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The Church is "evangelical"---Lenten Midweek 3

2/27/2013

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The church, by her very nature, is evangelical. The English word “evangelical” comes from a Greek word that means “good news.” That Greek word is often translated as “Gospel.” And so when we say that the church is evangelical, we are saying that it is based in the message of the full and free forgiveness of sins. We are announcing that there is good news for the least, the last, the lost.

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The Kyrie Way is Always a Sure Thing---2nd Sunday in Lent

2/24/2013

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This is the second of a series about the Divine Service.

Part 1: Confession & Absolution
Part 2: the "Kyrie Eleison"
Part 3: the "Gloria in Excelsis"
Part 4: the "Creed"
Part 5: the "Sanctus"
Part 6: the "Agnus Dei"

Genesis 32:22-32
1 Thessalonians 4:1-7
Matthew 15:21-28

In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

On Sunday mornings, after the Confession and Absolution, we cry out Kyrie Elieson, “Lord have mercy.” We have just received mercy in Christ’s absolution. Why do we need more? Because to cry Kyrie eleison is a command. It is to trust in your God. It is the exercise of your faith. It is to stand up from your humble kneeling position before God to take your place as His beloved child.

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The Church is "catholic"---Lent2 midweek

2/20/2013

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Part of our shared midweek Lenten Service series "The Church is: ..."

Ash Wednesday: "Liturgical"
Week 2: "catholic"
Week 3: "evangelical"
Week 4: "orthodox"
Week 5: "confessional"
Week 6: "apostolic"
Holy Thursday: "Sacramental"
Good Friday: "Cruciform"
Easter Sunday: "The One Holy Church"

In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

What comes to mind when you hear the word “catholic?” The Pope? Benedict XVI’s recent resignation? The smell of incense at a funeral? Maybe you think of social service organizations like the Knights of Columbus or health care initiatives like the St. Joseph’s Care Group? These things and many more belong to the Roman Catholic Church.

Roman Catholics have traditionally declared that they are the only real and true church. For Roman Catholics the church is identified by a structure, by belonging to an institution, by submission to the pope. In response, Luther writes in one of our public statements of faith, “We do not agree with them that they are the Church. They are not the Church. Nor will we listen to those things that, under the name of Church, they command or forbid. Thank God, a seven year old child knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers who hear the voice of their Shepherd. For the children pray, “I believe in one holy Christian Church.” This holiness does not come from albs, tonsures, long gowns, and other ceremonies they made up without Holy Scripture, but from God’s Word and true faith.” SA 3.XII

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Absolute[tion] Armour---First Sunday in Lent

2/17/2013

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This is the first of a series about the Divine Service.
Part 1: Confession & Absolution
Part 2: the "Kyrie Eleison"
Part 3: the "Gloria in Excelsis"
Part 4: the "Creed"
Part 5: the "Sanctus"
Part 6: the "Agnus Dei"

1 Samuel 17:40-51
2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Matthew 4:1-11

In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Our Lord had just been baptized by John the Baptizer. His Father had declared, “This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I take pleasure.” His Baptism declared it. He is God’s Son. God’s beloved. The One He is exceedingly pleased with. Your baptism declares this. You are God’s Son. His beloved. The One He is exceedingly pleased with.

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Ash Wednesday---The Church is "liturgical"

2/13/2013

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Part of our shared midweek Lenten Service series "The Church is: ..."

Ash Wednesday: "Liturgical"
Week 2: "catholic"
Week 3: "evangelical"
Week 4: "orthodox"
Week 5: "confessional"
Week 6: "apostolic"
Holy Thursday: "Sacramental"
Good Friday: "Cruciform"
Easter Sunday: "The One Holy Church"

In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Luther defined the Church this way: "a seven-year-old child knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers and lambs who hear the voice of their Shepherd." In other words, the Church is the flock of God with the sheep and lambs listening to and led by the voice of Her Shepherd Jesus Christ. Similarly the Church is the body of Christ with Christ as its head leading it, guiding it, directing it. Thus, in order to be Church and be connected to Jesus Christians must gather together to hear Jesus. That is the Church: Jesus and His bride together.

That’s why you can’t be a Christian in isolation. A Christian is part of the flock. Together with the flock a Christian hears the voice of the Good Shepherd. Together with the rest of the Body Christ serves and makes decisions, like what to feed His Body, for the benefit of His Body. Thus, if you are not hearing and following the Good Shepherd with the flock, for reasons other than your undershepherd in a particular place is speaking falsehood in God’s name and refuses to be admonished and repent, then you are isolating self from the Church. You are not listening to Christ. You are amputating yourself off of Christ. You are sinning. The Church exists to be a refuge from world, hospital for sinners, place to receive medicine of life, to hear saviour, to be surgically reattached to Him.

But with a basic definition of the Church in place I want to talk about the marks of the Church. We start today on Ash Wednesday with the Church is “liturgical”. And there are three common definitions to that word that we need to understand.

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The Moveable Temple---Quinquagesima

2/10/2013

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1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 18:31-43

In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

From the time God gave the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai till after King David God dwelt in a moveable temple. In a tent called the Tabernacle. This was a necessity. God’s people, newly freed from slavery in Egypt, were nomadic until they conquered the Promised Land. Even after the conquest of the Land it took many generations to settle and fill the Land. Thus there was no fixed place for God’s temple for hundreds of years. At times our God is ultimately pragmatic. At other times He does not care about pragmatism one bit and does what makes no sense to us. But whether God seems sensible in one case or unreasonable in another, we should always ask: what does this teach us?

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Soil Samples—Sexagesima

2/3/2013

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Isaiah 55:10-13
Hebrews 4:9-13
Luke 8:4-21

In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Parables are always wily and difficult to understand. This is not just because we are 2000 years removed from the culture they were spoken to and the speaker they were spoken by. Nor is it because things get lost in translation from one language to another. Parables are hard to understand because the purpose of a parable is to hide God in plain sight. So that hearing a parable you can hear but not understand, and can see but be blind to what it reveals. The secret to understanding parables is hearing them with faith. The secret of hearing with faith is having a preacher to preach, teach, and explain the Gospel to you. For faith comes by hearing. Hearing comes by a preacher. Preachers are sent by God. (Romans 10:13-17)

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The Church is "evangelical"---Lenten Midweek 3

The Kyrie Way is Always a Sure Thing---2nd Sunday in Lent

The Church is "catholic"---Lent2 midweek

Absolute[tion] Armour---First Sunday in Lent

Ash Wednesday---The Church is "liturgical"

The Moveable Temple---Quinquagesima

Soil Samples—Sexagesima

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