Walls to Fill

A THRIVING SMALL CHURCH?

2009-07-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

Great blogpost from Ed Stetzer (Baptist mission guru) on thriving small churches. He points out how the church has created a "celebrity ministry" culture through conferences touting rock star pastors. He uses the phrase "ministry pornography" and I about fell out of my chair laughing when I read this, but it is so true.

Check-it out for yoursef: Small Churches can Thrive.

Primer on the Justification Situation

2009-06-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

Most readers of this blog are probably aware of the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) and the debate over the old Lutheran doctrine of Justification versus the NPP verson. Proponents of each side have drawn their lines in the metaphorical sand by publishing books ad nauseum. Two of the more popular presenters have been Baptist pastor John Piper and Anglican bishop N.T. Wright. Piper came out swinging first with his book, The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright, which recieved accolades from both sides for honestly engaging the good bishop to accurately represent his views. Wright has recently responded with his book, Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision, which I have yet to read since it was just recently released stateside.

Christianity Today has recently published a helpful primer on the two positions to help those who are tired of sloshing through the mire of the debate. You can open the PDF, here.

While I have benefitted from studying both Piper and Wright, especially Wright's books on Jesus and the Resurrection, I do not think Piper is the best representative of the old Lutheran position on justification. For that I would turn to an actual Lutheran exegete, Stephen Westerholm's Perspectives Old and New: The "Lutheran" Paul and his Critics, which is par excellence on Paul's understanding of the law.

Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

2009-06-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

On this day in 1530, the Augsburg Confession was read aloud to Emperor Charles V, German Princes, and other nobles of the free cities at the diet of Augsburg. Composed by Philip Melancthon in consultation with Martin Luther, it represented the first confessional document of the Reformation that describes what the early reformers believed, taught and confessed.

Today it still stands as the foundational document representing the best in Lutheranism. I thank God for the gift of these men and women who struggled to hold fast to the Biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone - for they stood alone by faith, especially those princes who sided with Luther. They were men and women of Biblical conviction, which is something the church is sorely in need of today, especially that claim allegiance to the tradition of Augustana.

Sorry for the intermittent posting of late. I've been travelling up to Christ College every night in Irvine, CA for classes (Sys Theology I and Reformation History); I get home around 11am and then get up for work at 6am, so while it has been exhausting, I have been writing/studying some pretty cool subjects and enjoying my professors and classmates.

Stay tuned as I have a couple lengthier papers of substance that I'll be posting in the coming weeks, and God willing, two of them will be published later this year or early next.

I'd encourage you all to pick-up a Book of Concord and read the Augsburg Confession - yes - even you Calvinists! Calvin himself agreed with it and the first draft of his Institutes (1536) reflects its tenor. For an online read, check-out: Book of Concord.

Pentecost Sermon - One Foundation? Acts 2:1-21

2009-06-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to the PDF of the sermon I delivered on Pentecost Sunday. We still do not have a recording device, which is unfortunate, because after looking at the written manuscript I am seeing how much more free I am in the pulpit to ad-lib and take diversions. Additionally, the paper just doesn't convey the power and emotion of the human voice. Oh well. Enjoy. Maybe you can get something out of it.

One Foundation? Acts 2:1-21

Life Together - Seats Available

2009-06-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

*Here's an advert for a Sunday Evening Prayer/Bible Study that I'll be leading this summer.

Life together under the Word will remain sound and healthy only where it does not form itself into a movement, an order, a society... but rather where it understands itself as being a part of the one, holy, catholic, Christian Church, where it shares actively and passively in the sufferings and struggles of the whole Church. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The mission of the church is to make disciples (Matt 28:19). A disciple is best understood as a learner or follower. The leadership of Grace recognizes that one of our weak areas is that we have not done enough to encourage or create avenues for life-long learning and discipleship beyond confirmation. While we have a solid new member’s course led by our pastor that utilizes Luther’s Small Catechism, we have a low percentage of new members that actually transfer into ongoing bible studies. This has left the studies we do offer bereft of new folks.

To help counter this and deepen the bonds of friendship within our church, while creating additional pathways for mission we are launching a new endeavor beginning on Sunday evenings, July 12th, that I am developing as part of my vicarage called: Life Together Communities. The content of the church’s ministry is the gospel. It is a declarative word to be proclaimed. Thus, the church is both word-centered and mission-oriented as the good news must go out. Ministry is not just an event, still less a performance. It takes place in and through the shared life of the Christian community.

