Legalism is not measured by the quantity or quality of laws that one has, but by the attitude of the heart toward the Law, and by the way in which one uses the laws that he has.
One may be every bit as legalistic with one law, or a few, as with a great many rules and regulations.
But one may also have many laws and diligently keep them, and one may even make laws for others to follow, without being at all legalistic about it.
Legalism is a matter of striving to keep the Law, and of requiring others to keep the Law, as though by the Law to redeem and justify oneself. That is a false and misleading dream, we rightly sing. And where that lie prevails, it doesn't matter how many or how few the rules and regulations may be, nor how easy or difficult they are to follow; it is legalistic to insist upon the Law as the way and the means of salvation. Neither does it matter whether one is commanding or forbidding; if it is done as though to accomplish righteousness before God, it is legalistic.
But the Law of God is good and wise, and it is to be used lawfully. It reveals what is the good and acceptable will of God; and in doing that, it exposes sin and actually makes it worse, in order to begin the Lord's good work of repentance in the one He confronts and addresses. Law and order in the world are also among His good gifts of daily bread, for the preservation of human life, and ultimately for the free course of the Gospel and the protection of the Church on earth. Law and order in the Church are also meet, right and salutary, when they are used to serve the Ministry of the Gospel and the common confession of Christ. Here there is not legalism, but its opposite.
It is no more legalistic to say that there is a right and wrong way for the Gospel to be preached and the Sacraments to be administered, than it is to say that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Nor is it legalistic to say that, for the sake of clarity, consistency and the unity of a common confession, the Church on earth shall conduct herself according to certain standards; even if those standards are neither commanded nor forbidden by God, but are agreed upon in love, in the freedom of the Gospel. It is not legalistic, but precisely evangelical, to insist upon those standards. For the correct response to legalism is not the chaos of anything-goes, but an insistence upon the faithful preaching and administration of the Gospel. Love will require what is good and right on behalf of the neighbor; and love will refuse to allow what is harmful.
The anarchy which says that every man is free to do whatever seems right in his own eyes, is only a more perverse form of legalism. Then redemption and life are located in the self-chosen law of "to thine own self be true," and the solitary self becomes the sole standard and arbiter of righteousness. Better to be driven to do what a Christian ought to do, than to be cut loose from the godly discipline of the Church and left to one's own devices. Thankfully, it doesn't have to be either one of those extremes, but there is a more excellent way. That is to use the Law and all laws lawfully, not for the sake of self-justification, but for the sake of self-sacrificing love; because love, which is the fulfillment of the Law, does no harm to the neighbor but thinks more highly of others than of self. That is not the way of legalism, but of Christ.
28 October 2009
St. Simon and St. Jude, the Apostles
The fact that you have come to worship in the Lord’s House is no guarantee that you are walking in His Word. Your "worship" is no protection against the judgment of His Law. But if you would live, and not die, then do what He commands you.
Love one another. That is a summary of the Law; that, in love for the Lord your God, you love your neighbor as your own self, and serve your neighbor with your whole body and life.
What, then, should you do? Where do you begin, and how shall you proceed?
It is not a matter of your own choice, but of where the Lord has chosen to appoint you. Wherever He has called you to be, wherever He has stationed you, that is where you live and love. That is where you serve the "other" whom the Lord has set before you.
Do so according to His Word, that is, according to His commandments, which determine and define and describe what "love" is. In brief, though, do good and not evil. For love gives good things and does no harm to the neighbor.
Where you have done harm, make amends. Where you have failed to do good, now do it.
Mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God. Lest He bring misfortune and calamity upon you; lest He remove His Word from your midst.
It’s really a question of who your friends are. Not that you pick and choose the people you will love; nor that you show partiality or favoritism; but that you are either a friend of Christ Jesus, or a friend of the world.
Who do you love? Jesus, or the world?
Where do you look for life? In Christ Jesus, or the world?
If you are a friend of the world, you’ll perish with the world and all its wealth.
If you are a friend of Christ Jesus, then you will be hated by the world; you’ll be persecuted and perish with Christ Jesus. But so will you also rise and live with Him, and partake of His inheritance, imperishable in heaven.
Don’t suppose that you’ll play both sides against the middle; not without getting crushed in between the Rock and the hard place.
The other Jude (Iscariot) tried that and was lost. And the other Simon (Peter) was in danger of the same, denying his friendship with Jesus. But by the grace of God in that same Lord Jesus Christ, Simon Peter was called to repentance, and he was saved to bear much fruit.
You, then, where you have denied your Lord Jesus: Repent — and befriend Him, who has befriended you.
That is the key, dearly beloved of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has called you His friend, and He has surely become a best friend forever to you.
How so? First of all, by laying down His Life for you. Then also, by preaching His Word to you; and, with His voice, giving His Father to you. For hear how He has named you with His Name, which He has from the Father and shares with the Father forever.
Thus, when the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ raised Him from the dead, He caused you also to be born again, His child, to a new and living hope, unto life everlasting.
That is what is yours in Christ Jesus, by grace through faith in His Gospel. That is what has been given to you in Holy Baptism. And all of that is given to you by the preaching of His Word. Which is why we rejoice in the Holy Apostles of Christ Jesus, and why we remember with thanksgiving St. Simon and St. Jude (not Peter and Iscariot) on this day.
The Lord Jesus chose these men, who were lightly esteemed by the world and martyred for His Name, but befriended by and beloved of God.
Why did He choose them? For His own Love’s sake. For the Love of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit, He loved them, even unto death; and He loves the Church, including you, to whom He appointed them to preach.
As He has appointed you to love and serve your neighbor, so has He chosen and appointed St. Simon and St. Jude, and countless other pastors and teachers ever since, to love and serve you and His Church with His Word. And wherever the Seed of His Word is thus sown, there He bears much fruit, which remains even to this day.
The fruit of His Word is the fruit of the Cross, and so it is borne in suffering, great distress and martyrdom. St. Simon and St. Jude are remembered together, because they are said to have suffered and died together in Persia. You also bear the Cross because of Jesus’ Name.
