In case anyone is wondering why there are breakaway groups in Anglicanism today…
He sounds perfect for TEC
(Via Strange Herring.)
Dust (Ash Wednesday)
Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Ash Wednesday (February 25, 2009, revised from 2005)
Matthew 6:16-21
TITLE: “Dustâ€
In the name of the Father and of the †Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our text for this Ash Wednesday is from St. Matthew chapter six, as well as Genesis chapter 3. We focus on the phrase also from the liturgy: you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Out of the dust of the ground God formed man and woman, Adam and Eve. They were dust, a part of God’s creation, to be sure, but nothing without the breath of God put into them by His voice and Word. But with that Word and power of God, they were alive, living souls, the very crown of God’s creation.
Their life was found in God and each other. God, who makes all things by the Word of His mouth, breathes life itself into them over and over again. With God, they are alive, full of Him and all of His creative gifts. But without them, they are nothing. Their life is bound to His life, for that is the way God made them.
Satan, of course, sought to rip them away from their life. He tempted them to believe that they could be gods all by themselves, and without the One who draws us all into Himself. So when God made the promise of the Messiah to come from the Seed of the woman, he also laid a curse:
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it’:
      “Cursed is the ground for your sake;
      In toil you shall eat of it
      All the days of your life.
      Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
      And you shall eat the herb of the field.
      In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
      Till you return to the ground,
      For out of it you were taken;
      For dust you are,
      And to dust you shall return.”
God laid this curse on the ground so that every waking day of our lives, every time you strain your back in pain, every time your hands writhe in arthritic pain, every time you have to fight and scrape to get by, make things work, and just hold things together, that all of this points you to the reality of your life: you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Confess your sins. Recognize yourself in the dust of the earth. You are dust. Your sins show that to you. They show the world that you are not perfect like you might think. You aren’t even “pretty good, all things considered.†You are dust, and the whole world is cursed so that you will see yourself as you really are before God. That is the Law, and it speaks loud and clear this day to us all.
But we thank God for this Law. Why? Because it is only when a doctor tells you the bad news that you are able to start thinking about healing. In order to be healed, you must know you are sick. God comes to you this day with words of both Law and words of hope.
The ashes on our foreheads remind us that we are dust. But that is not the end, dear friends. That is not the end at all. It is when you are in the dust, at the bottom of the heap, that God begins his work. For remember those great words again from Genesis:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).
God can only do His work of recreating you in His image when you recognize you are dust. For God takes the dust of the ground and creates life. Our Lord Jesus Christ because dust of the ground, he became one of us in the womb of His mother, Mary. And because He became as we are, we too may become as He is, holy and righteous, perfect in every way. But it can only happen by His Word and work. For it is not our doing, but God’s work that makes things right that are so very wrong. This is what St. Peter talks about in our epistle for tonight when he writes:
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
This night we begin the journey of Lent, the journey of dust. But God will take your hurting soul, full of the curse of the earth, and bring you out, just as God will bring our Lord Jesus through His journey as well. God does His best work out of nothing, working in the dust. Come, confess your sins, God will absolve you, and the breath of God’s life will come into you once again.
Believe it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.
Proposed Pastoral Practice regarding Confirmation and First Communion
[The following is a proposal that I have been making to our board of elders regarding the practice of confirmation and first communion here at Messiah. I would welcome your comments and suggestions. -LL]
A Proposed Practice Regarding First Communion and Confirmation of children at Messiah Lutheran Church
By Pastor Todd A. Peperkorn
December 18, 2008
Proposed pastoral practice regarding First Communion:
That Messiah Lutheran Church admit children to Holy Communion when the pastor, the child, the parents and at least one elder all concur that the child is prepared to receive Christ’s Body and Blood in Holy Communion. “Preparation†shall include but not be limited to a clear confession of faith in the Gospel by means of reciting by heart the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer, by being examined and absolved by the pastor (Individual Confession and Absolution), and by verbally expressing their desire to receive Christ’s Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins.
Proposed pastoral practice regarding Confirmation:
That Messiah Lutheran Church confirm those children in the Christian Faith who can recite by heart the Small Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther with Explanation, who have been examined and absolved, and who are able to confess the faith and answer the questions placed upon confirmands in the Rite of Confirmation found in the Lutheran Service Book.
Rationale
The reason for this proposed practice is simple: It is of great benefit for all Christians to receive Christ’s Body and Blood, and that we should be about giving our children Jesus as much as possible, and as soon as possible.
