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Catechesis

Honor Your Father and Mother – Challenging Authority

Honor Your Father and Mother

The Fourth Commandment is something we learn at a very early age. But have we really heard what God expects out of us? Sure everyone knows that we should honor our father and mother, but what application does this have in our everyday life? Does it apply to more than just our mothers and fathers?

To start let’s take a look at what Dr. Luther says in his small catechism:

Honor your father and your mother.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

Without a doubt you have seen the trend in modern society to “challenge authority”. We can see it in politics, civil government, and even in our own homes. Even young children find ways to defy their parents by throwing temper tantrums or downright disobedience. In the family application the use of the Fourth Commandment seems obvious. This is not only so they learn good discipline, but also for their safety.

But is this really a Godly or right attitude to have towards our civil government or law enforcement officers? The Bible tells us that all earthly authority is established and ordained by God. In John 19, Jesus had been arrested and brought before Pontius Pilate. Jesus, despite all his power, obeys the Father and submits himself the authority of Pilate. Pilate at one point, sensing that Jesus is an innocent man and not defending himself, tells Jesus that he has the power to preserve his life or kill him. Jesus rightly informs Pilate that he would not have authority if the Father had not given it to him. Obeying and respecting our governing authorities is also giving honor to God who established these earthly positions. God, in His love for us, has established all earthly authority. Our civil authorities are God’s servants, whose vocation is one of governance. They are not only God’s servants to rule us, and maintain good order, but also protect us, and punish wrongdoers (Rom. 13:5-7, Titus 3:1, and 1 Peter 2:13-14).

Sin stalks us relentlessly and the old Adam wants to defy authority. We unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, cannot keep this commandment or any other. Often we are overcome with feelings of disrespect to our boss, teacher, or parent, or we are tempted to disobey them. We want to do what we want to do! God has even attached a promise that we may live long and good lives to the command to honor our father and mother (Ephesians 6:2-3). But how can we avail ourselves of this promise when this commandment is so hard to keep?

Jesus, who was the perfect child, honored his earthly mother and father. Jesus also honored His Heavenly Father and went to the cross for you and for me, including the times we did not honor our parents or other authorities. It is because of Christ Jesus; who obeyed his Heavenly Father, and subjected Himself to earthly authority, who was unjustly crucified on the cross for your sins, that you may have eternal life! We may falter in keeping the law that God has given us to honor, love and cherish our parents and authorities, but God has forgiven these sins because of the crucified Jesus who fulfilled the law for us.

Paul Norris worked for 10 years as a police officer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. He now works as the administrative assistant at Faith Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas.

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Higher History

Concord #18: Augsburg Confession (Free Will?)

Article 18: Free Will (or not?)

Everyone has free will, right? You chose to wear the clothes you’re wearing. You chose to get a summer job, or to play basketball, or which colleges to apply to. You chose to click on the link that brought you to this article. And you will choose to accept what it says as either true or false. Right? On the other hand, perhaps it was all fate, all predestined, and you’re just acting out the inevitable. Perhaps free will is just an illusion.

The topic of free will is a difficult one for Christians, especially with respect to salvation. If you have free will, then it’s up to you to save yourself or else send yourself to hell. If you don’t have free will, then God is the One who decides who’s saved and who’s not. You’re just a pawn in God’s divine game.

To deal with the topic of free will, the Lutheran Confessions introduce a very important distinction.

Of Free Will they teach that man’s will has some liberty to choose civil righteousness, and to work things subject to reason. But it has no power, without the Holy Ghost, to work the righteousness of God, that is, spiritual righteousness; since the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. 2:14; but this righteousness is wrought in the heart when the Holy Ghost is received through the Word. (Augsburg Confession XVIII.1-4).

