Category: Articles

by The Rev. Rich Heinz

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

The children come running, as they return from the vacation.  Excitedly, each one wants to be the first to speak in the classroom.  “Teacher, guess what I did!”  “Teacher, pick me!”  “You won’t believe where we went and what we got to do!” 

Jesus is welcoming back His students from their field trip.  His first 72 missionaries, aside from the 12 apostles, are coming back to Jesus in today’s Gospel, and they can’t wait to talk to Him!  .  “Teacher, guess what I did!”  “Teacher, pick me!”  “You won’t believe where we went and what we got to do!” 

With eyes wide from amazement, they describe to Jesus how even demons submitted to them in His name.  Fallen angels – Satan’s minions – evil spirits roamed about Palestine and wreaked all sorts of havoc and tormented people.  Demons are still very real.  But then and there, they were in a last-ditch effort to ruin Christ’s work of salvation.  Demons were unleashing all they had to distract people from our Lord and His Gospel.  No one else had made any headway. No one, that is, except Jesus.  Our Lord Christ had cast out demons.  And now, recently, His disciples were beginning to do the same – not from their own authority or power, but in the Name of Jesus! 

“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”  How’s that for a thrill that sends chills down your spine?  Satan, the old evil foe, the prince of this world, falls down.  That wicked serpent who deceived our ancestor Eve, who tormented faithful Job, who set the hearts of Pharaoh, Herod, and even modern, “civilized” politicians against innocent babies, is cunning and ferocious.  Yet he is powerless against the Word of Christ. 

Watch yourselves, though.  For often we do not encourage Satan’s fall.  Sometimes we help him back up.  When you shy away from admitting that the devil exists and is a threat, it actually is helpful to him.  It helps him up!  When you think that demons are made up stories in the Bible and deny their existence, it helps him up.  When you refrain from being sustained in the Divine Service by Gospel and Sacrament, Satan is happy; it helps him up! 

But for all those rebellious times, our compassionate Savior and loving Lord rescues us.  He dishes out His forgiveness and mercy through His means of grace.  And with every helping, Satan fall[s] like lightning from heaven! 

In today’s Gospel, our Savior rejoices with these returning missionaries, giving encouragement and cheering, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”  But what does He mean?  When Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” is He talking about the mission that He just sent them on, or is He talking about Satan and his fellow, fallen angels being cast out after they rebelled against the Lord, before the fall of Adam and Eve?  In a word, yes.  But specifically, our Lord Jesus calls attention to the recent events as these men were preaching the Gospel. 

You see, every time a pastor’s hand dips in that font and pours a cleansing flood over someone, Christ wins.  And the devil falls down. Satan fall[s], like lightning from heaven.  Every time the saving work of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, and His forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are declared to people, Satan fall[s], like lightning from heaven.  Every time someone repents and comes and confesses their sin to their pastor and he absolves him, Satan fall[s], like lightning from heaven.  Every time someone comes to the Holy Supper of our Lord, and receives the Holy Gift of Christ Himself, Satan fall[s], like lightning from heaven. 

But as joyous as it is, to know that Satan is falling, our Lord Christ declares that we are not to spend too much time focusing on that.  No.  He says, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  Jesus says, “Yeah.  It is great that you are kicking the devil’s backside in My Name!  But this is even better: You get to spend eternity in heaven with Me!” You have been called by the Gospel, enlightened with His Gifts, sanctified and kept in the true faith.  You have been given new birth by Water and the Word, and continue to be nourished by His Gospel and Eucharist.  Through these Gifts, Jesus is preserving you on that list, “written in heaven.”   

On this Church festival of Saint Michael & All Angels, it can get easy to lose that focus.  For well over a thousand years, the Holy Church has taken the 29^th of September as a day to give thanks to God for His holy angels who serve and protect us.  In the Lutheran Church, we sometimes transfer this celebration to a Sunday, so more people can participate in the occasion.  We praise the Lord for His legions of spirit warriors who defend us from the evil one, and watch over God’s children.  They do amazing work – miraculous work – that blesses us in our earthly pilgrimage, and for this it is completely appropriate to pause and thank our heavenly Father.  Yet do it with the proper focus. 