It is our desire that the Life Together Communities will help foster and provide a vehicle by which mission and discipleship can be accomplished outside the walls of our church in targeted neighborhoods where our parishioners actually reside, giving this word-centered emphasis hands and feet.

My family will host what we hope will become the first of many of these home-based community gatherings. Every Sunday evening the plan is to fellowship and eat together sharing lives, worship using a form of evening prayer, be led in the study of God’s Word, pray for one another’s needs, our congregation, and the mission efforts of the community, and work together in outreach and neighborhood projects.

This home gathering approach has a long history within our Lutheran heritage and support within our own confessions. Luther spoke of the benefits of the richness of God’s grace, which includes the fellowship of the brethren in the Smalcald Articles (III,4):

God is extravagantly rich in His grace: first, through the spoken Word, in which the forgiveness of sins is preached to the whole world (which is the proper function of the gospel); second, through Baptism; third, through the holy Sacrament of the Altar; fourth, through the power of the Keys, and also through the mutual conversation and consolation of brothers and sisters.

Please consider joining us Sunday evenings, 5:30 - 7:30pm this summer. Life Together is not for any specific group of people: young and old, men and women, singles and couples, and children, too. C.S. Lewis once said that friendship begins the moment one person says, “What, you too? I thought I was the only one.” Come and make some new friends. Come, serve and be served. The Christian life is not meant to be lived in isolation, but in community on mission together.

Thoughts on Mystery

2009-05-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I led our mid-week Evening Prayer service, filling in for my pastor who was proctoring a final at USD. This is my favorite service in the Lutheran Service Book, musically speaking. The music is joyful and the words, which are largely taken from the Psalms, are pregnant with meaning as the sun is setting. Typically, the service ends with Communion when the pastor is there, but when I lead it is only a prayer service.

There is, however, a section in the litugy that allows for a homily or catechetical reflection, so I took opportunity to ad-lib a devotional on the nature of mystery. We are about to celelbrate/remember Christ's ascension this Sunday. We follow the church calendar and so these key events in the life of Christ and the church are brought to our attention year after year. For some, these events become boring and routine. But for me personally, the significant events of Scripture never seem to lose their luster.

Here's the deal. In any other story, knowing the end before you start a book, movie, or program would ruin it. The mystery would be lost. The tension would give way because you know how it's all going to end. My mother and oldest daughter watch all the reality shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. These shows are not my thing, but I will often fast-forward the recordings on the DVR to the end just to see who won or was kicked off. I realize this takes all the supposed fun out of the show, but I don't really care about these shows so it does't matter much. But heilgeschichte (salvation history) is never boring nor less mysterious despite knowing how it all is going to pan out. We know as the creed states that Jesus is coming back to "judge the living and the dead." So where's the mystery, you ask?

On the cross, Jesus took upon himself our judgment. We gave him what is ours - sin and death - and he gave us what is rightfully his - righteousness and life. I know this. I trust my very soul in faith to this "marvelous exchange," as Luther called it. But it is nonetheless an incredible mystery. Why would God do such a thing? This peace passes my understanding and keeps me continually refreshed, renewed, and interested in this on-going story. I guess we could simply call this hope.

But think about the ascension and the kind of emotional roller coaster it must have been for the disciples. He's dead! He's alive! He's giving some incredible Bible studies, come listen! What? You're going away? Already? Imagine the admixture of loss, sadness, joy, confusion, and...hope.

What benefit do we recieve from Christ's ascension? The expanded edition of Luther's small catechism speaks of the benefits as it relates to Christ's Triplex Mundi (three-fold office):

1. As a Prophet, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and empowers/equips pastors and teachers to bring His life giving Word.

2. As our High Priest, Christ intercedes at the right hand of the Father for us (1 John 2:1)

3. As our Heavenly King, he sits enthroned on high making his enemies his footstool. In other words, we share in his victory over the powers of sin, the devil, and death. O death, where is thy sting?

May the richness and flavor of this beatiful story never lose its savor. Amen

My First Baptism...

2009-05-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

I had the extreme privilege of baptizing Ava Grace Soto into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit yesterday. This was my first baptism and it was an honor bestowed on me by both the parents and my pastor, since vicars do not normally preside over baptisms. The older I get the more resolved I am in the way Lutherans treat the sacraments. The objective nature of knowing God's word/promise attached to the waters of baptism brings great comfort of knowing I am not saved by my doing or particular feelings for any given day.

A lot of my friends (and readers) are not Lutheran, and often confused by what seems like a Roman Catholic view of the sacraments. One of my favorite NT theologians, A. Andrew Das, delivered an excellent paper a while back on Baptism in the NT that I think would help my non-Lutheran friends grasp where we are coming from on this doctrine. It is a bit long as it attempts to sweep through the entire NT on the subject but completely worthwhile, in my opinion (especially his sections on Acts). Here is the link.

