Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Old Testament

Collect of the Week (Proper 12-C)
O Lord, let Your merciful ears be attentive to the prayers of Your servants, and by Your Word and Spirit teach us how to pray that our petitions may be pleasing before You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Genesis 18:20-33 (OT Reading for Proper 12-C)
20 Then the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave,  21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether1 according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know."  22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.  23 Then Abraham drew near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?  25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?"  26 And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake."
27 Abraham answered and said, "Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.  28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."  29 Again he spoke to him and said, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it."  30 Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."  31 He said, "Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it."  32 Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it."  33 And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

Devotion
In the name of T Jesus.

The LORD had spoken judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah—and for good reason.  He had condemned their behavior by His Word, and He was ready to bring his promised wrath upon them for continuing in their sin.

But with all the boldness and confidence of a child who knows that, behind the rough exterior, his father is merciful, Abraham pleads with the LORD to spare them.  Abraham begins his pleading with a request that seems to be safe.  Surely, he begins, there must be some in the city who remain righteous in the faith.  And so he begins his pleading: “Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?”  Abraham’s suspicions are confirmed.  The Father is merciful, and for the sake of fifty who are righteous, the LORD will not destroy the wicked.

As the story goes, Abraham continues to be bold in his requests, depending on the mercy of the LORD, and pleading on behalf of those who would be righteous in the faith.  Fifity becomes forty-five, and forty-five becomes forty, and then thirty, and then twenty, until finally, Abraham pleads that for the sake of ten who are righteous in the faith, the LORD would not bring down His wrath.

Unfortunately, there are not even ten. Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed.  But Abraham was confirmed in His faith, and the LORD was shown once again to be merciful.  Abraham pleaded to the LORD on behalf of those who were righteous in the faith, and the LORD promised to relent.  Oh that there would have been any who were righteous in the faith among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah!

Of course, there is one who is greater even than Abraham, for the Scripture tells us that we have one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.  He gave Himself as a ransom for all, and His blood cries out to the Father to have mercy on all who would be found righteous in the faith.  And praise be to God, when the Father looks down, he sees the hearts of those who the Holy Spirit has called to faith by the Gospel, and He relents in bringing judgment upon them.  The Father sees those who have been gathered into the Church through the waters of Baptism, and He sees upon them the very righteousness of His Son.  He looks down upon those who were blessed to be enlightened to trust in the sacrifice of the son, and like Abraham, the LORD credits their faith as righteousness.

And so we continue to plead, with all boldness and confidence, that the LORD would look upon the hearts of man, and see the number of hearts who are righteous in the faith added to each day.  With love for our neighbors we plead that the Holy Spirit would extend the Father’s reign, and convert the hearts of those who, like Sodom and Gomorrah, have thus far been living in sin.  And we hope, that because we know our Father to be merciful, that in fact, He would send the Gospel among us, and through us, to extend His kingdom, so that many would be spared of His wrath.

Abraham was bold, and served as a mediator.  But there is one who is greater than even he.  His name is Jesus, and his blood cries out for all, to believe, and to be granted life eternal.  In the name of T Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

O Lord, spare us who live in this world of wickedness, for Jesus’ sake. Amen (TLSB, p. 43).

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Psalms

Collect of the Week (Proper 12-C)
O Lord, let Your merciful ears be attentive to the prayers of Your servants, and by Your Word and Spirit teach us how to pray that our petitions may be pleasing before You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Psalm 138 (Assigned Psalm for Proper 12-C)
1 I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
3 On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.
4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.
6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Devotion
In the name of T Jesus.

As David confesses, in verse 2, God’s name and His Word are above everything.  By His name, and in His Word, He has promised to care for all His Children.  By His name, and in His Word, he has promised to preserve all His creation, the works of His hands.  By His name, and in His Word, He assures us of bringing His plans to completion for all His Children, and for all creation.

His enemies, on the other hand, have God’s name and His Word set against them.  The name of God refuses to share its glory with any other thing, and His Word is holy above all.  If a person fears, loves, or trusts in something other than the name or Word of God, then the name and Word of God are set against that person.

