Wednesday, May 30, 2012

A Veteran Remembered

George Scharr 1922-1969

George volunteered for the Army in the weeks following Pearl Harbor.  A Detroit native, he was assigned to the Army's 35th Texas Division.  He participated in three invasions:  Salerno, Anzio and Southern France.  George was the heavy weapon's man for his platoon and carried the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR).  He was twice wounded in combat..  Once in the left knee in Italy and then in his hands in Southern France.  George spent nine months of recuperation following the knee wound in England.  After the second wound healed he transferred to the 8th Air Force where he finished the war. Like 15 million other Americans he spent World War II in uniform. Thank you, George Scharr, for your service to the nation and for being my father.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Your Personal Pentecost


This is a portion of the message that I proclaimed on Pentecost 2012.

 If you look for another Pentecost through a rushing wind, visible tongues of fire and the ability of speaking languages you never studied, you will wait a long time.  The crowd on Pentecost that was cut to the quick cried out to the apostles as to what they should do.  The response was clear.  Repent and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself (Acts 2:38-39).  About three thousand souls were added to the church through the water the word of Baptism on Pentecost.

Fire, wind, water and the Word were part of Pentecost.  The wind accompanied the tongues of fire on the apostles.  Peter preached boldly by the Spirit’s power that led the crowd into all truth.  The Spirit convicted the crowd of sin because they did not believe in Jesus. Of righteousness because God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand.  Of judgment because the devil is judged and under judgment.  The apostles directed the repentant hearers to the water of Baptism.  The baptized receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This promise is for young and old, for children and everyone whom the Lord calls to Himself.

Holy Baptism is your personal Pentecost.  It is the working of the Holy Trinity.  The baptized are joined to Jesus in His death and resurrection.  It is as if the baptized was transported in time to Golgotha and died on the cross with Jesus.  Instantaneously they are with Jesus alive and resurrected Easter morning, clothed in His righteousness.  The baptized are sons of God because the Holy Trinity has adopted them into the family.  They are set among believers in the church.  It is at the font where believers are united into the one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

We can say these things because the Holy Spirit, indeed, the blessed Trinity is at work in baptism bringing the spiritually dead back to life.  The New Testament abounds in this baptismal language where God is the Giver and you are the receiver.  As many of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).  So those who received His word were baptized (Acts 2:41).  He saved us, not because of righteous things we have done but by the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit whom God poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ (Titus 3:5). Baptism now saves you (1 Peter 3:20).  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has caused you to be born from above through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).  We have witnessed such a miracle this morning.  Luke, welcome to the Lord’s family through the gift of Holy Baptism.  The righteousness that is now yours in Christ is designed for a lifetime, literally an eternity. It expands and grows with you and is very resilient.  In heaven this righteousness will be your crown.  May you grow in your understanding and appreciation of this gift all of your days.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Only a Word?

How often have you heard a request for "a word of prayer" or a "brief prayer"?  This strikes me as peculiar.  What single word can suffice for prayer?  Why do we need to limit the length of our prayers?  When was the last time you heard a long prayer in contrast to "a word" or "brief" variety?  The Prayer of the Church has developed into a responsive prayer.  This encourages congregational participation and breaks up longer petitions into "sound byte" lengths.  Do you pay closer attention to the shorter petitions? Does the Lord expect brevity? Where can God's people pour out their hearts to God together?  Under what circumstances is a longer prayer acceptable?  The Scriptures encourage us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5) yet to avoid vain repetition (Matthew 6).  What is the balance and how is it attained? What are your thoughts?

Monday, May 21, 2012

Retirement or Re-positioning?

Sunday afternoon we bid Godspeed and farewell to two veteran pastors in Southern Illinois as they enter retirement this summer.  Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Marion graciously hosted the service on behalf of the Greater Egypt Circuit and served a delicious meal afterward. Thank you, Pastor Mark Surburg! LCMS 1st VP, the Rev. Dr. Herbert C. Mueller, Jr. preached an outstanding message.

