Monday, September 12, 2011

Lone Voice

I feel like the canary in the mine or maybe the lone voice crying in the wilderness. Crying in church. Crying for the Church.

I cry for the elder who gives his toddler his individual cup after Communion and then allows her to drink the left over Blood before placing it in the collection basket.

I cry for the church service where the candles were not lit at all. Why? I never found out. Maybe the elders realized too late and didn’t want to disturb worship by stepping up to the alter. I hope that’s it.

I cry for the elder extinguishing the candles with his babies diaper bags hanging on his shoulder. Was that wrong? Probably not, but it sure showed a lack of respect for the Alter.

I cry for my church that backed off every Sunday Communion to every other Sunday. They have now changed it back starting next Sunday but no public announcement. Why’s that? Are we trying to sneak it in hoping no one will notice?

I cry for the Remnant that stayed for the Body and Blood of our Savior after the non-Communion Sunday worship.

I cry for the lack of attendance by the elders at these post worship Service of the Sacrament.

I cry for the treatment of the Body and Blood (bread and wine) after Communion service. Concentrated elements mixing with un-concentrated elements. The disposable individual cups thrown out without rinsing. Tossing the precious Blood into the trash. The lack of respect for all things Church.

It would seem like I do a lot of crying. Maybe I’m too High Church. No, that’s not it. This is all supremely important to me. This lack of respect tells me that people don’t care. Don’t care about God. Just going through the motions on Sunday morning.

A lone voice crying in the wilderness. All alone.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Trinity Sunday

This Sunday is Father’s Day. More importantly it is my favorite Festival of the Church year. This Sunday is Trinity Sunday. The Gospel reading for Trinity is Matthew 28:16-20. Wow, what a reading! Jesus says “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. This preamble to what follows sets everything up. This reading follows the Old Testament reading from Genesis 1:1-2:4. As you know this is the account of the beginning of all things. We know that Jesus Christ was there in the beginning. In John chapter one the “Word” was there when the Earth and all things were made. The Word was God. The Word became man. That Word was Jesus. God the Son was standing in front of the disciples and referencing His authority. The same authority, the same power that made everything is about to tell the disciples something important.

“Go therefore” comes next. Many times those two words are rushed over. But think on them. Jesus is telling his disciples because I have this authority you are to go and do the following. So “ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”. Did the disciples rush right out. No! They stayed in Jerusalem where the Church grew, sometimes thousands at a time. Then God allowed the Church to be persecuted causing the Diaspora, the scattering of the faithful. This scattering took the Gospel to all nations just as Jesus intended. Sometimes we are tested in the fire and on the anvil so God’s Kingdom can be furthered. Sometimes God just needs to give us a good kick.




“Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.






“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”. On this coming Trinity Sunday we will recite the Athanasian Creed. This Creed is the teaching that Jesus was referring to. Pay attention to the words of the Creed you speak. You will state there is only one way to believe in the Trinity and only one way to Heaven. Any other way leads to death. Also we do the teaching but God the Holy Spirit moves the hearer.





“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age”. That “end of the age” means the end of all things but also our ending. That hand holding yours will be there until you reach the end of this journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Because of this Jesus, death is just a shadow we pass through to the Light of Heaven. Eternal life with God.

Monday, May 9, 2011

***WARNING*** You are about to get a glimpse into the inter workings of my mind. Not for the faint of heart!

The other night I woke up about 4am to give my reply to the tea. As luck would have it so did Mary. After helping her to her chair I got her a pain pill. I then got a treat for the cat. Ok, this was too much. When I returned to bed my mind had already received too much stimulation. Like an old engine it turned over once, twice, trice. Roaring to life the words began. Then out of the blue my muse visited and started working. The Pledge of Allegiance started running over and over in my head. Little seeds of a poem begin. Words here and there. Then phrases. Then rewrites. In the mist of all this the poem started singing in my head. It started sounding like a country western song sung by Scotty from American Idol. The deep bass. The country drawl. It was not my voice. I thought my muse was female? Ok maybe I do sound a little like that. Only once before had a poem presented itself in the form of a song. So I worked the words over and over again. I thought I would remember it in the morning but I knew I wouldn’t. It’s happened before that I would be lying in bed trying to go to sleep when a phrase or word would present itself. From such a beginning a poem would appear. I would work it over and over in my head and it would sound great. To me at least. Then in the morning I could not recreate the poem. I would write it out but like a shadow in the night I could not put my arms around it. So this time I got up and starting writing. I just knew that if I didn’t let it out, it would not let me sleep until I did. It’s not great. It’s not even good. But Art is Art. Good is in the individual hearing or seeing. So I present to you my 4am poem.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
I wondered what these words ment,
when I said them long ago.
Standing in that first grade class
with my hand upon my heart.
I grew to love this flag and pledge,
this nation under God.
So when my country needed me,
I vowed to do my part.
Now I lie here in this flag draped box,
I’ve made my sacrifice.
I pledge allegiance to this flag,
with my very life.
An now they fold the Flag I love,
that’s become my burial shroud.
I pray for this nation under God,
that I’ve done this country proud.
Pray this pledge is said each day,
in each and every class.
So students learn to love this flag,
this nation and our God.
To grow up proud upon this land,
with their hand upon their hearts.
I pledge allegiance to the Flag……

Monday, March 14, 2011

Tyranny of the Voters, Update

Yesterday, Sunday, started out bad. I knew we were only having Matins at church and not receiving the Lords Supper. I had problems singing or even listening to the sermon. The fault was mine for the Pastor preached well with some interesting insights into the sermon text. After church we were among the last to leave because I had to get Mary’s wheel chair from the back of the church. We have to wait until most of the people are out so I don’t run them over or trip up little old church ladies. After we shook the Pastor’s hand we had to wait in the entrance area because the exit was blocked by people talking. It was fortunate that I forgot Mary’s walker and had to use her wheelchair. If Mary was using her walker I would have excused us and made for the exit. As it was, before we could get out Pastor came out and looked around. It appeared as if he was looking to see if the coast was clear. Then he stated he was going to serve Communion if anyone wanted. I heard someone say “oh good”. I know I was glad.

