November Epistle: A Fourth Excursion in Greece

Christians have sought to preserve the faith and the Word of  God in various ways over the centuries. Around 68 to 70  AD, during the Jewish-Roman war in Israel, the Qumran  community near the Dead Sea hid the sacred Scriptures (Old Testament) in sealed clay jars and placed them in remote caves to save them from destruction by the Roman army.  We know and appreciate these ancient scrolls today as the  Dead Sea Scrolls. During the Roman persecutions of the  early centuries, Christians often used the catacombs. We  find here frescoes and inscriptions preserved, including the use of the fish symbol, the Chi-Rho monogram as a symbol  for the name “Christ,” various scenes from the Bible, and  even depictions of Holy Communion. 

In northwestern Greece, in the province of Thessaly, there are dramatic sandstone pillars that rise from the valley  floor, some to a height of 1,800 feet! Hermit monks began living in caves and fissures in these sandstone  formations as early as the 9th century A.D. But in the 14th century, as attacks by the Turks on Greece increased,  the monks began building monasteries on top of the pillars. Access to and from these eyries was possible only via  ropes and crude wooden ladders. In this way, they joined Christians from ages past in working to preserve  Christianity and the Word of God. 

Twenty-four monasteries were built by the monks of  Meteora. Six of these communities remain active today. The  monks secluded themselves to avoid the incursion of the  Muslim Turks who sought to overtake and eradicate the  Christian faith. Ironically, continued pressure from the Turks  two hundred years later allowed the Reformation to take root  and establish itself in Germany.  As the Turks were threatening and on the doorstep of  German lands, Emperor Charles V needed to present a unified  front. He needed the cooperation of each of his governing  princes, including Prince Frederick the Wise, who was a  supporter of Martin Luther and his firm stand against the  extra-biblical teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The  emperor was not willing to risk disunity by wielding a heavy hand against Prince Frederick and Luther. In this way, the Reformation and its core teaching that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, as revealed in  Scripture alone, was able to grow and spread.  

In an attempt to save God’s Word, the monks at Meteora made themselves unreachable by the Turks. Who  would have thought that God would use that same Turkish threat to free His Word, held so long in obscurity, so  that it might reach the people and bring the Good News of God’s saving work in Christ to light!  

While Germany feared invasion, Luther made it clear that the Turks were not the greatest threat. In a sermon  Luther preached1in 1530 to Philip Melanchthon and those who would present the Augsburg Confession to  Emperor Charles V, Luther said, “Threats abound, but the art of the Christian is to look to God’s Word, and away  from all the trouble and the suffering. The devil wants us to forget the Word and look only at the danger from the  Pope and the Turks. Let God take care of his cause and fight it out.” He went on to say, “We are in greater peril  from our own sin and disobedience to God’s Word than from all the Turks.” Luther fought against the false  teaching that ignored God’s Word and relied on our own works and goodness for our justification. He saw that  the greatest threat to the Church was not invasion by the Turks, but the suppression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Perhaps the monasteries of Meteora are a reminder to us that Christians are not to be removed from the world.  Rather, we are salt and light in the world. Psalm 18:2 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in  trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of  the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” Luther’s sermon speaks  to us today, too: “Don’t fear the Turks or the circumstances around you. Fear God, stand on His Word, and keep  your eyes on Jesus.” 

In the name of Jesus, 

Pastor 

October Epistle: Here I stand

On our trip to Germany, we visited the famous Wartburg Castle, which stands on top of a hill above the town of Eisenach.  Eisenach lies on the very western edge of the German province of Thuringia.  The Wartburg is famous today as the place where Prince Frederick the Wise secreted away his favorite monk, Martin Luther, in order to save his life.  But the Wartburg castle has a legendary history as well.

Ludwig der Springer (“the Jumper”) was a Thuringian Count around 1100 AD.  Ludwig belonged to the Ludowingian dynasty, which became prominent in Thuringia.  He wished to build a castle on the hill above the town of Eisenach in order to expand his sphere of influence to the east.  However, the land was not in his jurisdiction, and he had no authority to build.

To overcome this slight difficulty, legend has it that Ludwig ordered his men to bring soil from his own lands and spread it on top of the hill.  Then, he proceeded with his plan and built a watchtower and other defenses on the site.  His right to build was challenged by the Archbishop of Mainz who governed the region.  Right or wrong, Ludwig stood his ground and claimed he had built on his own land.  

There are times when one must give ground, and times when one must stand on it.  Four hundred years later came just such a time.

In 1521, Emperor Charles V called an imperial diet (assembly) to deal with an upstart monk named Martin Luther.  Luther was summoned to the town of Worms to renounce his writings.  For the past four years, this monk had been stirring things up in the Church.  It had begun in 1517 when Martin Luther had posted ninety-five theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenburg.  Luther was inviting discussion around what he saw as theological abuses in the Roman Catholic Church.  

In the four years between 1517 and 1521, Luther had written prolifically.  The booklets and pamphlets Luther was being asked to recant spoke against the abuses in the Church, but also taught Christian doctrine accepted by the Church.  He wrote that many of the Church’s teachings were unhelpful or wrong.  These were not based on Scripture, Luther said, but on the decrees of Popes and Councils and on past tradition.  Luther’s writings, for example, condemned the sale of forgiveness through indulgences.  They spoke out against the misuse of the authority of the Popes, past and present.  His writings decried a false assurance of salvation, and corruption within the higher authorities in the Church.  

