Easter 6 Sermon

May 25^th, 2014 – John 16:23-33

Christ is Risen (He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia) Amen +

          The Christian lives his life in two spheres, two different angles or approaches.  On the one hand, part of the Christian life deals with God.  There is the Christian’s relationship with the Father.  We can call this the vertical relationship, the relationship between God and you.  On the other hand, part of the Christian life deals with the neighbor.  We all are in relationship with all the people around us, we relate to the entire world.  We can call this the horizontal relationship, it is the relationship between your neighbor and you.  These are the angles or approaches we have to life – everything deals either with our relationship to God or with our relationship to our neighbor.  In fact, that is how Jesus sums up the entirety of the Law – love God, love your neighbor.  Every other teaching of the law is just an expansion of one of these ideas.

          What Jesus teaches His disciples, and us, today, is that both of these relationships, your relationship with God and your relationships with your neighbors, both of these are grounded in Christ Jesus.  Your relationships, all of them, are completely impacted and influenced by what Jesus has done.  And so today, we here are going to look what Christ has done for every relationship we have.

          I have said these things to you in figures of speech.  The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.  In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.  One of the things that we hear, that we talk about as Christians, is our relationship with God.  To be honest, a lot of times I find most of the talk that goes on about our relationship with God to be dull, boring, overly sentimental and tacky.  Why do I say this?  Because we can treat our relationship with God just like any other relationship – we will talk about how it makes us feel, what we get out of it, or end up silly little love songs about it more befitting a junior high “romance”.  We can treat this relationship very casually, and when we do that, we lose something – we lose the sense of wonder and awe that we ought to have, the sense of wonder and awe that we hear from David in our introit, wonder and awe that God actually hears him.

          As I am wont to do, I am going to point you to the Garden of Eden – because in understanding creation and the fall, you understand so many things.  So Adam and Eve sin, and what do they do?  They hide from God.  God comes, they hide in the garden.  Why?  Because they have sinned.  Because they have broken God’s Law, and that Law now requires death.  They deserve punishment, they deserve anger and wrath.  They have opposed the Almighty – and so there is nothing left for them themselves but to fear.  That is the state that you and I are in by nature.  If left to our own devices, the only reaction we could have to God is to be afraid.  If left to our own devices, we could only expect God’s wrath.

          Yet what does Christ say to us today?  In that day you will ask in My name; and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father Himself loves you.  Do you see the wonder there?  Do you see the change, the depth, how radically different things are because of Christ Jesus and what He has done?  We will ask the Father in the Name of Jesus – we will pray in Christ’s Name.  We can be so casual with our prayer.  How often do you sort of zone out in the prayers of the Church – how often is the mealtime prayer said as quickly as possible, if not forgotten?  How often is the Lord’s Prayer just sort of said on autopilot?  We’ve become so casual with God that we lose the sense of wonder that we ought to have.  Here we are, sinful beings, beings who have transgressed against God Almighty – and Christ Jesus comes – Christ Jesus comes and takes God’s wrath and anger in our place upon the Cross – and so Jesus says to us, “Everything is fine now – ask in My Name.”  We don’t have to hide from God anymore – we approach Him in the Name of Christ Jesus – we approach Him as those who have been Baptized, those who have had Christ’s Name applied to us.  We no longer hide from God, but we go to God covered in the Blood of the Lamb.  Do you see the wonder in that?  Do you see how beyond anything else we will ever have in this life that this is?  This is the implication, the result of forgiveness.  God is Your Father now, you are His baptized child, and as such He desires to hear your prayers, desires to continually give you forgiveness over and over.  You are redeemed by Christ, and that changes your entire approach to God – which is something we should never take for granted.  When we praise God, when David praises the deeds of God – the biggest deed David praises this idea – that God hears him and has mercy.  This is the true wonder.  And all because of what Christ Jesus has done, all in His name.

          And dear friends, just as our relationship with the Father is established in Christ, so to our relationship with our neighbors is established in Christ.  Hear what Christ Jesus says.  I have said these things to you, that in this world you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.  Living in a fallen world is difficult.  You all know this.  We are surrounded by all sorts of things that just aren’t right.  There are the random things that go wrong – the weather, things breaking down, all these kinds of things.  And then there are other people in the world, who are unkind, unjust, hurtful.  Even our own bodies betray us – we slow down, we ache, we hurt, we can’t do what we want to.  All of this Jesus sums up as tribulation.  All these things point out and remind us that we are still in the fallen world, that the end is drawing nigh.  Wars and rumors of war, famine and earthquakes, all remind us that things are messed up.

So how do we live in a world like this?  What do we do?  One option, the sinful option, the option we often take, is to play by the world’s rules.  If someone hits me – I hit back, and harder.  If someone takes what is mine, I take it back.  If someone hates me I hate them back.  In this way of thinking the burden falls to me – I have to conquer, I have to endure, I have to slug it out and make things better for me.  So what is that type of life like?  Is it a happy life?  I find I don’t like arguing that much.  Is it a calm life?  Living like that can be quite agitating.  Is it a peaceful life?  No, living like that is tiring and hard and hopeless.  Why?  Because living like that is sinful.  What does God tell us to do with our neighbor?  Are we to hate them?  Are we to leech off of them and use them?  Are we to conquer over them?  No – we are to love them.  Our every thought, word, and deed is to be for their benefit.  All too often though, we think sinfully, we let the old Adam, our sinful nature have its way, and then we strive and connive, we have no rest – for there is indeed no rest for the wicked.

