2006 Winter - Higher Things Magazine (no Bible Studies)

D A R E

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L U T H E R A N

Higher Things

Inside this issue:

• Christ Builds the Church in Africa • Paranormal Powers • The Jesus Book W W W. H I G H E RT H I N G S . O R G

/ WINTER / 2006

We’ve compiled a sampling of some notable blurbs from the Higher Things blogs. Check them out and read more online at http://blog.higherthings.org/.

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T A B L E

O F

Contents

Volume 6/Number 4 • Winter 2006

HigherThings Volume 6/Number 4/Winter 2006

FEATURES

COLUMNS

4

12 Dare to Be Lutheran: Luther on the Bible

Paranormal Powers

By Rev. Tim Pauls Are you fascinated by aliens, ghosts, and haunted houses? Does the devil really command his demons to actively work against you? Read about Pastor Pauls’ experience with a possessed alarm clock and his explanation of what Christ has done to defeat the powers of darkness.

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Myths of the Holy Spirit: Christmas Spirits

By Sem. Charles Lehmann Have you ever talked to someone who wondered what the Bible is about? Yes, it’s about wars, sin, angels, and other fascinating things, but it’s more than that. It’s what Christ has to tell us about Himself. And not only is the Word about Christ, the Word is Christ. And it’s all for you!

14 Caught in the Web

By Rev. George F. Borghardt III Who is the Holy Spirit? What is His role?

And what on earth does He have to do with Christmas? To find out the answers to these questions as well as how the Holy Spirit works in you daily, turn no farther than Pastor Borghardt’s article.

10 Jesus Comes to You

By Julie Stiegemeyer As surprising as it may seem, not all Lutherans worship in air-conditioned sanctuaries or get to eat coffee and donuts after church. Some gather beneath mangos trees to hear the Word of God preached while monkeys swing above their heads. God is building His Church around the world, and Julie Stiegemeyer gives us the inside scoop on how it’s happening in one corner of Africa.

20 Grace of the Court

By Rev. Tim Pauls The courtroom is packed. The Judge isn’t in a good mood. And you’re the guilty one. How will you plead? And will the Judge be merciful or will He punish you for breaking the Law? For a dramatic fictional account of what the Last Day just might be like, turn to Pastor Pauls’ article on judgment and grace.

24 What I Didn’t Say in the Confessional

By Susan Gehlbach Has it been a while since you’ve thought about what really takes place during Confession? Susan Gehlbach will refresh your memory by recounting the ache of confessing painful sins, the joy of receiving Holy Absolution, and the hope that sinners have in Christ.

By Kathy Luder E-mails can sometimes bring horrible news. After receiving one from a friend who admitted she was no longer a Christian, Kathy Luder had a frank discussion with her pastor about unbelief and faith. Read her latest account to find out how Kathy reacted to the news and what comfort her pastor had to share with her.

16 Christ on Campus: Christ in the Dock

By Craig Parton Because today’s secular society seems to think that there is no truth, Christians are often called upon to give a defense of their faith. Craig Parton, a lawyer, summarizes common arguments used against Christianity and then outlines the best (and Lutheran) way to refute them.

26 Pulse: The Five Greatest Movies Never Made

By Doktor Martin Luther and Anthony Sacramone Tired of not being able to find any Christianfriendly movies anymore? Read the good doctor’s proposal that Christian youth start making their own, and find out what his suggestions are for movies that would benefit Lutherans and the world as a whole.

30 God Revealed by Grace

By Rev. David Petersen God created everything in the universe. But is it just there to look pretty or is there more to it?

Understanding God through His creation is called the natural knowledge of God, and while it’s no easy subject to wrap your head around, Pastor Petersen will make it all clear!

28 Candles in the Dark: Jesus and Hanukkah

By Kelly Klages Menorahs, dreidels, and yarmulkes—what is being Jewish all about anyway? If you’ve ever wondered about the topic of Hanukkah, the differences between Christians and the Jewish, and why they don’t celebrate Christmas, this is the article for you.

Also in this issue: 2 23 31 32

Blurbs from the Blogs Goofy Church Signs - Revisited Subscription Information For You Conference Information

Interim Editor REV. TIM PAULS Managing Editor

JULIE STIEGEMEYER Assistant Editor

ADRIANE DORR Art Director STEVE BLAKEY Editorial Associates REV. PAUL BEISEL REV. GEORGE F. BORGHARDT REV. DAVID PETERSEN REV. ERIK ROTTMANN

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Christ on Campus Executive REV. MARCUS ZILL Conferences Executive REV. BRUCE KESEMAN Internet Services Executive REV. GEORGE F. BORGHARDT

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Interim Publications Executive MOLLIE HEMINGWAY Retreat Executive

LANDON REED _____ Board of Directors President REV. KLEMET

PREUS

Vice President REV. WILLIAM Secretary SANDRA

CWIRLA

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Treasurer LYNN FREDERICKSEN

REV. BRENT KUHLMANN MARK PFUNDSTEIN BRUCE PARADIS REV. RICHARD RESCH DR. BEVERLY YAHNKE ___________ Higher Things Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., 5009 Cassia, Boise, ID 83705.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2006. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 208-343-4690 or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings.org. (This phone number is only used for subscriptions queries.) For letters to the editor, write letters@higherthings.org. Writers: you may submit manuscripts to: submissions@ higherthings.org. Please check http:// higherthings.org/magazine/writers.html for writers’ guidelines, theme lists, and reprint guidelines.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 6 __ 3

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”

Paranormal (Ephesians 6:12 ESV).

I’m not making this up.

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 4

Back around ninth grade, I spent the evening at youth group learning all about demon possession.

I can’t remember too much about it, but my mind had conjured up a lot of scary stuff by the end, complete with flying objects and weird voices out of horror movies.

No surprise, but I couldn’t sleep afterwards. So after a restless hour of tossing and turning, I thought, “Music.

That’ll help. I’ll listen to some music.”

Here’s where things got creepy. I rolled on my side and reached for the clock radio, and as I stretched out my hand toward it . . . it went dead. No lights, nothing. Spooky. Staring at the clock, I withdrew my arm, and the clock came back on again. It kept happening.

Every time I reached out, off. Every time I pulled back, on. Very, very freaky.

So there I was, looking for a little soothing music, and it appeared that the devil had taken over my radio. What to do? I opted for fervent prayer. I hopped out of bed to kneel and noticed that the clock was on again until I touched the mattress; then it went off. Hmmm. I followed the clock’s cord behind the bed to the outlet, where I found it plugged halfway in. It wasn’t demon possession. Every time I rolled one way on the bed, I pushed the plug into the wall; every time I rolled the other, it fell back out.

The climactic clash between the forces of good and evil was not going to take place in my clock that night. It had already happened on Calvary.

Powers

By Rev. Tim Pauls

People are fascinated by the paranormal, by supernatural happenings that defy explanation—unexplained lights in the sky, haunted houses, shape-shifters, Cwirla’s Blogosphere, extra-terrestrials. That’s why M. Night Shyamalan is popular and shows like Unexplained Mysteries are going to last longer on TV than programs called Everyday Events that Any Dope Can Figure Out. When strange stuff supposedly happens, people want to know why it happens. They also want to know what or who caused it, and the answer often comes down to either aliens or demons. That’s why people can jump quickly from paranormal weirdness to the occult. The next step, though, is definitely frightening. Some believe they can befriend these forces and make use of them. That’s where the Second Commandment gets broken, as they deny God’s name in favor of witchcraft, magic, or other false gods. If you think this doesn’t happen, I’ve had a man tell me I was an idiot for believing in God then seriously state that we exist because aliens placed us here a few millennia ago.

Do paranormal things happen? Sure. Some are staged, and some are just imagined. But supernatural, paranormal, and downright spooky things can occur. Is there a rational explanation? Sometimes. It may not be paranormal at all, and it would be arrogant of us to believe that we understand everything about God’s creation. Sometimes, though, there isn’t an explanation. Remember what St. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6, that we wrestle “against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places....” There’s a bunch of spiritual hosts of wickedness out there, and they have power to do strange things, seeking to distract you away from your Savior, or else to destroy you with fear. In other words, the devil can try to turn you into someone obsessed with things you can’t explain, or so scared that you think ghosts are more real and powerful than Jesus.

