Thought for the Day

The reign of Christ is hidden under the cross. - Martin Luther

Pastoral Installation Sermon on Good Shepherd Sunday

Acts 20:17-35       A Shepherd’s Call       21 April 2013

Rev. John Shank installation as Senior Pastor, Trinity, Edwardsville, IL

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  It is most fitting to hold a pastoral installation on this Sunday of the Church Year known as Good Shepherd Sunday.  The common name for ministers among Lutherans is “pastor,” which is the Latin for shepherd.  Pastors point people to the One Shepherd who alone is called “good,” Jesus Christ. The text we shall consider is from the first reading. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

Paul was returning to Jerusalem when he passed through Miletus for the final time.  The apostle met there with the pastors from Ephesus.  He reminds them of his own ministry among them. The apostle had patiently instructed them in the “whole counsel of God” in fulfillment of the Great Commission.  Jesus calls pastors to deliver what He entrusts to them.  Pastors baptize into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  They teach all things that Jesus taught and that which has been recorded for our instruction. Little has changed in the two millennia following.  Pastoral ministry is simply taking what we have received from the Lord Jesus Christ and literally handing it over to the people they are called to serve (1 Cor 11:23.  Pastors speak the Word of Holy Scripture and the sheep learn the voice of the Good Shepherd.

This is more difficult than it seems as Paul testifies. He is comforted with the knowledge that he did not shrink from this responsibility.  He withstood the plots of the Jews opposed to Jesus (v. 19).  The apostle taught in public and from house to house to both Jews and Greeks.  His message is summarized beautifully: repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 21). This message is the timeless golden cord that runs through Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. During the rite of installation we will review again what the Bible says concerning the institution of the Office of the Holy Ministry, as well as its responsibilities, strengths and promises.  Listen attentively to what is read.  These are the expectations God places upon pastors.  They form the standard for ministry in The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.

What makes ministry difficult is when the expectations of a congregation and its members differ from what the Lord requires of His pastors who shepherd the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood. If a congregation asks the pastor to preach, teach or do something that is not in accord with the Scriptures an immediate conflict arises.  Is the pastor to do what the congregation wants, even if it violates Holy Scripture?  Since he cannot please everyone, does he make the perceived majority happy? How does he discharge the duties of the Holy Ministry as God directs?  Should the church favor the best givers or the ones who can trace their congregational ancestry back generations?  Holy Scripture commands us to show no partiality. Paul instructs pastors when he says: Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Persist in this, for in so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16).

Paul says to the Ephesian pastors: Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood (Acts 20:28). The church does not belong to the pastor nor is it the possession of the congregation in whole or in part.  The Lord Jesus purchased you to be His own through the shedding of His blood on the cross.  He is the Head of His body, the Church.  Pastors are stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1-2).  They do not own or control them according to their own whims and desires.  The Lord expects His servants to be faithful in the fulfilling of their ministry.  The Lord does not authorize pastors to subtract from or add to the Holy Scriptures.  These are the Lord’s Words that He wants proclaimed, taught and believed.  When the pastor speaks God’s Word to you, it is the Lord who is speaking to your through Him.  You are to receive him as you would receive the Lord Jesus Christ if He was here visibly before you.

Likewise the church is the Body of Christ in this place.  Pastors are to care for Christ’s people in the manner befitting a faithful shepherd. The focus is on Jesus. It is Jesus who is “all in” for you in His incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension and coming return.  Jesus is not an absentee owner.  While the fullness of His divine glory is hid from human eyes until it is revealed on the Last Day; He is here in water, word, bread and wine.  Jesus remains among His own as the One who serves. Christians do well to treat each other with love, honor and respect. The Bible says that believers should be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy to all people (Titus 3:1-2).

The sad reality is that no pastor or layman does these things perfectly.  Pastors and laity share a sinful human flesh.  This flesh is well practiced in the art of sinning.  That comes naturally. We cannot help but sin as even our best intentions are tainted with our own self-interest. We have a God who specializes in sinners.  Jesus died for every one of our sins, trespasses and transgressions.  He forgives them all.  In Holy Baptism you are joined to His death and resurrection.  The Lord calls you by name and you are His.  He feeds you through the hearing of His Word and shortly in receiving our Lord’s body and blood through which He has purchased you to be His own.  In the pew, at the font and at the rail we are beggars still whom God richly cleanses and feeds.