But the victories of King David, spoken of in the psalm, prefigured the victories of David’s Son, Jesus Christ.  They also prefigure the victories of those who are in Christ by virtue of their baptism (Rom. 6; Gal. 3:27).  Our sinful flesh, the condemnation of sin, and even the Devil’s might and accusations, have been defeated through the sacrifice of the Son.  And through the Son, God’s name has been demonstrated as being above all others, which we know because of His Word.

So too, in repentance and faith, we call upon the name rather than forsake it.  In repentance and faith we desire to hear God’s Word, rather than shunning it.  In repentance and faith, our idols are defeated, and the name and Word which are above all name, are given their proper place, and are set apart as holy even among us.  In the name of T Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

O Lord, we thank You that in Your Word You extend to us such great promises. Grant us full assurance of Your grace, protection, and spiritual care. Fulfill Your purpose in our lives thorugh Jesus Christ. Amen (TLSB, p. 982).

Monday, July 29, 2013

Daily Devotional Thought--For the Family

Collect of the Week (Proper 12-C)
O Lord, let Your merciful ears be attentive to the prayers of Your servants, and by Your Word and Spirit teach us how to pray that our petitions may be pleasing before You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Luke 11:11-13 (From yesterday’s Holy Gospel)
11 What father among you, if his son asks for1 a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;  12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Devotion
In the name of T Jesus.

What parents doesn’t like to give good gifts?  Jesus says as much in His teaching following the Lord’s Prayer.  If a son asks for a fish, no parent in his right mind would give that child anything other than a fish.  Even us earthly parents can do that.  And that’s saying something, since Jesus also reminds all of us parents that we don’t have it all figured out.  In fact, he call us evil!

Consider then, what would happen if earthly parents like us, who are able to give good gifts to our children even though we are evil, would learn how to give godly gifts to our children.  I mean, giving our children a fish, or an egg, is giving them good gifts, but any parent can give those, right?  What about the gifts that we might give to our children if we learned to give the gifts that the heavenly Father gives?  Not just good gifts, but godly gifts.

Now, you might say, “Wait a minute!  Jesus tells us that the heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.  Are you suggesting that, somehow, we might be able to do that?”

Well, to be sure, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, not from us.  But the Holy Spirit has promised that He will do His work through the Word of God, and the Word of God is something we are able to give to are children, are we not?  So, in a second-hand sort of way, and through the very means that the Lord has given to His people, when parents give their children the Word of God, they do indeed give them the Holy Spirit as well.

And the Holy Spirit is not just a good gift, He’s the Lord and giver of life!  He’s the sort of gift that calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps Christians in the one true faith.

May we who desire to give good gifts to our beloved children, learn from Jesus to give the godly gift of God’s Word, by which the perfect parent, our heavenly Father, might give the promised Spirit as well.  In the name of T Jesus. Amen.

Prayer
Hear us Father, when we pray,
Through Your Son and in Your Spirit.
By Your Spirit’s Word convey
All that we through Christ inherit,
That as baptized heirs we may
Truly pray.

When we know not what to say
And our wounded souls are pleading,
May Your Spirit, night and day,
Groan within us interceding;
By His sighs, too deep for words,
We are heard.

Jesus, advocate on high,
Sacrificed on Calv’ry’s altar,
Through Your priestly blood we cry:
Hear our prayers, though they may falter;
Place them on Your Father’s throne
As Your own.

By Your Spirit now attend
To our prayers and supplications,
As like incense they ascend
To Your heav’nly habitations.
May their fragrance waft above,

God of love (LSB, 773)

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Learning How to Pray (Sermon preached July 28, Proper 12-C)

