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Christ on Campus

Confessions of a Former Evangelical

Article PDF | Bible Study PDF | Leader’s Guide PDF

By Tamara Ockree

I had the great misfortune as a child of not being raised Lutheran. It wasn’t that I was raised by atheists, wolves, or anything like that. In fact, I was raised by Christian parents. We attended a non-denominational Christian church every Sunday, and I was taught a number of wonderful things about the Bible. I knew very early on that Jesus is our Savior, that He is the only Son of God, and that He died for our sins. I was encouraged to read the Bible on a regular basis and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.

I was, however, taught some incorrect things by my church. I was taught that, although Jesus’ death was sufficient for my salvation, I needed to be sufficiently thankful for His death. The best way to show Jesus how thankful I was for Him dying on the cross was to sin less and be baptized.

I was taught that in order to be baptized, I had to make a decision to follow Jesus and that this decision was only to be made for the right reasons. When I was 9 years old I made this decision, and I am being honest with you when I tell you that it wasn’t exactly for the “right” reasons that my church believed it to be. I decided to get baptized because I wanted to have communion and my church wouldn’t let you commune until you were baptized. My church didn’t use wine at communion because, like good evangelicals, we knew that drinking alcohol of any kind automatically called into question your Christianity. Instead, we had delicious grape juice and my 9-year-old self wanted in on the action.

As I got older it seemed more evident to me that my baptism must somehow be invalid. After all, as a 9-year-old I had promised to become an obedient child of God, and yet here I was as an adult still sinning. It seemed like sin was everywhere in my life. My sinning wasn’t decreasing at all and I certainly wasn’t getting better. I started to wonder if I was even saved at all. Could Jesus really forgive me for my sins when I had so obviously broken my promise to Him that I made in my baptism? I contemplated asking the pastor to baptize me again…maybe if I meant it this time I would do better and sin less.

I began to just go through the motions of being a Christian. I went to church, helped out where I could, smiled, laughed, and never let on that I was worried that I wasn’t even a Christian. I lived in constant terror of the end times. I was certain that Jesus would find me lacking and banish me to the fires of hell. I was in deep spiritual trouble and I had no idea to whom I could turn for help.

In 2003, I married Ben. He was raised Lutheran and understood that he was a sinner, freely forgiven in the gospel of Christ. In jealousy I scoffed at his beliefs. I told him that if he was really a Christian then he would certainly try harder to act like one. He drank beer, for crying out loud! How could someone think they were a Christian, yet place themselves in the peril that alcohol would surely lead to. Ben didn’t continue to carry the burden of his sins the way I did. He repented of his sins and let them go. He had assurance in his baptism and he truly believed that he had no reason to fear Judgment Day.

A couple of years after Ben and I were married, I took a confirmation class at his Lutheran church. In this confirmation class I learned that I had a lot of misinformation regarding what the Bible said about faith, sin, forgiveness and eternal life. I learned that baptism wasn’t some act of obedience that I had given to God, but was instead the free gift of salvation that He had given to me. I learned that we can never be perfect and that is why we need Jesus Christ. If somehow I could stop sinning, then there would be no need for a savior. I found out that I am simultaneously a saint and a sinner and it is only in death and the life to come that I will truly be made perfect. God knows that our flesh is weak, He knows that we are sinful, and He knows that we need Jesus. Through my Lutheran catechesis I learned these things were true and I was given a sense of peace and calm that I had never experienced. No longer did I fear the grave—no longer did I worry that on that last day Jesus would say to me “I did not know you”.

I am a little jealous of those of you who were raised Lutheran. You have been taught God’s true word and have taken comfort in the assurance the gospel gives, that Jesus died for your sins—all of them. You have been taught that there is nothing required of you for salvation, that the Holy Spirit was given to you in your baptism, and that there are no struggles that you endure that Christ does not endure with you. I am jealous because you’ve had this knowledge all along and I had to wait so long for it. Yes, I am jealous, but I take solace that this sin, too, has been forgiven because of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Now that I am a Lutheran, I can say with all certainty, “Come Lord Jesus!”

Tamara Ockree is the wife of Benjamin Ockree, who is a 2nd year seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is the mother of two little baptized children of God and works at Walther Library on the campus of the seminary. She can be contacted at tamara.ockree@ctsfw.edu.

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Life Issues

Dressing for Jesus?

 

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. – Galatians 3:27

It DOESN’T matter what you wear to church. It DOES matter what you wear to church. Well, which is it? It doesn’t matter to Jesus what you wear to church, but it does matter to your neighbor.

