A Wonderful Visit Today

We had 3 visitors at our home today from Russia. These boys are staying with host families for a week and we pray that they find new families! My Russian/American -- Alex -- is the boy in the middle with the glow-in-dark speed stacking cups.

The Blogs

We live in a world where you are one click away from anywhere thanks to the Internet. Granted, that can get you in trouble as you can use the wrong words or perhaps react too quickly. But it is also such a blessing as we learn from others and share with others. The cancellation of Issues Etc has connected so many people in awesome ways. I read my favorite blogs which in turn link me to other blogs. So now I've added to my list of favorite blogs: (This list will grow!)

http://churchandliturgy.blogspot.com About liturgy
http://rasburrysres.blogspot.com/ Pastor Asburry in St. Louis
http://revcwirla.blogspot.com/ Rev. Cwirla's Blogosphere (Underground) It's his personal bunker in case of synodical terrorism.
http://www.redeemerfortwayne.org/blog.php?msg=9142 A great post about the LCMS from Pastor Petersen at Redeemer Lutheran in Fort Wayne, IN
http://augsburg1530.wordpress.com/ A grassroots movement to understand why Issues Etc was cancelled.
http://adelphoitouchristou.typepad.com/savethelcms/News & Information from the Christ-Centered Cross-Focused Resistance Movement
http://laymenetc.typepad.com/ Exactly what it says!
http://bringbackissues.blogspot.com/ Exactly what it says too!

The Listeners Got ISSUES

About that PEW Report

PEW Research recently released its findings on religion in America. In addition my local paper, the Oakland Press, released a story on that report. While I can't argue with their findings and I don't know how valid the survey really is, I can make some observations on the newspaper article.

The article suggests that churches have to keep their services current. It states that the non-denominational churches seem to growing and that's true. The clergy quoted say that people are searching for something and often leaving the mainline denominations that they grow up in. That's probably true and very sad.

It leaves me wondering about a few things though.

• Why has the traditional church with hymns and liturgy which have been around for 2000+ years all of sudden become insufficient and irrelevant?

• The non-denominational churches tend to create their own hybrid 'creeds'. Are the historic creeds insufficient and irrelevant?

• Church seems to be about feeling fed and being happy and knowing your purpose in life. Exactly why did Jesus die and why do I belong to a local congregation and attend worship regularly?

From my vantage point (I'm a baby boomer) it's not about me at all, rather it's about what Jesus did on the cross and what God gives to me with that. No amount of my work can give me forgiveness of sins and make me a child of God. God works that through faith which only the Holy Spirit can give through the means of grace, namely Holy Baptism, Holy Communion and the Word.

Of course therein lies a part of the problem. Somehow many people think they need to help God do the saving by their decision and prove it by their acts of service. Some think you have to add good works in addition to what God gives in Holy Baptism. Some think that acts of service and being a good person will gain your access to heaven. Actions of service are essential, but they have nothing to do with salvation.

I can only speak for the Lutheran church (specifically LCMS) as that is the denomination I am a part of.

Why do you leave?

• Perhaps you don't really understand that when you attend that 'boring' liturgical service that God is present in Word and Sacrament. (The Divine Service)
  

• Perhaps you don't understand that the hymns you sing are oozing with the Word of God.
  

• Perhaps you don't understand that faith that saves (forgiveness of sins) is a free gift given to you even through you are poor, miserable sinner.

• Perhaps you don't understand that when the Pastor speaks that God is using the Pastor's voice -- He forgives your sins with the absolution, He speaks Law and Gospel, that is the Good News that Christ died for YOUR sins and you are forgiven.

When you decide to go to the local non-denominational church that is culturally relevant you are no longer receiving the means of grace. You may hear the Word of God, but it will most likely be 'Law, Gospel, Law'. Where's the Good News in that? The last time I looked most non-denominational churches are not sacramental and there is no room in their statements of faith (assuming you can find it) for Holy Baptism, Holy Communion and hearing the Word as the means for creating a saving faith.

Just because you were confirmed as a teenager or maybe you went through a short new member class, doesn't mean you are done growing. You have to sustain your faith in the same way that you have to care for your body with means of food, shelter and rest. Open the Word regularly, strive to understand what happens in liturgy, learn what the theology of the Lutheran church is (ie how faith is created for starters), read and re-read Luther's Small Catechism. Avail yourself of the means that God has ordained -- Holy communion, worship, and His Word. That's how you sustain your faith. Remember Holy Baptism is not the Willy Wonka golden ticket. You can lose your faith if you are not careful.

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Albrecht Altdorfer

Altar Piece
The Resurrection of Christ
c. 151
Oil on wood, 70,5 x 37,3 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Holy Week

Holy Week happened and I never made to my blog. The first event of the week was on Holy Tuesday when the LCMS saw fit to cancel Issues Etc (on www.kfuoam.org) and terminate Pastor Todd Wilken (the host) and Jeff Schwarz (the producer). It has been a wild ride on The Wittenberg Trail as it relates to this bad move by the Synod. The blogosphere is 'ablaze' with this story and I'm not talking Ablaze as in the efforts by the LCMS to evangelize.

