2019 Summer - Higher Things Magazine (with Bible Studies)

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Your Cross is His Cross • The Immeasurable Mercy of God • Five Compelling Reasons to Check Out the Psalms • Our Neediest Neighbors • The Creeds: Faithfully Passing the Baton

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“I pray the catechism every day . . . and ask God to keep me in his dear, holy Word, lest I grow weary of it.”

© 2019 Concordia Publishing House

Read devotions on the Small Catechism.

© 2019 Concordia Publishing House

© 2019 Concordia Publishing House

- Martin Luther

© 2019 Concordia Publishing House

cph.org/devotions

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© 2019 Concordia Publishing House

H I G H E R

© 2019 Concordia Publishing House

https://books.cph.org/devotions-on-the-small-catechism/download-sample

Contents T A B L E O F

HigherThings

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Volume 19/Number 2/Summer 2019 Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies/

Volume 19/Number 2 • Summer 2019

Executive Editor

Katie Hill Art Director

Steve Blakey Editorial Associates

Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Gaven M. Mize Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard Copy Editors

Kay Maiwald Dana Niemi Bible Study Authors

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Rev. Aaron T. Fenker Rev. Joshua Ulm

Special Features 4 Your Cross Is His Cross

By Rev. George F. Borghardt Rev. Borghardt dispels the notion that carrying your cross is some burden or care you must choose to endure in this life for the sake of Christ. To be sure, we do contend with those things this side of Heaven but this is not what Christ means in Matthew 16. The real focus is on His Cross, rather than ours.

6 The Immeasurable Mercy of God

By Rev. Aaron T. Fenker Judge not, and you will not be judged…a verse so often quoted in an effort to point fingers or defend ourselves that we miss the Good News of God’s boundless mercy in the very next verse. Discover this delightful truth for yourself!

8 70 x 7: Not Your Average Math Fact

By Rev. Eric Brown It may seem daunting beyond belief to imagine forgiving someone 70 x 7 times. And if it were up to us, that would be the reality. Rev. Brown shows how the ever-flowing fountain of God’s love and mercy toward us is exactly what He pours into us for others by the work of the Holy Spirit.

10 Hi, It’s Your New Pastor

By Rev. Harrison Goodman A newly installed pastor himself, Rev. Goodman gives us insight into what it feels like to be the new pastor on the block and how we as parishioners can bless our new pastors as well as encourage those long-time pastors God has gifted to us.

14 5 Compelling Reasons to Check Out the Psalms

By Rev. Joshua Ulm Our liturgical worship is steeped in the Psalms and not without reason. There are 150 of them, each one unique and packed with powerful prayer language. Rev. Ulm persuasively explains why delving into them daily is so spiritually edifying.

20 Our Neediest Neighbors

By Timothy Sheridan If you’re not quite sure how to handle an encounter with a homeless person, Timothy helps to put it all in perspective and points us, as always, to Jesus.

22 Teach Me Your Way, O Lord

By Stephen Brynestad Stephen asserts that learning is a natural part of the Christian life and encourages us to have teachable hearts through receiving God’s Word and Gifts.

___________ Board of Directors President

Rev. George F. Borghardt Vice-President

Rev. Duane Bamsch Treasurer

Mr. Kurt Winrich Secretary

Rev. Joel Fritsche Mrs. Becky Clausen Deaconess Ellie Corrow Rev. D. Carl Fickenscher Mr. Anthony Pellegrini Rev. Chris Rosebrough ___________

Executive Council Executive Director

Erica Jacoby

Dean of Theology

Rev. Aaron T. Fenker Business Executive

Connie Brammeier Media Executive

Sandra Madden Conference Executive

Regular Features 28 Catechism: Liturgical Catechesis The Creeds: Faithfully Passing the Baton

By Rev. William M. Cwirla God has promised that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church and the Creeds are an integral part of that. Rev. Cwirla explains that, just like in a relay race, each generation of Christians is privileged to pass on the faith to the next one.

30 Bible Study: Hi, It’s Your New Pastor

Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies which links up with Rev. Harrison Goodman’s article on P. 10.

Crysten Sanchez Marketing and Development Executive

Patrick Sturdivant

Higher Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc. P.O. Box 155 Holt, MO 64048. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2019.

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Your Cross Is His Cross

By Rev. George F. Borghardt

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

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esus had run a focus group with His disciples to talk about who the people were saying He was. The apostles gave Him all the answers that were trending on Jerusalem social media at the time: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14). But Peter nailed the answer Jesus was looking for: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” (v. 16) And if the discussion had ended there, Peter would have graduated at the top of his class. But Jesus continued telling them what it meant that “He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus was about to go to Jerusalem and suffer at the hands of the religious leaders, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again from the dead.

“That will never happen to you, Lord!” (v. 22) Peter took His Lord aside and had the audacity to correct Him. Let that sink in a little bit. Peter took it upon himself to put His Lord in His place!

Peter knew what he thought it meant to be the Christ. He knew what it meant to be the Son of God. Peter’s Christ is a conquerer. He’s all powerful. He doesn’t suffer and He certainly can’t die!

This should be a warning to all of us!

Peter wasn’t speaking for God anymore.

Jesus said that Peter was working for Satan! For any Christ that doesn’t go to the cross for you and me isn’t from God. Any message, any “gospel,” any “churchy” word, that doesn’t rest only with Jesus and Him crucified isn’t from God. It can be a good message, it can convey something important, and it can be positive and uplifting, but if isn’t centered on Jesus crucified for you, it’s not from God. Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Peter had a strong love for Jesus.

He believed Jesus to be the Christ. He wanted to follow Him. He just had no clue what that meant and He didn’t want Jesus to tell him. He had a to-do list that matched what most Hebrews thought the Christ would do! The Christ would come and He would conquer their enemies (the Romans) and make Israel a great country again. Instead, Jesus had this item on His to-do list: live for Peter and then die for Him. You and the world were on His list, too!

We, too, like Peter, have expectations of God. We have our to-do list for Him which includes what we think He should be, how He shouldn’t be, what He should like, what He shouldn’t like, what He should give us, and how He should punish others. Peter took His thoughts about Christ and corrected Jesus with them.

When Jesus says “deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me” He’s saying, “Don’t put Me in My place like Peter tried to do. Let me correct what you think.” Jesus says literally that you are to “put away yourself!” (ἀπαρνησάσθω). You are to reject all thoughts and ideas about what your God should be and let Jesus speak to you in His Word. That’s the true cross of the Christian!

Your cross isn’t the bad things that happen you in this world: the suffering, sickness, sadness, pain, failure, and sin that you struggle with. The times in

which life doesn’t go your way are also not your cross. Those things are challenges, and maybe even gifts from God that call you out of your sins and that serve to refine your faith like fire refines iron (Malachi 3:2).

No, your cross is His Cross! For the cross Jesus is referring to is located on a hill called “Calvary.” It’s where He died for you. His death alone saves you. His Cross is what Christianity is all about.

Receiving His Cross is faith!

Your cross is to believe that His Cross alone saves you over against everything else in you that wants to believe otherwise. Jesus has done it! He truly has saved you by grace through faith.