For those who contribute nothing but their own self-interest...

2009-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

Church is a place full of sinners. That statement should be a no-brainer to anyone with a modicum understanding of the Christian faith. "There is no one righteous - no not one," says St. Paul. But the church is also full of saints - those set apart by the work of Jesus Christ through faith on account of Jesus' atoning death and victorious resurrection. Thus, Lutherans believe in Simil Justus et Peccator - simultaneously justified and sinful.

I mention this because I am slowly realizing just how much wasted time of pastoral ministry is spent dealing with long-time Christians who are completely self-absorbed. The church for this type of person is all about - yep you guessed it - them. While I lament this fact, it is simply a matter of understanding my first point; the church is full of sinners.

I was on a business blog earlier today where the writer was dealing with Seneca's philosophy and I came across this quote: "Too often, we spend time focusing on the trivial with people who contribute nothing but their own self-interest." Fantastic sentence! And right to the point.

So I have resolved to call people on the carpet when they attempt to waste my time by contributing nothing but their self-interest by asking, "And what does this have to do with the mission of Jesus?"

Preaching to the homeless...

2009-03-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Ring. ring. [my cell - 9:30pm on Saturday night - location: Irish Pub]

Me - Hello.

Pastor - Hi Vicar. The pastor that was supposed to preach tomorrow afternoon at Rev. Lee's homeless mission can't make it. I have family in town, so...

Me - [said reluctantly] Sure. I'll do it.

Pastor - Great! Now make sure you are very "real" with them. And they're hungry and cannot eat until you're done with the sermon, so don't go too long - like no more than 10 minutes. Where are you? It sounds like a party or a bar?

We support a missionary pastor, Rev. Lee, who works with a homeless mission in downtown San Diego. Rev. Lee is a Korean Lutheran pastor that must be somewhere around 80 years old. He's faithful and hard working, and this ministry is hard. The area of the mission is a place where you typically will take the extra time to drive around rather than through to get to your destination, if you know what I mean. It is filled with tents and sleeping bags, smells of piss and feces, and needles are strewn about in the gutters. When I parked my car, there was about 150 people lined up around the building for their free meal. They have to sit through a worship service before they can eat, so you have a captive audience.

And the audience is every preachers worst nightmare. They've heard it all before. Some are on drugs; some are deranged; old and handicapped; young, strung out businessmen; hookers and pimps; and dealers, of courses. Some have been eating this free meal for years and seen preachers come and go like the seasons.

It was fitting that before I preached, we sang "Onward, Christian Soldiers" because I felt like I was marching on to war as I took the pulpit. I kept it real and I only spoke for 12 minutes using the John 2 account of Jesus cleansing the temple, emphasizing the fact that in this story Jesus defies our expectations of what our Savior looks and acts like, showing how often we domesticate him for our own personal desires. I ended as the passage does with the death and resurrection of Jesus calling them to believe in Jesus' word as his disciples did in the story.

There was a hearty amen afterwards, but I'm pretty sure that was to display how happy they were that they could get on with the meal, and not so much for my sermonizing. An elderly black man came up to me as I was leaving and said, "Nice talk, young man." Nice talk? Well, it is better than some things I've heard in church, so I'll take it. I have a new-found respect for those that minister to the homeless. To be frank, I didn't want to go. To be more frank, I don't really want to go back. It is scary and it smells. But I do believe that this is the type of place that Jesus would preach, and these are the type of people Jesus would sit and eat with, so I'll keep going as long as they'll have me. Why? Because these are the people that Jesus died for, too.

An Answer to Prayer?

2009-03-27T11:22:00.001-07:00

As part of my vicarage I wear a clerical shirt/collar when I am acting in a ministerial capacity at church or on visitations. It's taken a bit to get used to, especially when you are out and about. But I generally support the idea of a pastoral uniform for a number of reasons I won't go into here. But this past week's experience has solidified it even more.

One of our elders had a minor heart problem on Sunday morning and I went with my pastor and another parishoner after worship to visit him in the hospital and pray with him. This is a fairly normal occurence for us, because our church is 100 years old and we have a lot of elderly folks we care for at Grace Lutheran. While I was waiting in the emergency room lobby to leave a woman in tears approached me and asked me if I had time to go see her dying mother and the family members by her bedside. She said that they had not yet explained to her mom that she would likely die (and very soon at that), but thought that I could speak with her and pray with her. They had attempted to make contact with her pastor, but he had not returned the call yet, and time was not on her side.