At Worms, it was demanded that Luther recant and disavow what he had written.  But Martin stood his ground.  He responded that, unless he was persuaded by Scripture and clear reason, and not by Popes or Councils that have so often erred and contradicted each other, his conscience was captive to the Word of God.  To go against conscience, he said, is neither right nor safe.  He refused to recant.  And then he said the words that have come down to us through the centuries: “Here I stand.  I can do no other.  God help me.  Amen.”

Martin Luther knew when to stand his ground.  And, he knew he was not standing on false ground, on a lie, on ground fashioned by himself or others.  He was not opposing the Church to gain political power or increase his sphere of influence.  Indeed, he knew that his life was forfeit for taking this stand against the authority of the Church.  Others had been killed for doing the same:  

• 1384 - John Wycliffe in England (Criticized papal power and abuses, indulgences; translated the Bible into English).  NOTE:  Wycliffe died of natural causes in 1384, but his bones were posthumously dug up and burned by the Church in 1428!)

• 1415 – Jan Hus in Bohemia (Followed Wycliffe’s teachings and was burned despite a safe-conduct guarantee)

• 1416 – Jerome of Prague (Follower and friend of Jan Hus)

• 1498 - Girolamo Savonarola of Florence (Denounced papal corruption)

Luther was condemned as a heretic and labeled an outlaw.  He could now be captured or killed on sight.  But God had more work for Martin Luther to do and his supporters staged a “kidnapping” on his way home from Worms.  Safely tucked away in the Wartburg Castle, Luther continued to stand his ground on holy Scripture, even translating the New Testament, and ultimately the entire Bible, into the German language.

Martin Luther had not intended to create a new Church but, rather, to reform the Catholic (universal) Church, pruning and cutting away practices and teachings that were unhelpful or that openly contradicted the Word of God.  The Reformation had begun.  The Gospel of salvation by GRACE ALONE, through FAITH ALONE, as found in SCRIPTURE ALONE, was free from the practices and teachings that had obscured or downright buried it.

As we move toward a celebration of the Reformation, we thank God for the work he accomplished for the Church through Martin Luther and the other reformers.  We thank God for His undeserved love (grace) for sinners in sending His Son, Jesus, to suffer and die to set us free from sin, death and the power of the devil.  We thank God that we have His holy Word in our own language, and that He prospers the work of those who are translating the Scriptures into languages around the world.  And we thank Him for giving us the opportunity to share His love with others, praying that God would use us as His instruments in the world today.

God be with you as we stand together on His Word, rejoicing in our salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, as found in Scripture alone.

- Pastor

September Epistle: Access to the Father

The Dahlia bridge across the Highline Canal has been under reconstruction for a long time now. I’m sure that many of you have been inconvenienced by this lack of access as we have. We joke that our commute to and from church has quadrupled!

That’s nothing compared to other stories where access was interrupted. For example, in March of 2024, a container ship lost propulsion and crashed into a supporting pier of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge. Whole sections of the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River. A new bridge is under construction and is expected to be completed in 2028 at a cost of around two billion dollars. This has dramatically changed the lives of those who regularly used the bridge for their daily drive. One woman stated that she now rents an apartment closer to work to avoid a two-hour commute.

We all want easy access to work, school, shopping, restaurants, skiing, etc. What about access to God? What would you be willing to pay for a glimpse of the Almighty? In the past, people have spent fortunes gaining access to Kings and Popes, hoping for favorable influence in their lives. In the late 1600’s, a privileged few paid great sums of money just to watch King Louis XIV put on his shoes! They hoped that such access would mean having his ear for a moment, which might mean notoriety and fortune for them in the long run.

In the year 1531, in Guadalupe, Mexico, Juan Diego claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill. Mary reportedly asked for a church to be built in her honor. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe now stands on the spot and is considered the most visited shrine to Mary in the world. This popularity is predicated on a false belief that Mary offers a way of accessing Jesus. The thought is that she is His mother, and has influence and sway with her Son.

All cultures have a religion of some sort. In one sense, we’re all trying to get back to the Garden of Eden. There, Adam and Eve had unrestricted access to God. Genesis tells of God walking with our first parents in the Garden in the cool of the day (3:8). With the fall into sin, Adam and Eve were sent out of the Garden, and direct access to God and to the Tree of Life was lost. Ever since, man has been looking for a way back into the Garden, away from the toil and the trials and the tears of life outside. We each have what has been described as a “God-shaped hole” inside of us. We were created for a relationship with God, a relationship that is destroyed by sin and has been since the days of Adam.

So, where is God to be found? What is the price for access? It turns out the price is enormous! An impossibility! The price for access to God and a restored relationship with Him is perfection, holiness, something we are unable to attain. Thanks be to God who has attained it for us! Christ purchased our holiness and perfection on the cross when he laid down his holy and sinless life for us. He took our sin and in exchange gave us His righteousness.