For He lived His life for you and died the death you deserve. And after three days, He rose for you just like He promised!

All that you did, all that you will ever do, every sin for all time was put upon Him because He alone saves.

So, each day you confess your sins to Him. You confess where you think that you mattered most and He mattered least. You repent of how you loved yourself more than others and you failed to put your hope and trust in His Cross alone saving you. His Word of Law calls you out of your sins. His Word of Gospel enlivens you.

In order for Him to save you, it was necessary that He suffer many things at the hands of the chief priests and teachers of the Law, be crucified, and on the third day rise again. For that’s what it means that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God! Believing His Cross alone saves you is taking up your cross.

Rev. George F. Borghardt is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bossier City, Louisiana and serves as the President of Higher Things. His email is revborghardt@higherthings.org.

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The Immeasurable

By Rev. Aaron T. Fenker

“Be merciful, as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:37-38

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ood measure, pressed down, shaken together, overflowing into your lap.” That’s how God is toward you. It’s what He does for you. There’s always more with Him. He can never run out of giving. He gives more and more and more! And we’re not even talking the gifts of creation: First Article, daily bread sort of stuff—things like clothing, food, drink, house, “everything you need to support your body and life.” No, we’re talking about His Gifts that redeem you and make you holy.

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The Lord is “compassionate and merciful.” (Exodus 34:6) He doesn’t judge.

He doesn’t condemn. He saves. He “forgives iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:7). He pardons, declares innocent. He gives and gives and gives of His mercy, His love, His forgiveness, and His salvation in Jesus Christ. There’s nothing He likes giving more than saving you, forgiving you, and delivering salvation to you.

There’s no calculation in the Lord’s giving. There’s no measurement. No recipe. No pinch of this. No dash of that. He’d be a terrible baker. No, when He gives, He gives the whole lot. With everything He gives He says, “Push it down, shake it together, make room for more. Fill it to full—past full! Overflowing, now that’s enough. Even still, keep giving more!” That’s how your Father gives.

So what’s the Father pouring forth?

What does He unendingly give? What overflows? Well, He’s merciful and compassionate so He’s pouring forth His not-judging, His not-condemning, His pardoning, and His giving. And you can

sum that all up in one word: forgiveness.

That forgiveness is in His Son Jesus—in His death and resurrection.

His Son gives yet even more Gifts: His Word and His Sacraments. And those not only deliver forgiveness, not only deliver salvation, but they’re the Means of the Spirit. Jesus’ Gifts give the Spirit to you, and with the Spirit even more gifts! “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22). The Triune God always gives more and more.

Any calculation, any limit, any recipe comes from unfaith, unbelief, rejecting the Lord with His Gifts. The way of unfaith says how much of the Lord is too much.

Unbelief says, “You can have too much Jesus, too much forgiveness.” Someone who doesn’t want to learn from Jesus determines what someone else must do to be forgiven and given to. You know how your coworker, family member, church member messed up, wronged you, and you know exactly what they need to do, don’t you?

Mercy of God Those who bypass Teacher Jesus think they know the proper remedy when they see the speck in a brother’s eye. They know what recipe is needed to get the proper result, which is someone living the way you want them to—proper proportions of judgment, condemnation, and maybe a dash of forgiveness at the end. As you’re grasping and groping for the speck in their eyes, the log takes out your eye, and blinded, you end up in the pit, in hell forever.

“Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, overflowing into your lap.”

That’s how God is toward you. It’s what He wants for you and for all. There’s always more with Him. He can never run out of giving. His forgiveness, His mercy removes your logs, and so those very things can definitely remove others’ specks. God gives the whole lot. He doesn’t hold back. He pours into the open hands of faith.

And He doesn’t wait for anyone’s permission to give. He doesn’t wait for the world to be ready to receive His Son before He sends Him into this world. Jesus doesn’t wait for anyone to be ready before He pours out His lifeblood unto death. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. He doesn’t wait on our say-so to rise from the dead. He doesn’t even wait to pour out His Gifts. He baptizes, He absolves, He gives His Body and Blood, and then gives us the faith to trust those gifts.

Let’s circle back to gifts of this life for a second. The Lord just gives the gifts there, too, all for us to enjoy them. He doesn’t ask if we’re ready for children or spouses or vocations or any of the other manifold gifts He gives us. He just gives.

Now, when it comes to His mercy, His forgiveness, you could reject those things.

You could live in the sins He saved you from and close your hand to receiving

more. You could reject the gift for others, too. When you take His mercy and then are unmerciful and unloving, that’s a sign you’ve closed your hand to it and turned your back on Him. “With the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

But why would you do any of that?

“Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, overflowing into your lap.” He doesn’t run out of mercy. He just gives more and more. Your Father doesn’t run out of not-judging, not-condemning, His pardoning, His giving. He even delivers it in the Gifts of His Son, Jesus. He wants it to overflow for you, for if it overflows into your lap, then His mercy, His forgiveness will overflow to those around you.

There’s no calculation in the Lord’s giving. He gives in the way of gift. Gifts are given. The way of calculation, estimation, or limit isn’t the way of gift. That ends in the pit. That’s not the Lord’s way of doing things. He wants to give, not judge! Don’t make Him judge you by you rejecting Him. Even so He’s merciful because Jesus took our judgment on the cross. Jesus is self-sacrificing, giving His own wants and desires and life unto death for others, for you, for those around you. And those who are thus given to, also give thus to others.

The Lord’s mercy overflows for you and for all. That’s what He’s giving. Your Father is, Jesus is, the Spirit is, too, each in His own way. The Triune God pours forth mercy until it’s overflowing—overflowing for you, to you, through you to all. Now, that’s a “good measure”!

Rev. Aaron T. Fenker is the pastor of Bethlehem and Immanuel Lutheran churches in Bremen, Kansas. He is the Dean of Theology for Higher Things.

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70 X7 NOT YOUR AVERAGE MATH FACT

By Rev. Eric Brown

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“And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Matthew 22:39

AGAIN!

They did it again! Another Gospel lesson, and another question tossed out by people simply to test Jesus, simply to trap Jesus. Again! Another question about a point of Law, another chance to try to complain about how Jesus does this or says that. Tell us the greatest commandment, and then we’ll complain how you didn’t pick a different part of the Law. It’s the same old tired game.

How many of these sorts of questions will Jesus put up with before He snaps and starts bringing down divine smite upon these people?

Apparently the answer is “a lot”.You might guess 77 times or 70 times 7 times, but I don’t think even those numbers are high enough. Over and over Jesus points people to the love that He has for them, points them to the fact that He is the Messiah. This time Jesus answers that the greatest commandment is to love God, but this love of God means a second command must follow: love your neighbor—even the neighbor who keeps on trying to trap you with annoying questions. For Jesus, loving the neighbor means coming down from heaven, being born of the Virgin Mary, being the great David’s even Greater Son. It means pointing out God’s love for the world, God’s plan of salvation even to the very people who would arrange for Him to be crucified before the week is out.

You see, when Jesus sums up the Law as “love God and love your neighbor”, He’s not watering down the Law. He’s not turning it into mere sentimentality or anything like that.