Yet what does our Lord say?  But take heart; I have overcome the world.  Your sinful nature says that you must fight and strive in the world.  Your sinful nature says that you have to fight and scratch and claw for everything in life.  Jesus says you don’t because He has already overcome the world.  Let’s look at this for a moment.  Is there anything you need in this life that Jesus doesn’t provide for you?  Is there any blessing that you can somehow get apart from Christ?  No, of course not.  We receive all our blessings from God.  The problem comes in when our sinful nature wants us not to receive gifts from God, but to take from our neighbor.  And the sinful nature really kicks in when we are wronged, when people do bad things to us.  See, you have to stand up for yourself and fight.  Jesus says no.  Christ is the one who defeats sin – He has fought the good fight.  That is what He did when He went to the Cross and died, not just for your sin, not just for the sins of the people who are nice, but for the sins of the whole world.  On the cross, Christ overcame the world.

Do you see how this impacts your relationship with the people around you in the world?  Let us say that someone sins against you – does you great harm.  What do you do?  Lash back in anger?  Do you seek to make things “right” – by which we mean make things the way we want them to be?  We don’t have to and in fact ought not do either of those.  Rather, we remember this – that sin done against you – Christ died for it.  He paid the punishment for it upon the cross – and if Christ has died for it how can we bear ill will towards someone for what they have done?  We relate to our neighbor in Christ – and when we see things they do that are hurtful – we simply see one more thing that Christ died for, one more thing that Christ has conquered over.  Therefore, it’s not my job to punish, or hate, or destroy those who wrong me.  Moreover – does anything that anyone does to me change the fact that Christ Jesus has died for my sins and provides me life, salvation, and every blessing I need here in this life?  No.  Therefore as Christians we are to fight against our own sinful flesh - that is the good fight – not against our neighbor but against our own sinful desires.  Christ frees us from our sin, frees us to beat down our temptations, frees us to show love.  Jesus takes care of us – we don’t have to worry about ourselves; show love to any and to all.  Because of what Christ has done we are freed from hatred and strife with the neighbor.  Do you feel anger at anyone for what they have done – are you upset at how they have slighted you – there is a big truth – Christ has overcome them and their wickedness, and Christ gives you all that you need – see Him and what He has done for you – have peace.

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  If we only looked to Christ, if we only had our eyes upon Him at all times, life would be so much smoother.  We would see and remember the wonder that we now have a restored relationship with the Father – because Christ Jesus has died for our sin.  We would look at the world with a completely different approach, seeing not enemies or foes, but seeing how God has richly blessed us and set us free from lives of hatred and anger by His forgiveness.  And we know this – this is nothing new.  Yet our sinful nature strives against Christ – and so our Lord Jesus speaks His Word, draws our eyes again to Him.  He says, “You are forgiven for My sake – this is the reality, the fact that shapes your entire life.”  And when our eyes wander, He speaks to us again, so that we might learn to see Him and only Him, that our faith may grow, that we might more happily and contentedly walk with Him wherever our lives lead us.  Christ Jesus truly is our all in all.  God grant that by His Word we see this ever more clearly.  Christ is Risen!

The Folly of the Boycott

"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail^, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

One of the most commonly used weapons in church politics is the threat to withhold money.  Whether it is the guy in the congregation who doesn't get his way and stops giving, or the congregation that wants to "learn the district" a lesson - that seems to be the solution.  Cut off the money.  That will show them.

It's been the conservative way - at least in my life time.  The way of the boycott.  I remember in the 80s, I as a kid couldn't keep track of which store we were supposed to boycott and not use because they did something or other.  And you know what happened?  The stores adapted, moved on, and cared less about us.

Seriously - if you don't shop at a store - why should they CARE what you think?  The boycott, the removal of funds is the nuclear option - it is useful not to persuade or shift opinion, it is only useful to destroy (and then only useful if there are enough of you to actually destroy it).

Now, consider.  Let's say you are part of the Conservative group in the LCMS - and you don't like the district... so you get mad, and get your congregation to give less and less to the district.  You know what you have done - you've made yourself irrelevant.  You've cut off your influence. If you get mad, so what?

It ain't shrewd.

Conservative guys - you want to start influencing the districts?  Double what you  give to district.  Triple it.  Make it to where 75% of the funds in the district come from Conservative congregations... make the district your friend by mammon -- because it's an organization, it runs on mammon.  Then your words will carry weight - 75% of the weight.  Enough weight to where if the "libs" decide to take their ball and go home -- don't worry, do what is right, what you need to, we have your back DP.

But, alas, the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.

Of course, a lot of this is because we would rather crush our enemies than love them, care for them, pray for them, and with patience and endurance and care turn them to friends.  Oh well.

No Longer One of the Cool Kids

There's that moment when you realize that you are no longer one of the cool kids.

Now, yes, those of you who know me in person will say, "Eric, you NEVER were one of the cool kids."  Socially, I will grant you that.  I'm a nerd, it's okay.  I have been in the Ministry 10 years.  I've been paying pretty close attention to LCMS political-religious stuff for 20 (my dad is a mentor and a teacher.. he brought me to Nebraska confessional meetings while I was in High School).

And keep in mind, some of this is just me being retrospective as I'm coming up on 10 years in the pulpit, and I've been thinking about what I am teaching now and what I taught then and what my dad taught 20 years ago.

I guess I'm not one of the cool kids anymore.  Not because *I* changed that much.  Nope, the "cool" game has changed. 

See, I tend to be steadfast in my loyalties.  As said above, I'm a nerd - a Star Wars Nerd, to be specific.  And yes, there are other things I love and enjoy - Transformers when I was a kid, Firefly, Dr. Who - but my first great love has always been and remains Star Wars.  We are turning the office into my second son's room, so I got to reshelve my Star Wars books... I saw my fandom put forth in tangible means - and the consistency of that fandom.  Stuck with the Expanded Universe novels since it's 1991 rebirth.  And then picked up the older novels from the late 70s as well.