Romans 5:17 says, “For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” Isaiah 61:10 says, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

So, where is God to be found? How do we gain access to Him? Through His Word. God’s holy Word teaches us about His work that saves us. In Christ, God has come to us in order that we might have access to Him in holiness and righteousness by Christ’s merits alone. We burned our bridge at the fall in the Garden, but God has bridged the impossible gap between Himself and us by doing what would seem to be impossible: God’s Son became man to atone for our sin. By His blood and righteousness, our relationship with God has been restored.

Through Christ, we have the ear of Almighty God. He loves to hear his children call on Him in prayer. In 1 John 3:1 the apostle writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” And in 1 John 5:14 he says, “This is the confidence that we have toward [God], that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

Our sin doesn’t just limit our access to God. It doesn’t mean we have a harder time finding our own way to him. It means that we are completely lost, absolutely cut off from Him, unless he rebuilds our relationship, unless he makes a way for that relationship to be restored.

Thank God that He has sent His Son to do just that. Thank God that He has revealed this to us in His holy Word. Thank God that He demanded from Christ the payment for our sin, and that Christ, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross to give us access as dear children to our heavenly Father.

We gather together each Lord’s day to thank and praise Him for this indescribable gift. We also come together to hear God’s Word read and preached, to confess our sins and hear again the proclamation that they are forgiven in Christ. We are encouraged together as the body of Christ, and our faith is strengthened for the days ahead.

The next time you come to a sign that says, “No Access”, say a prayer to the Father and give thanks with all your heart that Christ has opened your way to Him.

In the name of Jesus,

Pastor

August Epistle: Grace for the Long Haul

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Life is a long haul.  It’s not easy.  There are hard things that punctuate our days: work/labor, whether that’s being a student or working a nine to five job or raising children.  There are worries and concerns about relationships or finances or the unknown future.  There are those things that dog us unrelentingly, like past sins, regrets, wishes and plans that remain out of reach.  And there are downright fears that often immobilize us: fear of failing, fear of rejection, fear that our good health might take a turn, or that death may come sooner than it should.  These are all common to man.  On the big screen (or the little one), life can be portrayed as easy and simple – things work out and everyone is happy.  But real life isn’t always like that.  Life is a long haul, and sometimes we just seem to be slogging through the mud.

There are many circumstances and happenings in life that threaten to distract our focus.  The core truth of the Christian life is this: Christ Jesus shed His blood to redeem your life, to make you a child of God and open the gates of heaven to you.  Through faith in Jesus your sins are forgiven and you wear the white robe of righteousness.  You are headed for an eternity with God in heaven.  But this mortal life, from cradle to the grave, is a long haul – sometimes a very long haul, and Satan, the world and our own flesh would distract us from the core truth if at all possible.  They are masters at making the unimportant of the utmost importance, twisting truth into falsehood, and labeling falsehood as truth,  They insist that this mortal life is our best life, and that life in Christ is some sort of “shadow,” elusive and unreal.

In difficult times, the temptation comes to doubt God’s love for us.  “If He loves me, why won’t he help me?  Why won’t He listen to my prayers?”  The writer to the Hebrews encourages his Christian readers to “Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:13-14).  Life is a long haul.  Thank God that He has put us into a family called the Church.  The Church is the body of Christ on earth.  We are united together for a purpose.  And part of that purpose includes the mutual care and encouragement we give to and receive from our brothers and sisters in the faith.  

When we are tired, lonely, or low, when we feel God is not hearing the cries of our heart or has abandoned us, when we feel the burden of our failure and our sin, then our brothers and sisters in the faith remind of God’s Word in Hebrews 4, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

The Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, slog through the mud of this world with us.  They “run the race” with us, encouraging us and reminding us that God’s promises are all fulfilled in Christ.  They encourage us to keep our eyes on Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).  

Hebrews chapter 11 mentions many in the Bible whose faith sustained them in the long haul of this life: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, David, Samuel….  We could add to that list Stephen, Paul, Peter and the apostles, and all the martyrs throughout the history of the Church who were willing to lay down their lives, keeping their focus on Jesus, rather than be turned aside from running the race to the end.  And the writer calls all of these a great cloud of witnesses.  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller once told a story of being at a cross-country event in which one of his children was running.  All the runners began in a big group behind a starting line, then took off running at the sound of the starter’s pistol.  Soon they were all out of sight and the parents and spectators headed into the stadium to await the end of the race.  After a time, the first runner entered the stadium, and the crowd began to cheer.  More runners entered, and as the competitors circled the track to the finish line, the crowd noise increased as people encouraged their children across the finish line.  

Pastor Wolfmueller describes the exhaustion of the runners after this grueling three-mile race.  Then the crowd quieted down, but everyone held their seats.  It seemed that not everyone had finished.  After a few minutes, here came one final girl, plodding along, laboring mightily as she entered the stadium.  But she looked up and saw the finish line and her coach waiting there for her, and everyone in the stadium stood up and started yelling and encouraging her, and the noise of the crowd was greater for this last girl than for the first-place winner.  And she took a deep breath, and now she was running again and to the cheers of the crowd she finally crossed the finish line and fell into the arms of her coach.