Loving the neighbor is hard, because frankly sometimes our neighbor is a jerk. Sometimes they keep pushing and prying and poking and prodding. And oftentimes we use their jerkiness as an excuse to be a jerk right back at them. Instead of loving and serving the neighbor, we so often run the opposite way.

We dehumanize them and objectify them; we belittle them or ignore them, just as they do to us. This is a nasty cycle.

But Jesus is determined to see that His neighbor is loved. He is determined to see that you are loved. And so, He became man to love and redeem the very people we dehumanize or who dehumanize us. He Himself became the object of scorn and ridicule to rescue the very people that we objectify or that objectify us. He emptied Himself and made Himself nothing to win salvation for the people we belittle and treat as nothing or who tear us down. He wins salvation upon the cross even for the sins of the people we’d rather ignore or who ignore us. In fact, He does all of this for you.

And this is because He loves you. Honestly. Simply. Fully.

Even when you’ve done things that are annoying or foolish.

He still loves you determinedly and doggedly. He will let nothing stop Himself from loving you—not sin, not Satan, not death, not the riches of all creation. Jesus loves you. He loves you as Himself. Of course He does, for He has baptized you into Himself and He gives Himself to you over and over and over again in His Supper.

There will be times when you look at yourself, at some stupid petty sin that you have done, and you will think: “Again! I did it again!” And you may be tempted to think that maybe this will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back— that this will be where Jesus will call it quits. Nope. That’s not how Jesus works. Over and against all the shame and guilt

and anger at yourself that you sometimes feel Jesus will still love you and forgive you. He truly and honestly loves you as Himself.

Well, that’s all fine and good for Jesus. He’s the Son of God. He can hack it…we can’t. Remember that Peter posed a question of Jesus regarding this very thing: “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (Matthew 18:21) The question Peter asks Jesus seems quite reasonable.

Really, it is, at least from a simple, worldly perspective.

How many times do I forgive someone before it’s better to just cut them out of my life? How many times do I have to delete a comment before I just block them? How many times do I have to roll eyes before I can just walk away? In the world this is a very reasonable and practical question, and Peter gives what, from the world’s perspective, is a generous answer. Seven times? We have “three strikes and you’re out.” We have “once bitten, twice shy.” Peter seemingly exceeds our normal standards.

However, forgiveness isn’t a worldly thing. Forgiveness isn’t just putting up with someone or ignoring them.

Forgiveness is a God thing to do, and when God does something, God does it with over-the-top abundance. Not 7 times, but 70 times 7. And to show how overly abundant God is with mercy, Jesus tells a story.

There’s a fellow who owes his king 10,000 talents. That would be like owing someone $5 billion. And the fellow begs, promises to pay the king back and he can’t, not in this lifetime. The king forgives him. Now, some might find this surprising, but it’s clear that the king is already stupidly generous—he keeps loaning and loaning money to this fellow already. Yet the king stays generous.

The same fellow whose debt was canceled then shakes down a fellow servant who owes him 100 denarii—say $12,000, which was probably the king’s cash in the first place. And things get nasty and mean and the second guy is thrown into jail. And that’s when the king’s patience runs out.

That’s when the king throws the jerk into jail, not because of what he owed the king, but because he refused to be merciful as the king was merciful to him.

The point is this: God is merciful, incredibly merciful. He’s so merciful to us we can’t even really see how deep and rich His mercy is. And so we need to be very careful in this life not to start putting limits on mercy. Once we start doing that, we can forget that God shows us continual and abundant mercy.

We step away from that mercy. So no, instead remember at all times the great and overflowing love and mercy that God has for you in Christ that surpasses even 70 x 7. He’s not taking a count to see when He can cut you off from forgiveness, instead He is faithful and His steadfast love for you endures forever. Therefore Jesus will constantly focus you upon His forgiveness and mercy—not only forgiveness and mercy for your neighbor, but also His wondrous and full mercy for you.

Rev. Eric Brown is the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois.

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Hi, It’s Your New Pasto

By Rev. Harrison Goodman

It’s my special name just for your use.

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Pastor. It’s sort of like mom or dad. It only works here. It’s called vocation. It’s not so much a title as it is an identity. It’s a divine promise.

Just like God wanted you to have parents to raise you up, He wants you to have someone to give you His gifts. He grabs the people He wills for each and promises to work through them for good. That’s vocation. It’s me, the new pastor. Now, my first name doesn’t matter, which is good, because my first name is different than the last pastor’s. We’re different people with different strengths and different flaws. We’ll do things a little differently, but we share the same vocation. We teach the same thing. We give the same gifts. We’re your pastor. The first name doesn’t matter. It’s not about me; it’s about Jesus for you.

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That’s the good news. It helps with this second part.

I’m a sinner. You probably know that on some generic level, but you don’t know my specific sins yet. I’ll try my hardest, but that’s going to change. I’m sorry. Truly. I hang on to the forgiveness just as much as you. It’s why I’m here. When I do sin against you, please see me as a sinner Jesus died for. Please forgive me.

Also, talk to me. I’m not Jesus. I don’t know your thoughts. You have to tell me. When you’re sick and you need me to visit you, tell me. When I mess up, tell me. I’m not always smart enough to figure it out on my own. When you don’t understand why I’m doing something, tell me. Then listen, and I’ll show you why.

I teach the Bible, the Catechism, the Book of Concord.

This is what your last pastor and I have in common.

I might do a couple of things differently than what you’re used to. Ask me why. This is one of the coolest places to start learning and growing together.

We’re the Church—the baptized sinners Jesus died for. That’s what we all have in common. That’s what joins us together. One Lord, one faith, one Baptism. Lean into that. It’s His true Word that builds up the body of Christ and holds us together so we’re not tossed about by every wind of doctrine, human cunning, and deceitful schemes.

And those are real things, so please, pray for me even as I pray for you. Pray that I teach the Word purely and administer the Sacraments rightly. Not just rightly, but ritely: according to the rites that have been handed to me from the pastor before me and all the way back to Jesus. His truth norms us. So please pray for me in the part of the job I hate most. Pray that I say “no” because His way goes.

It’s no fun for me to ruin your day, but you don’t want me around just to tell you what you want to hear.

Nobody ever “got along” into heaven. Jesus pulls sinners out of the tomb. God called me to speak the truth here. We’re sinners. Sin breaks stuff. We can’t say it’s okay. It’s so not-okay that Jesus had to die for it. Pray I never waver in telling the truth about what hurts you and your neighbor. We’re not generic sinners, but specific ones who need to hear God’s truth about our sins, that we would flee from them and find shelter in the mercy of God. It’s painful to face the Law, but there is always forgiveness for you. Jesus died for you. There, we can see the Ten Commandments as true and good. We can see ourselves as sinners in need of help, forgiveness, and salvation.

And we can see that salvation given in Word and Sacrament is the most important thing we do here.

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That’s the Law and the Gospel of God’s Word. If you won’t be a sinner condemned by the Law, I’m not sure what I have for you. The Gospel is only for sinners. The healthy have no need of a physician, just the sick. So I’ll tell you the truth about God’s Law and I’ll readily forgive you in the stead and by the command of the Lord who is merciful without end.

