Suffering for the Name

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” [John 16:33]

Do not fear. God is in charge. His enemies—the devil, the world, and sinful flesh—have been defeated. Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus ascended. Jesus is coming again. Thus, not even the gates of hell shall prevail against His Church.

Despite the world’s hostility, depravity, and ungodliness, you have nothing to fear, O Christian. Christ is in control. He is in control when the world loves you. He is in control when the world hates you. Do you really believe the Gospel? Or do you only believe it when there is no persecution, oppression, or martyrdom? Repent of your mistrust, doubt, and unbelief. And look anew to Christ. His Word of absolution, His Gospel, His body and blood given and shed for you are proof that He is in charge, that the victory is His, that the victory is yours!

Rejoice, O Christian, that you have been “counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41).

The Word they still shall let remain nor any thanks have for it;

He’s by our side upon the plain with His good gifts and Spirit.

And take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife,

Though these all be gone, our vict’ry has been won;

The Kingdom ours remaineth.

[LSB 656, stanza 4]

Upholding Marriage: God’s Gift and Plan

A statement by the Rev. Bart Day, executive director, Office of National Mission

June 26, 2013

Today the Supreme Court issued its ruling, striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), allowing for federal benefits for legally married gay couples and potentially allowing for gay marriage in all of California with regard to Proposition 8.

As Christians, we believe and confess that God Himself instituted marriage as the life-long union of one man and one woman. Same-sex unions are contrary to God’s will, and gay marriage is, in the eyes of God, no marriage at all. As Christians, we proclaim this truth, no matter what the courts or legislatures may say. We are called not to popularity but to truth. Therefore, we call on our fellow Christians to be faithful first to God’s Word, knowing that another court is ultimately supreme.

Marriage is a fundamental building block of society, binding parents to their offspring. Every child benefits from the nurture of a mother and the leadership of a father. While having one mother is a blessing, having two mothers or two fathers is confusing for the child and detrimental to her well-being. The divorce culture has done great harm to the institution of marriage as well, and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has and will continue to respond to that heartache with Christ’s comfort while simultaneously working to restore a culture where marriage is upheld.

While this occasion reminds us that Scripture calls homosexuality sinful (see Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:24–27), the Bible also says plainly that those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” that is to say, those who repent and show genuine sorrow over their sin, are forgiven and loved by Christ.

And so as Christ’s Church, we forgive and love too, following His lead with compassion and humility. We forgive and love because we are all sinners in need of His grace and mercy; because no matter the sin, we have all rebelled against our Creator and fallen prey to unbelief; because He has justified us by grace through faith, freely given and joyfully received (Rom. 3:23–24); because Christ has reconciled us to the Father; because He has declared us righteous and we are.

In love, we will continue to teach marriage according to God’s plan and gift. We will continue to proclaim marriage as a picture of Christ’s love for His bride, the church. And we will continue to be a place of forgiveness, mercy and healing for all people, even as we will continue to proclaim God’s truth in love. As we move forward, we offer up our prayers for the nation and particularly for marriage, family and children.

Rev. Bart Day, executive director
LCMS Office of National Mission

A Christian Pastor Teaching Evolution?!

It’s bad enough that bad science leads to false theories. It’s worse when a “Christian” pastor speaks ignorantly and denies God’s holy and inerrant Word. Such is the case with the Rev. Robert R. Richardson, senior pastor of Interbay Community Open Bible Church.

In an interview with Fox News (click here to see it), he makes the claim that Holy Scripture and the Big Bang theory are completely compatible with each other. He downplays the language of Genesis 1, which repeatedly states: “there was evening and there was morning the [number] day.” Actually, he broadens the definition of the word day to mean a very long time period, all in an attempt to accommodate the theory of evolution. Click here for a video commentary on the Genesis text, the false assumptions of science, and a scholarly presentation of the Hebrew word day (yom).

What Richardson fails to see is that evolution completely contradicts Holy Scripture. The evolutionary theory is built on the assumption that man evolved from lesser creatures over a series of millions or billions of years. Countless species died as time progressed.

Do you see the contraction? Holy Scripture teaches that death did not enter God’s very good creation until after Adam and Eve fell into sin. Evolution teaches that death was part and parcel of this world long before humanity came into being. Both cannot be true. Creation and evolution are not compatible. Holy Scripture teaches the truth. Bad science teaches a false theory.

I don’t expect a non-Christian to take God or His Word seriously. I do, however, expect a Christian to take both seriously. God is the Creator. All things came about as the Father, through the Son, spoke them into existence. It is that simple and that complex. True science does not contradict God’s Word, but bows to God’s Word. What’s more, faith adds its Amen!