But you, like the Holy Apostles (for you are no less beloved than they), are protected by the Word of Christ through faith in His Resurrection from the dead.
Though you cannot see Him, nor yet feel and experience His Resurrection in your mortal flesh, you love and trust in Him, and hope in His flesh and blood; because He has chosen and befriended you. He loves you, and He strengthens you, chiefly by forgiving you all your sins, and by giving you His own eternal life: His beautiful, indestructable life.
His Body was made desolate upon the Cross; He became a curse, like Shiloh and Jerusalem; He was destroyed like the once great Temple. But in His Resurrection from the dead, the Lord your God has established His House on earth.
The Lord’s House is found wherever the Word of Christ the Crucified is preached; wherever Holy Baptism is administered in His Name; wherever His Body and His Blood are given and poured out in remembrance of Him.
Not only that, but, as your dear Lord Jesus feeds you with the fruits of His Cross on the one hand, it is also the case that His Resurrection and Ascension, His own crucified and risen Body and His holy, precious Blood, ARE your true and salutary worship of the living God.
In Him, you and your prayer and thanksgiving are received unto your Father in heaven, and you are saved in the great company of the Apostles, Prophets, martyrs and all saints forever.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Love one another. That is a summary of the Law; that, in love for the Lord your God, you love your neighbor as your own self, and serve your neighbor with your whole body and life.
What, then, should you do? Where do you begin, and how shall you proceed?
It is not a matter of your own choice, but of where the Lord has chosen to appoint you. Wherever He has called you to be, wherever He has stationed you, that is where you live and love. That is where you serve the "other" whom the Lord has set before you.
Do so according to His Word, that is, according to His commandments, which determine and define and describe what "love" is. In brief, though, do good and not evil. For love gives good things and does no harm to the neighbor.
Where you have done harm, make amends. Where you have failed to do good, now do it.
Mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God. Lest He bring misfortune and calamity upon you; lest He remove His Word from your midst.
It’s really a question of who your friends are. Not that you pick and choose the people you will love; nor that you show partiality or favoritism; but that you are either a friend of Christ Jesus, or a friend of the world.
Who do you love? Jesus, or the world?
Where do you look for life? In Christ Jesus, or the world?
If you are a friend of the world, you’ll perish with the world and all its wealth.
If you are a friend of Christ Jesus, then you will be hated by the world; you’ll be persecuted and perish with Christ Jesus. But so will you also rise and live with Him, and partake of His inheritance, imperishable in heaven.
Don’t suppose that you’ll play both sides against the middle; not without getting crushed in between the Rock and the hard place.
The other Jude (Iscariot) tried that and was lost. And the other Simon (Peter) was in danger of the same, denying his friendship with Jesus. But by the grace of God in that same Lord Jesus Christ, Simon Peter was called to repentance, and he was saved to bear much fruit.
You, then, where you have denied your Lord Jesus: Repent — and befriend Him, who has befriended you.
That is the key, dearly beloved of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has called you His friend, and He has surely become a best friend forever to you.
How so? First of all, by laying down His Life for you. Then also, by preaching His Word to you; and, with His voice, giving His Father to you. For hear how He has named you with His Name, which He has from the Father and shares with the Father forever.
Thus, when the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ raised Him from the dead, He caused you also to be born again, His child, to a new and living hope, unto life everlasting.
That is what is yours in Christ Jesus, by grace through faith in His Gospel. That is what has been given to you in Holy Baptism. And all of that is given to you by the preaching of His Word. Which is why we rejoice in the Holy Apostles of Christ Jesus, and why we remember with thanksgiving St. Simon and St. Jude (not Peter and Iscariot) on this day.
The Lord Jesus chose these men, who were lightly esteemed by the world and martyred for His Name, but befriended by and beloved of God.
Why did He choose them? For His own Love’s sake. For the Love of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit, He loved them, even unto death; and He loves the Church, including you, to whom He appointed them to preach.
As He has appointed you to love and serve your neighbor, so has He chosen and appointed St. Simon and St. Jude, and countless other pastors and teachers ever since, to love and serve you and His Church with His Word. And wherever the Seed of His Word is thus sown, there He bears much fruit, which remains even to this day.
The fruit of His Word is the fruit of the Cross, and so it is borne in suffering, great distress and martyrdom. St. Simon and St. Jude are remembered together, because they are said to have suffered and died together in Persia. You also bear the Cross because of Jesus’ Name.
But you, like the Holy Apostles (for you are no less beloved than they), are protected by the Word of Christ through faith in His Resurrection from the dead.
Though you cannot see Him, nor yet feel and experience His Resurrection in your mortal flesh, you love and trust in Him, and hope in His flesh and blood; because He has chosen and befriended you. He loves you, and He strengthens you, chiefly by forgiving you all your sins, and by giving you His own eternal life: His beautiful, indestructable life.
His Body was made desolate upon the Cross; He became a curse, like Shiloh and Jerusalem; He was destroyed like the once great Temple. But in His Resurrection from the dead, the Lord your God has established His House on earth.
The Lord’s House is found wherever the Word of Christ the Crucified is preached; wherever Holy Baptism is administered in His Name; wherever His Body and His Blood are given and poured out in remembrance of Him.
Not only that, but, as your dear Lord Jesus feeds you with the fruits of His Cross on the one hand, it is also the case that His Resurrection and Ascension, His own crucified and risen Body and His holy, precious Blood, ARE your true and salutary worship of the living God.