This is what I vowed when I was ordained: preach the Word truly; administer the Sacraments rightly and ritely; visit the sick and the dying; forgive sinners, and never divulge those sins; admonish you to holy living.

But when I was asked to do these things, I didn’t just say yes. That would be a disaster. This is not about me.

This is about Jesus for you.

So I said, “Yes, with the help of God.” This is His Church. I thank God He made us a part of it together.

Please know that I’m even more excited about this than you are, because God is working here for us.

He’ll speak His Word and administer His Sacraments through me. God will help us, which means I can be blunt here.

I will not save your church. In all the excitement that wants me to be the magic pill that gets the youth involved, increases attendance, giving, and somehow make you finally get your life together, remember this thing stands on God’s back. It has to. I cannot save your church, but God already did. He died. He is risen. We are baptized. So relax. That’s been enough to bring us forward 2,000 years through persecution and famine, plague and war. We can survive today, too. Christ is still risen. Let’s look to that for hope, not the new guy. Jesus promised never to leave you or forsake you. Besides, He is way better at this stuff anyway.

One last thing. Love my family. I make life hard enough for them. They have to deal with my real first name. I’m a sinner. They’re stuck with me, and they’re far from home, family, and old friends. They need you. My wife is not the church worker. My kids are not on stage. Let them be your family and your friends. They need that more than you know.

They aren’t here to perform, but to receive the same gifts of God we all need. Please, welcome them to the place you see sinners forgiven.

That’s the greatest gift you can give me.

Thank you for having us as a part of your own. I thank God for you.

Now, with the help of God, we have work to do.

Rev. Harrison Goodman is the pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas.

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Compelling Reasons to Check Out the Psalms

By Rev. Joshua Ulm

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he book of Psalms has more chapters than any other book of the Bible and is only behind Jeremiah and Genesis in how many words it contains, which may seem intimidating at first. Although the Psalms are lengthy, they are overflowing with promises of Christ and His forgiveness, they demonstrate countless ways for you to speak to God in a variety of situations, and sometimes they even provide insight into God’s mighty works. Whether or not you’ve delved into the depths of the Psalms consider these reasons to consistently invest time in reading them:

1. The Psalms are all about Jesus.

————————————————— Luke 24 tells us that after His resurrection Jesus gave His disciples peace and “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” As He began to do this He said,“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (v. 44). From the mouth of our Lord we are taught that all the Scriptures testify about Him (and He specifically mentioned the Psalms)!

In fact, when Jesus wanted to explain what He was doing and how it fit into the grand picture of God’s love for His people, the Psalms was His go-to book.

The Psalms tell us of the LORD’s anointed (Jesus), against whom the kingdoms of the earth will not triumph (Psalm 2). They tell us that the LORD will not abandon His Holy One (Jesus) to death (Psalm 16). Psalm 22 is fulfilled during Jesus’ last hours prior to His death on the cross. The Psalms speak of a good shepherd (Jesus) who shepherds His sheep through death itself (Psalm 23). The Psalms tell us that the LORD is our light and salvation (Jesus) who is our stronghold, casting out fear. Jesus is everywhere in the Psalms and finding Him is exciting!

If you want to hear about Jesus and His love, check out the Psalms.

2. The Psalms immerse us in the struggles of God’s chosen people.

————————————————— Do you ever wish you could get inside someone’s head to know what

they are really thinking? The Psalms often allow us to understand more than the events of Old Testament history. We get to hear the prayers and cries of the people of God throughout time! For example, Psalm 3 puts us into the story of 2 Samuel 15:14-17 when David is fleeing his son, Absalom.

2 Samuel gives us the narrative, but Psalm 3 gives us a peek into David’s heart as he cries to God “You O Lord are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” (Psalm 3:3). Psalm 51 shows us how David responded when confronted by Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12. This narrative gives us a basic understanding of the story: “David fasted and went in all night on the ground” (2 Samuel 12:16). The psalm goes further and tells us what David was thinking and praying!

If you want to know more about God’s grace and love for His people and understand historical Bible accounts in a fuller way, check out the Psalms.

3. The Psalms teach us how to talk to God.

————————————————— Prayer is a critical piece of the Christian life, but it also something that we often struggle with. We are sinners, and the flesh wars against us, especially when we pray (Romans 8:26). God gives us examples and patterns for prayer throughout the Scriptures, especially in the Psalms.

The psalmists prayed the Psalms.

The people of Israel prayed the Psalms. Jesus Himself prayed the Psalms. And Christians throughout time have prayed the Psalms. When you pray through a psalm you get the joy of joining with the saints in

prayer. The Psalms give us a catalog of names (Lord, God, Redeemer, King, Rock, Shepherd, etc.) that we can use to address God in our prayers. They provide an example of echoing God’s Word and deeds back to Him in our prayers. They give us permission to bring ALL our requests to God. They remind us that even in the worst of circumstances our prayers circle back to God and His faithfulness.

If you want to grow in your prayer life, check out the Psalms.

4. There is a Psalm for most every situation.

————————————————— We’ve all been at a loss for words.

When a loved one dies, we often can’t think of what to say. When we sin, we often can’t put into words just how sorry we are. When we are joyful, sometimes we are so happy we are speechless. The Psalms can give us words when we don’t know what to say.

When our heart is broken, the Psalms provide words for our pain (Psalms 22, 55, 102, 126). When our heart is full of joy at God’s works, the Psalms direct our praises to Him (Psalms 66, 68, 118, 136).

When we sin and want to go before the Lord in repentance, the Psalms give us words of humble contrition and comfort in God’s forgiveness (Psalms 51, 38). When Satan throws our sins at us, the Psalms give us words of forgiveness in Christ to hurl back at him (Psalms 32, 103). When we don’t understand what is going on, the Psalms give us words to question and complain in faith (Psalms 10, 13, 73).

If you don’t know what or how to pray in a particular situation, check out the Psalms.

5. The Psalms never get old.

————————————————— I have mentioned that the Psalms are meant to be prayed. But they aren’t meant to be prayed just once, they are meant to be prayed over and over again.

They are written to be memorized, sung, and recited day after day, month after month, year after year and have been throughout church history. As you go through your life the Psalms are with you, and at the end of your life the Psalms are there as well. There are good reasons that pastors and fellow Christians read Psalm 23 at the bedside of sick and dying Christians. First, the psalm is about Jesus, reminding us of His shepherding care even in the face of death. But second, that psalm has been there for that Christian throughout his or her life, and even when death approaches, it sounds just as sweet as the first time it was heard…maybe even sweeter.

If you want enduring, faithful, words that will last you a lifetime, check out the Psalms.

There are so many ways to read, sing, and pray the Psalms. Set up a reading plan, pray a Psalm each day, attend Matins or Vespers at your local congregation, or just start reading. May God bless you richly as you check out the Psalms!