As the Master Teacher welcomes us to the Divine Service, we may get excited recalling the protection of guardian angels at this or that moment in life.  “Teacher, pick me!  I have a great story about angels!”  And we remember the car accident where the police officer claims that no one should have survived, yet the baby in the car seat filled with shattered glass does not have a single scratch. Another recounts an accident where the semi’s rear bumper came to rest on the steering wheel, and one more inch would have made the crash fatal.  Still others tell of moments of rescue, with no physical explanation, from tragedies, war, and violence. 

Are these good to recall?  Most definitely!  Do angels serve and protect us?  Absolutely!  Should we honor them and praise the Lord for using them?  Without a doubt!  But should they crowd out the message of Christ?  Never. 

Jesus, Lord over men and angels, reminds us, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  And until we join Him there, dear friends in Christ, you can join the thrilling celebration of Satan falling like lightning.  We rejoice not simply in his defeat, but knowing that his defeat is Christ’s victory!  Jesus baptizing another.  Jesus preaching His Gospel to another.  Jesus feeding another with His Body and Blood. 

Praise God!  Michael and Gabriel, angels, and archangels and all the company of heaven join in this praising.  Celebrate that our gracious God sends them to serve and protect His children and His Church.  But even more, dear friends in Christ, rejoice that your names are written in heaven. 

by The Rev. George F. Borghardt III

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. Holy Cross Day goes all the way back to Pious Helena.  If you don’t know her, you most likely know her son, the Emperor Constantine, the Roman Emperor who converted to Christianity.  

Helena went to Jerusalem to find landmarks about her faith – to find Jesus in the dirt of the Holy Land.  There, she found the sites for the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus – sites which scholars today believe to be the actual historic places where these things happened.  

But, along with these important New Testament landmarks, she found not one, but three crosses.  Three is what you’d expect – one for Jesus and two for the robbers.  But, which one is THE Cross upon which our Lord Jesus died?  How do you tell?

A miracle helped her – a sick person touched one of the crosses and was healed.  There ya go, that one must be it!  So, she took the true Cross and placed it in the church built on Golgotha, the place where Jesus died.  That church is called “the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.”

Finding the Cross where the Son of God was nailed is certainly reason to celebrate, isn’t it?  Gotta have a Potluck or something!  But, the Christian Church never has parties on Good Friday.  The day is too solemn.  So, the date set aside for the celebration of the Cross was September 14, 335 A.D.

There, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,the Cross remained until the Muslims conquered Jerusalem and carried the Cross off as a trophy.  Not cool.. Not at all.

But the Christian Emperor Heraclius was victorious over the Muslims and returned the Cross to its place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on, you guessed it, September 14, 630 AD. 

Now, Did Helena really find the true Cross?  Well, like many of the early church stories in history, it’s hard to distinguish between the myth and the reality.   

And myths don’t save.  Not one single myth ever saved anyone from sickness, from death, or hell.  Your faith is founded on the Word.  The Word which is true and certain – even when we may not be.

So, what’s a myth and what’s real about your faith?  The world will  ask you that question.  How will you answer?  The answer is a matter of life and death!

Some Greeks today have the answer for you.  They show up out of place in the Gospel lesson.  They aren’t supposed to be there.  Greeks were certainly too intelligent, too wise, to be participating in some Jewish Feast.

But, here they are and they come up to Philip with a request, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”  Philip directs them to Andrew, and Andrew and Philip get them Jesus…. 

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”  The hour.  Jesus’ hour.  Actual time.  

And He is not glorified by victory, or conquest, but by dying. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone.  But, if it dies it bears much fruit.

His hour, is the hour that He dies.  The hour that He won’t avoid!  The hour is why He came – He came to die on the Cross.

And there on the Cross, we see the reality of how God is… He dies to save us from our sins.  Then, He rises to be our justification!

This One, Jesus is true Man like you, born of the Virgin Mary, but also is true God, begotten of the Father before all eternity.  

This One suffered under Pontius Pilate (a real governor in Roman history).  Then, This Jesus was crucified on an actual wooden cross – whether we have it or not, and then He died and was buried.  After three days, this Jesus who died on Good Friday, rose again.

