There are those who sacrifice their own freedom,
their own health and safety, and even their own lives,
for the sake of others.
And then there are those who sacrifice others
for the sake of their own freedom.
But the Lord God shows His love for us in this, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, the Righteous One for the ungodly; that by His sacrifice we should be set free from sin and death. That by His death, we might live. He did not count His equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself and made Himself nothing. He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross, so that we who were subject to death might be raised up in His Resurrection.
As He has so loved us, let us also lay down our lives for one another.
04 May 2009
03 May 2009
Restructuring Stimulus Plan?
I finished reading Framed to the children last week or so. Good book; great fun; highly recommended. Now I'm reading something of a silly romp, The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy: The Hero Revealed, by William Boniface (2006). It's not a literary prizewinner, but it is pretty humorous, and my children are enjoying it (along with me), from the seven-year-old on up to the almost-fifteen-year-old. The four-year-old is in and out, depending on his mood.
Anyway, in the spirit of such good humor (an extraordinary gift of God), I wonder if the following excerpt from Ordinary Boy might offer any helpful insights into the LCMS restructuring effort.
"It didn't surprise us that Indestructo Industries was one of Superopolis's most successful companies. We certainly bought enough of their products! But when we reached the address listed in the handbook, we couldn't believe the sleek, shiny office tower that awaited us. As we walked up the main sidewalk leading to the building, we passed under the legs of the enormous statue of the Amazing Indestructo. On its shoulders was balanced a huge globe bearing the name of the company. It was impressive, but not more than I would expect for the greatest hero in Superopolis.
"In the lobby we saw a directory, and we quickly found what we were looking for: Office of the President, twentieth floor. It made sense that the president would be at the top.
"'I'm not so sure we should be doing this.' Plasma Girl stopped suddenly. 'We could get into a lot of trouble and maybe even get yelled at.'
"As usual, Plasma Girl was thinking sensibly — the last thing a superhero on a mission wants to do. After all, if heroes thought sensibly, they'd stay home where it's safe" (Ordinary Boy, 82-85).
Anyway, in the spirit of such good humor (an extraordinary gift of God), I wonder if the following excerpt from Ordinary Boy might offer any helpful insights into the LCMS restructuring effort.
"It didn't surprise us that Indestructo Industries was one of Superopolis's most successful companies. We certainly bought enough of their products! But when we reached the address listed in the handbook, we couldn't believe the sleek, shiny office tower that awaited us. As we walked up the main sidewalk leading to the building, we passed under the legs of the enormous statue of the Amazing Indestructo. On its shoulders was balanced a huge globe bearing the name of the company. It was impressive, but not more than I would expect for the greatest hero in Superopolis.
"In the lobby we saw a directory, and we quickly found what we were looking for: Office of the President, twentieth floor. It made sense that the president would be at the top.
INDESTRUCTO INDUSTRIES
20th floor • Office of the President
19th floor • The Sentinels of Trademark Infringement
18th floor • The Defenders of Lawsuits
17th floor • The Federation of Fine Print
16th floor • The Syndicate of Shell Corporations
15th floor • The Human Resources Self-Preservation Squad
14th floor • The Enforcers of Corporate Euphemisms
13th floor • The League of Licensing, Royalties, & Copyrights
12th floor • The Proprietary Protectors of Patents
11th floor • The Association for the Exploitation of Adjectives
10th floor • The Union for Foodlike Substances
9th floor • Cafeteria / The League of Ulimate Goodness World Headquarters
8th floor • The Product Development Force
7th floor • The Secret Society of Safety Testers
6th floor • The Toxic Substance Recategorization Team
5th floor • The Choking Hazard Clearance Guild
4th floor • The Guardians of Profit
3rd floor • The Legion of Pencil Pushers
2nd floor • The Minions of the Mailroom
1st floor • Aren't You Here Already?
