Pastor Jon's Posts

Christmas Foretaste

2011-12-25T13:26:00.000-06:00

One this day when we celebrate the first advent of Jesus the Christ, families gather to celebrate around Christmas trees and dinner tables. We have our own feast planned for this evening: steaks from Perry's (the best in Friendswood), buttered and steamed asparagus (that's right Mom, I'm eating asparagus!), washed down with a fine Pinot Noir. All of which made me think of this prophecy from Isaiah:

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

This text is actually for Easter. But I think it fits today. Tonight we, and I hope you, will be celebrating with a fine feast celebrating the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. Think of tonight's feast as a foretaste, not with the same benefits of the Sacrament, but still, a foretaste of the celebration to come - when you will be gathered by our Lord as death is wiped away forever in His Second Advent. On that day, you will be gathered with your family, the family of God, all your brothers and sisters in Christ. On that day we will praise our God with the words Isaiah foresaw: "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation!" And feast in the feast of our Lord which has no end. May that day come quickly.
A blessed Christmas to each of you.

Defying Definition

2011-11-22T10:40:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, our family had pictures taken for Christmas. It's something we always do. And Sheri wisely scheduled said photo session very early this year. She also insists that I wear my clerical collar for said pictures. Which makes things interesting. Whenever I am out in the community with Sheri or with the girls or with all of them, people look and I can tell the gears are just grinding in the head trying to figure it all out. According to common definition, guys who wear clerical collars are supposed to be Roman Catholic priests - which means they are supposed to be celibate. So they see me walk into Portrait Innovations with Sheri and the girls and I can just imagine: "Wait, he's a priest (and a young one at that) but is that his wife? Or is that a mistress? And they have kids!! Priests are pedophiles! Does he have a wedding ring? Yes, he has a wedding ring! So this is a priest, who's young and not old, is married, and has kids!" Sometimes they ask me if I'm a priest, and then I explain to them I'm a Lutheran pastor. "What's a Lutheran."
It's fun and a good thing not being defined by anyone's common assertions and preconceived notions. I will not be defined by popular viewpoints or pollster and marketing categories. And I am certainly not self-defined. The definitions I have been given are given by God - child of God, husband, father, U.S. citizen, and yes, a Lutheran Pastor.
And it's just hilarious when Sheri and I exhibit a public display of affection.

Saints Marching In

2011-11-07T15:28:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated All Saints' Day at Hope. Hope tends to do this service big - only Easter and Christmas are bigger. Just before the 8 o'clock service, I was standing in the Narthex at the entrance to the nave greeting people as they came in. At one point, there was a "rush" of some of our members who are closer to sainthood than most - slowly pushing their walkers or being pushed in a wheelchair. With choir rehearsing in the background I was suddenly struck with this insight: this is the Pastoral office - greeting the saints God has appointed since before time - welcoming them into the kingdom of God with the words of Jesus such as what we heard that day, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." My task is to proclaim to them that they are saints because of their savior Jesus who welcomes them into the kingdom by his Word.
As I watched those who have many physical tribulations right now, the words from Revelation came to me as well: "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." One great day, these and all the saints of God, a great multitude, from every nation and tribe and people and language will be standing before the throne and before the Lamb without their walkers and their wheelchairs, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands worshiping the God who has created them, redeemed them from their sin, and made them his holy people.
For now, greeting them with a smile in the narthex will do.

The Gospel For Those Broken By the Church

2011-10-31T08:23:00.000-05:00

This is an excellent proclamation of the Gospel for those hurt, turned off, or broken by a church somewhere. Gene Veith over at Cranach posted this free resourse from Prof. Rod Rosenbladt. A great way to celebrate the Reformation: the proclamation of the Gospel!

"The 'Best' Church For Us"

2011-10-26T11:05:00.001-05:00

You will never find the perfect congregation for you or your family. All of them are full of sinners. All of them are led by sinful human beings. All congregations are full of sinners, but sinners redeemed in the blood of Lamb and for which there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8) The perfect church for you would be a church of one - just you - which isn't a church at all.
We must wait until Christ returns to raise all the dead and judge all, and usher in the new heavens and the new earth in "the life of the world to come." And even then, it won't be the perfect church you seek. It won't meet your expectations. It will be something you can't possibly imagine. That's why it's called "the wonderful surprise."
But as we wait for that glorious day, find a congregation that gathers around God's Word purely preached and His Sacraments properly administered.

With Angels and Archangels and the Cleaning Staff

2011-10-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

Clarence and Mildred are an amazing, and faithful, couple. Clarence had a stroke umpteen years ago and is in a nursing home. At the same time, his wife, Mildred lives at home, but can't drive. I have the opportunity and privilege of bringing God's Word and Sacrament to them on a regular basis. I usually pick up Mildred and we drive to meet Clarence at the nursing home.
You never know what's going to happen or under what circumstances you will be at the nursing home. Sometimes we worship together in a private dining room, or even in a staff-members office. This past visit, I asked the activities director what was available. He told me, "The main dining room is free. No one should be in there right now." So that's where we went. We found a table and talked awhile. Then I began our worship service using a brief order found in my LSB Pastoral Care Companion. As I began to prepare for the celebration of the Sacrament, in walks a couple of cleaning staff people. They were going to clean the light fixtures. So here I am, saying the Proper Preface as one of the crew plops down a ladder about four feet away and climbs to the fixture right above us. You never know what's going to happen in the Nursing Home! So I just keep going through the order. So there we are celebrating Holy Communion while the light fixtures are cleaned.
This isn't at all like celebrating the Sacrament in our Sanctuary where there are hundreds of people singing hymns with the organ and we use beautifully-crafted communion ware to distribute our Lord's Body and Blood. This is three people, with a little, unassuming Communion kit, no organ, no singing, sitting around a small table, with cleaning people just doing there job around us. But it's no different. It's no different than any other beautiful celebration of Holy Communion. Jesus Christ, the Son of God was born in a stable in a little, unassuming town in the backwater of the Roman Empire. But there, angels and archangels and all the company of heaven celebrated and praised God for what he has done. Same here, in the nursing home, with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven - Christ came to Clarence, Mildred, and myself in, with, and under the bread and wine of his holy meal; forgiving us, nourishing and strengthening us, and sending us.
Even with cleaning people around.