Paul’s ministry with the Ephesians was coming to an end as he gave them final instructions and warned them of what would happen when he left.  False teachers would arise from their number and seek to lead others away.  Pastor Shank your ministry begins anew today as Senior Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church.  The challenges you face are shared by your brothers throughout our district and Synod.  Remain alert for the various wolves who would attempt to steal the sheep of God’s flock here at Trinity.

The Lord has blessed you with a beautiful family.  Do not neglect them for the sake of the Holy Ministry.  They are also God’s gifts to you. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood (Acts 20:28). Remember that you are God’s man to care for His flock here at Trinity. These are the Lord’s people, purchased with His own blood.  They have prayed for wisdom, guidance and direction as they called you to be their pastor. The Holy Spirit has guided you to say yes to this call. May the Lord grant you a long and blessed tenure together!  Amen.

The Living One

The Living One  

Revelation 1:4-18

Southern Illinois District Pastoral Conference, Wartburg, IL

In the name of Jesus Christ, the first and the last and the Living One who died and is alive forever.  He holds the keys of death and Hades in His hand, Amen.  Of all the disciples, one can argue that John was closest to Jesus.  He is known as “the beloved disciple.” John was next to Jesus in the Upper Room. Jesus commended the care and keeping of Mary into John’s hands as the cross.  Among the men John was the first to reach the tomb. His piety prevented him from entering. Peter ran up and went straight inside.  John was present Easter evening and again the following week as The Living One appeared to Thomas.  John was among the brothers as Jesus ascended into heaven.  Yet nothing in John’s experience prepared him for what he saw in the Revelation of Jesus Christ that forms today’s text.

Two rangers were on foot patrolling their campground around 3:00 am.  One was a Christian, the other an agnostic.  Suddenly night turned into day as a bright light burst from the heavens.  Both men fell to their knees in the dew drenched grass.  Looking up to they saw the bright tracing of a meteor that had entered the atmosphere and burned up.  The Christian said to the other, “I know why I was on my knees. What about you?”  He had no answer. The return of Jesus will have an even greater impact.  Every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.  All tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him.  Every knee will bow to Jesus and confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9).

Jesus is alive.  The crucified one is risen from the dead.  He holds the keys of death and Hades in His hands.  The believer’s momentary fear will give way to everlasting joy as your redemption draws near.  Those who rejected Christ will see with their own eyes what they rejected.  Jesus is alive.  He is returning to judge the living and the dead. The whole world is accountable to God (Romans 3:19-20). No excuses, no alibi’s, no good intentions count.  Either one believes in his heart and confesses with His mouth that Jesus is Lord or will face the eternal consequences for their rejection of Christ.

Permeating this text is an implicit fear of God.  This fear, expressed so well in Luther’s explanation of each commandment, is missing from the Public Square and pop spirituality. Some see God as their personal spiritual trainer. He is there to help you work out your salvation and improve on character shortcomings.  Some women see Jesus as a lover and the understanding man their husband can never be. Increasingly “the nones” have no use for any caricature of God.  What about you?  Do you fear God more than men? Are you more concerned with keeping your congregation happy than calling them to repentance and faith?  Do you keep quiet about controversial issues hoping they will go dormant? Do you fear people more than God?  Repent!

Jesus says. “Do not fear those who can destroy the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell…So everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father in heaven, but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:28, 32-33). Jesus is the Living One.  He died and is now alive forever.  He holds the keys of death and Hades.