Eh, Star Wars Nerds are not the chief nerds anymore - they might be again if the new movies are really HOT... but maybe not.  Thus is life.  The world swirls around me, and I am who I am.

I'm not one of the cool kids theologically anymore, either.

My great love, trained in me by my father, has always been simply the Gospel.  Christ Crucified for sinners.  That's the point.  Always the point.

And for a while, that kept me with the cool kids, or at least tied to them.  Sure, you support the traditional liturgy, not because you *must* but for the sake of the Gospel which it so clearly declares (wasn't that Luther's approach?).  Sure, I'd support these candidates, because they better taught the Gospel.  Sure, I'd study the Confessions - for they are a beautiful exposition of the Gospel.

Well... the winds have changed.  I think Presidents Obama and Harrison were the death knell for my coolness.  In the world - ack, the libs have the white house, we have got to do something!  In the church, we've got power and control, we have the guy who cracks the Law Whip, so let's nag him more and more to use it to fix the church.  And that's just not... me.  Where's the Gospel?

And so, most of the causes of the day... I stick out like a sore thumb.  An ignored watchman.  Where's the Gospel?  Where's the Scripture?  Where's Christ in all this?

Alas, I am no longer involved in all the happy planning that goes on.  I am a man without a political home.  I'm too "conservative" for the liberals (although a nice enough fellow)... I'm not one of the club with the Conservatives.  No one involves me in their political plottings anymore.

Of course, that means I'm still just where I started.  With the Gospel.  On Christ the solid rock - and as I see all the panicked swirling and discontent and fear in the sinking sand of social and political issues around me... that's not a bad place to be.

Maybe someday the Gospel will be cool again.  When it is, y'all are all welcomed back.

Revelation 2:4

Easter 5 Sermon

Easter 5 – May 18^th, 2014 – John 16:5-15

Christ is Risen (He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia) Amen.
          There are some texts that Pastors just love to preach, and then there are some that cause Pastors a bit of struggle, where there are things in the text that they just might not like, or might not be comfortable with – and this is one of those for me.  And the line that tends to… annoy me, to get my gut reaction up and against it is when Jesus says, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away.”  And note, none of this is a surprise to Jesus – He knew quite well that I and many others like me wouldn’t like this idea of His “going away”, His “ascension.”  Because there is a part of me, the part of me that craves glory and public validation, that is quite annoyed with Christ Jesus that He ascended.  I have non-believing friends, I get mocked for my beliefs, I have trials and temptations and moments of doubt – why in tarnation Jesus couldn’t you have just hung around here on earth – that would have had to told those doubters what for… that would have silenced my own fears.

          Or so my old sinful flesh likes to tell me.  But Jesus says otherwise.  It is to your advantage that I go away.  Why?  Well, consider this.  In the Garden, Adam and Eve were used to taking afternoon strolls with God – and they still fell.  God would chat with Cain – still killed Abel, still was able to baldface lie to God when God asked him where Abel was.  The Children of Israel crossed through the Red Sea, saw the pillar of Cloud lead them, the Glory of God rested upon Mt. Sinai.  Still, they made their golden calf, still they grumbled in the desert.  And you know what – even if Christ Jesus hadn’t ascended and was still wandering around Jerusalem taking selfies with tourists… we’d still be sinful men and women today, there would still be grumblings and idolatry and lying to God.  The status quo, the way things had been going, they couldn’t carry on.  Jesus needed to put a stop to it – He needed to do something different.  “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send Him to you.”  Nope, it’s time for something different – it is time for the Helper, for the Holy Spirit, for the Lord and Giver of Life.  Because that was the problem – at Creation we had received life, God had breathed into our nostrils the breath of life, the Spirit came and gave life.  And then, we sinned.  Life was lost.  And so Christ comes to redeem us, to give us life – and He does that by giving us His Holy Spirit through His Word.  This is important – wherever Christ’s Word is, wherever the Word of God is proclaimed, there the Holy Spirit will be doing His work.  And what is the Holy Spirit’s job?  Jesus calls Him the Helper – the Comforter, as the older translations would put it – the “Paraclete”.  That’s a Greek word that denotes one who accompanies you, who speaks to you to give you advice, who speaks for you – in Greek your defense lawyer would be a “Paraclete”.  The one who helps you with what to say, the one who comforts you when the prosecuter is making the case against you – “Don’t worry, you’re going to be declared not guilty, this one is in the bag.”  Knowing the troubles we face in this world, the way Satan, the Accuser (which is the old fashioned term for what we would call a prosecutor today) will hound you – Christ for your own good sends you the Holy Spirit to be with you and defend you.

          Now, there is one other point to make clear before we go on – something to say so that we don’t careen off into false doctrine and craziness.  Listen and note how in the rest of this passage, the Spirit is always tied to speaking Christ’s Word, proclaiming Christ.  When we are talking about the Holy Spirit, we aren’t talking about people claiming that God zapped them and told them to buy stock in this company or build giant buildings or what have you.  The Spirit deals with the Word of God – and if you want the Spirit to be active in your life, you don’t go meditate off in a corner – you hear the Scriptures, the Word of God.  When the Spirit comes upon the Apostles on Pentecost, Peter starts His preaching by quoting the prophet Joel, by quoting the Word of God.  When the Spirit falls upon the Apostles, they write Scripture as moved by that Spirit – so that we have the Word of God whereby the Spirit works.  The Spirit works through the Word.  And here is how He does so.