Just Humming Along

2011-08-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

How often do you find yourself still singing those hymns from Sunday morning in your head? How often are you humming those tunes in quiet moments at home or work? What we sing on Sunday is important. The decisions made about hymnody for any given Sunday have lasting implications. The hymns sung on Sunday continue to resonate the rest of the week. Important question: Are those hymns/songs faithful confessions of who Jesus is and what he has done for us? That question is important because, in way, the hymns become your confession of the Faith the rest of the week and a probably remembered better than the words of the sermon.

Crumbs from the Table

2011-08-15T13:33:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday's Gospel lesson was Matthew 15:21-28 - the story of Jesus and the Canaanite Woman.

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. (ESV)

So this text was on my mind the entire service. However, the text became a physical reality for me as a knelt at the Lord's Table to receive Christ's Body and Blood in the Sacrament. As I took the bread, a quarter of the broken consecration host, I immediately thought "crumbs from the Master's table." Here in my hands and then in my mouth was crumbs from my Master's table given to me - a gentile dog begging and waiting at the foot of my Master's table. That's the grace and mercy and love of our God who offers his Son as crumbs falling from his table. The power of crumbs from God's table! - forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, salvation, eternal life - all offered through the Son of God, broken and bleeding on the cross in order that those crumbs - himself - might be given to so many.

Back to School at a Birthday Party

2011-06-28T15:07:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I attended a birthday party with my daughters. One of their neighborhood friends was celebrating her 7th birthday. It's always uncomfortable going to a party like this as an adult, not knowing anyone else but the host. But I did strike up an interesting conversation with someone I discovered also lived in the neighborhood. His name is Hal. And the commonality we shared is the seminary experience.
Hal has just completed his first year in seminary via distance learning. I completed my seminary training over 5 years ago. Hal is of the Methodist tradition. And what we discussed at length was not so much our differences in theology, but our differences in polity. What I mean by polity is how your Church body organizes and governs itself. We compared and contrasted each others. he had not learned much about Lutheranism in general and certainly almost nothing about how the LCMS governs itself. So I think the afternoon was certainly fruitful for him. And while I studied Methodists before, talking with someone intimately involved within that denomination put flesh and blood on the facts and words on a page.
Lesson learned: get to know more people from other Christian traditions.

Blood on My Hands

2011-05-15T16:14:00.000-05:00

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.

Thoughts on the Death of Osama bin Laden

2011-05-02T14:21:00.000-05:00

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.

Through Death to Life

2011-04-25T07:31:00.000-05:00

In the movie “Wall Street” the character Bud Fox says a famous line just before he goes into Gordon Gekko’s office for the first time. He says, “Life all comes down to a few moments, this is one of them.” The crossing of the Red Sea is one of those few moments for the children of Israel. Pharaoh had finally relented after the death of all the first born of the Egyptians and let the Israelites go. But now they were between a proverbial rock and a hard place: the Red Sea was in front of them and Pharaoh’s army was racing toward them from the rear. They were facing certain death – either by drowning in the sea, or by the sword. In the middle of that panic, here is what Moses says to them:
Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.

“Don’t be afraid.”? “Stand firm.”? What is Moses thinking? (Or not thinking). But the same God who had demonstrated his power over the Egyptians with the Ten Plagues demonstrates his power once again. And the rest of this story is pretty familiar. God parts the sea, and the Israelites cross the sea without even getting their feet wet. And once they are all on the other side, the sea collapses on the Egyptian Army – destroying all of them. Israel didn’t have to save itself from the Egyptian Army. God saves them. This is God’s moment and their moment – the moment God demonstrates his power and his love for his people. When Israel crosses the sea and the waters return again behind them, they leave behind who they were: slaves – and a future death in Egypt. They come through the water and now have a new identity as one’s who are no longer slaves. Their old way of life – slavery – is dead. Instead, they are God’s people – a free people – a people alive with a future life with their God – a great moment in Israel’s history.
So you might be thinking to yourself. What in heaven’s name does the Crossing of the Red Sea have to do with Easter? It has everything to do with Easter - because this incredible moment in history pre-figures your salvation in Christ. Like the Israelites in Egypt, we were slaves – not bound to a taskmaster, but bound to sin. And just like the Israelites, we too were stuck between a proverbial rock and a hard place. Just as Israel could not save themselves we cannot by our own reason or strength save ourselves from our slavery to sin. And just as Israel did not have to save themselves, we do not have to save ourselves. God saves us.
Just as Israel went through water under God’s care and coming out the other side a free people - you too have gone through the water under God’s care. You entered the water of your baptism a people in slavery, but came through that water under God’s care – the care of his Word – his very name. You have come out of the water of baptism with a new identity, no longer a slave, but free. No longer a future of death, but a future of life with your God. All of this is made possible through the risen one, Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus is God’s pivotal moment in all of history – when in a very real way he demonstrates his power over death by raising his son – a dead corpse in the tomb – back to life. This is God’s moment and your moment.
While we have been declared saved through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we still sin. And the consequences of our sin is still death. We have times when we are between a rock and hard place – nowhere to go and no way out of our predicament. When sickness, or injury or death or pain or loss happens in our life, we can relate to those Israelites – no way out. But because Christ is risen, the way to the Father has been opened through him. The words of Moses are words of encouragement even for you today. “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today.”
On Easter we rehearse once more that moment of salvation: Christ’s resurrection from the dead. This rehearsal is also a rehearsal for our own resurrection. The moment when Christ will save you from death in the grave and bring you back to life for eternal freedom and an eternal future with your God.
Like the Israelites, you have come through death to life. It’s what Jesus has done for you and to you. Just as Jesus dies and rises, we too have died to sin and risen again to life – now in baptism, and in its fulfillment on the Last Day. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.