Every so often the topic comes up about how we should dress for worship. In the “olden days” (like when your grandparents and maybe your parents were your age) women wore dresses to church and men wore suits. After all, they reasoned, how can you not dress your best for the Lord? It shows reverence and respect. Fast forward to today. In many churches, people come dressed pretty casually: flip flops, tank tops, shorts and jeans. Older members who look at the kids dressed this way often remark, “Well someone ought to say something! How can their parents let them dress that way!” The kids, of course, have mastered the art of appealing to some generic love of God: “God doesn’t care what you wear because He just wants you there!” So what to wear to church?

It really doesn’t matter to Jesus. St. Paul writes that Jesus gave Himself up for the church, washing her and making her spotless and presenting her to Himself in splendor as a pure bride with no spots or blemishes or wrinkles. (Ephesian 5:26-27) Paul also says that to be baptized with Christ is to be clothed with Jesus. When you go to church, you are actually wearing Jesus, no matter what clothes you put on that morning. In fact, you are wearing Him every day. Every moment and every day of your life, your Father in heaven looks at you and sees not jeans or suits or dresses or flip flops. He sees Jesus. Perfect, holy, spotless, righteous, Jesus. When you sin, your sins are forgiven. God doesn’t see them either. What clothes you wear doesn’t bother God because you’re wearing Jesus.

At the cross, Jesus was hung naked and in shame for your sins. What happened to his clothes? They were taken by the sinful soldiers who nailed Him there. What a picture! Jesus dies naked, a reminder of sin and shame; you get His clothes! So no worries about how you appear before Jesus! He’s made you look great. He’s covered you with Himself. It doesn’t matter to Jesus what outfit you’ve got on since it’s all covered by Him!

But it does matter to your neighbor what you wear. If what you’re wearing in church or what you’re doing while you should be paying attention to God’s Word is a distraction and hindrance to others, then we need to repent and rethink what we’re doing. Young ladies: if the clothing you wear is a distraction to the young men around you, perhaps you should rethink your choice of outfits. Maybe the Lord’s house isn’t the best place for that low cut top if it takes someone’s mind off of God’s Word! Young men: if your dressing like a slob makes people shake their head at you instead of paying attention to Pastor, perhaps it’s time to rethink what you throw on for a Sunday Morning. Maybe the Lord’s house isn’t the best place for that death-metal t-shirt with the bloody skull on it! Again, it’s not as if the Lord is offended, but these things distract your brothers and sisters in Christ who, like you, should be in church to hear the Lord’s Word and receive His gifts.

The same goes with cell phones and texting. With whispering and chatting. With going in and out during the worship service. There’s nothing you can do to irritate the Lord. He has His Word and gifts for you! But it might drive your neighbor nuts. So there is room for some repentance. Repent of doing things that take your own mind and heart away from paying attention to the gifts Jesus has for you. Repent of doing things that tempt your neighbors’ minds and hearts away from God’s Word. The Lord knows our flesh has enough distractions in church without us adding to them for ourselves or others!

To those who say it matters how you dress for the Lord, you can confidently answer, “No it doesn’t! To those who say that it doesn’t matter how you show up for church you can say, “Oh yes it does!” Doesn’t matter for Jesus. Matters for your neighbor.

When the Lord sees you, He sees no sins. No spots. No blemishes. No wrinkles. No stains. He sees the righteousness which he earned for you on Calvary and in which He has wrapped you up in your Baptism. When your neighbor sees you, well, they should see the same thing: a redeemed child of God who is perfect in God’s sight. But in case they don’t, let’s not give them a reason to think something else! And all together with them, with the suits and the jeans, the flip flops and the dress shoes, the young and the old, the stodgy and the carefree, we can rejoice to be the holy and beautiful bride of Christ. That’s exactly what Jesus has made us and how He sees us. And His righteousness is clothing that looks amazing no matter what the fashion trends or season, whether we are in His house or out in the world. My, but don’t you look great dressed in Jesus!

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Current Events

Only Twenty-some shopping days until…The Savior is born?

 

Happy New Year! New Church Year, that is. This Sunday begins the season of Advent in the Church Year. Advent is a season of waiting and preparation to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It’s also a time of waiting and preparation for the Second Coming of Christ in all His glory with the holy angels on the Last Day. Advent is a season in the church that seems to fight a losing battle to compete with the “Christmas rush” and the “Holiday Season” of the world around us. While Christians are waiting to burst out with the joyous hymns of Christmas until Christmas is actually here, the Christmas music has already been blaring on store speakers since before Thanksgiving! Often there is a sort of tug-o-war between the church and the world over when to start celebrating. So which is it? Do we put off our Christmas shopping until December 23rd and let no Christmas music fill our ears until Christmas Eve? Or do we just forget about Advent and dive headlong into the glitz and glitter of the commercial holiday shopping season?