"'I'm not so sure we should be doing this.' Plasma Girl stopped suddenly. 'We could get into a lot of trouble and maybe even get yelled at.'
"As usual, Plasma Girl was thinking sensibly — the last thing a superhero on a mission wants to do. After all, if heroes thought sensibly, they'd stay home where it's safe" (Ordinary Boy, 82-85).
A Crockpot full of Hypocrisy
What passes for front page "news" in South Bend these days is a three-course meal of hypocrisy. So, we must be told in the top headline story, there's actually "No law against abortion photos." Perhaps that has to be clarified, pending any attacks on the freedom of speech by the current presidential administration. Ironically, it is self-styled champions of "freedom" who have been complaining.
It seems that some of the poor souls and sensitive spirits of South Bend have been "upset by graphic images on trucks, banners," depicting "aborted fetuses" (the politically correct way to describe infants murdered in the womb, violently extracted and thrown away like garbage). I'm not always thrilled by the tactics of some pro-life advocates, though they generally have my full sympathy (save for those rare instances when, in the name of life, they engage in violence). I'm not sure how I feel about larger-than-life pictures on public display of that vile wickedness which is abortion. There may well be better ways to love and serve our neighbors, both within and out of the womb. This much I do know, however: Pictures of the murdered unborn do not cause the violence, harm and death that abortion actually does.
It is a shame that some South Bend residents are more offended and upset by "abortion pictures" than they are by abortion itself. For some of them, apparently, the only thing tasteless about abortion is talking about it. Liberals normally love picket lines and protests, except when they are the ones being picketed and protested. "Freedom of choice" is the rhetoric, but those people hollering for the freedom to kill babies, holler all the louder when others exercise their freedom to cry "foul!" The same people who whine that others should keep their "beliefs" to themselves (the great shell-game by which both revealed and natural law are swept aside as personal opinions) are adament in expressing their own beliefs and attempting to legislate others accordingly. Thus the need to clarify that displaying pictures is not against the law; yet.
One woman quoted in this headline "news" article was indignant that little children, including her own three-year-old granddaughter, were being exposed to such graphic displays. Again, I'm not excited about exposing children to this wretched violence, either. But what hypocrisy to fret more about the images that some children live to see, than over the little children who are wrenched out of the safety of the womb in brutal hostility. If it is disturbing that young children might be confronted with this perversity, it is far more disturbing that it happens at all. What if that woman's granddaughter had been among the bloody bodies depicted on the side of the truck that pulled up beside her car? They are somebody's grandchildren. The woman protests that abortion is "an adult issue." Indeed. Such atrocity has not originated with the little ones. Nor are the little ones so easily buffaloed and dissuaded by the damnable political rhetoric, which does nothing but skirt the real issue in the interest of "freedom." Yes, the freedom of adults to murder infants, but let's not let the little children see what the grown-ups are doing to them; they might be frightened.
The protests are happening in South Bend right now because the University of Notre Dame has invited President Obama to speak at commencement this year. As a Notre Dame alumnus, I'm disappointed in and ashamed of my alma mater. I wish I could say that I were surprised. It is a classic case of human tradition trumping the Holy Scriptures; only in this case, the University is acting against the authority of both the Scriptures and the Church. I'm not a Roman Catholic, but, as a Christian, I applaud and deeply appreciate the clarity with which the Roman Church has consistently taught and advocated the sanctity of human life. Notre Dame is apparently not interested in such things, at least not in this case. Our Lady, though, for whom the school is named, testifies to the sanctity of human life, as she herself bore the Lord our God in her womb, conceiving Him in the substance of our human flesh and blood by the Word and Spirit of God.
The University has a tradition of inviting the President of the United States to speak at the commencement. Nice tradition, but there has never been such a pro-abortion president in the history of this country. "Pro-abortion" is the right way to describe President Obama. In his first few months in office, he has been precisely that, and aggressively so. His administration has adopted an agenda that not only protects the legal "right" of women to murder their unborn children, but is hell-bent on promoting and facilitating abortion both here and abroad. Thus, in the name of "freedom," legislation has already been enacted against the freedom of conscience of doctors and medical providers, which has heretofore protected them from being forced to abort the unborn. Other executive actions by this president have opened up the coffers of the United States to fund abortions overseas.