 

Free

With respect to civil righteousness, there is some amount of freedom to choose this or that. This means that in things that are beneath you, in things that are subject to reason, you have free will. You can choose to have Cheerios or yogurt for breakfast, to wear green shorts or a corduroy skirt on Wednesday, to get a job in lawn care or delivering papers for the summer, to play basketball or run track or to play in the marching band. It also includes things of more significance, like choosing which colleges to apply to, what girl to date (and marry!), where to live. On the other hand, it’s also possible to choose bad things, such as skipping church or choosing a false religion, or committing adultery or murder. Even though God knows in advance the choices you will make, this is different than Him having a script of your life that you are forced to act out against free will.

Not Free

But because your will is free in matters in which it is free doesn’t mean that it is absolutely free. In matters of spiritual righteousness, there is no freedom of the will. The fact that you have a choice in things beneath you does not mean that you have a choice in higher things, in things that pertain to eternal salvation. And because of sin, your will is bound—bound to sin. You cannot choose the good no matter how much will you exert.

 

Whose Choice?

In higher things—the righteousness of Christ, forgiveness, eternal salvation—you need God’s choice. And that choice is found in Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, the choice is only sin, death, and eternal damnation. But in Christ you find God’s resounding “Yes!” He has made the choice by His holy incarnation, by His innocent suffering and death, and by His victorious resurrection. And in Him the choice is given to you. In Christ you bondage to sin is broken, and your will is bound to Christ.

You can read the Book of Concord at http://www.bookofconcord.org

 

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, where we will take up a topic from the Book of Concord and reflect on what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Church. The purpose of this series is to deepen readers’ knowledge and appreciation for the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and to unite them “with one heart” to confess the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO.

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Higher History

Concord #17: Augsburg Confession (Christ’s Return)

Christ return in clouds

Article 17: Christ’s Return

As the disciples stared into heaven where the Lord Jesus had recently ascended, two angels said to them, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven,” (Acts 1:11b). For nearly two thousand years, the anticipation of Christ’s return has resulted in no shortage of fanciful and misguided beliefs about the second coming of Jesus. To the contrary, the Lutheran confession is a simple and clear confession of the promises of Christ.

Also [the Lutheran churches] teach that at the Consummation of the World Christ will appear for judgment, and will raise up all the dead; He will give to the godly and elect eternal life and everlasting joys, but ungodly men and the devils He will condemn to be tormented without end. They condemn the Anabaptists, who think that there will be an end to the punishments of condemned men and devils. (Augsburg Confession XVII.1-4)

 

What will Jesus Do when He Returns?

Christ will appear visibly. Jesus only remained forty days in His glorified and risen body, and then only appeared to His disciples now and again. A little over a month after His victorious resurrection from the grave, Jesus ascended into heaven and hid Himself. Now He is only visible by faith—in the waters of Baptism, in the Sacrament of the Altar, in the preaching of the Church. But on the Last Day, He will reveal Himself for all to see.

He will raise up all the dead. The final judgment isn’t some disembodied, otherworldly experience. Every person who has ever lived and died will stand before God in their body. For He created us with bodies, and He Himself is the God who became flesh. Like Job we confess, “In my flesh I shall see God!” (Job 19:26).

He will appear for judgment. Often, judgment has a negative connotation—“Who are you to judge me??” But condemning is only half of the judgment story. Jesus is also the Judge who proclaims, “Not guilty.” All of the absolutions in this life will find their fulfillment in the final judgment of Jesus. “He will give to the godly and elect eternal life an everlasting joys, but ungodly men and the devils He will condemn to be tormented without end.”

 

Maranatha

“They condemn also others who are now spreading certain Jewish opinions, that before the resurrection of the dead the godly shall take possession of the kingdom of the world, the ungodly being everywhere suppressed,” (Augsburg Confession XVII.5). Until the day of Christ’s return, we remain in a fallen world that is corrupted by sin. The kingdom of God is not a kingdom of the world and will not be revealed as such. We reject any attempt to usher in God’s kingdom by political action or retreat from society. We simply wait with godly patience, which is a fruit of the Spirit, for Christ’s return. And we pray together with the whole Church from its earliest days, Maranatha, that is, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

You can read the Book of Concord at http://www.bookofconcord.org

 

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, where we will take up a topic from the Book of Concord and reflect on what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Church. The purpose of this series is to deepen readers’ knowledge and appreciation for the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and to unite them “with one heart” to confess the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO.