Well the truth is that Advent is like every other season of the Church Year. Advent is about Jesus. So even if we sneak a listen to some Christmas carols or were standing in line early on Black Friday, Advent is still about Jesus. Christmas is about Jesus. Advent is about “Jesus is coming.” (Advent means “coming.”) Christmas celebrates “Jesus is here.” But the Church Year isn’t meant to put a “Bah! Humbug!” on us. The Church points us to Jesus. And Advent is all about Jesus coming, arriving and showing up. There are three ways we look for His coming.

Jesus’ first Advent, His first coming, was in the flesh. That began with Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she would be the Mother of God. And so on Christmas we celebrate His birth. (And whether Jesus was actually born on December 25 or not doesn’t really matter; we don’t make laws about such things or get worked up over them!) In Advent, we get to remember that for many centuries, God’s people were longing for the Savior He promised. And since we know that Jesus was in fact born and died for our sins and rose again, Advent is a reminder that the longing of God’s people was not disappointed. God was faithful and kept His promise to send the Savior!

Jesus’ second Advent will be in glory on the clouds of heaven with the holy angels and the blast of trumpets on the Last Day. That will be the day when every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. It will be the day the sheep inherit their kingdom and the goats are sent away. The day the wise virgins enter into the wedding feast while the foolish virgins are left out. It will be the day when the Lord will wipe away all your tears and take away all sin and sorrow and dwell with us forever and ever. It will be the beginning of our paradise and everlasting life with our Lord. Advent reminds us that just as Jesus came the first time, He will come again in glory. We can count on it.

So is Advent just reminding us of the past and pointing us to the future? Not at all. For in between His first Advent in the manger and His second Advent in glory, Jesus still has Advents. He Advents everywhere His Word is preached and people are baptized and His Body and Blood are given to His people to eat and drink. And as He gathers us in His church, as we take a break from counting the shopping days left to buy presents, we hear preached in His church the Good News that Jesus has already done His Christmas shopping. For He bought you. Purchased and won you from all sin, death and the power of the devil. And He didn’t do it with gold or silver or gifts cards. He did it with His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. For all its “coming” emphases, Advent is still all about that.

Some churches use purple in Advent. Some use blue. Some pastors are picky about not singing any Christmas hymns until it’s actually Christmas eve. Some folks are already rockin’ their Christmas playlists. Some people fast in Advent. Some do extra baking for Christmas parties. Many churches have an extra service in the week during Advent. Some don’t. But here’s the thing: Advent is about Jesus. All of those practices and customs teach us about Jesus in one way or another. Ask your pastor what your church’s customs are and what they mean. Go to that extra service and have another opportunity to hear God’s Word call you to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Get ready to celebrate Christmas! Get ready to celebrate the Lord’s return! But throughout the Advent season, remember the most important thing of all: When Jesus came the first time, when He comes now in His Word and gifts, and when He comes again in glory, it is for one reason: to save you from your sins and give you everlasting life. Merry Advent in Jesus’ name!

Categories
Catechesis

Sheep Don’t Keep Track

Rev. Todd Wilken

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2011 issue of Higher Things Magazine.

It is Judgment Day, and Jesus is separating the sheep from the goats:

He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me’ (Matthew 25:33-36).

The sheep are surprised. They don’t remember doing any of these things. They ask, “When did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?” How could the sheep get to Judgment Day unaware that their earthly lives had been filled with good works?

Keep-Track Christianity
If you had been a Christian in the years leading up to the Reformation, your life would have been all about keeping track of your good works. You would have been taught that your salvation depended on it.

At the time, Martin Luther made a bold statement in the Heidelberg Disputation:

Although the works of man always seem attractive and good, they are nevertheless likely to be mortal sins… they appear to the doer and others good and beautiful, yet God does not judge according to appearances but searches the minds and hearts.

Luther was saying that your good works may not be good at all. And if you couldn’t tell if your works were really good, then how could you keep track of your good works? Even today, many churches teach that, as a Christian, you need to keep track of your good works. They are wrong.

What Is a Good Work?
God doesn’t grade on a curve. With God, good means perfect. God says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). All means all, and anything less than all is sin.