“Sir, we would see this Jesus.”  True God and true man.  And those Greeks saw that day saw an actual man. The One who died to save us.  For the Greeks.  For you.  For me.  

That’s what Holy Cross Day is all about.  Holy Cross Day reminds us, dares us, to contemplate the Cross of Christ.  To say with St. Paul, “I desired to know nothing among you other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

The Cross is the center of your faith.  When Jesus is lifted up, He drags all – even you and me – to Himself.  

For here is salvation.  Here is faith.  Here is the reality of your world.  Here is heaven itself.  Here is the glory and majesty of Almighty God – Jesus Christ crucified for you.

Then, Easter morning.. In the empty tomb speak the angels.  “You seek Jesus who was crucified, He is not here, see the place where He lay.”    The Jesus who rises on Easter morning is the same Jesus who died for our sins on Good Friday.

Whether or not Helena found the  actual Cross and the tomb – the “sepulcher”, where He once was laid is irrelevant, because there is a place where He was laid and He lays no longer.  

The place where He isn’t any more, for He has risen from the dead and conquered your sins, and smashed death all up.

Crucified.  Cross.  Not a myth or a symbol, but a reminder of an event that is true whether you believe it or not.

That bears repeating: Christ and Him crucified on the Cross  is not a myth that is made true by your holding it dear.  No, it’s not something that has a moral to the story that is important to remember.

No, the Cross of Christ is a reality, a historic event, which shows you God’s glory.  God’s glory is seen in how He gives up His Son to save you.

It actually happened.  Not a myth.  Not a fairy tale.  A life changing event.  The Jesus who died on Good Friday rose on Easter morning.  When He is lifted up on the Cross, He draws all to Himself.  You too.

So, stop living as if this is all a myth!  Stop living as if He’s still in the tomb, dear Saints of God.  Come out of your sins.  Stop doing them.  Stop the evil you do – the immorality, the despair, the hatred, the idolatry, stop your sins.  Stop judging others for the things you do.  Stop the hatred, stop the negativity, stop the tearing one another up.  Just stop.  For Jesus died and rose again.

I know you know He died and rose.  I’m asking you to let the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus draw you out of your despair, your sin, your selfishness, and your death.  

For when Jesus is lifted up – when He dies on the Cross, He draws all, even you and me, to Himself.

Seek Jesus.  Find Him in the Word.  Then, teach your children that these are not just stories, but real events.    

The Cross shows you the reality of your faith.  That’s the best way to celebrate Holy Cross Day!  Remember the Crucified Jesus.  Remember it when you wake up.  Remember it when you go to sleep.   

That’s the other thing Holy Cross Day teaches us.  It reminds us to make the sign of the Holy Cross. 

When you have some free time some time, look up Ezekiel 9.  Yep, Ezekiel, in the OLD Testament- look it up.  There you will find God marking His people to protect them from wraith.  He does this again in three different chapters of John’s Revelation.  The mark was the Hebrew “tau” which is like an “t” or “x.”  Those marked are those rescued from God’s wrath.

So, the custom rose out in the Christian Church to trace the mark of a cross as a blessing, as a remembrance, a reminder of how Jesus was lifted up for us on the Cross.  I’m talking early – like 190 AD, a Pastor named Tertullian said that Christians don’t do anything without the sign of the Holy Cross. 

Morning, noon, praying, and bedtime.  All done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Now, I’ve heard before folks tell me that making the sign of the Cross isn’t Lutheran.  But, I have three different Catechisms here and they all say the same thing: In the morning, when you pray, make the sign of the holy cross and say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  In the Evening, repeat.  

It’s also in your hymnals!  Anytime you see that little red “plus” sign in the text.  That’s the good folks at CPH telling you that it’s ok to make the sign of the Cross here.

You can’t get more Lutheran than your Scriptures and Catechism!

Now, you are, Of course,free to or not to make the sign of the Cross.  Just remember that you were marked with the Cross at the Baptismal font and His name was put on you.

Remembering your Baptism, who you are, what He did for you – that’s how to celebrate Holy Cross Day – in His Name, with the watermark of His cross on you.  