          “When He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”  We get three things here, three solid, unshakable truths that the Spirit will proclaim.  This is Jesus telling us what the main points of Scripture are, what the truths that the Church will be proclaiming until He comes again.  First, the Spirit will speak “concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me.”  The Word and the Spirit proclaim this unassailable truth.  All sin, all wickedness is tied to unbelief, is tied to the first commandment – you shall have no other Gods before me.  Sin is always unbelief, is always fearing or loving or trusting something more than God – no matter how our sinful flesh tries to dance around it.  When you worry about what the mockers say more than what God has said – that’s fear trying to drop a load of unbelief at your door.  When you run off after power and wealth and pleasure – that’s love of the world trying to drop off a load of unbelief at your door.  When you worry about wealth and power and money – that’s your sinful nature twisting trust into unbelief.  And while we are in this life, until Christ returns, we are going to have to struggle with Sin – and the Holy Spirit won’t let us forget that.  He will wield the Word of God so as to show us our sin, to show us our lack, to show us our unbelief, so that like that pious man in the Gospel, we cry out, “Lord, I believe – help my unbelief!”

          But the Spirit does not stop there.  [He will speak] “concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will no longer see Me.”  This is an old fashioned bit of logic, a way of speaking that we can miss out on today.  The Holy Spirit will proclaim righteousness, justification, will proclaim that Christ Jesus has done everything needed to win you your forgiveness and declare you innocent, forgiven, righteous and just.  And how, what is the evidence that you are indeed forgiven, that Christ’s Cross and death and resurrection is enough for your forgiveness.  He has gone to the Father.  He is seated at the right hand of the Father, as we confess in the creed.  There’s no more work to be done, He’s done it all.  It is finished.  Nothing left to do.  He has all authority.  And this too is the great truth the Spirit of God proclaims through the Word in the Church.  It is finished.  You are forgiven.  Jesus has accomplished all that He came to do.  The Spirit is in charge of the Gospel – and every jot and tittle of God’s Law has been fulfilled, every I has been dotted, every T has been crossed by Christ, and you are forgiven.  Period.  That is the proclamation of the Spirit.

          And then one more thing.  [He will speak] “concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”  The Church will speak about judgment, about judgment day and what is to come – but note how we are to proclaim this.  It’s not that we preach Judgment Day as in “I don’t know how it’s going to go for you.”  We preach it as Martin Luther had us sing it.  This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will – he can harm us none, he’s judged, the deed is done.  Over and against all the rantings and ravings of Satan, this truth remains – Christ.  Christ has been crucified, Christ has been raised, and you are redeemed, and there ain’t a thing Satan can do about it.  You are forgiven, and Christ shall come again, and it will all be put right, for good forever. 

          This is the truth the Spirit proclaims, this is what the Word of God teaches, this is the summation of what the Church is to proclaim.  There is sin – Christ has won you forgiveness for that sin, and He shall come again to judge – that is, He will declare you to be living, and Satan and all His host He shall finally remove to where they bother you and trouble you no more.  And this truth the Spirit will proclaim through the Word of God throughout this entire globe.  This is what the time of the New Testament is, the time of the Church, these Last Days in which we are in truly are.  Listen to how Christ wraps this all up.  “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, for He will declare to you the things that are to come.”  Again, dense language, a style that we in our dumbed down modern ways don’t use much any more.  What is Christ saying?  You, disciples – you aren’t going to understand this because I haven’t been crucified or raised yet.  But after my resurrection, I will teach you, I will open up the Scripture to you, and I will send you the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  And note – this is the Spirit of Truth – and remember, Jesus said, “I Am the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life.”  This is the Spirit of Christ that will guide you into all the Christ – all the things about Jesus and what He has done for you and for the world that you need to know.  And it’s going to be about Christ – for the Spirit isn’t making things up but is speaking in accordance with Christ’s authority – all authority on heaven and earth has been given to Me, says Christ.  And the Spirit will tell you what was to come – Christ is Crucified, is Risen, and shall come again.  Sin, righteousness, and judgment.

          “He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”  And what does the Spirit do by the Word in the Church to this day?  Declares what is Christ’s and gives it to you.  Christ is righteous – and you have been baptized, and thus you are righteous.  Christ is Holy – and you have been baptized, and thus you are holy.  Christ has won forgiveness – and I say to you that you are forgiven.  Christ is living – and thus He says to you, take and eat, this is My Body, given for you.  Take and drink, this is My blood, shed for you.  All that belongs to Christ, all that He is, all that He won with His life and death and resurrection – He gives to you, daily and richly in His Church, by His Spirit working through the Word, whether that is the Word preached and proclaimed, whether that is the Word tied to water in Baptism, or whether it is the Word tied to Bread and Wine so that you receive Christ’s Body and Blood.  The Spirit does His job, and it is for your advantage, for now, this day, you receive all the good and love and forgiveness and holiness that Christ has won for you, and you are indeed richly forgiven and have life in His name.  Amen.  Christ is Risen!

Ten Habits for Pastors

So a friend of mine on facebook, who is not prone to the "hippie" sort of thing, linked to this list of 10 Habits of Remotionally resiliant people.  And you know what - it's really good... especially for Pastors!

Now, of course, this is simple, practical wisdom, but worth a bit of time an pondering.  But being a Pastor can be a highly emotional, excitable thing... and generally we don't want to be excitable.  As Igantius of Antioch pointed out, the Bishop (that's you, parish pastor) is to be feared, and all the more when he is silent.  That is... pay attention, especially when the Bishop is in control of himself.