You see, your good works aren’t measured by comparing yourself with your past, with others, or with your own moral goals. Your good works are measured by God’s perfect standard.

If God’s standard is perfection, are any of your good works good enough? No.

Whose Good Works?
Don’t get me wrong, Christians do good works. But I am saying that you don’t need to keep track of your good works.

First, your good works aren’t the result of your effort; they are God’s doing. Paul tells the Philippians: ”I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1: 6) and, “It is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

Good works are a promise of God. And as with every promise of God, we walk by faith and not by sight.

Second, your good works aren’t good because they are perfect. They are good for another reason. Scripture says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). But with faith in the perfect good works of Jesus Christ, it is impossible not to please Him.

What pleases God is Jesus. You are pleasing to God because of what Jesus did for you. Jesus met God’s perfect standard. Jesus’ perfect good works substitute for your life of sin and less-than-perfect good works. This is why you don’t need to keep track of your good works.

What Are Good Works Good For?
You may ask, “What good are my good works, if I can’t use them to keep track of my moral progress?”

The truth is your good works aren’t for you; your good works are for your neighbor.

This brings us back to the surprised sheep in Jesus’ parable. They are surprised when Jesus tells them about their good works. They don’t remember doing any of them. Why not?

The sheep didn’t spend their lives keeping track of their good works. The sheep spent their lives trusting in the perfect good works of Jesus. Therefore, they were free to do good works for “the least of these my brothers.”

But the sheep aren’t the only ones surprised on Judgment Day. The goats are also surprised, but for a different reason. The goats were careful to keep track of their good works. They were certain that if they had seen Jesus hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick or in prison, they would have helped Him.

Think about it: Some of the greatest philanthropists and humanitarians will be among the goats on Judgment Day. They will be able to recite long lists of their good works. They will ask, “When did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not minister to you?”

Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matthew 25:45-46).

So much for keeping track of your good works. On Judgment Day the goats will have their works, but that is all they will have.

But sheep don’t keep track.

So remember, you’re a sheep, not a goat. Don’t waste your time and effort keeping track of your good works. Instead, trust in Jesus; live for your neighbor. Spend your time, effort and works on your neighbor in need. Sheep don’t keep track, because they know they don’t need to. They’re already sheep in Jesus.

Todd Wilken is host of the radio show, Issues, Etc. He is also the assistant pastor of Trinity Lutheran- Millstadt, Illinois, and believes that he can hug every cat.

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Categories
Current Events

The Gospel of Halloween

 

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.

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Christ on Campus

Christ on Campus: Have you Apologized Lately? The Law and Gospel of Christian Apologetics

Article PDF | Bible Study PDF | Leader’s Guide PDF

by Rev. Ian Pacey

Going to college this year? How is your Christian apology? In daily conversation, the word apology almost always means an expression of regret for some misdeed. However, the term as used in Holy Scripture means to provide an answer, a reasoned response, or a defense. The intent here is to provide the briefest of overviews. The Higher Things Magazine spring 2012 issue will be featuring an entire array of articles on the subject of apologetics and it will be there that we delve into more specifics.

The best known use of apology comes to us in 1 Peter 3:15 which reads, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense [an “apology”] to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you…”

In these words, God calls Christians to be prepared to make an apology or defense whenever the appropriate circumstances arise. So how is this done? It is one thing to know what we have been called to do. It is another to know how to do it.

The Best Response: the Gospel
The best response to the question concerning the hope we Christians have is nothing less than the Biblically revealed truth concerning human sin (the Law) and the forgiveness of sin for Jesus’ sake (the Gospel). It really is that simple. Why do Christians have hope? Christians have hope because Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has atoned for the sins of the world!

As we all know, not everybody who hears the Law and the Gospel believes immediately or ever, for that matter. Fundamentally, all unbelief is the result of human sin. In practice, the reason for unbelief is as different as the people who do not believe. Some may not believe because they have been taught some falsehood. Others may not believe because they have personally created falsehoods to distance themselves from God. In both cases, the only way to help the unbeliever dig out the error is to dialogue with them; to be willing to answer and ask questions of those who reject Christian truth claims.

