Mediocrity is generally a pejorative term. I've sometimes attempted to use the word in a more neutral and objective sense, describing that which is simply average rather than superlative. But it's difficult to own this description gracefully; at least it is for me.
I've always had a competitive spirit; some would say contentious, and that's probably been true more often than I'd like to admit. I've always been driven by a pursuit of excellence, in a way that has frequently been labeled (not always kindly) as perfectionism. I do take pride in a job well done, but the truth is that I have also been prideful in competition with others. I've measured my own success or failure in comparison with the accomplishments of my neighbor. I've tended to approach life as though it were a contest, as though life itself depended on being the best and winning. I suppose that sort of drive can be helpful in achieving worthwhile results, which may also benefit other people in the process. But in my heart and in my head I know it stems from an idolatry of self.
Perhaps it is because of the Olympics, which began this past week, or maybe something else has brought it to the forefront of my mind these days, but I've recently become more aware of just how competitive my approach to everything has been. I'm not one of those people who thinks that competition is inherently bad; nevertheless, I'm not thrilled with the competitiveness that I've recognized in myself, in my attitude and actions. Frankly, I've become increasingly weary of contesting all the time. Maybe it sometimes helps me to do a good job, okay, but it also causes me frustration and disappointment, jealousy and resentment, anger and bitterness. It's a sinful temptation to measure my worth by my own works, and to do so at the expense of my neighbor; which is to sin against both faith and love. Not only that, but, as in the case of every sin, it is a fruitless undertaking. It doesn't bring life, but death. It's a game that can't be won.
I'm certainly not the best at everything. I guess I figured that out a long time ago. So, instead, I've sought to be the best at certain things, as many as possible, and to carve out my niche that way. But I'm not really the best at anything, and I'm never going to be. It's a pointless pursuit. It's like the disciples arguing over which of them is the greatest, when they haven't yet begun to understand what real greatness is. By the standards of the world, there's always going to be someone better at this, that or the other thing; if not for the moment, then sooner or later. Even Michael Phelps, who is evidently the best swimmer in the world right now, and perhaps the greatest Olympian ever, is not going to hold onto that status for long. His records may or may not stand for many years, but he's going to get older and slower, while young bucks are passing him left and right. But I have no such greatness in me to begin with. I'm basically an average guy. I'm better at some things than I am at others; and I'm better than others at some things, but I have more weaknesses than strengths, and even my strengths are relatively mediocre.
It occurred to me this evening, as we were celebrating the Feast of St. Mary, the Mother of God, that greatness is found not in what we achieve, but in what we receive; not in our own merits, but in the mercies of God; not in superlative successes, but in the weakness and humility of repentant faith. Actually, I've known all of those things for a long time, and I've preached them on a regular basis. So, why is it so hard for me to embrace this sort of excellence in mediocrity? Why do I approach life and proceed with my pursuits as though anything less than "winning" were ultimately failure? Why do I think and act as though my place and my purpose were dependent on being "the best" at whatever? Is it really only a gold medal (or any medal) that makes the race worth running, the swim worth swimming, or the life worth living?
Mediocrity borne of laziness or carelessness would hardly be appropriate. For that matter, the point is not to suggest that any kind of "mediocrity" is inherently commendable; that would only turn the problem inside-out. The point is, rather, a different sort of measure altogether. Real excellence is found in Christ, by His grace, through faith in His Word. The joy and satisfaction of a job well done are found, not in besting the competition, but in doing faithfully what I have been given to do. Still, no matter how superlative, mediocre or pathetic my performance may be, I am at best an unworthy servant who lives alone by divine goodness and mercy.
Of course, the good example of such excellence that we find in St. Mary's humble faith, points us to the Cross of her Son, to the humility and sacrificial service of the Crucified Lord Jesus Christ. It is in His Cross that all of my prideful competitiveness and all of my achievements, be they real or imagined, and all of my worldly successes and failures are put to death, so that I may receive the surpassing greatness of the gift of God. It is not my own name in lights, in record books or in journals, but His Name given to me in Holy Baptism, which gives me life and salvation, value and worth, peace that passes all human understanding, and rest from all my labors. Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief. Let it be to me according to Your Word.
15 August 2008
11 August 2008
Grandpa Me
I've been busting at the seams to share this news for the past several weeks now, but needed to wait for the timing to be chosen by the proud parents to be of my first grandchild! Yes, it seems that my family is approaching exponential growth in this amazing year, as Sam & DoRena are expecting a baby in March of 2009. They called to let us know last month, but wanted to wait until now to spread the good word further. The thought has brought a silly grin to my face, over and over again, ever since their phone call. Hard to think of myself as a grandpa, but few things in life could make me giddier with excitement and anticipation.
So 2008 really has been rather remarkable to date. LaRena and I have sent one child ahead of us to heaven from the womb; we have gained a son-in-law in Sam and a daughter-in-law in Rebekah; now we are giving thanks and interceding for both another child of our own and our first grandchild in the womb. It is fun to think that my new baby, expected in February of 2009, will welcome his first neiphling a month later. Actually, it kind of blows my mind a bit, but in a good way.
The only thing that has me feeling a bit puzzled, is how it is that my family can seem so small at this point, when it is growing so amazingly. With Job in heaven, Sam & DoRena and their little unborn child in Fort Wayne, Zach & Bekah down in Texas, and our youngest little person in utero, it appears that exactly half my children (broadly speaking) are out of sight and beyond my reach. None of them are ever far from my heart; all of them are daily in my thoughts and prayers, as consistently and conscientiously as anything I've ever done in life. But I can't keep an eye on those seven. I still have the other seven under my watch, and they are surely no less precious to me: Nicholai, Monica, Ariksander, Oly'anna, Justinian, Frederick and Gerhardt. It's only that seven can feel like such a small little group, especially without their big brother and sister around.
Well, anyway, I'm eagerly looking forward to the arrival of my first grandchild, and in the meantime I am praying for my daughter's health and well-being during her pregnancy. The prayers and intercessions of those who may be so inclined to offer them, are deeply appreciated.
So 2008 really has been rather remarkable to date. LaRena and I have sent one child ahead of us to heaven from the womb; we have gained a son-in-law in Sam and a daughter-in-law in Rebekah; now we are giving thanks and interceding for both another child of our own and our first grandchild in the womb. It is fun to think that my new baby, expected in February of 2009, will welcome his first neiphling a month later. Actually, it kind of blows my mind a bit, but in a good way.