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Lectionary Meditations

What Is A Christian’s Joy?

By Rev. Eric Brown

Think for a moment of the joy and wonder and peace that comes from knowing that you are forgiven because Christ Jesus.  Think on the fact that your salvation is secured in Him; that it doesn’t rest upon you, but rather is accomplished and won because Christ Jesus has died and risen for you, He has baptized you, He has called you – these are all historical fact that are real.  Whenever we see this, whenever we are focused upon this, it is astonishing again, over and over.

Now, consider what Jesus says of those who hate the disciples, who put the disciples out of the synagogue and even kills them.  “And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me.”  That peace, that joy that you have because Christ Jesus has died for your sins – they don’t know it.  They don’t know the Father as the One who loves you so that He would send Jesus for you; they think they must earn His approval by killing the Apostles.  Do you see how sad and desperate their lives would have been?

We today see wickedness in the world.  We see utter disdain for Christ Jesus and the Gospel.  We see folks who “let the Word remain, nor any thanks have for it” as Luther put it in A Mighty Fortress.  And often these folks will be horribly cruel to us.  And while our flesh would want to rage and be angry with them, perhaps pity is that we should feel.  They don’t know the Father, they don’t know Christ.

Therefore, the Apostles were sent to bear witness about Christ.  So that even those who hated them might learn and know that they are forgiven too.  It’s why we too today are determined to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified.  Even if they hate us and despise us, it cannot change the fact that we have peace in Christ Jesus.  Would that even those who hate us know this too – may God work repentance and faith in them by His Word and Spirit!

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois and the co-host of the HT Gospeled Boldly Podcast.

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Lectionary Meditations

What Are The Scriptures About?

By Rev. Eric Brown

What are the Scriptures about?  While there is a lot of information in the Scriptures that is useful for many things – History, Art, Ethics – what are the Scriptures about?  What is their point? 

“Then [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

When Jesus opens the disciples’ mind, when He pulls away all the other vain glories that they so liked to focus on, the point is this: Jesus died and rose so that you today could hear and know that your sins are forgiven.  Yes, you.  Right now.  You’re part of all nations.  The reason the Scriptures were written was so that the forgiveness Christ won could be proclaimed to you.

You are not incidental.  It is not a mere accident of fate or quirk of history that you have heard the Gospel.  No, this is precisely what God has had in mind – that you hear the Gospel of Christ.  That the Scriptures are written so that you would hear them.  That the Church exists so that you may go there and hear God’s Word and receive His gifts there.  Baptism was made for you.  The Supper was made for you.

Christ’s forgiveness for you this very day is always the point.  It always has been.  Doesn’t mean that there aren’t other things in the Scriptures that are good and useful and wonderful; there are.  But in the Church, it always comes back to the Gospel – to Christ for you.  That’s where we live, that’s where we literally have life and peace.  Our Ascended Lord is not absent from us, leaving us merely a dead letter full of useful facts – no, He has seen to it that His life-giving Word is proclaimed to you now, indeed to all the world, even until He returns.  And that is a wondrous thing.

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois and the co-host of the HT Gospeled Boldly Podcast.

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Lectionary Meditations

Life in The New Testament Church

By Rev. Eric Brown

I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace.

This is how Jesus wraps up the lessons of John 15 and 16.  It’s striking – Jesus has told us this week that we will have tribulation, in the last few weeks He’s told us that we will have sorrow, that we will weep and lament.  Next week we’ll hear that people may very well kill us and think that they are service God.  Well, good night Jesus – this doesn’t sound too peaceful!