Questions for Christians
Most questions for Christians from unbelievers fall into three major categories:

  1. The Existence of God. The Christian claims that God exists. God’s Word teaches this fundamental truth. Of course, the unbeliever rejects the Word. Purely for the sake of discussion, is there any way the Christian can talk about the existence of God without citing the Scriptures? The answer is yes. The Christian may talk about natural law, the idea of a first cause, or use other philosophical arguments, depending on the person with whom they are speaking. Most importantly, we can speak of Jesus (whom we know as true God) and how His tomb was empty, a fact that can be demonstrated without relying solely on the Bible’s testimony!
  2. The Reliability of the Old and New Testaments. When speaking of the Holy Scriptures, Christians use the words inerrancy, inspiration, and others. These terms reflect the origin and the truthfulness of God’s Word. By definition, the unbeliever rejects these concepts. However, when it comes the main criticism against the Bible, very often an unbeliever will set forth the idea that the words of the Bible are not the words of the original authors and/or the original authors are not those normally associated with the individual books. For example, Mark did not write Mark. Is there any way of undoing these views that poison the unbeliever’s view of the Bible? Again, the answer is yes. In fact, there is a science, called textual criticism, that is devoted to the question of text authorship and transmission. When put to the test, the Holy Scriptures pass with flying colors! Not only that, the Scriptures are validated because Jesus rose from the dead!
  3. The Problem of Evil. This argument has thousands of variations. Many atheists/agnostics consider the problem of evil to be the best argument against the truthfulness of Christianity. The idea goes like this: Christians believe God is both all powerful and the greatest good. If these two things are true, then evil should not exist. Nevertheless, evil does exist. Thus, God is not all powerful or not good. In either case, He is not a God worth trusting. In a purely formal sense, this challenge is easily undone. God can do things or allow for things which we may not understand while maintaining His omnipotence and His maximum goodness. We can see this demonstrated in the experience of Job in the Scriptures. More importantly, though, we see the problem of evil answered in Jesus, who suffered evil to rescue us from evil forever!

Questions for Unbelievers
At this point, in addition to responding to questions, Christians need to be able to ask serious, probing questions of the unbeliever. For example, in response to the question of God’s existence, Christians might bring up the question of why anything exists. In some cases, people believe the universe sprang up from nothing (practically a miracle). In other cases, people suggest an eternally existing universe (so the issue is not eternal existence, but what or who exists eternally). There are many important questions to be asked in the area of ethics. Most people believe in the existence of good. How do we know what is good (or evil) without God? The number of questions can make your head spin.

Putting it all together
A full apologetic for the truthfulness of the Christian Faith, in support of the Gospel, needs to have both questions and answers at work. In both the answering and asking of questions (as Law), the power of false belief is undermined. We know that the Law does not bring anyone to the Faith. Nevertheless, the work of the Law is the divinely created forerunner to hearing and believing the Good News of forgiveness in Jesus Christ which, in the end, is the goal of all of our apologies.

Rev. Ian Stewart Pacey was born and raised in Orange County, California. He holds degrees from U.C.L.A. (B.A.), Concordia Theological Seminary (M. Div.), and Drew University (M. Phil.). Rev. Pacey serves as campus pastor at the University of Arizona, Tucson Arizona.

Categories
Current Events

On the Death of Steve Jobs

Rev. William Cwirla

You don’t have to know me well to know that I’m a huge fan of Apple. I have an Apple decal on my study door to make the point. My first computer was a 512K “Fat Mac” purchased in 1984. I’ve owned Apple computers my entire working life. I operate three today. I’m also the proud owner of two iPods and a first generation iPad. I don’t have an iPhone, though. I prefer my phones to be phones and my cell phone to be off. Don’t call me; I’ll call you.

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, died Wednesday. His accomplishments are legendary. A fiercely competitive businessman, a culture-defining designer, an innovator, a showman to the end, Steve Jobs epitomized a generation. My generation. For my parents’ generation, the defining company was General Electric, the giant industrial conglomerate that made everything from washing machines to MRI machines to jet engines. For my generation, the iconic company is Apple, joining form and function, engineering and art, making technology an integral part of our lives. Others invented computers, cell phones, music players, and tablets. Steve Jobs put his unique signature on them and changed the way we use them. He made technology fun.

What many people don’t know is that Steve Jobs was baptized in a Lutheran church. He was catechized in the same Lutheran congregation my brother now attends by a pastor I knew before he died. He is named in the famous “Lutheran Song” that lists many prominent people as Lutherans, though most are not actually Lutheran any more.

I’m sad that Steve Jobs died at a fairly young age. He was just two years older than I am. I don’t know if Apple will continue to be an innovative force without him. We’ll see. But what makes me really sad is that he didn’t stick with being Lutheran. That would have been so cool. Imagine, Steve Jobs as a Lutheran going to the same church as my brother. I might have met him. Truthfully I don’t know what he believed at the end of his life. I know he dabbled in Buddhism and was a vegetarian. Neither philosophical contemplations or vegetables will do you any good at the end of your life.

