was sexually attracted to other boys.

How could I tell anyone that it hurt whenever my father said he was proud of me because I thought that if he knew he would be ashamed? How could I tell anyone that my worst fear was my mother crying if she found out? How could I tell anyone how lonely I was, how scared and how ashamed?

Today states are passing laws allowing gay marriage. Schools host days of silence promoting gay pride.Many TV shows have a stereotypical gay character.Yet, high school and college students who face homosexual temptation are just as afraid of telling their parents and their pastors as I was when I was 17.One person they are more likely to tell, however, is a friend.That means that by the time you graduate, chances are good that at least one friend will tell you he or she is gay.What can you do? What can you say?

You can lovingly share both Law and Gospel.

The Law
DON’T be dishonest.The Bible says homosexual behavior is sin.Tell your friend you hope and pray he will not give in to temptation. Pretending homosexual behavior is okay may make him feel good but it is not kindness to shut the door to Jesus’forgiveness by hiding the truth.At the same time,remember your friend may have often felt rejected.Arguing with him will make him feel that Jesus is just another person who hates gays.Tell him calmly and firmly that the Bible says homosexual behavior is sin.

DO let your friend know you are in this together because you are a sinner,too.Many kids who struggle with homosexual feelings think that Christians believe themselves to be better than everyone else. It may surprise him to learn that Christians admit they are sinners.Tell him he is not alone—we all share the problem of guilt and temptation.

The Gospel
DON’T make false promises.The Bible never says that God will take away our struggles this side of the grave, or that God will change your friend if he has enough faith. Some people who face homosexual feelings will change and be able to marry someone of the opposite sex.Many others will not.There’s no guarantee.

DO point your friend to God’s love in the Cross.Tell him Christ forgives each and every repentant sinner. Even if your friend seems unrepentant,tell him Christ wants to forgive him. Sometimes kids who struggle with homosexuality appear rebellious because they’ve given up hope that God can love them. Let him know Jesus is a friend of sinners, and that he doesn’t have to“like girls”in order for Christ to love him.The Cross paid for it all. It is not your job to change your friend.You are called to point him to the forgiveness of Jesus.

Be a Friend
DON’T be afraid to ask questions.Ask what he is afraid of, if he is lonely or what hurts him about peoples’ reactions.Questions let him know you really are interested in being his friend.

DO treat him as you did before.He’s still your friend. Loneliness is one of the biggest fears.Joking, laughing together and hanging out will let him know you care— that he has a place where he belongs. Remember how Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. Show him the friendship of Christ.

As for me,well, I’m still scared and lonely sometimes. God hasn’t miraculously changed my desires (though He’s always given me the power to resist). But that’s okay because I have something better than sex and someone who is there when I’m lonely.

I can stand in front of the altar and say“I am a poor miserable sinner.”It feels good to know that God knows the real me and that He responds,“For the sake of My Son, you are forgiven.”

I have His Word and His promises given to me in baptism and communion. I come back to these things again and again because they make me hungry for God’s love. It is a good hunger,full of anticipation. Sometimes I feel like a starving kid who can’t even imagine what a thanksgiving feast will taste like but can smell it cooking and knows it’s coming soon.What joy that is!

I am sad for those who do not know God’s love. I understand their needs. I know their desperation. I know that their loneliness can be like physical pain. But you have so much more to offer your friend in God’s Law and Gospel than the world can ever give. It is so much better to hunger for God’s love than to find false happiness in the gay lifestyle.

Another great article from HT’s Sandra Ostapowich where she lays out the Good News of who women are in Christ. This article originally appeared in the Fall 2009 Issue of Higher Things Magazine.

by Sandra Ostapowich

I’d have made an awesome pastor.

At least, that’s what I once thought. It was pretty much the only thing I could think of becoming when I grew up. It totally made sense. After all, I was a huge church nerd. It wasn’t even enough for me to go to and do everything I possibly could at my own church. I went to my friend’s church youth group and Bible studies before school too. Naturally, I believed that the Lord was calling me to be a pastor.