Which is the point.  All these lessons are Jesus preparing the disciples for life in the New Testament Church – in our day and age.  And you know what?  Life here in this world isn’t always rosy.  To be sure, there are times when it is grand, when we see clearly all those wonderful first article gifts that God gives us.  And then, there are times where it stinks on ice.  Where our life is anything but peaceful – rather it is wretched and mean and nasty and painful.

But note what Jesus said.  He didn’t say that in this world you will have peace.  He tells us that there will be tribulation in this world.  No, He tells us that IN HIM we have peace.  Whatever goes on in the world, you still do have peace in Christ.  This is true.  And in fact, whatever goes on in the world, Christ’s peace is still yours, because Christ has overcome the world.  The world did its worst to Christ – killed Him horrifically.  Yet He rose, and He says peace be with you.

The Christian faith isn’t that if we are good God will make everything in our life better.  The Christian Faith is that the world will never get the better of Jesus, because He has died and risen, and His Victory is yours, because He has given it to you in Your baptism, in the preaching of His Word.  And just as the world cannot keep Christ in the grave, in Christ the world can never do anything permanent to you.  You have victory in Him – and that is true peace, peace that surpasses anything that we can humanly understand right now.

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois and the co-host of the HT Gospeled Boldly Podcast.

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Lectionary Meditations

The Comforter

By Rev. Eric Brown

The Holy Spirit is called the Helper… or is it Advocate… or is it Comforter… or the Counselor. Well, what in the world is going on here?  Well, it’s this.  The word in Greek is “Paraclete” (which you may have noticed in LSB 500 “Creator Spirit, by Whose Aid”) – and that’s a big word.  A paraclete in the ancient world was the person who would stand alongside you (para) at a trial or a court case and talk to you.  Sort of what we would call today your defense lawyer.  He helps you, he advocates for you, he comforts and calms you down, he gives you advise.  Often in the Scriptures when we see the verb “exhort” or “instruct” it’s this the verbal form of this.

So, what does all this mean?  It means that the Holy Spirit is the one who uses the Word of God for your benefit.  That’s what a paraclete did – a paraclete spoke for your good and told you what you needed to hear.  And that’s what the Holy Spirit does – He takes the Word of God and applies it to you for your benefit.

Consider what we confess in the third article of the creed – I believe I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.  All those things the Holy Spirit does are Him using the Word for your good.  Often, that will be using the Law, to humble you or direct you.  But His goal is always the Gospel, bringing you comfort and hope in Christ Jesus – pointing you to Christ so you know that in Jesus you have the victory, no matter what trials you find yourself in.  And the Holy Spirit is quite good at His job.  He calls you, enlightens you, makes you holy and keeps you in the faith – all by the Word.

So, whatever term gets used for the Holy Spirit – it works.  He is the Advocate who Helps you by Comforting you with the Gospel and Consoles you by pointing you to Christ.  He comes to you by the Word whenever the accusations of Satan rain down upon you, and He reminds you that Christ has died for you, and so you are innocent because of Christ.  And that’s a great thing.

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois and the co-host of the HT Gospeled Boldly Podcast.

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Higher History

Concord #16: Augsburg Confession (Civil Affairs)

Can a christian vote in civil affairs?

Article 16: Civil Affairs

Once you become a Christian, does that mean that you need to retreat from the world? The world is part of the unholy trinity (along with the devil and our own sinful nature) that would deceive us and mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Best to avoid worldly things altogether, right? What about being involved in civil affairs?

