No Daily Devotional Thought--Dentist and a bit of flooding

Sorry, no devotional thought for today (my day off). I had a dentist appointment to begin replacing my bridge that I swallowed last week (don't ask). And just before I left for the office the neighbor let us know that water was flowing into the street from our back yard. After checking it out, the water is coming from the neighbor behind us, but our back yard is indeed a swamp land, and the water is creeping up our foundation. Just put the kids down for naps...and the list of things to do awaits.

Devotions resume tomorrow!

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Confessions (The Fifth Commandment)

Our Friday series on The Ten Commandments brings us this week to the 5th Commandment.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

What is the 5th Commandment?
You shall not murder.

What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.

There is a wonderful summary of this commandment in Concordia: A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord:

Luther distinguishes between spiritual and civil government and authority, which we commonly refer to as the doctrine of the two kingdoms. God takes care of us in the Church through the ministry of Word and Sacrament, the means of grace. In our homes He cares for us through our pastors. In the world, he cares for us by means of civil government. God gives to the civil government the authority to punish criminals and, when necessary, to execute them. The spiritual meaning of this commandment is that we are not to "kill" our neighbor in our hearts, with our thoughts, with our words, or with our hands. No one has the right, on his or her own authority, to murder another person. Only God may take a human life, and He entrusts this authority to civil rulers. So Christians can in good conscience wage war and punish and execute criminals under rightful government authority. Luther goes on to explain that we break the Fifth Commandment not only be acting against it, but also when we fail to protect our neighbor. To explain this commandment, Luther relies on the Sermon on the Mount, particularly Matthew 5:46-47 (p. 378-379).

A good summary paragraph from the Large Catechism reads as follows:

Therefore, it is God's ultimate purpose that we let harm come to no one, but show him all good and love. As we have said, this commandment is especially directed toward those who are our enemies. For to do good to our friend is an ordinary heathen virtue, as Christ says in Matthew 5:46 (LC, I, 193).

So how do you know if you've sinned against the Fifth Commandment? Begin by asking yourself these questions:

• Have I unjustly taken the life of anyone, born or unborn?
• Have I injured my neighbor with violent actions, hitting and debating my neighbor, spoken debasing and insulting words, using foul or dirty words to describe my neighbor, or murdered him with thoughts of anger or contempt, and hatred?
• Do I hold grudges or harbor resentment?
• Am I abusive (in word or deed) toward my spouse, children, or anyone else?
• Have I ignored the plight of the helpless or been callous toward genuine need?
• Do I abuse my body with neglect of health care, excess of food, drink, tobacco or drugs?
  

Daily Devotional Thought--From the New Testament (Shake off the Dust)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

When Jesus sends out the twelves, He gave them these instructions (among others):

"As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town" (Matthew 10:12-14).

When is the Gospel a burden?

When we believe that it is our task to prepare the heart of another. But Jesus didn't give that responsibility to those He sent out on His behalf.

Their task was simple: bear witness to the good news that they had received in Christ Jesus.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

And if anyone did not receive them, or their words, there were others who needed to hear that good news. "Shake the dust off from your feet" and go on to another.

There are many today who will not receive the Word, no matter how clearly it is communicated, no matter how convincing an argument is presented. But that is not your burden.

Carry out your priestly vocation and pray for him or her. Pray that the Word you have shared, sharper than any double-edged sword (Heb. 4:12), will settle in and at some point produce the fruit of repentance and faith.

But in the mean time, move on to another, for Christ desires all men to be saved (2 Tim. 2:3).

May it be according to His will. Amen.

No Daily Devotional Thought (Monday -- Wednesday)

Jamie and I are headed to Comfort, TX, to celebrate our 7th Anniversary. We will be staying at the Haven River Inn, where full-time church workers receive two nights free lodging each year. This is made possible through the support of The Lamb's Tale Ministries. Naomi and Micah will be staying Pastor and Connie Barz. We are grateful for their loving care of our wonderful children while we enjoy two nights away.

Because even a brief vacation is to be...well...a vacation. I will not be posting Daily Devotional Thoughts Monday through Wednesday of this week. I will resume posting on Thursday morning.

That does not mean, however, that you have to go without. Check out these links and find a daily devotion that suits you.

For some serious meat:

Memorial Moments, a daily devotional from Rev. Dr. Scott Murray, the Senior Pastor of Memorial Lutheran Church, Houston, TX.

From Lutheran Hour Ministries:

A Daily Devotion from Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour.

For a New Lutheran Quote of the Day, an Old Lutheran Quote of the Day, and a Patristic Quote of the Day, as well as other pastoral musings:

Check out Pastor Will Weedon's blog.

For a wealth of devotional material to use in your home:

Check out the Congregation at Prayer, published every Sunday in Mt. Calvary's bulletin.

Happy Anniversary, Jamie!