In Him, you and your prayer and thanksgiving are received unto your Father in heaven, and you are saved in the great company of the Apostles, Prophets, martyrs and all saints forever.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
21 October 2009
Hymns for Advent 1-4 Series C
First Sunday in Advent
Jeremiah 33:14–16
1 Thessalonians 3:9–13
Luke 19:28–40
Hymn of Invocation
The advent of our King (LSB 331)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Once He came in blessing (LSB 333)
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates (LSB 340)
Jerusalem, O city fair and high (LSB 674)
Hymn of Departure
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Alternative Hymns
Come, Thou precious Ransom, come (LSB 350)
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding (LSB 345)
Hark the glad sound (LSB 349)
In God, my faithful God (LSB 745)
Jerusalem, my happy home (LSB 673)
Jerusalem the golden (LSB 672)
Lift up your heads, you everlasting doors (LSB 339)
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359)
O bride of Christ, rejoice (LSB 335)
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
O God, my faithful God (LSB 696)
O Jesus, King most wonderful (LSB 554)
O rejoice, ye Christians, loudly (LSB 897)
Prepare the royal highway (LSB 343)
Rejoice, rejoice, believers (LSB 515)
The night will soon be ending (LSB 337)
This is the day the Lord has made (LSB 903)
Wake, awake, for night is flying (LSB 516)
Where charity and love prevail (LSB 845)
Second Sunday in Advent
Malachi 3:1–7b
Philippians 1:2–11
Luke 3:1–14 (15–20)
Hymn of Invocation
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
Hymn of the Day
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry (LSB 344)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
When all the world was cursed (LSB 346) (Catechetical)
Sing praise to the God of Israel (LSB 936)
Comfort, comfort ye My people (LSB 347)
Hark the glad sound (LSB 349)
Hymn of Departure
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Alternative Hymns
A multitude comes from the east and the west (LSB 510)
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Come, Thou bright and Morning Star (LSB 872)
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
Father, we praise Thee (LSB 875)
God’s own child, I gladly say it (LSB 594)
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding (LSB 345)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359)
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Once He came in blessing (LSB 333)
Rejoice, rejoice, believers (LSB 515)
The advent of our King (LSB 331)
The Bridegroom soon will call us (LSB 514)
The day is surely drawing near (LSB 508)
The night will soon be ending (LSB 337)
Third Sunday in Advent
Zephaniah 3:14–20
Philippians 4:4–7
Luke 7:18–28 (29–35)
Hymn of Invocation
Once He came in blessing (LSB 333)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding (LSB 345)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Soul, adorn yourself with gladness (LSB 636)
Rejoice, my heart, be glad and sing (LSB 737)
Hymn of Departure
Rejoice, rejoice, believers (LSB 515)
Alternative Hymns
All my heart again rejoices (LSB 360)
Come, your hearts and voices raising (LSB 375)
Comfort, comfort ye My people (LSB 347)
Entrust your days and burdens (LSB 754)
Hark the glad sound (LSB 349)
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
In Thee is gladness (LSB 818)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Now that the daylight fills the sky (LSB 870)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
Oh, that I had a thousand voices (LSB 811)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Praise the One who breaks the darkness (LSB 849)
The advent of our King (LSB 331)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
When all the world was cursed (LSB 346)
Why should cross and trial grieve me (LSB 756)
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Micah 5:2–5a
Hebrews 10:5–10
Luke 1:39–45 (46–56)
Hymn of Invocation
The angel Gabriel from heaven came (LSB 356)
Hymn of the Day
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359) (Catechetical)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Hymn of Departure
Lo! He comes with clouds descending (LSB 336)
Alternative Hymns
Come, Thou precious Ransom, come (LSB 350)
Hail to the Lord’s anointed (LSB 398)
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding (LSB 345)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Let the earth now praise the Lord (LSB 352)
My soul now magnifies the Lord (LSB 934)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
My soul rejoices (LSB 933)
O God of God, O Light of Light (LSB 810)
O little town of Bethlehem (LSB 361)
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Of the Father’s love begotten (LSB 384)
Once He came in blessing (LSB 333)
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
The night will soon be ending (LSB 337)
The only Son from heaven (LSB 402)
When all the world was cursed (LSB 346)
Ye watchers and ye holy ones (LSB 670)
Jeremiah 33:14–16
1 Thessalonians 3:9–13
Luke 19:28–40
Hymn of Invocation
The advent of our King (LSB 331)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Once He came in blessing (LSB 333)
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates (LSB 340)
Jerusalem, O city fair and high (LSB 674)
Hymn of Departure
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Alternative Hymns
Come, Thou precious Ransom, come (LSB 350)
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding (LSB 345)
Hark the glad sound (LSB 349)
In God, my faithful God (LSB 745)
Jerusalem, my happy home (LSB 673)
Jerusalem the golden (LSB 672)
Lift up your heads, you everlasting doors (LSB 339)
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359)
O bride of Christ, rejoice (LSB 335)
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
O God, my faithful God (LSB 696)
O Jesus, King most wonderful (LSB 554)
O rejoice, ye Christians, loudly (LSB 897)
Prepare the royal highway (LSB 343)
Rejoice, rejoice, believers (LSB 515)
The night will soon be ending (LSB 337)
This is the day the Lord has made (LSB 903)
Wake, awake, for night is flying (LSB 516)
Where charity and love prevail (LSB 845)
Second Sunday in Advent
Malachi 3:1–7b
Philippians 1:2–11
Luke 3:1–14 (15–20)
Hymn of Invocation
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
Hymn of the Day
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry (LSB 344)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
When all the world was cursed (LSB 346) (Catechetical)
Sing praise to the God of Israel (LSB 936)
Comfort, comfort ye My people (LSB 347)
Hark the glad sound (LSB 349)
Hymn of Departure
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Alternative Hymns
A multitude comes from the east and the west (LSB 510)
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Come, Thou bright and Morning Star (LSB 872)
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
Father, we praise Thee (LSB 875)
God’s own child, I gladly say it (LSB 594)
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding (LSB 345)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359)
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Once He came in blessing (LSB 333)
Rejoice, rejoice, believers (LSB 515)
The advent of our King (LSB 331)
The Bridegroom soon will call us (LSB 514)
The day is surely drawing near (LSB 508)
The night will soon be ending (LSB 337)
Third Sunday in Advent
Zephaniah 3:14–20
Philippians 4:4–7
Luke 7:18–28 (29–35)
Hymn of Invocation
Once He came in blessing (LSB 333)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding (LSB 345)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Soul, adorn yourself with gladness (LSB 636)
