This past October I presented a paper at our district’s pastors’ conference titled, “Neither Papistic nor Karlstadtian: Luther’s Principles of Adiaphora Applied to the Liturgical Life of the Church.”  I’ve already posted the paper and described the assignment in a previous post.  In this post, I’d like to expand on one of the discussions that took place during the “Question and Answer” session after the essay was presented.

For those who haven’t yet checked out the essay, I’ll provide a short summary here.  The paper had to do with Luther’s comments about adiaphora (Christian freedom) as it applies to worship.  Since there are no “worship laws” in the New Testament, there is not a set form that Christians must follow when they gather for public worship.  But Luther recognized that it is not necessarily beneficial for every church to do its own thing.  Luther encouraged a general commonality in practice, particularly for churches that were located in the same region.  His concern was for the lay people, who would be easily confused – understandably so – if churches that otherwise shared a common confession of faith used worship practices that were greatly different from one another.  The essay quoted Luther extensively, and then considered how we could put Luther’s concepts into practice in our own day and within our own church body.

One of the pastors who spoke during the question and answer period asked about the practice of sermons that seemed more like a Bible Class — more of a time to study and learn about the Word, and less of a time for straight proclamation of the Word.  The pastor who spoke was not in favor of sermons in a Bible study style, and (if my memory is correct) he thought that it might be an example of differing practices that would cause confusion for the lay people of our churches.  He sensed that Bible study style sermons were becoming more common, and wondered what my thoughts were on that particular issue.

I was glad this issue was raised.  Even though it wasn’t on my mind when I wrote the paper, it has been on my mind frequently in the past.  I can’t remember how many times others (both pastors and laypeople) have also made comments (both positive and negative) about sermons that were more like Bible classes.  Those in favor of a Bible study style sermon believe that it’s just another way to get people into the Word of God.  Those who are against it haven’t always been able to identify what they consider the problem to be, but they have sensed that something just isn’t quite right about the concept.  I am oversimplifying the situation a bit and lumping reactions into one of two groups, but those two groups of reactions have been common in my discussions with others.

Warning: The following post has nothing to do with liturgy, theology, or apologetics — although the picture was taken on a trip to Wisconsin when I was flying back to be a guest preacher for a church anniversary service, if that counts.  But I digress.

Do you know that feeling you get when you have to go through airport security?  Everyone is in a rush, the kids are tired and cranky and confused,  you have to take off your shoes and your jacket and empty out the change from your pockets, you hope everyone gets through the metal detector without setting it off because you didn’t think that the foil gum wrapper in your back pocket would set it off and lead to a body search … you get the idea.  Going through airport security can make one feel a bit discombobulated.  Well, discombobulate no more!  Our friends at the Concourse D security checkpoint at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport have come up with the solution to make those feelings of discombobulation go away.  And here it is…

Recombobulation -- is that even a word?

Over the weekend, the number of hits on this blog since its inception crossed the 30,000 mark.  Back at 10,000 hits, I offered a post with the most popular posts to date.  Although I didn’t mention the 20,000-hit milestone, I thought that I would do the same now as I did at 10,000 hits and list the most popular posts to date.  If you’d like to compare, check out the post from March 14, 2009 when the blog crossed 10,000 hits.

At 10,000 hits, I listed the top thirteen posts, because that’s how many had received at least 100 hits.  This time, there are thirteen posts that have received at least 250 hits, so I’ll stick with a list of thirteen again — and here they are:

1. Advent Wreath 101 (2,283)
2. Sermon on Romans 8:18-25 (604)
3. WELS President Gets “Issues, Etc.” Thumbs-Up! (559)
4. YCMTU: Joel Osteen, Pork, and Shrimp (491)
5. Sermon on Acts 16:25-34 (447)
6. Good Friday Sermon (406)
7. Think You Don’t Like Ceremony?  Think Again!  (392)
8. Sermon on Romans 7:15-25 (360)
9. Sermon on Isaiah 55:6-9 (337)
10. Sermon on Matthew 25:1-13 (336)
11. Church Anniversary Sermon (317)
12. Published Essay: Proclaiming the Gospel in Worship (293)
13. YCMTU: Pastor in a Box (255)