I have spent too much time hiking The Wittenberg Trail as well as sending my share of emails to synod contacts. And I'll continue spending too much time.

My dad had a pacemaker put in this week and that went very well. Praise God for the vocation of medicine.

Alex was the penitent thief in the Passion Play that the 5th graders do every year at his school. The entire cast was wonderful and what a tremendous witness they were to everyone who attended. We were thrilled that Alex's godparents came -- Bob, Sherry and family.

We attended our first Maundy Thursday service at Our Shepherd. It was a very powerful service as the altar was stripped and all the lights extinguished. The 22nd Psalm was chanted by two men and it was so moving.

We attended our first Good Friday service also. It was a Tenebrae service. The only lights in the sanctuary were the candles in front of the altar. The pastors woke simple black robes. It was so sad and somber. We heard mediations on Jesus' last 7 words and sang the hymn "Jesus, in Your Dying Woes' throughout.

On Saturday we had a seder at home. We combined what I have experienced at seders in the past with information on found on the Internet. Our goal was to remember what God did for the Israelites as they left Egypt and what He did when He sent His Son. And finally we made Resurrection cookies.

Our New Church Home

We were privileged today to officially join our new Lutheran church. We are members of Our Shepherd Lutheran in Birmingham.

We have been attending a class for the last 7 weeks which helped us to know what kinds of opportunities are available. Since we were transferring from another LCMS church we didn't attend the Living Discipleship class which explores Lutheran theology. However I plan to attend it later this spring. I didn't pay attention to confirmation as a teenager many decades ago.

We were warmly welcomed today both in the service and at a potluck afterwards. Today was also first communion for the 8th graders so there were many people at the 11:00 service. Since tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, the theme of the potluck was green. Alex was one of the winners in the icebreaker and received a large chocolate bunny -- that thrilled him. And we came home with a shamrock plant and a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers.

I am in awe of our Lord Jesus Christ as I reflect on the various church stops I have made in my life. I grew up basically in one church (starting at age 8 -- can't remember much before then) and then got married and moved away to South Dakota. I found a church home there.

But I took a detour and ended up back in Michigan as a single mom with a 7 year old. I returned to the church I grew up in and met my second (and last) husband. We adopted our son and began to feel a need to make a church change.

So with fear and trepidation we did. In fact we jumped synods, moved across town and joined a very large church. That created tension in my family as I left the 'family' church. We changed worship style -- contemporary, praise and worship. And we grew tremendously in that church.

After several years of homeschooling Alex returned to school -- a Lutheran school. That gave us re-exposure to traditional Lutheran (liturgy) and a desire to return back to liturgy grew. We couldn't return to the church that I grew up in as I now have doctrinal concerns, plus it made sense to be at the church that is associated with Alex's school.

So we joyful continue on our faith journey as we head towards eternity and that face to face meeting with Jesus.

Great Music

While hiking on the Wittenberg Trail yesterday I read a post a fellow hiker inquiring about a musician. He mentioned that he listens to a radio website from WELS. There are 6 channels: choral, contemporary, Easter Time, instrumental, mix and traditional.

http://streams.wels.net/radio

Spirituality of the Cross -- Baptism

Notes from Chap 3

The Presence of God
The Sacraments -- Baptism

• Lutheran spirituality is a sacramental spirituality, centered in the conviction that the Holy Spirit actually descends in the waters of Baptism, and that Christ is really present in the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

• Lutherans believe that the Gospel is conveyed, objectively, when a human being, even an infant is baptized. The Gospel is also conveyed, objectively, when the Lord's Supper is celebrated and the communicant is fed with bread and wine, in which is present the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ given for the forgiveness of sins.

• The Holy Spirit is strongly at work in local congregations, unlikely as it may sometimes, seem, as the pastor proclaims the Word and teaches and applies it to his people.

• According to Romans 6:3-5, Baptism unites a person to Christ, specifically, to His death and resurrection.

• As Luther explains in the Large Catechism, "To be baptized in God's name is to be baptized not by men but God himself."

• Infant Baptism, in fact, is perhaps the best illustration of justification by faith. Faith is not a matter of intellectual mastery, nor is it a decision. Faith is trust, a relationship of utter dependence on Christ.

• Baptism plays a continual role in the spiritual life of Lutherans. We are always told to 'remember your Baptism'. Every day when you wash your face, said Luther, you should think of your baptism.

• The fact of one's baptism is also tied to the assurance of salvation.