Boy, was I wrong!

God making me female should’ve been my first clue. It may be an astonishingly obvious statement, but men and women are very different. Not only is there the whole anatomy thing, but there are a plethora of vocations that go along with being one or the other. For example, a man can’t ever be a mother. God has set it up for men to be fathers instead. And He only calls men to be pastors.

It’s not because men are somehow better than women. Scripture actually teaches that to illustrate Christ’s love for the Church, women were created for men to take care of and serve. And the vocation of pastor is perhaps the most servant-oriented in the Church.

When we walk into a room, we tend to think of the person standing up front wearing the fancy clothes as the one in charge. That’s where the buck stops. He talks, and people listen. Not so when it comes to the Church. The guy up front, the pastor, doesn’t get to say or do anything simply because he wants to. The only true authority a pastor has is the Lord’s. He says as much in the Absolution: “As a called and ordained servant of the Word.” It’s not like he’s the lead singer of a band or the lecturer at a personal growth seminar while we in the audience sit in awe of him and his glinty-toothed, dynamic amazingness. Remember, we’re at church on Sunday mornings to be served by God through His Word and Sacraments. That’s why it’s called the Divine Service. The Lord Himself instituted the vocation of pastor to deliver His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation in Christ to us. It’s kind of like a pizza delivery guy, only with Word and Sacraments instead of the pizza.

My mistake was that I thought being a pastor was just about being that person up front and center, leading a service, preaching a sermon, communing, and teaching people about Jesus. But I was looking only at the outward aspects of being a pastor, as though it was like any other job. I liked doing all those things and figured that with enough education and practice I could do them well enough to be a professional pastor.

But vocations don’t work that way. The Lord gives us people to serve in all sorts of ways whether or not we think we’re good at it, have the training, or even want to do it, but because His Gospel will be proclaimed through us to those our vocations serve. Being a decent speaker, educated in theology, and reasonably able-bodied doesn’t mean anyone should be a pastor—male or female—but being a man to whom the Lord has called and given the vocation of pastor does. God has set them up to be the providers, the protectors, the sacrificers. The rest of us receive.

No doubt you’ve heard the saying, “It’s better to give than to receive.” It’s generally a good idea to put someone else before ourselves, considering others’ needs more important than our desires. But when we’re dealing with God, there’s nothing we can possibly give Him that He needs. He really is the One it’s impossible to find a gift for because He already has everything. He is the One who has the gifts for us.

The Church is the Bride of Christ; she is the one the gifts are for. She perfectly and faithfully receives all that Jesus has to give her, and she knows without a doubt that she is the most beautiful, perfect, sinless, blemish-free, beloved woman in His whole entire universe. His Word and Sacraments make it so! She trusts her Bridegroom, Jesus, to always do what is best for her, even giving His own life in the process.

Not only are we women part of the Church, but the Bride of Christ is the perfect icon of Christian femininity as well. Yes, we have ways that we serve others through our other vocations. We are daughters, sisters, classmates, teammates, friends, girlfriends, citizens, neighbors, babysitters—and maybe even one day, wives and mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers. We even serve others at church in all sorts of ways. But first, and most importantly, we receive.

Receiving means trusting that what you’re receiving is ultimately for your good and to bring you to Christ. It means knowing that the Lord takes care of you through the men He’s given to serve you and sacrifice for you. There’s no way we can do any of that on our own, no matter how much we try. In fact, Luther tells us that faith is really nothing more than receiving gifts from God.

The life of faith is all about receiving. So it makes sense that the Lord would, in His infinite wisdom, create woman to receive all the gifts He has for her in His Word and Sacraments and from the men He sets apart to stand in the place of His Son and deliver them not just to her but to the whole Christian Church: His Bride.

So while the world might argue that women would make awesome pastors, we’re so much better off being women.