JOY INSTEAD OF JUDGMENT

Text: Zephaniah 3:14-17

A few months ago, my brother-in-law was called into his boss’s office along with one of the other employees.  Because layoffs had already hit others, they figured that they were next.  I suppose that they mentally braced themselves for the bad news they expected to hear.  You can imagine their surprise when their boss sat them down in his office and said, “Due to the economy, we have to have another round of layoffs.  The two of you are the only ones we’re keeping.”  Now, that’s not exactly great news.  No one likes to hear that others are losing their jobs.  But they were expecting a pink slip, and instead they got some personal good news—perhaps not in the way they’d like to get good news, but still good news for them personally.

If you could travel back in time and space to the setting that today’s First Lesson was written in, and if you could interview the people that lived in ancient Judah at that time, you might find a nation of people who were expecting to be hit by some pretty awful news.  I’m not talking about unemployment.  I’m talking about being on the wrong side of God’s judgment.  Our First Lesson comes from a little, three-chapter long Old Testament book called Zephaniah.  The first two and a half chapters of Zephaniah are packed with hellfire and brimstone.  God was more than a little displeased with the moral depravity of his ancient people, and God did not pull his punches when he described what his people had coming.  But when Zephaniah’s book reached its final section, God’s words took a very unexpected turn.  This was a turn far more profound than someone who expects a layoff hearing that he still has a job.  Here was a group of people expecting the thunderbolts of God’s judgment, and instead they were given an unexpected and undeserved message of pure joy.  Joy instead of judgment—that is the gist of what Zephaniah has to say in our First Lesson.

I’m fairly certain that there are not too many of us here today who know what the state of affairs were like in Judah around 630 B.C.  And I’m equally certain that there are not too many of us here today who know much about the Old Testament book called Zephaniah.  So allow me to set the scene for you, because the larger scene will help us appreciate the specific words in today’s First Lesson. 

REPENTANCE IS SERIOUS BUSINESS!

1. Isaiah previewed John’s call to repentance
2. John proclaimed God’s call to repentance
3. God desires that we come to repentance

Text: Luke 3:1-6

Introduction

We Lutherans can be some pretty odd creatures!  I’m sure that members of every Christian denomination poke fun at themselves and say similar things about themselves, but we Lutherans certainly have our unique quirks.  As the stereotype goes, Lutherans will drink coffee at any gathering regardless of the temperature outside.  It could be 110 degrees, but we still want our coffee!  Another stereotype about Lutherans is that we don’t like to change.  Maybe you have heard the joke: How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb?  The answer: Change?  Lutherans don’t change!

I’m not so sure those stereotypes are entirely accurate, but here is a characteristic about Lutherans that I have found to be true on many occasions.  Ask a Lutheran what his or her favorite seasons of the church year are.  When I have found myself in those discussions, the answers are usually not Christmas or Easter, the celebratory seasons.  I have no scientific way to confirm this, but in my experience it seems like the favorite seasons of the church year among Lutherans are Advent and Lent.  Think about that.  Advent and Lent, the preparatory seasons; not Christmas and Easter, the celebratory seasons.  Advent and Lent, the time you talk about sin and repentance; not Christmas and Easter, the joyous Christmas song of the angels and the joyous resurrection announcement from the angels.  Could anything be so odd as to prefer seasons that focus on repentance instead of victory?

Today is the Second Sunday in Advent.  Of all the Sundays in Advent, this is the Sunday that we especially highlight God’s call to repentance as a way to prepare for the coming of Jesus.  This appears to be a day when Lutherans can really get their fix of “Adventy” talk about repentance.  But before we assume that a repentance focus is just some odd Lutheran quirk for Advent and Lent, we should take to heart what Luke has to say in the Gospel for today.  Luke takes us to the Judean wilderness where John the Baptist called people to repentance to prepare them for the start of Jesus’ ministry.  It should become fairly obvious from this reading that Advent talk about repentance is not some odd Lutheran liturgical quirk, but a very sober and serious statement from God Almighty.  Repentance is serious business!  And that’s why Luke includes all the details he does in today’s Gospel.  He wants us to understand that repentance is serious business!  He reveals that Isaiah the prophet previewed John’s call to repentance.  He records how John the Baptist proclaimed God’s call to repentance.  And he reports why God also desires that we come to repentance.