He died for me.  He rose for me.  He made me His own in the waters of my Baptism.  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

A real Jesus on a real cross.  God dying for you.  This is not a myth.  Not a story.  It’s a fact.  Your salvation.  

And all of it is remembered…. With His Cross.  So, a blessed Holy Cross Day tomorrow to you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

by The Rev. Mark Buetow

Ephesians 1:3-14 

Are you IN or are you OUT? In the reading from Ephesians that we just heard, St. Paul uses the phrase “in Christ” or “in Him,” I don’t know, like a million times or something! In Christ. In Christ! IN CHRIST! In Christ what? In Him you have forgiveness, an inheritance, the revelation of God’s grace, your salvation and on and on! St. Paul writes that everything that God does for you and your salvation is done in and through Jesus Christ for you. That’s SOLO CHRISTO: CHRIST ALONE! In Christ, you are rescued from sin, death and the devil. In Christ, you are a child of God. In Christ, you are on the receiving end of the Father’s grace. In Christ is your hope. In Christ is your redemption. In Christ. In Christ! IN CHRIST! Do you get it yet? In Christ, the Father has given you every blessing ever given. That’s because Christ alone is the Beloved Son of the Father. It’s because Christ alone took on human flesh to save sinners. It is because Christ was baptized along with sinners, as if He was a sinner, to take our sins from us and to carry them Himself. Every blessing is ours in Christ because Jesus Christ fought the devil in the wilderness. Because Jesus preached God’s Word. Because Jesus was arrested and stood trial. Because Jesus was flogged and made fun of. Because Jesus was nailed to a cross. Every blessing is yours in Christ because Christ threw down the Devil and his power and rose again on Easter. Every blessing is yours in Christ because He has ascended into heaven to prepare a place for you, sends the Holy Spirit and will come again and raise you from the dead. Do you get it? It’s ALL Christ. So are you IN or are you OUT? 

In Him, in Jesus Christ, all that St. Paul says is yours. But OUTSIDE of Christ, APART from Christ, there is only you. Only you and your sins. Only you and your hating God, trashing His name, despising His Word. Only you and your disobedience to your parents, your murdering other people with your words and actions, your lust and your stealing and your trash-talking other people and all your coveting. Outside of Jesus there is no inheritance, no forgiveness, no eternal blessings and grace of the Father. Nope. Outside of Jesus there is just you and your sins. Scary thought, isn’t it? So are you IN or are you OUT? In Christ? Or outside of Christ? To answer that question, the world and most preachers tell you to look inside yourself to figure that out. Do you believe enough? Do you live a good enough life? Have you figured God out and figured out what God wants? Do you love the Lord more than anything? Have you made a decision to be “in Christ?” Listen to the world and those preachers and you’ll end up right were you started: outside of Christ! Because all of those ways of thinking and doing are about YOU. What did St. Paul say? Did he say anything about US? No, he says that all of these blessings are ours IN CHRIST and CHRIST ALONE.  

So are you IN or are you OUT. You are IN. You are IN CHRIST. You are IN HIM. Not because of anything that YOU’VE done. Because of what Christ has done. Did you suppose that Christ came into this world to suffer, die and rise again only to expect you to make the final leap and join His team? Christ came to not only accomplish our salvation completely but now sends the Holy Spirit to make sure His salvation is delivered the same way: fully and completely and with no strings attached. You are IN CHRIST because you have been baptized with His water and Word and Name. You are IN CHRIST because your pastor has absolved you of all your sins. There is nothing you have done or thought or said that can keep you outside of Christ. His blood covers all your sins and the absolution says just that! You are IN CHRIST because of the preaching and teaching of the Gospel which declares exactly what St. Paul says: that in Christ, God the Father has poured all these blessings upon you. By the body and blood of Jesus, you are IN CHRIST. And Christ is IN YOU. And He forgives your sins and promises to raise you up on the Last Day. So are you IN or are you OUT? You are soooo IN! You are in by the water and word and body and blood. And being in Christ, all those tons of blessings St. Paul writes about are yours. In Jesus Christ. Say it: “IN CHRIST!” Amen.

Pr. Mark Buetow is Internet Services Executive for Higher Things.