Rejoice, my heart, be glad and sing (LSB 737)
Hymn of Departure
Rejoice, rejoice, believers (LSB 515)
Alternative Hymns
All my heart again rejoices (LSB 360)
Come, your hearts and voices raising (LSB 375)
Comfort, comfort ye My people (LSB 347)
Entrust your days and burdens (LSB 754)
Hark the glad sound (LSB 349)
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
In Thee is gladness (LSB 818)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Now that the daylight fills the sky (LSB 870)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
Oh, that I had a thousand voices (LSB 811)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Praise the One who breaks the darkness (LSB 849)
The advent of our King (LSB 331)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
When all the world was cursed (LSB 346)
Why should cross and trial grieve me (LSB 756)
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Micah 5:2–5a
Hebrews 10:5–10
Luke 1:39–45 (46–56)
Hymn of Invocation
The angel Gabriel from heaven came (LSB 356)
Hymn of the Day
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
I will sing my Maker’s praises (LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359) (Catechetical)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Hymn of Departure
Lo! He comes with clouds descending (LSB 336)
Alternative Hymns
Come, Thou precious Ransom, come (LSB 350)
Hail to the Lord’s anointed (LSB 398)
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding (LSB 345)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Let the earth now praise the Lord (LSB 352)
My soul now magnifies the Lord (LSB 934)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
My soul rejoices (LSB 933)
O God of God, O Light of Light (LSB 810)
O little town of Bethlehem (LSB 361)
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Of the Father’s love begotten (LSB 384)
Once He came in blessing (LSB 333)
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
The night will soon be ending (LSB 337)
The only Son from heaven (LSB 402)
When all the world was cursed (LSB 346)
Ye watchers and ye holy ones (LSB 670)
20 October 2009
Hymns for Proper 26-29 Series B
The Sunday of All Saints
Proper 26 (Sunday on October 30—November 5)
Deuteronomy 6:1–9
Hebrews 9:11–14 (15–22)
Mark 12:28–37
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
O God of mercy, God of might (LSB 852)
Behold a host, arrayed in white (LSB 676)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
A mighty fortress is our God (LSB 656)
Alternative Hymns
All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name (LSB 549)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Before the throne of God above (LSB 574)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing (LSB 686)
Hail to the Lord’s anointed (LSB 398)
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness (LSB 563)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Lord, help us ever to retain (LSB 865)
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
O Jesus, King most wonderful (LSB 554)
Oh, what their joy and their glory must be (LSB 675)
Rock of ages, cleft for me (LSB 761)
Since our great High Priest, Christ Jesus (LSB 529)
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
The infant priest was holy born (LSB 624)
Thee will I love, my strength, my tower (LSB 694)
Water, blood, and Spirit crying (LSB 597)
The Third-Last Sunday Before Advent
Proper 27 (Sunday on November 6–12)
1 Kings 17:8–16
Hebrews 9:24–28
Mark 12:38–44
Hymn of Invocation
Evening and morning (LSB 726)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
Preserve Your Word, O Savior (LSB 658)
Lord of all hopefulness (LSB 738)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Hymn of Departure
Who trusts in God a strong abode (LSB 714)
Alternative Hymns
All depends on our possessing (LSB 732)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Consider how the birds above (LSB 736)
For all the saints who from their labors rest (LSB 677)
For the fruits of His creation (LSB 894)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
How can I thank You, Lord (LSB 703)
How firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord (LSB 728)
If God Himself be for me (LSB 724)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Let me be Thine forever (LSB 689)
Lord, enthroned in heav’nly splendor (LSB 534)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
Open now thy gates of beauty (LSB 901)
Since our great High Priest, Christ Jesus (LSB 529)
Take my life and let it be (LSB 783)
The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want (LSB 710)
The Second-Last Sunday Before Advent
Proper 28 (Sunday on November 13–19)
Daniel 12:1–3
Hebrews 10:11–25
Mark 13:1–13
Hymn of Invocation / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
Hymn of the Day
The day is surely drawing near (LSB 508)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
In the very midst of life (LSB 755)
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
For all the saints who from their labors rest (LSB 677)
Hymn of Departure
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
Alternative Hymns
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Christ, the Lord of hosts, unshaken (LSB 521)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
I walk in danger all the way (LSB 716)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Jerusalem, my happy home (LSB 673)
Jerusalem, O city fair and high (LSB 674)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
Lo! He comes with clouds descending (LSB 336)
Lord God, to Thee we give all praise (LSB 522)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Rejoice, rejoice, believers (LSB 515)
Stars of the morning, so gloriously bright (LSB 520)
The Bridegroom soon will call us (LSB 514)
The clouds of judgment gather (LSB 513)
The night will soon be ending (LSB 337)
Wake, awake, for night is flying (LSB 516)
Who trusts in God a strong abode (LSB 714)
The Last Sunday Before Advent
Proper 29 (Sunday on November 20–26)
Isaiah 51:4–6
Jude 20–25
Mark 13:24–37
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Lo! He comes with clouds descending (LSB 336)
Offertory Hymn
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Wake, awake, for night is flying (LSB 516)
The clouds of judgment gather (LSB 513)
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
O Morning Star, how fair and bright (LSB 395)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Alternative Hymns
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
Christ is the world’s Redeemer (LSB 539)
Come, ye thankful people, come (LSB 892)
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
For all the saints who from their labors rest (LSB 677)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious (LSB 495)
Lord, enthroned in heav’nly splendor (LSB 534)
O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing (LSB 836)
O Jesus, King most wonderful (LSB 554)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Praise be to Christ in whom we see (LSB 538)
Preserve Your Word, O Savior (LSB 658)
Rise! To arms! With prayer employ you (LSB 668)
Rise, my soul, to watch and pray (LSB 663)
The day is surely drawing near (LSB 508)
The Head that once was crowned with thorns (LSB 532)
The only Son from heaven (LSB 402)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
Proper 26 (Sunday on October 30—November 5)
Deuteronomy 6:1–9
Hebrews 9:11–14 (15–22)
Mark 12:28–37
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
O God of mercy, God of might (LSB 852)
Behold a host, arrayed in white (LSB 676)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
A mighty fortress is our God (LSB 656)
Alternative Hymns