The apostle John did not recognize Jesus. Christ is the Pantocrator in His divine glory.  Still, like the Son of Man because of the incarnation.  Jesus is in the midst of His church.  He is the High Priest who intercedes for His people. Eyes with fire enable Him to discern the thoughts and intentions of every heart. He stands with His burnished bronze feet victorious over all the earth.  He speaks with the authority of God Himself. His Words kill and make alive.  He emanates light brighter than the sun.  Like the two rangers who fell on their knees, John falls prostrate before Jesus.  The beloved disciple knows He has no right to stand in the presence of the glorified Christ. Neither do we if He appeared to us with the unveiled majesty that is rightly His.

Jesus approaches John and laid His right hand upon John’s shoulder.  Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I died and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades (Revelation 1:17-18).  The right hand of Jesus’ power and authority is entrusted to the Church.  Jesus continues to walk among us.  He graciously veils His divine glory that we may enter His presence with joy and thanksgiving.  He is here cradled in the Scriptures instructing us in all things and calling you to make disciples by baptizing and teaching them everything Jesus has revealed.  Jesus is here.  His body hidden in bread; His blood conveyed in wine. He enters our bodies in the eating and drinking of this most sacred meal.  Jesus is here forgiving you of all your sins.  He is here to strengthen you for the living of these days.  The Living One invites you anew to His feast service to your neighbor. Jesus had the first word at creation and will have the final one on the Last Day.

We are entering uncertain times for the Church within the United States. Persecution is underway.  The extent of which is unknown.  In many ways ministry will be fulfilled in an age increasingly hostile to you and the Savior that you proclaim.  We are not unique or alone.  Consider how John identifies himself as the author of Revelation.  He is your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus (Revelation 1:9).  He writes from Patmos where he had been exiled because of Jesus.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ is a book of immense comfort for Christians in an hostile age.  No matter what happens, Jesus wins.  His people prevail and we will be with Him forever.  Knowing how everything ends makes it easier to face today.  The Lord Jesus joined you into His death and resurrection in your baptism.  Your true life is now hidden with God in Christ. The Lord Jesus will transform your lowly body to be like His glorious body by the power that enables Him to subdue all things to Himself.  What is there to fear? Jesus, the Living One remains in the midst of His golden lampstands, the Church.  He is coming back.  Everyone will see Him.  When these things take place stand erect and look up for Jesus, your redemption draws near, Amen.

Whose Approval Counts?

The world seeks to be praised And honored by the mighty

Yet never once reflects That they are frail and flighty.

But what I truly prize Above all things is He,

My Jesus, He alone. What is the world to me!

(LSB 730:2)

This hymn from the turn of the 18th century captures well the eternal Word of God.  Jesus warned that no one can serve two masters.  You will hate the one and despise the other.  One cannot serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).  The apostle John likewise warns:  "Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eye and pride in possessions - is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17).

The flesh battles constantly against the Spirit.  Given new birth from above, Christians are to set their eyes on things above where Christ is seated that when He appears you will also appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4). The good that we would do, we don't.  The evil that we hate, that is what we find ourselves doing (Romans 7).  What the world offers is immediate gratification.  Click a link and there it is! Many feast their eyes on pornography and fill their souls with straw.  Don't delay; hurry and enjoy today.  It doesn't matter what you seek, there are many avenues that portray themselves as gateways to pleasures. So many are off to gain the whole world and enjoy what it offers.

Jesus complicates the pursuit of pleasure, happiness, riches and whatever else the world deems important. He asks a simple question.  "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and to forfeit his soul?  What can a man gain in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).  Some politicians enter public life with moderate income.  They retire from office as millionaires.  Salaries alone cannot account for this increase.  They are enriched through government coffers and influence seekers trying to buy their vote.  Some politicians enter public life with both virtue and morality intact.  These may quickly be sacrificed to move up in the party or to gain reelection in the changing political winds.  A man's actions speak louder than words.  One can say anything, but it is what they do that shows where their real values lie.