The only thing that has me feeling a bit puzzled, is how it is that my family can seem so small at this point, when it is growing so amazingly. With Job in heaven, Sam & DoRena and their little unborn child in Fort Wayne, Zach & Bekah down in Texas, and our youngest little person in utero, it appears that exactly half my children (broadly speaking) are out of sight and beyond my reach. None of them are ever far from my heart; all of them are daily in my thoughts and prayers, as consistently and conscientiously as anything I've ever done in life. But I can't keep an eye on those seven. I still have the other seven under my watch, and they are surely no less precious to me: Nicholai, Monica, Ariksander, Oly'anna, Justinian, Frederick and Gerhardt. It's only that seven can feel like such a small little group, especially without their big brother and sister around.
Well, anyway, I'm eagerly looking forward to the arrival of my first grandchild, and in the meantime I am praying for my daughter's health and well-being during her pregnancy. The prayers and intercessions of those who may be so inclined to offer them, are deeply appreciated.
How It All Went Down with Only One Hitch
We left South Bend on Tuesday morning, not as early as we might have liked, but without any earthshattering difficulties. My goal was to get as far as Little Rock before we stopped for the night, and sure enough we did, late in the evening but none the worse for the wear. The drive was long and tedious, but otherwise not difficult. I guess the highlight was seeing gas for $3.45 per gallon in Missouri; though it is a crying shame that such a price should sound so good! Sadly, crossing over the border into Arkansas brought with it a significant jump in the price. Oh, well.
Wednesday, we arrived in Houston early enough to have supper with Zachary and the Theiss family, which made everything seem suddenly less surrealistic. Living 1200 miles north of here has made all the plans and preparations difficult to grasp in any sort of tangible way, but simply being here with Zach & Bekah and interacting in person with her dear family brought it all home. Our time together that first evening was too short, but there were things to be done, and we were tired enough from our two days of driving that anything more would have been too much.
For my part, after helping to get children settled for the evening, I went looking for a place to work on my sermon for the wedding. For Sam & DoRena's wedding this past May, I drafted my sermon at Ruby Tuesday's the night before. This time, I worked things out at T.G.I. Friday's two days ahead. Not as though I hadn't already been thinking things through for the past few weeks, but I gathered my thoughts and put them into writing on Wednesday. That made the next couple of days less stressful and more enjoyable for me.
I got to spend a good deal of the day on Thursday with Zachary, which was a special treat for me. We left around 10:00 a.m. with Nicholai and Frederick to pick up Zach's buddies from South Bend at the Houston Hobby Airport. The airport parking lots were full, so we ended up driving around in circles for half an hour or more, while Billy, Erik and Nathaniel waited for their luggage. Then we all hunted up a place to eat nearby, in order to be on hand when Sam & DoRena arrived at the same airport a few hours later. Finding a place to eat was not so easy, and we ended up getting to know that part of town somewhat better than I would have chosen, but eventually we settled on a decent Mexican restaurant.
By the time we got back to the hotel that afternoon, it wasn't long before we all needed to be heading out for the rehearsal in Tomball. My Mom and Dad were there ahead of us, and my brother-in-law, Rob, had also arrived from Scottsbluff by that point, so it was all starting to feel rather exciting. I talked through the service with the other pastors; the rehearsal itself went smoothly and well; and the rehearsal dinner, provided by some of the ladies from the church, was the best meal we had eaten yet since leaving South Bend. Afterwards, the girls took Bekah out for some bachelorette fun, while the guys, including Zach, gathered in Rob's room for a poker party, which lasted until after midnight. I was sorry not to join them, but was very glad for Nicholai to be part of the gang. He made a handsome groom's man, and I know he was proud to serve that role for his big brother. It reminded me a lot of when my younger brother, Paul, did the same for me at my wedding all those years ago; especially because Nicholai looks so much like Paul, who arrived with his family around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The wedding itself was on Friday, the 8th of August in this Year of Our Lord 2008 (08/08/08). That morning, I ran a few errands and reviewed my sermon. I picked up some groceries from the local Kroger, sandwich fixings and such, in order to feed the big bunch some lunch. But I waited until Zach was available and took him out for lunch, just the two of us, much as I had done with DoRena the day before her wedding. It seemed appropriate that we should go to T.G.I. Friday's, given the occasion and the fact that it actually was Friday, and all the more so since I had drafted my sermon there two nights earlier. That opportunity to share a meal and conversation with my son was one of the most precious highlights of the entire week for me, and I know that I will savor the memory of it as much or more than anything else.
The pace picked up dramatically after lunch, as it was time for everyone to get over to the church for pictures. Zach & Bekah followed Sam & DoRena's lead in having all the posed shots taken prior to the wedding, rather than trying to fit them in after the fact. It worked well, I think, and I was also impressed with the photographer throughout the evening.
The wedding was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. So around 6:00 p.m., the other pastors and I began vesting and preparing ourselves for the service. I had been reviewing my sermon off-and-on all day, and I was feeling pretty comfortable with it. I knew what I wanted to say, and I was confident that I could do so fairly simply and coherently. After my experience with preaching for Sam & DoRena's wedding, I had already determined that I would preach from an outline rather than a full manuscript. As it turned out, I never even looked at my notes, but simply got up and spoke the Word of the Lord to my son and his beautiful bride, both of them sitting right there in front of me.
The entire service was lovely and appropriate. Very different from Sam & DoRena's in some respects; it was Vespers rather than the full Divine Service, and there were fewer choral and ceremonial aspects, but it was reverent and decorous, and all flowed beautifully. A highlight, again, as on the 31st of May, was the singing of Paul Gerhardt's wedding hymn, "O Jesus Christ! How Bright and Fair." I'm hoping that others will follow my children's lead in the use of this grand piece, which so magnificently confesses the Christological theology of holy matrimony.
Having so recently given away my own daughter in marriage, I strongly empathized with Tim as he entrusted his Rebekah to my Zachary. I empathized with him, and I was also deeply moved and humbled by the fact that he was giving his daughter to my son. Few things in life have ever struck me quite so profoundly as that. It touches upon those unique differences between a son and a daughter, which I have found so compelling over this past year. When I have tried to put those differences into words for other people, it has been difficult to do so, and I can tell that no one else is really quite able to grasp what it is that so moves me in this regard. Perhaps it is best identified in the giving of the groom's name to his bride. A daughter is no longer named for her father, but for her husband; whereas a son gives the name he received from his father to his own bride, and to his children in turn. A daughter goes from being under her father's headship, to being under her husband's headship. A son becomes the head of his own family and household, and thus assumes the same office and authority that his father has held over him. Such things become quite serious and specific when it comes right down to giving a daughter away; I felt it when I put DoRena's hand into Sam's in May of this year, and so I could not help but feel for Tim as he put Rebekah's hand into Zach's this past Friday. Only, in this case, another father was handing over his dear and precious daughter to my son. In that moment, I had a poignant sense of the responsibility that rests upon a father to prepare his sons to become husbands. I suspect that mothers may think about that more often as their little boys are growing up, but it is as much or more a father's task to teach his sons to become men, especially in this very way.