It doesn't matter how photogenic this president is, or how well he reads from a teleprompter. It doesn't matter how pretty his wife and daughters are, or how picturesque his family may be. It doesn't matter how he does with the economy or foreign affairs. His aggressive actions and attacks against the sanctity of human life paint a far uglier picture than anything depicted on the sides of trucks or banners in South Bend. The chief purpose and duty of human government is to protect and defend human life. A man who does the very opposite is unfit for office. I have no sympathy for the University in asking such a man to address its students.
I do not relish the pictures of murdered children on display in South Bend. I do suspect that other, better means of communication could be undertaken in the interest of protecting and defending human life. But surely something ought to be done on behalf of those who are given no freedom or choice to protect and defend themselves. We heard it this morning from the beloved disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ:
"Whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth" (1 John 3:17-18).
It seems that some of the poor souls and sensitive spirits of South Bend have been "upset by graphic images on trucks, banners," depicting "aborted fetuses" (the politically correct way to describe infants murdered in the womb, violently extracted and thrown away like garbage). I'm not always thrilled by the tactics of some pro-life advocates, though they generally have my full sympathy (save for those rare instances when, in the name of life, they engage in violence). I'm not sure how I feel about larger-than-life pictures on public display of that vile wickedness which is abortion. There may well be better ways to love and serve our neighbors, both within and out of the womb. This much I do know, however: Pictures of the murdered unborn do not cause the violence, harm and death that abortion actually does.
It is a shame that some South Bend residents are more offended and upset by "abortion pictures" than they are by abortion itself. For some of them, apparently, the only thing tasteless about abortion is talking about it. Liberals normally love picket lines and protests, except when they are the ones being picketed and protested. "Freedom of choice" is the rhetoric, but those people hollering for the freedom to kill babies, holler all the louder when others exercise their freedom to cry "foul!" The same people who whine that others should keep their "beliefs" to themselves (the great shell-game by which both revealed and natural law are swept aside as personal opinions) are adament in expressing their own beliefs and attempting to legislate others accordingly. Thus the need to clarify that displaying pictures is not against the law; yet.
One woman quoted in this headline "news" article was indignant that little children, including her own three-year-old granddaughter, were being exposed to such graphic displays. Again, I'm not excited about exposing children to this wretched violence, either. But what hypocrisy to fret more about the images that some children live to see, than over the little children who are wrenched out of the safety of the womb in brutal hostility. If it is disturbing that young children might be confronted with this perversity, it is far more disturbing that it happens at all. What if that woman's granddaughter had been among the bloody bodies depicted on the side of the truck that pulled up beside her car? They are somebody's grandchildren. The woman protests that abortion is "an adult issue." Indeed. Such atrocity has not originated with the little ones. Nor are the little ones so easily buffaloed and dissuaded by the damnable political rhetoric, which does nothing but skirt the real issue in the interest of "freedom." Yes, the freedom of adults to murder infants, but let's not let the little children see what the grown-ups are doing to them; they might be frightened.
The protests are happening in South Bend right now because the University of Notre Dame has invited President Obama to speak at commencement this year. As a Notre Dame alumnus, I'm disappointed in and ashamed of my alma mater. I wish I could say that I were surprised. It is a classic case of human tradition trumping the Holy Scriptures; only in this case, the University is acting against the authority of both the Scriptures and the Church. I'm not a Roman Catholic, but, as a Christian, I applaud and deeply appreciate the clarity with which the Roman Church has consistently taught and advocated the sanctity of human life. Notre Dame is apparently not interested in such things, at least not in this case. Our Lady, though, for whom the school is named, testifies to the sanctity of human life, as she herself bore the Lord our God in her womb, conceiving Him in the substance of our human flesh and blood by the Word and Spirit of God.