Pastor Wolfmueller described how this image reminded him of the passage from Hebrews 12, that as we run the race set out for us through this life, we are surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses, the Church, cheering us on, giving us encouragement to remain faithful to the end.  And, he says, when we cross that finish line, we collapse into the arms of Jesus.  You can listen to his talk (45 minutes) here on Issues Etc.: https://podcast.issuesetc.org/44380702254.mp3.  It is well worth the time!

We are indeed surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.  And I would add that these witnesses are not just cheering us on, but they witness to us of the faithfulness of our God.  The world sees Peter crucified and Paul beheaded.  It sees Christians mocked and persecuted.  In the eyes of the world, the Christian has lost the race.  But we see with the eyes of faith.  We know how the story ends: “And they lived happily with their heavenly Father in great peace and joy for eternity!”

In these last days, keep your eyes on Jesus.  Run the race with the encouragement of your brothers and sisters in Christ, and encourage them as well.  Go to church and confess your sins and rejoice in the forgiveness poured out to you there.  Receive the body and blood of Jesus.  Hear the Word of God.  Sing hymns of praise and thanksgiving.  Pray to God and pour out your heart.  He promises to hear every word.  And remember that you do not run alone and you do not run in vain.  Jesus is at your side.  In confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that [you] may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

God give you His peace as you run the race.

Pastor

July Epistle: A Freedom to Celebrate

On July 4th, our nation will celebrate its 249th birthday.  You might have plans to go downtown to the capitol building to hear patriotic music and watch the fireworks display.  Or you might root for the Rockies as they take on the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field and enjoy the fireworks after the game.  We are blessed to enjoy many freedoms in this country of ours, and it’s right and proper that we celebrate its founding.

Why do we celebrate on the 4th of July?  The Continental Congress had agreed on the 2nd of July to declare our independence from Great Britain.  The Declaration was not signed until the 2nd of August.  We celebrate on the 4th of July because that is the day that the Continental Congress finally agreed to all of the edits and changes to the wording of the Declaration.  This is why the document begins with the heading: “In Congress, July 4, 1776”, marking for us a date to celebrate the birth of our beloved country, the United States of America.

The Revolutionary War had begun in earnest the year before.  British troops had actually occupied Boston since 1768 in order to enforce British taxes and clamp down on local radicals.  Blood was first shed in the “Boston Massacre” in 1770, when British soldiers fired into a crowd that was verbally and physically abusing them, and five civilians were killed.  But the first real shots of the war were fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775, more than a year before the Continental Congress declared the colonies to be independent of British rule.

The war continued for six years.  In the end, General George Washington and the Continental army surrounded General Cornwallis and the British army on Virginia’s Yorktown peninsula.  Unable to escape by sea due to help for the Americans from the French navy, Cornwallis was forced to surrender.  America had won her independence.

The success of the revolution, however, was never a sure thing.  Often, the success of the revolution hung by a thread.  Victory was very much in doubt.  One obscure occurrence that, had it been successful, would surely have spelled the end of the Patriots’ hope for freedom was discovered and thwarted quite by chance.

In June of 1776, while George Washington was stationed in New York City, a conspiracy was uncovered that involved Loyalists who intended to assassinate him and other military leaders when the British navy landed.  The plot involved men of his own “Life Guard,” particularly Thomas Hickey.  Hickey happened to be arrested for passing counterfeit money.  While he was in jail, he boasted to other prisoners about the assassination plot.  Hickey was tried for mutiny and sedition, and was sentenced to death.  Rather than taking down Washington and the revolution, the general’s authority was bolstered and solidified, and he went on to lead the Continental army to victory.  Today, we benefit from the sacrifices made in the Revolutionary War, and are thankful to enjoy freedom, and a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

But there was another battle for freedom that raged in history, one that was unseen by human eyes.  That is the battle that Christ waged on our behalf.  Jesus had His own betrayer in one of His close disciples.  Judas’ betrayal of Jesus led to His arrest on false charges.  At His arrest His followers abandoned him, and the revolution against the occupying Romans that they had hoped for came to nothing.  Jesus was accused falsely, but did not defend himself.  He was convicted in a kangaroo court and sentenced to death.

In the earthly realm, as Jesus hung on the cross, dying, it looked like the revolution was finished; hopes for the new order that the disciples expected were shattered.  In the spiritual realm it also looked like God’s plan had come to nothing.  Here was the very Son of God, bleeding and dying at the hands of His own creatures.  It appeared that Satan had won the battle.

One of our beloved hymns speaks about this:

The foe was triumphant when on Calvary

The Lord of creation was nailed to the tree.

In Satan’s domain did the hosts shout and jeer,

For Jesus was slain, whom the evil ones fear.

Jesus came in human form to us who were bound by the guilt of our sin and held in the dominion of our adversary, the devil, to do battle and set us free.  I imagine that, as Jesus breathed His last, a great shout went up in Satan’s kingdom.  The incarnate Son of God was dead.  Why had they been so afraid of Him?

You recognize, of course, that this is one of our beloved Easter hymns, He’s Risen, He’s Risen!  We sing that hymn today because Jesus did not remain in the tomb, but rose to life again on Easter morning!  And with His resurrection, our freedom is secured.