Well, the entire service was lovely and a wondrous event. Zachary and Rebekah each made their vows and promises with clear and confident voices, and they both radiated joy and happiness. Seeing my son so tall and strong and handsome, and his bride so poised and beautiful, I could not help but swell with pride and happiness. There is such an unmitigated sense of delight in beholding these things, such that I felt as though I could hardly contain it within myself. I was sorry that I couldn't sit with LaRena and share it more closely with her, since I was in the chancel as the preacher. From that angle, I couldn't see Zach's face as he watched Rebekah walk down the aisle, but I could see his face as he listened intently to my preaching and then with rapt and serious attention to Pastor Teichmiller in the rite of holy matrimony. Let no one doubt the conscientious conviction with which Zach has approached and prepared for this event; the same goes for Rebekah. They may be young and green in lots of ways, but they are neither ignorant nor irreverent as to the seriousness, the significance and the sanctity of marriage. That was clearly obvious throughout their wedding. The only hitch was the one that was fully intended to be tied in the presence of God and a whole mess of witnesses. Let no one ever seek to untie it.
Following the wedding, I should say, the reception was a marvelous celebration. Tim & Debbie sure do know how to throw a party, and everyone had a great time. The decorations were festive and tasteful. The food was excellent, topped off with wedding cheesecake for dessert. The D.J. did a nice job, and the playlist of songs that Bekah and Zach picked were good fun. I had the special treat of dancing with my Oly'anna for quite a few songs, and with my own bride for "Lost in This Moment." The newlyweds stayed and partied with us until after 11:00 p.m. before departing in a cloud of bubbles and driving off into the night for their honeymoon and a lifetime together. For the father of the groom, speaking for myself, it was a satisfying conclusion to a perfect day. I'm going to miss my son, now that he's out from under my roof and building a home and family of his own with his new bride. I'm wishing that we didn't live so far apart. But as I said in my toast on Friday night, I could not be more proud of my son, nor more pleased to have Rebekah as my daughter-in-law. As her Daddy put it, they do have a lot yet to learn about life, but they're going to learn it together. Cheers to that, and to the two of them, with all my love.
Wednesday, we arrived in Houston early enough to have supper with Zachary and the Theiss family, which made everything seem suddenly less surrealistic. Living 1200 miles north of here has made all the plans and preparations difficult to grasp in any sort of tangible way, but simply being here with Zach & Bekah and interacting in person with her dear family brought it all home. Our time together that first evening was too short, but there were things to be done, and we were tired enough from our two days of driving that anything more would have been too much.
For my part, after helping to get children settled for the evening, I went looking for a place to work on my sermon for the wedding. For Sam & DoRena's wedding this past May, I drafted my sermon at Ruby Tuesday's the night before. This time, I worked things out at T.G.I. Friday's two days ahead. Not as though I hadn't already been thinking things through for the past few weeks, but I gathered my thoughts and put them into writing on Wednesday. That made the next couple of days less stressful and more enjoyable for me.
I got to spend a good deal of the day on Thursday with Zachary, which was a special treat for me. We left around 10:00 a.m. with Nicholai and Frederick to pick up Zach's buddies from South Bend at the Houston Hobby Airport. The airport parking lots were full, so we ended up driving around in circles for half an hour or more, while Billy, Erik and Nathaniel waited for their luggage. Then we all hunted up a place to eat nearby, in order to be on hand when Sam & DoRena arrived at the same airport a few hours later. Finding a place to eat was not so easy, and we ended up getting to know that part of town somewhat better than I would have chosen, but eventually we settled on a decent Mexican restaurant.
By the time we got back to the hotel that afternoon, it wasn't long before we all needed to be heading out for the rehearsal in Tomball. My Mom and Dad were there ahead of us, and my brother-in-law, Rob, had also arrived from Scottsbluff by that point, so it was all starting to feel rather exciting. I talked through the service with the other pastors; the rehearsal itself went smoothly and well; and the rehearsal dinner, provided by some of the ladies from the church, was the best meal we had eaten yet since leaving South Bend. Afterwards, the girls took Bekah out for some bachelorette fun, while the guys, including Zach, gathered in Rob's room for a poker party, which lasted until after midnight. I was sorry not to join them, but was very glad for Nicholai to be part of the gang. He made a handsome groom's man, and I know he was proud to serve that role for his big brother. It reminded me a lot of when my younger brother, Paul, did the same for me at my wedding all those years ago; especially because Nicholai looks so much like Paul, who arrived with his family around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The wedding itself was on Friday, the 8th of August in this Year of Our Lord 2008 (08/08/08). That morning, I ran a few errands and reviewed my sermon. I picked up some groceries from the local Kroger, sandwich fixings and such, in order to feed the big bunch some lunch. But I waited until Zach was available and took him out for lunch, just the two of us, much as I had done with DoRena the day before her wedding. It seemed appropriate that we should go to T.G.I. Friday's, given the occasion and the fact that it actually was Friday, and all the more so since I had drafted my sermon there two nights earlier. That opportunity to share a meal and conversation with my son was one of the most precious highlights of the entire week for me, and I know that I will savor the memory of it as much or more than anything else.
The pace picked up dramatically after lunch, as it was time for everyone to get over to the church for pictures. Zach & Bekah followed Sam & DoRena's lead in having all the posed shots taken prior to the wedding, rather than trying to fit them in after the fact. It worked well, I think, and I was also impressed with the photographer throughout the evening.
The wedding was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. So around 6:00 p.m., the other pastors and I began vesting and preparing ourselves for the service. I had been reviewing my sermon off-and-on all day, and I was feeling pretty comfortable with it. I knew what I wanted to say, and I was confident that I could do so fairly simply and coherently. After my experience with preaching for Sam & DoRena's wedding, I had already determined that I would preach from an outline rather than a full manuscript. As it turned out, I never even looked at my notes, but simply got up and spoke the Word of the Lord to my son and his beautiful bride, both of them sitting right there in front of me.
The entire service was lovely and appropriate. Very different from Sam & DoRena's in some respects; it was Vespers rather than the full Divine Service, and there were fewer choral and ceremonial aspects, but it was reverent and decorous, and all flowed beautifully. A highlight, again, as on the 31st of May, was the singing of Paul Gerhardt's wedding hymn, "O Jesus Christ! How Bright and Fair." I'm hoping that others will follow my children's lead in the use of this grand piece, which so magnificently confesses the Christological theology of holy matrimony.