Of Civil Affairs they teach that lawful civil ordinances are good works of God, and that it is right for Christians to bear civil office, to sit as judges, to judge matters by the Imperial and other existing laws, to award just punishments, to engage in just wars, to serve as soldiers, to make legal contracts, to hold property, to make oath when required by the magistrates, to marry a wife, to be given in marriage. They condemn the Anabaptists who forbid these civil offices to Christians. (Augsburg Confession XVI.1-3)

Not only are Christians encouraged to make use of civil institutions, but also to bear civil offices. Jesus says to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s (and to God what is God’s; Matthew 22:21); St. Paul praises Caesar as God’s agent for order (Romans 13:1-7), and appeals to his citizenship in Rome (Acts 22:25-29). And St. Peter says to honor the emperor and other governing authorities (1 Peter 2:13-17). The Lutheran Confessions only follow what Jesus and His Apostles teach concerning civil institutions.

But what about when civil institutions are not visibly Christian, or even hostile to Christianity? What about when those institutions punish Christians for doing Christian things? Then we should opt for our own institutions, right? The condition of civil institutions today is not terribly different from what it was in the time of the Reformation or in the ancient Church. The Roman government was not friendly towards Christians, and often persecuted them during the first centuries of the Church. During the Reformation, the pope and bishops had seized political power and used it to suppress the evangelical teaching where it could. Yet, we confess that we engage in civil affairs.

What underlies this practical advice is theological:

They condemn also those who do not place evangelical perfection in the fear of God and in faith, but in forsaking civil offices, for the Gospel teaches an eternal righteousness of the heart. Meanwhile, it does not destroy the State or the family, but very much requires that they be preserved as ordinances of God, and that charity be practiced in such ordinances. Therefore, Christians are necessarily bound to obey their own magistrates and laws save only when commanded to sin; for then they ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29. (Augsburg Confession XVI.4-7)

Christians can and should participate in civil affairs, so long as they are not commanded to sin.

This means that Christians can boldly and confidently engage in imperfect and even hostile civil affairs without fear of losing their righteousness before God. Rather than lament the state of the state, or retreat from society to try establish some sort of Christian utopia (which is always bound to fail), Christians can and should take part in society. In fact, we can never expect civil institutions to be tolerant of Christian faith and life if there are no Christians involved in them! So, consider how you can make good use of this good creation of God. But remember that evangelical perfection is a matter of fear of God and faith.

You can read the Book of Concord at http://www.bookofconcord.org

 

“Concord” is a weekly study of the Lutheran Confessions, where we will take up a topic from the Book of Concord and reflect on what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran Church. The purpose of this series is to deepen readers’ knowledge and appreciation for the confessions of the Lutheran Church, and to unite them “with one heart” to confess the teachings of Holy Scripture.

Rev. Jacob Ehrhard serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO.

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Catechesis

The Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother.

Being Instructed by the Ten Commandments

The Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother.

When I was a wee little child, I was given a gift of a small die-cast metal toy construction crane. This present was given to me by my parents. With a little imagination, I could pretend to excavate dirt and dig a deep hole in the earth. The crane was shiny green, with a red bucket, and orange strings. With the swipe of a dial the boom of the crane would either lift or lower. With the swipe of another dial the red bucket would either open and drop down or close and raise up. I would push the crane along the ground and the miniature rubber tank treads would move. Now this was a special toy to me. I treasured it. I valued it. It was unlike all other toys that I threw in a box or a drawer. I carefully kept this toy in a leather pouch made for a camera. In fact, I still have my small die-cast metal toy construction crane to this day. I still cherish it.

We all have certain gifts that we cherish. One of those gifts should be our parents. That’s right. Our father and our mother are gifts from God. They are given to us, and through them we receive even more gifts from God. Through our parents, God gives to us all that we need to sustain our bodies. Through our parents, God gives to us the gift of house and home, food and drink, clothing and shoes, and many more blessings. Thus, God teaches us to honor our father and our mother. We should treasure them and value them. We should love them and cherish them. We should honor them.