But short was their triumph; the Savior arose,

And death, hell, and Satan He vanquished, His foes.

The conquering Lord lifts His banner on high;

He lives, yes, He lives, and will nevermore die.

The name “Satan” means “Accuser.”  But the devil can no longer accuse us before God.  God Himself has paid the price for our redemption.  Jesus took our sentence of death on Himself when He carried in His body all the sin of mankind and went willingly to the cross.  His death to atone for our sedition and mutiny had been the plan all along.  His resurrection is the capstone of His victory!  He Has vanquished sin, death and the devil.  We raise our voices and sing this hymn with great gladness on Easter as we proclaim the victory and triumph of our God:

Oh, where is your sting, death? We fear you no more;

Christ rose, and now open is fair Eden’s door.

For all our transgressions His blood does atone;

Redeemed and forgiven, we now are His own.

At the time, as they were laying Jesus’ lifeless body in the tomb, it would have seemed incomprehensible that His death could mean life and joy and peace and freedom for us.  But His victory was never in doubt.  God’s plan to save sinners could not be thwarted by the betrayal of a close friend.  The cause of our liberty never hung by a thread. 

Colossians 2:15 says “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame.”  Revelation 12:10-11 says that “…The accuser… has been thrown down… And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

And so, this July 4th, as we consider the freedoms that we enjoy in our country, ponder, too, the freedom that is ours because of the great victory our Lord Jesus won for us by His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.  It is a freedom that we will celebrate into eternity!

Then sing your hosannas and raise your glad voice;

Proclaim the blest tidings that all may rejoice.

Laud, honor, and praise to the Lamb that was slain:

With Father and Spirit He ever shall reign.

God’s peace be with you,

Pastor

June Epistle: Seeing Through the Clouds

May 29th was the fortieth day after Easter.  This is the day upon which Jesus ascended bodily into heaven.  For forty days after His resurrection, He appeared to various people; to the disciples many times, but to others as well.  Paul writes that Jesus even appeared to five hundred people at one time! (1 Cor 15:6)  

Before He ascended, Jesus told his disciples, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Then He was lifted up as they watched, and a cloud hid Him from their sight (Acts 1:9).

Have you had the experience of ascending?  Likely, most of us have.  I think about a recent flight we had taken.  The grounds crew could be seen fueling the aircraft, loading the luggage, then guiding the plane backward from the gate.  We weren’t that far from them, separated only by a little distance.  Their features were clearly visible, and we could see them talking together, directing the work, laughing with each other.  Then, when our plane had left the runway and was climbing higher and higher into the air, people became smaller and smaller until only objects of significant size could be seen.  We could see a house, for example, but not the woman watering her garden or her husband checking the mail.  As we continued to climb, we passed through a layer of clouds that hid the earth completely from sight.

Ascension is the day that marks Jesus’ ascension into heaven.  He is no longer here on earth with his Church in the same way that He was before He ascended.  We can’t reach out and touch Him.  We can’t laugh with Him or see in His eyes that He understands the pain we’re going through.  We can’t hear his voice or feel his arms around us.  He’s ascended.  He’s gone.

Does it feel like that sometimes?  Like Jesus is gone?  Are there times when you feel like He doesn’t see your tears or hear your prayers or know your troubles?  It’s easy to feel like He’s separated from us, out there somewhere beyond the clouds, unable to see or hear or communicate with us.  At times like these, we might feel insignificant, unimportant to Jesus.  After all, there are a lot of very big problems in the world for Him to be concerned about.  What are my little troubles to Him?  What have I done to deserve His attention and time?

Nothing.  Nothing at all.  There is nothing that we have done to deserve Jesus’ attention, or help, or mercy, or love.  In fact, it is quite the opposite.  We are sinners and deserve only God’s wrath.  But Jesus came to be with sinners, to eat with them, to laugh with them, to love them, to put his arms around them.  He came to die for them, to cover them with His blood, to remove from them, from us, the punishment for our sins.  Jesus’ death and resurrection restores our relationship with God.  We have done nothing.  God, in Christ, has done everything!

As we rise in the airplane, the people below fade from view.  But that’s not true for Jesus.  That’s not true for God.  Jesus says in Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”  God sees through the clouds.  He sees you.  He knows you.  He even knows if one of the hairs of your head falls to the ground!  

Jesus has ascended to heaven, but he is not gone.  He is with us always, as He promised before He ascended.  1 Peter 5:7 says, “[Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”  And Psalm 139:8-10 tells us, "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

As we rise in the aircraft, people below shrink and vanish behind the clouds. We may not see them, but God does.  Jesus does.  He once was hidden from sight by the clouds.  But He has not abandoned us.  He sees.  He knows.  He cares.  

Even though you can’t see Jesus, He is with you.  Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”  Jesus dwells within us, and has given the Holy Spirit to be our comforter.  He is not far away and unseeing, but "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

The next time you take a flight and the earth is hidden from view by the clouds, ponder the mercy and grace of God, who sees and knows everything about you, and who cares for and loves you so much that he would send Jesus to die and rise for you.  And in the hard and difficult times, when you might be tempted to think that you are hidden from God’s view, remember that He is a God who sees through the clouds.  And He loves you with an everlasting love.