All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name (LSB 549)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Before the throne of God above (LSB 574)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing (LSB 686)
Hail to the Lord’s anointed (LSB 398)
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness (LSB 563)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Lord, help us ever to retain (LSB 865)
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
O Jesus, King most wonderful (LSB 554)
Oh, what their joy and their glory must be (LSB 675)
Rock of ages, cleft for me (LSB 761)
Since our great High Priest, Christ Jesus (LSB 529)
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
The infant priest was holy born (LSB 624)
Thee will I love, my strength, my tower (LSB 694)
Water, blood, and Spirit crying (LSB 597)
The Third-Last Sunday Before Advent
Proper 27 (Sunday on November 6–12)
1 Kings 17:8–16
Hebrews 9:24–28
Mark 12:38–44
Hymn of Invocation
Evening and morning (LSB 726)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O Lord, how shall I meet You (LSB 334)
Preserve Your Word, O Savior (LSB 658)
Lord of all hopefulness (LSB 738)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Hymn of Departure
Who trusts in God a strong abode (LSB 714)
Alternative Hymns
All depends on our possessing (LSB 732)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Consider how the birds above (LSB 736)
For all the saints who from their labors rest (LSB 677)
For the fruits of His creation (LSB 894)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
How can I thank You, Lord (LSB 703)
How firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord (LSB 728)
If God Himself be for me (LSB 724)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Let me be Thine forever (LSB 689)
Lord, enthroned in heav’nly splendor (LSB 534)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
Open now thy gates of beauty (LSB 901)
Since our great High Priest, Christ Jesus (LSB 529)
Take my life and let it be (LSB 783)
The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want (LSB 710)
The Second-Last Sunday Before Advent
Proper 28 (Sunday on November 13–19)
Daniel 12:1–3
Hebrews 10:11–25
Mark 13:1–13
Hymn of Invocation / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
Hymn of the Day
The day is surely drawing near (LSB 508)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
In the very midst of life (LSB 755)
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
For all the saints who from their labors rest (LSB 677)
Hymn of Departure
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
Alternative Hymns
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Christ, the Lord of hosts, unshaken (LSB 521)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
I walk in danger all the way (LSB 716)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Jerusalem, my happy home (LSB 673)
Jerusalem, O city fair and high (LSB 674)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
Lo! He comes with clouds descending (LSB 336)
Lord God, to Thee we give all praise (LSB 522)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Rejoice, rejoice, believers (LSB 515)
Stars of the morning, so gloriously bright (LSB 520)
The Bridegroom soon will call us (LSB 514)
The clouds of judgment gather (LSB 513)
The night will soon be ending (LSB 337)
Wake, awake, for night is flying (LSB 516)
Who trusts in God a strong abode (LSB 714)
The Last Sunday Before Advent
Proper 29 (Sunday on November 20–26)
Isaiah 51:4–6
Jude 20–25
Mark 13:24–37
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Lo! He comes with clouds descending (LSB 336)
Offertory Hymn
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Wake, awake, for night is flying (LSB 516)
The clouds of judgment gather (LSB 513)
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
O Morning Star, how fair and bright (LSB 395)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Alternative Hymns
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
Christ is the world’s Redeemer (LSB 539)
Come, ye thankful people, come (LSB 892)
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
For all the saints who from their labors rest (LSB 677)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious (LSB 495)
Lord, enthroned in heav’nly splendor (LSB 534)
O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing (LSB 836)
O Jesus, King most wonderful (LSB 554)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide (LSB 355)
Praise be to Christ in whom we see (LSB 538)
Preserve Your Word, O Savior (LSB 658)
Rise! To arms! With prayer employ you (LSB 668)
Rise, my soul, to watch and pray (LSB 663)
The day is surely drawing near (LSB 508)
The Head that once was crowned with thorns (LSB 532)
The only Son from heaven (LSB 402)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
03 October 2009
The Marriage and Family of God
You cannot know what it is or what it means to be a man, woman or child, apart from Christ Jesus and His Church. Nor can you comprehend the significance of marriage and family, except by way of Christ and His Bride, the Church. For man is made in the Image of God, which is to say, in Christ Jesus; and marriage and family belong to that divine Image.
From the beginning of creation, God created man, male and female, to live in communion with Himself, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and to live in loving communion with one another within one Body and Bride of Christ Jesus, the beloved Son. That is the point and purpose and significance of holy marriage; and that is the higher purpose and ultimate reality to which even marriage and family are subordinate.
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who attempt to build their own. And yet there remains a larger household and family to which the Bride of Christ and all the sons of God in Christ belong; not only here in time, but hereafter in eternity.
The intimacy of male and female within the lifelong union of husband and wife, is an icon, a confession, and a testimony of the divine, eternal unity of the Holy Triune God, and of the loving intimacy and holy communion of Christ Jesus and His Bride, the Church.
Consequently, fornication on the one hand (sexual intimacy outside of marriage), and divorce on the other hand (the breaking of the marriage bond), and all other forms of adultery, are false confessions of a false Christ, which contradict the Gospel.
Within marriage, the children God may give to husband and wife not only point to the fruitfulness of Christ’s Church in conceiving, bearing, giving birth to and nurturing the children of God; but children who are born to Christian parents and brought to Christ in His Church (through Holy Baptism and the catechesis of His Word) belong precisely to that fruitfulness.
To avoid or reject children, on the other hand, is to reject the Kingdom of God in Christ.
But here we do not speak of any competition or supposed merit in attempting to maximize the number of children anyone has. It is rather to speak of faith and love, by which you look to God for all good things, trust in Him in every circumstance, and receive from His hand whatever He may give you; and by which you live graciously and generously toward your neighbors, beginning with your own family and household.
It is in this way that Christian families are called to live, because it is in this way that God the Father gives life to the household and family of His Church, in Christ; and it is the way that Christ Jesus lives for His Bride and gives His life to and for the children of God.
Thus, husbands are called to sacrifice themselves in order to give life to their wives. And wives are called to trust Christ in their husbands, to receive life from Him through them, and so to bear in faith and love the children that God the Father gives.