I don’t understand falling from faith. I understand that we do not come to faith by our own reason or strength or decision. I know that the Holy Spirit calls us to faith by the Gospel and that faith is a gift from God. I understand that and believe it. What I don’t understand is how someone falls from faith. This is a great mystery to me. How is it that someone can be baptized and catechized and then turn away from Christ and His Church? In 19 years of ministry, this is what puzzles me the most. There are many sons and daughters of our congregation who have gone that way. I grieve over them much more than I do the death of Steve Jobs. I baptized and taught them. And I will have to give an account for their souls. And what about me? What makes me immune from falling in the same way?

I think falling from faith happens slowly and imperceptibly. It begins with that Sunday soccer game or basketball tournament, the boy scout event, the part-time job that forces you to work on Sunday morning and then the next time, you volunteer. The late night party on Saturday that leaves you too tired to get up for church. The hectic calendar. Family concerns, the business, the house, the investments.

You discover that you can skip church for weeks, maybe even months, and nothing bad happens. Your hair doesn’t fall out. Your teeth don’t turn green. Your children are no worse and maybe even a little better now that you don’t have to fight them in the pews. And you get a little more “me time.” You might even get promoted, or start your own company, or invent the iPod. Pretty soon, you cease to worry about how it is with you and the Lord, like a relative you’ve long forgotten. Maybe you read a few books challenging religion in general and Christianity in particular and they cause you to wonder if it’s all a big waste of time. You find some unpleasant stuff about Lutherans on the internet. You have a squabble with a congregation member. No one from church seems to care or call.

One day the dimly flickering light of faith simply goes out, like a little candle in a puff of wind, and you don’t even notice. Faith doesn’t die with a shout of protest or a clenched fist of defiance. It takes faith to be angry with God. When faith dies, it simply withers away like a dry untended plant.

The rich man and Lazarus both died and were buried. Death is the great leveler of humanity. The rich may have better health plans and access to the marvels of medicine, but sooner or later that runs out too. Two days after his resignation from Apple, Steve Jobs looked like any other 56 year-old man near the end of his life. I know the look well. His many achievements and contributions to technology and culture were behind him. His days were numbered. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

God is merciful and gracious. He justifies the ungodly in His Son. He forgives sinners for Jesus’ sake. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In Him, God the Father reconciled all the world to Himself and does not count men’s sins against them. I don’t know how it is between the dying and the Lord of life in their last moments. I’ve attended many deaths, but I haven’t been privy to the private conversation. Like the beginning of life, the end remains a great mystery, hidden entirely in the hands of Jesus, whose hands were wounded to save the world, including men like Steve Jobs, and all those other Lutherans who no longer are.

I sincerely hope that everyone at their last hour gets to hear, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” from the Savior who died for them. That’s what all of us sinners, great and small, clever and dull, extraordinary and ordinary, need to hear.

Rev. William Cwirla is pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, CA. He is also the President of the Board of Directors of Higher Things, Inc. This article originally appeared at his blog.

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Higher Homilies

Coram Deo: Closing Divine Service

Rev. Mark Buetow

St. Matthew 5:1-12

Try out for this team! All the cool kids play THIS sport. Join THIS club! It’s the one that looks best on your college applications! Come work for us! We pay above minimum wage and let you have weekends off. Come to our college! We’ll give you a scholarship and pay for your books besides! Come be a part of our company! We’ve got a health plan and retirement benefits! But best of all: Hey, be a Christian, a disciple of Jesus! You’ll be hated and persecuted and trash-talked! Wait a minute. That doesn’t sound like a benefits package. Jesus had all this great stuff to say about being a Christian: be comforted, inherit the earth, see God. That all sounds great. Except the “they’re gonna hate you and kill you” part. Seriously? Does Jesus actually WANT disciples? If so, this doesn’t seem like a very good sign-on bonus to advertise. It doesn’t seem like a very good way to attract new folks. And the older you get, as you struggle through high school and into college and life, as you face a world that really could care less that you’re a Christian, or worse, hates you for being one, it’s going to seem like the glorious things of the kingdom of God are farther and farther off and the the hassles of being a child of God are less and less worth it. Now at this point, a cheerful and happy and worldly preacher would tell you: “just hang in there. Stick it out with Jesus and everything will turn out all right.” That’s the same preaching of the world that hates you in the first place. Plug your ears to that.