1. Wait for what’s right instead of acting on what you want right now.
Yup, just like the classic Stanford marshmallow experiment, this is about impulse control — the ability to stop and consider whether you want to act on a desire. For example, when a family member makes you angry, your immediate response might be to lash out. However, impulse control allows you to pause and assess whether that’s really the best course of action in the long run. Delaying gratification and controlling our urges allows us to choose actions that align with our best intentions.
2. Sit with discomfort.
Similar to the above tip, those who are emotionally resilient are able to tolerate discomfort. Remember that thing you said out of anger? Or out of hunger? How would that response have been different if you had tolerated your discomfort for an hour? While tip one was about choosing the best action, this is about sitting with an emotion without taking any action.
3. Get some perspective.
If you’ve ever said to yourself, “Hindsight is 20/20″ then you recognize the possibility that it may be true for your current situation. Often, when we’re in the trenches, it’s hard to see the bigger picture. Sometimes things happen for you, not TO you. What seems painful now might actually be the gift you couldn’t give yourself.
4. Practice acceptance.
Acceptance is not the same as complacence. It’s not about giving up and letting the stress take over — it’s about experiencing your emotions and trusting that you’ll bounce back.
5. Remember the power of time.
The emotionally resilient remember that time heals all wounds. People who have a tendency to feel depressed often fear spiraling back into it, but feeling an emotion is not the same as getting caught in it. Think back to the last time you felt like this. You may have thought it was the end of the world, but you recovered. The same is true now.
6. Let go of having all the answers right now.
Often, when we try hard to find answers to challenging questions, we unknowingly put our blinders on. We are so consumed with having answers on our schedule that we forget that we only receive when we are ready. The emotionally resilient remember that it’s okay to not have it all figured out.
7. Engage in self-care.
Emotionally resilient people know that self-care is a non-negotiable. It’s a daily practice and commitment to self that strengthens their inner resolve. Ranging from exercise, to meditation, to a cup of tea, the resilient have go-to stress busters that don’t involve hitting the bottle.
8. Laugh it off.
Sometimes things just suck, and you simply need to laugh it off. Humor goes a long way.
9. Choose to be happy above being right.
Emotionally resilient people know that being right is not what will make them happy. Sure, it’s nice to be right, but it’s better to be happy. Ask yourself if picking a fight is really worth it. Are you fighting to resolve the situation, or fighting to win it? In any moment you can choose what’s more important to you: the relationship or your pride.
10. Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, the resilient focus on what’s right.
Remember, where attention goes, energy flows. So why not cultivate more of what you want instead of what you don’t. There’s always something to be thankful for.
Ultimately, emotional resilience is all about attitude. By practicing these ten responses to stress, you’ll be able to spend more time living with ease and grace, spending more time in the light with fleeting moments of darkness!

Read more at http://www.the-open-mind.com/10-habits-of-emotionally-resilient-people/#4fjolXoWSgCKkVhg.99

1. Wait for what’s right instead of acting on what you want right now.
Yup, just like the classic Stanford marshmallow experiment, this is about impulse control — the ability to stop and consider whether you want to act on a desire. For example, when a family member makes you angry, your immediate response might be to lash out. However, impulse control allows you to pause and assess whether that’s really the best course of action in the long run. Delaying gratification and controlling our urges allows us to choose actions that align with our best intentions.
2. Sit with discomfort.
Similar to the above tip, those who are emotionally resilient are able to tolerate discomfort. Remember that thing you said out of anger? Or out of hunger? How would that response have been different if you had tolerated your discomfort for an hour? While tip one was about choosing the best action, this is about sitting with an emotion without taking any action.
3. Get some perspective.
If you’ve ever said to yourself, “Hindsight is 20/20″ then you recognize the possibility that it may be true for your current situation. Often, when we’re in the trenches, it’s hard to see the bigger picture. Sometimes things happen for you, not TO you. What seems painful now might actually be the gift you couldn’t give yourself.
4. Practice acceptance.
Acceptance is not the same as complacence. It’s not about giving up and letting the stress take over — it’s about experiencing your emotions and trusting that you’ll bounce back.
5. Remember the power of time.
The emotionally resilient remember that time heals all wounds. People who have a tendency to feel depressed often fear spiraling back into it, but feeling an emotion is not the same as getting caught in it. Think back to the last time you felt like this. You may have thought it was the end of the world, but you recovered. The same is true now.
6. Let go of having all the answers right now.
Often, when we try hard to find answers to challenging questions, we unknowingly put our blinders on. We are so consumed with having answers on our schedule that we forget that we only receive when we are ready. The emotionally resilient remember that it’s okay to not have it all figured out.
7. Engage in self-care.
Emotionally resilient people know that self-care is a non-negotiable. It’s a daily practice and commitment to self that strengthens their inner resolve. Ranging from exercise, to meditation, to a cup of tea, the resilient have go-to stress busters that don’t involve hitting the bottle.
8. Laugh it off.
Sometimes things just suck, and you simply need to laugh it off. Humor goes a long way.
9. Choose to be happy above being right.
Emotionally resilient people know that being right is not what will make them happy. Sure, it’s nice to be right, but it’s better to be happy. Ask yourself if picking a fight is really worth it. Are you fighting to resolve the situation, or fighting to win it? In any moment you can choose what’s more important to you: the relationship or your pride.
10. Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, the resilient focus on what’s right.
Remember, where attention goes, energy flows. So why not cultivate more of what you want instead of what you don’t. There’s always something to be thankful for.
Ultimately, emotional resilience is all about attitude. By practicing these ten responses to stress, you’ll be able to spend more time living with ease and grace, spending more time in the light with fleeting moments of darkness!

Read more at http://www.the-open-mind.com/10-habits-of-emotionally-resilient-people/#4fjolXoWSgCKkVhg.99

Jesus says what?

This part of the church year, the end of the Easter Season, means that if you are using the 1 year lectionary, you will hear Jesus teach in John 16 over and over and over again.  I used to wonder at that (and even be semi-annoyed by that - I like moving to different parts of Scripture).  I now have concluded that this time was wisdom.

Consider - we have just come off of Easter, off of the great high of the Church Year.  And then what happens?  We return to life in the world.  And what do we see around us?  Troubles.  Problems.  But wait -- we just had Easter, joy, happiness... and then there is this?