Rev. Joshua Ulm is the pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in North Olmsted, Ohio. He would like to credit the inspiration to write this article to Dr. Tim Saleska at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, who taught a course on the Psalms.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 _ 15

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Our Neediest Neighbors

By Timothy Sheridan

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

t doesn’t matter where you live. You’ve seen them, lying on park benches, standing on the roadside, sitting on street corners, easily identified by their disheveled hair, baggy clothes, and bad teeth: the homeless. Perhaps you’ve occasionally offered the $5.00 you had in your wallet, taken someone out for a meal or at the very least directed someone to the local homeless shelter. Maybe you’ve also been one of those people who have walked in the opposite direction, locked your car door or rolled up your window at the mere sight of someone holding a sign reading, “God bless you,” as if those words scribbled in Sharpie on the grubby, bent piece of cardboard were a curse rather than a benediction. I’ve personally seen someone reach for a concealed weapon at the mere approach of a homeless man.

Timothy Sheridan is a fourth-year student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In addition to his vocation as seminarian, he is husband to Kaitlin and father to Thomas Luther.

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“You always have the poor with you,” Jesus tells us in Matthew 26:11. Some Christians seem to have taken the Lord’s words as a challenge to prove Him wrong through various relief efforts; others have resigned the homeless to their fate. For as much passion as the Church seems to have for involvement in worldly politics, many of her number would just as soon leave the poor and the downtrodden to themselves, appealing to self-determination, self-preservation, or the invisible hand of the market. It’s not that those aren’t factors in the existence of the modern-day homeless, but none of these have anything to do with the God who is the Father of the fatherless and the protector of widows (Psalm 68:5), whose Son became poor for our sakes (2 Corinthians 8:9).

So while we piously call ourselves poor, miserable sinners during Divine Service, what is it that we’re really confessing when, outside church, we scramble for the locks on our car doors, our guns, our excuses for saving our own skins and our own goods at the expense of those who have nothing? We’re admitting that we know full well that what we have could just as easily and effortlessly be snatched from us as was the wealth of those now bereft of everything. We betray just how weak, helpless, scared, and impoverished we truly are. We’re afraid that God, who has promised to provide for all our needs, is actually a tyrant who cruelly and capriciously takes our rightful possessions from us. Perhaps we also fear the poor because in them we see our own poverty.

If that’s really the case, then we’re poor, miserable sinners indeed. But thanks be to God, because that is the reality of our plight and we are in good company.

The Son of Man, who had nowhere to lay His head (Luke 9:58), became poor and miserable for us. In laying aside everything, including His very life, He became even less than the most destitute vagrant—He became nothing (Philippians 2:7).

By becoming the willing victim of every injustice and misfortune, by allowing Himself to be murdered by the affluent, falling among thieves and robbers, and making His grave with the wicked, Jesus became the neighbor we are to love according to the Great Commandment. In the suffering and bruised countenance of God in the flesh, executed like the greatest of criminals, we realize that where Jesus ends and the neediest of our neighbors begins is intentionally ambiguous: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

That distinction between our Lord who has redeemed us and our neighbor whom we are bound to serve is blurred by the blood of Jesus. Encountering the poor is not to be out of the ordinary in our otherwise comfortable middle-class lives but is an encounter with Jesus Himself and with people who aren’t merely panhandlers, bums, or addicts—they’re our neighbors.

So when you come face-to-face with the poor, it won’t matter what you think of welfare, humanitarian aid, or vagrancy laws. You are free from your anxiety about the stuff you try to cling to. You are free from your own poverty. None of God’s children will be left as orphans. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Talk to your pastor or trusted adults about ideas on how to minister to these truly neediest neighbors. After all, as a lord of all in Christ the conqueror, you are free to be the servant of all. Having lost our old lives of sin and death with Christ and having been raised with Him, we truly have nothing to lose, for our heavenly Father can’t be out-given.

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Teach Me Your Way, O Lord

By Stephen Brynestad

Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” Psalm 86:11

I

t’s the heart of summer and some of you might have just walked across the stage, graduating either from high school, or college, or perhaps you just attended a graduation to support friends and family. Do you remember hearing the cheers of the graduates, families, friends, and teachers? I have sat in on many high school graduations as both a teacher and event manager.

There has always been one thing that I have wanted to communicate to each graduate, and that is “May you never stop learning.”

It is hard to not think sometimes that we have learned everything that we are supposed to know, especially when we cross an important finish line, like high school graduation. But that’s so far from the truth.

I recall long after that benchmark when, as a teacher myself, I had to administer my first test to my students.

Yes, even teachers get super nervous and scared when it comes to testing. How do we write each and every question? I agonized over every test, every pop quiz, and I couldn’t help but fret over how my students would do and prayed I had taught them well.

You see, we teachers are learning just as much as you are. You know what it feels like to have to prepare for finals or try to complete some new skill you’ve learned for the first time. No matter the circumstances, I’m willing to bet that you sometimes wrestle with a fear of failing. What if I get too many questions wrong? What if I can’t finish the job? Really, the questions we plague ourselves with can torment us if we allow them to. Whether in school or at a job, these are common struggles, especially whenever we are learning something new.

Yet if we are honest with ourselves, we ask the same questions when it comes to our spiritual lives.

After all, God’s perfect standard, the Law, is ever before us. We hear it preached at Divine Service. We read it in our Bible. There are reminders everywhere.

It seems pretty straightforward: don’t have any gods before God, listen to our authorities, don’t murder, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t…Don’t fail or else God won’t bless you. That is the Law, calling you a sinner— throwing everything in your face and telling you that you do not deserve God’s favor or love. These fears can dwarf anything you might struggle with at school or work, which are temporary. This is eternity we’re talking about!

But (yes there is that big but) here comes Christ.

He is one who aced the test of following the Law perfectly. He is like that one person in your class who you might accuse of being a know-it-all, but Christ, instead of being motivated by self-serving

interests, did it for us, placing His 100% perfect obedience to the Law on our record—just as if we had earned it ourselves.

He doesn’t stop there. We get to reap the benefits of His obedience, for He became sin for us and died on a cross to save us from our sins. He took on our failure, our disgrace, our sinfulness and upon Him was the chastisement of the world. So what are those benefits? We receive forgiveness of sins in our Baptism, as well as in His Body and Blood in, with, and under the bread and the wine. Through these Means of Grace He strengthens our faith and causes us to grow in our walk with Him. I will always remember the question I was asked before I was confirmed as a member of the LCMS, and that was, “Will you ever stop learning?” to which I responded, “No.” At the time I was almost surprised by my answer but now I know that we are always learning something new from the scriptures: everything from the depth of God’s love for us to how we can be Christ to our neighbor. In fact, John 14:26 tells us that “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit is our teacher, pointing us to Christ!

So no matter what your vocation, always be ready to learn, but especially in your walk with God. And where can you be sure this learning will happen?

Why, in His Church, even during these dog days of summer. We receive Christ in Word and Sacrament every time we enter the church. We leave, knowing we walk in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for our sins! And the Holy Spirit continues to teach us this truth, that we might walk daily in it throughout our lives.