What those who live for today forget is that all will appear before Jesus on the Last Day. There each person will give an account for their conduct, priorities, use of time and possessions entrusted to them now. Do you fear God more than people? You should.  Jesus teaches: "Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" (Luke 12:4-5) God alone has authority to kill both body and soul and cast them into hell. We should fear God's wrath and not take it lightly. Everyone who stands before God in their own righteousness will be condemned. Those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Wilhelm Loehe, a 19th century support of missions, including those in North America. some of which joined the Missouri Synod, writes: What do you love? Do you love the world? It will pass away and its desires too. Acknowledgement with people? That’s blowing mere bubbles and great nothingness. Honor? That’s just a passing shadow. A big name in this world? Soon it is forgotten. Favor with the high and mighty? Then your really clutching at straws. Friends? They come and go like the tides of the oceans, like summer rains or the seasons. Father and mother? They are but mortal and will have to leave you sooner or later. Your children? They’re not yours really, they belong to the heavenly Father. Your own life? That’s a weaver’s coil and will be unravelled in no time. Your house? That’s about as an abiding abode as the whale was to Jonah.  It will spit you out naked with nothing to go with it. Your fields, forests and pastures? Who knows how soon somebody else will call it his own? What do you love? Vanity? That suffocates anybody in the long run. Do you love yourself? That’s probably the biggest disappointment of all in the end. Choose what you want here on earth. It’s all not more than a loss and bound to lead to serious disenchantment. 

Only Jesus is our righteousness, wisdom, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). Blessed is the one who hears His word and keeps it.  This means that God's word is kept as a valued, treasured possession. Through it we live now and for eternity. Courting the world's favor is like building a home out of Styrofoam   It will not endure the judgement but melt into nothing under the intense heat.  He who boasts in the Lord Jesus has it all.

Not There Yet

Hebrews 4:1-16
        
In the name of the Father, Son + and Holy Spirit, Amen.  The Holy Spirit says:  So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.  Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience (Hebrew 4:9-11).  This is the Word of the Lord.

Parents have heard their children ask many times.  “Are we there yet?”  “When will we get there?” They ask because they are bored of riding, tired of sitting and eager to get out of the car at their destination.  The longer the trip, the more likely is the complaining.  If they are going to see beloved relatives like grandparents or cousins they can hardly wait to arrive.  If the trip takes them to a vacation spot, camping or amusement park a different kind of joy awaits.  “Not there yet” are three words children do not like to hear.

As children of the heavenly Father, you have been given new birth from above in holy baptism.  The Triune God adopts you as His own with full inheritance rights.  Through Jesus your sins are forgiven and heaven is open to you.  Even now your citizenship is in heaven and you await the time when you will finally be there to experience all of its wonder forever.  Meanwhile we sojourn through life. Times and seasons pass but one day seems similar to all the others.  The years roll on and some things change slowly.  You may be farming the same ground that your great-grandfather plowed a century ago.  The barn or shed that he built may still be in use.

The children of Israel spent four hundred years in Egypt and forty in the wilderness.  They were a people on the move, a pilgrim and transient group looking forward to the Promised Land. They did not enjoy a happy journey through the wilderness.  They complained about the food and water.  At times they longed to go back to Egypt a place of permanency in an otherwise tumultuous trek.  The Israelites were seldom content, often whining and frequently complaining.  They took out their frustration on Moses as God’s chosen leader of the Exodus. They were ultimately displeased with God but did not have the courage to express it directly.  More than once there was a collective “Let’s go back to Egypt” from the people.

Through it all God is faithful.  They ate manna and drank water from the rock.  Their clothing and shoes did not wear out all the days of their wandering in the wilderness.  Still they complained.  The report of the twelve spies sent to investigate the Promised Land scared them.  Oh, it was a good and bountiful land where a family could plant a vineyard or an orchard and enjoy the richness of the harvest.  But there we people in this land that the majority of spies feared.  They felt like grasshoppers next to them.  No way, they said, could they overpower these people.  Only Joshua and Caleb expressed confidence that the Lord would bring them safely through. These two faithful men were outvoted but God had the last word.  None of the adults except Caleb and Joshua would live to enter the Promised Land.  Another forty years awaited their time in wilderness.

