The Baptism of Grant C Anderson

This morning we welcomed Grant C Anderson into the family of God by Holy Baptism.

The Baptism was held in the 8:30 service, a treat for those folks since many families with young children are 11:00 people and, therefore, the 8:30 crowd often times misses out on witnessing baptisms or adult confirmations.

This was the first time we used our brand new baptismal banner. Thank you Mrs. Koenig for the fine work, both on the large banner for the chancel, and on the smaller one for the family. Every person that is baptized at Mt. Calvary will receive personalized banner with his/her name and baptismal birthday. Hopefully, these will be hung in many children's bedrooms, serving as a reminder of this joyous occasion.

This was also the first time we used the baptismal candle at Mt. Calvary. Another wonderful reminder of a child's baptism, the candle can be lit each year on his/her baptismal birthday, and the parents are able to help their children understand the significance of this day.

Finally, this was the first time we used the rite of Holy Baptism from LSB. Since we've already decided to adopt LSB, and are waiting on the funds, we thought it would make sense to start using the rite that will be used from now on. I especially appreciate the inclusion of Luther's flood prayer:

Almighty and eternal God, according to Your strict judgment You condemned the unbelieving world through the flood, yet according to Your great mercy You preserved believing Noah and his family, eight souls in all. You drowned hard-hearted Pharaoh and all his host in the Red Sea, yet led Your people Israel through the water on dry ground, foreshadowing this washing of Your Holy Baptism. Through the Baptism in the Jordan of Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, You sanctified and instituted all waters to be a blessed flood and a lavish washing away of sin.

We pray that You would behold Grant according to Your boundless mercy and bless him with true faith by the Holy Spirit, that through this saving flood all sin in him, which has been inherited from Adam and which he himself has committed since, would be drowned and die. Grant the he be kept safe and secure in the holy ark of the Christian Church, being separated from the multitude of unbelievers and serving Your name at all times with a fervent spirit and a joyful hope, so that, with all believers in Your promise, he would be declared worthy of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (LSB, p. 268-269).

Today, little Grant C Anderson was incorporated into Christ (Romans 6), becoming an heir of eternal life. Hallelujah!

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Confessions

We continue our Friday series on the Augsburg Confession; today, Article V -- The Ministry.Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I've written before that you need a pastor. Now, being a pastor myself, I run the risk of being misunderstood. Allow me to be clear. You don't need me as your pastor. But, you do need a pastor.

Or to put it another way. The Church does not exist without the Pastoral Office.

We sort of know this to be true from experience. A pastor takes a call to another congregation and departs. This creates a vacancy. But what is vacant? Not the church. There are still plenty of people there. The Pastoral Office is vacant. No, not the pastor's office. But the divinely instituted office in which the pastor is placed by Christ himself, and from which the pastor serves "In the stead and by the command of Christ."

So, the church does not exist without the Pastoral Office. But why did Christ institute this office? Article V of the Augsburg Confession makes this crystal clear:

So that we may obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given [John 20:22]. He works faith, when and where it pleases God [John 3:8], in those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ's sake. This happens not through our own merits, but for Christ's sake.

Our churches condemn the Anabaptists and others who think that through their own preparations and works the Holy Spirit comes to them without the external work.

Why did Christ institute the Pastoral Office? So that you may obtain this faith.

What faith? The faith confessed in Article IV: "People are freely justified for Christ's sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake. By His death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins."

So how is this faith obtained? "Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given. He works faith."

All this is to say, The Pastoral Office is the guarantee that the means of Grace will be given, and the Holy Spirit will be active to create and sustain the faith that trusts in Christ alone.

Where the Pastor is preaching/teaching the Gospel, Baptizing and celebrating the Lord's Supper, there the Holy Spirit is living and active.

Daily Devotional Thought--From the New Testament

" 17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." (Romans 16:17-20).

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Doctrine divides. Always. All Scripture teaches, and all teaching is doctrine, so, Scripture divides as well.

And who is the author of Scripture?

All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). So, Almighty God is the author Scripture. Does that mean that God causes division?

Whenever His Word is rightly taught and preached, the answer is yes. Absolutely.

But Paul instructs us "to watch out for those who cause division and create obstacles."

Does he?

Does he tell us to be alert for those who cause division? Not at all. Division is not the problem.

The problem is when division flows out of a teaching that is "contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught." That is to say. When someone teaches a doctrine that is contrary to the doctrine confessed by the holy Christian Church, the true teaching of the Scriptures, that false teaching is the problem. And that false teacher is sinning against God -- and man.

Doctrine will always separate. It will separate those who confess the truth of the Scriptures from those who confess something else. It will separate those who teach rightly from those who teach something contrary to the Scriptures. It will separate those who are serving our Lord Christ ans His Word from those who are, well, serving "their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive."

We must not learn to avoid division. In fact, division is a necessary reality of this broken world. What we must learn to avoid are those who settle for something less than the pure teaching of God's holy Word. We must learn that confessing Christ is confessing the one who said, "Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division" (Luke 12:51).

The way of the cross is a lonely way indeed. And so we pray: Lord, have mercy! Amen.