Good Friday

2011-04-23T15:44:00.001-05:00

Death rubs us the wrong way. We don’t like it. It’s like it shouldn’t happen. When someone dies unexpectedly, it just seems wrong. When a loved one dies it definitely seems wrong. And when we think about our own mortality – the fact that we are going to die – we can’t even begin to fathom the idea. Death just seems wrong. By and large, Humanity has come to think that death is just a natural process – that “death is just a part of life” because we see it happening throughout nature. But when God created all things he didn’t design death into his created order. He didn’t design into the fabric of creation that death would be a natural part of life. Death only happens because of our sinful nature and the curse of our sin upon the natural order itself.
On Ash Wednesday, we began the season of Lent. We heard that there’s nothing we can do about our sin and consequently, there is nothing we can do to stop death – “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” But we also heard the good news: “Our death caused by our sin does not have the final word - Jesus does.” On Good Friday we see that word in action as our savior slowly dies on the cross. And we hear his final word from the cross, “It is finished.”

On Good Friday, we once again rehearse the events of that day. We listen once again to the written testimony of those who witnessed first-hand what Jesus did – who saw for themselves the expensive price paid for those simple words of absolution we hear after confession of sin. We see someone else pay the “wages of our sin.” We see someone else pay the debt we owe by dying the death we deserve. We see something we don’t want to see. We see something that isn’t very pretty. We see that the “someone else” is God himself - a dead corpse on a cross. And this death seems very wrong. He was innocent. Yet he went willingly. The events that we will hear were all unfolding completely under his control. And it seems very wrong to us. “Why does he have to die?” “It just seems wrong!” And you would be right. It is wrong. God does something for us that he doesn’t have to do. But he thinks it’s worth doing, for you. He puts himself under the demands of the law that you cannot keep. And he has done this on your behalf. That’s the Gospel. And that’s the expensive cost of the Gospel.
The Gospel is that the power of sin that leads to your death – dies in the Christ who dies on the cross. Your sin dies with him and is gone forever. And you and I participate in that death through baptism. The font is a tomb into which you have died through water and Word. And there, through water and Word, God does his work. And just as Christ rises from that grave on that Sunday morning, you too rise. In baptism, you have now already died and risen just as Christ has died and risen. The power of sin is no more. It is finished. Jesus has the last word in his death and in yours.
We call Good Friday "good." It’s good because of the great good Jesus has accomplished by his death for you. Good Friday is a rehearsal, not only of Christ’s death, but our own death as well. Listen again to the story, and by his word, his last word, you have life.

The Moment

2011-04-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

Today, I was thinking about what the first moment of the Resurrection of all flesh when Christ returns will be like(which is trying to imagine the unimaginable). This is what I thought of today:

The moment might be like the first breath of Adam as he breathed in the sweet, fresh air of a brand-new world and universe created just for him. And then, the next moment will be like that breathless but incredibly satisfying moment just after the orchestra has triumphantly played the final chord and that deeply satisfying, wonderful chord is still resonating through the concert hall and remains with you in your mind - that moment will be the moment when you see your Savior Jesus for the first time with your own eyes and just begin to experience the fact that the joy promised throughout the Scriptures and believed by you in faith has now become a new, physical reality. This will be a moment that, in that forgotten time before, would have brought tears of joy to anyone, but now produces that huge smile you get as you begin to laugh.

...So we pray today, "Come Lord Jesus."

Who Knew?

2011-03-16T20:51:00.001-05:00

I found this video of an interview with Alice Cooper - the rock star who was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Who would have thought that Alice Cooper was a Christian. Listen carefully to the interview. He has a great understanding about how the Faith is lived - the Doctrine of Vocation. And, at least according to him, he actually lives it.

Thanks to a classmate of mine, Ryan Oakes, for posting it on Facebook.

What Blessings?