So how can you tell the difference between paranormal, normal, and downright demonic? In a lot of instances, you can’t. Paranormal happenings are, by definition, beyond understanding. And while St. Paul mentions these spiritual hosts of wickedness, he only does so in passing; and since the Lord doesn’t elaborate through His apostle, we’d just be guessing if we went any further.

But Jesus has better plans for us. Through St. Paul, He next declares:

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:13–17).

What do truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word all have in common? Answer: they are all certain for you in Christ Jesus. So what? Consider this: while writing this article, I visited with a woman who shared with me fragments of memories from decades ago. She recalled disturbing things that had left her feeling soiled, but she couldn’t even be sure that the memories were real. The devil loves to trouble people with haunting thoughts. I couldn’t tell her what the memories meant; it was all so unsure. But I could tell her—with absolute certainty—that God saw her spotless and blemish-free because Christ had died for her.

When you hear the Word, you hear the certain truth of Jesus Christ, the Word Incarnate. In your Baptism, you are certainly joined to Him, to His death and resurrection; you’ve got His Word on it. When you receive His Supper, you receive Him—His body and blood. And with Him comes His righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation.

Paranormal things attract because they’re so mysterious.

That can make for a fun movie or a sickening terror in your gut. Whatever your interest or experience with such things, remember what’s certain for you: you belong to Christ, who died to redeem you, and nothing can ever snatch you out of His hand.

Rev. Tim Pauls is associate pastor and acting school administrator at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and School in Boise, Idaho. He is also the Higher Things Interim Executive Editor. His e-mail address is tpauls@goodshepherdboise.org.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 6 __ 5

Myths of the Holy Spirit:

Christmas

“Merry Christmas!” Have you ever considered how much of a Spirit-filled gift that greeting is? The phrase “Merry Christmas” communicates “A happy and blessed celebration of Jesus’ birth to you!” to those around you.

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 6

Only on Christmas does everyone for just a moment hear the message of a virgin giving birth to her firstborn Son. All the earth declares, with much celebrating and merry making, the birth of our Savior. Everything stops: stores, restaurants, families, transportation, everything. Families gather together around His gifts, or at least around each other. And this message always seems to find a way to slip through:“And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:35 ESV).

There’s the virgin, the baby, and the Most High— that’s Christmas! But how did the Holy Spirit get in there? Who exactly is the Holy Spirit, and where does He fit in at Christmas? Is the Spirit that feeling of warmth you feel welling up inside when you sing a Christmas song by candlelight on Christmas Eve? Is the Spirit the one who makes Grinches’ small hearts grow three sizes or convince mean old Scrooges to start giving things away?

These are all good things, but they are not necessarily the working of the Holy Spirit. How can we tell?

These things don’t save you from hell. Your heart can beat faster and grow bigger. It can even be so filled with love that you give your money away. And you and your great, big, warm heart can still find yourself in hell on the Last Day. The Holy Spirit’s work is all about saving you. If you want to find the Holy Spirit in Christmas, listen to Jesus, the Savior of your sins, being put into your ears. Listen to be reminded of Baptism when water and the Spirit sprinkled you into the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). Listen to your pastor’s Absolution, where Christ forgives you for all the times you grumbled “Bah, humbug!” or your heart really was

Spirits

By Rev. George F. Borghardt III

three sizes too small. The Lord’s Word delivers a merry Christmas to you because the Holy Spirit gives Jesus to you through the Word.

Probably the greatest myth about the Holy Spirit is that He works apart from the external Word. This myth is based on the false idea that God comes to you and creates faith in you without means or an outside instrument. Luther called those who believe such things “enthusiasts” (Schwarmerei). Enthusiasts get all revved up about the Spirit, but it’s always without the Word coming from outside of them.

They don’t know exactly when or how or where God comes to them, but they sure feel it deep in their hearts when He has.

Now, you may have never heard anyone called a Schwarmerei, but you’ve certainly heard their teachings. They get all excited about Jesus because of a decision they’ve made or because they’ve felt something, done something, thought something, or just generally have a better and deeper understanding of the Spirit than someone not quite as enthusiastic about Jesus as they are, like you or me.

If you look hard enough at yourself, you’ll see that you’ve gotten excited about these things too, haven’t you? There’s a Schwarmerei in all of us, looking to have a merry Christmas apart from Jesus’ words and promises.

But none of this merrymaking Christmas spirit is the Holy Spirit. That Spirit works through means to deliver Jesus to you. That’s what He does. He even delivered Jesus into Mary’s ears. The same goes for you. Where the Word is being preached, there you will find the Holy Spirit. Where sinners are having their sins washed away, there the Holy Spirit is at work. His gifts in Word and Sacrament are the means for the delivery of the “Holy Spirit, who works faith where and when He pleases in those who hear the Gospel” (AC V).

W I N T E R 2 0 0 6 __ 7

MORE Myths about the Holy Spirit Myth: The Holy Spirit is a power or energy, not a person.

The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Holy Trinity, true God with the Father and the Son. (Matthew 28:19) Myth: The Holy Spirit is not equal in Godhead with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is clearly referred to as God in Scripture (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16). He possesses divine attributes (Psalm 139:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Hebrews 9:14) and does divine works (Genesis 1:2; Titus 3:5).

Myth: We don’t need the Holy Spirit as long as we have Jesus.

We are dead in our trespasses and sins. The Holy Spirit brings us to faith in Christ. Faith is a gift of God imparted to us through the washing of Baptism, through partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and through hearing the Gospel.

Myth: The apostles needed the Holy Spirit’s gifts. We do not need the Spirit any more.

The gifts of the Spirit are the means of grace—the forgiveness of sins bestowed through Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the proclaimed Word of God. H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 8

Myth: We need more of the Holy Spirit, and we should emphasize the Holy Spirit more.

The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus (John 15:26). When pastors speak and teach on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world, it is the Spirit who is working through and upon us (Luke 4:18). More emphasis on the Holy Spirit is not what the Holy Spirit desires.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t go on and on about Himself; He’s too busy delivering Jesus to you. This season, He delivers into your ears the Gospel of a virgin who conceived and bore a Son and named Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

When that baby grew up, He did just that. He died on the cross to save His people, even you and me.

Wherever and whenever you hear about that baby this Christmas season, stop and take note.

That’s the Spirit at work. He’s delivering Jesus into your ears through the Word.

Merry Christmas! Only during Christmas does the Spirit seem to work overtime, making sure that everyone celebrates that Jesus has been born.

All you have to do is hear someone say “Merry Christmas,” and you’ll hear His work. A merry and blessed celebration of Jesus’ birth to you!

Rev. George F. Borghardt is having a green Christmas serving as Assistant Pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Conroe, TX. He also is Higher Things Internet Services Executive and the For You North Carolina Conference Chair. You can e-mail him at revborghardt@higherthings.org.

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nto the jungles of Africa, Pastor Andrew Mbugo Elisa comes. He sits on a chair between the mango trees with the chatter of monkeys in the branches. He sits on a chair, and the people from the village gather around him on blankets. Then Pastor Andrew begins to speak.

He speaks God’s Word to the people. He tells them about God’s love for them in Christ. He tells them to repent of their sins. All day long he teaches them. Pastor Andrew is only a man, but the words he brings are the words of Christ extending eternal life to all who believe.

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 10

And then the next day, Pastor Andrew continues teaching. In time, he will baptize groups of people—as many as confess the Lord Jesus. And so a new congregation is born in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sudan (ELCS).

Andrew Mbugo Elisa is the bishop of the ELCS, a church body still in its infancy. Lutheran congregations have sprung up all over the large country of Sudan during the church’s thirteenyear history. Lutheran pastors from all over the world have assisted in catechizing and evangelizing in the ELCS. Never apologizing for their doctrine or confession, the ELCS dares in every way to be Lutheran. Laymen and laywomen walk for miles to attend catechism classes taught by visiting pastors and teachers. The young people in the church teach their children stories from the Bible. They are poor, they have few church buildings, and they face challenges of sickness or poverty, but they never compromise in their confession of God’s Word.

“We stand alone on Word and Sacrament,” Pastor Andrew says. “As Lutherans we believe we have the very clearest teaching of God’s Word. Why would we not go out vigorously to share that and start more Lutheran congregations?”

