The Manhattan Declaration

This is a vitally important document. I cannot urge all of you strongly enough to read this declaration, sign it and then share it. We as Christians cannot remain silent. We need to join with our brothers and sisters in our faith who lived in previous centuries and battled against other, earlier evils.



Speaking out against such as this is part of our vocation as Christians.



This document deals with the critical issues of our age; life, marriage, freedom of conscience. The three issues dealt with here are the ones that will define us, I believe, as Christians.



Follow the link below the Pelican. Go, read, sign.

Advent 2 Midweek-Zechariah's Prophecy-St. Luke 1:67-80

‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.’ (Ps. 19:14) Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

‘And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people’. (Vv. 67-8)

In the early years of the Massachusetts colony, a white settlement that was a bit inland and toward the south end of the colony was suddenly attacked by a large force of Indians. The Indians succeeded in burning all but one of the cabins in this village. That final cabin was not burned because holed up inside where Captain Hutchinson and his men.

After several desperate attempts, finally, one man was able to slip through the Indian lines under cover of darkness. He then made his way to Providence, Rhode Island to raise the alarm. For three days the Indians attacked the cabin trying to break through the defenses. After each attempt, the bodies of these red Indians were left lying on the ground around the clearing.

Finally, on the evening of the third day, the besieged men within the fort heard the shouts of friends rushing to their rescue. Major Willard of Boston had been apprised of the situation and siege at Brookfield and with all possible haste rushed to the aid of those brave men, whose ammunition and endurance were all but spent.

We can all imagine the joy and thanksgiving within that small fort in the hearts of the defenders when the Indians were dispersed and driven back into the woods. So, we also were once held in bondage and sitting in the shadow of death. Now, you have been delivered from sin, death, and hell when you despaired of all help. You and I sat helpless and hopeless, unable to relieve our situation. Then our great Deliverer and Savior came.[1]

We praise the Lord that in spite of our sinful foolishness and pride, the Father sent Jesus for you anyway. Your Strength and your Deliverer has come. He has delivered you from the hopeless situation that you found yourself in even from birth. Our God has now raised up a horn of salvation. There it is again, did you hear it? Listen again.

‘[He] has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old’. (Vv. 69-70)

Did you hear it? That word, salvation.

Just as with the prophecies of Simeon and Isaiah, so also in the prophecy of Zechariah. Our Salvation has been raised up. He has been seen. Now though, the word horn is attached to this name of Jesus, Salvation. This is a good word. After all, “horn” carries with it the idea of strength. Jesus is most definitely strong to save. This also carries with it a sacrificial overtone. If you remember from the descriptions of the altar of the Old Testament, there were four horns on that altar. This then puts us in mind of that sacrificial element and thus is a pointing forward by Luke.

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Luke is pointing us forward to the end of the Gospel. We are already seeing the shadow of the cross falling over the manger in Bethlehem. At least as much as the prophets from of old spoke about the Messiah coming as a baby. These same prophets also point us to the cross. This is most notably seen in Isaiah with his great “Servant’s Song” (Is. 52-3).

‘That we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us’. (V. 71)

You have been rescued from the hand of your enemies. You have now been rescued by Jesus’ sacrifice from the clutches of sin and death. You have also been delivered from the hand of those who hate you. This includes the devil and all his fallen angels (Small Catechism IV: Holy Baptism). As with those Massachusetts soldiers, you also rejoice with joy and thanksgiving. You are constantly rejoicing that your God’s mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:23).

We see this in the song we sing in the Sunday service found in tonight’s Psalm. ‘Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! … Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.’ (Ps. 51: 2, 12) This is our continual pray for forgiveness and our continual reason for rejoicing. We as Christians, you and me, we are all praying that our Savior will wash us clean and cover us with His saving grace. When you sin you pray the second part, that the joy of your heavenly Father’s salvation in Jesus will be restored.

You have been washed in the waters of baptism. You have been covered with Christ’s righteousness. When you sin, He does forgive all your sins. You have been rescued, you have been redeemed. You have been saved from your enemies and those who hate you. Amen, praise Jesus.

In Jesus'+ Name. Amen.

[1] Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations, CPH, pp. 178-79, entry #826.

Theology and Science

To view this slideshow (scroll down and click on the link for "the Month in Space") is to realize what complexity is found in the few small words of the first article of the Apostles' Creed: "I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth" (Luther's Small Catechism (II: 1st). And the words of the Holy Spirit by the prophet Moses in Genesis: 'And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.' (Genesis 1:14-19) Not only does these images from space remind us how complex our world and universe really are, they also remind us what God really did by speaking a few small words! Finally, did anyone catch on that when God made the sun, the moon and the stars, these were three separate groups? 1. The greater light to rule the day--the sun. 2. The lesser light to rule the night--the moon. And 3. The stars. The sun is a separate creation from the stars.

Church to sell Stained Glass of St. John

While I do not agree with all that is in this article, I do agree that it is a tragic and heart breaking thing to see this happen. I do think that considering the membership numbers my first thought is, they should simply close their doors. Then this church could use the sale of anything to further gospel work that is important to the church members. One that comes to mind would be homelessness.