2011-01-27T14:02:00.001-06:00

“Nothing’s working for me right now.” “It feels like the whole world is out to get me.” “Where is God when I need him most?” Ever felt like that? And then we hear Jesus’ first words from his Sermon on the Mount and they are all about blessings. So if we try to be like those types of people he describes, mourners, peacemakers, pure in heart, etc, then he will bless us? Wrong answer. The “Beatitudes” as we call these verses, are not a prescription for blessings from Jesus. The blessings in our lives we usually think of are material ones: wealth, health, good results, etc. But the blessings Jesus is talking about are the ways that our Lord blesses us more often than we know – blessings that can’t be seen. And some are blessings yet to come.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Who are the “poor in spirit?” Those who are poor can’t support themselves, they need help. Their needs have to be provided for by someone else. Who are these poor in spirit people? That’s us! By our very nature as ones sinful and unclean, we are spiritually poor. With respect to our belief and trust in God, we bring absolutely nothing of value to the table. The beginning of this sermon is an open invitation to the poor in spirit – that’s everyone. Everyone is poor in spirit and need to hear the good news Jesus brings. “For theirs IS the kingdom of heaven.” The kingdom of heaven and all its blessings are ALREADY a present reality for the poor in spirit. But what are these blessings? Now, we do have material blessings in our lives – all things God has provided for us. But “blessed” here is not “blessed with stuff”, but rather “saved” or “redeemed.” Just some of the blessings followers of Jesus already enjoy are: forgiveness, baptism into Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives for faith and obedience, spiritual nourishment at our Lord’s Table, the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The reign of heaven already belongs to the poor in spirit. Because of this fact, Jesus calls them – you - blessed.
The first blessing that Jesus proclaims is the gateway to all the others. The poor in spirit who are blessed because of their dependence upon Jesus WILL (future tense) experience these others as well. The next six blessings flow from the first. You and I have experienced mourning, humility, and hunger for righteousness and justice. But blessing WILL come in complete fulfillment when our Lord comes again. And yet, because of your union with Christ, these blessings to come are beginning to emerge now. In Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit, you followers of Jesus have already begun to be comforted, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, and to be peacemakers. The reign of heaven is breaking out into the world through the future blessings you have begun to receive through faith in Christ.
The last two blessings are about persecution. Not everyone will experience it. And everyone who does will experience it in different ways and to different degrees. But when it does happen, Jesus promises his blessing now – “theirs is the kingdom of God.” And they can look forward with joy to that which is to come:
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Be assured by our Lord that if and when persecution happens to you, the reign of heaven already belongs to you. And those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake stand in line with God’s greatest servants.
These blessings are yours and will be yours. No matter what happens, no matter how bad it looks, the final victory will belong to God. The present reign of heaven and the blessings that flow from Christ’s relationship with you are hidden, but they're there for you - the poor in spirit to who it has been revealed. You are the blessed ones.

Plastic Around the Neck

2011-01-19T08:51:00.003-06:00

What's up with some pastors wearing a clerical shirt?

First, this is what it's not: The clerical shirt is not a symbol of power or a demand for respect or a mark of "one who is holier than you." It is a symbol of a servant - the same idea why other public servants such as police officers, military personnel, and the like wear a uniform. The pastor is a servant of Christ and of His Word - ordained to call and serve "in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ" for the Church and for a specific congregation.

There are practical functions as well. The wearer is quickly identified in public as one who is a servant of the Church. However, in recent years the shirt has had negative images associated with it. Scandals in the Church, such as the many abuse cases in the Roman Catholic Church, have given the clerical shirt a bad public image. For some, when they see it, they think "child molester" instead of pastor.

But why black? Black is color symbolic of sin. The servant of Christ is also as sinner just like everyone else. The white of the collar itself is a reminder of what Christ has done for us. Through faith in Him, we are washed clean of sin the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7). He declares us sinners his holy ones - white as snow because Jesus graciously took our sin upon himself in his life, death, and resurrection.

The pastor is a sinner called and ordained to speak God's Word to God's people and to the world. The shirt is a symbol of that public office.

Defining Marriage

2011-01-06T09:59:00.002-06:00

The same-sex marriage debate rages on. I found this article by R.R. Reno over at First Things. I would encourage you to read it...slowly. The language is not easy - it is loaded with legal terms. But Reno does a good job of framing the problem at the fundamental level - unwhittingly including the Doctrine of Vocation in which we are not all created equal, but we are each created with unique talents and gifts and are placed into institutions (spouse, child, parent, worker, citizen, etc) for service to our neighbor. And these individual gifts compliment one another.

Where's the Thanks?

2010-11-18T10:09:00.003-06:00

Yes, another preacher ranting on about how Thanksgiving is being squeezed out by American Pop culture. Read at your own risk.
It's been a problem for awhile. Consumerism taking over the nationally appointed day to give thanks for the fruits of the field and of our labor. What has become most important about Thanksgiving is what happens the day after - Black Friday. But recently, I have noticed an even greater "squeezing out" of the feast day. Commercials depicting families around a table celebrating thanksgiving with the house ALREADY decorated for Christmas. Friends welcomed in the door decorated with a Christmas wreath and a Christmas tree in the background. Stores advertising that they will be open on Thanksgiving Day. So is Christmas really now celebrated on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday? Are those days the pinaacle of the season? Than what becomes of December 24th/25th? And what has become of the season of preparation - Advent? "What's that?"
Another problem with the celebrating a feast of Thanksgiving: if the day is to be a day of being thankful, that means you have to have someone or something to which you direct your thanks. If we are going to be thankful "for" something, there must have been a provider of that something. In today's culture of narcicissm and secularism and growing atheism, there really is no need for a day of thanks. A day of thanks in its very nature aknowledges the providence of God or a god. If there is none, no need to give thanks.
I urge you who are within the pale of Christianity to reserve the day of Thanks to give thanks to our Triune God who has richly blessed us, materially and spiritually, and enjoy the fruits of his Creation, just as He intended (and maybe a little football as well.) Keep your Christmas decorations in the attic for a few more days as a witness to a world that has no need to thank anyone.

They Just Do It

2010-11-04T13:29:00.003-05:00

This morning's writing in Treasury of Daily Prayer was an excellent quote from C.F.W. Walther - 1st President of the LCMS. Enjoy:

(Luther) taught that good works do not save a person, but only faith, without good works...He did not say that, to be saved, a person must have faith and, in addition to that, good works, or love; but he did teach that those who would be saved must have a faith that produces love spontaneously and is fruitful in good works. That does not mean that faith saves on account of love which springs from it, but that the faith which the Holy Spirit creates and which cannot but do good works justifies because it clings to the gracious promises of Christ and because it lays hold of Christ. It is active in good works because it is genuine faith. The believer need not at all be exhorted to do good works; his faith does them automatically. The believer engages in good works, not from a sense of duty, in return for the forgiveness of his sins, but chiefly because he cannot help doing them. It is altogether impossible that genuine faith should not break forth from the believer's heart in works of love.

