Whoops!

Whoops! For some reason, I had the wrong setting set up on my blog and it was not letting me know when comments were posted. That really defeats the purpose of what I want to accomplish here, so rest assured, that this has been corrected.

My hope for this blog is that it be a place of discussion and not just a one way street. So please leave comments and they will be responded to. Unless my dad leaves some of his “typical” comments. Those will be ignored. Sorry, Dad. I love you. But you know what I’m talking about. So here we go. This comment was left on a post that we had a few weeks back on communion.

How did the doctrine of transubstantiation come about in the first place?

I am not 100% sure where it came from. I think it is more of a how. That is, I think this is something that developed over time. One of the big issues that the reformers had with the communion practices is that communion was seen as being the sacrifice of Jesus offered over and over and over again. And the priest yielded its power. The reformers said, “no way.” Christ died once for all and when he said “it is finished,” that was it. It was finished. So that is one piece.

I also believe that as Christianity met up with metaphysics, and philosophy and interacted with those things that mysteries received explanations. But how does one explain a mystery? How do you explain the presence of Christ in, with and under the bread and the wine? You can’t. But that doesn’t stop people from trying.

When it comes to communion, here is what is most important; this is a gift from God. However Christ comes to us, he comes to us. And through this gift we receive forgiveness, life and salvation. It is really an awesome thing.

That’s my two cents for this week; I look forward to seeing yours. Blessings and peace.

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ

Part III Article X

You can read this week’s article here.

Today’s article is on ordination. More specifically today’s article is about bishops and what the office of bishop had become in Luther’s day and age. You see the expectation was that to be properly ordained, you had to be ordained by a bishop. It was not that this was necessarily a bad idea. The scriptures don’t say that you have to be ordained by a bishop and they don’t say that you can’t be ordained by a bishop. Where the problem came was that, in Luther’s day, being a bishop was more about political power than it was about service to God’s people in the church. Now I am sure that was not the case each and every time, but for the most part, this is the way it was.

So the question is really about who can serve in the church and what is the best way to set that up. It is a debate that continues even to this day. Not about bishops and ordination, but about who is qualified to be ordained, and how does a person best meet the educational requirements for this to happen.

So where does the rubber hit the road on this one? Well, there is nothing wrong with good order. So I don’t know that we need to throw out ordination. But it is good to have people ordained, or set aside in order to equip the people of God for works of ministry. At the end of the day, that is why we have clergy, to help God’s people do the work that God has given them to do. Not to do that work for them. Not to lord their ordination over them. Not even to be walked on and abused by them. But to equip them for works of ministry, to point them to Jesus, and to help them to grow as God’s people. So it is a good thing.

I pray God’s blessings for you this week in all that you do.

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ

Part III Article IX

Today's article can be read here.

If this article doesn't leave you a little uncomfortable, then nothing will. Ok, well maybe that is a bit much, but this is one of those things that is certainly not politically correct. So what do we do with this?

I think we take two things away from this. One, communion is not to be taken lightly. Two, we have a responsibility to one another in our Christian walk.

Communion is not to be taken lightly. Because in communion we are being given life, and forgiveness and salvation. If we are in a state that we claim to not be in need of those things from God, then to receive communion would be to make a bit of a mockery of it. Now you have to be careful that as you read something like this that we don't walk away with a desire to create sin-police who patrol around looking to write people up and keep them away from the grace and forgiveness and life that God offers in communion. That is not the point of what this is saying.

However, on the other hand, we do have a responsibility to one another in our Christian walk. This is not just because of the impact that it has on our relationship with God and with our fellow human beings, but also because of the impact that it has on our witness. Now I am not even talking about our personal and private witness, but the corporate witness that is made by us as a community of faith, that is as members of the body of Christ. How we live with each other is important. The way that we walk together says a lot about what we believe about ourselves, and also about our God and how our God cares for us and relates to us.

Because ultimately those things are good. God gives them to us for our benefit. God invites us to receive them and all the good things that they bring with them. And may those blessings be a source of strength and comfort for you this week and always.

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ

Part III Article VIII

Today's post can be found here.

I know I have written in the past about confession and absolution, but that is what today's article is about. Actually, today's article is really about two things. One is confession and absolution, and the other is the means of grace.  That is, the tools (means) that the Spirit works through in the giving and strengthening of faith. These tools are baptism, communion and the Scriptures. 

Confession and absolution is a great blessing that God has given to the church. It is something that requires a lot of trust. It is something that cannot be forced upon someone against their will. But when the situation is right, and confession and absolution take place as it was intended, it is a wonderful, beautiful and awesome thing.

We see this in two forms. One is as part of the corporate worship service. This is usually at the beginning of  a service that has communion. The congregation confesses their sins together and the pastor speaks words of forgiveness. This is a power event, and one that we must be careful to not take for granted. Because God's forgiveness is real and true and certain. His forgiveness is poured out in this event (not based on any of the people involved, but based on God's graciousness and goodness). It is certainly good.

There is another form, that while it is no more powerful, I would say it is more of an experience, and that is private confession and absolution. This is where a Christian finds another trusted Christian, usually a pastor, and confesses their sins to that individual, and then that person speaks the words of God's forgiveness. There is something about this practice that words cannot describe. It is truly awesome. If you have not participated in this; give it a try. It is well worth it.