With all the recent chatter across the social media regarding the role of women and the topic of women as pastors, we’ll help the discussion with these great articles by Ms. Sandra Ostapowich. Here we learn the God-Given differences between men and women and why they’re important and how they relate to the Gospel! This article orginally appeared in the Summer 2009 issue of Higher Things Magazine.

by Sandra Ostapowich

“It’s a girl!”

That was possibly the first stitch God made when He began to knit you together in your mother’s womb. (Check out Psalm 139.) By making you you, God placed you into a lifetime of circumstances and opportunities different from those He designed for those XY types.

God intended humanity to be in relationships with Himself and with other people. After all, man by himself wasn’t good, so the Lord created a woman. He could have whipped up another batch of His Adam recipe, but that just would have made more of what wasn’t good already. Instead, God specifically created woman to be in relationship with man to solve the problem of being alone. Neither man nor woman is created to be independent of the other.

They both had roles to fill as man and woman, loving and serving each other. Woman was created for a specific purpose—to love and trust the man the Lord gave her. Man was given the opportunity to love and authority to care for the beautiful, perfect creature God made just for him.

And then… you know the story: serpent, forbidden fruit, nakedness, fig leaves, sin. Sin messes up everything.

Every individual is corrupted by sin. All relationships are now corrupted too. We do whatever is necessary to protect ourselves. We pick at flaws and do and say hurtful things to others. What the Lord created to be a relationship of serving the other has deteriorated into selfishness.

The inherent desire of women to be in a relationship with a man now has been corrupted by sin so much that we make unwise decisions. Among other things, we’re tempted to compromise our values in dangerous ways to get or keep a man— eating disorders, giving in to go all the way (or most of the way), putting up with mistreatment. As if that wasn’t enough, we’re also tempted to manipulate, compete, and generally do whatever we can to prove that we’re better than men, don’t need men, or don’t want men.

Men are sinners too. Serving and providing for the women God gave them was supposed to be a joyous privilege. Now, with sin, they’re tempted to use women for their own wishes, take advantage of them, and prey on their sin-corrupted desires. Relationships can be dangerous. Caution is a necessity.

But Scripture tells us that this arrangement of woman trusting man and man loving woman still holds. (Of course, this takes place within vocation; in other words, daughters submit to fathers and wives to husbands, not to the stranger at the bus stop or the loudmouth in the school hallway.) It is still His perfect design for us today because we have another example of it after the Fall: Christ and His Bride, the Church.

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands” (Ephesians 5:21–23).

Did that make you bristle a bit? “No way! Does that mean she’s just a slave to him, to do whatever he wants whenever he wants? That’s not fair. And worse, that just sets her up to be mistreated! God couldn’t have meant that.”

That’s all sin-talk. Repent. Along with that, maybe we should find out what submission is.

God the Son became man, taking on all our sins and dying for us. Through Baptism, we are holy and sinless in His eyes. Jesus considered us more important than Himself and gave everything He had to serve us and look out for our good. God calls us, as women, to submit to certain men. We don’t have a problem submitting to the Lord, so why would we doubt that our earthly husbands would do anything less for us? That doesn’t mean we’re commanded to slavishly cater to their every whim while they order us around and threaten punishment for disobedience.That’s not how Christ husbands His Bride. Remember, it says to “submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” The Lord looks out for us. We trust Him to do just that as husbands do for their wives. Submission is really just serving someone as you trust them to do their vocation for you.

But you don’t have a husband to whom you are to submit. Now what? The Lord has still provided men in your life to care for you and look after your best interests— especially at church. Your father, pastor, and elders have been given authority from God, not to wield it like a weapon but to serve you. Trust them to do that as you trust the Lord to care for you.

God says in Scripture that being a woman is important and wonderful. The universe was not perfectly perfect until God made woman. God knit you together to be a woman, and so you are. He made you His own child in Christ through Baptism, and so you are. You are who you are because He did what He has done for you.

It’s an amazing thing to be specially created just to be loved and cherished, not just by God but by the men to whom we submit because they are gifts from God to us as well. We are truly blessed!