- C.F.W. Walther

Some may ask, "Where does it say that in the Bible?" The one that immediately comes to my mind is one of my favorites:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Symposium 2010

2010-10-08T13:16:00.004-05:00

Every September, I have the opportunity to travel back to my Alma Mater, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, to attend their annual Symposium. This year's Symposium was entitled: "Scripture in the Church: Formative or Formality." I was particularly attracted to this theme because one of my electives (Theology of Scripture) in my Master of Divinity studies dealt with this issue. While one of my most difficult classes, it was ultimately the most fulfilling. And for the most part, the presenters and topics addressed did not disappoint.

A thread that continued through most of the papers presented was the inadequacy of our typically used definition of Scripture. The first and usually only move the Church makes is to claim that the Scriptures are "inspired" per 2 Timothy 3:16. That definition used to work when most, if not all, people agreed that the 66 books of the Bible (a few more for the Roman Catholics) are the Word of God. But that's not the case anymore. Critical scholarship has called much of that line of thought into question. In avoiding one error: the error of ignoring the divine Word and its authority, we have fallen into another error: ignoring the Scriptures as God's Word in human words. And which Scriptures are inspired? We have thousands of different manuscripts - none of which match the others perfectly down to the comma and the iota. It ain't as easy as it used to be. We need a much better definition and understanding of the Scriptures.

That's the problem. And a number of the presenters gave solutions. All centered around one theme, in fact one person: Jesus. In order for the Scriptures to be used properly and have any use in shaping us as followers of Jesus, they must be used authoritatively. And that authority comes from the one about whom the Scriptures were written: Jesus. The authority of Scripture comes from the primary user of Scripture: God. God uses Scripture to reveal himself to humanity and to make for himself a people through the death and resurrection of Jesus. So an account for the authority of Scripture must be grounded in work of Jesus Christ focused on his death and resurrection. The whole point being: if you want to attack the authority and valididty, and inspiration of Scripture, you have to first attack the one whom Scripture is about ("Who do YOU say Jesus is?"). The Scriptures have authority over us because of what we say every Easter (and ought to remember, proclaim, and live every day): "Christ Is Risen!"

An account of the authority of Scripture must also account for its humanity. The Bible is a book written by humans. But the Scriptures have authority because they were written about Jesus and have shaped and formed and authorized the proclamation of salvation through none other but him. Those human writers wrote by the Holy Spirit - the same Holy Spirit that was given by Jesus to the Apostles who were given his authority to proclaim salvation in Christ (often referred to as "The Rule of Faith). As Robert Wall wrote: "The Christian Bible gives written expression to the Rule of Faith."

That's just a few of my thoughts and reflections. What do you think?

Life is Like a Box of Legos...

2010-07-29T13:26:00.003-05:00

My daughters are about that age now when they can really get into Legos. And that's exciting. Because first, Legos give you the potential of modeling ideas in your head and bringing them into some resemblance of reality. And two, I like to play with Legos too!
Anyway, I got to thinking about Legos as a reflection of our relationship to creation. There are really three things that you can do with a Lego set. 1. You can try to keep the box and all the parts and pieces in their original condition - using them as little as possible. 2. You can use them for purposes they were not intended - like trashing them, breaking them, losing them, using them for house insulation, or worse. 3. You can use them to build the car or boat or house or whatever the designer intended AND modify it for your own purposes and tastes AND build something entirely different - and expression of your creativity and your wants and desires at the time. At the same time, you want to take care not to lose or destroy any parts, because then your Lego set will be less than it was to begin with and not as great a toy to play with anymore. Number 3 is what is so awesome about Legos!
Back to Creation. Creation can be viewed as one massive huge Lego set. All the pieces and parts of everything we can possibly need or want are here in our playground, our Lego set called Earth. Now we can try to leave it as undisturbed as possible (the radical environmentalist view). But that would serve to stifle our creativity and quality of life - possibly even destroying ourselves, because we don't use the "legos" of the earth to provide for our own lives. We can just trash the earth and take what we want in wild abandon. But then, like lost and destroyed Legos, the earth would not provide us what we need or want - creativity and quality of life gone forever. Or, we can use the earth the way it was intended - use all of the building blocks we have been given for our sustenance, our homes and businesses, our pleasure, and our creative expression. But then use those same blocks again and again for new and different purposes. Our earth, like Legos, is remarkably resilient and adaptable. It is here for our use and it is here for us to take care of and manage.
So go enjoy your big box of Legos. (But clean them up after you're done!)

Organic Unity of Worship

2010-07-03T10:47:00.002-05:00

The Missouri Synod has a percieved lack of unity among its 6000+ congregations. Those looking at us from the outside would probably view us as lock-step in agreement. And, as our Synod President has pointed out time and time again, we are in total agreement about the major doctrines of the Faith. But one of the greater reflections of this disunity is the so called, "Worship Wars" that have been going on for close to 30 years. Dr. Andrew Bartlelt of Concordia Seminary recently wrote an article about the new Missal the Roman Catholic Church is introducing in the coming months. Click here to read his article.
I fully agree with his point that "the worship in any part of the Church is the worship of the Church, not just the local congregation." We are all one body in Christ. While moment in time and culture and context creates diverse expressions of worship - and thats okay and actually good right and salutary. Yet there should be an inherent order in worship recognizable by Christians in all places. In other words, Christian worship of the one True God by Christians should generally look and sound and feel at least somewhat familiar. Congregations are not merely "independent cowboys" doing whatever they want. Each congregation is also part of the trans-congregational church - accountable to one another in matters of doctrine and practice.
What do you think?

