Christmas Blues

This is the time of year when stress levels reach all-time highs, and the accompanying anxieties and depressions come creeping in seemingly out of nowhere. I usually get depressed this time of year not only because of the expectations of the season, but also because of the added work load of gatherings and projects. Incidently, I shepherd a congregation that doesn't hold midweek Advent Services. Trinity, as far as I know, never has had Advent services. I've often thought about starting them, but I haven't. The congregation hasn't been clamoring for them so it's admittedly easier for me to just leave well enough alone. Rightly or wrongly, I do not conduct Advent services. As far as added work load is concerned, I don't envy the pastors who do. But I can guarantee you that I'm busy enough.

Anyway, there seems to be this underlying sentiment in our society that it's wrong to suffer from anxiety or depression. Television commercials reinforce this by the constant parade of depression sufferers who look like they are ruining their lives and causing their families irreparable heartache until, of course, they start taking the latest magic antidepressant pills after a consultation with the doctor who can prescribe them at the request of the poor suffering soul.

I'm not a therapist nor do I play one on TV, but I do believe that it's alright to be anxiety-ridden and depressive. Sufferers are not cursed. They are not pariahs. They are everyday folks like you and me who have been taught to believe that they are supposed to participate in life much better than they do presently. Any theology of glory will tell you that you are supposed to be hap-hap-happy all the time... "And here's how!" It's time to tune these "enjoying everyday life" people out.

If you're depressed, then be depressed until you're not anymore. You're not ruining anything. If you're chronically depressed, or have suicidal thoughts, then make an appointment to see your doctor. But please know this: you are very good at living life speaking from a strictly human point of view and tv commercials cannot change that essential truth. But your depression can serve to remind you that your life is not your own. You belong to your Heavenly Father who wonderfully knit you together, and to your Lord Jesus who died and rose from the dead to give you his life, and to the Holy Spirit who calls, gathers, and enlightenes you through the Gospel of grace and forgiveness and made you a member of the body of Christ.

I don't make any guarantees. I can't promise you that knowing this will rid you of depression. But I can tell you that as surely as Christ lives forever, you are a participant in a sacramental reality that the everyday hectic and hurried world can't possibly give you nor can it touch-- a true righteousness that is not of yourself, but rather a gift from God.

Dead Duck

Once there was a boy who had a pet duck. Well, I don't know if the duck knew that it was a pet. Let's just say there was this duck who frequented the farm where the boy lived. Why the duck kept coming back nobody knows. But the boy loved that duck. He would chase the duck around the barnyard, through the stables, and even across the front stoop of the house, much to the chagrin of the boy's parents. Such good times, and the duck didn't seem to mind playing with the young lad. In fact, the duck seemed to display a sense of loyalty to the boy, as evidenced by the duck's daily visits to the farm.

One day the duck didn't show up. The boy was disappointed but not disturbed by this development. Maybe the duck found a girlfriend or was just busy. Who knows? "Maybe he'll show up tomorrow," thought the boy. But the duck didn't show up. In fact, it appeared that the duck wasn't going to come back at all. After a week of waiting for the duck to come swooping in, the boy began to suspect that something happened to the duck. So the boy set out for the woods behind the barn to search for the duck. It didn't take long for the boy to find the duck lying dead on the ground, the victim of a hunter's bullet.

The boy picked up the dead duck and carried it back to the farm. He set it down in the barnyard and started to run in circles around it hoping the duck would awaken and join in the fun. But it didn't move. Then the boy picked up the duck by its wings and pretended that it was flying around. It remained lifeless. The boy then launched the duck into the air as to set it free to spread its wings and fly on its own. It crashed to the ground with a thud. "Perhaps it's just tired," reasoned the boy. "I'll take it into the barn and let it get some sleep."

The next morning the boy went out to the barn to find the duck as it was the day before. Lifeless. "C'mon Mr. Duck!" the boy shouted. "We've got some catching up to do!" The boy tried the same things he tried the day before with the same result. The duck was not going to join in on all of the fun. It remained quiet and still on the ground. The boy tried desperately to get the duck to do something. Anything. But there was nothing. And for each failure the boy tried even harder to make that duck respond to him as he continued to play with it.