Having so recently given away my own daughter in marriage, I strongly empathized with Tim as he entrusted his Rebekah to my Zachary. I empathized with him, and I was also deeply moved and humbled by the fact that he was giving his daughter to my son. Few things in life have ever struck me quite so profoundly as that. It touches upon those unique differences between a son and a daughter, which I have found so compelling over this past year. When I have tried to put those differences into words for other people, it has been difficult to do so, and I can tell that no one else is really quite able to grasp what it is that so moves me in this regard. Perhaps it is best identified in the giving of the groom's name to his bride. A daughter is no longer named for her father, but for her husband; whereas a son gives the name he received from his father to his own bride, and to his children in turn. A daughter goes from being under her father's headship, to being under her husband's headship. A son becomes the head of his own family and household, and thus assumes the same office and authority that his father has held over him. Such things become quite serious and specific when it comes right down to giving a daughter away; I felt it when I put DoRena's hand into Sam's in May of this year, and so I could not help but feel for Tim as he put Rebekah's hand into Zach's this past Friday. Only, in this case, another father was handing over his dear and precious daughter to my son. In that moment, I had a poignant sense of the responsibility that rests upon a father to prepare his sons to become husbands. I suspect that mothers may think about that more often as their little boys are growing up, but it is as much or more a father's task to teach his sons to become men, especially in this very way.
Well, the entire service was lovely and a wondrous event. Zachary and Rebekah each made their vows and promises with clear and confident voices, and they both radiated joy and happiness. Seeing my son so tall and strong and handsome, and his bride so poised and beautiful, I could not help but swell with pride and happiness. There is such an unmitigated sense of delight in beholding these things, such that I felt as though I could hardly contain it within myself. I was sorry that I couldn't sit with LaRena and share it more closely with her, since I was in the chancel as the preacher. From that angle, I couldn't see Zach's face as he watched Rebekah walk down the aisle, but I could see his face as he listened intently to my preaching and then with rapt and serious attention to Pastor Teichmiller in the rite of holy matrimony. Let no one doubt the conscientious conviction with which Zach has approached and prepared for this event; the same goes for Rebekah. They may be young and green in lots of ways, but they are neither ignorant nor irreverent as to the seriousness, the significance and the sanctity of marriage. That was clearly obvious throughout their wedding. The only hitch was the one that was fully intended to be tied in the presence of God and a whole mess of witnesses. Let no one ever seek to untie it.
Following the wedding, I should say, the reception was a marvelous celebration. Tim & Debbie sure do know how to throw a party, and everyone had a great time. The decorations were festive and tasteful. The food was excellent, topped off with wedding cheesecake for dessert. The D.J. did a nice job, and the playlist of songs that Bekah and Zach picked were good fun. I had the special treat of dancing with my Oly'anna for quite a few songs, and with my own bride for "Lost in This Moment." The newlyweds stayed and partied with us until after 11:00 p.m. before departing in a cloud of bubbles and driving off into the night for their honeymoon and a lifetime together. For the father of the groom, speaking for myself, it was a satisfying conclusion to a perfect day. I'm going to miss my son, now that he's out from under my roof and building a home and family of his own with his new bride. I'm wishing that we didn't live so far apart. But as I said in my toast on Friday night, I could not be more proud of my son, nor more pleased to have Rebekah as my daughter-in-law. As her Daddy put it, they do have a lot yet to learn about life, but they're going to learn it together. Cheers to that, and to the two of them, with all my love.
10 August 2008
They All Die
That was my son Ariksander's succinct, straightforward summary of what happens to those who rely upon chariots and horsemen. "They all die." Israel should have remembered that when the people asked for a king like all the nations around them. They should have remembered what the Lord their God, their true King, had done to Pharaoh with all his chariots and horsemen. "The horse and its rider, He has drowned in the depths of the sea." The battle belongs to the Lord, not to military might or technological advantage.
But no, when Samuel warned the people that a king would draft their sons into the military, to drive his chariots and run before them and to serve among his horsemen, the people craved precisely that. They wanted such a king, who would go out before them and fight their battles with impressive military prowess. They wanted to become like all the nations; despite the fact that Pharaoh and the Philistines and every other militarily superior nation in between had been swept away by the hand of the Lord, whenever Israel proceeded according to His Word.
What are the "chariots and horsemen" that we in our own day crave, in order to become like all the nations around us? What advantage do we suppose that we must have in order to prevail, apart from and other than the Word of the Lord? Shall the Israel of God, His holy Church, make disciples of all the nations by mimicking those nations and establishing kingdoms after their own kind? Or should we not rather be strong and courageous in the Word and promise of Christ, His own Anointed, who accomplishes His purposes, not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit?
It was not a horsemen but One who rode upon the foal of a donkey, and not a chariot of iron but a Cross of wood, that prevailed over all our enemies and won the decisive battle to end all battles.
The Lord gave the people of Israel the sort of king they asked for, but Saul was not a man after God's own heart. The kingdom and the future did not rest with him, but with a most unlikely other. David was a scrappy fighter, too, and he killed his ten-thousands to Saul's thousands, but he was always at his best when he proceeded in faith. Significantly, his first and most famous fight was won, not with Saul's manly armor or weaponry, but with the pastoral tools of his trade. He went out to meet Goliath "in the Name of Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of the armies of Israel," and He who had tamed the lion and the bear would again preserve the shepherd against the uncircumcised Philistine, as well.
Great David's greater Son has come, defeated all our enemies round about, and established His Kingdom of peace and rest for the sheep of His pasture. He calls and sends men after His own heart to shepherd His Israel, not with weapons of war, not with chariots and horses, but with the humble means of the pastoral office. Let us not be humbled or intimidated by the Pharaohs and Philistines of the world. They all die. But in the humility of repentance, let us go out with courage in the confidence of Christ, who by His death has conquered death forever.
But no, when Samuel warned the people that a king would draft their sons into the military, to drive his chariots and run before them and to serve among his horsemen, the people craved precisely that. They wanted such a king, who would go out before them and fight their battles with impressive military prowess. They wanted to become like all the nations; despite the fact that Pharaoh and the Philistines and every other militarily superior nation in between had been swept away by the hand of the Lord, whenever Israel proceeded according to His Word.
What are the "chariots and horsemen" that we in our own day crave, in order to become like all the nations around us? What advantage do we suppose that we must have in order to prevail, apart from and other than the Word of the Lord? Shall the Israel of God, His holy Church, make disciples of all the nations by mimicking those nations and establishing kingdoms after their own kind? Or should we not rather be strong and courageous in the Word and promise of Christ, His own Anointed, who accomplishes His purposes, not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit?