The New Righteousness

2010-06-08T17:49:00.004-05:00

Every human has an innate desire to be righteous - to know that who they are and what they are doing is "right." Feelings of guilt arise when one discovers that what they are doing is not right. But how does one define what is right? How can they know? Each of us has a built in system for this - what we have termed our conscience. But if you spend any time around other people and get to know them, everyone seems to have a defined righteousness for themselves in different ways. Nevertheless, we all seem to have a basic, general understanding of what is right: killing or hurting others is not right, stealing from others is not right, telling lies is not right, and so on.
But when one does wrong, and feels guilt, what can you do about it? Usually, we try to make up for it, to pay for it, to make it right. A hot topic of righteousness in our culture is our personal righteousness with respect to the environment. One of the unintended consequences of the Environmental Movement is guilt - being guilty for our very existence. We humans have to consume part of nature to continue our existence: we breathe in oxygen and release carbon dioxide, we consume water and food, and we return waste products to the earth. Each of us is responsible in some part for the pollution of the environment. We even have a term for it now: carbon footprint. We are now able to scientifically estimate how much we pollute - we can weigh and measure our guilt. "He who has the greatest carbon footprint is the most guilty and must make it right to be environmentally righteous again" so goes the thinking. And we make ourselves righteous again by buying "green" products, driving fewer miles in cars, recycling more, and the like, to justify ourselves. But how much is enough? How much "green" will make you feel righteous?
Is having an even balance sheet with Mother Nature our righteousness? No, Christ is our righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). His death on the cross is what has paid for our unrighteousness - all of it. And his righteousness is given freely through faith in him. And declared righteous by God through Christ and freed from guilt, we are free - free to serve. And freed from guilt, we can freely serve one another and be the stewards of the earth that God intended for us to be. We are free to use it without guilt, but do so wisely. Not to be righteous, but out of love for God and neighbor.

Besides, doesn't the Earth do a very good job of absorbing our carbon footprint? - photosynthesis!

Forty One

2010-05-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday - my 41st. I woke up thinking it wasn't going to be a big deal. But it evolved into something somewhat significant for me. The first moments of the day included receiving gifts from Sheri and the girls: An iPod Touch (how cool is that) and a couple of nice dress shirts with matching ties - very nice. Later, I got to work and at 9:00 am, the entire staff met for our usual Monday Morning meeting. As each staff member entered the room, the told me "Happy Birthday." And then they decided to take me to lunch. Later that afternoon, I opened up Facebook and found that dozens of my friends from all over the country had taken the time to wish me a happy birthday. That evening, I enjoyed a nice dinner at home with my family, followed by phone calls from my sister and from my parents.

I was just going to write off the day as a tick on my personal odometer. But all of these people in my life made it so much more. I am truly blessed beyond imagination. I, a sinner worthy of nothing, have been chosen by my God to be his child through baptism and has called me to be an ordained servant of the Word among some amazing people. My Heavenly Father has taken care of all my needs - most especially the gift of salvation through my Lord Jesus Christ. I have a wife with whom I am privileged to share my life and she shares her life with me. We have been blessed with the gift of two beautiful and incredible daughters. And yesterday, so many people took the time to share in my day.

Forty One isn't so bad after all.

Stephen Ministry in the News

2010-05-04T12:53:00.003-05:00

Hope Lutheran Church, my congregation, is a Stephen Ministry congregation. We have a group of Stephen Ministers that extend care in the Name of Jesus Christ - multiplying the efforts of Pastor Ralph and myself.
Click here for a great story published by PBS about Stephen Ministry.

R.I.P.

2010-04-19T21:12:00.005-05:00

Abby and Emma and some of the neighborhood kids were all playing early this evening. Abby came running toward our house and said, "I need some tape." And I, of course asked why. She said, "For the roly poly grave. She died." Apparently, they found a dead roly poly and they decided to give it a proper burial. One of the other kids made the tombstone. In case you can't read it in the photo. It says, "Mrs. Roly Poly died here." with an arrow pointing to down to the very spot where they laid her to rest.
I'm pleased my daughters and their peers are realizing their importance as stewards of God's creation.

What's in a Name?