The University has a tradition of inviting the President of the United States to speak at the commencement. Nice tradition, but there has never been such a pro-abortion president in the history of this country. "Pro-abortion" is the right way to describe President Obama. In his first few months in office, he has been precisely that, and aggressively so. His administration has adopted an agenda that not only protects the legal "right" of women to murder their unborn children, but is hell-bent on promoting and facilitating abortion both here and abroad. Thus, in the name of "freedom," legislation has already been enacted against the freedom of conscience of doctors and medical providers, which has heretofore protected them from being forced to abort the unborn. Other executive actions by this president have opened up the coffers of the United States to fund abortions overseas.
It doesn't matter how photogenic this president is, or how well he reads from a teleprompter. It doesn't matter how pretty his wife and daughters are, or how picturesque his family may be. It doesn't matter how he does with the economy or foreign affairs. His aggressive actions and attacks against the sanctity of human life paint a far uglier picture than anything depicted on the sides of trucks or banners in South Bend. The chief purpose and duty of human government is to protect and defend human life. A man who does the very opposite is unfit for office. I have no sympathy for the University in asking such a man to address its students.
I do not relish the pictures of murdered children on display in South Bend. I do suspect that other, better means of communication could be undertaken in the interest of protecting and defending human life. But surely something ought to be done on behalf of those who are given no freedom or choice to protect and defend themselves. We heard it this morning from the beloved disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ:
"Whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth" (1 John 3:17-18).
Good Shepherds and Hirelings
From a couple of the church fathers on the difference between a true shepherd of the sheep and a hireling; a sobering reminder for those who are called to be pastors of Christ's flock:
"There are some who love earthly possessions more than the sheep and do not deserve the name of a shepherd. He is called a hireling and not a shepherd because he does not pasture the Lord's sheep out of his deep love for them but for a temporal reward. That person is a hireling who holds the place of shepherd but does not seek to profit souls. He is eager for earthly advantages, rejoices in the honor of preferment, feeds on temporal gain and enjoys the deference offered him by other people" (Gregory the Great).
"But we cannot truly know whether anyone is a shepherd or a hireling if there is no occasion to test him. During times of peace even a hireling frequently stands for the protection of the flock like a true shepherd. When the wolf comes, each one shows what his intention was as he stood as protector of the flock" (Gregory the Great).
"The evil spirit goes about attacking the sheepfolds of believers, seeking the death of souls; ceaselessly, every day, he tears apart minds more than bodies. Of this wolf it is said, 'And the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep.' The wolf comes, and the hireling flees. The evil spirit tears apart the minds of believers in temptation, and the one holding the place of shepherd does not take responsiblity. Souls are perishing, and he enjoys earthly advantages. The wolf snatches and scatters the sheep when he entices one to drunkenness, inflames another with greed, exalts another by pride, destroys another by anger, stirs one up by envy, trips up another by deceit. When the devil slays believers through temptations, he is like a wolf dispersing the flock. No zeal rouses the hireling against these temptations, no love excites him. He seeks only the outward advantage and carelessly allows the inward injury to his flock" (Gregory the Great).
"Suppose someone has sinned — grievously sinned. He ought to be rebuked, excommunicated. However, if he is excommunicated, he will become an enemy and will plot and do as much harm as he can. And so, for the time being, the pastor who seeks his own and not what is Christ's keeps quiet and does not reprove the person so that he will not have to put up with the annoyances of their attacks or lose what he truly follows after — the advantage of human friendship. But look! The wolf has caught a sheep by the throat; the devil has enticed a believer into adultery. And yet, you are silent — you do not censure. As a hireling, you have seen the wolf coming, and you fled. Perhaps you answer and say, 'See, I am here; I have not fled.' You have fled because you have been silent; you have been silent because you are afraid" (Augustine of Hippo).