The sin of the people was unbelief.  They did not take God at His Word or believe His promises.  They witnessed God’s plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They experienced God’s deliverance from slavery and crossed the Red Sea on dry ground.  They travelled to God’s mountain where the Lord met with Moses.  Somehow this was not enough.  Seeing is NOT believing.  They feared men rather than God and rebelled when the Lord directed them ahead.  Despite all of the miraculous acts they witnessed with their own eyes, they did not enter the Sabbath rest promised the people of God.  The warning to the Hebrews applies to us.  Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts (Hebrews 4:7b).  This generation was not there yet, nor would they enter it because of their disobedience and unbelief (Hebrews 4:6).

Are we different from the children of Israel?  Do we recognize the time of God’s visitation and rejoice in it?  The Lord appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterwards in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7).  The longer a trip takes, the more restless children become.  They might quarrel and bicker in the back of the car.  They may say and do annoying things to each other.  Occasionally mom or dad intervenes with a sharp word or threat.  Persevering requires patience.  This commodity grows scarce when delays or unexpected detours arise.  No one is happy when of the travelers becomes sick and requires extra stops and attention.

Similar reactions are found in the church as we await the Lord’s return or our departure from earth at our death.  “Are we there yet?”  Anxious people fidget, bicker and feud.  Idiosyncrasies of people grow irritating the longer you are with them.  Patience wears thin when frustration increases.  We express our feelings in less than kind ways to the person or people we deem responsible for our unhappiness.  We may even turn against the Lord and His servants. All the while the Lord remains true to His Word.  He is with us all day, every day, even to the end of the age.  Why do we act as if He is absent or missing?  This was Israel’s sin even as the Lord’s presence was as close as the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.  Unbelief blinds.  It veils the truth from our eyes as it seeks to destroy vestiges of faith.  It is for this reason that our text states: Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience (Hebrews 4:16). The Holy Spirit is skilled warrior in the use of the Lord’s two-edged sword of Law and Gospel.  He wields it with the skill of a surgeon in excising sin and exposing the thoughts and intentions of every heart.  Everyone stands accountable to God to whom we must give an account.

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world.  His penetrates the darkness caused by sin. Moreover He is the great High Priest.   Upon the tree of the cross He made atonement for your sins and mine. His is the blood of the Lamb, without blemish or spot that remains the propitiation for your sins.  Jesus knows what it is like to live in this world.  He faced every temptation common to man. He succeeded where you and I fail. Christ was crucified, died and was buried.  He rose from the dead ascended into heaven.  He is more than able to help you and me Jesus knows both the hardness of men’s hearts and the frailty of human flesh.  He is able to sympathize with us in our weakness.  We may approach His throne of grace to find mercy and help in our time of need.

Even now your true life is hidden with God in Christ.  When He appears, you also will appear with Him in glory.  Here in the Lord’s house and at His table he comes to us anew each week.  Here He passes over our lips, into our mouths to join His life to our mortal bodies.  Here we receive all that we need to support this body and life from Him who is the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.  Here we are called from disobedience to faith, from unbelief to a living hope in Him who died and rose again.  He is coming back but has not yet returned in His indisputable glory and honor before all creation.  Now we live by faith, not by sight.

In heaven we will have the full Sabbath rest described in our text.  Until then we are buffeted, troubled and hounded by the forces of hell trying to remove heaven from our sight.  Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.  Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience of Israel in the wilderness for we are not there yet,  Amen.

Conference Sermon

The following was preached at the Fall Southern Illinois District Pastoral Conference on October 2 at Pere Marquette State Park.

A Faithful High Priest

Hebrews 2:1-18

In the name of Jesus Christ, the merciful and faithful High Priest who made propitiation for your sins, Amen.  In the ordering of creation there is a distinction between what is seen and unseen. Regarding the visible creation Adam was given dominion over the earth and everything in it.  He would serve as God’s minister to the created world.  Unmentioned both as to the exact day of their creation and their heavenly ranking and authority are the invisible (to mortal eyes) beings of God’s creation.  We usually lump them together as “angels.”  The good angels serve God and His creation ceaselessly.  The evil angels work at the destruction of the same through the corruption of humanity.