Right after Easter we tend to get a big old World Sandwich.  And the temptation we have is always to ignore the world, or come up with our own plans to fight the world, to win the world for Jesus.  Over and against that, hear our Lord in John 16:

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Once again, the proclamation is peace.  Once again the declaration is, sure, the world is going to be messed up, and you know what, it always is going to be until He comes again.

What part of "you will have tribulation" do you not understand?  Oh, sure, your sinful flesh thinks he can worm his way out of it - he thinks he can out plan or out politic the world and make everything great.  Your old sinful flesh is wrong.  In this world, you will have tribulation.

Your hope is not to be placed in overcoming or avoiding tribulation.  Ain't going to happen.  Your way of escape is not to go along with the world either - a temptation we commonly see people fall prey to today.  No, your hope is Christ Jesus.

He has overcome the world. 

Really.  He has died, He is risen.  This world will pass, and you will inherit the Earth in Him. 

Really.  Really really.  That's His whole point.  

You see the world falling apart around you, you feel those temptations to start biting other dogs lest ye be bitten?  Relax.  Be at peace.  Take heart.  Over and against that truth, that reality of the messed up world stands this truth.  Christ Jesus has overcome the world.

The Great Social Problems of the Day

So, what are the great social problems of the day that the Church has to deal with, and how do we stop them?  Is it Gay Marriage?  Is it Abortion?  Legalization of drugs?  Poverty?  The War on Christmas?  What are we to do as society is all mucked up?

I hear a lot of responses to these problems, and I am disheartened.  So often they are mere political screeds, talking points that you could hear on any right-wing radio -- arguments about natural law that the virtuous heathen in the outer layer of Dante's hell could give.  No Christ.  No Scripture.  Nothing Catechism-based.

I think this started long ago.  You know what the root of these problems is -- Evolution, and more importantly, our response to Evolution.

Consider - all good, conservative, bible believing people know that we have to fight the "scourge of Evolution"... and so we started debating there.  We were not content to merely confess what the Scriptures say, content to say, "Well, if a Scientist assumes there is no God, or at least no divine intervention, he isn't going to understand the world"... nope.  Let's debate science with science.

And we abandoned the Scriptures, we abandoned the Scriptural teaching of creation.  And now those chickens are coming home to roost.

Don't believe me?  If I say, "This is all about creation" - we jump automatically to the evolution debate, to origins, to way back when.

That's not the Scriptural move, nor the move the Catechism makes.

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

I believe that God has made... me.  He is My Creator, and my life is ordered and arraigned by Him, not my whim.

The point of "Creation" is that there is a "Creator" and that we are "creatures" who have been created and preserved by Him!  But we abandoned this as being the central point of the teaching of the Church on creation - and rather the bible is just a proof text to show that the scientists asking the wrong questions are in fact wrong.

Now, let's consider that original litany in light of the 1st Article of the Creed.

Gay Marriage?  (And let's expand it to shaking up, divorce, all the other things).  This is a first article problem - God is the One who provides "wife and children" -- yet what has happened in the past Century as we've started debating Evolution.  We have lost the focus on God being the provider - we don't focus on "What God has joined together"... and rather in it's place we have let an assumption of "me" take the center.  I do this, I do that. 

Abortion?  View that through the lens of the 1st article as well.  What do you get?  God is the One who establishes life - you don't get to end it on a whim.  (Well, what about contraception, you hypocrite, Brown!?  - Yes, what about it?  I still maintain that it is not forbidden and may be rightly used... but if we focused on the First Article that would undercut a lot of the selfish, egregious arguments without creating extra-biblical laws, wouldn't it)

Of course, then toss in the fact that all those who have been created by God are those for whom Christ Jesus has died, and that this is the main truth, the main lens through which we ought to view our neighbors.  Indeed, even our enemies are those for whom we pray, those for whom Christ Jesus has died.  Hmmm... that might have a way we look at issues of poverty.

It's sad.  The world "rejected" the biblical view (as though the world ever accepted it - if we believed our Lord in John 16 we would know that they NEVER accepted it) - and then suddenly we wanted to argue, to debate them on their own terms... and we lost who we are.

The grossest example of this - well, look at the liberal churches who reject all historic Christianity.  They are dying - there is no reason for them to exist.  But we are not too far behind... we too have all too often become moral, social clubs rather than places where the Creed is central, where God's action as our Creator, as our Redeemer, as our Sanctifier have been pushed aside in an egotistical backpatting display of self-righteousness and Republican politics.

Therefore I was determined to know nothing among you but Christ the Crucified. 

It is time to get back to focusing on Christ, the Word of God by whom and through whom and for whom all things were made and are made.  It would be good to get back to redemption as our central message, and all things flowing from there.

A Question of Reaction

I remember.

Having a memory is somewhat of a curse in this life.  It gives you a sense of history that is so... annoying.

I remember the day when the complaint about the "liberals" was that everything was about how they felt and not about the clear Word of God.  That the liberals would be the ones speaking about the fight, the cause, bringing the changes to synod that were needed.  That when the "conservatives" sought to counter something, they would begin with the Scriptures - this is what God has declared... and thus our reaction, our response, our position.

Now, when I am critical, who shows me the Scriptures?  Who shows me even the Confessions?

I was pondering comments I have received here when I have been critical of the line or attitude that some of the conservative types have taken... and I noticed something.  Scripture is... rare.

I mean, I get derision.  I get mockery.  That's fine - I can speak sharply, speaking sharply back to me is fine - but where is the use of the Word of God for the reproof?

I mean, we are Lutheran - we above all ought to know that our arguments, our positions must be based upon the clear Word of Scripture... here we stand, we can do no other.

Or at least we ought to do no other.

I think Sasse is right - we ought speak when the Scriptures speak and be silent when the Scriptures are silent.  Yet, how often do we want to go beyond the Scriptures?