All of this time the boy's father was watching his son try to play with this lifeless duck. Finally the father had seen enough and was not going to let his son continue with the charade. "Son!" exclaimed the father. "Stop playing with that duck!" The boy snapped back, "But dad, we have so much fun together!" "I know son. But the duck is dead and it's best to stop playing with it," explained the father. "Let's go bury your duck in the woods and give him a fitting goodbye."

Days passed and the boy missed the duck. He would stare out of his bedroom window thinking about all of the fun he used to have playing with the duck. But those days were gone now. The duck was dead and buried. End of story.

How often to we treat our sin like that duck? We chase it, play with it, carouse with it, give it attention-- we like it. It makes us feel alive and comfortable. It's like an itch that needs to be scratched. But it's still sin-- greed, lust, vengeance, vindictiveness, jealousy, violence, hatred.

Those sins were nailed with Christ on the cross. There they were put to death and buried. Our sins, like the duck, are dead. By virtue of Baptism into Christ we are declared "dead to sin", meaning that we have been separated from our sin and its accompanying bondage and guilt. At the same time we are declared to be "alive with Christ", meaning that we are free from having to revisit that which has been put off and dead.

I'm confused as to why so many of us try to conquer our sin. Beware of churches who give you tips on how to get rid of sin in your life, or how to overcome an addiction, or give you ten steps to root out jealousy, or five ways to beat stress at Christmastime, or anything else to keep you centered on yourself or with great potential of failure. What they're telling you to do is something akin to playing with the dead duck. Hopeless! And how often do these churches have you wallowing in your failure to root out jealousy, or beat stress, or conquer sin, by taking you right back to their lists and tips? They're just trips to play with the dead duck. And it's so much fun that they keep you coming back for more.

Our heavenly Father approaches us in grace and gently bids us, "Stop playing with that duck, trying to bring it back to life. It's dead. Leave it! Follow my risen Son, your Christ, into life and freedom. Your sin is paid for in full. You are granted forgiveness, life, and salvation."

So, instead of following yet another "to do" list, come to the banquet of grace and joy as Christ beckons and bids us to eat his body and drink his blood-- the place where the dead duck never comes to mind and our sin is remembered no more.

Rediscovery

I've listened to many voices. I've read the books. I've delved into the thoughts of many brilliant and eloquent people (mostly theologians) who have succeeded in shining bright lights on subjects I've known little or nothing about. I've had conversations with minds brighter than mine in areas of Biblical interpretation, theology, and sociology. I gave an ear to parachurch groups that have the best of intentions. I am truly grateful for everything I've learned and experienced. I've been granted knowledge beyond what I thought I was capable of.

I don't consider myself a very deep thinker. I'm not very good at "painting pictures". I'm most definitely a pointer. But I have been granted the ability to point at and identify things that I haven't been able to identify before. I have too many people to thank for their thoughts and perspectives that have been truly helpful in the ongoing formation of this clergyman.

After wading through and distilling all of the information packed into the gray matter between my ears-- not that I'm done, mind you (I'm probably still looking at the tip of a very large iceberg)-- I have been led to a place I didn't expect, and yet I'm not too surprised that it's where I've ended up.

That place is Lutheranism. With apologies to Teilhard de Chardin, I've rediscovered fire! I truly believe that the one church body that is best equipped to deal with the changes and chances of this postmodern transition is the Lutheran church. Here's why:

1) Its emphasis on grace. Grace must prevail.
2) Its depth as expressed in its doctrine, practice, liturgy, and hymnody.
3) Its suspicion of any system that tries to inculcate works as a path to forgiveness or that introduces abstractions or speculation.
4) Its sacramental theology that gives concreteness to the faith it professes.

I'm glad I'm a Lutheran, and I'm glad to have rediscovered this faith which is so profound in its simplicity.

Shoppers and Seekers

I've been thinking about the kinds of people Trinity retains in its worship and membership. As many already know, New Lenox is a rapidly growing suburb of Chicago and many people moving in are looking for a church to attend.

Trinity is growing, but not as rapidly as other churches in town. We're wondering why that is, and I think I have a few answers. First, most of the people moving into town are Roman Catholic and seek the Roman Catholic church. St. Jude's is, by far, the largest church in town. Second, we seem to attract Lutherans who are beholden to the LCMS. They seek an LCMS congregation, period. They will join nothing else. They come, introduce themselves, and join, no questions asked. This is transfer growth, which is where the majority of our new members come from.