No, instead realize that if it were up to you, you WOULD give up. You WOULD throw in the towel. You would say, “I don’t care how I am Coram Deo, before God, so everyone just leave me alone.” Yeah, if it were up to you. But you don’t have a Lord who stands you in front of Him, who puts you Coram Deo and says, “So what’s it gonna be?” No. You have a Lord who comes Himself to save you. You have a Lord who puts Himself before God the Father, Coram Deo on a cross for you so you can stand Coram Deo, before God, with nothing to fear. Yes, you have a Lord who washes you with His own blood in the waters of Holy Baptism and stands you Coram Deo with the whole host of His saints of every time and place who wear those same white robes of Jesus that you do. You have such a Savior who has made you a child of God and purified you and you can’t yet even imagine what you will be for all eternity in Jesus. Just behold what sort of love the Father has lavished on you in Jesus that God Himself calls you His child! You stand Coram Deo, before God, not as a prisoner, or as a slave or as one who is waiting to be accused and condemned. Nope. In Christ, you stand before God as His child. His dear, precious, holy, pure and BLESSED child. Because you stand before Him because of and in Jesus.

So blessed are you. Blessed are you Coram Deo, before God. Blessed are you, happy are you, even though the world hates you. Why? Not just because you’re going to have the kingdom of God in eternal life. No, Jesus doesn’t wait to give you good things until the Last Day. He gives you good things now. For today you will have the kingdom of God. Today you will be comforted. And be filled. And be children of God. And today you will see God. Because today, you are Coram Deo, before God, right here, right now, as He comes to us on His altar. And when He does, and when we feast upon His body and blood, here you will be truly blessed in a way the world does not and cannot know. For here you have Jesus. God Himself. Yes, to the world,  being a disciples of Jesus seems like a dumb thing. So that’s what the world thinks of you. But the world doesn’t get to say who you are and what your future is. Jesus does. And He says you are a child of God and have life now with Him and forever with Him and with all the other saints of every time and place. Blessed are you because you are Coram Deo in Jesus. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

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Higher Homilies

Chosen

Rev. Rich Heinz

1 Peter 2:1-12

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

So how do you feel this morning, as you stand before God? Feeling pretty good about yourself? Or not so much? Are you down on yourself and say that even as His baptized child, you are alone, afraid, and a failure? Or are you feeling overly confident?

All of these sorts of feelings went through Hal Jordan’s mind. Deep down he was scared and didn’t have great trust in himself. Yet he covered it with a bold, in-your-face confidence and wild playfulness that tried to charm everyone.

So when the ring chose who would be the next Green Lantern, whom should it pick? It chose Hal. A very unlikely choice — a loser! Nothing in him that seemed worthy of being chosen.

Israel wasn’t worthy, either. God’s chosen people were small in numbers, not a major military power, not wealthy among the nations — nothing to make them an obvious selection as a “chosen nation.”

The same goes for you. Nothing in your natural self makes you chosen, royal, or holy. “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

In a sense, Hal Jordan was chosen by grace, not deserving the gift. Some would argue that he had qualities deep down that the needed. But a biblical understanding of our lives reminds us that anything good and worthy of being chosen is entirely gift!

The Lord has reached out and gifted you. He transforms you from your former “loser” self, and gives you life as His new, baptized child; chosen, royal, and holy in Him. You stand before God as His redeemed, forgiven, and saintly child.

At one point in the film, Green Lantern, the entire earth is in danger from impending doom, as an evil force heads it’s way. “The Guardians” decide to cut their losses and give up on earth. But Hal stands before the Guardians, defending himself and the reasons for saving earth. He then proves himself and does it.

The Lord God has not given up on you. You do not have to stand before God defending yourself. Your dear Lord Jesus has already done that! He stood before God in your place, being your Mediator and Defender. He bore the burden of your sin, to be your Savior, and now the Father in His mercy calls and chooses you.

Yes, Jesus stood before the Father, as your substitute, purchasing and transforming you from unworthy losers into God’s chosen people. Yes, He placed His Name upon you and chose you; not by sending some dying purple alien with a ring, but in the far more miraculous moment of Baptism! Now yes, you stand before God — not defending yourselves or justifying your heroic actions. You stand before Him as He rejoices over the saving work of His Son, giving you good deeds that His Son works through you.