Stephen Brynestad is a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Corpus Christi, Texas where he has served as a youth leader and teacher.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 _ 23

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Liturgical Catechesis

The Creeds: Faithf

By Rev. William M. Cwirla

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

aving just come out of Trinity Sunday and that incredibly long Athanasian Creed, it’s time to talk about creeds and why they’re in the liturgy.

The traditional creed for Sunday is the Nicene Creed, which comes from the Council of Nicea (325 AD) with a Third Article patch on the Holy Spirit by the Council of Constantinople (381 AD). Since “Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed” is too much of a tongue twister on a Sunday morning, we just settle for “Nicene Creed.” It’s the most ecumenical (universal) creed in Christianity, confessed by both the East (Orthodox) and the West (Rome and Protestantism), except for that little disagreement about the Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son (filioque), which

the East takes issue with, but we’ll take that up another time.

The Apostles’ Creed, which was the baptismal creed of Rome from around 150 AD, is used during weekday services, daily devotion, and instruction. No, the apostles didn’t write the Apostles’ Creed, but it certainly reflects apostolic teaching straight from the New Testament, so it’s “apostolic” in all the right senses of that word.

The Athanasian Creed is usually reserved for Trinity Sunday, though it can be used at other times as well, if you’re into really long creeds with lots of uncreateds and

incomprehensibles. It comes from 5th century Gaul (France) and was used as a test of orthodoxy for the clergy at a time when Arianism was the favored flavor in Europe.

Arianism is the teaching, named after Arius, that the Son is not God in the same sense as the Father, and before the birth of Christ, the Son didn’t exist. Try flying that past John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” In the western liturgy, the Creed is one of five pillars of the Divine Service: Kyrie (“Lord, have mercy”), Gloria (“Glory to God in

hfully Passing the Baton the highest”), Credo (“I believe,” the creed), Sanctus (“Holy, holy, holy”) and Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God.”) The Creed rests at the heart of the Service of the Word, either before the Sermon or after it.

So why is the Creed a part of the liturgy in the first place? There are two reasons: First, the Creed provides a pattern of sound words (2 Timothy 1:13), a rule of faith (Romans 12: 3) that serves as a kind of fence or boundary for the Christian faith. It summarizes who God is as the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit— and what the three works of the Triune God are: creation, redemption, and sanctification. This is the basic playing field of the Christian faith.

Stay inside these boundaries, and you’re Christian. Venture outside them, and we’re not so sure.

Second, the Creed is the confession of the whole Church at all times and in all places, which is what we mean by “catholic” or “ecumenical.” When we say the Creed together, we are confessing with our fellow Christians all the way back to the early Church across almost 2,000 years. The Creed is like the baton in a relay race handed on from one runner to the next, each generation handing on the faith to their children who will hand it on to their children, hopefully without dropping it.

The Creed expresses what we all believe together in common, the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). We each believe individually and have a personal faith relationship with God in Christ Jesus. But that personal

faith in Christ believes something objective that we share in common together with all other Christians.

The creeds not only say “I believe,” they also say “we believe” and we confess all together as one voice.

This is why we don’t write our own creeds. Creeds are not ours to write.

It’s good to express your faith in your own words, but when we’re all together, we confess the faith with the words we’ve been given.

When the Creed comes before the Sermon, it serves as the voice of the whole Church proclaiming God and His works to us. We hear first from Moses and the prophets (Old Testament), then from the apostles (Epistles), and then from the evangelists (Gospels). Then we hear from the Church in the words of the Creed. Finally, we hear from our pastor, who preaches God’s prophetic and apostolic Word to our ears in our time and place, but whatever he says must stay within the boundary lines and conform to the pattern of the sound words of the Creed. The pastor has nothing new to say; he just says it in a new way.

When the Creed comes after the Sermon, it serves as a response to the Word that was read and preached, as the people of God confess the Faith together with all their fellow believers around the world and all those who came before them, saying back what God has said to them. The Creed is one of the greatest expressions we have of our unity in the Body of Christ.

My congregation worships in both English and Mandarin Chinese.

When we worship together, we

recite the Creed together in our own languages. For me, it’s a very powerful experience to hear our common faith spoken in two different tongues. We even somehow manage to stay together!

In the Creed, we are united in faith despite our differences in language and culture.

As with most liturgical rites, the speaking of the Creed has certain gestures that go with it. It’s helpful to keep mind and body working together. At the words of our Lord’s Incarnation (“and was made man”), it is customary to bow the head and keep it bowed until Jesus’ burial in view of His becoming man and His humbling in the flesh to save us. At the last phrase about the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, it’s customary to make the sign of the cross, confessing the connection between our death and resurrection and Jesus’ death and resurrection through our Baptism.

Liturgical gestures like these help us to focus on the words we are speaking.

When I say the Creed, I am saying that I believe what has always been believed in all times and all places where Christians have gathered—in one God, Triune—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the God who makes us, the God who redeems us, the God who sanctifies us.

Rev. William M. Cwirla is the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California, as well as a president emeritus of Higher Things.

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Hi, It’s Your New Pastor A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY • Summer 2019

I

ntroduction: You may go through a mixed bag of questions and emotions when you meet a new pastor.

What will he be like? What will his sermons be like? Will I like him? Will he like me? Whatever feelings and questions we may have about our pastor, Rev. Goodman’s article reminds us that God has given us pastors because He wants to give us His gifts! Pastors are sinners, but they are because of God’s desire to give you the salvation that Christ won by His life, death, and resurrection!

1

Begin by reading “To Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers” and “What Hearers Owe Their Pastors” from the Small Catechism: The Table of Duties.

2 3 4

What is something that you love or have loved about one of the pastors you have had?

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What do you think your pastor’s average day looks like?

Read John 10:1-16. This passage details how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares for the Church, His sheep. What from this passage might pastors use an example to follow?

5

How is Jesus’ shepherding different or more complete than the shepherding that a pastor in his church can execute?

6

Read 1 Timothy 3:2-4. Why would a pastor be held to a higher standard than a parishioner?

What harm could a pastor do to his church by not holding to these standards?

7 8

Read Titus 1:9. Why is it important that a pastor hold to pure doctrine?

As you study the Biblical description of a pastor in Titus, how do you find that it match up with your answer to question 3?

9

Conclude by composing a prayer for your pastor.

Conclusion: Thank God for your pastor! He is a sinner, yes, but He is also the instrument that God uses to give you the fruits of Christ’s death and resurrection!

Keep your pastor in your prayers, and rejoice in the gifts of God that come to you through him!

To access the Leader’s Guide for this study, as well as Bible studies for articles in this issue and previous issues, as a part of an HTOnline subscription, point your browser to: higherthings.org/magazine/biblestudies.html.

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“The Creeds: Faithfully Passing the Baton” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction Each Sunday, we get to joyfully confess “I Believe” with the saints throughout time. We are invited into the long history of God’s faithfulness to His people as we confess the story of salvation to encourage one another in our Christian faith. The creed unites us with all other members of our congregation, even those who are very different than us. Let’s take a look at the Apostles’ Creed.

1. The word “creed” comes from the word “believe”. Thinking of examples outside the Church, where else do we find statements of belief?