"The wolf too comes upon the sheep whenever any unrighteous person oppresses the humble believers. The one who only appears to be a shepherd leaves the sheep and flees because he is too afraid to resist the wolf's violence from fear of danger to himself. He flees not by moving to another place but by withholding consolation from his flock. The one who conceals himself beneath his silence is the one who flees. The hireling is inflamed with no enthusiasm to fight against this injustice. A person who is in charge of the sheep, not because he loves them but because he is seeking earthly gain, cannot make a stand when the sheep are in danger. Because he esteems honor, because he enjoys his temporal advantages, he is afraid to oppose the danger for fear he should lose what he loves so much" (Gregory the Great).
(Excerpts from the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament IVa, John 1-10, edited by Joel C. Elowsky; InterVarsity, 2006)
"There are some who love earthly possessions more than the sheep and do not deserve the name of a shepherd. He is called a hireling and not a shepherd because he does not pasture the Lord's sheep out of his deep love for them but for a temporal reward. That person is a hireling who holds the place of shepherd but does not seek to profit souls. He is eager for earthly advantages, rejoices in the honor of preferment, feeds on temporal gain and enjoys the deference offered him by other people" (Gregory the Great).
"But we cannot truly know whether anyone is a shepherd or a hireling if there is no occasion to test him. During times of peace even a hireling frequently stands for the protection of the flock like a true shepherd. When the wolf comes, each one shows what his intention was as he stood as protector of the flock" (Gregory the Great).
"The evil spirit goes about attacking the sheepfolds of believers, seeking the death of souls; ceaselessly, every day, he tears apart minds more than bodies. Of this wolf it is said, 'And the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep.' The wolf comes, and the hireling flees. The evil spirit tears apart the minds of believers in temptation, and the one holding the place of shepherd does not take responsiblity. Souls are perishing, and he enjoys earthly advantages. The wolf snatches and scatters the sheep when he entices one to drunkenness, inflames another with greed, exalts another by pride, destroys another by anger, stirs one up by envy, trips up another by deceit. When the devil slays believers through temptations, he is like a wolf dispersing the flock. No zeal rouses the hireling against these temptations, no love excites him. He seeks only the outward advantage and carelessly allows the inward injury to his flock" (Gregory the Great).
"Suppose someone has sinned — grievously sinned. He ought to be rebuked, excommunicated. However, if he is excommunicated, he will become an enemy and will plot and do as much harm as he can. And so, for the time being, the pastor who seeks his own and not what is Christ's keeps quiet and does not reprove the person so that he will not have to put up with the annoyances of their attacks or lose what he truly follows after — the advantage of human friendship. But look! The wolf has caught a sheep by the throat; the devil has enticed a believer into adultery. And yet, you are silent — you do not censure. As a hireling, you have seen the wolf coming, and you fled. Perhaps you answer and say, 'See, I am here; I have not fled.' You have fled because you have been silent; you have been silent because you are afraid" (Augustine of Hippo).
"The wolf too comes upon the sheep whenever any unrighteous person oppresses the humble believers. The one who only appears to be a shepherd leaves the sheep and flees because he is too afraid to resist the wolf's violence from fear of danger to himself. He flees not by moving to another place but by withholding consolation from his flock. The one who conceals himself beneath his silence is the one who flees. The hireling is inflamed with no enthusiasm to fight against this injustice. A person who is in charge of the sheep, not because he loves them but because he is seeking earthly gain, cannot make a stand when the sheep are in danger. Because he esteems honor, because he enjoys his temporal advantages, he is afraid to oppose the danger for fear he should lose what he loves so much" (Gregory the Great).
(Excerpts from the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament IVa, John 1-10, edited by Joel C. Elowsky; InterVarsity, 2006)
02 May 2009
The Good Shepherd Loves His Sheep
In His great love for you, the Lord Jesus, God's own Son, your Good Shepherd has laid down His life for you. He has given Himself and spent Himself entirely for you. And He has taken His life up again; even as the Father has raised Him from death (for He and His Father are one), in order to raise you up from death to the life everlasting in Him.