In the Fourth Commandment, the focus is shifted from our love of God to our love of neighbor. This Commandment is foundational for our understanding of serving one another in our vocations, that is, the places in life where God has placed us to love others. Our very existence came into being through the union of our father and our mother. They are the closest people to us. They are the first people that we ever knew in our lives. As we receive love from our parents, we begin to see a picture of God’s love for us. However, this picture is not complete. It is in the Gospel that God reveals His love for us in that “while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) giving us forgiveness of sins, salvation, and newness of life.

In the First Table of the Commandments, we are instructed that God is the One who makes us holy. He Himself does this for us. He alone is holy, and He alone makes us to be His holy people. He gives to us the gift of His Holy Name. In our Baptism, we are made holy and receive the gift of His name, that is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We now have access to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. As He calls us out of darkness into His light (1 Peter 2:9), He continues to speak to us through His Word. He is our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.

In the Second Table of the Commandments, we are instructed in how we are to live as God’s holy people in an unholy and unclean world. In this life, the devil will continue to try to deceive us. The tempter will tempt us to become defiled and desecrate God’s Holy Name. The ancient serpent tries to teach us that it is acceptable to despise and anger our parents and other authorities. The evil foe entices us to walk in the old way of rebellion against God and His representatives on earth. In fact, Satan wants us to be lovers of pleasure and the things of this fallen world instead of being lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:4).

However, the Holy Spirit is at work in us through the power of the Gospel. The Lord dresses us in the armor of light (Romans 13:12), gives us the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), and invites us to pray. And if we tie the Forth Commandment with the Fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we see that we are asking God to give us our daily bread and to lead us to realize that He gives everything that we need to support our bodies through the masks of our parents and other authorities. God’s giving hand is seen in their extended hands to give us gifts from God. We are to receive these gifts with thanksgiving in serving and obeying them as God’s representatives on earth. In the Fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we ask that God would deliver us from every evil of body and soul. The Son of God came to destroy the works of the evil one who incites us to bite the hand that feeds us.

God is love. As God has loved us, we are learning to love one another. This love begins with our parents. “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.” (Small Catechism, The Fourth Commandment) Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are beginning to see things differently. We are being renewed in our thinking, speaking, and acting. We are learning to walk in newness of life loving others as God has loved us. We love because He has first loved us.

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

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Lectionary Meditations

Whoever Said You’d Be Happy? – A Meditation on John 16:22

By Rev. Eric Brown

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16:22)

Jesus never says that Christians will always be “happy.” Quite the opposite!  Jesus tells the disciples that they will have sorrow, that in fact the world will rejoice over the things that cause them sorrow.  Now, this directly refers to the crucifixion – but it applies to us today far too often.  Just think how often sin and hurt and pain cause you sorrow, all the while others laugh and rejoice at you.

Jesus never says that you will be happy all the time in this life.  Satan and the world and your own sinful flesh conspire to make you miserable.  But He does make a promise.  He promises the disciples that they will see Him and they will have joy, a joy that cannot be taken away.  And they saw Him after the resurrection; and they do have joy.  Even though there is still fear, even though they are confused.

Joy is not happiness.  Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).  It is that gift that the Spirit works in you, to where even in the midst of all the junk in your life, all the horrors and sorrows that Satan loves to throw in your face, you see Christ.  You see Christ in His Word, in His Sacraments, in His forgiveness spoken to you, and thus you know that all this junk Satan throws at you won’t stick.  Jesus has risen from the dead, and so shall you – and no one can take that from you.  Joy not mere happiness – it not an internal emotion that may rise or fall.  It is joy IN Christ, it is joy over the Truth.  This joy is seeing His Light even in the middle of terrible darkness, and knowing that the darkness has not overcome Him, and because of Jesus, it cannot overcome you, for you are His.  You have joy in Christ, and no one can take from you.  Why?  Christ is Risen, He is risen indeed!  Alleluia.  God grant that by His Word and Spirit, we evermore see this truth that our joy may be ever full!

Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois and the co-host of the HT Gospeled Boldly Podcast.