God’s peace be with you,

Pastor

art: Christi Himmelfahrt by Gebhard Fugel, c. 1893

May Epistle: Our Crucified and Resurrected Lord

It is Sunday, the first day of the week. Jesus was crucified publicly the Friday before and buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. This morning the news had come to them that the body was missing from the tomb. Sad, dejected and confused, feeling the loss and at a loss, Cleopas and another follower of Jesus are making their way to the nearby town of Emmaus, when a stranger joins them and asks what they’re talking about….

“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:18-26).

Wouldn’t you like to have been in on that conversation! What were the Scriptures that Jesus pointed out to them in the Old Testament? What verses were about Him? Actually, all of the Old Testament is about Jesus. Jesus himself tells the Jews who are looking to kill him, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39). Jesus, as he walks with Cleopas and the other disciple, expounds the Scriptures which speak of His death and resurrection.

But where in the Old Testament is it written that Jesus would rise from the dead? Oh, you ask such great questions! Here are a few of the verses that Jesus would say spoke of His resurrection:

Genesis 22:5, He said to his servants,”Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham had been told by God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Here Abraham demonstrates his belief that God would bring his son back to life, since Isaac was the son of promise. Abraham knew that all of God’s promises to him must be kept through Isaac. Jesus is THE child of promise, the one whom God promised would come to make right our relationship with Him, which meant overcoming sin and death and making us righteous. Through Jesus, all of the promises of God are ours.

Hebrews 11:19 says, “[Abraham] considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” This event in Abraham and Isaac’s life reveals what God will do with His own son. Isaac would not be sacrificed, but God’s only Son would be, and would be raised back to life. Jesus says, "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” (Jn 8:56). Perhaps He was referring to His death and resurrection, which Abraham “saw” in the events of Genesis 22.

Leviticus 23:9-11: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the Priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.’” Jesus is called the firstfruits of the resurrection of all flesh. The day after the Sabbath is Sunday. The beginning of the harvest follows Passover. So, on the day that Jesus rose from the dead, the priests were in the Temple, waiving the firstfruits before the altar! Here is a clear parallel to Jesus’ resurrection in the Temple practice of waiving the firstfruits.

Psalm 16:10: “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” God’s holy One, the Messiah, would not remain in the grave or see decay.

Isaiah 53:10–11: “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him... he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days... Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied.” “He shall prolong his days” speaks of resurrection after being crushed (killed).

Hosea 6:2: “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” Clearly a passage that can be taken as applying to Jesus.

Jonah 1:17: “Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jesus quotes this passage as the only sign that will be given the Jews. In Matthew 12:40, Jesus says, “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” as a clear reference to His death, burial, and subsequent resurrection.

Job 19:25–27: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth... yet in my flesh I shall see God.” Here, Job expresses his belief in bodily resurrection for himself, and he even calls God his Redeemer (One who would pay the price for his sins). And, note: that Redeemer is not a dead and buried Savior, but one who lives.

Ambrose of Milan is a church father from the fourth century who comments about many of these verses. He says that Psalm 16:10 shows that Christ will rise bodily from the grave; Isaiah 53:10-11 emphasizes that through suffering, Christ would see the light of life and be satisfied; Jonah 1:17 leads Ambrose to draw a parallel with Christ death and resurrection and ultimate victory; and Job’s declaration that “My Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth” is seen by Ambrose as a foreshadowing of Christ’s victory over death and the promise of eternal life.

The Old Testament and the New are two parts of one story: the story of the salvation of sinful man. In Jesus, delivered up for our [sins] and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25), we have the focus and the fulfillment of the Old and the New Testaments. It all centers around Him. He is the hinge of the Scriptures, on which everything turns. He is our Redeemer, the incarnate Son of God, the sacrificial Lamb, and the resurrected Lord.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia!

May you rejoice this Easter season in Christ crucified and risen for you.

In His name,

Pastor

April Epistle: The Curse Removed

“To Adam [God] said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your face ou shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:17-19)

You’ll easily recognize this passage from the book of Genesis.  Adam and Eve have eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They have disobeyed God’s command, have broken His Law, and have fallen from the state of righteousness.  They now bear the guilt of sin and the weight of its wages.  They have died spiritually, and they will die physically: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

These are the words that we speak on Ash Wednesday, as we place a cross of ash on our foreheads to remind us of the guilt and wages of our sin.  The purpose of Lent is to observe a time of repentance for our sin and to look forward in hope to our Savior’s sacrifice on our behalf.  God had promised to Adam and Eve that one of their offspring would come to crush Satan, crush his power to accuse us, and in fact, crush the power of death itself.

I find it interesting and informative that God does not curse Adam and Eve for their sin.  He instead curses the ground that man will work.  “In pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.”  Thorns and thistles certainly represent for us the pain and suffering of this fallen life!

In our Sunday morning Bible study we’ve been working our way through the book of Genesis.  Most recently, we finished the story of Abraham as he was called to sacrifice his son Isaac (the son of promise) to God.  It was twenty-five years that Abraham and Sarah had waited for the birth of the son promised to them by God.  When their son, Isaac, was around thirteen years old, God told Abraham to sacrifice the boy to Him.  