It was not a horsemen but One who rode upon the foal of a donkey, and not a chariot of iron but a Cross of wood, that prevailed over all our enemies and won the decisive battle to end all battles.
The Lord gave the people of Israel the sort of king they asked for, but Saul was not a man after God's own heart. The kingdom and the future did not rest with him, but with a most unlikely other. David was a scrappy fighter, too, and he killed his ten-thousands to Saul's thousands, but he was always at his best when he proceeded in faith. Significantly, his first and most famous fight was won, not with Saul's manly armor or weaponry, but with the pastoral tools of his trade. He went out to meet Goliath "in the Name of Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of the armies of Israel," and He who had tamed the lion and the bear would again preserve the shepherd against the uncircumcised Philistine, as well.
Great David's greater Son has come, defeated all our enemies round about, and established His Kingdom of peace and rest for the sheep of His pasture. He calls and sends men after His own heart to shepherd His Israel, not with weapons of war, not with chariots and horses, but with the humble means of the pastoral office. Let us not be humbled or intimidated by the Pharaohs and Philistines of the world. They all die. But in the humility of repentance, let us go out with courage in the confidence of Christ, who by His death has conquered death forever.
09 August 2008
Sermon Synposis for Zach & Bekah
This great mystery is about Christ and His Church. It is, therefore, also about Zach and Bekah, who belong to Christ's Bride, the Church. This sign is also for them, His disciples.
Indeed, the two of you are His sign for all of us and all your neighbors.
The world shall neither recognize nor understand this sign; and so the world's "wisdom," counsel and advice for you shall be all wrongheaded. But no matter. Christ shall work His work in you, and He shall manifest His glory in your marriage.
You, for your part, do whatever He tells you.
Rebekah, submit to Zachary in faith. That is what it looks like for you to confess your faith and trust in Christ Jesus, who gives you to this man.
Zachary, love Rebekah in the way that Christ loves her and you and His whole Church. You know that means bearing the Cros and sacrificing yourself for her; not with heroic deeds of valor, but with your whole life, everyday, all the time. It means, in particular, adorning her with the grace, mercy and peace of forgiveness.
Faith and forgiveness. Those are the twin pillars and foundation of your love and marriage in Christ. Not just theoretical or idealistic, and not just for today or this coming week, but in the bump and grind of your everyday life in the world, in body, mind and spirit, till death parts you.
Delight in one another, physically and emotionally; for it is Christ who makes of you one flesh, as well as one heart, one mind and one life (in Him). His Word makes every difference; by it, He sanctifies your union. So delight in one another, not only on your honeymoon, but throughout your life together. For so does Christ delight in His Church, and His Church delights in Him; not only in the head or in the heart, but bodily, in the means of grace.
In that union of heart, mind and body, understand that children are a gift and blessing of the Lord; they are His creation and His good work (not yours). Recognize and receive whatever (and however many) children God may give you as both a sign and a part of the most genuine evangelism and Church Growth. Have babies, have them baptized, and teach them the Word of Christ.
Serve each other, and any children God may give you, with the Word of God. Make of your home a little chapel of the Church by drawing from the wellspring of the Church's life, by availing yourself of the means of grace.
Speak the Word of God to each other. Do it daily, as you here begin your life together with the Word of God and prayer. Zachary, it is your duty, in particular, to serve your wife in that way. It is the most important responsibility that you shall have as a husband, and the most important responsibility that you shall be given, in due time, as a father. Whether or not you ever become a pastor in Christ's Church, you are to be a bishop and a deacon of your household; and, with that, see to it that your family is brought regularly to Christ in His Church.
In this, as in all things, your marriage and your life toegether, your home and family, always point beyond the two of you to Christ and His Bride, the Church. That is true, not only for you and your family, but so also for your neighbors in the world, including those without spouse or children here on earth; not as though to rub it in their face, what they do not have, but to hold before them the promise that is also theirs: that Christ is their heavenly Bridegroom, and that His Church may be their family in Him, both now and forever.
You and your marriage are a sign of that great mystery, of Christ and His Bride, the Church. If you don't realize that, you won't comprehend what marriage is, nor will you understand anything else. It is for the sake of Christ and His Bride, the Church, that God the Lord created all things and established the estate of holy matrimony.
Thus, man (and a husband, in particular) is formed in the Image of Christ Jesus, the incarnate Son, the crucified One. And the woman is made for the man, and brought to him and given to him as a wife, in the image of Christ's Church. For He is the new and greater Adam, from whom His Church is given life, and to whom His Church is given.
It is in the sacred sleep of His sacrificial death upon the Cross that His Eve is taken from His side in the water and the blood; and she is given life by His Spirit in His Word of Holy Absolution.
It is by these means of grace that you belong to His Bride, His Church.
Everything has to do with that Hour of Cross, and nothing else matters apart from that.
Your own resources will run out and run dry. But don't let anyone tell you that it is because of your age or inexperience. It is rather because you are sinful creatures. You have been created by God, not to live by your own reason or strength, but to live by faith in your Creator. Thus, you depend on Him for life and health and every good. Sin has burdened and prevented that faith and life, so that everything is always dying. Even the prettiest girls grow old and get wrinkles. Even the strongest young men grow weary and faint. But Christ has rescued you from sin and death, from the curse and all its consequences.
Your own resources will run dry, but the Cross of Christ supplies all that you need: with and through the forgiveness of all your sins. Nineteen is not too young to know and trust that. Whatever is lacking, He fulfills. Whatever is amiss, He rectifies. Whatever is wrong, He forgives.
For the sake of His Cross, in His great love for you, He provides you with all good things. He feeds you and clothes you, shelters and protects you, and with that you may be content. But He is prone to lavish you with so much more, as He fed the five thousand with a few loaves and fishes, and there were twelve baskets full leftover; and as He made simple water into the best of wines.
With or without the temporal gifts and blessings of this life, you lack nothing, because you are His and He is yours forever. He cleaves to you, as He has made of you one flesh with Himself. That is for keeps, both now and forever. He will never leave you nor forsake you. No, never.
It is in His faithfulness and His forgiveness, free and full, that you live and love each other in faith and forgiveness.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Indeed, the two of you are His sign for all of us and all your neighbors.
The world shall neither recognize nor understand this sign; and so the world's "wisdom," counsel and advice for you shall be all wrongheaded. But no matter. Christ shall work His work in you, and He shall manifest His glory in your marriage.
You, for your part, do whatever He tells you.
Rebekah, submit to Zachary in faith. That is what it looks like for you to confess your faith and trust in Christ Jesus, who gives you to this man.