And then there are others who present, in my perception, an interesting phenomenon. They move into town are start looking for a church. They are not beholden to any denominational label, but they can be divided into two groups: shoppers and seekers. Many believe that anyone who's out looking for a church to attend are automatically "seekers", hence they start to have "seeker sensitive" services. I disagree. Not everyone looking for a church to attend are "seekers". I would say the vast majority of them are "shoppers". There is a marked difference.

Shoppers are looking for amenities and conveniences. They look for a church that's entertaining, friendly, exciting, opportunity-filled, and has 24 hour day care (a bit of hyperbole on my part-- humor me!!). Ask any of these people why they chose the church they attend and most will tell you how friendly the people are, how nice the pastor is, how fun and exciting the worship is, how good the messages are (read, they're entertaining and "practical"), etc. They are not true seekers.

It's interesting that very few of them will mention anything about Christ. These are the people Trinity has not retained. When a shopper visits Trinity, he/she will not return, primarily because Trinity does not have what the church consumer looks for. We lack the niceties that this group desires in their idea of a church. For them, Christ is secondary. It's the goodies they're seeking.

Seekers, on the other hand, are looking for things beyond the goods and services they can obtain. They want to hear God speaking. They don't mind if no one says "Hi" to them, or if they don't get a cup of coffee, or if there's no children's church, or if there are no big screens or praise bands or sermons on stress reduction. They only want to listen to God. That's all. They are the true seekers.

There are not many of them out there. Most of the people looking for a church are shoppers. The true seekers are a decided minority. My experience has been that when a seeker, a true seeker, comes to Trinity, he/she stays. Why? Because there's a sense of transcendence and concrete expressions of the mystery of the grace of God. They know that there's something very special, tangible, yet beyond them, going on here. Through the reading and proclamation of the Gospel, the liturgy, the sacraments, the reverence, the hymnody, God is speaking for those who have ears to hear. Christ is proclaimed as the Author and Perfector of our faith. The ones who are truly seeking pick up on this and keep coming back.

Admittedly, Trinity would bore most people who are looking for something fun and exciting to do on a Sunday morning. But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hiding

Christianity is an incarnational faith. God instills faith in God's people in order that they may be lights in the world and the salt of the earth with every fiber of being. I wouldn't call this "purpose" as much as I would call it "shape". We are shaped, molded, and formed into what God wants us to be. The form we are given is that of Christ. As we receive (not accept) Christ in Word, water, and meal, we are given what God desires to make of us.

Of course, as everything else, we can cover up or hide what we've been given. We can make Christ into personal property. Oftentimes we do just that. But that's not the reason we are given Christ. He doesn't hide in us. We hide with him in God (Colossians 3:3). We are God's property completely. Our entire makeup is lovingly submitted in Christ so that our lives are no longer ours. Christ is our life. This is our identity. Everything that we are and do are designed to flow from the sacred reality of being new creations.

As I mentioned in the last post, we often ask what we are supposed to do. That inquiry is secondary because it seeks to establish identity by virtue of works. Our primary inquiry is: whose am I? This is where our true identity derives. We are Christ's. And Christ is God's. By virtue of Baptism we have died and have risen with Christ. The life we live is not ours. The life we live we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

Who we perceive ourselves to be can be quite different from who we are actually. I pray that we more and more perceive ourselves to be who we are actually in Christ Jesus.

Being Comes Before Doing

Oftentimes we stake our identities on our activities, or by what we do. I suppose that's just natural. After all, we are a "doing" kind of people. We "do" so that we "earn" the privilege to "be".

I propose that in God's economy, this is exactly backwards. Our identity is foremost in Christ and what he has done for us in the cross in the redemption of our bodies and souls. The activities in which we engage are to flow from this identity. Being comes before doing. If doing comes first, then we will make idols out of our activities and doings. Then we will stop at nothing to keep that idol going. We'll forsake our health, our relationships, our leisure time-- our being.

Ultimately, our identity is our image. Either we provide the image or God provides the image. If we provide the image it becomes an object of our affections and our worship. If God provides the image, then we give praise and thanks to our Creator by first being, and then through loving and serving our neighbor.