“Our approach is very bold,” he continues. “We do not want to simply make a contact with someone who is an unbeliever. We want to convert him.”

While Pastor Andrew was preparing for his installation as the first Lutheran bishop in the Sudan on July 16, 2006, he reflected on John 15, particularly on verse 4, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” Pastor Andrew asked himself how he could abide in God. What would enable him to remain in Christ?

“To abide in Christ means to continually receive God’s gifts of forgiveness and mercy which He bestows on us in Baptism, in preaching, and in the Lord’s Supper.”

And these are the gifts he shares as he travels around Sudan, much like the circuit riders who helped the LCMS in its infancy.

During one such journey, Pastor Andrew went to the village of Agadi in the northern Sudan state of the Blue Nile region, which he estimates has a population of thirty-five hundred. The people gathered around him to hear God’s Word. They listened, they believed, and soon, Pastor Andrew baptized eighty-two new believers into Christ. This is the fruit of God’s saving Word—people lost in the darkness of sin and unbelief receive new life in Christ and then are sustained in their faith by preaching and by receiving Jesus’ body and blood in His Supper.

In Advent of 2006, Pastor Andrew had a goal of distributing five thousand catechisms in four languages, five thousand Bibles in seven languages, and five thousand doses of malaria medication to prevent the illness from spreading in his homeland of Sudan. Andrew’s tireless efforts are aided by the translation work and funding of generous Lutheran individuals and congregations in addition to the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.

Jesus continues to build His Church in congregations in the jungles of Africa and in the suburbs of Chicago and in the cornfields of Nebraska. And so to you, Jesus comes under the forms of bread and wine, in His proclaimed Word and in the waters of Baptism.

To assist the Lutherans in Sudan, contact Pastor Andrew Elisa at elisahz@hotmail.com or Lutheran Heritage Foundation at 1-800-554-0723.

Julie Stiegemeyer is a children’s author and the managing editor of Higher Things. She lives with her family in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

You can contact her at jstiegemeyer@higherthings.org.

By Julie Stiegemeyer

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isaiah 52:7 ESV).

W I N T E R 2 0 0 6 11

It’s the o what’s the Bible about? It’s about a lot of things, like murder, intrigue, slavery, war, fire from heaven, angels, and plagues. It’s about how we please God. Ask the question, and you’ll get lots of answers, but are they worth hearing?

S

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 12

When I hear these answers, they fall flat. They’re bland and empty like a pizza without cheese. They miss the point. I first learned what the Bible is about when I learned the word Bible in sign language. Bible is signed as “Jesus” plus “book.”

Sign gets it right. The Bible gives us Jesus, the baby born to Mary and Joseph, the Savior who died for you and me. Luther once remarked that Jesus didn’t give Mary and Joseph great signs and wonders so they’d know who He was. He gave the signs to shepherds. To His parents He gave what He gives you. Jesus may be found in “the writings of the prophets and the law; in these He is wrapped, they contain Him, they speak only of Him and bear witness of Him; they are His sure sign, as He says Himself.”1 Luther’s just repeating what Jesus said (John 5:39).

The scribes and Pharisees knew the Scriptures very well and tried to obey them. But they couldn’t do it. It was too hard, and so Jesus pointed them away from their failed deeds. He said, “The Scriptures are about me. It is in Me that you receive eternal life.”

Where is Jesus? He is the Savior. He is the one acting to redeem His people. That’s what He does.

Winning you back from Satan’s claws is the Lord’s joy.

See? You’re there too. The sinner, the one being won back, the one who is dead without Jesus—that’s you.

And so that’s the way you read the Scriptures.

In them you will find Jesus, your Savior, seeking you

out. You are the lost lamb, and He is the shepherd who finds you. He dies on a cross, and you are the centurion who killed him, forgiven anyway through the water of Baptism that splashes on you from His pierced side.

Christ is the beginning, the end, and everything in between. It is in the Scriptures that He relentlessly comes after you. When you listen to them honestly, you find that the Scriptures are filled with adulterers, murderers, children lying to parents, and families scheming against each other. They are all sinners like you.

But Jesus is right there with them. He’s trudging through the muck. He’s feeling the pain you deserve.

He’s receiving the wrath and evil you’ve earned. He promises to crush the head of the serpent. He shuts you up in the ark. He delivers you from Egypt. He is born. He grows up. He is tortured. He dies. He puts an end to Satan’s attacks because He takes the nails the demons want to pound into your arms. He rises from the dead, and death is destroyed forever.

If someone tells you about the Scriptures, it’s important that they give you what the Scriptures give. It‘s the same when you read them. The Word of God is a two-edged sword severing bone from marrow. It will kill you. It will bring you down low. It will make you despair of earning God’s favor. You will hurt and hurt bad. But that’s not the end, and if it is, you’ve not yet heard Jesus.

Satan wants the Scriptures to end in the Law. The

Not History, Not Rules... Jesus When Luther started lecturing on Genesis in 1535, he found something there that would surprise some Christians in America today. He found Jesus. He found Him all over the place. He found Him in God’s speaking the world into existence.

He saw Him in the promise to Eve. As Luther kept reading, he kept seeing Jesus. He saw Him in the pillar of cloud. He saw Him enthroned between the cherubim on the ark.

by Seminarian Charles Lehmann This is important. The Bible does a lot of things. It tells us about the history of the world up through the first century. But it’s not just a history book. It tells us about what pleases God and what angers Him. But it’s not just a rule book. It speaks in language that is stirring and beautiful. But the Bible is not just great literature.

The Bible is the very Word of God. When it speaks, God speaks, and when God speaks, He reveals and gives Himself.

The Holy Spirit delivers all His gifts through God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit cannot speak a Word that is not Jesus.

When you read this Word of God, Jesus comes to you and speaks the Law. He hits you where it hurts. You see in Law makes you dead, and Satan likes you that way. If the lives of these sinful people your own sin. You aren’t on you stay there, it’ll be in despair or security. If it’s the outside looking in. Jesus pulls you in and makes the despair, you’ll be sure you can’t possibly be saved, that story hit you. But He doesn’t leave you in your sins. He Jesus isn’t big enough, or that He couldn’t love you. If forgives them. That’s what Jesus delights in—taking your you believe this, Satan will sing in what passes for joy sin into Himself and paying the price on your behalf. in hell. But it can go another way too. You think you’re That’s the Gospel. All of Scripture is Law or Gospel. doing all right. You’re not that bad. You don’t need this Sometimes seeing Jesus in the text can be hard. This is Savior business. Again, demonic glee rises from the when you look at other passages in Scripture to help you place where they suffer. understand. We call this letting Scripture interpret But Jesus won’t let you stay there. When you read Scripture. The clear reveals the unclear. It’s important to the Scriptures aright, ready to receive from your Savior let the Scriptures speak what they wish to speak. all He wishes to give, Jesus will speak life into your Sometimes it might not make sense. But our ideas need ears, just like He did to David. “The LORD also has put to remain silent when the Scriptures say something else. away your sin; you shall not die.”They were Nathan’s Here’s an example. If you look at Genesis 3:24, it’s hard lips but Jesus’ words. The Savior did the talking to understand. Why cherubim? Why do they guard the (2 Samuel 12:13 ESV). way to the tree of life? The answer comes in Exodus 25-40.

And He says the same to you. All through the Here you see a tabernacle that is guarded by cherubim.

Scriptures, the message is the same. Jesus has forgiven But here they let you in. Here you can go to where the you, the sinner who killed Him. There is nothing that lamp stand—which looks like a tree—is. Here is where the can separate you from the Savior’s grasp. You are His, Lord gives a sacrifice on your behalf (Leviticus 17:11). washed in the waters of baptism and fed with His own And where does the Lord give the final sacrifice? On body and blood. Rejoice as you see Jesus in His Word. the cross, the wood of a tree. A tree that gives you life. It He is singing over you (Zephaniah 3:17). all comes back to Jesus because it all starts there. The Charles Lehmann is a student at Concordia Holy Spirit is speaking the Word, but the Word He speaks Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. is Jesus. So enjoy the ride. Jesus is the boat, the captain, Before studying for the ministry, Charles was and the food in the galley. a Lutheran high school theology teacher. You can e-mail him at lehmanncr@ctsfw.edu.