Seven years ago today, Jamie and I were united in Holy Matrimony. It was a beautiful fall day in Wisconsin, with our dearest family and friends in attendance. I'm surrounded by numerous examples of faithfulness here at Mt. Calvary, couples who have celebrated many more years than we, but today, I give thanks for the seven years that God has blessed us with.

Those of you who were there, enjoy the memories! The rest of you, here is a quick glimpse of the day.

Jamie and her family:
The BEAUTIFUL bride!
The groom with his family:
The groom is ready to go:
It's game day!
Here comes the bride.The moment I've been waiting for.Mr. and Mrs. Gregory TruweAt last!The wedding party.Let the games begin!Who's driving this thing?The Village People showed up. Well of course, the reception was at Village Bowl.

Mt. Calvary Pictorial Directory

To all members of Mt. Calvary. It's been five years since our last pictorial directory. We want YOU to be a part of a new and updated family directory. In a congregation that has three services on a Sunday, a directory is a valuable resource to have in the home: to look up a picture of someone you are praying for, to find out who you will be serving with on a board or committee, or to find out the names of that nice couple you've been sitting next to for a few weeks and have been too embarrassed to ask.

We need you to make our new family directory complete. Help us put faces with names. We have chosen Lifetouch to help us connect our members and tell our story. Just click this image and follow the instruction to sign up for your FREE photography session.

Mt. Calvary Member Gets Home Makeover

Mt. Calvary member, Norene Karger, was recently selected to be the recipient of a home makeover. What a gift!

Great Day San Antonio, the morning show for KENS Channel 5, has a program called Mi Casa Makeover. Norene's son, Tom, had submitted an application for his mother's home to be considered, and, well, it was not only considered, it was selected. Watch a video of the KENS crew surprising Norene with the good news here.

On Friday morning at 9:00 Great Day San Antonio did a live feed from Norene's front yard as they kicked off her home makeover. Pastor DeVries and I were able to attend, and a few other members who live near by were also there.

Norene has lived in her home for over 40 years, the last 20+ by herself after she was widowed. She has done her best to keep up the home, but that can be a daunting task for even an able-bodied strong man. Thanks be to God, Norene will be receiving new siding, a new roof, new counter tops, a new sink, a walk-in shower to replace her tub and sliding doors, and the list goes on. But, Norene is a bit nervous.

You see, while ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, completes their work in only a week, while the family is sent away to an exotic vacation. Norene's home makeover will take a bit longer to accomplish--three months to be exact. During that time, Norene will have to pack up all her belongings, and move to an apartment for three months. Thankfully, the apartment is in the neighborhood so she will be able to continue her daily walks with Ruby, her neighbor, and her other community activities. But the most difficult part for Norene is that, "They won't even let me see the house until it's finished." Which means that she'll have to find a new route to walk!

I hope you will join me, and the Mt. Calvary family, in giving thanks for this tremendous gift from God, which will undoubtedly help her in many ways. I pray that the LORD would keep the workers safe, and comfort Norene during her displacement with his gracious presence. If you are curious, you can check out additional videos of the kickoff show here. The first 8 videos describe the work that will be done on Norene's home.

Congratulations, Norene! We want to see pictures when you're settle back into your home.

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Confessions (The Fourth Commandment)

Our Friday series on The Ten Commandments brings us today to the 4th.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

What is The Fourth Commandment?
Honor your father and your mother.

What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

With this commandment, we begin unpacking the second table of the law. Commandments 1-3 dealt with our relationship vertically, that is, with God. The summary of the first table of the law, then, is this: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37).

Commandments 4-10 deal then with our horizontal relationships, that is, our relationships with our fellow man. The summary of the second table of the law, then, is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39).

Concordia, the reader's edition of the Book of Concord has a nice introduction to Luther's explanation in the Large Catechism:
Commandments four through ten describe relationships with our fellow humans. Here Luther's understanding of "vocation" is apparent. Vocation comes from the Latin "vocare," meaning "to call." God calls everyone to certain roles, or stations, in life. In this commandments, Luther describes our duty before God to honor father and mother, that is, to respect authority. God instituted all forms of authority as an extension of parental authorities, or "fathers," in our lives, including pastors, teachers, and government officials. Another insight by Luther is about the life of good works to which Christians are called. We should not regard "Church work" as more holy than the other things in life that we routinely do. Rather, all callings and stations in life serve God and are opportunities for us to obey God's commandments and to serve our neighbor. The key observation Luther offers is this: faith is what makes a person holy. Faith alone. Good works serve God by serving other people (p. 370).

Indeed, The Fourth Commandment teaches children to honor their parents, and to serve and obey them. Luther says it this way:
We must, therefore, impress this truth upon the young [Deuteronomy 6:7] that they should think of their parents as standing in God's place (LC, I, 108).