What else could I say but yes? But I must admit that as I walked back into the emergency room I became extremely nervous. I have very little experience in such matters. The hospital bedside is not my normal idea of a pulpit, but it became one nonetheless, inexperience aside. I went through the curtain and found the room full of old and young family members with lowered heads and downcast eyes; all expecting me to bring comfort and encouragment. I softly held the elderly woman's hand and reminded her that God in his goodness sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world and rose again three days later to defeat sin, Satan, and death for all who believe. I asked her if she believed this? She did! I then prayed, thanking God for this woman's faith and asked him to bring her and the family the comfort of knowing this good message and to strengthen their faith in the same.

Was this enough? It didn't seem like it. But then I remembered that on his death bed, Karl Barth said that the most profound thing he had ever learned in his life was, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." I did get this across, so maybe it was enough, even for a lowly inexpereienced Lutheran vicar. As I left, the daughter hugged me and expressed her thanks through tear-stained cheeks. She said that she had been praying for something or someone to bring some releif to her mother and family. And here's where I got teary-eye'd. "I knew when I saw you in the lobby - you were the answer to my prayer."

How can you respond to such a statement, but to thank God? I mention this story because the only reason I had this opportunity in the first place was because I was wearing the collar. May God grant this family comfort amidst their trials and may my bedside preaching only get better with time. Amen.

Bibliophiles True Confession MEME

2009-03-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Paul McCain (AKA Cyberbrethren) tagged his blog readers with this MEME for booklovers. Here's my response. Consider yourself tagged...

1. To mark your page you: use a bookmark, bend the page corner, leave the book open face down?

I almost always use a bookmark. I have a collection of them that my wife made for me that I rotate. But my favorite bookmark was hand-sewn in Croatia by this little old lady I met in a village while travelling. I'm against page bending!

2. Do you lend your books?

Ugh! Yes, but I must admit that I don't like to. I now have a list in my library so I can keep track, because I've lost my fair share throughout the years.

3. You find an interesting passage: you writing your books or no writing!

I write all over. Lately, I've been using the highlighter that comes with post-it flags. In bigger works that I'm sourcing for a paper or future manuscript I use a color code of flags.

4. Dust jackets - leave it on or take it off.

I usually will take them off while reading, but I put them back on after they're back on the shelf. I purchase a lot of old books and they just preserve longer with the jacket.

5. Hard cover, paperback, skip it and get the audio book?

For anything over 300 pages, a non-fiction work that I will use again and again, or an older work I prefer hardback. For fiction or a once only read I prefer softback. I've never listened to an audio book, but my mother absolutely loves them.

6. Do you shelve your books by suject, author, or size and color of the book?

I shelve by suject, and if I have several by the same author, I will keep their works together. If I run out of shelf space, which I have with my theology and history sections, I stack them on top or wherever I can find room.

7. Buy it or borrow it from the library later?

BUY!!!! Unless I'm just citing it for a paper I almost always want to purchase it. I usually start with Advanced Book Exchange where the shipping usually costs more than the book price, then I look at Amazon used before looking at the new price. Additionally, I spend a lot of time perusing used book stores. We have a couple jems in San Diego and you never know what you might find.

8. Do you put your name on your books - scribble, stamp, or book plate?

I have a "Thomas Library" stamp I've had for about 15 years.

9. Most of the books your own are rare and out of print or recent publications?

50/50. I try to stay current in NT studies, Biblical Theology, and Dogmatics but who has the time or money at the rate of publishing these days? But most of my interest lays in the areas of early Christian doctrinal development (history), Lutheran Dogmatics, and the history of preaching so much of my library is out of print.

10. Page edges - deckled or straight?

STRAIGHT! I can't stand it otherwise.

11. How many books do you read at one time?

This is a tough one. If I wasn't in a grad program right now I would probably have 4-5 going. I'm a little ADD so I like variety and typically have a theological book, biography or historical book, current biblical studies work, something related to church or missions and at least one novel going at a time. But since I'm in school right now I'm probably working on about 10-12 at a time, but I must admit I'm glossing a few of them rather than fully digesting them.

12. Be honest, ever tear a page from a book?

Heavens no! That's sacrilege.

Beginning of the Lenten Season

2009-02-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

Today marks the beginning of Lent - the season of penitence leading to Holy Week, which culminates in the majectic victory of Easter. And so begins another year celebrating the liturgical rhythm of the church, keeping the focus on Christ and him crucified.