2010-04-06T13:36:00.000-05:00

When my girls were younger, knowing a name was important to them. I remember trips to the zoo when the girls would see an animal they didn’t know and the first thing out of their mouths was, “What’s it called?” And I or Sheri would tell them – or we’d have to find out from the posted sign the name of this or that strange creature. When Abby or Emma would get a new doll or stuffed animal, the first thing they’d do is give it a name. Or even when reading a book with them, they would see the illustration of an animal or person in a book and before I could begin to read, they already wanted to know its name. Learning a name or giving a name gives the creature or the stuffed animal or the concept or person on the page of a book life - life in their minds.
When the Almighty God created all things, he spoke all creation into life by saying the name he had given it – “Light, sky, land, sea, creatures.” God spoke its name, and it had existence – it had life. Our God is a life-giving God through his Word. And he has done this to you. In baptism, you were given life by God and new-life by water and his Word. In Baptism, God gave you new life, by giving his name to you – “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” His spoken name connected to your spoken name in baptism gave you new life and new identity as God’s child, freed from slavery to sin and alive through the work of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early that first Easter morning. What was she thinking as she walked to the tomb? Certainly sorrow over Jesus’ death. St. John’s account of the Crucifixion says that she was there to see his death. Jesus was in fact dead – she was a witness. And if she truly believed that Jesus was not only the man from Nazareth, but also her Lord, the very Son of God, Yahweh, God of Israel – then her God was dead as well. She was without her God. And if her God was dead, then everything Jesus said and did really didn’t matter. His life ended in defeat. The horror of being without your God! She must have been absolutely crushed, in despair, without any hope. But as Mary approaches the tomb, she finds that it’s open! The stone is rolled away! So what does she do? She starts assuming – something we’re all very good at doing. Mary doesn’t even look in. Somebody has taken the body of Jesus! She panics and runs to tell the others. Not only is Jesus dead, but someone has desecrated his tomb. She returns with John and Peter, they have the good sense to at least look in. They find no body. And they go away.
So what’s there left to do? Just cry and weep and mourn. Jesus is dead, God is dead. And if God is dead, then I am too. Have you ever felt like that? Felt like God has abandoned you – causing you to question the existence of God and of Jesus. In the times when we are suffering and mourning, it’s easy to think that way. It’s easy to assume that God is dead and all these words of Scripture and all the stories are dead. And if God is dead, then we are dead. Mary doesn’t know it, yet but there’s Jesus – alive. She talks to him, but doesn’t recognize him – thinking him to be the gardener. And then, Jesus says her name, “Mary.” Jesus says her name, and everything changes. Jesus says her name, and gives her life again. Mary is alive again because her God - Jesus - is alive and with her here and now. She is no longer without her God. With a name - “Mary” - life is given and relationship is restored.
So when you feel like your God has abandoned you or you are questioning the existence of God and of Jesus during the dark times in your life or when the devil has a strangle-hold on you. Remember, your God has said your name and you have life. In baptism, he has attached himself to you. In baptism, you have died with Christ and have risen with Christ. You have a name, you have your God, he is alive again, and his name is Jesus Christ. And one day, he will call your name again. When he comes again, he will call your name and you will rise and join him in resurrection. And he will continue to be your God, not by faith, but by sight. Like Mary, Jesus will say your name and everything will change. You will have life – eternal life - because he knows your name and has called your name. And that eternal life in Christ starts today, and every day. Because Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. Amen.

"My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?"

2010-03-31T14:27:00.003-05:00

“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

Total separation from God. And we have no idea or understanding for what that’s like. The Scriptures tell us of the mystery of our almighty God – how he is both outside of our universe and yet also present among us. He keeps the universe in order – the planets in their orbits – evening and morning – summer and winter. He makes the grass to grow and fruit and grain for us to eat. He causes it to rain on both the righteous and the wicked. While our sin separates us from him, God remains near – keeping humankind from complete chaos, anarchy, and destruction and seeking out and finding the lost by his word. Realize it or not, none of us, saint or sinner, none of us have truly experienced full separation from God.

The Gospels proclaim the story of the Passion - the crucifixion of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. The judgment of God gathered as darkness covered the whole land. Jesus is in unimaginable, unbearable agony and pain being nailed hands and feet to a cross. But more unimaginable and unbearable is how God the Father separated himself from his only Son. Jesus experiences hell – total separation from God. Sometimes we may ask, "If Jesus is God, how can God be separated from God?" But how this happens in the mystery of the Trinity is beyond our human understanding and is not explained in the Scriptures. So it remains just that – a mystery. The dread and horror Jesus experiences comes out of him in a cry of terror. It’s almost more than he can bear. He doesn’t call Him Father, but God as he cries out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Jesus bears and experiences the sins of all humankind in all time and place. Forsaken, He becomes the greatest robber, murder, adulterer, and blasphemer of all time as he experiences God’s righteous wrath and anger. He has the power to come down from the cross, to end it all right here, right now – come down from the cross and vindicate himself and condemn his enemies. But he doesn’t. He stays. He drinks the overflowing cup of judgment empty. His love for you and obedience to the Father keeps him on the cross. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The Son of God dies in sadness.

We look at the cross in awe and witness our salvation. We confess, “Why God? Why haven’t you forsaken me? Why haven’t you forsaken me instead of this sinless man? And that’s the Gospel. That’s the gracious love of God for you - that he has not forsaken you. Out of love for you, he forsakes his only Son. Out of love for you, the Son of God dies to pay the enormous price of your sin and mine. His life to give us life – real life – eternal life in him.

Who Killed Jesus?

2010-03-11T19:55:00.002-06:00

I have been seeing commericals on either Discovery Channel or History Channel (I can't remember which) for a program coming up called "Who Killed Jesus?" Based upon the commerical, it sounds like the program will explore all the possible historical figures from the crucifixion narrative and decide who is the one or ones who are responsible for killing Jesus.

But that's just like society and the media today. We always want to know who is responsible. "Who's responsible?" "Who is guilty of this?" We have to find someone to blame for all the bad things that happen in our world. I suppose so that justice might be had.

So in this case, who killed Jesus? Well in the narrative, the Jewish religious establishment was out to get Jesus for some time. They were the ones that went to find him in the garden and arrest him. They must be to blame. Pilate, the Roman Governor believed Jesus to be innocent. But he gave into the crowds and permitted Jesus to be crucified. He must be to blame. The Roman soldiers mocked him, whipped him, and carried out the crucifixion order. So they must be to blame. But ultimately, who is to blame? Who killed Jesus?

God killed Jesus. He permitted all these events to happen and to come to fruition at the right time. God permitted the death of the Son of God at the hand of the very sinners he was sent to save. Our sin killed Jesus. We are the reason he died. To save each one of us from eternal death. He was separated from God so that we might be joined back to God. We always look to blame someone else for what we have done. But look at what the Son of God has done for you!

"Subdue and Have Dominion"

2010-02-23T18:48:00.003-06:00

"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" - Genesis 1:28 ESV

"Subdue it and have dominion." I have thought about this phrase since my post "Just Another Animal?" What does subdue mean here? Am I subduing creation when I attempt to dominate my backyard into submission with a lawn mower?