Pastor Jim Rivett served in the United States Marine Corp prior to entering college and seminary.  He saw action in Vietnam and suffers from complications related to Agent Orange.  Pr. Rivett has been heavily involved with prison ministry over the years.  He spent twenty years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, retiring in 2002.  Since then has been an integral part of our District Prison Ministry.  Pr. Rivett's ministry began in Olmsted, IL way down south on the Ohio River.  He retires at the end of July from Our Redeemer in Golconda, just upstream on the Ohio.

Pastor Ted Mayes ministry followed a different path.  He began as an assistant pastor at Holy Cross in St. Louis before becoming an instructor of religion, dean of the chapel, and religion department chairman at St. Paul's College in Concordia, MO.  He went on to serve at Hope, Maryville, MO for eighteen years.  Pr. Mayes last eleven years have been at Immanuel, Murphysboro, IL.  Pr. Mayes has completed an all but his dissertation from, the University of Missouri, Kansas City.  He has spent his free time of late translating the Baier-Walther Compendium into English.  This was the Systematic textbook of the LCMS for many years.  His last service at Immanuel is this coming Sunday, May 27.

Two gifted men, used by the Lord for His purposes in different ways.  As long as the Lord grants them health and strength, without the daily demands of full time parish work, these men will continue to serve the Lord.  Both look forward to spending time with their wives.  They are willing to do supply preaching.  Pr. Rivett is making plans to visit South Africa in October and November to help our partner church, the LCSA, expand its prison ministry.  Pr. Mayes will continue to translate and complete some of his unfinished projects.

We called Sundays event a "Retirement Service."  It is more likely a re-positioning.  The Lord makes use of a person's gifts and experience.  In His economy nothing is wasted.  This is not the end of the road for either man.  The Lord brings an end to earthly service at death.  Both pastors hope to have a little more discretionary time but will be kept busy.  A new chapter is opening for both of them.  It will be interesting to watch how the Lord both places and uses them in the future.  Both have faithfully run the race to this point.  The Lord will decide the course and time ahead.

Thank you for your partnership and years of service!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

The Neglected Festival

A blessed Ascension Day!

Forty days after Easter Jesus ascended bodily into heaven.  Man has gone where no human has gone before.  Jesus, both true God and true man, rules over all things on behalf of His body, the Church.  Where Jesus has gone, there believers shall go also. These lowly, decaying bodies will either be resurrected gloriously or be transformed in the twinkling of an eye.  Heaven is open for you.  Jesus has prepared the way and invites you to live there with Him forever.

No greater gift is possible.  You will not find it in any catalog.  Not even MasterCard with its priceless campaign can secure it.  No amount of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, stocks, bonds or plastic can purchase it.  No parliament, politician, judiciary or military can change it. Trust not in princes they are but mortal, earth born they are and soon decay. Neither the strength of man or beast can obtain it or change it.  The fact of the matter is:  Jesus reigns.  He is the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent ruler of all things visible and invisible.

His power is revealed in weakness.  His body, betrayed, battered and beaten hid the splendor of His might.  In His silence the verdict against all unrighteousness was leveled on Him.  He bore the cross for you, that by His wounds you might be healed.  He died that you may live forever.  He rose as proof that God the Father accepted the sacrifice of His Son.  He ascended to assume His rightful place at the right hand of the Father.  Still He cones today.  He calls His church to be stewards of the mysteries of God.  His Word is alive and active.  It kills and makes alive.  It reveals the thoughts and intentions of every heart.  He empowers water and the Word to be the cleansing flood for a fallen creation.  Those who are baptized into Christ are baptized into His death and join in His resurrection.  The Savior calls them His own.  He feeds them with His body and blood that are received in bread and wine in the Supper He instituted.  Here He joins Himself  to you in time that you may be His eternally.  He gives you His Spirit as the down payment of what is to be yours forever.