John Chrysostom, Preacher

Today the church remembers John Chrysostom, Preacher.

From the Treasury of Daily Prayer:

Given the added name Chrysostom, which means "golden-mouthed" in Greek, St. John was a dominant force in the fourth-century Christian Church. Born in Antioch around AD 347, John was instructed in the Christian faith by his pious mother, Anthusa. After serving in a number of Christian offices, including acolyte and lector, John was ordained a presbyter and given preaching responsibilities. His simple but direct messages found an audience well beyond his hometown. In AD 398, John Chrysostom was made patriarch of Constantinople. His determination to reform the church, court, and city brought him into conflict with established authorities. Eventually, he was exiled from his adopted city. Although removed form his parishes and people, he continued writing and preaching until the time of his death in AD 407. It is reported that his final words were 'Glory be to God for all things! Amen." (TODP, p. 1158)

And so we pray:

O God, You gave to Your servant John Chrysostom grace to proclaim the Gospel with eloquence and power. As bishop of the great congregations of Antioch and Constantinople, he fearlessly bore reproach for the honor of Your name. Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellence in preaching and fidelity in ministering Your Word that Your people shall be partakers of the divine nature; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Daily Devotional Thought--Form the Old Testament (A Vision of Joshua the High Priest)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I wanted to share with you Luther's writing from yesterday's reading in the Treasury of Daily Prayer. He writes about the OT reading from Zechariah, specifically 3:1-10:

Zechariah 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?" 3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments." 5 And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by. 6 And the angel of the LORD solemnly assured Joshua, 7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. 8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. 9 For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 10 In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree."

Here are Luther's thoughts:

This is a wonderfully choice vision, for it very vividly reveals to us the heart and innermost emotions of the priest. He had heard the clear command of God to rebuild the temple. Then, after hearing that Word, he thought that he should listen to God, but he still kept wrestling with himself over the problem thus: "Who knows whether God intends to approve? Perhaps God will reject us sinners." This is exactly the way the human heart battles against sin in the presence of God. For Satan so inflates and exaggerates sins that the heart becomes convinced that God will reject it. It can
conceive of no other God but one who now threatens it with a beating or a flogging. So here the high priest Joshua, crushed and terrified by his sins, does not dare go on with his task. Therefore he is strengthened and encouraged to believe that the Lord is not angry, that He has turned away the accusation of Joshua's conscience and is accusing Satan himself, who so discourages the heart with the heinousness of its sin that it cannot go on to serve its calling.

The Lord rebuke you, [O Satan]. This is a very wonderful and sweet comfort. Everything is contained in the fullness of this comfort, so neatly has he arranged all his words, as if to say: "From now on, Satan, stop opposing the priest. The Lord orders all things cursed which you inspire the timid priest to think about and which frighten him from his task. You are causing him to be downcast before God and to dare nothing before men. You are acting as if the Lord had completely rejected Jerusalem. But the Lord has not done this. On the contrary, He has chosen it and loves it as His own possession."...

Everything in this vision is revealed in such a sway that the vision declares and reveals God's will to the priest. It strengthens the priest so that he no longer
doubts that God will approve of his ministry, that his filthy garments have been
changed, and that his sin has been taken away. Now he wears new clothes, that is, a happy and joyful conscience which no longer flees from God, which thanks nothing evil about God but hopes for every good thing. Thus the fresh clothes do not mean works but grace and faith. (TODP, p. 1154)

As Luther saw the priest comforted by God's gracious promises of forgiveness, so too may you be comforted by Christ's robes of righteousness, given to you in your own Baptism. Amen.

St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

Today the Church remembers St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor.From the Treasury of Daily Prayer:

St. Titus, like Timothy with whom he is often associated, was a friend and co-worker of St. Paul. Titus was a Gentile, perhaps a native of Antioch, who accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem when they brought assistance to the Christians in Judea during a famine (Acts 11:29-30; Galatians 2:1). It is not known if he accompanied Paul on his first or second missionary journeys, but Titus was with him on the third one, which he helped reconcile the Corinthians to Paul (2 Corinthians 7:6-7) and assisted with the collection for the Church in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:3-6). It was probably on the return to Jerusalem that Paul left Titus in Crete (Titus 1:4-5). Afterward he is found working in Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10). According to tradition,
Titus returned to Crete, where he served as bishop until he died about AD 96. (p. 1155)

And so we pray:

Almighty God, You called Titus to the work of pastor and teacher. Make all shepherds of Your flock diligent in preaching Your holy Word so that the whole world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (TODP, p. 1154)

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Psalms

Psalm 18:46-50:

46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation- 47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, 48 who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence. 49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name. 50 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As children learn to talk, so too, the children of God must be taught how to pray. Psalm 18 teaches us how to pray during times when we face opposition or even persecution. The verses above especially teach us how to give thanks to God for his protection and his deliverance. Especially helpful are Luther's thoughts about how this psalm applies to to the Christian today (in bold face). I pray that this Psalm become a blessing to you, and something you cling to while facing whatever opposition comes your way.