Okay, Enough Sarcasm

Using sarcasm and parody as my main devices, my last few posts have been complaints about the state of Christianity in America. It's so steeped in consumerism that going to church has become no different than going to the mall or the local country club. The real Jesus has been kicked out of the church and replaced with bellhops and Santa Claus. It's sad how most churchgoers, including me, forfeit grace and accept pabulum in its place. What is grace anyway? Is giving people only what they want so that they feel good about themselves qualify?

It's strange, this belief that if people's whims are satisfied that we've been "graceful". But I wonder sometimes if we really do a disservice to people when we do things just to pack people into the Sunday morning pews. Is this grace?

This is what I understand grace to be for churchgoers: coming to the worship space empty-handed. No preferences, no motives, no pride, no whims, no comparisons-- nothing!! It is only when we are empty that we can receive. As Luther said, "We are truly beggars." We come together only to get what we need, not in a therapeutic way, or to help us "get through the week". We come to be equipped with the love of God shown to us through Christ so that we may exercise our various vocations. We come to worship in the sanctuary so that we may worship in the world. It's the worship after worship.

For myself-- I would rather have 5 people in worship wanting to be fed with the Gospel than 500 in worship waiting to be entertained.

Worship-- It's All About Me

The consumer culture has infiltrated the church, and I'm afraid for good! Here's what all of the so called "praise" songs are really saying for those who demand only songs "I like". Too many churches cater to human whim instead of submitting to God's grace. Who is worship really all about anyway?

Life Coaching

You don't need life coaching.

Charles Manson needs life coaching.

You participate in life much better than you think.

Defeated

Christ defeated our sin on the cross, not so that we stop sinning, but so that our sins can't keep their hold on us any longer; not so that we try to free ourselves from sin, but so that we would already know that freedom; not so that we turn and fight our sins, but so that we repent and run from them.

The opposite of sin is grace, not virtue.-- Philip Yancey

I'm An Official Pokedad

My two sons love to play the Pokemon trading card game. I play the game with them every so often, but I've never really delved into the realm of being a Pokemon master.

That is, until yesterday. I bought a Pokemon deck. Hold your applause, please!

I have now entered the world of dueling little pocket monsters that evolve into dueling big pocket monsters. But I must say I do like the artwork and imagination that went into the creation of this game.

Anyway, I had a match with my older son, Chris, using my new deck for the very first time. I thought I was going to get creamed. Much to my surprise-- I won! And, quite soundly I might add. I don't gloat over my victory. However, there is a sense of satisfaction that I'm a not-too-shabby strategist and that I have a pretty decent deck.

Now, if only I could remember the name of my deck...

God Calls

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.-- Acts 2:39

People are brought to faith in Christ by the promise of the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit who constantly places our attention on Christ. The Lord is the one who does it all through the proclamation of the Gospel.

I used to be one of those people who would try anything to get people to darken the doors of the church. The logic behind it was: get people in the pews and preach the Good News! The more people, the better!! Churches with huge budgets can do this. I used to envy them, but I don't anymore. Slick marketing and gimmicks get people to come. Serving Starbucks will draw people from all over the place. But who's being drawn-- disciples or customers? Those who are attracted by the grace of God or those who merely smell the coffee?

I think the mentality of "get 'em in the pews and preach to them" has it all backwards. It attempts to add to the numbers before the proclamation of the Gospel. This isn't the pattern in the book of Acts. Proclamation comes first, and the Lord adds to the number. In other words, the distribution of the gifts of God is primary. That is all the Lord requires. I see no command in Scripture to pack church pews.

The apostles certainly never rented buildings, launched balloons, had praise bands, or catered to consumer tastes with brand name goodies. They went out and proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ and used the Scriptures to make that proclamation! The Gospel is what draws people.

I'm not against Starbucks or gimmicks or advertising. I just don't think they're effective evangelism tools!

Burning Bushes

In Exodus 3 Moses sees a bush that is on fire but is not consumed. That's curious. How can this happen? It defies the logic of our modern scientific minds. Things that are on fire are reduced to ashes by the destructive power of the flames. But not so here.