Sermon Text: Luke 11:1-13
In the name of T Jesus.
            Jesus is your brother.  Now, Jesus is the Father’s Son from eternity, and you were adopted into the family through the waters of Holy Baptism, but that doesn’t mean you’re any less a part of the family.  You and Jesus are brothers.  In fact, because Jesus’ blood has been poured out on you, and covered you, you are the only adopted siblings in all the world who also share the blood of the family, as you share in the blood of Jesus.  Jesus is your brother.  You and He are members of the same eternal family.  And that means, you and Jesus have the same Father.
            Now, typically, in a family, while the younger siblings learn quite a bit from mom and dad about how to talk, when it comes to talking to mom and dad, the younger siblings learn that from their older siblings.  If the older children talk back to mom and dad, what do the younger siblings do?  They talk back.  If the older children are respectful, and answer mom and dad’s commands with a “Yes, ma’am,” or a “Yes, sir,” the younger siblings will begin to do the same.  They’re brothers and sisters, after all.  They’re part of the same family.  When they speak to mom or dad, they’re going to sound alike.
And so will you.  Jesus is your brother, after all.  He’s your older, from eternity brother.  You are part of the same family.  You have the same Father.  And so today, as you listen to Jesus, you will learn how it is that you might speak to your Father.  And you will learn from Jesus, your brother, how to pray.  But even more, you will learn from Jesus how to believe.
Lex orandi, lex credendi: It’s an old Latin phrase that comes from the 5th Century, and woodenly translated, it means, “law of praying, law of believing.”  Roughly translated, or should I say, translated so we can make sense of it, Lex orandi, lex credendi means, “How you believe, is how you pray.”  Or, in other words, what you believe about yourself, and about God, will determine whether or not you pray, and how you pray.
If you believe God the Father to be unapproachable, for example, or picture Him sitting on His thrown, batting down prayers that are beneath him and unacceptable, for example, well, then that is going to influence how you pray.  And if that is your view of the Father, chances are, you won’t be doing much of it.
If, however, you have learned that your Father loves you, and has shown you His great love through the sacrifice of His one-and-only-Son.  If, you have learned that the same Son who died in your place is serving as a mediator between you and the Father, delivering your prayers like a son delivering the phone to Dad, and asking Dad to take the call.  If, you have learned through the comforting work of the Holy Spirit that the Father is not sitting on His thrown waiting to reject your prayers, but that He delights in seeing the faith of His children who call upon His name in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks, well, then, that will also influence how you pray.  And if that is what you believe, by faith, you will pray.  Lex orandi, lex credendi: how you believe, is how you pray.
And so, in learning from Jesus how to pray, we also learn from Him, how to believe, and what to believe, regarding our Father, and our Father’s name.  We learn from Jesus how to believe, and what to believe about our Father’s kingdom, and what our Father desires to give to His children.  So that when we ask, we will seek the gifts for which our brother, Jesus, has taught us to ask and seek; the very gifts the Father has promised to give; the gifts the Father loves to give to you, His children.
Even Jesus begins with a reminder of who it is that you’re talking to when you pray.  And it isn’t some nameless god, who is unknown and remains a mystery.  It’s your Father.  It’s our Father.  The one who created you, even before your earthly mother and father had ever even thought of you.  It’s the one who sent His Son into the world to redeem you from your sin, so that you would not die eternally, but in order to give you life with Him forever.  It’s your Father, who desires for you to live with Him, and who delights in hearing His children’s voice.  Our Father—mine, yours, even Jesus’ own Father.
Luther reminds us, “With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father (SC, p. 19).  Those of you who have had children, or grandchildren, or have been children yourselves, you know that children who are loved by their parents aren’t afraid to ask them for anything.  They’ll come to mom or dad five minutes before bedtime, and ask to have some of their Easter candy.  But they’ll also come to mom or dad and ask if they can go to Sunday School.  They don’t know if it’s good for them, or bad for them, but they do know who it is that they need to ask.  They ask their parents, because they are loved by their parents and they know that their parents are there to give them what they need…even if they don’t always know—or agree—with what they need.
If children can approach their earthly parents with all boldness and confidence, not knowing, and not even caring if what they’re asking for is good or bad, but not afraid to ask their parents, who themselves Jesus tells us, are evil but know how to give good gifts, how much more, will the heavenly Father delight to hear the requests of His own precious children, whether they are the right requests or not.  Because simply to ask the Father—to go to Him with your requests, regardless of your requests—is to show the Father that you know it is from the Father that all your blessings flow.
And by asking the Father, we are hallowing the Father’s name.  By calling upon the name of the Father in every trouble, by praying, praising, and giving thanks, we are holding His name high above all other names.  We won’t rely on luck.  We won’t place all trust in our government.  We will refuse to believe that all of our blessings, be they spiritual or having to do with our body, come from anyone other than our heavenly Father.  And while His name is certainly holy by itself, as you, His children, call upon His name, you keep it holy, and high, and sanctified among us also.  And so, from Jesus, we learn to hallow the Father’s name, by using the Father’s name, so that Our Father would be held high, and Our Father would be set apart as the one from whom we expect that all our blessings will be given to us, His dear children.