Yet, as the pastor of three churches with similar numbers I understand why they are not doing that. I have seen two churches in this area close already and I could tell, closing your home church is like burying a family member. It involves a mourning process. It is not something that I could ever recommend someone do. I have a small bit of understanding for this Vermont church as they make such a decision.

Advent 2-St. Nicholas Day-Luke 3:1-6

‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.’ (Ps. 19:14) Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A proverb given to us from the unbelieving Greeks insists, “The feet of the avenging deities are shod with wool!” A terrifying thought to contemplate. Who wants a vengeful god especially if you are an unbeliever, to sneak up on you like that! A truly terrifying judgement to be subject to.

However, the feet of your God are not thus shod. When Christ came to save us, there was no deceiving noiselessness in His approach. His coming was heralded with all the fanfare that a king of that era would arrive with[1].

‘The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.’ (Vv. 2, 3)

Think about these words again, ‘the word of God came to John’. Remarkable once you think about it for a moment. What do we confess about Jesus? Well, first of all, we confess that He created all things and that He is in the entire universe sustaining it and causing all of its actions that take place. Second, we confess that Jesus came as a tiny baby, the first born child of the Virgin Mary.

These two things are not exclusive of each other. In other words, Jesus did not cease to be the creator and sustainer of the universe and all that is in this world simply because He became incarnate on Christmas Day.[2]

Even as Jesus' Spirit came and spoke His word to John, telling Him that it was time, He was also standing as the incarnate One, as part of the audience for John’s preaching of repentance. John really was a voice crying in the wilderness as Isaiah had foretold. He really was the one who would prepare the way for the coming of the King.

Even as John stood preaching what Jesus would preach, Jesus stood listening waiting for the proper time. He waited on His Father’s timing. As Luke tells us in his Gospel, John came proclaiming a baptism of repentance. As Mark tells us, Jesus came a short time later, proclaiming, ‘ “Repent! For the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!”’ (St. Mk. 1:14, 15) The very preaching of this forerunner really told the people whom to look for. It was in the wilderness that the gospel was first proclaimed. It is even now the same.

Even today, no matter the physical surroundings, the church still proclaims that gospel in a spiritual wilderness. It is in this way that the words of Isaiah bear fruit. ‘Sing, O barren one,’ and ‘break forth together into singing, you waste places’ (Is. 54:1; 52:9)[3]. Where the gospel is preached, fruit springs forth, even in the heart no man would expect.

‘‘“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”’’ (V. 4).

In this way, the evangelist Luke shows us in what way John will prepare things for Jesus. John will prepare hearts to receive the Christ. John will prepare hearts to receive the gospel of forgiveness of sins. John is calling you and me to abandon those foolish notions that we have about the gospel. He is telling us to prepare for the Father’s promised Savior. Jesus did not come as any expected.

To use today's terminology, Jesus did not come as an alternate presidential candidate to run in opposition to that president with whom we disagree. Jesus did not come and provide a new law or amendment to protect this or that practice. Jesus came to bring what all humanity truly needs.

Jesus came to give you forgiveness that you cannot earn. He came to give me forgiveness that I cannot earn. Jesus came to give forgiveness to every man woman and child who had ever lived, was living then in the first century and will ever live. Jesus came so that He could repair the destroyed communion our first parents had with Him. Jesus came to give those who take Him at His word forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.

This is what the prophet meant when he proclaimed that the promised voice would make paths straight for the King.

‘‘“Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways”’’ (V. 5).

When Isaiah prophesied this, his hearers did not take this for colorful language. They did not take this as a picture of what would happen. Instead, they would have understood the words of the prophet literally. We have record of this happening. In 1845 when the Sultan visited Brusa, the inhabitants were called out to clear the roads of rocks and to fill up the hollows[4]. This would have been a very vivid example of this prophecy for those who first heard of such things at that time.

At the same time, a royal courier would go ahead to issue the call. So the Messiah does this same sort of thing. He sends his herald, John, before Him to prepare the way. Isaiah describes this triumphal march and John used it with great force.

This preparation is ongoing. John is still preparing the way of the Savior. He is preparing the way for all hearts who hear this message for the coming of the Messiah and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. John’s work as forerunner did not end simply because he was beheaded by Herod. No! John’s work continues even today and will not end until the Messiah comes again in great glory and judgement.

He will not come silently then either. Jesus will then come for all to see. Until then, wherever the gospel is preached, John is preparing hearts to receive the gospel of repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

‘‘“All flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”’’ (V. 6)

This puts you and I in mind of Simeon’s song, the Nunc Dimittis (LSB p. 165), that song we sing following our receiving of Christ’s body and blood in the Holy Communion. Luke’s first hearers also would have thought of this. In the case of John's first hearers, it would have been one of the many other Scripture texts, which show this to be truth. It is easy then to read this statement as “All flesh shall see the Christ of God”. It amounts to saying the same thing. If you have seen the Christ of God you have seen His salvation.