We were then transported back in time for a very brief glimpse of the Christians in the Roman catacombs. Six adults stood before the Alter of the Lord and spoke the Confession and Absolution. We said the liturgy of the Sacrament. We received the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We did this in opposition to the voters of the church. We did this at the command of our Lord Jesus Christ.

No one guarded the door. There was no threat of soldiers storming in on us and taking us away to prison although there was the very real threat of incurring the wrath of the voters. Which in America at this time may be worse. To suffer pain or even death for the Faith may be easer than trying to not hurt the feelings of voters. To maintain the balance of remaining faithful to God and keeping people happy. Week after week churches error trying to keep it’s people happy. Everyone is so afraid someone will get offended and get mad and leave. So voters and even pastors back off and let the tyranny of the voters grow. It’s tough I know. I have felt this pressure many times. Sometimes, with the help of God, I was able to resist. Other times my weakness won out. But thanks be to God we have forgiveness in His Son, Jesus the Christ.

Perhaps, next time, our little remnant, our little band of rebels will grow. Perhaps our witness of faith will prompt a reexamination of the voter’s decision. Perhaps soon we will return to the Biblical practice of Communion every Lords Day (Sunday). No, not perhaps. With God all things are possible. So we will return to the rightful practice in God’s time. Amen.

Monday, March 7, 2011

The Tyranny of the Voters Assembly

Three years ago when we moved to Missouri I made a conscious decision to not become a voting member of our new church. I repent my decision now. When I became a Lutheran in 1980 I was immediately made a member of a board. With few, very very few, exceptions I served in a church office the entire time I was in Illinois. I was tired of the confrontations and battles for the Faith.

Having escaped Illinois with my sanity somewhat intact I decided to keep it healthy by not jumping into the fray in a new church. My mental health holiday has ended.

A month ago the voters assembly at our church voted 14-12 to end every Sunday Communion. Now I’m not quite so egotistical to believe my presence nor my eloquent and lofty arguments against this vote would have helped. But I do know my abstance, my abdication of my duty, helped bring error back into the church.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

And now my argument against reducing the frequency of Communion. Or as I like to call it…….

“What! Are you stupid!?!”

First I would point the voters to the Small Catechism. Specifically the section on the Lords Supper. I would ask them to look up all the Bible references, study them, and pray over the Scriptures. I would also ask them to read the twenty “Christian Questions with their answers”, specifically question 20 which reads as following…

But what should you do if you are not aware of this need and have no hunger and thirst for the Sacrament?
To such a person no better advice can be given than this: first, he should touch his body to see if he still has flesh and blood. Then he should believe what the Scriptures say of it in Galatians 5 and Romans 7.
Second, he should look around to see whether he is still in the world, and remember that there will be no lack of sin and trouble, as the Scriptures say in John 15-16 and 1 John 2 and 5.
Third, he will certainly have the devil also around him, who with his lying and murdering day and night will let him have no peace, within or without, as the Scriptures picture him in John 8 and 16; 1 Peter 5; Ephesians 6; and 2 Timothy 2.

I contend that if you feel the need to reduce the frequency of communion that you don’t feel the need for, nor even believe in the benefits of, the Lords Supper. If you are breathing and still within this veil of tears you are indeed a sinner. As such you need what God offers in His Supper. The forgiveness of sins. Which leads me to my next point…

In the second century Ignatius, an early church father, wrote in the twentieth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians: “… breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, the antidote against death which gives eternal life in Jesus Christ” (emphases mine). God condemns us to eternal death for our sins and at the same time gives us the antidote to save us through His Son’s Body and Blood. If we reduce the frequency of Communion we are slapping God’s hand away and saying “I don’t need your help”. This in it’s self is the Damnable sin of rejecting the Holy Spirit. Our passing this vote puts our very souls in jeopardy of the fires of hell unless we repent and reverse the vote.

My next point is on a different tact. While those in favor of reducing Communion frequency may think they don’t need the Lords Supper every Sunday they have only to stay in their pews and not go forward to the Lord’s Table. But their vote blocks the rest of us from getting to the life saving Body and Blood. It would be the same as blocking someone from eating every day. Or a sick person from going to the doctor. Christian compassion on their part should prompt them to allow us to return to the Lord’s Table every Sunday. Christian compassion on our part should prompt us to lovingly admonish our erroring brothers and sisters.

The final irony is this past Sunday it was announced that the new policy would start next Sunday. So, no Communion on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and Lent begins. We will be reminded on that day that “from dust we did come and to dust we will return”. During this season of Lent we are to look inward at our own grievous sins at the same time looking forward to our Lord’s Passion on the Cross offering up his body and blood for us. Our sins place our hands firmly upon the hammer that drove the nails piercing our Savior’s flesh. That same Body and Blood our church has given up….. for Lent.

Kyrie Eleison !