Since angels are a different order of creation than humans, it is presumed that they are better or more important than us children of men.  Scripture reveals something different that is utterly profound.  The author to the Hebrews writes regarding the work of Jesus:  For surely it is not angels that He helps, but He helps the offspring of Abraham (Hebrews 2:16).  Likewise the prophets longed to see what we have in Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit, something into which angels long to look (1 Peter 2:12).  God uses the angels to serve for your sake.  Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14).  This is why the text begins with the admonition that we pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1).

These are perilous times for Christians.  Christianity is under assault on many fronts.  Federal and state governments seek to restrict religious liberty by enacting laws contrary to the Holy Scriptures.  They expect the church to accommodate and adjust what it believes to be reprehensible.  If abortion is murder, which it is, no amount of time will make it less a violation of the fifth commandment.  If marriage is anything beyond the union of one man and one woman, there are unseen consequences ready to leap out of this Pandora ’s Box.  It is already starting. One woman wanted to marry herself.  Utah will no longer prosecute the laws prohibiting polygamy.  If marriage is “whatever” the fabric of society collapses. It will not be long before people marry their children, pets or stuffed animals.  The absurd will be commonplace.

A pastor in Arizona was arrested for holding a home Bible study.  Officials cited zoning laws prohibiting such meetings in a residential neighborhood.  Persecution will increase as Islam intensifies its campaign of terror and worldwide expansion.  Muslims will be given more protections even as yours are lost in the illiberal thinking that we mustn’t do anything to anger them.  Our Canadian brothers are already on guard against “hate speech” such as saying that the practice of homosexuality is sinful according to the Word of God.  It may not be far off before some of us are spending time in jail for being an unrepentant minister of the Gospel.  So be it.  Christians have faced worse.  Jesus experienced the ultimate hatred and rejection of mankind while being forsaken by the Father.

Listen again how Hebrews expresses this so eloquently.  But we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.  For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of salvation perfect through suffering.  For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source.  That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers (Hebrews 2:9-11).  Jesus knows your heart.  He understands your fears.  The Sanctifier and sanctified are in this together; you are not alone.  Jesus is the merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For because He Himself suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted (Hebrews 2:17-18).

Temptations abound.  Do you fear men more than God?  Repent.  Are you mushy in accurately dividing the Word of Truth?  Repent.  Do you condone sin so as not to offend the sinner?  Repent. Do you pass your days afraid of the very people you are called to serve?  Repent.  By now you may think: Maybe I should think about a different line of work and get out now before trouble begins in earnest.  I didn’t sign on for this.  I only wanted to help people and feel appreciated by them.  I didn’t expect to die for this gig.  Maybe I should look for the most out of the way place in the Synod and there live out my days in peace. Each of these temptations has a certain appeal to the flesh.  These, however, are not your calling.  Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.  For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2:1-3a)

One pernicious temptation is to go it alone.  Withdraw into yourself.  Withdraw from your brothers.  Trust no one.  Follow your instincts, trust your gut not your mind.  Watch out.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Lions kill by isolating an animal from the herd.  They chase, circle and attack.  The victim is allowed no rest.  Exhausted, injured or maimed the kill comes quickly.  We need each other now, more than ever lest we fall victim to the evil one.  Most of all we need the merciful and faithful High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The mutual consolation of the brothers goes a long way in strengthening weak hands and wobbly knees.  The forgiveness of sins spoken one to another puts into practice the apostolic mission breathed by Jesus on the disciples in the Upper Room.  Jesus wills that repentance and forgiveness of sins be proclaimed in His name to the whole world until He comes again.

Often overlooked in times like this are the very basic but profound truths of the Holy Scripture summarized so well in the Creeds.  The Lord, He is God, there is no other.  Why do the nations rage and its rulers against the Lord and His Anointed?  The Lord sits in the heavens and laughs at the foolishness of haughty, arrogant men who presume to dismiss God.  He knows their day is coming.  The Lord has established His Anointed on His holy hill.  The Father has put everything in subjection to Jesus Christ.  Oh, we don’t see it that way now.  But it is that way, now, and for eternity in Jesus.  We confess that the Triune God is the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.  Why do we live and conduct our ministries as if He was not?