We can stand around and debate whether this really happened or not, like saying that it wasn't really the bush that was on fire but was actually a flaming gas vent coming out of the side of the mountain behind the bush, and it just looked to Moses like the bush was on fire. Moses may have been mistaken. Someone actually made this claim not too long ago. Then we get hot and bothered because the integrity of the Scriptures is called into question, and we feel we have to come to the Bible's rescue and try to find a way a bush can burn without being consumed! Get out your bunsen burners!!

Instead of trying to determine if the bush was on fire or not, I feel it's best to look at how Jesus interpreted the Exodus 3 narrative. We find this in Luke 20:27-40. There we see that Jesus isn't really concerned about whether the bush was on fire or not. In fact, Jesus didn't talk at length about the actual bush at all, but only mentioned it for reference! He used the story as a launching point for a proclamation about God-- that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.

That's the point of the story. God is God of the living, for all live to him. There's not any discussion on how a bush can survive a thorough torching. Instead-- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive! Resurrected, if you will. They weren't resuscitated and walking the streets of Jerusalem. They were covenant forefathers! Don't miss this. Life and living had little to do with organic existence, but with covenant membership. The ancient promises of God to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were coming to bear on the people through the ministry of Jesus. The lost were being found. Sins were being forgiven. The last were becoming first. All were coming to know the visitation of God.

It's funny, really. We're so concerned about whether this or that actually happened. I feel that when we do this we are engaging in yet another exercise in missing the point. Jesus didn't miss the point. We should listen to Jesus more often for understanding and perspective.

Drive-Thru McChurch

This would be very sad if it wasn't so funny!

Christians Are Not Priests

This entry contains a lot of Lutheran lingo, so I apologize to my non-Lutheran readers ahead of time.

Today was our monthly winkel in Elmhurst with Dr. Roger Pittelko giving a presentation on the Office of the Pastoral Ministry based on a couple of essays from the April 2006 edition of Concordia Theological Quarterly (CTQ). There were some things that Roger pointed out that I had either never heard before or had heard at one time but had since forgotten.

Martin Luther is often credited with restoring what is commonly known as the priesthood of all believers. Dr. Pittelko claimed that there really is no adequate word in English to translate the Greek word hieros from 1 Peter 2:9, which Luther translated as "priesthood". A better word, though still inadequate, would be "offerers". The word "priesthood" is best used as a translation of the Greek word presbyteros, normally translated as "elder" (but don't tell that to Presbyterians-- they'll blow a gasket!). It could be that Luther was mistaken in his translation of 1 Peter 2:9 and the Protestant world never really caught on.

This was all brought up due to a long-time misunderstanding of where the office of pastor derives its authority. I was always taught a rather congregational derivation-- a congregation places a "call" to an ordained pastor and therefore "transfers" the Office of the Keys to that individual. In other words, the pastoral office derives its authority from the calling congregation. Today's presentation demonstrated that the pastoral office derives authority from Christ Himself by virtue of the "calling" (not congregational call) and ordination of the candidate into the pastoral office. Further, according to Dr. Pittelko, "calling" and "ordination" are synonymous.

In short, Christians are not "priests". Pastors (elders, presbyteroi) are priests by the authority of Christ Himself to administer Word and Sacrament for the purpose of building up the "offerers" to offer themselves as "living sacrifices" in loving and willing service to their neighbor.

I asked Dr. Pittelko if priests are therefore not offerers, but have been set apart (as it were) from that function. I asked that question to make sure I was understanding everything that was being said. All Christians are "offerers" by virtue of their call by the Holy Spirit through the Means of Grace. All "priests" are "offerers" as well. But not all "offerers" are "priests". So, instead of the priesthood of all believers, we should be talking about the offererhood of all believers.

To use an analogy, all apples are fruit but not all fruit are apples. Some are pears, peaches, plums, mangos, kiwi, strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, bananas, etc.-- but not apples.

What do I think of all of this? Let's just say I have a lot of reading and thinking to do because I was always taught the congregational derivation, that I derive the authority of the ministry of Word and Sacrament solely from the congregation I currently serve. I've also understood the Greek word heiros to be roughly equivalent to the Hebrew word kohen, meaning "priest", so I understand where Luther was coming from. I've read the articles in the aforementioned CTQ, and will now read them again with a keener eye than before. I also have a lot of questions about this ongoing sticky subject in the LCMS.

Again, I apologize to my non-Lutheran readers if some of this is foggy, but I tried to make it as readable as I possibly could.