Sunday, May 15, 2011

Blood on My Hands


I once heard a Roman Catholic priest say, “Sacraments are messy.” This spoken within the context of a video documenting the Roman Catholic RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) just after he finished baptizing a number of folks. It was, in fact, messy. Those baptized got very wet. He may also have been speaking with regard to their understanding of the Lord’s Supper as a “re-sacrificing” of Christ’s body and blood – not Scriptural at all (Hebrews 9).

Nevertheless, this morning, the celebration of the Sacrament did get a bit messy – literally – for me this morning. Some of the wine spilled onto my hands. And a wave of theology came over me. Christ’s blood, present in, with, and under the Sacrament of the Altar was physically on my hands. My hand was sticky, just like real blood gets sticky before it dries. His blood on my hands. How true. “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus, whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36) My sin nailed him to the cross. I am guilty. And look at the price paid. His blood on my hands. What shall we do?

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” His blood is on my hands, but he does not hold it against me. For I am baptized. I have died with Christ and have risen with Christ. That same blood of his on my hands is also my forgiveness.

The Sacraments are messy – physically in their administration, but also messy because of Christ’s messy, bloody, ugly death on the cross that paid the price of the gracious gifts of forgiveness of sins and eternal life freely offered through them.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Thoughts on the Death of Osama bin Laden

I must admit, I missed all the news Sunday night. I had stopped watching TV not long after dinner and went to bed around 9:30. So I woke up to the news Monday morning. While the world is still digesting what has happened, I thought I might jot down a few thoughts.

My first thoughts were probably similar to most Americans - a sense of relief, that a great evil had been removed from our world. But I also began to think about how this was all accomplished: from within the proper authority in this matter – government. It's the government’s job to defend and protect its citizenry and it properly wields its power when it accomplishes just that. President Obama has the authority to protect the nation and did exactly what he is supposed to do as Commander in Chief. The soldiers who carried out the mission had the authority to do exactly as they did by killing Osama bin Laden – an enemy of the state. They all operated within their vocations and performed their jobs very well in service to others.

God has eliminated a great evil from the earth (Romans 12:19). But he didn’t strike down bin Laden with a lightning strike from the heavens . While that is not beyond his power, the vast majority of the time, God uses means to accomplish his intent. Our God is both the Lord of the Church and of all the nations. He uses the Church to reveal himself and his love for the world in Jesus Christ – the head of the Church through means – Word and Sacrament. And God uses government and its means – the power of the sword, to keep the peace and bring about justice. Paul writes about this in Romans 13:1-7.

Yesterday was a victory for our nation. Yet, I would say, a muted victory because the war on terror will still go on. But maybe, God willing, we have witnessed the beginning of the end.