Skipping a lot of details that you can read about in Genesis chapter 22, Abraham on Mount Moriah has prepared Isaac to be a sacrifice to God.  Abraham raises his knife to slay his son on the altar he had built when God calls out to him not to harm the boy.  In place of Isaac, Abraham sacrifices a ram, caught by its horns in a “sebak”, or thicket.  This Hebrew word often has the meaning of a thornbush.  The ram is caught by his horns, entangled there, held there by the thorns for Abraham to use as a sacrifice in place of his son.

This near sacrifice of Isaac takes place on Mount Moriah, where Abraham was led by God.  On this mountain, Abraham is given a ram as a substitute for Isaac.  Amazingly, or maybe we should expect it, Mount Moriah is the same mountain on which Solomon’s temple will be built.  The Temple of Solomon was the place where countless sacrifices were offered to God to atone for the sins of the people.  Mount Moriah is also, then, the place where, just outside the city walls, God’s own Son, Jesus, is nailed to the cross and sacrificed for the atonement of the sin of Adam and Eve and all of their offspring.  As the ram was sacrificed in place of Isaac, just so, Jesus took our place and died in our stead.  By His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

The ram was caught in the thornbush so that Abraham could offer a substitutionary sacrifice in place of his son.  This thornbush might remind us of the crown of thorns that encircled Jesus’ brow on that Good Friday, as He becomes the substitutionary sacrifice that pays for our sins.  As the ram is caught by his horns, so Jesus is caught, bound, held to His mission and purpose – namely, to redeem mankind from sin, death and the devil.  The thorns that come as a result of Adam’s sin represent the resulting pain and suffering of man under sin’s curse.

Jesus has come to undo that curse, by taking the “thorns” on himself, taking the wrath of God, the suffering and pain away from us, and bearing it Himself.  The crown of thorns encircling Jesus’ head represents the transfer of sin’s curse from us to Jesus.  The ram was caught in the thornbush.  Jesus willingly allows the thorns to be placed on himself.  He will bear our punishment, in order that we might again be restored to righteousness.

The prophet Isaiah writes, 

“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see

and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.”  (Isaiah 53:10-11)

“Dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”  This mortal body will die.  But the Good News of Good Friday and Easter morning is that the payment to God for our sins has been paid by the Son of promise, God’s only begotten Son.  He is the One who has come to crush Satan under his feet.  He did that by taking our sin upon Himself and then taking God’s punishment in our place.  The thorns of sin’s curse have been taken from us and placed on Jesus.  He has won for us the victory, so that we can be accounted righteous in God’s sight.

God bless you as you relive the events of Holy Week, and as you celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin, death and the devil this Easter.

God’s peace be yours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Pastor

March Epistle: March Madness

You likely are familiar with the term, “March Madness.” It’s a description of the NCAA Division I college basketball tournament that takes place in March each year. I have never followed college basketball (oh, how much you miss, you say!). I’ve known that March Madness is a big tournament and a big deal, but that’s all.

As I’m looking into it, I’m finding that the tournament is aptly named! It is, truly, “madness,” as 68 teams from across the na=on are bracketed and compete in the space of about 18 days for the coveted title of National Champion. Sixty-eight teams! I had no idea!

Teams are seeded in the tournament in four separate brackets. Their placement is based on their prior performance, as better teams earn better seeds. And then the competition begins. Lose and you’re out; win and you move on. It’s as simple as that. Hard work pays off. Skill and heart work in your favor. If you’re going to take home the championship trophy, you’ve got to have a perfect record – five wins.

Last year Purdue’s big man, Zach Edey, was interviewed aYer his team’s victory over Tennessee, which put the Boilermakers in the Final Four for the first time in over forty years. As the cheering and celebrating went on around him, the 7-foot-4 Edey said, “They thought they knew what we had in our hearts. I promise you, they didn’t. We’re .winners. This is what we do.”

March madness is a tournament about heart and courage and leaving everything out there on the floor. The winners get fame and glory; the losers console themselves that they did their best, and they work to correct their mistakes and bePer their play.

We can resonate with what goes on in March Madness. It’s fitting and right that the teams that play the best, that put more points on the board, should rise to the top and be recognized, be honored. It’s what we like to see in life, too.

It’s reasonable that those who work hard and do well in their field of expertise should get the promo=on and raise in salary. Students who work hard and learn their lessons graduate, some with honors. This is not madness. It’s just how life works.

The “Madness” in March Madness refers to the process of going through the craziness of the tournament, the method of quickly weeding out the weaker teams and moving the stronger teams along to vie for the top prize. It does not refer to the honor given to the winning team. That’s not madness. They earned it!

What is madness is the unearned honor given to the baptized children of God. What is madness is that, even though we have not played by God’s rules, on the Day of Judgment we’ll find ourselves celebra=ng and wearing a crown! In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul says, “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” God knows what is in our hearts, in our hearts of flesh. He knows the sin that lurks there, the selfish desires of our Old Adam that are contrary to his rules, his Law. God says that to get into His kingdom, we must have a perfect record, no mistakes – “The soul who sins shall die,” and “The wages of sin is death” (Ezekiel 18:20/Romans 6:23). God’s Law is clear; the rules of this life are clear: Sin and you’re out – remain holy, without blemish, and you’ll make it to heaven.