The Hebrew word for subdue is "kabash" meaning "bring into subjection, make subservient." Subdue as "make subservient" may be helpful for us in this context. God created this world as the living place for humans. And our world continues to serve us to this day; giving us the air we need to breathe, the food we need to eat, and providing the materials we need to create clothing and shelter. In that sense, creation is our servant - "subservient" to us. "Subdue" is used elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments 31 times. And every other time outside of Genesis chapter 1, it is used in a military or political context. So, those other uses are not much help. The use of "subdue" with regard to God's command of humans viz. the earth is never again addressed in Scripture beyond Genesis 1.

But I think it's important to remember that all the other times this word is used in Scripture are after man had sinned. And as the sinful children of Adam, both then and now, the full understanding of God's command to "subdue and have dominion" is elusive and difficult for us to wrap our minds around. Martin Luther has some insight into the problem in his Lectures on Genesis as he addressed Genesis 1:28:

"But Adam would not have used the creatures as we do today, except for food, which he would have derived from other, far more excellent fruits. For he under whose power everything had been placed did not lack clothing or money. Nor would there have been any greed among his descendants; but, apart from food, they would have made use of the creatures only for the admiration of God and for a holy joy which is unkown to us in this corrupt state of nature. By contrast, today and always the whole creation is hardly sufficient to feed and support the human race. Therefore what this dominion consisted of we cannot even imagine."

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God and had a perfect relationship with Him. Yet that perfect harmony with God and with the earth fell apart with the fall into sin. I tend to fall in line behind Luther here in saying we can't have a crystal clear understanding of how our first parents went about having dominion over the earth. Because of who we are as sinners, we have never enjoyed that perfect relationship. The earth is cursed and we eat our food by the sweat of our brow (Genesis 3:17-19). Yet now where in Scripture does it say that God's command to subdue the earth was ever revoked. And that command is still ours today.

So where do we go from here? How are we to understand and live out our role as humans subduing creation? And how do we understand that role in the light of Jesus Christ? How about your thoughts?

Ash Wednesday: Remembering

2010-02-17T07:33:00.002-06:00

This morning, we (myself and my daughters) were sitting in the car at the corner of our street waiting for the school bus. (Personal comment: It's just been too cold here in S. Texas this winter!) After a couple of minutes, I told Abby, "Tonight we will do the Imposition of Ashes." And Abby replied, "You mean when we put that black stuff on our heads?...Yeah!!!" For some reason, Abby likes that. I think it's because the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday is something strange and unique and done only once a year, thus she remembers it. Then I asked her, "Do you know why we do that?" (blank stare) "To remind us we will die."

That is what Ash Wednesday is all about. It is the day beginning the season of Lent in which we remember who we are: sinners doomed to death - "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return." We are sinners without our own righteous leg to stand on. There is nothing left but death for us. But Ash Wednesday is also a day to remember where to focus our hope: the cross of Christ. The ashes are drawn on foreheads in the shape of a cross for a reason - to remind us who removed the sting of death for us by becoming death for us: Christ.

So I encourage you today to remember - remember who you are and in whom is your only hope.

Why Some and Not Others?

2010-01-23T19:20:00.003-06:00

This is such a difficult topic. Why are some saved and not others? In fact, it is an impossible question. It is what theologians call the "Crux Theologorum" - the "theologians cross." Different demoninations have different answers, but none seem satisfactory. Rev. Paul McCain over at his blog, "Cyberbrethren" does an excellent job of breaking down the problem and giving our Lutheran response, which, as he points out, will still seem unsatisfactory. The impossible question stands. Click here to read his blog post.

Just Another Animal?

2010-01-15T16:44:00.005-06:00

In recent years, the environment has taken a prominent position in our collective dialog. We are quickly discovering the impact our actions and our lifestyle truly have on the larger world around us. "Going green" is the new mantra as many pursue renewable sources of energy, new ways to use old products and materials to our benefit, and protecting animal and plant life from complete destruction - so that nature remains in its delicate balance and continues its symbiotic existence.
But we humans don't seem to quite fit in the world like the rest of nature. We don't seem to be a part of nature like we are just another animal. Unlike the animals we humans have the ability to control and manipulate the world around us in very complex ways. We gather seeds and plant them so our food sources multiply. We don't have natural protection against the weather as part of our body, so we make clothes. Instead of exclusively using natural features for shelter (caves or trees), we change and modify nature to create more effective shelters (wood, brick, and other materials for homes.) We modify nature to suit our needs and even our wants. So are we just another animal? Or do we have a different purpose here on earth?
The Bible tells us that we do have a different role to play in our environment. After he created all things, including the first man, God said:

"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food."

And later, God created a special place, a garden, for man to live in, he put man in the garden to work it and keep it.

So, from a Biblical worldview, we have a higher, two-fold purpose in our existence on this earth. We are to subdue it - use all of the resources it offers so that we can take care of ourselves. And at the same time, we are to take care of the earth - to work it and manage it so that it continues to exist. We are not just another animal. We need the earth for our continued existence. And the earth needs us to manage and take care of it.
However, those two need to remain in balance. If we don't subdue the earth, we won't have what we need (food, clothing, shelter). If we don't take care and manage the earth properly, it won't be a viable place for our children. In recent centuries, humanity has done an excellent job of subduing the earth. But sadly, this has often been done to the detriment of the larger environment.
Thus. those with a Biblical worldview would avoid the extremes - the extreme capitalist view ("The resources of the earth are all mine for the taking!"), or the extreme environmentalist view ("The needs of all plants and animals are superior to my own needs").

What do you think?

I've Moved!

2010-01-08T09:22:00.000-06:00

I have moved my "church" blog offsite to Blogger. Posts will still feed to Hope's website. But all blog entries and other tidbits will begin here.
Blog creation on this end is still in progress...
Stay tuned