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” [Genesis 1:1ff]

“In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.” [Exodus 20:11]

“From the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’” [Mark 10:6]

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” [John 1:1-3]

“By Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” [Colossians 1:16]

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” [Hebrews 11:3]

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.” [Revelation 4:11]

It All Revolves Around Me

In preparation for Sunday’s sermon, here’s a little teaser...

A Hunger for Christ

I had a member stop by on Friday to receive the Lord’s Supper because she is not able to receive it where she will be on Sunday. Made my day. Made her day even more!

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.” [John 6:35]

Harrison: Marriage and the Church

Marriage and the Church

Friday, May 10, 2013

Someone quipped, “The world is moving so fast these days that the one who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” I thought rather cynically about this quote as I listened to the Supreme Court argue over the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Just a decade and a half ago, this legislation was signed into law, defining marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman. DOMA came as a safeguard against individual states redefining marriage and forcing the federal government (the whole nation!) to treat same-sex marriage as legitimate.

Two sources tell us what marriage is. First, the Bible tells us that man and woman were created by God as the perfect match, and that marriage is to be a sacred, lifelong union of one man and one woman. The Bible universally rejects sex outside of this man/woman marriage. Second, we know from so-called natural knowledge, which is part of all human existence, and which has been codified by custom and law through the millennia, that marriage is for one man and one woman. It is God’s perfectly designed institution for the creation of new human life and for the nurture of civilized individuals. As Luther famously noted in his Large Catechism, If he won’t obey his parent, he’ll obey the hangman!

What has come with lightening speed is merely the summation of a long process of the devaluation of marriage in Western culture. In 1970, only one state had no-fault divorce. By 1980, 49 had it. Coterminously, marriage has increasingly come to be defined as an emotional bond with a significant other rather than a fundamental building block of all society, religion and culture, based upon the fact that a man and a woman choose to enter a solemn life-long contract and bring new life into this world.

The Supreme Court will likely rule on the two cases (DOMA and Proposition 8) in late June. Like Roe v. Wade, which found a (fictional) right to abortion in the U.S. Constitution, the court could rule that the traditional definition of marriage of one man and one woman is unconstitutional. No matter how the court rules, the fight has just begun. Many in our own fellowship think, What’s the big deal? Isn’t it just about widening the tent of tolerance a bit more? If that were it, it would a major relief. But it’s not. What’s at stake is our First Amendment right to the free exercise of our religious conviction in the way we act in society. As the same-sex marriage train gains steam, we find ourselves increasingly under attack, our social ministry agencies are forced to either capitulate to the state or lose funding and even licenses. All opposed to same-sex marriage for conscience grounds are and will increasingly be labeled bigots in line with slave-holders and those who were opposed to ending of legalized racism in this country. And know this: As traditional Christians are driven out of the public square, the door is also closed for the Gospel.

The task before us is monumental. We are called to repent of our lack of appreciation for marriage and family. We are called to confess Christ to all and call all to repentance. We must elevate marriage among us and educate, educate, educate. Even as we seek specific ways to care for those challenged by same-sex attraction, we must resist conforming to the culture.

We know whose we are. We know what is in store for us. We know we will be severely tested in these last days, but this testing will abound in faithfulness and praise (1 Peter 1).

Pastor Matthew Harrison
President, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

“Let’s go!” Mark 1:38

Demographics: Religious Adherents

This is an interesting look at religious demographics in America, broken down by the group with the largest number of adherents per county:

Knee Mail

You’ve seen the church signs, the wall plaques, even the e-cards on social media. “God answers knee mail!”

I have no doubt these people mean well. But why not go with our Lord’s words and promises rather than coming up with a pithy cliche? After all, God doesn’t answer prayer simply because the one praying is on his knees. Nor does He answer prayer simply because someone calls out His name.

God’s Word teaches that He only answers the prayers of those who look to and trust in Jesus Christ and the redemption He won via His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. “Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you” (John 16:23). “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). Not the prayer of just anyone, but “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).

Since God the Father has named you His beloved child in Holy Baptism, you now have access to Him through Jesus Christ. And yet, there is no mandated posture you must assume. Stand up. Sit down. Kneel. Prostrate yourself. It matters not. Pray! Fold your hands. Lift up your hands. It matters not. Pray! In the privacy of your room. At the dinner table with your family. In God’s house with your brothers and sisters in Christ. All are good, right, and salutary. Pray!

Follow the disciples’ lead and devote yourself to “the prayers” (Acts 2:42). “Be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). “Continue steadfastly in prayer” (Colossians 4:2). “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Skip the pithy cliches and heed the invitation of your Lord. Not because of your righteousness, or your worthiness, or even your posture, but because of Jesus Christ and Him alone God answers your prayers according to His good and gracious will. Thus, relying on Christ, you can pray with confidence that God is faithful and merciful and has promised to work all things to your eternal good.

“Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In Your faithfulness answer me, in Your righteousness!” (Psalm 143:1).