By His Name — by the preaching of His Gospel in His Name; by the ministry of your Good Shepherd, who cares for you — you, who were sick, are made well. You are raised up to stand before God in good health. You are made strong and whole, and you shall live with Him forever.
Live, therefore, the life that He has obtained for you and given to you.
Keep His commandments, and do them. Follow Him, as He leads and guides you with His Word, and walk with Him in the right pathways of faith and love, for His Name's sake.
Believe in Him, the Son of God, your Savior and Good Shepherd. Believe that He was crucified for you, and that He has risen from the dead; that death no longer has any mastery over Him, and shall no longer master you. Listen to the voice of your Good Shepherd, and trust His good Word. Receive His good gifts. And live. Do not fear death, but live in Christ.
And love your neighbor, especially your brothers and sisters in Christ. You cannot love the Shepherd without loving His sheep: those of His flock, and those yet to be gathered to Him.
Do you want to know what love is?
You do know love, by this, that Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has laid down His life for you, and for all His sheep.
You, therefore, lay down your life for the brethren. That is what you are to do. Give yourself and spend yourself entirely for your neighbor. Do not be afraid that you will overdo it or love too much. Do not flinch at the prospect of giving yourself away. If you die by loving, what have you lost? If you lay down your life in love, the Lord shall raise you up again.
If you see your brother or sister in need, then use whatever means and abilities you have to help. To love. But if you do not see or know your neighbor's needs, then open your eyes, and pay attention, and find out.
Do not speak of the Resurrection and the Life without living. Do not speak of God's love and Christian love without loving. And do not speak of the Gospel and forgiveness without forgiving.
This is the love of God; by which you know love, because He loves you.
The Father has given His Son for you, and the Son has laid down His life for you. In this way has He known you and loved you with the divine intimacy of the Father and the Son (in the Holy Spirit).
He has not held your sins and failures against you, but has given Himself to deal with them and to heal you at the cost of His own life.
He has not allowed your enmity and lack of love to dissuade Him, but He has befriended you in His grace, mercy and peace.
He has sought you out, His lost and wandering sheep, and He has become your Shepherd.
Such a Good Shepherd He is!
All His goods are yours, in heaven and on earth. He has even poured out His Holy Spirit into your heart through the forgiveness of all your sins by His Gospel, that you may have peace and hope and confidence in Him. That neither His own Law, nor your own heart, nor anyone else may condemn you.
That you may live, as He lives, in both body and soul, and dwell in His House with Him forever.
That you may love, as He loves, both God and man.
Such a Good Shepherd He is, little children, and you are His lamb, His dear sheep.
Here is the green pasture of His Word, with which He feeds you; by which He leads and guides you in righteousness and truth.
Here is the water of His Baptism, the anointing of His Holy Spirit, by which He has made you His own; to which He daily returns you in love; from which He leads you in quietness and peace.
Here is the Holy Cross, which is the Rod and Staff of His Gospel, by which He has atoned for your sins and redeemed you, and by which He has defeated death and the devil for you. So that you shall not die forever, but live in Him; and so that even death holds no power of fear over you. For by this Word of the Cross He absolves you, and where there is forgiveness, there is life.
Here is the Table, which He has spread before you, and the Chalice that overflows for you with His life-giving Blood; that by His Body you may belong to Him and abide in His Body forever, in His goodness and mercy all the days of your life, even the life everlasting.
For His Name's sake. Amen.
By His Name — by the preaching of His Gospel in His Name; by the ministry of your Good Shepherd, who cares for you — you, who were sick, are made well. You are raised up to stand before God in good health. You are made strong and whole, and you shall live with Him forever.
Live, therefore, the life that He has obtained for you and given to you.