1 Luther. Church Postils of 1522, Sermon for the Epiphany, Baker Book House, Public domain.

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Caught

Web in the

By Kathy Luder

M

om’s voice rang up the stairs. “Kathy, come down and say hello to the pastor.” Pastor had come to borrow a lawn mower.

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I had just finished reading my e-mail. My e-mail had brought devastating news, and I wasn’t quite ready to face the pastor. Mom called again: “Kathy, Pastor is here.”

Down I went.

I stood just outside the kitchen, out of their line of sight, catching my breath. Mom was asking Pastor if he wanted cream or sugar, and he was chatting about how long his grass was. The e-mail from Rachel was burned into my brain. She was going to hell.

I had met Rachel, the daughter of a Lutheran pastor, at an arts camp two years ago. We became instant friends that week and shared a bond I’ve rarely known. Then the week ended, and she went back home to Texas, eight hundred miles from here. We e-mailed for a while and made some phone calls, but the bond wasn’t there like it had been in the moldy cabin in Traverse City. It just faded away. It wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t my fault. It just happened. But I missed the girl I knew at camp.

I hadn’t heard from her for over a year, and then my inbox rang. Rachel wrote to tell me that she’d gone Goth. She didn’t believe in God. She read the Satanist’s Bible and thought it made a lot of sense. She also said her parents were getting divorced.

I knew I had to ask someone what to do, but I didn’t want to just yet. I needed some time to think about it. I had to put on my game face and not let on that I felt like I might vomit.

Mom came round the corner to send another volley up the stairs and almost knocked me over.

“Oh, there you are. Sorry. Pastor is here,” she said, turning back around to return to the kitchen.

“Yeah, I know,” I said and started to follow her.

She stopped, turned back around, and whispered, “Have you been crying?”

“No,” I said, looking away.“Don’t look at me like that. I‘m fine.”

“Kathy?” she said, putting her hands on my shoulders and turning me back to her.

I fell into her arms. I softly cried while the pastor’s spoon tinkled in his cup. If he knew something was up, he didn’t let on.

“Go on up to your room,” she whispered as she spun me back toward the stairs. “I’ll send him away and be right up.”

“No,” I said. “I want to talk to him.” Now she looked scared, but she shrugged and led me to the kitchen table where we all sat down.

And then I poured out the story. I cried a little more. I couldn’t help it. I was heartbroken and scared. They didn’t interrupt. Even when I got sidetracked and told stories of camp, they just sat and listened. My mom has never been so quiet.

Finally I said,“I let Rachel down. I should have stayed her friend. I should have witnessed to her. I didn’t even know any of this was going on. Now I don’t know what to say.

And I don’t want to offend her or drive her away.”

Pastor took a sip of coffee and a deep breath.

“This is not your fault. Rachel chose her own path.

You didn’t suggest it. You didn’t help her find it.” He reached over and touched my hand. “You did not fail her.”

I nodded and smiled a little, but I was thinking that he says that to everybody. And sometimes, I was thinking, despite the forgiveness we have in Christ, it is our fault.

He went on,“Your guilt feels real, but it’s false. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

He must have read my mind. “I don’t know,’” I said. He was looking me in the eye, and I didn’t like it. I focused on a spider web with a fly caught in it just outside the window.

He wasn’t quitting. “You are heartbroken, and you’re afraid for your friend. But you didn’t do anything wrong. The false guilt feels real. Because when you think about what happened, you are full of regret and what ifs.”

I nodded and pulled my hand away. I couldn’t take my eyes off that fly. He was shaking the web, sending the signal to the spider, wherever he was, that dinner was ready.

The pastor leaned forward. I had to look at him. He said, “Kathy, I am absolutely sincere when I say you haven’t done anything wrong.”

He sat back in his chair. “You should embrace that at an intellectual level, even if you can’t quite convince your heart of it. You haven’t done anything wrong.” He waited. “I mean it.”

He just didn’t seem to get it. I said,“But . . .

He interrupted. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done,” I snapped. “I didn’t DO anything. That is the problem.”

“Maybe,” he admitted. “But I don’t think so. And besides that I have good news. Our Lord died for sins of omission and commission, for false guilt and for real guilt. He removes it all.

He also removes shame.”

“That won’t help Rachel. She’ll still go to hell,” I said, my eyes locked on the drama outside the window.

“Perhaps. But it won’t be your fault. It will be her fault.”

He took a sip of coffee. Mom stood up to get the pot. I was getting angrier. It seemed like he didn’t even care about Rachel. He just wanted everything to be okay. I wished that stupid spider would get snatched by a praying mantis.

In a low voice, the pastor said: “You are not the Messiah, Kathy. You can’t save Rachel. And you don’t have to. Jesus already did.”

And suddenly, I realized he was right. Jesus is the Messiah.

I couldn’t save Rachel.

He went on, “When we make Confession, we admit before God what we have done and ask for forgiveness, and we have confidence in the Absolution. We have been taught and we believe that Jesus forgives our sins.”

I was nodding and had turned back to the pastor.

“But,” he went on,“False guilt is tougher. Since it is false, it doesn’t feel forgiven. We get caught up in these emotional storms of regret. We don’t know exactly what to confess.

Without anything objective to confess, we have a more difficult time believing we are forgiven. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes,” I said. I was starting to feel some relief, but I still felt sad. “But what if Rachel goes to hell?”

“We don’t know what will happen to Rachel. But she is not here. You are. You haven’t done anything wrong. It might feel wrong or unfair, but you are forgiven. That’s the first thing.”

“I know I’m forgiven. And I’m glad; I’m grateful. Really. But that still leaves Rachel.” I could feel my throat beginning to tighten as I talked.

“I know,” he said. “The thing is, Satan worship is always an attention-getting device. It’s Rachel’s way of saying that the world is so broken, so wrong, that evil is good and good is evil.

She wants, at some level, to shock you. But she is also crying out for help.”

I heard my voice crack. “So what do I do?”

The pastor reached over and touched my hand again. Very quietly, he said,“Help her. Tell her the truth.” He was giving me that goofy grin of his, and I could feel myself starting to smile.

He went on,“Don’t be afraid. Just be her friend. Tell her your fears for her, that you love her, that God still and always loves her and is eager to welcome her back. It doesn’t matter what she has done or does, what she says and or thinks or feels. Jesus loves her. He wants her.”

Most of the time, our pastor is a bit stiff. He is not very expressive. But I reached across the table and hugged him anyway. It was an awkward hug, since there was a table in the

way and we were both sitting. He didn’t hug back, but I didn’t care. Sometimes he needs a hug whether he knows it or not.

And just then I needed to give a hug. I sat back up to see pastor red in the face and mom wiping her eyes.

As we walked pastor to his pick-up, I said, “What if I say something wrong?”

Loading the lawnmower into the truck, he said,“She might even get mad. She might never talk to you again.”

“That’s what I am afraid of,” I said.

He closed the tailgate of his pick-up and opened his door.

“She hasn’t talked to you for a year anyway, so what’s the loss?”

Mom laughed. I nodded. I didn’t think it was funny, but it was a good point.

He stood there with the door open and looked off into the distance. “No one in hell curses us for having told him the truth.”

He looked back to us. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but she is a highly emotional teenage girl. You can’t predict what she will do. She isn’t the first to play around with such things.

What she needs is the truth. Telling her the truth will not drive her away from God.” “Right,” said Mom. I knew that was right also.

He climbed into his truck. The window was down. With his hand on the key, looking me in the eye, he said,“She might run away, but she won’t be driven. And the only way she will be drawn to God is through the Word. Tell her the truth. Take the risk. Love her enough to risk losing the friendship.” He turned the key, and the engine roared to life.

He grinned at us. “Isn’t that the kind of selfless, Messianic friend you are?”

“I hope so,” I said, snorting. I hate that I snort. But I do. I can’t help it. I confess: I am a snorter.

He smiled and continued, “Don’t worry about it. God’s Word is the power, not your presentation. The Holy Spirit does and will accompany His Word. You can’t fail. This fear is like your false guilt. God has placed you into this situation. Take advantage of it but don’t fret about it. God knows more about Rachel than you do, and He has other people in place to help her as well. You’re not her only shot. Besides that, your sincerity and honesty will go a long way.”