Answers will vary. Sometimes a corporation or sports team will have a statement of principles of values that guides them. An organization might have a mission statement. Feel free to talk about the similarities and differences between the creeds we see in the world and the creeds that we confess at church.

2. It’s time to jump right into the text of the Apostles’ Creed. Read Genesis 1:1-3. What is the First Article of the Creed? Where is this event set in time? Why it is important that this be in the creed?

The first article is “I Believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth. This creation took place in the beginning (see Genesis 1:1). This first article tells us who God is—the Creator and Sustainer of all things. It also tells us who we are—creatures of a mighty Creator. These realities are important every moment of our lives. When we see good things in the world we recognize that God created them. When we have needs and desires we know whom to ask. When we recognize that we cannot achieve our own salvation or even sustain our own flesh it drives us back to that fact that we are creatures of God. Creatures are not able to be the Creator. Rather, they receive good gifts from the Creator, whether it be daily needs or eternal salvation.

3. How can confessing this article together be of benefit to the Church?

Confessing the first article confesses a common way of understanding the world! So much of what we believe about God and the world around us flows from the simple fact that He is the Creator. Since the fact that God created the heavens and the earth is challenged by the world, we can boldly confess this article together rather than giving in to the way of the world.

4. Read 1 Peter 1:17-21. What is the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed? What stands out to you about this article? What gesture did Rev. Cwirla recommend making while confessing this part of the Creed? How could this be helpful?

The Second Article is: “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.” Answers may vary about what stands out. Rev. Cwirla mentions bowing of the head when we confess the incarnation (“conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary”) and raising the head at the burial of Jesus. This helps mark one area of the creed that stands out: Jesus taking on our flesh, even to the point of death. © 2019 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2019

5. How can confessing this article together be of benefit to the Church?

Just like the First Article confesses something about our identity, this article confesses something: we are purchased and won through the blood of Jesus! As you confess this next to a fellow believer, it reminds you that he or she also has been bought with the Blood of Jesus. This changes how we see ourselves and each other. It creates awe and joy at God’s mighty works for His people. The congregation that confesses and believes this will live eternally together with Christ in everlasting blessedness and righteousness!

6. Read Ephesians 1:13-14. What is the Third Article? What stands out to you about this article? What gesture did Pastor Cwirla recommend making while confessing this part of the creed? Read Romans 6:1-6. How could this be helpful?

The Third Article is, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” Answers may vary about what stands out, but be sure to take note how many important, essential, life-giving, things are packed into this last article. Pastor Cwirla recommends making the sign of the cross when we confess the resurrection from the dead on the last day. This reminds us that in our Baptisms we are connected to the death and resurrection of Jesus and promised a resurrection like His! 7. How can confessing this article together be of benefit to the Church?

Confessing this article reminds us of the common faith we have in Jesus and the Spirit who has given each of us this faith. In a Christian congregation you may have a wide variety of stories about how people first heard about Jesus. Regardless of our different stories, this article reminds us that all of us were called by the Holy Spirit apart from anything we could do or contribute.

Closing Confess the Apostles’ Creed together

© 2019 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2019

“The Creeds: Faithfully Passing the Baton” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. The word “creed” comes from the word “believe”. Thinking of examples outside the Church, where else do we find statements of belief?

2. It’s time to jump right into the text of the Apostles’ Creed. Read Genesis 1:1-3. What is the First Article of the Creed? Where is this event set in time? Why it is important that this be in the creed?

3. How can confessing this article together be of benefit to the Church?

4. Read 1 Peter 1:17-21. What is the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed? What stands out to you about this article? What gesture did Rev. Cwirla recommend making while confessing this part of the Creed? How could this be helpful?

5. How can confessing this article together be of benefit to the Church?

6. Read Ephesians 1:13-14. What is the Third Article? What stands out to you about this article? What gesture did Pastor Cwirla recommend making while confessing this part of the creed? Read Romans 6:1-6. How could this be helpful?

7. How can confessing this article together be of benefit to the Church?

Closing Confess the Apostles’ Creed together

© 2019 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2019

“Hi, It’s Your New Pastor” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction You may go through a mixed bag of questions and emotions when you meet a new pastor. What will he be like? What will his sermons be like? Will I like him? Will he like me? Whatever feelings and questions we may have about our pastor, Rev. Goodman’s article reminds us that God has given us pastors because He wants to give us His gifts! Pastors are sinners, but they are because of God’s desire to give you the salvation that Christ won by His life, death, and resurrection!

1. What is something that you love or have loved about one of the pastors you have had?

Answers will vary. Some youth may like the way that their pastor spoke or sang. Others may remember a time that their pastor was at their side when they needed him. As you lead the study, don’t worry if these answers are superficial. The text will direct us to the essentials of the pastoral office as we continue our study.

2. What do you think your pastor’s average day looks like?

Answers will vary. Again, don’t feel compelled to correct answers that may be misguided. The text will guide us as we move forward. If your pastor is around, feel free to grab him to help answer this question! If he is not available, encourage the students to ask him next time they see him.

3. Read John 10:1-16. This passage details how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares for the Church, His sheep. What from this passage might pastors use an example to follow?

Pastors are shepherds. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, places His sheep in the care of under shepherds as they await His return. Pastors protect their sheep from wolves—false teachers and false doctrines—just as the Good Shepherd does. Pastors also know their sheep, following after the Good Shepherd. The next question will focus us on pastors’ inability to fully emulate the Good Shepherd.

4. How is Jesus’ shepherding different or more complete than the shepherding that a pastor in his church can execute?

First, pastors are sinners while Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. This is why they are unable to perfectly shepherd their sheep. Second, pastors need to do things like sleep, eat, take breaks. While on this earth, Jesus certainly needed those things, we can truly say that He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121). Third, while pastors may be tempted to lay down their lives for their sheep, their lives are not sufficient sacrifices for sin. Jesus lays down His life for the sins of the world and because He lived a perfectly obedient life, His sacrifice was sufficient. There are certainly many other areas where pastors are unable to perfectly shepherd, but, like everyone else, they receive the forgiveness of Christ.

© 2019 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2019

5. Read 1 Timothy 3:2-4. Why would a pastor be held to a higher standard than a parishioner? What harm could a pastor do to his church by not holding to these standards?

A pastor is held to a higher standard because his reputation can reflect negatively on Christ and His Church. By failing to live up to these standards, a pastor can harm those in his congregation and cast a negative light on what he preached. Even though he may have preached pure law and gospel, and truth about Jesus, weaker Christians may doubt his preaching because he fell into sin and public scandal. The Church has always confessed that true sermons preached, baptisms conducted, and communion distributed by pastors who fall into sin and unbelief are valid, because God is the one who gives power to preaching, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, not the man.

6. Read Titus 1:9. Why is it important that a pastor hold to pure doctrine?

We don’t want anything other than God’s truth! Accepting a little false doctrine from your pastor is akin to accepting a tiny bit of poison in your water. You might not be able to taste it, but it could kill you!

Remember in Pastor Goodman’s article, where he says that God gave you a pastor because, “He wants you to have someone to give you His gifts.”