And fathers and mothers together bring their children to Christ in His Church, and to God the Father in heaven, understanding that children are created and born for life with God, both now and forever. Withholding them from Christ and His Church, in order to make a life for them in this world instead, would be a grave offense and a serious stumbling block.
But so it is, with our children, as they grow up and leave our homes to establish households of their own, that we are reminded of what remains true for each and all of us: Here we have no permanent home, but we are strangers and aliens on earth, sojourners in a foreign land, on our way to our eternal dwelling in the city of God.
Hence, our children do not remain with us forever; and even the sacred institution of holy marriage is not eternal, but only as permanent as our temporal life on earth. In heaven we are neither married nor given in marriage, but, like the holy angels, our whole delight shall forever be in the one true God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In truth, there is finally and forever one God and Father, one heavenly Bridegroom, one holy Bride, adorned and radiant with His Holy Spirit and His Righteousness. But there are and remain many sons and daughters of God, many brothers and sisters of our one Lord, Jesus Christ. So it is that marriage and family and every other human relationship is taken up into the unity of the Spirit and the bond of Peace in the holy communion of one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all.
Already now, that divine fellowship is a present reality within the one, holy, catholic and Apostolic Church; even here on earth, though we cannot see the perfect unity of the Church except by faith in Christ, our Husband and Head. We do not yet experience the loving unity of the household and family of God, because we do not care for one another as we should.
All manner of things intrude upon the Church and interfere with her unity in Christ Jesus. Envy and jealousy and a spirit of competition, even among His disciples. Hardness of heart, even among the people of God. Sin and death. Frailty and finitude. The burdens and obligations of mortal life in a fallen world.
Give thanks to God, and Christ be praised, that marriage and family, husbands and wives, parents and children, all point beyond themselves to something more, to something even more blessed, to something divine, eternal and holy.
For that very reason, and also for the sake of the Church on earth, God has not called everyone to be a spouse or a parent, but He establishes other vocations and stations in life, which serve His household and family here and now, while also pointing beyond themselves to His heavenly Kingdom in their own proper fashion.
Perhaps it is to such a vocation that God has called you, or will call you. Discerning your place in life is largely a matter of listening to your parents and other authorities, whom God has placed over you. So, if you are a child or a young person, talk to your father and mother, and to your pastors and teachers, about the path that you should pursue. Even if you are an adult, do not despise or disregard the counsel and guidance of your parents, but talk to them and listen to them, as well as to your pastors and teachers, your peers and colleagues. All of this belongs to living in the Kingdom of God like a little child, that is, by faith in His Word.
If you are not married or given in marriage, be patient and proceed in faith, but also consider and discuss whether you may be given the vocation of celibacy. That is to say, perhaps you are given to live the heavenly life already here on earth, devoted to the service of Christ and His Church, and to your neighbors in the world, in purity and chastity, faithfulness and love.
Likewise, if you have been widowed, perhaps there is then an opportunity for you to serve the household and family of God in ways that you would otherwise not have been able to do.
In these circumstances, whether as unmarried or widowed, you are able to live unto your heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, in the service of His Bride, the Church; whether you are male or female, young or old, rich or poor. You thereby anticipate the consummation of all things in the Resurrection of the faithful departed to the life everlasting.
Similarly, if the Lord has not granted you the blessing of your own children, or if your children are already grown and out of your home, you have the opportunity to receive and care for the children of God within the household and family of His Church.
Especially by those Christians who are unencumbered by the responsibilities of their own marriage and family, the Church is able to care for orphans and widows in their distress, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, and to visit the sick and imprisoned, the lonely and forsaken.
Whether married or unmarried, and with or without children, you are called to live by faith toward God and in love for your neighbor. You are called to live as belonging to the Bride of Christ, and as a child of the heavenly Father, whether within or without a family on earth.
You are called to repent of your sins, and to live by faith in the forgiveness of your Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, if you have been lazy or unfaithful in your marriage; if you have committed adultery or gotten divorced, repent of your sins, and be joined to Christ, who cleaves to you in love and does not cast you off or send you away.
And if you have refused to receive the little children in His Name and for His sake — even if you have put them to death by abortion — or if you have neglected the children God has given you, repent of your sins and return to the waters of your Baptism. Be drowned and die in the depths of that great sea, and be born again as a little child of God.
Have you heard how Jesus takes them in His arms and blesses them? So He does for you. His hands are stretched out to you here at His Altar, in love, to receive you to Himself like a little child. It does not matter how old you are, how big or small you are, how smart you are, whether you are a boy or a girl, a man or a woman.
The Kingdom of God belongs to such as you, because it belongs to Christ Jesus, who gives Himself entirely for you.
So has He cleansed you and sanctified you by the washing of water with His Word in Holy Baptism. He has clothed you in His righteousness and holiness, His innocence and blessedness, without any spot or wrinkle or blemish or flaw. Beautiful, that is what you are. And you are His, and He is yours forever. He has given you His Name, and He will never leave you nor forsake you. His God and Father is now your God and Father.
Do not shy away from this, that you are now one flesh with Him: bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh, blood of His blood, and a member of His own Body and Bride. For God the Father has caused Him to sleep the sleep of death upon the Cross, and from His wounded side, by the water and the blood, the Lord your God has recreated you to be His companion. The Father walks you down the aisle in this new Garden of Eden, and gives you to this Groom, the most handsome of men, to be His very own.
Dearly beloved, here He receives you to Himself, to have and to hold unto eternal life. With His own wounded hands, and by the bloody sweat of His brow, He has built you a house that shall remain. His labor has not been in vain, but He shelters you with His good work and His perfect righteousness. Whatever hardness of heart you have harbored, He has opened to you and given to you His own beating heart of flesh and blood. In this there is the love of God the Father, which is from the beginning to the end, even from everlasting to everlasting.
Even death shall have no power to part you from Him, for He has tasted death for you and for all, and He has been vindicated, raised from the dead, and exalted high above the highest heavens, to the right hand of God the Father, forever and ever.