And one of those blessings being given to us is the blessing of His kingdom, and so Jesus teaches us to pray: Your kingdom come.  Of course, His kingdom is a kingdom like no other.  Sure, there are enemies to His kingdom.  There are many that would see His kingdom destroyed and put to shame.  Sin, death, and the Devil will not stop in their attempts to keep the Kingdom of God from coming to you, the Father’s children.  But we pray, as Jesus teaches us, that through the Father’s Word—we pray that through the preaching of Christ crucified for sinners—the Kingdom of God would come and the Lord Jesus would reign by having the Holy Spirit call, and gather, and sanctify us to believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here on earth and there with the Father for all eternity.
When we pray, Thy Kingdom come, we are not praying for some army of Christians to purify our government, or to rid the city of crime, or even to reclaim a proper understanding of marriage, although all of those things would be extraordinary blessings from the Father.  When we pray, Thy Kingdom come, we are praying that the Father would be pleased, through the preaching of His Son, to have the Holy Spirit change the hearts of a lost and condemned people, one person at a time, to believe in Jesus, and to trust in His forgiveness, and to praise the Father, for sending the Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin.  Because when the Holy Spirit has called you to believe, and has gathered you into the family of faith, and enlightened you to see Jesus as your Savior, then the Kingdom of God has come even to you.  And Jesus teaches us to pray, that the Kingdom might come not only among us, but among all of us, in this world, so that the plans and purposes of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh might be undone, and Jesus would find us holding firm to the faith, and calling on the Father’s name, until we die, or until He comes again.
And until He comes again, Jesus teaches us to ask the Father to Give us each day our daily bread.  You see, God the Father certainly gives daily bread to everyone even withour our prayers—even to all evil people.  He sends rains on the just and the unjust.  He puts food on tables, and clothes on bodies, and houses over heads, and gives husbands and wives, children, workers, and good government to all people, whether a person be Christian, or Atheist, Muslim, Jew, or Hindu.  The Father, who created us all, will sustain His whole creation, even if His creatures have no idea from whom these blessings flow, or even reject the One who gives these gifts altogether. 
And so, if a person does not know who it is that gives these gifts, that person will not receive them with thanks, or praise the Father for them.  But in learning from Jesus to pray each day for daily bread, we are reminded once again of the Father who delights in giving to His children what they need to make it through the day.  So that when everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body is given to us, and often times in great abundance, we might receive it with thanksgiving, and give praise to our Father in heaven.
And even then, in addition to all the material blessings the Father bestows on us, and all people, so that we have all that we need for the support and needs of the body, Jesus teaches us that there is even something more important for which to pray.  Even if our bank accounts are full, and are tables are loaded, and our families are healthy, and our jobs are secure, if we do not have the forgiveness of sins, then we would remain in our sins, and the Father would be grieved.
But thanks be to God, that in Jesus we have the forgiveness of sins.  And we have it freely, so that no matter what you have done or left undone, and even though you deserve temporal and eternal punishment, the Father teaches His children through His one-and-only-Son to simply ask for forgiveness, and it is already theirs.
Because of Jesus, whose blood was shed, and whose body was pierced, you whose sins once alienated you from the Father, have been made one with the Father.  Your sins have been atoned for in the death of Jesus.  They are forgiven.  And where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation, and so Jesus teaches us to ask for what the Father has promised to give.  Like a child who is told by her father that she can have chocolate milk for dinner, when the child asks for what the Father has promised to give, the answer is always the same: “Yes, you can have it. Yes, it is yours.  Yes, yes, yes.”
And so, you see, above all, that the Father desires His children to have the forgiveness of sins.  He desires You to have, and be certain, of the forgiveness of sins.  In fact, the Father gives the forgiveness of sin to all who ask their sins to be forgiven.  And He gives it so freely, that His children become so certain of it, that they cannot keep it to themselves.
Sinful children, who are forgiven children, will forgive those who sin against them, because they have learned from Jesus what the Father intends to give.  And so you, the Father’s children, go into your homes, and your jobs, and your schools, and throughout the world, having confessed your sin, and hearing forgiveness, so that when someone has a sin they have committed against you, you will know what it is that the Father intends to give them, as you yourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to you.
And Jesus knows this isn’t easy.  He knows that the Father’s enemies are the children’s enemies.  He knows that those enemies will be working to lead you into temptation.  He knows they will be working to deceive you and to mislead you into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice.  And although those enemies will daily attack you, Jesus, your brother, teaches you to pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit, working to strengthen you with God’s Word and Promise, you might overcome them all, and win the victory.
You see, Jesus is your brother.  By His blood, you’ve been adopted into the family of faith, and you have the same Father.  If children can learn to talk to their earthly parents by listening to their siblings, maybe we will learn to pray by listening to Jesus, our brother.  And by listening to our brother, not only will we learn how to pray, but we’ll know what to believe, and how to believe, about our Father.  For everyone who asks the Father for what the Son has taught them to ask, will receive it.  And everyone who seeks from the Father, what the Father desires to give, will find it.  So if Jesus is the One who is teaching you how to pray, then you will pray, and you will do it with all the confidence of a child, who knows his Father well.  