He put the truck in gear. “I’ve got to get to my grass. I’ll pray for you.” He waved as he drove away.

Mom said, “I am going to get the mail. I’ll proof your e-mail if you want.”

I walked back to the house alone. Before going in, I tore down the spider web. The fly was gone.

Kathy Luder doesn’t like spiders or snakes, black lipstick or body-piercing, but you can e-mail her at KathyLuder@hotmail.com

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Minneapolis, MN ✠ University Lutheran Church & Student Center, Champaign, IL ✠ University Lutheran Church, Bloomington, IN ✠ Zion Lutheran Church, Alva, OK ✠ Zion Lutheran Church, Morris, MN

✠ CHRIST ON CAMPUS CHAPTERS ✠ All Saints Lutheran Church & Student Center, Slippery Rock, PA ✠ Christ the King Lutheran Chapel, Mt. Pleasant, MI ✠ Co

Christ in efore the rise of modern secularism in the eighteenth century, it was thought that man was the one who must answer for his conduct. Man was, as C. S. Lewis said, in the dock, on trial. Today the situation is totally reversed.

God (and specifically Jesus Christ) is in the dock, whether in the classroom, coffee house, or corporate office.

B

One who assumes that Christianity is still in the driver’s seat of culture rather than in the crosshairs of culture is both dangerous and deluded. Secular society exists not to usher in the Kingdom of heaven on earth but to maintain peace and good order so that there is maximum freedom to preach the Gospel.

Keeping in mind the apostle Peter’s charge to “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15 ESV), here are some of the common accusations against Christianity, which are heard from the podiums of both academia and pop culture.

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Christianity is Bigoted If our culture teaches anything, it is that nobody has the truth. Anybody claiming they have the truth is not only bigoted and narrow, they are also dangerous and probably live in a commune in rural Idaho, maybe have a third grade education, and are about ready to start using a gun at any moment.

However, truth is by nature narrow. Two plus two equals four, not five. Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C., not at Starbucks in Des Moines. Water is composed of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. These statements are true

regardless of whether one lives in Minneapolis or Moscow. They are also true regardless of whether anybody thinks they are true. The issue is not that Christianity asserts a narrow truth. If it is true, we would expect nothing less than precision. The issue whether Christianity is true and how one would verify that truth claim.

More importantly, if Christianity is true about original sin, then we are in the absolute worst position for criticizing God for providing only one way to salvation.

The question is not why is there only one way? The real question, in light of man’s wretchedness, is why is there any way?

We did not come up with this idea of Jesus being the only way. Jesus did! Jesus is extremely narrow when it comes to the issue of multiple ways to heaven. He totally rejected the idea (John 14:6). Since Jesus verified His claims by rising from the dead in real history (proven repeatedly by serious trial lawyers who have investigated this event1), He is in the very best place to give his opinion on whether He alone is the way to God. Christianity is Mythical It is often believed that Christianity was thought up by inebriated monks in the fourth century as a way to motivate superstitious people to give offerings and

16

n Church, Chico, CA ✠ St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church & Campus Center, Laramie, WY ✠ St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel, Iowa City, IA ✠ University Lutheran Chapel,

expand the rule of the current emperor. The Da Vinci Code simply articulates what millions of people already believe is the case, namely that the Bible is unreliable and covers up a more sinister conspiracy story that the Church seeks to suppress. The real Jesus is simply shrouded in mystery, and no one can know much about him other than the fact that He was probably married and approved of homosexuality.

Christianity, as has been shown repeatedly by scholars dealing with other works originating in the classical world, has the best attested eyewitness documents of antiquity.2 The historicity and authenticity of Christianity is simply undeniable and the evidence abundant to show that our primary source material (e.g. , Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) would stand up in any court of law as utterly trustworthy.3 Deny the reliability of the Gospel writers and the events they record, and you can throw away all your knowledge of the classical world.

Christianity is Subjective The argument is regularly heard that even if Christianity is historically sound, it suffers from death by a thousand interpre-

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Fellowship at

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Shorewood, WI ✠ Lutheran Campus Ministry, Knoxville, TN ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship at Berkeley, CA ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship of Pittsburgh, PA ✠ Lutheran Student

the Dock

By Craig Parton

✠ Concordia Lutheran Church & Student Center, Vermillion, SD ✠ Grace Lutheran Church, Muncie, IN ✠ Luther Memorial Chapel & University Student Center,

Stanford, Palo Alto, CA ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship at Wright State University, OH ✠ Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Gunnison, CO ✠ Redeemer Lutheran C

Christ on Campus is:

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 18

tations. The unbeliever wonders, quite correctly, who exactly has the right read on this material. Baptists?

Lutherans? Pentecostals? Catholics? Orthodox? The nut in the school plaza each Friday at noon who yells a lot and says Jesus once every ten minutes?

First, remember that the truly surprising issue is how much agreement there is amongst all Christians! The three so-called ecumenical creeds of Christendom (i.e., Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian) are unanimously affirmed by all Christians, whether Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox. If a Christian denies a proposition found in one of these creeds, chances are exceedingly high that they are the ones messed up but are too clueless to know it.

Second, contrary to postmodern thinkers, interpretation is not subjective. Interpretation is a science. Not all interpretations are equal, and there is one best interpretation of a text.

Finally, and most importantly, we do not live in a world where we accept the idea that all interpretations are equally valid. A cancer doctor gives only one diagnosis of a disease and provides a remedy based on an objective read of all the data concerning the patient’s condition.

Similarly, juries give one verdict based on the best interpretation of the facts. Life and death are often at stake.

Nobody standing at the foot of the cross of Jesus at Calvary can put Christ in the dock. Rather, man is in the dock and stands desperately in need of legal counsel with appropriate standing before God the Father—a standing based on complete and total righteousness.

Thanks be to God that at that great judgment seat of Christ, we have such a Counselor, a true “Advocate [i.e. , lawyer] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1–2 ESV).

✠ The campus ministry arm of Higher Things ✠ Pastors and laity interested in confessional Lutheran campus ministry ✠ A great source for campus ministry resources ✠ Discussion forums for college students and campus ministry workers ✠ College retreats and service opportunities ✠ A growing and developing network of campus ministry chapters

Craig Parton is a trial lawyer, managing partner of the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi, convert to Lutheran theology, and United States Director of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism, and Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. He is also the author of The Defense Never Rests: A Lawyer's Quest for the Gospel (CPH, 2004).

Dr. Angus Menuge Associate Professor of Computer Science & Philosophy Concordia University Wisconsin

1 For a book detailing how trial lawyers in particular deal with the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, see Ross Clifford, Leading Lawyers’ Case for the Resurrection (Edmonton, Alberta: Canadian Institute for Law & Theology, 1996).

2 For the best work on the subject, see F. F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987).

3 See the great work by the late Dean of the Harvard Law School and Professor of Evidence, Simon Greenleaf, in his book The Testimony of the Evangelists: The Gospels Examined by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice (Grand Rapids: Kregel Books, 1995).

Christ on Campus Chapters Twenty one strong and growing daily!

The ten newest chapters include: ✠ All Saints Lutheran Church and Student Center, Slippery Rock, PA ✠ Christ the King Lutheran Chapel, Mt. Pleasant, MI ✠ Luther Memorial Chapel and University Student Center, Shorewood, WI ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship at Stanford, Palo Alto, CA ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship at Wright State University, OH ✠ Redeemer Lutheran Church, Chico, CA ✠ Redeemer Lutheran Student Fellowship, Dickinson, ND ✠ Zion Lutheran Church, Alva, OK ✠ Zion Lutheran Church, Morris, MN

Christ on Campus V Staff Conference Make plans to join us in Milwaukee.

More details to come and online registration to open on January 15, 2007!

June 12–14, 2007 Luther Memorial Chapel and University Student Center, Shorewood, WI Speakers include:

Rev. Dr. Harold Senkbeil Associate Professor, Pastoral Ministry and Missions Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN Dr. Beverly Yahnke Director of Christian Counseling Services, Milwaukee, WI

Upcoming Spring Retreat Locations Dates, themes, and speakers to be announced!