The other point that this article makes is that God has chosen to work in word and sacrament in our lives. God works through things. Not because they limit God, but because that is how God has chosen to work. In God's working through these things there is, for us, certainty. Because when God does something, it is always done right and correctly. The working of God is not dependant on us, on our words, on our good deeds, on our status, or on anything else that would depend on us. Rather it is on God alone. And so in that we rejoice.

I pray that this week you would know the joy of God's presence in your life. And may that be a blessing to you.

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ

Part III Article VII

You can read the article for this week here. 

This article is short, and it is one that we do not talk about all too often, or in too much detail. So why mention it? There are a couple of reasons, one is for a proper understanding of what this is, so that those who exercise it, may do so properly and with humility. The second reason, and the more important reason is because of the gift that is given through this.

First, it is important to point out and understand that the office of the keys is given to the church. Now the church has chosen to have representatives (pastors) exercise this on behalf of the church, but it still ultimately belongs to the church. This understanding will require a good amount of humility on behalf of the pastors who are exercising and making use of this office. It is indeed a great honor and privilege.  It can be tempting for pastors to turn this into a power trip, but that is never what it was intended to be, or it was intended to be used.

We do not want to spend too much time on that point. It is worth mentioning, it is not nearly as significant as the second reason. When this office is exercised and sins are forgiven, then that forgiveness is real and sure and certain. When we are told that our sins have been forgiven, we can here those words as if they were coming from the very mouth of God. This is not a license to go a do whatever we feel like doing. Instead it is an opportunity to live in the freedom and grace that comes from our God. It is real and amazing and deep kind of a thing.

How easy is it for us to go through life bearing the weight of guilt and shame. And what this teaching says to us is that the forgiveness of God in our lives is real. We need not live in that guilt and shame. Now, sometimes, there are consequences that we are faced with as a result of our sin, but the presence of those consequences does not negate the full and certain forgiveness of God when it is poured out into our lives. And I would dare even imagine that God's forgiveness would enable us to better live through those consequences. 

God is good. God's love is beyond our ability to understand. God's forgiveness and mercy are so very big that they are enough to forgive all of our sins.  And when God's forgiveness comes into our lives, we are able to live in a peace and freedom that is beyond all human understanding.

May you know this peace and freedom this week and always.  

Pastor CJ

Part III Article VI

You can read this week's article here.

Perhaps you get the sense that Luther was having a bad day when he wrote this article. It does seem kind of harsh in the language that is used. Again, what we are seeing  here is simply a difference between his culture and ours. So if you can get past the language, there is some good stuff here. 

When it comes down to communion there is no need to make things complicated. That is the gist of this article. For in Luther's day there were some practices and ideas that are simply not in line with the Scriptures. Not only are they not in line with the Scriptures, but they contradict them. 

Again, there is no need to make things any more complicated than what we find in the Scriptures. Jesus says, "This is my body...This is my blood." These things are given and shed for you. Now how that works and what it all looks like, is beyond our ability to understand. It is, in a word, a mystery. But it is a mystery that is ultimately good for us.

In this mystery we receive forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. It is a way that God has chosen to pour out his grace into our lives. It is not something that we earn or deserve, but it is a gift that is given because that is how good our God is. Plain and simple. 

This article focuses more on misuses or misunderstandings/false practices that are happening around communion in Luther's day. 

For us we remember that this is ultimately a gift that God gives to us. Through this gift we are blessed and experience our God and his grace in a very real and intimate kind of a way. I pray that God's presence in this way is a blessing to you in your life.

Pastor CJ

Part III Article V

You can find today's article here. 

Today's article is about baptism and what we believe about baptism. And when it comes down to it, it is quite simple. It is God's Word in the water. It is a washing in the word. This baptism joins us to the death and resurrection of Jesus. This baptism saves us. It cleans us and makes us God's own dearly loved sons and daughters. 

This article then goes on to reject some other ideas about baptism that make it less than it actually is. The point is that baptism is a good and gracious gift given to us by our God. It is not dependent on us. It is not dependent on the person who administers the baptism. God is the main actor in baptism. He is the one giving out his gift. He is the one working through the water and the word and it is a mystery to us. 

Now, that is pretty simple. And simple is not bad. We need to be careful that we do not end up at one of two extremes. One the one hand we can make baptism only about us. It is something that requires that we have a certain level of understanding. It is something that requires that we be at a certain point in our lives and have the ability to do certain things. But that kind of view makes baptism about us. It makes baptism dependent on us, and that is simply false. The other place we do not want to go with baptism is to say, that since God gives us forgiveness in baptism, then we can live however we want without any kind of accountability. 

That is not the kind of life that our God calls us to live. That is not why he forgives us; so that we can go and do whatever we want. He forgives us so that we do not have to live in slavery to our sins. He forgives us so that our sins will not keep us separated from him. That is why. 

So, when we are talking about baptism, we want to keep it simple. It is God's good gift, given to us so that we can live our life with him and serve him with everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness. 

This is a good and gracious gift. It is one that is a source of comfort and strength. I pray that it be that for you too. 

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