The Lord knows you intimately.  He knew you from eternity and called you to be His own in Baptism.  He comes to us again this morning hidden in bread and wine bestowing His very body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins.  You have been called into the Holy Ministry in the Church’s usual order.  You have been ordained or commissioned to serve the Lord in your particular ministry and location.  Jesus remains as the merciful and faithful High Priest interceding even now for you and the whole Christian Church on earth.  He is able to help those who are being tempted because He Himself suffered while tempted.  The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3).  What is there to fear?  Amen.

A Brief Overview of Closed Communion

The following was prepared as a response for a brief presentation on closed Communion.  

Closed Communion & Koinonia

1 Corinthians 10

16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation (koinonia) in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation (koinonia) in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

1 Corinthians 11

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Acts 2

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

A Multi-Dimensional Celebration

In the Lord’s Supper there is a vertical component as the person receives the body and blood of Jesus in the bread and wine.  This is genuine koinonia with Christ.  There is also a horizontal element where the person shares koinonia with all who are communing at that altar and church. The Sacrament of the Altar is the highest form of koinonia Christians experience on earth.  They are one with Christ and with believers who share the same devotion to the apostles’ teaching.  The celebration of the Sacrament expresses unity on the horizontal level.  The presence of division at the Lord’s Supper prompts Paul to address the church in Corinth. He indicates that division breaks the unity and has no place at the Sacrament.

     We profess not only what we receive into our mouths but also confess our agreement with the teachings of the congregation confessed at that altar, pulpit and denomination. To admit people who hold a different profession of faith is both unloving and harmful to their salvation. We either make them into hypocrites who believe one thing and practice another, or we let them eat and drink judgment on themselves by not discerning the Lord’s body and blood (1 Corinthians 11:29).

Closed from the Start

     From the beginning days of the Church, Christians followed closed communion. Only those who are baptized, instructed and confess the same faith in the Lord Jesus Christ received the Sacrament of the Altar.  Visitors from other congregations needed examination or a letter of introduction from their bishop (pastor) before they would be admitted to the Lord’s Table.  By the third century there was a rite of dismissal for those who were not baptized, receiving instruction or under church discipline.  They would be dismissed with prayer from the Divine Service to continue instruction under a deacon while the faithful celebrated the Sacrament behind the closed doors of the church.  Their rationale was simple.  “The Holy Things of God for the holy people of God.”  They cited Matthew 7:6 for not communing those who were not admitted to the Sacrament.   “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”

The Universal Practice of the Church

     Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutherans and other Christians practice closed communion today.  It was during the 19th and 20th centuries where the practiced changed among Protestants who did not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper.  It was only in the latter half of the 20th century when Lutherans began to practice open communion.  Lutherans remain divided on church fellowship and the Sacrament of the Altar.

The ELCA - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

     The ELCA practices an extreme open communion policy and have declared themselves in altar fellowship with such diverse groups as the Anglicans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians and the United Church in Christ.  In some cases only baptism remains as the requirement for attending the Lord’s Supper.  In this diversity one can believe about anything regarding the Sacrament.  1) It could be the real body and Christ for us Christians to eat and drink; 2) It is simply a memorial meal where we eat bread and drink wine while our thoughts ascend heavenward to Jesus; 3) It is a command of Jesus that we do this in remembrance of Him but it has no power to forgive sins or give us Jesus’ body and blood in bread and wine. The Lord Jesus is much clearer on this topic than many wish to believe.

      Within the ELCA the Bible contains the Word of God.  Missouri Synod Lutherans believe teach and confess that the Bible is the Word of God.  The difference is the “continental divide” within Christendom today.  When the Bible merely contains God’s Word it has other words mixed in and we can’t be sure of anything.  The worst case scenario is that anything goes.  The world writes the agenda and the church follows.  This is the rationale behind women pastors and the acceptance of gay clergy. The next issue for apostasy will appear shortly as the world turns further away from Christ.

Conclusion

Closed communion remains the practice of the majority of Christians worldwide. It is the Biblical teaching of the Sacrament of the Altar that we retain in The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.