The liturgical colors have changed to a royal purple in my parish and a black cloth will hang over our crucifix for the season . I took down the palm to burn last night so my pastor could mix the ashes with a bit of oil for today's Ash Wednesday service. Tonight I will help lead the service administering the ashes with the sober words, "Remember that you are from dust, and to dust you shall return."

One of the blessings of following the church calendar is that you get a full spectrum of emotions by following the life and ministry of Jesus that you do not normally find in broad evangelical circles which are just... tepid. Like life itself, there are ups and downs, laughter and tears, joy and suffering. This kind of worship just seems...well...real, earthy, and more importantly, true.

Dr. Bruce W. Winter Audio Lectures

2009-02-17T16:27:00.000-08:00

One of my interests both pastorally and academically is the Graeco-Roman influences behind some of the New Testament texts, particularly Roman jurisprudence. And one of the leading scholars in this area is Australian Bruce W. Winter, who I believe used to direct Tyndale House at Cambridge. I'm saving up to purchase a few of his books, but I found these lectures here at the European Leadership Forum. Really good stuff on what Paul was dealing with in Corinth; especially helpful for pastors, in my opinion.

A Very Sad Description of Mega Church Worship

2009-02-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

Aussie theologian Ben Myers shares his experience attending a mega-church. This is worth a read as it isn't just a rant against all things new. He has some profound comments on the psychology of the big screens, and many of the post-comments provide some good insight.

Faith and Theology: Mega-church

Creation and Blessing

2009-02-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

Getting a head-start on my readings for my upcoming course on the book of Genesis. The primary text is Allen P. Ross' book: Creation and Blessing. So far this looks to be an excellent introduction on Genesis, ancient literary genre, and helpful intruductions on various methods of interpretation. While solidly orthodox and conservative, he engages with numerous approaches in a fair and balanced manner. I also like the fact that this is not really a commentary, but assists you in exegesis (forcing you to do your own textual work). If you are interested in Genesis (and who isn't) this should be on your shelf.

Christocentric Reading of the Psalms

2009-02-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

I'm nearing the end of my class on ecclesiology and working on the final paper, which looks at models of the church using Avery Dulles' comparative approach. In so doing, I've spent a little time peering into Dietrich Bonhoeffer's works, albeit not as much as I'd like. Bonhoeffer is an enigma as he is both loved and hated by a wide array of traditions.

I have not read enough of his own writings to have an informed opinion, but my curiosity has certainly been piqued by Eric Andrae's article, Pro Deo et Patria: Themes of the Cruciform Life in Dietrich Bonhoeffer. (highly recommend reading it if you have the time).

Here is a quote on how Bonhoeffer's hermeneutical approach the Psalsms. I like to call this an Emmaus Road Hermeneutic as Jesus told his disciples in Luke 24 that the entire canon was all about him:

If we want to read and to pray the prayers of the Bible and especially the
Psalms, therefore, we must not ask first what they have do uith us, but what
they have to do with Jesus Christ. We must ask how we can understand the Psalms
as God's Word,and then we shall be able to pray them. It does not depend,
therefore, on whether the Psalms express adequately that which we feel at a
given moment in our heart. If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite
necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart. Not what we want to pray, but
what God wants us to pray. If we were dependent entirely on ourselves, we would
probably pray only the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer. But God wants it
otherwise. The richness of the Word of God ought to determine our prayer, not
the poverty of our heart.

The Altenberg Thesis by C.F.W. Walther

2009-01-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

When some of the first Lutheran's from Saxony settled in and around St. Louis in the early 1800s a major issue arose when Bishop Martin Stephan was deposed. Many had believed the old patristic addage, "Wherever the bishop is, there is the church."

Were they still a legitimate chruch without a bishop? What is the church? Are there visible signs or is it all a matter of invisibility? These are some of the questions they struggled with after leaving the old country. C.F.W Walther rose to the occasion, and after spending some time in the scriptures and reading Luther on the matter, began to take the reigns of the fledgling church that would become the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. But before this happened he was challenged to a debate over this question of the "church". He formulated and defended an eight-point thesis and won the crowd over. This is called the "Altenberg Thesis" and I leave it for your perusal:

I. The true Church, in the most real and perfect sense, is the totality (Gesaintheit) of all true believers, who from the beginning to the end of the world from among all peoples and tongues have been called and sanctified by the Holy Spirit through the Word. And since God alone knows these true believers (2 Tim. 2:19), the Church is also called invisible. No one belongs to this true Church who is not spiritually united with Christ, for it is the spiritual body of Jesus Christ.