And what does it mean for children to honor parents? Luther identifies three points:
(A) They must be held in distinction and esteem above all things, as the most precious treasure on earth. (B) In our words we must speak modestly toward them [Proverbs 15:1]. Do not address them roughly, haughtily, and defiantly. But yield to them and be silent, even though they go too far. (C) We must show them such honor also by works, that is, with our body and possessions. We must serve them, help them, and provide for them when they are old, sick, infirm, or poor. We must do all this not only gladly, but with humility and reverence, as doing it before God [Ephesians 6:6-7]. For the child who knows how to regard parents in his heart will not allow them to do without or hunger, but will place them above him and at his side and will share with them whatever he has and possesses (LC, I, 109-111).

And what is the benefit of a family where parents are honored?
The godly and obedient have this blessing: they live long in pleasant quietness and see their children's children to the third and fourth generation [Psalm 128) (LC, I, 137).

But Luther understood The Fourth Commandment to teach honor and obedience also to authorities in addition to our parents.
In this commandment belongs a further statement about all kinds of obedience to persons in authority who have to command and to govern. For all authority flows and is born from the authority of parents (LC, I, 141).

Now, the honor a child owes to a father and mother is owed by all who are included in the household (LC, I, 143).

In other words, any babysitters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or others that "help" in the household are due the same honor and respect as the parents themselves.

In addition to the family, then, Luther begins to apply this commandment to the civil realm:
The same should also be said about obedience to civil government. Thais (as we have said) is all included in the place of fatherhood and extends farthest of all relations. Here "father" is not one person from a single family, but it means the many people the father has as tenants, citizens, or subjects. Through them, as through our parents, God gives to us food, house and home, protection, and security. They bear such name and title with all honor as their highest dignity that it is our duty to honor them and to value them greatly as the dearest treasure and the most precious jewel upon earth (LC, I, 150).

Finally, Luther identifies a third class of "fathers," that is, spiritual fathers:
Besides these there are still spiritual fathers. They are not like those in the papacy, who have had themselves called fathers but have performed no function of the fatherly office [Matthew 23:9]. For the only ones called spiritual fathers are those who govern and guide us by God's Word. In this sense, St. Paul boasts his fatherhood in 1 Corinthians 4:15, where he says, "I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel." Now, since they are fathers, they are entitled to their honor, even above all others (LC, I, 158-159).

So, there are three class of fathers: Those in the home, in the civil realm, and the spiritual realm. God has placed fathers over families, countries, and the church to care for each institution's well-being.

There is, however, a word to those who fulfill these fatherly offices:
It would be well to preach to the parents also, and to those who bear their office. Tell them how they should behave toward those who are given to them for their governance. This is not stated in the Ten Commandments. But it is still abundantly commanded in many places in the Scripture. God wants to have this included in this commandment when He speaks of father and mother. He does not wish to have rogues and tyrants in this office and government. He does not assign this honor to them, that is, power and authority to govern, so they can have themselves worshiped. But they should consider that they are obligated to obey God. First of all, they should seriously and faithfully fulfill their office, not only to support and provide for the bodily necessities of their children, servants, subjects, and so on, but, most of all, they should train them to honor and praise God [Proverbs 22:6]. Therefore, do not think that this matter is left to your pleasure and arbitrary will. This is God's strict command and order, who whom also you must give account for it [1 Peter 4:5] (LC, I, 168).

So how do you know where you've not kept this command? Begin with these questions:

• Do I submit to those whom God has put in authority over me?
• Have I been ashamed of, angry, stubborn, or disrespectful toward my parents, teachers, employer, pastor, government or other authorities?
• Have I been on good behavior when they are present and mocking them when they are absent?
• Do I obey all the laws of the city, state and country, and pay my rightful share of all taxes?
• Do I pray for parents, leaders of the nation, schools and church? Do I grumble about work given me to do?

And finally, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. While we daily break God's command, and the law convicts us of our sin, rejoice and be glad. The Father's only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, honored his Father perfectly and served Him with the ultimate sacrifice of His own life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, believe that Jesus' obedience is credited to you as your own, and therefore, in Him, you stand before your Father as an obedient and faithful son or daughter. And he gives you the kingdom.

Thanks be to God for all of our earthly fathers. Amen.

Happy Birthday, Naomi

I love you, Naomi! Happy third Birthday. (This picture was taken just over a year ago in Denver)

Daily Devotional Thought--From the New Testament (Our Father's Gifts)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today is my daughter's third birthday. And let me tell you, I am a proud pappa who LOVES to give a good gift. Not necessarily an expensive gift, but a good gift, the sort that makes the eyes light up when the wrapping paper is torn off and the treasure is revealed.

How much more does our Father love to give good gifts to His children.

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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!" (Luke 11:12-13).

In your Baptism, God made you His child, folding you into the flock of faith, giving you the righteousness of Christ, the Son of God.

And rest assured, your heavenly Father gives you every good gift: forgiveness, life and salvation, and even house, home, land, animals, spouse, children, etc.

As a child's eyes light up when they uncover the treasures received on their birthday. So too do our eyes of faith beam brightly when the Holy Spirit reveals to us our eternal Father's perfect gifts.

Thanks be to God! Amen.