Zachary, love Rebekah in the way that Christ loves her and you and His whole Church. You know that means bearing the Cros and sacrificing yourself for her; not with heroic deeds of valor, but with your whole life, everyday, all the time. It means, in particular, adorning her with the grace, mercy and peace of forgiveness.
Faith and forgiveness. Those are the twin pillars and foundation of your love and marriage in Christ. Not just theoretical or idealistic, and not just for today or this coming week, but in the bump and grind of your everyday life in the world, in body, mind and spirit, till death parts you.
Delight in one another, physically and emotionally; for it is Christ who makes of you one flesh, as well as one heart, one mind and one life (in Him). His Word makes every difference; by it, He sanctifies your union. So delight in one another, not only on your honeymoon, but throughout your life together. For so does Christ delight in His Church, and His Church delights in Him; not only in the head or in the heart, but bodily, in the means of grace.
In that union of heart, mind and body, understand that children are a gift and blessing of the Lord; they are His creation and His good work (not yours). Recognize and receive whatever (and however many) children God may give you as both a sign and a part of the most genuine evangelism and Church Growth. Have babies, have them baptized, and teach them the Word of Christ.
Serve each other, and any children God may give you, with the Word of God. Make of your home a little chapel of the Church by drawing from the wellspring of the Church's life, by availing yourself of the means of grace.
Speak the Word of God to each other. Do it daily, as you here begin your life together with the Word of God and prayer. Zachary, it is your duty, in particular, to serve your wife in that way. It is the most important responsibility that you shall have as a husband, and the most important responsibility that you shall be given, in due time, as a father. Whether or not you ever become a pastor in Christ's Church, you are to be a bishop and a deacon of your household; and, with that, see to it that your family is brought regularly to Christ in His Church.
In this, as in all things, your marriage and your life toegether, your home and family, always point beyond the two of you to Christ and His Bride, the Church. That is true, not only for you and your family, but so also for your neighbors in the world, including those without spouse or children here on earth; not as though to rub it in their face, what they do not have, but to hold before them the promise that is also theirs: that Christ is their heavenly Bridegroom, and that His Church may be their family in Him, both now and forever.
You and your marriage are a sign of that great mystery, of Christ and His Bride, the Church. If you don't realize that, you won't comprehend what marriage is, nor will you understand anything else. It is for the sake of Christ and His Bride, the Church, that God the Lord created all things and established the estate of holy matrimony.
Thus, man (and a husband, in particular) is formed in the Image of Christ Jesus, the incarnate Son, the crucified One. And the woman is made for the man, and brought to him and given to him as a wife, in the image of Christ's Church. For He is the new and greater Adam, from whom His Church is given life, and to whom His Church is given.
It is in the sacred sleep of His sacrificial death upon the Cross that His Eve is taken from His side in the water and the blood; and she is given life by His Spirit in His Word of Holy Absolution.
It is by these means of grace that you belong to His Bride, His Church.
Everything has to do with that Hour of Cross, and nothing else matters apart from that.
Your own resources will run out and run dry. But don't let anyone tell you that it is because of your age or inexperience. It is rather because you are sinful creatures. You have been created by God, not to live by your own reason or strength, but to live by faith in your Creator. Thus, you depend on Him for life and health and every good. Sin has burdened and prevented that faith and life, so that everything is always dying. Even the prettiest girls grow old and get wrinkles. Even the strongest young men grow weary and faint. But Christ has rescued you from sin and death, from the curse and all its consequences.
Your own resources will run dry, but the Cross of Christ supplies all that you need: with and through the forgiveness of all your sins. Nineteen is not too young to know and trust that. Whatever is lacking, He fulfills. Whatever is amiss, He rectifies. Whatever is wrong, He forgives.
For the sake of His Cross, in His great love for you, He provides you with all good things. He feeds you and clothes you, shelters and protects you, and with that you may be content. But He is prone to lavish you with so much more, as He fed the five thousand with a few loaves and fishes, and there were twelve baskets full leftover; and as He made simple water into the best of wines.
With or without the temporal gifts and blessings of this life, you lack nothing, because you are His and He is yours forever. He cleaves to you, as He has made of you one flesh with Himself. That is for keeps, both now and forever. He will never leave you nor forsake you. No, never.
It is in His faithfulness and His forgiveness, free and full, that you live and love each other in faith and forgiveness.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
07 August 2008
Hey, Nineteen!
My eldest son, Zachary, is getting married tomorrow evening. At nineteen apiece, he and his beautiful bride, Rebekah, are almost exactly the same age that LaRena and I were when we got married on June the 15th in 1985. We were young and in love and pretty green about life, the universe and everything. Of the two of us, there's no doubt that I was the greener, but we both had lots to learn along the way. By all sorts of standards, we were too young and not ready; though I am not sure what real "readiness" would ultimately look like. The sort of advice that many young people are getting these days, sometimes even from their parents, is patently false. By way of example, "shacking up" is a bad idea, because it is sinful and wrong, and because it is a huge strike against the foundations of a good marriage. The fact that ostensibly Christian parents have not only tolerated such perversity, but have in some cases been guilty of advocating it, is as close as anything I've ever seen to causing the little ones who believe in Jesus to stumble. Somebody tie a rock around that wickedness and drown it in the depths of the deepest sea. It is infinitely better and wiser to get married young and naive than to live together outside of marriage. It is, in fact, the difference between that which is righteous and holy, on the one hand (because it is sanctified by the Word of God), and that which is sinful and unclean on the other hand (because it is contrary to the Word of God).
There was an awful lot that LaRena and I didn't know, yet, when we got married. As far as that goes, we're still learning as we go along. There's wisdom that derives only from trial and error; and you can't short-cut that. A few more years would have given us greater knowledge, experience and maturity, but it is ever the case that even the best of plans and preparations may go awry. One should not rush into marriage unadvisedly or lightly. It must be taken seriously and entered into soberly and deliberately. This is where parents and pastors are such a significant factor; for they are the instruments through whom the Lord God speaks His Word and reveals His will (which is why they dare not contradict His holy Word). Praise God for His Third and Fourth Commandments. Apart from that guidance, to suppose that a few more years will make for a better marriage, may be a failure to take sin and mortality seriously. Waiting indeterminately until "the time is right" for marriage is flirting with temptation. Too often, what couples learn with a few more years of experience prior to marriage, are things better left unlearned.
Getting married young is no guarantee of a good marriage. Nor is it adequate to "live on love," though there is something refreshing about the optimism of young love, especially when it leads to marriage as opposed to reckless abandon. Whatever a couple of nineteen year olds lack in experience, they make up for in eagerness, energy and enthusiasm; not only for the honeymoon, but for life, the universe and everything. But the only real key to a successful marriage, which is necessarily to speak of a godly and Glod-pleasing marriage, irrespective of anything else, is a mutual commitment borne of faith and forgiveness from the Word of God.