In the name of T Jesus.  Amen.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Giving or Receiving (Sermon preached July 21, Proper 11-C)

Sermon Text: Luke 10:38-42

 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of (our) heart(s) be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, (our) rock and (our) redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

In the name of T Jesus.

            Too much of a good thing, can be a bad thing.  You want to be a good husband and father, so you work to provide for your wife and your kids.  Out of love for your wife and children you work hard, and you are dedicated, and your boss is pleased, and you are being considered for that promotion, and you will likely be able to provide even more to your wife and children.  And so you work, and you work, and you work, until the good thing called work, has started to become a bad thing, and has begun to keep you from the one thing that you’ve forgotten was the necessary thing.  The ushers and greeters welcome your family, and are glad to see them coming for the Divine Service, but it’s been a while since they’ve seen you.  You’ve been working.  Too much of a good thing, can be a bad thing.
            Of course Martha wasn’t a father, but she was working hard to impress her Lord.  Like Mary, and her brother Lazarus, who didn’t make it in to this story, Martha had a deep friendship with Jesus, and loved him very much.  Like many women, Martha knew that the keeping of her house, and the giving of a warm welcome was a way that she could show Jesus how much she thought of him.  If it was good to give a hearty welcome to the seventy-two disciples Jesus had sent out to preach in his name, how much more important would it be to warmly welcome the Lord Jesus Himself, and to give him a feast that would show him how much you think of him.
Like a father whose absence from the family when they attend the Divine Service is the result of a desire to do good by his wife and children, Martha’s absence from the presence of the Christ was not the result of her despising God’s Word, or refusing to believe, or desiring to be elsewhere.  Martha loved the Lord Jesus.  She was working so hard in order to show him that love.  Like a father who is consumed by his work and doesn’t realize that his noble pursuits are the very thing that is keeping him from joining his family on the Lord’s Day to come to the Lord’s House, and to be fed with the Lord’s Word—which are the only words that have the power to bring life—Martha’s absence from the presence of the Christ was caused by too much of a good thing, becoming a bad thing.
All week, you work, and you work, and your work.  You work to be a good husband or wife.  You work to be good parents, or an obedient child.  You work to be successful in your job, or to get good grades.  You work to keep up your home.  You work to improve in your sport, or on your instrument.  You work to make a difference in the community.  You work at volunteering and serving in the congregation.  You work, and you work, and you work.  And much of this work is done in love and service to your neighbor.  And all of this work is good, right, and salutary.  But it’s while you’re working that you anxious and troubled about many things because of your work.
Despite your best efforts, your haven’t loved your spouse as well as you want.  Though you love your children dearly, you know how easily you can think of them as a burden.  And while you children honestly do try to honor your parents, it can be difficult to show them respect when you can’t seem to understand why they have the rules they do.  And then you go to work, or you go to school, and the demands on your time and your energy are relentless.  And your congregation keeps asking you to become more involved in their work.  And, like Martha, you begin to believe that the solution to your anxiety, and the answer to your many troubles is to rededicate yourself so that this will be the week you start to do the things you want, until finally, the anxiety, and pressure of trying to impress even God Himself by how hard you work has worn you down, and beaten you down, and left you fatigued, and angry, and wondering when it will ever end.
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen this happen, I’d be rich—and I’ve only been a pastor for six years.  We work, and we work, and we work.  And we do it with good intentions—with our hearts in the right place, so they say.  But what happens, time and time again, is that our good work begins to keep us from the one thing which Jesus says is actually needful.  Whether it be as a father, working hard to provide for your family, or as a wife and mother who compares herself to every blogging woman who appears to be able to do everything, or a college student who will not take a break from his studies, or a young athlete or musician whose practicing, and games, and concerts require him to be absent from the Lord’s house on the Lord’s Day; or even if it is the greeters, ushers, Acolytes, Altar Guild, the musicians, or any other form of service that is good, right, and salutary on its own: when it begins to keep you from the one thing that Jesus says is needful, then too much of a good thing, has become a bad thing, and we need to hear the voice of Jesus.