Palo Alto, CA Bloomington, IN Mt. Pleasant, MI Laramie, WY

Learn more about Christ on Campus http://christoncampus.higherthings.org Contact: Rev. Marcus Zill, Christ on Campus Executive: zill@higherthings.org or (307) 745-5892

Ultimate Event

The

C

hrist Academy is a two-week residential program for high-school-aged men, founded by Concordia Theological Seminary. It is a place where students can study about Christ who is present in His Word and Sacraments and who died that their sins would be forgiven.

It is a place where students can experience seminary life. It is a place where students can explore the possibility of some day becoming a pastor. ✠ ✠ ✠ ✠ ✠

Worship, the Center of the Experience Life-Changing Studies Clarity of Direction Fun Activities June 17-June 30, 2007

For more information, please call:

1-800-481-2155 www.ctsfw.edu ChristAcademy@ctsfw.edu

W I N T E R 2 0 0 6 __ 19

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 20

T

of the Court

Pilate Gives the People the Choice Between Barabbas and Jesus: Rembrandt F. 1655

Grace

By Rev. Tim Pauls

The

he courtroom was packed as the first defendants were brought forward.

There was no more time and no escape: it was time to face the Judge, and He was hardly a softy. One whiff of guilt was all it took before He’d convict. The prosecutors looked relaxed and prepared, as if their work was done already. It was time for pleas and sentencing.

The first defendant came forward to face the bench. “How do you plead?” asked the Judge. “I am not guilty, your honor,” he replied, his look and voice defiant. The Judge furrowed His brow. “Oh really? You believe that you haven’t broken the Law?” A shadow of concern flitted across the defendant’s brow, and he spoke slowly, his words carefully chosen. “Your Honor, I would have to say that yes, I’ve broken some of the laws. However, I simply don’t consider myself guilty. Some of those laws just didn’t strike me right, so I went ahead and did what I wanted to do.” The prosecutors smirked—they knew what was coming.

The Judge spoke once again. “This is a trial. It doesn’t matter what you think about you. You’ve broken the Law, and the fact that you’re okay with that doesn’t make you innocent. I find you guilty.” He nodded to the guards. “Take him away.” The prosecutors nodded thoughtfully—case closed, according to plan.

The next defendant was brought forward. “How do you plead?” asked the Judge. “Your Honor,” she began, “I plead ‘mostly innocent.’ I mean, I’ve broken the Law, but many of those laws are hard to keep. I kept the ones I could, and I’ve done my best. Yes, I think that ‘innocent enough’ is a good plea. I’m more innocent than guilty.” The Judge fixed her with a steely glance and said, “To be mostly innocent is to be partly guilty, yes?”“Well, yes,” she said, “but it’s not like I’m happy about it.”“But one is either innocent or not,” responded the Judge. “If one is mostly innocent or mostly pure, he is still guilty and impure.

Therefore, My verdict for you is ‘guilty.’ Guards, take her away.” The prosecutors were having a good day.

The defendants were making it easy. It was starting to look like a sweep.

The next defendant was brought forward, unresisting and head bowed. “How do you plead?” asked the Judge. The reply was quiet, barely audible: “I plead guilty, your Honor. I don’t have the privilege of writing those laws: it’s my duty to follow them. But I haven’t. I don’t know that I’ve broken them all, but I’ve broken much more than one or two. I think I do every day. And as you said, there’s no such thing as ‘mostly innocent.’ I’m not innocent, so I must be guilty.” He continued to stare at the ground. Then spoke one more time: “Your Honor, I throw myself at the mercy of the court.”

A pause, then the Judge responded, “Along with the mercy of the court, what if I offered you the grace of the court?” One of the prosecutors frowned: this was a new one. The defendant looked puzzled: “The grace of the court, sir? I’m not familiar with the term. I mean, I’ve studied the Law quite extensively,

but I’ve never found ‘the grace of the court’ there.”

“It is not part of the Law, but quite separate from it,” said the Judge. “The ‘grace of the court’ goes like this. When the Law is broken, the transgression must be punished. Normally, it is the guilty one who suffers; that is only fair. But what if an innocent man suffered your sentence? If the sentence was already carried out, would it be right to carry it out again?”

He paused. “I have news for you: I have a Son. My Son is innocent. But, with His full consent, I have already declared Him guilty of your crimes. In fact, I have already punished Him for your crimes—I have already sentenced Him to death instead of you! The sentence for your guilt has already been carried out upon My Son; and for His sake, I have no intention of carrying out again on you. That is the grace of the court. Therefore, I say you’re innocent.”

“Innocent? Free to go?” asked the man. “Well, you don’t have to be. I won’t force you to go free,” said the Judge. “If you still want to go to jail, the door is right over there. But if you go, it is not because I condemn you, but because you reject My verdict. I was going to give the same pardon to the previous defendants, but they didn’t want it. You heard their pleas: they wanted to declare themselves innocent, not hear Me do it. But only I can make you truly innocent again. I say it to you once again: for the sake of My Son, who has served your sentence for you, I declare you ‘not guilty.’ You may go.”

“Objection!” shouted the prosecutor, standing and livid. “He’s guilty! He said so himself! He deserves judgment by his own admission. According to the Law, you can’t just let him go free!” Anger flashed across the Judge’s eyes. “I’m not letting him go according to the Law. I’m letting him go by the grace of the court. Did you not hear Me? He’s innocent because I say he’s innocent, and My decision stands.”

“I’ll...I’ll appeal! I strenuously object and I’m going to appeal Your decision!” shouted the prosecutor, but he was deflating. He knew what was coming.

“Appeal?” asked the Judge. “Appeal to whom? I am the highest court. I Am the Supreme Court Justice.

There is no appeal. Who will bring a charge against My elect? I am the One who justifies. My verdict is final. This man is not guilty, because for My Son’s sake I declare him not guilty.”

Rev. Tim Pauls is associate pastor and acting school administrator at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and School in Boise, Idaho. He is the Interim Editor of Higher Things. His e-mail address is tpauls@goodshepherdboise.org.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 6 __ 21

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Church Signs Revisited: But, um, What Do They Mean?

W I N T E R 2 0 0 6 __ 23

Didn’t

What I Say in the Confessional

By Susan Gehlbach

ame old words, lovely words, to be sure, but still, the same old words that I’m used to. And it’s not that I take Pastor’s words for granted. Nevertheless, sometimes an awareness of those words dawns afresh on a person.

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H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 24

Earlier today, when I went to private Confession, I asked the pastor to forgive me for the sake of my dear Lord, Jesus, who died for me and shed His blood for me on the cross for the forgiveness of all my sins.

Pastor spoke back the blessing,“God be gracious to you and strengthen your faith in His word of absolution.” “Amen.”

Pastor asked, “Do you believe that my forgiveness is God’s forgiveness?” “Yes, I do.”

Then Pastor placed his hand on my head, and tracing the sign of the cross on my forehead, he declared, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” I actually do believe the “Yes, yes, it shall be so” that was implicit in my “Amen,” but I must admit the main reason I said “Amen” is because that’s what the liturgy tells me to say.

This morning, following my “Amen,” it took my father confessor a while before he arrived at the place he wanted in his Bible. I don’t know if he was simply being slow about finding the page, or if it took some deliberation before he decided what passage of comfort he wanted to preach on.

Regardless of the reason for the long pause, I had a few moments for the words of the Absolution to soak in before Pastor began further expounding God’s words of love and forgiveness to me with regard to my particular need.

And rather than a properly pious “Amen,” my mind thought, “Wow! He just forgave my sin. All my sin. Wow! He can say that. He has the power to make it happen.” I wanted to tug on the sleeve of his vestments, like a little girl tugs on her daddy’s sleeve to get his attention. In amazement, I wanted to ask him, “Do you know what just happened here?

Do you understand how big this is? Do you realize that what you just said has ramifications in heaven itself? Do you get it—that what you just said changes everything?”

But I didn’t say it. It wasn’t my turn to talk. It was Jesus’ turn to talk to me, to tell me how He had trusted in the Lord perfectly for me, how He had had no other gods for me, how His heart had rejoiced in God’s steadfast love, and how that, too, counts for me. Besides, like a little girl talking to her older and wiser father, I didn’t need to point out to the pastor what was happening in the Absolution. Of course, he knows what’s going on there. He confesses that “this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.”