We deride the students who write up additional vows designed to promote unity... even when we cheered That They May Be One, even when I've heard talk about how we ought to have additional Confessions (oh, thank you kind Profs at the Sem for mocking that idea!).

We deride the vow as being anti-confessional or supra-confessional, while even AC VII, the passage that describes true unity in the Church admits that rites and ceremonies need not be the same everywhere!  (Although I do think it is highly ironic and foolish, especially given our history and the history of our two Seminaries to not have both folks at St. Louis and Fort Wayne say the same thing... because it's not like there's been any rivalry or faction between the two).

And all is based not upon the Scriptures, not upon the clear Word of God, not upon the Commands of our Lord and what must be done - but rather our preference, our judgment, our wisdom.  And the thing is - we might be right.  Our preference might indeed be better, our judgment sounder, our wisdom deeper - and yet... where are the Scriptures?  Where is that bedrock, that Solid Rock upon which we stand?

When the Reformation happened, Luther cast aside the speculation that Rome had turned into Dogma and returned simply to the Scriptures.

I ask the question.  Have we not just created new speculations that go beyond the Scriptures and made them the new dogmas that we expect others to hold to or to be castigated as faithless?  Have we become the very medieval theologians that Luther decried?

Where is the Scripture, my friends?  Where is the Scripture?

A Bit of Bloggery Repeating

First published: Wednesday, December 18, 2013

What Happens When Your Rival Falls?

If you were an American who grew up during the Cold War, you knew the score. We were good, the Commies were bad, and we were dedicated to stopping Commie aggression. And of course, we really meant stopping the Ruskies. And then, something interesting happened. Soviet Russia crumbled.

 ...

 Okay. Um... now what?

We hit a spell where we had to redefine ourselves as Americans. What does it mean to fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way when there was no Soviet Union? What then does it mean to be the defender of the free world? See, this was part of the whole angst of the 90's grunge scene. Who are we? What makes us Americans the good guys? We stopped the Germans, then we stopped the Russians... and now... what? I mean, we couldn't even figure out if we should go over to the former Yugoslav republics and fight someone... because... well... what's an American anti-communist to do when there's no red commie to fight?

Well, now we have the War on Terror. Now we can talk about the Axis of Evil... we can worry that Iran might get a bomb, or look at North Korea with leery eyes. Of course, for a child of the Cold War... the War on Terror just doesn't have the same zing.

But I still think of my time in High School, in college when there wasn't really a good myth to follow. We were set adrift -- and even Rush Limbaugh didn't want us sending troops to the Balkans. What happens when your rival falls?

See, this is a theological problem. Too often, instead of being positive, instead of being mere confessors of the truth, theologians want to be heroes fighting for the "right" side. We want to have our theological rivals, and we want to crush them! We want to fight the "good fight" - which isn't about the daily struggle against sin and temptation in our own lives, it's about crushing theological problem or specter X.

 You know, like Seminex. Or the ELCA. Or Contemporary Worship. Or Keischnick.

But what happens when your rivals fall?

Seriously - what's a good Lutheran conservative fighter to do? What becomes our identity? All too often we will invent a new theological red scare. Did you see that article that prof wrote... sounds like Seminex to me! Or maybe all the pastors I don't like are being influenced by... the ELCA! Or there's not enough Natural Law! Or there are now a bunch of Antinomians floating around... okay, well, maybe not antinomians like there were in Luther's day, but they don't do the Law like I want them to!

 We create new villains. We establish new heavies for the piece. We find some new target to rail against on our soapbox. And what's sad is, our rhetoric changes. There's new dangers to fight off... and well, the old truths we proudly wove... eh. They don't mesh. There's new villains afoot that we have to meet and defeat. And there is a massive disconnect between the old and the new. Thus is the constant temptation when you want to be the hero of the piece.

Remember the good old days when we just wanted everything to be focused upon Christ and Him Crucified for sinners?

Easter 4 Sermon

Easter 4 – John 16 – May 11^th, 2014

Christ is Risen (He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia) Amen

          Suppose you were to visit your doctor and your doctor were to tell you that you need to have something done, some procedure, and you asked him about it, and he were to smile at you and say to you, “Oh, don’t worry, it won’t hurt a bit.”  Call me cynical, but when I hear that, I assume that it is going to hurt like the dickens.  And this is just because it seems like so often, for whatever reason, we like to dance around the issue, wave our hands and say, “Oh, don’t worry, it’s nothing,” when it really is.  We even come up with neat names for this – it’s “sugar coating” the truth, it’s just trying to spare someone their feelings.  No it’s not.  Its  giving into fear.  Fear that a person won’t be able to handle a harsh truth.  If I tell you what is real, what is going to happen, I’m afraid that you are going to utterly freak out – so my fear will make me lie to you.

          Our Lord does not act out of fear – and when He needs to tell us something, He tells us, even if it is something uncomfortable, even something that we won’t enjoy.  Jesus is not one to whisper sweet nothings in our ears – rather, He will tell us how it will be.  And that is what we see our Lord doing in our text for this Sunday – indeed, for our Gospel texts for the next three Sundays.  Our Lord speaks these words to the Disciples on Maundy Thursday – and some of the things He says are great, and some, some speak to difficulty and challenge. After Easter, after our Lord’s Ascension, things would be different for the disciples, and for them to be able to handle those changes, they needed to know what was going on.  Jesus tells them the truth. Likewise, our Lord deals with us squarely, He tells us what to expect so that we can handle it.  Let us see what our Lord instructs us today.