7. As you study the Biblical description of a pastor in Titus, how do you find that it matches up with your answer to question 3?

Answers will vary.

Conclusion Thank God for your pastor! He is a sinner, yes, but He is also the instrument that God uses to give you the fruits of Christ’s death and resurrection! Keep your pastor in your prayers, and rejoice in the gifts of God that come to you through him!

Closing Pray together the Lord’s Prayer.

© 2019 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2019

“Hi, It’s Your New Pastor” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. What is something that you love or have loved about one of the pastors you have had?

2. What do you think your pastor’s average day looks like?

3. Read John 10:1-16. This passage details how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares for the Church, His sheep. What from this passage might pastors use an example to follow?

4. How is Jesus’ shepherding different or more complete than the shepherding that a pastor in his church can execute?

5. Read 1 Timothy 3:2-4. Why would a pastor be held to a higher standard than a parishioner? What harm could a pastor do to his church by not holding to these standards?

6. Read Titus 1:9. Why is it important that a pastor hold to pure doctrine?

7. As you study the Biblical description of a pastor in Titus, how do you find that it matches up with your answer to question 3?

Closing Pray together the Lord’s Prayer.

© 2019 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2019

“5 Compelling Reasons to Check Out the Psalms” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide

Leaders’ Introduction When Jesus wanted to frame His ministry, death, and resurrection, He often went to the Psalms! The Psalms are the prayers of individuals in ancient Israel, the people of Israel in worship, Jesus Himself, and the church throughout all the ages! In our study today we will be exploring two specific Psalms with our eyes open to the many things that make the Psalms unique. Hopefully you will discover something you haven’t seen before!

Remember, the Psalms are all about Jesus!

1. Begin by reading Psalm 1 responsively.

2. Has anything ever happened that left you speechless? Share with the group if you are comfortable.

Answers will vary. Perhaps no one will have an answer. When we encounter major events in our lives, be they good or bad, we often are left without the words to describe what is going on. This is true when it comes to talking out loud, but sometimes we can be left speechless when it comes to our prayer lives as well! The Psalms can be an antidote to this!

3. The Psalms are great for many reasons, but we are going to start with the fact that they give us words to speak when we don’t know what to say. Read Psalm 59:1-10. In what situation was this psalm written? How do you think David felt as this happened?

This psalm was written when David was fleeing Saul’s men. David was anointed by Samuel and yet Saul sat on the throne of Israel. Saul sent men to pursue David time and time again, and yet David trusted that God would protect him. If you want to know more about this you can head over to 1 Samuel 18-31. Some more specific verses to look at would be 1 Samuel 23:15-29. David could have felt anxious, as he was constantly fearing for his life. He could have been tired from fleeing Saul constantly. This psalm also lets us know that David felt confident that God would deliver him. He trusted that God was more powerful than the forces that were opposing him.

4. In what situation could we use Psalm 59?

Various situations would be useful to pray this Psalm. Like David, the enemies that we face can be fierce.

When trials that we cannot explain are overcoming us, we can use the same words that David used as he was being pursued. When we are beset again and again by the devil, the world, and the flesh, this psalm reminds us that we can always trust in the Lord. Sometimes it can be difficult to articulate our worries and frustrations to God. We don’t want to exaggerate or be disrespectful. But the Psalms provide words to our complaint, and they always leave us in just the right place—trusting in God through Jesus Christ His Son!

© 2019 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2019

5. The article mentioned that the Psalms are all about Jesus! Perhaps the best example is the 22nd Psalm. Read Psalm 22:1. Who originally wrote this psalm? Where else is this verse found in Scripture David is the original author of this psalm. Jesus prays Psalm 22:1 from the cross shortly before His death (Matthew 27:46). It is particularly powerful that He chooses this psalm to express both His suffering and His trust in His Father as He offers up His life for the sins of the world.

6. While the only verse that the Gospel authors give us is the first verse, it is likely that Jesus prayed the entire Psalm as He hung on the cross. Whether one verse or the entire psalm was actually prayed, the connections to Jesus throughout the psalm are crystal clear. Read Psalm 22:2-31. What hints to the life and death of Jesus do you find in this Psalm? (for help see Matthew 27:39, 27:43, 27:35.)

This psalm is almost biographical in terms of the life of Jesus! In verse 9 and 10 we see that even from the womb Jesus trusted in God. In verse 7 we are reminded of the mocking, beatings, and shame that Jesus took on our behalf. In verse 8 we are reminded that Jesus’ trust in His Father never wavered, even as He was mocked for His trust in the face of death. In verse 18 we see the casting of lots for clothing, just as lots were cast for Jesus’ clothing during His passion. There are many other correct observations that can be made!

7. Read Psalm 22:19-21. Where does the author of the psalm ultimately turn? Where did Jesus turn on the cross?

The psalmist turns to God. Even though his enemies are clearly powerful and triumphing over him, David trusts in the Lord for salvation! Similarly, Jesus never doubted or turned away from His heavenly Father, even as He died on the cross.

8. The Psalms provide us with words to respond to tragedy and loss, pain and heartbreak, but they also provide words of great joy! Do you find it easier to pray when things are going well or when things are going poorly?

Answers will vary. Oftentimes we cry out to God when things are going wrong but fail to come to Him when things are going well. The Psalms are brimming with joyous words about God, His creation, and His works!

Conclusion There is so much more that could be said about the Psalms! I hope you are ready to continue your journey in the Psalms! Try reading through the Gospels and marking every reference that is made to the Psalms! Or find a reading plan to read through all the Psalms in a year and stick to it with a partner! Jesus is front and center in the Psalms with His mercy, grace, salvation, and forgiveness for you!

Closing Pray Psalm 118 responsively.

© 2019 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2019

“5 Compelling Reasons to Check Out the Psalms” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY 1. Begin by reading Psalm 1 responsively.

2. Has anything ever happened that left you speechless? Share with the group if you are comfortable.

3. The Psalms are great for many reasons, but we are going to start with the fact that they give us words to speak when we don’t know what to say. Read Psalm 59:1-10. In what situation was this psalm written? How do you think David felt as this happened?

4. In what situation could we use Psalm 59?

5. The article mentioned that the Psalms are all about Jesus! Perhaps the best example is the 22nd Psalm. Read Psalm 22:1. Who originally wrote this psalm? Where else is this verse found in Scripture

6. While the only verse that the Gospel authors give us is the first verse, it is likely that Jesus prayed the entire Psalm as He hung on the cross. Whether one verse or the entire psalm was actually prayed, the connections to Jesus throughout the psalm are crystal clear. Read Psalm 22:2-31. What hints to the life and death of Jesus do you find in this Psalm? (for help see Matthew 27:39, 27:43, 27:35.)

7. Read Psalm 22:19-21. Where does the author of the psalm ultimately turn? Where did Jesus turn on the cross?

8. The Psalms provide us with words to respond to tragedy and loss, pain and heartbreak, but they also provide words of great joy! Do you find it easier to pray when things are going well or when things are going poorly?

Closing Pray Psalm 118 responsively

© 2019 Higher Things, Inc.

Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2019