If you shall be like the angels in heaven, neither married nor given in marriage, but wholly devoted to Christ; nevertheless, in Him, in His flesh and blood, you are crowned with glory and honor exceeding that of all the angels. For He is not the Savior and Bridegroom of angels, but He is your Savior and your Bridegroom; here in time, and hereafter in eternity.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
From the beginning of creation, God created man, male and female, to live in communion with Himself, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and to live in loving communion with one another within one Body and Bride of Christ Jesus, the beloved Son. That is the point and purpose and significance of holy marriage; and that is the higher purpose and ultimate reality to which even marriage and family are subordinate.
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who attempt to build their own. And yet there remains a larger household and family to which the Bride of Christ and all the sons of God in Christ belong; not only here in time, but hereafter in eternity.
The intimacy of male and female within the lifelong union of husband and wife, is an icon, a confession, and a testimony of the divine, eternal unity of the Holy Triune God, and of the loving intimacy and holy communion of Christ Jesus and His Bride, the Church.
Consequently, fornication on the one hand (sexual intimacy outside of marriage), and divorce on the other hand (the breaking of the marriage bond), and all other forms of adultery, are false confessions of a false Christ, which contradict the Gospel.
Within marriage, the children God may give to husband and wife not only point to the fruitfulness of Christ’s Church in conceiving, bearing, giving birth to and nurturing the children of God; but children who are born to Christian parents and brought to Christ in His Church (through Holy Baptism and the catechesis of His Word) belong precisely to that fruitfulness.
To avoid or reject children, on the other hand, is to reject the Kingdom of God in Christ.
But here we do not speak of any competition or supposed merit in attempting to maximize the number of children anyone has. It is rather to speak of faith and love, by which you look to God for all good things, trust in Him in every circumstance, and receive from His hand whatever He may give you; and by which you live graciously and generously toward your neighbors, beginning with your own family and household.
It is in this way that Christian families are called to live, because it is in this way that God the Father gives life to the household and family of His Church, in Christ; and it is the way that Christ Jesus lives for His Bride and gives His life to and for the children of God.
Thus, husbands are called to sacrifice themselves in order to give life to their wives. And wives are called to trust Christ in their husbands, to receive life from Him through them, and so to bear in faith and love the children that God the Father gives.
And fathers and mothers together bring their children to Christ in His Church, and to God the Father in heaven, understanding that children are created and born for life with God, both now and forever. Withholding them from Christ and His Church, in order to make a life for them in this world instead, would be a grave offense and a serious stumbling block.
But so it is, with our children, as they grow up and leave our homes to establish households of their own, that we are reminded of what remains true for each and all of us: Here we have no permanent home, but we are strangers and aliens on earth, sojourners in a foreign land, on our way to our eternal dwelling in the city of God.
Hence, our children do not remain with us forever; and even the sacred institution of holy marriage is not eternal, but only as permanent as our temporal life on earth. In heaven we are neither married nor given in marriage, but, like the holy angels, our whole delight shall forever be in the one true God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In truth, there is finally and forever one God and Father, one heavenly Bridegroom, one holy Bride, adorned and radiant with His Holy Spirit and His Righteousness. But there are and remain many sons and daughters of God, many brothers and sisters of our one Lord, Jesus Christ. So it is that marriage and family and every other human relationship is taken up into the unity of the Spirit and the bond of Peace in the holy communion of one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all.
Already now, that divine fellowship is a present reality within the one, holy, catholic and Apostolic Church; even here on earth, though we cannot see the perfect unity of the Church except by faith in Christ, our Husband and Head. We do not yet experience the loving unity of the household and family of God, because we do not care for one another as we should.
All manner of things intrude upon the Church and interfere with her unity in Christ Jesus. Envy and jealousy and a spirit of competition, even among His disciples. Hardness of heart, even among the people of God. Sin and death. Frailty and finitude. The burdens and obligations of mortal life in a fallen world.
Give thanks to God, and Christ be praised, that marriage and family, husbands and wives, parents and children, all point beyond themselves to something more, to something even more blessed, to something divine, eternal and holy.
For that very reason, and also for the sake of the Church on earth, God has not called everyone to be a spouse or a parent, but He establishes other vocations and stations in life, which serve His household and family here and now, while also pointing beyond themselves to His heavenly Kingdom in their own proper fashion.
Perhaps it is to such a vocation that God has called you, or will call you. Discerning your place in life is largely a matter of listening to your parents and other authorities, whom God has placed over you. So, if you are a child or a young person, talk to your father and mother, and to your pastors and teachers, about the path that you should pursue. Even if you are an adult, do not despise or disregard the counsel and guidance of your parents, but talk to them and listen to them, as well as to your pastors and teachers, your peers and colleagues. All of this belongs to living in the Kingdom of God like a little child, that is, by faith in His Word.
If you are not married or given in marriage, be patient and proceed in faith, but also consider and discuss whether you may be given the vocation of celibacy. That is to say, perhaps you are given to live the heavenly life already here on earth, devoted to the service of Christ and His Church, and to your neighbors in the world, in purity and chastity, faithfulness and love.
Likewise, if you have been widowed, perhaps there is then an opportunity for you to serve the household and family of God in ways that you would otherwise not have been able to do.
In these circumstances, whether as unmarried or widowed, you are able to live unto your heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, in the service of His Bride, the Church; whether you are male or female, young or old, rich or poor. You thereby anticipate the consummation of all things in the Resurrection of the faithful departed to the life everlasting.
Similarly, if the Lord has not granted you the blessing of your own children, or if your children are already grown and out of your home, you have the opportunity to receive and care for the children of God within the household and family of His Church.
Especially by those Christians who are unencumbered by the responsibilities of their own marriage and family, the Church is able to care for orphans and widows in their distress, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, and to visit the sick and imprisoned, the lonely and forsaken.
Whether married or unmarried, and with or without children, you are called to live by faith toward God and in love for your neighbor. You are called to live as belonging to the Bride of Christ, and as a child of the heavenly Father, whether within or without a family on earth.
You are called to repent of your sins, and to live by faith in the forgiveness of your Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, if you have been lazy or unfaithful in your marriage; if you have committed adultery or gotten divorced, repent of your sins, and be joined to Christ, who cleaves to you in love and does not cast you off or send you away.