II. The name of the true Church belongs also to all those visible companies of men among whom God’s Word is purely taught and the holy Sacraments are administered according to the institution of Christ. True, in this Church there are godless men, hypocrites, and heretics, but they are not true members of it, nor do they constitute the Church.

III. The name Church, and, in a certain sense, the name true Church, belongs also to those visible companies of men who have united under the confession of a falsified faith and therefore have incurred the guilt of a partial departure from the truth; provided they possess so much of God’s Word and the holy Sacraments in purity that children of God may thereby be born. When such companies are called true churches, it is not the intention to state that they are faithful, but only that they are real churches as opposed to all worldly organizations (Gemeinschaften).

IV. The name Church is not improperly applied to heterodox companies, but according to the manner of speech of the Word of God itself. It is also not immaterial that this high name is allowed to such communions for out of this follow:

1. That members also of such companies may be saved; for without the Church there is no salvation.

V. The outward separation of a heterodox company from an orthodox Church is not necessarily a separation from the universal Christian Church nor a relapse into heathenism and does not yet
deprive that company of the name Church.

VI. Even heterodox companies have church power; even among them the goods of the Church may be validly administered, the. Ministry established, the Sacraments validly administered, and the keys of the kingdom of heaven exercised.

VII. Even heterodox companies are not to be dissolved, but reformed.

VIII. The orthodox Church is chiefly to be judged by the common, orthodox, public confession to which its members acknowledge and confess themselves to be pledged.

Church Polity and Leadership

2009-01-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

Last week I begun a 5 week course up at Concordia University on Church Polity and Leadership. While you would think this topic would be a tad dry and not as sexy as something like...Systematic Theology, I am finding it extremly interesting and valuable. It probably helps that the professor, Pr. Greg Seltz (who is also the program director), is a dynamic speaker who brings a lot of practical experience and wisdom to the topic from years pastoring and church planting.

There are several books required for the course as well as journal articles, and all seem to be pretty good, but my favorite of the bunch has to be Models of the Church by Avery Cardinal Dulles. I don't read Catholic theologians very often (it's sort of in our Lutheran blood I guess). But this treatment looks at the church from the various ecclesiological models that have sprung up through the history of the church and find some level of connection to the scriptures. Thus, he looks at the church from the standpoint of: institution, mysterious body, sacramental presence, servanthood, etc. What I really appreciate is Dulles' honesty to critique his own community, while also seeking to reform her. While I'm only a couple chapters in, what I believe he is trying to show is that you cannot force one single ecclesiology upon the church, because it is like lifting one section of scripture up as more authoritative than the rest, and doesn't appreciate the diversity and continuity of the Biblical expressions for the church. She is an institution, but she need not be institutionalized. She is a sacramental presence, she is a servant, she is the herald, she is the mysterious body of Christ. These all fit together to make up the communion of saints.

I'm also learning the value of Lutheran simplicity. Where is the church? Wherever Christ says he will be. Where does he say he will be? In his Word and Sacraments. Thus, wherever the Word is preached and the sacraments administered, you know objectively, that Christ is present and that his church is gathered. More to follow on this as I realize this last paragraph is painted with a very broad stroke of the brush...er...keyboard.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for my Vicarage

2009-01-27T08:35:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday my congregation had its first semi-annual meeting to get a lot of business sorted out at the beginning of the year. While these are absolutely necessary I must admit that frankly, I hate meetings, especially where there are over 100 (well meaning, but opinionated) people. They are often long, tedious, and make me pray ever more diligently for Christ's immediate return.

At this meeting, however, one of the major decisions that had to be approved, was my call and support to be Grace Lutheran's Vicar. Vicar? Yes, an odd term I admit. It's latin and generally means in the stead of - and in Lutheran parlance, it means I am a seminarian in training for the pastorate and am working under the direction of another pastor. Grace has not supported a vicar or seminarian since the early 70's! So this was a big deal for her. Thankfully, my pastor did a wonderful job presenting the need for the position, my qualifications, and more importantly this as an opportunity for the church. Thankfully, this also means paying my tuition at Concordia. Unlike the nomral seminarian routes within our synod, which offer just a year long vicarage in the 3rd year of seminary, I will be serving a 4 year vicarage in one parish concurrently with my studies. This is still a relatively new practice, but one that I think has tremendous advantage for the local body of Christ. In this position, I will have opportunity to:

Preach regularly
Lead in the Liturgy and prayers in various services
Teach Bible studies and Catechism classes in a variety of settings, including our school children where I hope to lead the weekly chapel as my schedule permits
Strategize with the pastor and board of elders on matters of spiritual growth and discipleship
Work with young couples in their pre-marriage classes
And generally, learn from my mentor whom I'm serving under, Rev. John Bombaro, who is both a great pastor and biblical scholar

For all of this I am grateful to my parish for their confidence, and thankful to God for this calling. I pray he would strengthen me for the days ahead, grant me understanding and wisdom as I continue my studies and minister to his people. And may I never forget that this calling is not deserved or a right that I am entitled to, it is a position of servanthood to be lived out in humble submission to the true Shepherd of souls, Jesus Christ. Amen.