But our eyes deceive us, and we too often believe our eyes instead of what the Word says. There he stood—a skinny, short, bald sinner with his hand on the head of a kneeling penitent, saying the same old words. It probably would look pretty goofy and useless to most people, even to most Christians.

Nevertheless, there he stood—touching a sinner just as Jesus had touched sinners and lepers, speaking peace and forgiveness to one transgressor just as Jesus had often done. But it’s not just some old pastor saying the same old words of forgiveness.

“He who hears you, hears Me,” said our Lord. So when the pastor speaks the Absolution, it’s Jesus Himself speaking to us audibly.

All these thoughts whirled through my head in the moments that Pastor was hunting for an appropriate Bible verse. But I didn’t say anything.

I was waiting to listen to Jesus. And while I waited, I marveled at the wonder of it all. Sometimes, though, these things are too awesome to keep to yourself.

Susan Gehlbach is a wife and mother and has, for nine years, been overjoyed to be the recipient of Holy Absolution.

She can be reached by e-mail at gehlbach@sharontelephone.com.

Who Does the Pastor Think He Is?!

“I forgive you all of your sins.” Those seven short words, spoken by the pastor as part of Holy Absolution, have often been misunderstood. Taking offense, people have asked “Who is the pastor to forgive sins?

Only God can do that!” Sometimes, people accuse pastors of something called sacerdotalism (pronounced SAW-ser-DOH-tal-ism), which is the false doctrine that pastors have special, supernatural powers to forgive sins.

So we’ll ask too, “Who is the pastor to say he forgives you all of your sins?”

The answer surrounds those words in the Absolution. For instance on page 16 of The Lutheran Hymnal, the pastor says he is forgiving sins, “by virtue of [his] office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word” and that he is forgiving sins “in the stead and by the command” of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, he forgives your sins “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”

Those words make clear that the pastor isn’t the one forgiving your sins. He doesn’t say, “I’m Bert, and I forgive you in the name of Bert. If anybody says you’re not forgiven, tell ‘em Bert forgave you.” Effectively the words say, “I’m no one, but I’ve been called to the office of pastor. I’m here to tell you what Jesus says. And Jesus says to you, ‘I forgive you all of your sins.’ That’s why I tell you that you’re forgiven in God’s name, not mine.”

Imagine that you’re living in a medieval village way back when, and a man shows up and cries out, “Here ye, here ye! I call upon you to each give me 5 percent of your earnings for the year.” The crowd around you laughs derisively, and somebody mockingly shouts, “And who are you to ask us for money?” The man smiles and says, “I’m the king’s tax collector. I’m telling you what the king sent me to say.” It doesn’t matter who that man is as an individual. What matters is that he’s been sent by the king.

When the pastor speaks the Absolution, he does so as the king’s messenger. It doesn’t matter if he’s short or tall, cheerful or cranky, and it doesn’t matter if you especially like him or not. What matters is that God has put him there to tell you His Word. He doesn’t have any special power; he’s only saying what he’s been called to say. He’s there to tell you what Jesus says—that for His sake and by His Word, you’re forgiven for all of your sins.

–The Editors

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The Five Greatest nd so, my Lutherans, we meet now between the covers of a magazine. It is I, Martin Luther, taking a much-needed rest from blogging at Luther at the Movies, to offer a much-needed guide to the best and worst of modern-day cinema.

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First, you must forgive a quick flashback as I think about my own schooldays: the early mornings trudging through the snow, endless lectures in Latin, the ritual beatings.

Today, all I read about is how students need their egos massaged and their esteem raised! In my day, if a teacher looked at you twice, it was because he thought you were stealing. I’ll never forget the advice given me by Professor Wilhelm Dorp.

Grabbing me by the throat, he said, “Luther, you are a disgrace to all of Saxony and will amount to absolutely nothing.” He then thought about it for a second and softened his tone, suggesting that if God were merciful, I might one day have a job in the copper mines as a poison gas detector. I remember thinking, “He likes me! He really likes me!”

But we are here to talk about the movies, where music, drama, dance, art, set design, fashion, computer technology, and rancid snack foods

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 26

come together to spark our imaginations and enrich our lives. Unfortunately, 99.9 percent of everything produced by the nincompeeps in Hollyweird has the cultural value of a moldy Handiwipe.

And so, allow me this opportunity to inspire you—our Lutheran youth—to go out into the world and create movie magic of your own.

Rather than sit in your parents’ basements the rest of your lives whining about that particularly embarrassing incident at your prom, I want you to get into film schools and shock the world with your artistic brilliance.

To put some ideas into your heads and jump start potential careers in the cinematic arts, I do hereby present The Five Greatest Films Never Made! Yes, these are films that should be in theaters but are not. Why? Because the big movie studios are too busy making Saved by the Bell IV: Screech vs. Jason.

Sufficient for You. The life of George Müller, who cared for more than one hundred thousand orphans in Bristol, England, in the nineteenth century without ever asking for a single penny from anyone. Instead, he relied solely on the providence and grace of God to supply the needs of those in his care.

Lord Katie.The life of Katharine von Bora, from nunnery to the plague years, is pulled from the shadows of history into the light of the twenty-first century. Her unstinting generosity and Christian compassion is too often ignored in all the huggah-muggah over her blowhard husband.

st Movies Never Made

by Martin Luther (Doktor) Poorly Assisted by Anthony Sacramone

Abyssinia. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a young student in New York City, far from his native Germany. He soon begins worshipping with African Americans in the Abyssian Baptist Church in Harlem, and his education expands beyond mere books. A narrated correspondence between Bonhoeffer and a friend back home describes their mutual realization of how bigotry in all forms is a denial of God’s image in each of us.

And Now the Good News. After a successful undergraduate career as a religious-studies major and writing on religion for a local Midwestern paper, twenty-twoyear-old Elizabeth Wagner is reject-

ed by an Ivy League journalism school despite high marks and fulsome recommendations from professional reporters. She suspects religious bigotry but nevertheless sets out to play the game by academia’s rules. She will break the hottest story heating up newsrooms nationwide: who murdered the dean of that Ivy League journalism school? And why is everyone suddenly suspecting her?

The Inklings. A fictional account of one evening in the life of the group of British Christian thinkers and writers who made up the famous Inklings: C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia), J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings), Charles Williams (All Hallows’ Eve), and Owen Barfield (among others). But this evening will change their lives in ways they could never imagine. It is the first night of the Blitz, the sustained bombing of

Great Britain by the German Luftwaffe.

I now leave it to you, my Lutherans, to add to this list—not merely on paper but on the big screen itself. And if cinema is not your calling, then encourage those for whom it is, and also remind them not to forsake higher things in the pursuit of higher profits.

Martin Luther received a doctor of theology degree in 1512. He launched the Reformation in October 1517. He died in February 1546, which apparently has not prevented him from continuing to blog, write, and generally assail. Anthony Sacramone (not pictured, thank goodness) graduated a University Honors Scholar in cinema studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and is currently the managing editor of First Things magazine. He also provides Dr. Luther with technical assistance and an ample supply of Count Chocula. Dr. Luther can be reached at martinluther@ earthlink.net. If you expect him to reply to you, expect him also to be grumpy.

W I N T E R 2 0 0 6 __ 27

Candles in the Dark:

Jesus Hanukkah and

By Kelly Klages

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 28

e’ve been to the Christmas services. We’ve seen the TV programs. We’ve sung the carols. The baby in the manger, the shepherds, and the Bethlehem star have become permanently woven into our consciousness. So with the sixpointed stars and nine-branched candleholders peeking in amongst the trees and the mistletoe, what’s all this about?

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The original story of Hanukkah is told in the ancient Jewish writings of I and II Maccabees. Christians refer to these books as part of the Apocrypha. While these books aren’t part of the inspired Word of God, they are still a useful way to get a picture of Jewish life and thought in the eras in which they were written.

Around the middle of the second century BC, the Jewish nation was being overrun by the Syrians, a group led by the cruel Antiochus Epiphanes. In his efforts to subdue and assimilate the Jews, Antiochus put laws in place forbidding people to read Scripture and offer proper sacrifices. He also imposed pagan beliefs and practices on the people. He desecrated the temple by offering an unclean pig on the altar and tried to force the people to do likewise.