Martha, Martha, he says.  And you can almost hear the tender affection he speaks with.  He’s not scolding her.  He has pity on her.  For she thinks that the cleanliness of her home, or the quality of the food, or even the amount of work she has done in order to give him a proper welcome could somehow make Him love her more.
“Martha, Martha, he says to her.  You are anxious and troubled about many things. You’re worried about pleasing me, and impressing me, and you think that if you can just do more work, I will see how much you love me.  But one thing is necessary, Martha.  There is one thing that is necessary.  There is one thing that will calm your anxiety.  There is one thing that will give you peace.  There is one thing that will feed you with everlasting food.  There is one thing that will lead you to paths of righteousness.  There is one thing that will assure you, that nothing can separate you from the love of God.  There is one thing that is necessary, Martha, and it’s not your work.  It’s my Word.”
Luther said, “Any observance or work that is practiced without God’s Word is unholy before God.”  He added, “This is true no matter how brilliantly a work may shine….For other works and occupations are not properly called holy exercises, unless the person is holy first. …This is done only through God’s Word.  For this reason, particular places, times, persons, and the entire outward order of worship have been created and appointed” (LC, Part 1, 93-94).  Jesus says it like this, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
When Jesus says, “Martha, Martha,” he could be speaking your name or mine.  And he speaks it out of love for you, who have been laboring in your work, and are heavy laden by your anxieties and troubles.  He knows the pressure that you feel at your job.  He knows that you’re trying to be the best you can be.  He knows that you just want to work hard, and please him.  But he knows how easily your work can keep you from the one thing that you do need.  And he knows that too much work can keep you from Him, and that, you see, is a very bad thing.  For if your work is keeping you from coming to hear the Word of Jesus, then it will be your work that will work you to death.
It is good to work.  And it is good to give.  But when Jesus desires to give, and when Jesus is there to give, it is always better to receive.  The Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around.  The Day of the Lord is a gift given by the Lord for us to set aside our work, so that Jesus might get to work and we would be fed, and nourished, and forgiven, and encouraged, and strengthened, by the Word of Jesus given to us on the Lord’s Day, in the Lord’s House, through the Lord’s Word.
It is good to work, but the highest work you do, is the work you do in faith to receive the gifts that Jesus freely gives you.  This is what Martha needed to be reminded of, and in a world where you are rewarded in every aspect of your life because of the work you do, sometimes you need to be reminded, that in the Kingdom of God, you will be rewarded, not for what you do, but because of what you receive.
You see, the highest form of worship is to receive what it is that Jesus comes to give.  From the cross down to you.  And that’s why Jesus tells Martha, that Mary has chosen the good portion.  Both of them love Jesus.  Both of them want to welcome Jesus.  But only Mary was willing to set aside her work, to sit at His feet, and receive whatever it was that Jesus came to give.  By doing that—by sitting and receiving Jesus’ Word—Mary gave Jesus the greatest welcome possible.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord has called you to serve your neighbors in a many and various ways through the holy vocations He has given you.  And the work you do in the context of these vocations is good, right, and salutary.  It is pleasing in His sight when you strive to love your spouse, and to serve your children, and be obedient to your parents, and to work hard at your job, and to help out in the work of the church.  But too much of a good thing, can be a bad thing.  And when any of your work, begins to keep you from coming, and hearing the preaching of Jesus, then your work must be set aside, so that you might join the faithful, who will be gathered on the Lord’s Day, in the Lord’s House, to hear the Lord’s Word.  For in that Word, Jesus will be giving you rest.  And you who are weary and heavy laden, will be blessed to receive it, so that when you return to your work, you might actually have something to give.  In the name of T Jesus.  Amen.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Lutheran Confessions