The challenges for this proposed policy are several:
1) By separating confirmation and first communion, we run the risk of denigrating the importance of the rite of confirmation.
2) This practice, while gaining acceptance in the LCMS as a whole, is not universally accepted, and does require explanation.
3) Because this is based on the confession of faith of the individual and not an arbitrary age, it makes the practice appear random, when in fact this is more consistent with our understanding of worthiness of receiving the Sacrament.
Quotations From the Book of Concord
6 Confirmation and extreme unction are rites received from the Fathers that not even the Church requires as necessary to salvation, because they do not have God’s command. Therefore, it is useful to distinguish these rites from the former, which have God’s direct command and a clear promise of grace.
Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions, Edited by Paul Timothy McCain (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 185.
38 We cheerfully maintain the old traditions made in the Church for the sake of usefulness and peace. We interpret them in a more moderate way and reject the opinion that holds they justify. 39 Our enemies falsely accuse us of setting aside good ordinances and Church discipline. We can truly declare that the public form of the churches is more fitting with us than with the adversaries. 40 If anyone will consider it in the right way, we conform to the canons more closely than the adversaries. Among the adversaries, unwilling celebrants, and those hired for pay, and very frequently only for pay, celebrate the Masses. They sing psalms, not that they may learn or pray, but for the sake of the service (as though this work were a service) or, at least, for the sake of reward. Among us many use the Lord’s Supper every Lord’s Day. They do so after they have been first instructed, examined, and absolved. The children sing psalms in order that they may learn. The people also sing so that they may either learn or pray. 41 Among the adversaries there is no catechizing of the children whatever, about which even the canons give commands. Among us the pastors and ministers of the churches are encouraged publicly to instruct and hear the youth. This ceremony produces the best fruit. 42 Among the adversaries, in many regions, no sermons are delivered during the entire year, except during Lent. Yet the chief service of God is to preach the Gospel. When the adversaries do preach, they speak of human traditions, of the worship of saints and similar trifles, which the people justly hate. Therefore, they are immediately deserted in the beginning, after the reading of the Gospel text. A few better ones begin now to speak of good works; but about the righteousness of faith, faith in Christ, and the comfort of consciences, they say nothing. Indeed, this most wholesome part of the Gospel they rail at with their reproaches. 43 On the contrary, in our churches all the sermons are filled with such topics as these: repentance; the fear of God; faith in Christ, the righteousness of faith, the comfort of consciences by faith; the exercises of faith; prayer, what its nature should be, and that we should be fully confident that it is powerful, that it is heard; the cross; the authority of officials and all civil ordinances; the distinction between the kingdom of Christ, or the spiritual kingdom, and political affairs; marriage; the education and instruction of children; chastity; all the offices of love. 44 From this condition of the churches it may be determined that we earnestly keep Church discipline, godly ceremonies, and good Church customs.
Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions, Edited by Paul Timothy McCain (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 193.
Faith, Hope and Love in Blind Bartemaeus (Quinquagesima 2009)
Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Quinquagesima (February 22, 2009, revised from 2002)
Luke 18:31-43
For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE
[I am trying a slightly different way of recording my sermons, so if you listen to it, please comment and let me know how it worked!]
TITLE: “Faith, Hope and Love in Blind Bartemaeusâ€
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this morning is from the Gospel lesson just read, the story of blind Bartemaeus in Luke 18. We focus on the words from our text, Jesus stood still.
We are near the beginning of our Lenten journey to the cross of Calvary and the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Already the paraments are purple, we have said farewell to the Alleluias, and the service begins to take on a serious tone. The need is great, and the price is high for our salvation.
Jesus knew this as He went along the road to Jericho with His disciples so many years ago. He wanted to warn them of the trials and heartaches they would face. So He told them what would happen to Him. He would be taken by unbelievers, mocked, insulted, spat upon, and die as a common criminal, vulnerable and alone. But on the third day He would rise again from the dead, and would break the bonds of Satan forever.
The disciples, of course, couldn’t get it. They couldn’t fathom that the Son of God would die for sinners like you and me. In their minds, God was high and mighty, holy and unreachable. He was too important to die for common sinners. That wasn’t how God worked.
This is also how you and I think about God by nature. He may be great and mighty, but when push comes to shove, when life truly gets horrible and messy, that is when Satan tries to creep in and convince you that God doesn’t really care about you. He has more important things to do than to listen to the prayer of one tired sinner from Kenosha.