The Jews revolted against their enemy under the banner of Judas Maccabeus, a Messiah-like figure, and eventually drove out their oppressors with a series of great military victories. When the priests returned to the temple to rededicate it, legend says that there was only enough sacred oil available to burn in the temple for one day, even though the consecration of proper temple oil required eight days.

Miraculously, the small bit of oil lasted the full eight days.

That is why Jewish people today light the menorah, a manybranched candleholder, for the eight nights of Hanukkah.

So there you have it. This festival is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament and is considered to be a very minor Jewish holiday. So how did it get so predominant?

The fact is that Christian holidays aren’t the only ones prone to commercialism. A quiet, minor Jewish holiday runs headlong into a blazing, secularized North American Christmas celebration, and poof! They join up and become a massive card store and mall-shopping extravaganza complete with blue Star of David wrapping paper and Santa bobble heads. This is a source of annoyance to many Christians and Jewish people alike.

But the Hanukkah story does point to something significant—the reality that God does send deliverance for His own and that we are called to be faithful to Him even to death. Indeed, there is a message in Hanukkah for Christians. For example, did you know that although Hanukkah is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament, it is mentioned in the New Testament?

Now, before you flip through the Gospels, searching in vain for stories of the apostles playing dreidel, direct yourself to John 10:22–23:“Now it was the Feast of Dedication [that

is, Hanukkah] in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch” (NKJV). The previous two chapters give us some nice setup for this moment. In John 8, Jesus declares Himself the light of the world, the One who ultimately will deliver us all, not from mere political oppression, but from sin itself. In chapter 9, we see Jesus opening the eyes of a blind man. Today, it is tradition for Jewish people to give to charities for the blind during Hanukkah, because the blind cannot enjoy the Hanukkah lights. Not only was the blind man set free from his blindness and ready to witness his first view of light, but he was eye-to-eye with the great Deliverer Himself.

Jesus is now walking in the temple area, perhaps reflecting on the temple rededication of old. He is confronted by some of his own countrymen: “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly!” (John 10:24 NKJV). No doubt the great Syrian conquest and the miraculous, everlasting oil were on their minds during the holiday season. What nice timing for another messianic figure to come to the people doing great miracles and throwing off Roman oppression. But Jesus knows their hearts. Although He tells them plainly who He is, they will not believe. A suffering Savior, a bloody cross, a heavenly Kingdom—these don’t fit into their mold. Jesus still refuses to fit into the molds that our sinful natures try to force Him into, but in His grace, He reaches out to us through His Word and Sacraments and opens our eyes.

This doesn’t mean that we ought to don yarmulkes and prayer shawls and start having bar mitzvahs. Judaism does not teach that Jesus is the promised Messiah, nor that He has saved the world from sin, death, and the devil. Obviously, there are some huge theological differences between the two religions. But that doesn’t mean that we give up. Not long ago, I attended a Hanukkah party with my college’s Jewish student group. A Jewish friend of mine, pleased that I came, said to me before I left, “It’s really great that you know about Hanukkah. I don’t know anything about Christmas.” There are still eyes that haven’t seen Jesus, the one who will never stop trying to bring light to the Jewish people. This is still the time to be faithful. Keep lighting your candles.

Kelly Klages lives in Winkler, Manitoba, and is married to Pastor Alex Klages of Trinity Lutheran Church. She enjoys youth leading, painting, writing, playing weird instruments, and playing with cats. Her e-mail address is kellyklages@mts.net.

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God Revealed by

The First Article I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.

All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 30

Grace

he Holy Trinity created the universe. He created the trees and rivers, bugs and squirrels, rocks and orcas. He created everything. Because of that, if we look at any piece of creation, we can see echoes of God and His design. We can perceive certain attributes of God by observing nature. We see birds and know that someone provides for them. We see the delicate balance of an ecosystem and see a genius at work. What we see of God in nature is there because God has created it. This knowledge of God is called the natural knowledge of God. St. Paul writes,“For since the creation of the world (God’s) invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they—those who do not glorify God—are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 NKJ).

Only the fool says in his heart that there is no god; only a fool fails to see design and power in the glory of nature. It is also evident through nature that some things are wrong. All believers and unbelievers know the pangs of conscience. They know, for instance, that homosexuality is unnatural. But while this natural understanding of God and morality is true, it’s also limited. This is to know God as creatures of God, in the same way that all dogs and sticks and chimpanzees know God. The difference is that men deny or pervert this knowledge by their sin.

Besides that, the natural knowledge of God is not saving faith. It is not knowing God as He most wants to be known, for it is not knowing God as Father. By itself, all the natural knowledge of God can do is remove our petty excuses. It demonstrates that there is a God and that we owe Him obedience. It demonstrates that some things are wrong. Knowing that and having failed in it can only mean in the end that we know we are sinners.

By itself, the natural knowledge of God can only accuse and condemn us. When we violate their consciences, as all do, we convict themselves and are without excuse.

They have broken what they know of the Law. The natural knowledge of God serves so that even without God’s Word all people know they are sinners (Romans 2:15) and are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

St. Paul uses the natural knowledge of God as his starting point on Mars Hill in Acts 17. He starts with their conscience—with natural knowledge, but he doesn’t end there. It is not enough that they know they are sinners. He wants them to know Jesus. So he ends his sermon with “(God) has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). Without Jesus’ death and resurrection, the world could not be judged in righteousness. The fact that there is a God and that we are sinners (the natural knowledge) doesn’t save us.

But the fact that Jesus died for us, has reconciled us to His Father, has declared us righteous, has adopted us as His children and chosen us as His Bride, does.

Some speak of the natural knowledge of God as

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by Rev. David Petersen

though it were an immature form of saving faith as though it were a beginning faith in Christ apart from Christ’s Name. This false argument has been used to speculate that pagans may not be pagans, since they know there is a god and even that they might pray to the true God even though they don’t know His name.

The idea follows that they don’t need to be evangelized, merely more fully informed. This is tragically wrong.

They need to be evangelized, told of the saving power of God’s love as revealed in Jesus Christ. Without it, they are destined, as all deserve, for hell.

On its own, as in Athens, the natural knowledge of God always leads to idolatry. It never leads on its own to true knowledge of God. In fact, all pagan religions are based on the natural knowledge of God. They know there is a God and right and wrong. But knowing no more, they invent gods out of the stuff of creation and end up worshipping the devil. At best, the natural knowledge of God gives a glimpse of what God is like in His power but not in grace.

It is only in and by Christ that we can know God as He most wants to be known, that is, according to His mercy. That is why God sent St. Paul to Athens: to preach Christ crucified and risen. That is also why St. Paul, along with the others inspired by God, wrote the Bible. In and through the Bible, God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Holy Trinity and saving faith are found and known in Jesus, who says,“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him” (John 14:7). He also says,“Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (John 2:23 NKJ). And St. Paul writes that “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3b). So also did St. Peter preach that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The Trinity gives this special knowledge of Himself through His Word given in the Bible. It is also given through the waters of Holy Baptism and Holy Absolution. For the revealing Word of God that makes us new is the Word made Flesh, Jesus Christ Himself. By His Spirit, the Word calls all people to His Father. He makes His Name and His love known.

Knowing the name of God is not merely a better or more complete knowledge of the true God than the natural knowledge of God. Rather, it is to know God as a personal being and to be His child. The natural knowledge of God is not saving faith. It is only a vague idea that there is a God and that we are sinners. The difference between faith in Jesus and a bare natural knowledge of God is the difference between heaven and hell.

Rev. David Petersen is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is also on the Higher Things editorial board. His e-mail address is David.H.Petersen@att.net.

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The Gospel is not just that Jesus died. The Gospel is that Jesus died FOR YOU. The Good News of Easter isn't only that Jesus rose, but that Jesus rose FOR YOU. On the Cross, Jesus won forgiveness, life, and salvation FOR YOU. Then, as if that wasn't enough good news, on the third day, He rose FOR YOU. It's not just a nice idea; it's personal. FOR YOU makes the Good News very good news indeed!

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