PERICOPE HELPS

2009-01-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

In the Lutheran Church we follow (at least my church) the Revised Common Lectionary 3 year cycle of readings on Sunday. This includes an OT, Psalm (in the gradual spot), NT Epistle, and Gospel reading. There is usually a point of contact between the readings that help define the theme or motif. I appreciate the thought that went into setting up this lectionary and it benefits both the preacher and the congregation in multiple ways. Here are a couple of advantages I see by utilizing the lectionary:

It forces the preacher to deal with "the whole counsel of God's Word" rather than just preaching from "hobby horse" texts. Some preachers are great w/ the epistles and hate narrative passages and vice versa.

When preached well it helps both preacher and parishioner see the entire drama of Scripture. If exegeted in a canonical/Biblical Theological way the preacher can connect the OT and NT together using parrallelism, promise/fullfillment, type/shadow, Messianic motifs, etc. I see this aspect as an advantage over the normal expositional preaching through an entire book verse by verse.

The readings/sermon when coupled with complimentary hymns and prayers can bolster the Church calendar so that the Trinitarian life with emphasis on the Life, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ taking center stage is re-enacted year in and year out. Even if a church doesn't have the greatest preacher the lectionary and liturgy get the Gospel clearly out.

To this end, I recommend a very helpful site called Pericope.org which features notes on the seaons, the readings, and offers a ton of recommendations on hymn selection to compliment it all. Additionally, there are helpful expository notes on the lectionary from Pastor Buls.

The Trinity and Humanity - Extract by Chester

2009-01-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

I gave a brief talk to our parish school teachers a few months back entitled, The Doctrine of the Trinity: Relationships that Matter, which I was going to post in full, but I realized that my notes would be fairly incoherent and require a rewrite. Instead, I thought I would link an extract of a chapter by Tim Chester in his book, Delighting in the Trinity, which focuses on a very good application of understanding the Trinity (and which I heavily borrowed from).

In short, he argues that personhood has largely been misunderstood (falling prey to Greek thought rather than the Biblical truth). He states that our relationships largely define us as people in light of the Trinity. The Father is the Father because he has a Son. The Son is a Son because he has a Father and so on. When we diminish these relationships, we are sinning and dehumanizing ourselves. Great pastoral application points that I would never have considered. Highly worth 30 minutes of your time.

PDF: The Trinity and Humanity by Tim Chester

Tribe Building with Help from Seth Godin

2009-01-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

I've been pondering the topic of pastoral leadership of late and I realized that I stand in the not-so-happy middle ground of current publishing in the area. My Lutheran synod is largely composed of two polarities: Church Growth types & the Confessional Fundamentalist crowd. The Church Growth types do not seem to be rooted very well in the scriptures, nor do they seem to appreciate their own tradition or liturgy very much, but they do long to see the church reaching people through missionional endeavors (which is good). The Confessional-Fundamentalist crowd is firmly rooted in the scriptures and tradition (which is very good, in my opinion), but they seem to lack any desire to progress or change tactics for the purpose of mission. Then there is me, who wants to do both, and to do them both well.

The church growth model tends to rely heavily upon current marketing techniques and business development structures, which in turn causes the confessionalists to whince, because they do not see the need for such dependence. I see a need for having a foot in both worlds, and learning from our surrounding culture without capitulating or idolizing it so long as the Gospel is in no way being crowded out by such techniques.

All of this prologomena to say that I purchased a book entitled, Tribes: We Need you to Lead Us, by Seth Godin. My friend Drew Goomanson intruduced me to Godin while vacationing together in Hawaii a couple years ago. Godin is a popular blogger, writer, and entrepreneur. He is also a keen sociologist that writes about cultural trends, similar to Malcolm Gladwell, but without the depth of research. This book interested me as it looks at the idea of community (hence, Tribes) and what connects and motivates them from a leadership perspective. It is here that I find a useful point of contact as a pastor. A pastor leads a tribe called the local church.