          A little while, and you will see me no longer, and again, a little while and you will see Me.  This throws the disciples all into a fluster.  What does Jesus mean – we aren’t going to see Him?  That word “see” there has the implication of seeing someone who is around, who is there.  In a little while, I won’t be hanging around with you – I’ll be taken away.  And Christ here is speaking to His crucifixion.  When He speaks these words, His Crucifixion is less than 24 hours away – that little while isn’t long at all.  And He admits that it’s coming.  There will be a point where you won’t see Me, where I will not be here with you – I’ll be hanging on a tree, I’ll be placed in a tomb.  And that’s going to be rough.  In fact, Jesus tells the disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.”  Truly, truly.  Blunt and honest.  The next few days are going to be hard on you.  You will weep.  You will lament.  And even as you sorrow, you will see the wicked of the world rejoice, you will see crowds jeering and cheering.  It will seem as though all the hosts of hell are laughing in your face.  In a little while.

          Note that Jesus doesn’t soft-sell what is going to happen.  Jesus doesn’t pretend that what is coming won’t be horrid, that it won’t impact them, that it isn’t a terribly hard thing.  He doesn’t play pretend.  Rather this – He instructs the disciples to remember, in their grief, that they will see Him again.  You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.  You will sorrow over Christ’s death, but that sorrow will be banished and done away with when you behold the risen Lord.  The change will be dramatic – When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.  This is a wonderful image.  No woman looks forward to the pain of labor or enjoys it – let’s just get it done with, let’s get through it – and then, when the labor is done, when the birth is complete – there is only the joy of the child, only the joy of the babe.  That birth becomes not a tale of woe and strife, but something to be celebrated yearly, not only on the kid’s birthday, but in May… with flowers and chocolate, right gentlemen?  Same thing – the sorrows of Good Friday yield to the joys of Easter.  Those sorrows are real, but they pass, and they are replaced by a wondrous joy.

          This is the lesson that our Lord speaks to the disciples on Maundy Thursday, and it is an apt lesson, one that is quite appropriate for the disciples.  But now, how does this lesson apply to us?  What do we learn from it?  First, we learn that we will have hardships in this world.  Too often, we want to hide from the truth.  We want to think that everything in our life will go our way – that because we are good Christian people that everything will be wonderful.  Not so.  I’d say that the disciples were better Christians than we are, and if they have to face sorrows, then we certainly will.  And the reason for this is simple – we are still in the sinful world, we are still surrounded by those who will cheer on wickedness.  In this world, bad things will happen, and then will happen to you.  We can’t pretend otherwise, we can’t expect otherwise. 

          All too often we want to deny this, we want to listen to the people who will simply tell us that everything will come up roses.  We can want to delude ourselves – and in so doing we miss out.  Christ’s solution isn’t to tell you to close your eyes and hope it all goes away.  Rather this – you will have sorrow – but Christ will turn even your sorrow to joy.  When we consider our Risen Lord, when we consider that Christ has risen from death – we know what this means.  That Christ Jesus has overcome the world, the world in which we face these sorrows, the world in which loved ones die, in which we face pain and suffering, where there are concerns and fears and people seeking our harm – Christ has risen and He has overcome this world – and so we will endure through the sorrows of this life until we share fully in His joy.  In fact, knowing our Lord’s victory, knowing His resurrection, this is how God gives us peace, gives us contentment, gives us joy even in the midst of our sorrows – our eyes are drawn to something more wondrous than our present sorrow – they are drawn to Christ.

          And as such, our Lord instructs us something else.  He shows us how Satan is going to attack us.  When we have sorrows, the world will rejoice.  The world will be loud and brash, and try to rub it in.  The world will try to make it seem as though there is nothing else but sorrow for you, nothing else but problems, try to overwhelm you so that is all that you can see.  Doesn’t this happen?  I’m sure each of us could tell times of when we were overwrought, overwhelmed, when everything in life seemed against us, seemed to beat down upon us.  We’ve all been there – and it was bad, we can’t deny that.  But we don’t receive comfort by denying that things are bad, that they are rough – rather this.  We are focused upon Christ – we are shown our risen Lord, we are pointed again to the truth that Christ has conquered, that He remains, and thus, even in the midst of our temporal sorrows, we are pointed to the eternal joys that are ours in Christ.  Satan tries to make us forget this, but our Lord draws us unto Himself, and so we have gladness.

          In many ways, this service, this time together has as it’s purpose to show you, to bring you into the reality of Christ’s love and joy and forgiveness – to pull you out of all the junk out there in that world where things are going to be wild and wooly, and instead – here.  See Christ.  Hear His forgiveness.  Over and over.  Let Christ’s death and resurrection color your world, be the largest, the biggest truth there is.  Think about it – we entered this house and right off the bat – we confess our sins.  We confess all the stuff in the world that splashed on us, that we splashed in, that we dragged in here – and all of it, right up front.  And the response – you are forgiven.  Right like that – your sins are great, they are like scarlet Christ has made you white like snow.  We call out for mercy, and then we hear forgiveness.  God does not take away His Holy Spirit from us, but gladly gives us His Word.  Indeed, when we have the Supper here, Christ says “take and eat, take and drink” – here’s His Body, Here’s His Blood – you are forgiven.  And this is real.  Nothing in the world, nothing they do to you, nothing you’ve done and still kick yourself over – it cannot change the fact that Christ has died for you and He has risen for you – and when we see that, when we hear Him declare His peace to us again and again, we are centered in joy.  Joy – not “happiness”, not “excitement” – but Christian joy – that is confidence and assurance that even though everything around us fall apart – Christ is Risen, and so shall you.

          Dear friends, let no one deceive you, let no one pull the wool over your eyes or try to pin your hopes in this life.  Life in this world is hard – has been since the fall, and it will be until Christ returns.  In this life you will have sorrow – but only for a little while, for our Risen Lord who has ascended will return, and then we will see His joys face to face, and they will be complete.  God keep you firm in Christ Jesus, so that His joy might sustain you now, and be with you for all eternity.  Christ is risen, (He is risen indeed, Alleluia) Amen.