It’s Friday, and so we turn our attention to the Augsburg Confession.  This week’s article considers The Use of the Sacraments.

Collect of the Week
Lord Jesus Christ, in Your deep compassion You rescue us from whatever may hurt us. Teach us to love You above all things and to love our neighbors as ourselves; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Article XIII (The Use of the Sacraments)
1 Our churches teach that the Sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but even more, to be signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us. 2 They were instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them. Therefore, we must use the Sacraments in such a way that faith, which believes the promises offered and set forth through the Sacraments, is increased [2 Thessalonians 1:3].
3 Therefore, they condemn those who teach that the Sacraments justify simply by the act of doing them. They condemn those who do not teach that faith, which believes that sins are forgiven, is required in the use of the Sacraments. (Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 38).

Note:
God gives the Sacraments to His people for their forgiveness, life, and salvation, and this happens as they call forth trust and confidence in Christ, the Savior. By the sixteenth century, the Roman Church had developed a complicated sacramental system that had transformed the Sacraments into meritorious works performed by priests. This was especially evident in the Mass, where priests “sacrificed” Christ again and again on behalf of the living and the dead. The Bible, however, reveals the key to the Sacraments: the promises of God. God attaches His Word of promise to the element of the Sacrament—water, wine, or bread—and gives and strengthens the faith of those receiving them. (See also Ap XIII.) (Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul Timothy McCain. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 38)

Prayer
Almighty, everlasting God, for our many sins we justly deserve eternal condemnation. In Your mercy You sent Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who won for us forgiveness of sins and everlasting salvation. Grant us a true confession that, dead to sin, we may be raised up by Your life-giving absolution. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may be ever watchful and live true and godly lives in Your service; through Jesus Christ, our Lord (LSB, collect #153).



Ap Apology of the Augsburg Confession

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Daily Devotional Thought--From the New Testament

Collect of the Week
Lord Jesus Christ, in Your deep compassion You rescue us from whatever may hurt us. Teach us to love You above all things and to love our neighbors as ourselves; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Colossians 1:3-4
3 We always thank God, the Father or our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints…

Devotion
In the name of + Jesus.

Every once in a while, I’ll receive a letter from a sister congregation of the LCMS informing me that our congregation has been remembered in prayer.  I’ve attached one such letter, which we received in June.  If you look at it, you’ll see that Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, in Downey, CA, prayed for our congregation and ministry.  How cool is that?!

When you worship with us, you will notice also that in the weekly Prayer of the Church, we are always rejoicing in the faith that is being given to brothers and sisters in Christ all across the world.  We’re giving thanks, and delighting in the fact that the Holy Spirit continue to be up to His work of calling, gathering, enlightening and sanctifying the sinners to be saints, who are saved by grace, through faith in Christ.  It really is something to gave thanks for.

All across the world, in literally 33 confessional Lutheran church bodies, the pure Gospel, and the faithful administration of the Sacraments is occurring, by which the forgiveness of sins is delivered to God’s people.  And all the time, there are more who seek to be in fellowship with us.  Just recently, for example, the Lutheran Church in Madagascar had its bishops vote to seek out fellowship with us.  And that is a church body of 4+ million baptized Lutheran believers!