I.

We’re going to start our study of Luke’s words at the end of our reading.  Luke maps out the historical circumstances surrounding John the Baptist’s ministry and describes his message in the first half of our reading.  But in the second half of our reading, Luke shows us that Isaiah, one of the greatest Old Testament prophets who served God’s people, previewed John’s work of calling people to repentance.  Since Isaiah’s work really preceded John’s work, let’s take a look at Isaiah’s message before we look at John’s message.  “As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.  Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.  The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.  And all mankind will see God’s salvation.”’” 

For the past several weeks, my non-sermon posts have been pretty quiet, as other projects are keeping me busy for the final few months of the year.  Despite that, hits were quite high because a number of people found last year’s post about the Advent wreath.  Apparently “Advent” and “Advent wreath” are big web searches this time of year!  But now that Advent has started, the wave of web searching visitors (and “easy hits”) has slowed — suggesting that I need to write something new!

The Gospel for tomorrow, the Second Sunday in Advent (in Year C of the lectionary), is Luke 3:1-6.  The Second and Third Sundays in Advent always take us to the ministry of John the Baptist.  John’s preparatory work for Jesus’ ministry serves as a useful and appropriate preparatory message for Jesus’ Advent–both the celebration of his first Advent and the anticipation of his second Advent.

Luke’s record of John’s ministry, much like his record of Jesus’ birth, sets the historical stage before describing the specific details.  Luke 3 begins:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar–when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene–during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert (Luke 3:1-2, NIV).

It seems to me that every time a biblical writer makes a historical reference, critics are right there suggesting that the reference couldn’t possibly be accurate or that there is some other flaw in what the biblical author says.  The first part of my Christmas Day sermon from last year, based on Luke 2:1-14, dealt with the critics’ comments on Luke’s historical references at the start of the Christmas account.  One chapter later, the situation isn’t much different. 

A NEW NAME

Text: Jeremiah 33:15-16

Introduction

When it was first constructed in 1966, it was called the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena.  Over the years, it has been known as the Oakland Coliseum Arena, the Oakland Arena, the Arena in Oakland, and The New Arena—basically all variations on a common theme.  But on October 20, 2006, the arena in Oakland where the Golden State Warriors play their home games was renamed, The Oracle, at least for the next decade.  Oracle, the Bay Area software company in our own back yard, paid an undisclosed price for the naming rites to the Oakland Arena, and for the next ten years the Golden State Warriors will call their home court by its new name, The Oracle – sometimes called simply, The “O”.

This is nothing new to us in the Bay Area.  In the relatively short amount of time that the San Francisco Giants have played in their new downtown stadium, the lighted letters with the field’s name have displayed three different titles: first it was Pac Bell Park, then SBC Park, and now AT&T Park.  The San Francisco 49ers home stadium has gone through the same naming metamorphosis.  We all knew it as Candlestick Park, then we woke up one morning and it was 3-COM Park, and later we blinked and it was renamed Monster Park.  Now it’s back to Candlestick Park and looks to remain that way.  The constant name changes were so ridiculous that Sports Illustrated writer Peter King referred to it as “Candle3Monsterstick.”

Do these corporate sponsorships and naming rights do any good?  Somebody must think so, because all sorts of big-name companies would love to get their corporate name on a professional sport team’s stadium.

Exposition

So what does all this naming talk have to do with our service today?  In the First Lesson for this first Sunday of the church year, something very significant was renamed.  Unless you are an expert in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, you probably didn’t catch what the new name was, and without an explanation, you probably won’t catch it when you hear these words again.  But there is a significant new name applied to a group of people in Jeremiah 33.  Let’s start by listening again to the last two verses from this morning’s First Lesson.  “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.  In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.  This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord, our Righteousness.” 

THANKFULNESS IN ANY AND EVERY SITUATION

Text: Philippians 4:10-20

I.