As fun as the story is, the film Green Lantern gets things a little backwards. The hero, Hal, is a man who is given god-like powers, and becomes the mediator and savior of the world. The reality is that Jesus Christ is true God, and has become man for you, and is your Mediator and Savior!

And now that He has saved you, purchased and won you, you are indeed “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Amen.

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Higher Homilies

Coram Deo: Homily for Friday Matins

Rev. William Weedon

Isaiah 42:7-9; 1 Peter 2:1-12

Your mommy told you: Be nice and share. And you didn’t like it one little bit. It gave you pain as a little one to see someone else having joy with what you thought was yours. They shouldn’t have that joy. That joy is YOURS alone. And so you demanded your own back and pouted in the corner if you didn’t get it. Original sin.

How unlike us in our “that’s mine; you fork it back over. NOW” is our Jesus. With Him the joy is in sharing what’s His. You heard in today’s readings.

In Isaiah, the Lord who creates everything is the Giver. “who gives breath to the people on the earth and spirit to those who walk in it.” He created us in order to share with us what was His – Life. And we blew it. Big time. We rejected that life and ended up then prisoners in a dungeon. Nasty place, dungeons. Dark. Stinky. Deadends. But the Lord who delighted to give you breath and bring you earthly life isn’t going to leave you sitting in the dungeon. His love for you is bigger than that. He wants to share more with you than mere earthly life (even though that is also a good gift He gives). So He gives Jesus, His Son, to be a Servant to His people, One who will be light for the gentiles who live in darkness. One who will open eyes that are blinded and bring the prisoners out of those nasty dungeon chambers – out into the light.

In the old days, that was Baptism’s name: the enlightenment. It’s the moment when Jesus forks over to you everything that is His. On His cross, He took everything that was yours – all your sin, all your death – and He owned as His. Stood before the Father, Coram Deo, the biggest sinner in the world: from Adam forward. He owned it all and paid for it all. He shared what was yours. There was a cup of divine wrath, brimming to the full, and that was what you chose every time you sin. Eternal death. He took that cup from His Father’s hand that was rightfully yours to drink, and down the hatch it went. Every last bit. Till He handed it back to the Father with His “It’s finished.” But if you think salvation stops there – some sort of get out of hell free card – you have a surprise coming. It wasn’t only that He took what’s yours and drained that wrath, it was all so that He could fork over to you what is His. A chalice of overflowing blessing.

So in 1 Peter 2 – out goes the stuff He bore for you (all the malice, the fraud, the pretend religion and the refusal to share and delight in your neighbor). That’s old stuff. Dead. Left behind. He feeds you with a word – pure spiritual milk – and by it your get to grow up into salvation.

If only we had time to explore that a bit. You see, He’s given you the whole salvation. It’s all yours. And it doesn’t grow in you – you grow up into it. There’s always more gift. He’s given you everything that’s His – even after one or two eternities, you’ll still be finding more joy and gift than you can even begin to imagine. He’s got no limits on His giving – and everything that’s His is yours. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

So He’s a living stone (oh, he was rejected by men – stupid is as stupid does), but in the sight of God – coram Deo – chosen and precious! What’s His is yours – true for Him, true for you! “You like living stones are being built (you don’t build yourself – He does the work!) up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood (He a priest, you a priest!) to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Only in Jesus does God accept the sacrifice, but in Him, the Father delights in what you offer – and the only thing you have left to offer (since He took care of the sin sacrifice) is to stand before God, coram Deo, and belt out the joyous praise – and then to go out and be of service to your neighbor.

Poor world – doesn’t have a clue what it’s here for. Thinks it’s all about “he who dies with the most toys wins.” So heaping up more and more. More pleasure, more stuff. That’s life. Yawn. Or worse – thinking its all about doing enough so that God will be nice to you on the day of judgment. Fat chance with that one.

You know better. You know what you’re here for: you’ve been created by God and into you He has breathed life. People who used to live in a dungeon, but who were liberated, cannot but sing praises and glorify the One who burst open the door, broke the chains and brought them out as a totally free gift – not only freeing them from jail, but brought them to His house – said: “Make yourself at home. My daddy, your daddy. My feast, your feast. My stuff, your stuff. All yours. All free. Just because. I LIKE to share! It’s what floats my boat.”

And when we think about it all, we can’t help but stand before Him and say: “We praise you, O God, we acknowledge You to be the Lord.” So enough yaking. On your feet, people loved by God, and let’s do what He died and rose again to share with us: the joy of singing praise to Father, to Son, and to Holy Spirit – now and to the ages of ages. Amen.