Lifelight -- Timothy, Titus and Philemon

I have started my second Lifelight Study. We are studying Timothy, Titus and Philemon. This study is a bit easier than the Revelation Study and very practical as we are joining a new church this Sunday.

The first lesson dealt with the first chapter of 1 Timothy. This chapter warns against false doctrine. False doctrine abounds in the world and often it is rather covert.

What comes to mind for me is the teaching that a person must contribute to their salvation by making a decision. That is taught in a multitude of churches -- mainline and non-denominational.

I have a series of Adult Information Class DVDs from Messiah Lutheran in Seattle. One of the sessions, on justification (I think) used a great illustration. Can a physically dead man on the ground order a Starbucks latte? NOPE! Can a spiritually dead man save himself? NOPE! I can't --- only God can do that through the work of the Holy Spirit.

We Have a Winner -- Iditarod 36

Iditarod 36 has a winner -- Lance Mackey won it for the second year in a row. I have been following Jeff King and he came in second this morning at 4:05 am Alaska time. http://iditarodblogs.com/news/2008/03/12/king-claims-second-in-iditarod-36

My other two mushers are still mushing -- DeeDee Jonrowe and Ed Stielstra. What was fun about the race this year was that 20 of the mushers (including Lance and Jeff) had GPS units on their sleds so you could follow their progress live via satellite.

Happy Adoption Day Alex

10 years ago day (March 11, 1998) Dave and I arrived on the overnight train from Moscow to Kirov. We traveled on the Transiberian Railroad. What an adventure. We arrived at about 8:30 am, jammed into a vehicle and traveled a few miles to the Kirov orphanage. At a few minutes before 9 am, Alex entered the room in the arms of a caregiver. We played for 30 minutes and then headed to court. By 11:30 am we were legally Alex's parents (both in Russia and the US, since the US recognized the court proceeding). By 5 pm we were on the overnight train back to Moscow with Alex. Our first night was in a small train berth chugging through the snowy countryside. That 10 years seems like yesterday and yet so long ago. Thank to God for his wonderful gift of Alex.

Spirituality of the Cross -- The Bible

Notes from Chap 3

The Bible

• God, in His direct inspiration and providential control of history, caused His Word to be put into writing. Consequently, Christians believe that "all Scripture is God-breathed." (1 Timothy 3:16)

• Christians believe that God's Word is something tangible, written down ink and paper, accessible and objective.

• Lutherans and other Christians agree, then, that the Bible is authoritative. It is the source and test, the touchstone, of all valid theology.

• Lutherans and other Christians agree that the Bible gives us accurate information about God's action in history.

• Lutherans, however, see something else happening when we read or hear the Bible. It is a means of grace. God is literally and objectively present and working, inscribing in our hearts the gift of faith.

• The content of God's Word is Law and Gospel. The Bible reveals God's holiness, His will, His demands, and His judgments. The Bible also reveals His love, His grace, and His promises -- how God constantly rescued His children from their sin-caused slavery, how Christ offered Himself as the expiation for our sins.

• To read the Bible as a spiritual venture is to be confroned, in the most personal terms, with God Himself.
  

Spirituality of the Cross -- The Word of God

Notes from Chap 3

The Word of God

• Central to every level of Lutheran theology and spirituality -- its source, its method, and its practice -- is the insight that God Himself addresses human beings through human language.

• For Lutherans, God comes from the outside; the Holy Spirit is to be found objectively. God speaks directly and effectually to us in His Word.

• The Christian's relationship to God, like all other relationships, thrives on two-way conversations - the Christian speaks to God by prayer, and God speaks to the Christian who rad His Word.

• Lutherans insist that the Bible, though written by human beings, is indeed the Word of God.

• The main difference between God's Word and merely human words, is that God -- the Holy Spirit -- promises to be at work whenever His Word is spoken. "My word that goes out from my mouth", says the Lord, "will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11).

Spirituality of the Cross -- The Means of Grace

Notes from Chapter 3

The Means of Grace
The Presence of God

• We are saved solely by the action of God: He is the one who saved us by performing everything we could not.

• Lutheran theologians speak of "objective justification". Strictly speaking, justification took place outside of ourselves, in the actual historical events of Christ's death and resurrection. On the cross, two millenia ago, our salvation was accomplished as an objective event.

• Though Christ atoned for the sins of the entire world, it is clear that not everyone has faith.

• If faith is not a decision nor an experience nor some inner work, and if salvation is totally the work of God, it would seem that faith too must be the work of God.

So the big question is:

How do we attain a saving, life-changing faith?

The answer, in Lutheran spirituality, has to do with the so-called means of grace. We are connected to Christ, and the Holy Spirit works both faith and good works in our lives by means of the Word and the Sacraments.

This is a broadcast from Law & Gospel (Pastor Tom Baker) on the Means of Grace from February 28, 2008
http://www.kfuoam.org/mp3/LG/Law_Gospel_Feb_28.mp3