As I listened to the radio last weekend, the news was not pretty.  The unemployment rate in California reached 12.5%.  One in eight California residents are out of work—and that doesn’t count those who have stopped searching for work or who are underemployed.  At a little over ten percent, the nation’s statistics aren’t much better.  With money tight and jobs at a loss, it doesn’t exactly create the kind of mood we’d want for the Thanksgiving holiday, does it?

Maybe you know someone in that situation who still manages to keep his chin up.  Maybe you know someone who says, “Well, I lost my old job, but I’m sure that God has something better in store.”  Or maybe that person says, “Well, I lost my job, and money is tight right now, but I’ve got a chance to be with family more than I ever did before, and so I’ll appreciate that perk as long as it lasts.”

In one of the Bible readings we heard a few minutes ago, the apostle Paul seemed to demonstrate that perspective, the perspective that says, “The glass is half-full.”  Near the start of our reading, he says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances,” and a little later, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”  Paul seemed to be the “glass is half-full” kind of person, at least based on these comments.

II.

Maybe Paul’s life was cushy enough that he could say something like that.  He was well-educated.  He traveled the known world.  He was a well-known and highly respected missionary.  So was his “glass half-full” perspective merely because life never got hard for him?

Nothing could be further for the truth.  In fact, Paul had some real hardships facing him even as he wrote this very positive, joy-filled letter.  Paul says to the Philippians in verse 14, “It was good of you to share in my troubles.”  And troubles he had!  Philippians is one of several New Testament letters that Paul wrote while he was under house arrest in Rome, waiting for a hearing before Caesar.  Although all signs pointed to his eventual release, there was still a possibility that Paul might not walk away from his trial alive.  Even if those odds were only one or two percent, you’d think that a possibility like that might ruin your day!  You’d think Paul would launch into requests for petitioning the government and coming to his aid.  When Paul says he is content under any circumstance, even the circumstances surrounding this letter, it makes us take notice!

Things have been pretty quiet on my blog lately, I confess.  That’s primarily due to other assignments and tasks that have come my way.  Hits have still been high, because many people doing websearches for Advent wreaths are coming across the post I wrote last year, Advent Wreath 101.  But I thought it was high time that I post something new!

While preparing for our Thanksgiving service, I came across a bulletin insert that I included in last year’s Thanksgiving service folder.  Our service is always on Wednesday evening, Thanksgiving Eve, and so I provided a little family devotion for our members to use in their homes as a part of their overall Thanksgiving celebration.  Feel free to copy this and use it in your home this Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Family Devotion

A blessed Thanksgiving to you all!

IT ONLY TAKES ONE…

1. One sacrifice of Jesus to do away with sin
2. One appearance of Jesus to deliver us salvation

Text: Hebrews 9:24-28

Introduction

My father-in-law has a saying about home improvement projects: “Every home improvement project requires at least three trips to Home Depot.”  If you’ve ever tackled one of those projects around your home, you know what I mean.  About a year or so ago, one of the church council members installed a new closet in one of the parsonage bedrooms, and I’m pretty sure we made three trips to Home Depot to get that project done!  Rare is the major household improvement project that only requires one trip to the home improvement store!

The Second Lesson for today’s service talks about a “repair project” that makes any of our own personal household projects seem insignificant and unimportant.  Our reading from the New Testament book of Hebrews describes the project Jesus undertook to permanently repair the damage that sin brought into our world and into our lives.  With an eternally important divine project like that—rescuing the world from its own sin!—you would think that this would be a project that would span centuries.  But if we assume that, we would be wrong.  In just one visit to our sinful world, Jesus undid the eternal consequences of sin.  And in one return visit in the future, Jesus will bring us to the eternal blessings of heaven.  That’s what our reading from Hebrews teaches us today.  It only takes one!  It only takes one sacrifice of Jesus to do away with sin.  It only takes one appearance of Jesus to deliver us salvation.

I.

Hebrews can be a hard book for modern Christians to understand.  The biggest reason for the difficulty is because Hebrews was written to first-century Jewish Christians who were well acquainted with Old Testament Jewish customs.  The writer of this book regularly points back to Old Testament customs his readers would have known, and then shows how these customs were previews of the saving work that Jesus Christ would accomplish.  And that’s exactly what the writer is doing in today’s reading.  Listen to the first several verses again.  “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.  Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.  Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.  But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.”