So, guess what? We’re all out. None of us made it past the first round. In fact, we entered the “tournament” of life with a handicap. We were born sinful. In the words of Zach Edey, “This is what we do.” It doesn’t maPer how hard we try to work at being righteous or whether or not our heart is in it. Our sin disqualifies us for life with God in His kingdom.

It’s madness, then, is that God, who demands perfection and holiness from us, has made us holy and perfect by faith in His Son. It’s madness that Jesus, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:6-11).

It’s madness that God in His mercy sent his Son to take the loss for us, the sinless Son of God dying for sinners like you and me. And this is what we focus our gaze on in this season of Lent; it’s a time to recognize the gift that God has bestowed on us, the love He has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God (1 John 3:1). The season of Lent that we begin in March is a celebration of “madness.” It’s a season of repentance which culminates in the darkness and gloom of Good Friday, followed three days later by the light and glory of the Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. In baptism, we have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). And, “if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5). This is “madness!”

Thank God that we don’t have to earn our way to the top in some tournament of life. Our sin disqualifies us from life with God, but God loved us so much that He removed our sin from us. He did so by sending His only Son, that whoever believes in Him might receive the crown of life (John 3:16). That’s madness! That’s mercy! As it says in Psalm 118:23, “This is the LORD's doing; [and] it is marvelous in our eyes!”

God’s peace be yours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Pastor

February Epistle: Trust in the Lord

 At the writing of this article, the  presidency has changed hands from Democrat to Republican.  Executive orders are flying off the  desk, making sweeping changes  that affect many Americans. President Trump’s nominees for cabinet level positions are undergoing  scrutiny by the Senate. Many government employees are being offered the choice of returning to  work in person or taking a buyout  and resigning. Criminals who are  in the country without permission  are being detained and deported.  The country is bracing for a political shift as a new administration  takes over. 

 This is our political system, a  representative democracy, where  we elect our leaders to make deci sions for us. It’s a system that em braces change. But that change  can be difficult for us. We often  do not agree with the decisions that  are being made. We might be anx ious and worry about the future for  ourselves, our loved ones, and our  country.  

 On the other hand, if we like  what our leaders are doing, we  might relax and feel that our fu ture, at least in the short term, is  secure. Things are good. Every thing’s going to be okay. 

 Psalm 146 says,  

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man,  

in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs,  

he returns to the earth; 

on that very day his plans perish. 

Blessed is he whose help  is the God of Jacob, 

whose hope is in  the Lord his God, 

who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;” 

(Psalm 146:3-6) 

 The Psalm points us to a reality  that we often forget. God is in  control. He orders and directs.  Great and powerful leaders, super-powers and countries that might be  called “bad actors,” none of these can work against the will of the  God who made heaven and earth.  In 1523, Martin Luther pub lished his Treatise on Temporal  Authority. In it, Luther argues that  rulers and governments are or dained by God to keep the peace  and maintain order in society.  They do this by enforcing laws,  pursuing justice, and keeping or der in society. This secular king dom wields the sword (power) in  order to curb evil and maintain  peace. It exists for the welfare of  people. 

 Temporal authority, however, is  different than spiritual authority.  The spiritual realm governs mat ters of faith and salvation. It is  concerned with preaching the Gospel, administering the sacra ments, and guiding Christians in  their spiritual lives. Luther empha sized that the Church’s role is not  to rule over civil matters, but ra ther to offer spiritual care and salvation through God’s Word.  Luther also makes the point that  Christians are obligated to obey  secular rulers, just as Paul writes in  Romans 13:1, “Let everyone be  subject to the governing authori ties, for there is no authority ex cept that which God has estab lished.” However, he highlights  that rulers are not above God and  should rule justly, in keeping with  divine principles. If the demands  of the governing authorities con tradicts God’s Word, then, as Peter  and the apostles confess in Acts  5:59, “We must obey God, rather  than men.” 

 From this treatise comes what  we know today as Luther’s Two  Kingdoms Doctrine. Luther devel oped this doctrine as part of his Reformation theology.  Realizing that we exist and live  in both kingdoms can be very help ful, especially during the tumult of  political change. We are not to  militate for the Church to control  secular society. Nor are we to al low the governing authorities to  dictate what we believe and how  we worship. Keeping the two  kingdoms in their place can also  bring us heavenly peace in the midst of temporal turmoil.   Whatever happens in this tem poral life, we know that the God  who made heaven and earth is in  control. As good citizens, our faith  can help us elect good and capable  leaders. But we also know not to  “trust in princes,” but to put our  trust and hope in God our heavenly  Father. Secular kingdoms and rul ers will come and go. Their breath  will depart and they will return to  the earth. However, both our God  and his love for us in Christ are  eternal, and his promises are a bed rock foundation on which to place  our hope. 

Psalm 146 

Praise the Lord, my soul.

 I will praise the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
 Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
    and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
   the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
    the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the foreigner
    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.

God’s peace be yours in the name  of our crucified and risen Lord Jesus. 

Pastor