Christmas Foretaste

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

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

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

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"

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

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.