Here is Godin's definition: "A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea" (pg. 1). Thus you can say that a church is a tribe because it is connected to one another through its union with Christ (confession and baptism), connected to a leader (pastor/undershepherd of Christ), and connected to an idea (the Gospel).

He goes on to say that "all that a group of people need to be a tribe is two things: (1) a shared interest and (2) a way to communicate" (pg. 2). What I find interesting is that he acknowledges what all Christians should know. "Human beings can't help it; we need to belong" (pg. 3). From the creation account in Genesis 2 we learn that part of our inherent make-up is that it is "not good that man be alone". The perichoretic life of our Triune God in his supreme self-giving/receiving is largely that which makes us the imago Dei, and according to Trinitarian thinkers like Colin Guton, it is also part of the definition of personhood.

I'm working through how to best enable my local parish to build communities of discipleship (tribes growing on mission for Christ). In future posts I plan on using Godin, Bonhoeffer, and others as partners in dialogue. For Godin's free "Tribe Building Tactics" click, here.

Greek for Beginners...

2009-01-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

For anyone interested in learning New Testament (Koine) Greek, there is a great site called Little Greek. It is interactive with helpful flashcard-like games. I would imagine if you spent about 20 minutes a day working thru the lessons as well as reading thru John and building your vocab, it wouldn't take long to get a basic working knowledge. Probably not deep enough to do real translation work, but for the educated layman a great place to start. Additionally, I would also recommend Mounce's Greek for the Rest of Us (link will take you to his website with a bunch of free audio). While you won't come away understanding the intricacies of Greek grammar, you will definitely understand English translations better and how to read your Bible utilizing Greek exegetical tools. This is extremely helpful if you lead a Sunday school or Bible study in your local parish.

Learning the Liturgy - Confession & Absolution

2009-01-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

In a culture drowning under the deluge of self-empowerment techniques, true Christianity stands in direct opposition declaring: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). At its most basic level Luther said the Christian faith can be summarized with the phrase: The forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. Certainly it is bigger in scope than this, but without this vital truth, it is mere religion and worthless. As one pastor put it, “Christianity is not a self-improvement plan. It is about God doing for us what we could not do ourselves.”

This is why following the invocation on Sunday morning, we Lutherans fall at the feet of our gracious God and confess our sins and receive absolution. It is the recognition that we stand before our holy God by the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ and not through our own inherent goodness or works. I’ve always appreciated that this takes place at the beginning of the service as it becomes a preparatory element and releases in me a true sense of thanksgiving and joy, freeing me to worship wholeheartedly, because I am reminded that I have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, my sins are nailed to his cross. Most Sunday mornings I must admit that I enter the sanctuary as a man weighed down by sin and repeated failures. I trust that I am not alone on this one. Thus, I feel the immeasurable weight of stating aloud with my fellow sinners:

Most Merciful God, We confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment.

These may sound like harsh words to the uninitiated, but they are true nonetheless. Therefore, when our pastor declares that my sins forgiven I do not just wish the slate was wiped clean. I know it actually is! And this provides great impetus for me to sing robustly to the praise of my great Redeemer.

Absolution may seem odd to those coming to Grace Lutheran from a broad evangelical background. “I thought just Catholics practiced that,” is a frequently heard sentence. In point of fact, Martin Luther saw no biblical reason to get rid of this long held practice, both in the public liturgy and in private with the pastor since it follows our Lord’s words to his apostles, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:23). The Augsburg confession sums it up this way: “We also teach that God requires us to believe this absolution as much as if we heard God's voice from heaven, that we should joyfully comfort ourselves with absolution, and that we should know that through such faith we obtain forgiveness of sins” (Article XXV). Having confessed to God and received His forgiveness, we are truly ready to receive His Word and sing His praises. Amen!

Willimon on Preaching: Highly Recommended

2009-01-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

It may sound sacreligious of a Lutheran promoting the work of a Methodist bishop, but when it comes to homiletics, Will Willimon is one of the best. Yes, he's been around for decades and written numerous books on preaching, liturgy, and pastoral care, and frankly, most of it I must admit is excellent, particularly his book: Peculiar Speech (Preaching to the Baptized), which I'm reading now.

But the purpose of this post is to point you to two lectures he gave: (1) The Power of Preaching and (2) The Person of the Preacher. He is sometimes crass and quite funny, but there is a raw honesty that comes from his experience of having to deal with difficult biblical texts and the aftermath of preaching those hard-to-hear texts by parishioners who've been offended by Jesus. Good stuff! I couldn't figure out how to link to the iTunes podcast, so here is a link that will take you to the real link, if you have iTunes: Willimon's Podcast