According to the Law, as long as you are trying to work this out and figure things out yourself, that’s true. When you try and manipulate God or try and placate Him by figuring out everything on your own, you will end up in the dust at the end. You can’t do it. We are poor miserable sinners, tired and weak from the battle against the devil, the world and our own sinful flesh. There are evil forces at work in our lives that seek to rip us away from God and from His loving embrace. And the saddest thing of all is when we start listening to those voices and believing them. God doesn’t care about me. I’m alone once again. That is the lie which Satan would have you believe.
But that is not the God of wonders, the God of love who gives His Son over to die for you. The God of love that sends His Son into the flesh to die loves you with every fiber of His being. More than anything else in the world, He wants to draw you into His life. He wants you to be a part of that holy conversation which only exists in God Himself. This is what our Old Testament lesson is talking about when it says that God will come down with vengeance to save you. He comes down from heaven and enters into your very flesh and blood, so that when you suffer, He suffers. And when He died, you died, so that because He rose again, you rise again in the waters of Baptism. Your life is bound to God so much that you are hidden in Christ, as St. Paul reminds us (Colossians 3:1).
That is what the disciples couldn’t get, so our Lord draws blind Bartemaeus to the road so that He may have mercy on this poor man. Bartemaeus is the name of the beggar in our Gospel lesson. Here is one who has been abandoned by all. He is alone and without help. He cannot see, and so his whole world is one of darkness and fear. This is you trapped in your sins.
But God in His mercy gave great faith to Bartemaeus. As they walked along the road, Bartemaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He cries out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Lord, have mercy! It is the cry of faith. Bartemaeus makes this cry knowing that Jesus is the source and object of his faith. Faith always looks outside of ourselves and to Jesus Christ alone. That is the only faith that finally matters. And this is where Bartemaeus looks. The blind man looks with the eyes of faith to the one and only source of mercy in his life. He looks to Jesus.
The crowds and the disciples don’t get it. They urge him to hush up and go away. Don’t you know that Jesus has more important things to do than to help some pathetic blind beggar? Jesus is an important man. He has places to go, things to do, people to see. He doesn’t have time for the likes of you. So they thought.
But the more they tried to hush him, the more he cried out. Son of David, have mercy on me! It is then that we hear this wonderful verse: Jesus stood still, and commanded them to stop. Jesus is on His way to die, surrounded by people who supposedly adore Him and hail Him as a great prophet, and yet right in the middle of the road, He stops at the prayer of one of His children crying out to Him in faith.
Now there is a picture of God that is true. Heaven and earth come to a screeching halt at the voice of prayer crying out in faith. Now we can see how much God loves you. Nothing else matters. No one else matters. You are His sole concern and love. At your cry for help He swoops down out of heaven and gathers you up in His arms. Jesus even asks Bartemaeus what he wants, and Bartemaeus tells him, Lord, that I may receive my sight. Seems to me like Bartemaeus was seeing just fine. He saw through the haze and the fear and the crowds and the hushing God’s true character. He clung to those words from Jesus: Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
This is the very essence of the Christian faith, my friends. Faith clings to the Word of God alone, even when it seems as though heaven and earth itself are crashing in all around us. And that faith will never be disappointed, for that faith rests on the sure and certain promises of God, that will never fail, never waver, never fall short or miss the point. Jesus stood still. He will hear your prayers. He will listen to your cry for mercy. And He will give you what you truly need. He will give you Himself.
I think this is why as Lutherans we really look at the Lord’s Supper as the culmination and greatest gift from God. Baptism creates faith and is the foundation. The Word of God and Absolution strengthen faith and point it to Christ. And the Lord’s Supper connects us to Jesus in the deepest and most intimate way possible. Christ dwells in you. He gives you His very body and blood. You are clean and holy in God’s sight, because Christ makes you clean by His blood. This is the work of the God who does wonders. This is the work of the God who stops heaven and earth to hear your prayer. This is the work of the God who comes into your flesh and gives you peace that is beyond understanding.
Cry out to God in faith. Cry out with the words of Bartemaeus and the whole Church in heaven and on earth: have mercy. He does, and He will. Believe it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.
Signing off for a bit
Well, we are off on vacation for a week and a day, so I’ll be signing off for a bit. Kathryn and I are going to Germany! Bavaria, to be exact. Munich, Nurenberg, Neuendettelsau, and a little ski resort called Mittenwald.