Looking back, it was the Word of God that LaRena and I had going for us when we got married at nineteen. The odds were stacked against us, frankly, in all sorts of different ways that we were too naive even to realize. But even in our youthful ignorance, we were brought to marriage and united to each other by the Word of God. Our commitment to each other was rooted in our commitment to that Word of God; and that commitment, more importantly, grew out of the faith which the Lord worked in us with His forgiveness of all our sins. It has always been His commitment to us in Christ, and His faithfulness toward us in the Gospel of the Cross, that has strengthened and sustained us. We shall spend our whole lives on earth being catechized by Christ and His Cross, but even as a couple of starry-eyed teenagers, He had taught us to follow His Word in faith. It was precisely that, as much as anything, that prompted us to get married when we did. From the beginning, therefore, our marriage and our commitment to each other have gone together as an objective fact, an inviolate given, which we simply have no prerogative to undo or break, even if we wanted to. That solid fact has enabled us to weather the trials and tribulations of the past twenty-three years, as well as sailing along under the blue skies and sunshine of many great days and weeks, among which this one will surely rank pretty high.
Zach and Bekah are reminiscent of LaRena and me in the June of 1985. Nineteen and green in lots of ways they have yet to learn. But that is not the decisive fact. They, too, have taken their cues from the Word of God, and they are staking their claims upon it. They're going to have ups and downs, good days and bad, joys and sorrows, successes and failures, and all of that matters, but none of it matters nearly so much as their faith and life in Christ Jesus. I trust Him, and I know that Zach and Bekah do, too. They have both been well catechized by His Word, and they are more pious and faithful than I was at their age. They also love and honor their parents in an exemplary way, and there is nothing more significant in a young person's life than that. All of these things point to their reliance upon the Word of the Lord, which is a greater wisdom than the world will ever know. It will guide their footsteps in the way of truth, not only by the commandments of the Law, which are the good and acceptable will of God, but especially by the Gospel of Peace. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.
There was an awful lot that LaRena and I didn't know, yet, when we got married. As far as that goes, we're still learning as we go along. There's wisdom that derives only from trial and error; and you can't short-cut that. A few more years would have given us greater knowledge, experience and maturity, but it is ever the case that even the best of plans and preparations may go awry. One should not rush into marriage unadvisedly or lightly. It must be taken seriously and entered into soberly and deliberately. This is where parents and pastors are such a significant factor; for they are the instruments through whom the Lord God speaks His Word and reveals His will (which is why they dare not contradict His holy Word). Praise God for His Third and Fourth Commandments. Apart from that guidance, to suppose that a few more years will make for a better marriage, may be a failure to take sin and mortality seriously. Waiting indeterminately until "the time is right" for marriage is flirting with temptation. Too often, what couples learn with a few more years of experience prior to marriage, are things better left unlearned.
Getting married young is no guarantee of a good marriage. Nor is it adequate to "live on love," though there is something refreshing about the optimism of young love, especially when it leads to marriage as opposed to reckless abandon. Whatever a couple of nineteen year olds lack in experience, they make up for in eagerness, energy and enthusiasm; not only for the honeymoon, but for life, the universe and everything. But the only real key to a successful marriage, which is necessarily to speak of a godly and Glod-pleasing marriage, irrespective of anything else, is a mutual commitment borne of faith and forgiveness from the Word of God.
Looking back, it was the Word of God that LaRena and I had going for us when we got married at nineteen. The odds were stacked against us, frankly, in all sorts of different ways that we were too naive even to realize. But even in our youthful ignorance, we were brought to marriage and united to each other by the Word of God. Our commitment to each other was rooted in our commitment to that Word of God; and that commitment, more importantly, grew out of the faith which the Lord worked in us with His forgiveness of all our sins. It has always been His commitment to us in Christ, and His faithfulness toward us in the Gospel of the Cross, that has strengthened and sustained us. We shall spend our whole lives on earth being catechized by Christ and His Cross, but even as a couple of starry-eyed teenagers, He had taught us to follow His Word in faith. It was precisely that, as much as anything, that prompted us to get married when we did. From the beginning, therefore, our marriage and our commitment to each other have gone together as an objective fact, an inviolate given, which we simply have no prerogative to undo or break, even if we wanted to. That solid fact has enabled us to weather the trials and tribulations of the past twenty-three years, as well as sailing along under the blue skies and sunshine of many great days and weeks, among which this one will surely rank pretty high.
Zach and Bekah are reminiscent of LaRena and me in the June of 1985. Nineteen and green in lots of ways they have yet to learn. But that is not the decisive fact. They, too, have taken their cues from the Word of God, and they are staking their claims upon it. They're going to have ups and downs, good days and bad, joys and sorrows, successes and failures, and all of that matters, but none of it matters nearly so much as their faith and life in Christ Jesus. I trust Him, and I know that Zach and Bekah do, too. They have both been well catechized by His Word, and they are more pious and faithful than I was at their age. They also love and honor their parents in an exemplary way, and there is nothing more significant in a young person's life than that. All of these things point to their reliance upon the Word of the Lord, which is a greater wisdom than the world will ever know. It will guide their footsteps in the way of truth, not only by the commandments of the Law, which are the good and acceptable will of God, but especially by the Gospel of Peace. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.
02 August 2008
Not By Bread Alone
Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word the proceeds from the mouth of God.
Here, then, is the priority. Here is what you need: God's Word and the preaching of it.
Whatever your hunger, whatever your sickness, whatever your poverty, weakness or want, it is the Word of God in Christ that feeds you, heals you, and gives you life.
It is freely given to be freely received at no cost. You cannot work for it. You cannot earn it or buy it. Just listen. Hear and receive. Do not allow anything to stand in your way or detain you from hearing the Word.
It is by this Word that is preached to you that Jesus gives you life. You do not live otherwise. It is with divine compassion that He speaks to you and serves you in this way. Listen, and live.
It is the same Word of God in Christ that your neighbor also needs, in order that he may live. So, you, give him something to eat. What you have heard, speak. What you have received, share.
In your vocation as a child of God, baptized into Christ and fed with that living Bread from heaven, He has called you to love and serve your neighbor. In your particular vocations as spouse, parent, child, sibling, He has placed you in special relationship to particular neighbors, whom you are given to serve and care for with and according to His Word. Above and beyond all of their temporal bodily needs, what they need most is the Word of God.