This is what Luther has to say about this Psalm:

The 18th psalm is a psalm of thanks in which, as the title declares, David thanks God that He has delivered him from all his enemies, such as Saul, the heathen, Absalom, and the rebellious Israelites. David relates that he was in deadly distresses and that God had helped him out of them. In the manner of a prophet he shows how God helped him as God had helped Israel in Egypt. He praises God, who held back his enemies, and thanks God for His help against the disobedient and the rebels, such as were Seba and most of Israel (2 Samuel 20). David had so many enemies and hostile subjects, that even the heathen foreigners (he says here) were more obedient than his own people.

Consequently, everyone needs to keep this psalm as an example of how we should thank God for His help when he delivers us out of our troubles. Whoever wants to explain this psalm spiritually may think of David as a Christian, standing against the heathens, the tyrants, the heretics, and the false Christians. From all of these, Christ and all His people will finally be delivered. Psalm 18 belongs in the Second Commandment and in the First Petition, because it thanks God and praises His holy name. (Reading the Psalms with Luther, pp. 45-46).

And so we pray:

Lord Jesus, both David's Son and David's Lord, thanks be to You, because You undertook the battle against our enemies, and ransomed us from the power of them that hated us. As you now sit at the right hand of the Father, a Lord over all things, be our Rock and our Defense, our Buckler and the Captain of our salvation, that in Your name we may defy and despise the very gates of hell, triumphing over them forever and ever. Amen. (Reading the Psalms with Luther, p. 50)

The Conversion of St. Paul

Today the church remembers the conversion of St. Paul. From the Treasury of Daily Prayer:

St. Paul's life-changing experience on the road to Damascus is related three
times in the Book of Acts (9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:12-18). As an archenemy of
Christians, Saul of Tarsus set out for Damascus to arrest and bring believers to
Jerusalem for trial. While on the way, he saw a blinding light and heard
the words: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Saul asked, "Who are
You, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."
In Damascus, where Saul was brought after being blinded, a disciple named
Ananias was directed by the Lord in a vision to go to Saul to restore his
sight: "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry Me name before the
Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). After
receiving his sight, Saul was baptized and went on to become known as Paul, the
great apostle.

And so we pray:

Almighty God, You turned the heart of him who persecuted the Church and by his
preaching caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world.
Grant us ever to rejoice in the saving light of Your Gospel and, following the
example of the apostle Paul, to spread it to the ends of the earth; through
Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Daily Devotional Thought--For the Family

Nehemiah 8:8 -- "They read from the book, from the Law (Torah) of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading."

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Israel had numbered into the millions, maybe as large as 2-3 million before they were exiled in Babylon for their idolatrous ways. In Nehemiah, chapter 8, we hear of the remaining remnant, now numbering only 42,360 (plus male and female servants -- 7,337) restoring the practice of reading God's Word in the assembly.

In the passage above there is a brief clause that may often times go unnoticed. When reading from the Torah, clearly, they gave the sense. And what was the result? The people were able to understand the Word.

Of course Ezra isn't sitting at the dinner table after finishing a delicious meal prepared for the family by mom the homemaker, but he does have something to offer us who find ourselves entrenched in the busy work week, taking a moment with our family, and wondering exactly how to have a devotion with our family.

Especially you parents who have purchased The Lutheran Study Bible (if you haven't, please, go check it out!) you have a tool that will help you give the sense so that your little ones can begin to understand. It's simple, really. Just open with the Invocation (In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit) and make the sign of the holy cross as a reminder of your baptism (and your children's), then go ahead and read a portion of the Scriptures. After that ask a few questions, let your family ask a few questions, and if you don't know the answer, explore the Scriptures together to find the sense.

In this way you will be carrying out your vocation as a Christian parent to hand down the faith, but you will also be modeling a humility that doesn't necessarily know it all, but will be willing to explore the Scriptures for the answers -- something your children can't learn too early.

Reading the Word and unpacking it goes way back. This is how God's people come to understand God's mercy and grace, and how they begin to see their Savior -- Jesus Christ.

Daily Devotional Thought--From the Confessions

We we continue our Friday series on the Augusburg Confession. Today we consider Article IV -- Justification.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

To put it plainly, Article IV of the Augsburg Confession proclaims the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. As the Gospel will always to, AC IV points us away from our own strength, merits, or works to see Jesus' death as the payment and satisfaction for our sins. The person that believes this is the person that has a saving faith, for he trusts in God alone for his salvation.

Within Lutheranism, Justification has been said that "the Church stands or falls on the article of justification." And why do Lutherans say this? Because the doctrine of justification confesses that in Christ alone are we declared righteous before God, and apart from this understanding, there is no Gospel, no need for Christ, and ultimately, no forgiveness, life or salvation.

The article is not long, but it does say a lot. The article doesn't use many words, but its few words clearly communicate the deepest of theology. The article was written long ago, but the Gospel it confesses is timeless, and leads to eternity.

So, here is Article IV of the Augsburg Confession:

Article IV: Of Justification.
1] Also they teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength,
merits, or works, but are freely justified for 2] Christ's sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. 3] This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4.

Salvation unto us has come By God’s free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom, They help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone;
He is our one Redeemer. (Lutheran Service Book, 555)