John was at this point preparing the way for the salvation of God to appear and make Himself known to all of John’s listeners. Soon, Jesus would step forth and preach a gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Once more, here in Luke we see the salvation of God. We can again, depart in peace[6]. You have again seen that most needful thing, your forgiveness and salvation from sin death and the devil.

Praise God for His great mercy! ‘Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!’ (Ps. 80:3) Your sins are forgiven. Your salvation is sure.

In Jesus’+ Name. Amen.

[1] Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations, CPH, p. 184.
[2] NPNF 2nd Series, vol. 4 St. Athanasius On the Incarnation, section 17, p. 45.
[3] ACCS NT vol. III p. 59. Ambrose Exposition of the Gospel of Luke 2.67.
[4] Word Pictures of the New Testament, Robertson vol. II, p. 38.
[6] ACCS NT vol. III pp. 60-61. St. Augustine City of God 22.29.

De Incarnatione Verbi Dei--St. Athanasius

Lately, I have been reading from St. Athanasius' work on the Incarnation of the Word. I try to do this every Advent. It is good preparation for Christmas and it tends to bear fruit in my sermon writing as we anticipate the coming of our Savior in the flesh. So, Athanasius writes for us about our Savior as He was in His body.

"Thus, even while present in a human body and Himself [Jesus] quickening it, He was, without inconsistancy, quickening the universe as well, and was in every process of nature, and was outside the whole, and while known from the body by His works, He was none the less manifest from the working of the universe as well."

In other words, Jesus was not limited while He was in the flesh. I always knew this, but the way the Saint puts it here, it shed new light on an old aspect of the incarnation. I am thankful that I regularly read this so that I can get all the meat and marrow from the bones of this
text.

Advent 1 Midweek-Simeon's Song-St. Luke 2:28-33

‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.’ (Psalm 19:14) Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

‘And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.’ (V. 33)

Those who are parents, have you ever been surprised at what another knows about your child? If someone says what wonderful things our child will do when he or she grows up, this pleases us. We are delighted to hear someone else say what we already were sure of.

Simeon goes beyond this for Mary and Joseph. They were pleased as punch as any two parents would be when someone else says wonderful things about their son. Even after eight short days, the two of them knew what the angel, Elizabeth, the shepherds and the rest had told them about this little boy. These two had been telling everyone what wonderful things their new son would do once he grew up.

The others, both family and friends, who heard this boasting probably, thought that Mary and Joseph were just like any other young couple. This, even if they were a bit too over the top with the praise they heaped on this little one. Understandably, these parents were a bit surprised when someone else spoke this way about their boy. After all, they probably had not done much sharing of Gabriel’s actual words.

‘“For my eyes have seen your salvation.”’ (V. 30)

We usually think of these words from Simeon’s perspective. Have you ever thought of this from your perspective, or our perspective? What does this statement of Simeon’s song have to do with you? After all, the Holy Spirit does not include things by accident or just for fun. There is always a purpose. What these words are getting at is that of submission. Yes, that is correct. We are all to submit to our God and Lord. Why?

Well, what has God done for you? Our heavenly Father sent Jesus, His Son, to take on flesh and be your Savior. That is, your salvation. So, we subject ourselves to God because of the gift He has given to each of us. As the Psalmist reminds you and I: ‘For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.’ (Psalm 61:3)

As He states, Jesus is from God. He is also Himself God. As your Savior, He supports you in your weakness. He corrects you in the disturbance of sin in your soul as you are tempted. That is, Jesus, God, has mercy on you in your weakness.[1]

‘“A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”’ (V. 32)

These words also speak of you and me. We are, after all, the Gentiles that Simeon speaks of here. These words relate you us a mystery that had been prepared for each of us from before the foundation of the world. It was not until these last dark ages of the world that our Father saw fit to manifest the mystery of the incarnation of His Son to all of us. Here at the end of time, in this sinful world, was Jesus made flesh.

Before we had come to know our Savior, we were captive in darkness and error. We had fallen under the yoke of the devil. His hand pressed down on us subjecting you and me in servitude to the creature rather than serving the Creator. It was to such created things as precious metals and domestic animals that we attached the honor due only to God (1st Commandment). In reality, serving and worshipping such created things is serving and worshipping the ancient dragon, the author of evil, and the throng of his demons.

It was only at the coming of Jesus in the incarnation of God that the Father gave us the true Light. The Son, through the blessed Evangelists, Matthew Mark Luke John and Paul, has lightened the whole world by the light of the Gospel and the true Light of Jesus, the Son. Now, you and I no longer serve created things but thankfully serve God who is our Salvation.[2] Mercy in Christ, the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life, is now yours.

In Jesus’+ Name. Amen.

[1] ACCS NT vol. III p. 49. St. Basil the Great Homily on Psalm 61.2.
[2] ACCS NT vol. III p. 50. St. Cyril of Alexandria Commentary on Luke, Homily 4.