When we pray, let us remember are brothers and sisters from around the world, who share in our common confession, and who confess the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  For if our salvation is by grace, so is theirs, and this, dear friends, is something to celebrate!  In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

With the blood of Your Son, you bind us together, and make us one.  Teach us, O Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, to rejoice in the household of faith, that our love might be shown to all; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Old Testament

Collect of the Week
Lord Jesus Christ, in Your deep compassion You rescue us from whatever may hurt us. Teach us to love You above all things and to love our neighbors as ourselves; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Leviticus 19:9-18
9 "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.  10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.
11 "You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.  12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.
13 "You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.  14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
15 "You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.  16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life1 of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
17 "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.  18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Devotion
In the name of + Jesus.

The Law of God is unyielding in its demands.  It leaves nothing to chance, but demands not only that your love for God is complete and undivided, but that your love for the neighbor be whole as well.  If you have even a thought of hatred, or jealousy, or envy towards your neighbor, the Law says you are damned.  That’s it.

And faith says, “Yes, that is true.”  Faith says, “The Law is good, and wise, and I have not kept it—not even close.”  Faith says, “When I’ve broken just one of the Lord’s commands, I’m guilty of them all” (James 2:10).

As the hymns says, it:
The Law of God is good and wise
And sets His will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress.

But, surprise, this is what the Law was given to do, for through the Law comes knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20).  And with knowledge of sin comes contrition, and with contrition comes repentance, and with repentance comes faith in the one who has kept this perfectly unyielding Law of God.

Look at the above passage from Leviticus, and replace the words “You shall,” with the words, “Jesus has.”  It should read something like this; take verses 11 and following as an example:
                “Jesus has not stolen; Jesus has not dealt falsely; Jesus has not lied to anyone. Jesus has not sworn by my name falsely, and Jesus has not profaned the name of your God; Jesus is the LORD.”

As your Good Samaritan, Jesus has fulfilled the demands of the Law, so that His own righteousness might be credited to you.  And so, while we know the Law condemns us, we rejoice, in contrition and repentance, we flee to Jesus and find our refuge in the His forgiveness.  Cursed by the Law, we turn to Him who became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13).  Unable to love and serve our neighbors with pure spirits and whole loving hearts, we worship the One who has.  For by fulfilling the Law’s demands, Jesus has saved us, and faith says, “Yes, yes, it shall be so!”   In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

With the blood of Your Son, you bind us together, and make us one.  Teach us, O Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, to rejoice in the household of faith, that our love might be shown to all; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Psalms

Collect of the Week
Lord Jesus Christ, in Your deep compassion You rescue us from whatever may hurt us. Teach us to love You above all things and to love our neighbors as ourselves; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Psalm 41
1 Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
2 the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
3 The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.1
4 As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me,1 for I have sinned against you!"
5 My enemies say of me in malice, "When will he die and his name perish?"
6 And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
8 They say, "A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies."
9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!
11 By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.
13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

Devotion
In the name of + Jesus.

Like an early presentation of the Good Samaritan, Psalm 41 begins by speaking of the LORD’s compassion for the poor and sick:
“Blessed is the one who considers the poor! IN the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.”

He is compassionate even to those who would despise him, and reject him—His very own enemies—while we see our enemies as the ones we are free to despise and reject.  Who can but cry out, with the psalmist, before the LORD who has perfectly love and provided for us?
“O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” 

And this compassionate LORD is not only a provider of house and home, and food and family.  This compassionate LORD reveals Himself through the Son, who would lay down His life for sinners, paying the price for their return to God.

And so, in this Psalm, when we read verses five and following, we do well to think of them being spoken by Jesus Himself, who was betrayed by His own close disciples, Judas Iscariot.  It was this psalm, after all, that Jesus quoted on the very night when He was betrayed, saying that Judas’s act of treachery happened “that the Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me’” (John 13:18).

All of this is to say, we cannot separate our love and service for our neighbors, from the love and service given to us in Christ.  In fact, apart from Christ loving service shown in his suffering and death for those who were sinners, there would be no love and service for our neighbors.  And so, again, seeing what the LORD has done for us in Christ, we endure much from the hand of our neighbors, in order that, like Christ, they might see a greater love which covers all.  In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

With the blood of Your Son, you bind us together, and make us one.  Teach us, O Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, to rejoice in the household of faith, that our love might be shown to all; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.