When Jesus returns what is hidden now will be disclosed in all of its divine majesty and glory.  There will be no mistaking what is happening at His Second Coming.  Every eye will cry on account of Him.  Believers surprise will give way to everlasting joy.  Unbelievers will cry out for the crumbling mountains to hide them from the One who is returning.  The Ascension of our Lord is an integral part of the Divine Drama for your salvation.  Take heart!  No matter how bad it gets, Jesus promises never to let you go.  Multitudes have gone before your in the Faith. Some lost their earthly lives only to gain entrance into that city whose architect and builder is God. Imitate their faith.

Why then is this day so neglected?  Is it disbelief that these things are true?  Is it love for this present order of things?  Since it is out of sight is it also out of mind?  For many the answer is yes, yes and yes.  Why among believers does this day go by as just another Thursday?  The above may fit.  Perhaps it is something deeper, even sinister.  Could it be that an ascended Jesus doesn't fit the image people want of Him?  Any potentate, particularly a divine one, creates fear and awe in sinful mortals.  Better not to be noticed by the King; better to live in quiet obscurity trying to make the most of life now.  Maybe none of what the Scriptures claim about the ascended Lord is true?  If it isn't true then one trusts solely what they feel, think and experience.  Faith becomes a faint hope that if you just mind your own business, keep to yourself, make no gigantic waves and go along with the status quo everything will be okay. Others look for that proverbial fifteen minutes of fame as being the best one can attain.  How tragic. How sad that people believe the devil's lies.

The incarnate, crucified, resurrected and ascended Lord is not distant and far away. He is closer than you think.  He is with you all day, every day, even to the close of the age.  He invites you to remain in His Word, to taste and see that He is good in the Holy Supper, to rejoice in the new birth from above that is yours in Baptism.  These gifts are located specifically in the Holy Christian Church and set in the Divine Service.  Here heaven meets earth.  With Jesus are the host of heaven.  In Him we are united.  What we have now in faith we shall have by sight eternally.

Why is this day so neglected?  Could it be as simple as we do not recognize the Giver and the gifts He brings because He is the incarnate, crucified, resurrected and ascended One?

My will or Thy will?

Every one has hopes, dreams and desires.  Christians seek to honor God and glorify His name.  How do we know what belongs to God's will or my will?  Lutheran catecheses teaches that what God has promised to do we need not pray, if it be your will.  Things like forgiveness and salvation fall into this category.  God forgives sins through Jesus Christ.  He has won salvation for us through His Son's death, resurrection and ascension.  The Lord wants all to be saved and to come to the Truth.  His will is clear in these matters.

What about those things for which God has not revealed His will?  Specifically, how should we pray regarding those hopes, dreams and desires that we have?  Is what I am requesting for the benefit of others or me?  Does it glorify God?  Is it in harmony with the Ten Commandments?  So far so good.  But what if everything you do in pursuit of your desire ends with frustration?  Here is where we might be harboring an idol under the guise of doing God's work.  For instance, promising God a healthy percentage of lottery winnings does not make the lottery something good for you.  Winnings may lead to temptations and evils you cannot imagine now.  God cannot be bribed with the promise of future proceeds if He lets you hit it big.

Are you willing to place your hopes, dreams, desires and aspirations before the Lord?  Are you willing for Him to recreate, redeem and sanctify you and them to be in accordance with His will?  That which you withhold from God and are unwilling to let Him have His way is an idol.  It is painful when these are exposed in our lives.  It is much easier to point out the idols in the lives of others while protecting our own.  Ultimately the Lord will cast every idol from its throne, for He is God and He alone.  It is better to lay them at His feet in repentance and to live in His forgiveness.

The Lord has your best interests at heart.  He who sought your soul's salvation is not about to give up on you easily.  He desires to bring you through this life to Himself in heaven.  He knows what is best for us in any situation.  He has both short and long term in mind.  He sees the big picture, the eternal one.  Commit your way to the Lord.  Trust in Him.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday (Psalm 37:5-6).  May His will be done in my life and yours!