Keep His commandments, and do them. Follow Him, as He leads and guides you with His Word, and walk with Him in the right pathways of faith and love, for His Name's sake.
Believe in Him, the Son of God, your Savior and Good Shepherd. Believe that He was crucified for you, and that He has risen from the dead; that death no longer has any mastery over Him, and shall no longer master you. Listen to the voice of your Good Shepherd, and trust His good Word. Receive His good gifts. And live. Do not fear death, but live in Christ.
And love your neighbor, especially your brothers and sisters in Christ. You cannot love the Shepherd without loving His sheep: those of His flock, and those yet to be gathered to Him.
Do you want to know what love is?
You do know love, by this, that Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has laid down His life for you, and for all His sheep.
You, therefore, lay down your life for the brethren. That is what you are to do. Give yourself and spend yourself entirely for your neighbor. Do not be afraid that you will overdo it or love too much. Do not flinch at the prospect of giving yourself away. If you die by loving, what have you lost? If you lay down your life in love, the Lord shall raise you up again.
If you see your brother or sister in need, then use whatever means and abilities you have to help. To love. But if you do not see or know your neighbor's needs, then open your eyes, and pay attention, and find out.
Do not speak of the Resurrection and the Life without living. Do not speak of God's love and Christian love without loving. And do not speak of the Gospel and forgiveness without forgiving.
This is the love of God; by which you know love, because He loves you.
The Father has given His Son for you, and the Son has laid down His life for you. In this way has He known you and loved you with the divine intimacy of the Father and the Son (in the Holy Spirit).
He has not held your sins and failures against you, but has given Himself to deal with them and to heal you at the cost of His own life.
He has not allowed your enmity and lack of love to dissuade Him, but He has befriended you in His grace, mercy and peace.
He has sought you out, His lost and wandering sheep, and He has become your Shepherd.
Such a Good Shepherd He is!
All His goods are yours, in heaven and on earth. He has even poured out His Holy Spirit into your heart through the forgiveness of all your sins by His Gospel, that you may have peace and hope and confidence in Him. That neither His own Law, nor your own heart, nor anyone else may condemn you.
That you may live, as He lives, in both body and soul, and dwell in His House with Him forever.
That you may love, as He loves, both God and man.
Such a Good Shepherd He is, little children, and you are His lamb, His dear sheep.
Here is the green pasture of His Word, with which He feeds you; by which He leads and guides you in righteousness and truth.
Here is the water of His Baptism, the anointing of His Holy Spirit, by which He has made you His own; to which He daily returns you in love; from which He leads you in quietness and peace.
Here is the Holy Cross, which is the Rod and Staff of His Gospel, by which He has atoned for your sins and redeemed you, and by which He has defeated death and the devil for you. So that you shall not die forever, but live in Him; and so that even death holds no power of fear over you. For by this Word of the Cross He absolves you, and where there is forgiveness, there is life.
Here is the Table, which He has spread before you, and the Chalice that overflows for you with His life-giving Blood; that by His Body you may belong to Him and abide in His Body forever, in His goodness and mercy all the days of your life, even the life everlasting.
For His Name's sake. Amen.
01 May 2009
Bemusing Myself
In the way that we exercise our Christian freedom, I have observed that cultural events, activities and phenomena often wield a more compelling interest and occupy a higher priority than the life of the Church in the means of grace. That seems strange to me, when I think about it objectively; still, I perceive the same reactions and attitudes in my own heart and life. Of course, reactions and attitudes are not yet actions, which we can discipline objectively. So why don't we more often? All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable to faith and life.
I'm exceedingly grateful that our Lord's priorities are for our salvation, even when ours are not.
I'm also bemusing myself at how quickly and easily I become self-righteously indignant with the self-righteous indignation of others.
I'm exceedingly grateful that our Lord's priorities are for our salvation, even when ours are not.
I'm also bemusing myself at how quickly and easily I become self-righteously indignant with the self-righteous indignation of others.
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