You fathers, especially, care for your wife and children by speaking the Word of God to them, the Law and the Gospel, all centered in Christ Jesus. If you aren't serving your family with the Word of God, then, no matter how much money you make or have, no matter how well-fed and well-clothed your household may be, you're starving them to death and killing them forever.
For God's sake, give them something to eat. Do not suppose that the care and provision of their mortal flesh is of such concern as the life-giving Word of Christ.
That's not to say that you should neglect the duties and responsibilities of your office and stations in life. It is rather to point out that your number one duty and chief responsibility, within your own vocation, is to confess the Word of God (to say what God says) and to pray, praise and give thanks in Jesus' name.
And, along with that, fulfill all of the other duties and responsibilities of your office and station by faith in that Word of the Lord (in love).
Do not worry about what you will eat or drink, nor be anxious about clothing for your body. Your Father knows you need those things for the life that He has given you for the here and now on earth, and in love and compassion for you, He provides them. He feeds you, clothes you and heals you, for Jesus' sake. It is a small thing for Him to do so, in comparison to that which He does and gives in Christ Himself, who in compassion went to the Cross for you.
It is a matter of faith, not of sight. Do not look at what you have or can do. Do not be daunted by the task of providing for yourself and your family, and for your neighbor's needs, as well. Simply do what the Lord has given you to do, and trust that He will provide all that is needed.
But what if you go hungry? What if you are starving to death? What if you do find yourself out on the street with little or nothing to wear? What if you are sick and dying? What if?
Look not to yourself, but to Christ. And looking to Christ, look also to your neighbor in love, and do what you are given to do. If you spend yourself in love and die in the line of duty, what have you lost? Nothing. You shall still live. But if you turn away from Christ and your neighbor and seek to feed and clothe yourself, to make a life for yourself, then you shall die and lose everything.
It is the Lord, in His tender compassion, who feeds you and clothes you, and helps you and heals you.
But He has called you to a better life than this, and He has done so by the way and means of His own Cross. Let His Cross and His compassion for you there be your teacher and your hope in life and death.
What He did for the people then, and what He does for you so faithfully and well, it is all at His own expense, having denied Himself the same comfort and benefit with which He serves you. He has gone hungry and thirsty, that He might feed you and quench your thirst. He has gone homeless, that He might shelter you; naked, that He might clothe you. He has borne all your griefs and sorrows, all your sickness, suffering and death, that He might heal you and give you life forever.
You shall not live by bread alone, but by that Word of God in Christ, the Word-made-Flesh, who speaks to you in love and gives Himself to you as Bread for both your body and soul. He is the Rock who has opened Himself up to pour out water and blood to quench your thirst and cleanse your spirit and give you life, even in the desert.
He does it now, as then, by the hand of His disciples, but He is the One who acts, who speaks: He takes the bread, He blesses and breaks, and He gives it to you: Take, eat, be satisifed, and live.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Here, then, is the priority. Here is what you need: God's Word and the preaching of it.
Whatever your hunger, whatever your sickness, whatever your poverty, weakness or want, it is the Word of God in Christ that feeds you, heals you, and gives you life.
It is freely given to be freely received at no cost. You cannot work for it. You cannot earn it or buy it. Just listen. Hear and receive. Do not allow anything to stand in your way or detain you from hearing the Word.
It is by this Word that is preached to you that Jesus gives you life. You do not live otherwise. It is with divine compassion that He speaks to you and serves you in this way. Listen, and live.
It is the same Word of God in Christ that your neighbor also needs, in order that he may live. So, you, give him something to eat. What you have heard, speak. What you have received, share.
In your vocation as a child of God, baptized into Christ and fed with that living Bread from heaven, He has called you to love and serve your neighbor. In your particular vocations as spouse, parent, child, sibling, He has placed you in special relationship to particular neighbors, whom you are given to serve and care for with and according to His Word. Above and beyond all of their temporal bodily needs, what they need most is the Word of God.
You fathers, especially, care for your wife and children by speaking the Word of God to them, the Law and the Gospel, all centered in Christ Jesus. If you aren't serving your family with the Word of God, then, no matter how much money you make or have, no matter how well-fed and well-clothed your household may be, you're starving them to death and killing them forever.
For God's sake, give them something to eat. Do not suppose that the care and provision of their mortal flesh is of such concern as the life-giving Word of Christ.
That's not to say that you should neglect the duties and responsibilities of your office and stations in life. It is rather to point out that your number one duty and chief responsibility, within your own vocation, is to confess the Word of God (to say what God says) and to pray, praise and give thanks in Jesus' name.
And, along with that, fulfill all of the other duties and responsibilities of your office and station by faith in that Word of the Lord (in love).
Do not worry about what you will eat or drink, nor be anxious about clothing for your body. Your Father knows you need those things for the life that He has given you for the here and now on earth, and in love and compassion for you, He provides them. He feeds you, clothes you and heals you, for Jesus' sake. It is a small thing for Him to do so, in comparison to that which He does and gives in Christ Himself, who in compassion went to the Cross for you.
It is a matter of faith, not of sight. Do not look at what you have or can do. Do not be daunted by the task of providing for yourself and your family, and for your neighbor's needs, as well. Simply do what the Lord has given you to do, and trust that He will provide all that is needed.
But what if you go hungry? What if you are starving to death? What if you do find yourself out on the street with little or nothing to wear? What if you are sick and dying? What if?
Look not to yourself, but to Christ. And looking to Christ, look also to your neighbor in love, and do what you are given to do. If you spend yourself in love and die in the line of duty, what have you lost? Nothing. You shall still live. But if you turn away from Christ and your neighbor and seek to feed and clothe yourself, to make a life for yourself, then you shall die and lose everything.
It is the Lord, in His tender compassion, who feeds you and clothes you, and helps you and heals you.
But He has called you to a better life than this, and He has done so by the way and means of His own Cross. Let His Cross and His compassion for you there be your teacher and your hope in life and death.
What He did for the people then, and what He does for you so faithfully and well, it is all at His own expense, having denied Himself the same comfort and benefit with which He serves you. He has gone hungry and thirsty, that He might feed you and quench your thirst. He has gone homeless, that He might shelter you; naked, that He might clothe you. He has borne all your griefs and sorrows, all your sickness, suffering and death, that He might heal you and give you life forever.
You shall not live by bread alone, but by that Word of God in Christ, the Word-made-Flesh, who speaks to you in love and gives Himself to you as Bread for both your body and soul. He is the Rock who has opened Himself up to pour out water and blood to quench your thirst and cleanse your spirit and give you life, even in the desert.
He does it now, as then, by the hand of His disciples, but He is the One who acts, who speaks: He takes the bread, He blesses and breaks, and He gives it to you: Take, eat, be satisifed, and live.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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