And if you have refused to receive the little children in His Name and for His sake — even if you have put them to death by abortion — or if you have neglected the children God has given you, repent of your sins and return to the waters of your Baptism. Be drowned and die in the depths of that great sea, and be born again as a little child of God.
Have you heard how Jesus takes them in His arms and blesses them? So He does for you. His hands are stretched out to you here at His Altar, in love, to receive you to Himself like a little child. It does not matter how old you are, how big or small you are, how smart you are, whether you are a boy or a girl, a man or a woman.
The Kingdom of God belongs to such as you, because it belongs to Christ Jesus, who gives Himself entirely for you.
So has He cleansed you and sanctified you by the washing of water with His Word in Holy Baptism. He has clothed you in His righteousness and holiness, His innocence and blessedness, without any spot or wrinkle or blemish or flaw. Beautiful, that is what you are. And you are His, and He is yours forever. He has given you His Name, and He will never leave you nor forsake you. His God and Father is now your God and Father.
Do not shy away from this, that you are now one flesh with Him: bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh, blood of His blood, and a member of His own Body and Bride. For God the Father has caused Him to sleep the sleep of death upon the Cross, and from His wounded side, by the water and the blood, the Lord your God has recreated you to be His companion. The Father walks you down the aisle in this new Garden of Eden, and gives you to this Groom, the most handsome of men, to be His very own.
Dearly beloved, here He receives you to Himself, to have and to hold unto eternal life. With His own wounded hands, and by the bloody sweat of His brow, He has built you a house that shall remain. His labor has not been in vain, but He shelters you with His good work and His perfect righteousness. Whatever hardness of heart you have harbored, He has opened to you and given to you His own beating heart of flesh and blood. In this there is the love of God the Father, which is from the beginning to the end, even from everlasting to everlasting.
Even death shall have no power to part you from Him, for He has tasted death for you and for all, and He has been vindicated, raised from the dead, and exalted high above the highest heavens, to the right hand of God the Father, forever and ever.
If you shall be like the angels in heaven, neither married nor given in marriage, but wholly devoted to Christ; nevertheless, in Him, in His flesh and blood, you are crowned with glory and honor exceeding that of all the angels. For He is not the Savior and Bridegroom of angels, but He is your Savior and your Bridegroom; here in time, and hereafter in eternity.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
02 October 2009
Contextually Speaking
I've noticed, especially in myself and in various projects over the past decade or so, that anything less than lavish praise tends tends to be perceived as a lack of support, while attempts at constructive criticism are frequently received as hostile attacks and violent opposition. It's a shame, really, because a rigorous critique and vigorous discussion and debate are among the most helpful and healthy things for the life of the Church, and for the faith and life of individual Christians. Yet, such lively engagement and wrestling with one another over opinions and approaches, over words and actions, makes us uncomfortable. At any rate, sadly, it makes me uncomfortable; and, as a consequence, both I and my neighbor are impoverished by the avoidance of debate.
It's sort of like the way my lovely wife has summarized what passes for communication on Facebook: By and large, it must either be syrupy sweet or panderingly sympathetic. By all means, everything has to be pithy and lighthearted, or ostensibly funny. Passive aggression is tolerated, but only if it is carefully disguised as humor. Insults are likewise permitted, so long as they are aimed at the "others," as in "us vs. them." Disagreements between "friends" are a breach of Facebook etiquette; or, so it has felt and so it has seemed to me. I am the chief of sinners, let that be stated clearly; but I am not alone.
The perception that anything less than praise is akin to hostility is, I suspect, encouraged and exacerbated by the "all or nothing" approach to life, which appears to have become the norm. I'm a big believer in normative truth, and I like to have things "black and white," as much or more than anyone, but trying to insist on "all or nothing" doesn't work in a fallen world; not in Peoria, nor anywhere else. Until the sorting of the sheep and the goats, the weeds and the wheat grow intermingled, and the good and the bad fish are caught up together in the net. The only certainty we have is in the Word of Christ, who speaks both Law and Gospel to us; not the one without the other. He comes not to call the self-righteous, but sinners to repentance. He does not condone sin, but He does forgive it, again and again and again, and He welcomes the Prodigal home on no contingency but His own holy and precious blood. He speaks Peace to us by way of an alien righteousness, and so we find ourselves betwixt and between heaven and hell, simul iustus et peccator. Trying to insist on "all or nothing," is to place both ourselves and our neighbors under the Law; and that is simply to lose both ourselves and our neighbors to sin and death. Rightly dividing the Word of Truth means calling a thing what it is, in friend and foe alike.
It's sort of like the way my lovely wife has summarized what passes for communication on Facebook: By and large, it must either be syrupy sweet or panderingly sympathetic. By all means, everything has to be pithy and lighthearted, or ostensibly funny. Passive aggression is tolerated, but only if it is carefully disguised as humor. Insults are likewise permitted, so long as they are aimed at the "others," as in "us vs. them." Disagreements between "friends" are a breach of Facebook etiquette; or, so it has felt and so it has seemed to me. I am the chief of sinners, let that be stated clearly; but I am not alone.
The perception that anything less than praise is akin to hostility is, I suspect, encouraged and exacerbated by the "all or nothing" approach to life, which appears to have become the norm. I'm a big believer in normative truth, and I like to have things "black and white," as much or more than anyone, but trying to insist on "all or nothing" doesn't work in a fallen world; not in Peoria, nor anywhere else. Until the sorting of the sheep and the goats, the weeds and the wheat grow intermingled, and the good and the bad fish are caught up together in the net. The only certainty we have is in the Word of Christ, who speaks both Law and Gospel to us; not the one without the other. He comes not to call the self-righteous, but sinners to repentance. He does not condone sin, but He does forgive it, again and again and again, and He welcomes the Prodigal home on no contingency but His own holy and precious blood. He speaks Peace to us by way of an alien righteousness, and so we find ourselves betwixt and between heaven and hell, simul iustus et peccator. Trying to insist on "all or nothing," is to place both ourselves and our neighbors under the Law; and that is simply to lose both ourselves and our neighbors to sin and death. Rightly dividing the Word of Truth means calling a thing what it is, in friend and foe alike.
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