A Prayer for Thanksgiving

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His mercy endures forever. Lord God, heavenly Father, You have created me and endowed me with all that I am or have as a pure gift of Your “fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.” You sustain me from day to day with the gifts of daily bread in the food that I eat, the family that surrounds me, the friend I enjoy, the country where I live, and countless other benefits that I constantly receive from Your open hand. On this Day of Thanksgiving, cause me gratefully to remember the good gifts that You shower upon me. Deepen in me the knowledge of Your goodness, and awaken my heart to praise You for all of Your gifts, especially the forgiveness of sins that You have purchased and won for me and the whole world in the atoning death of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Keep me mindful of Your mercies every day, and grant that I may thank, praise, serve, and obey You not only with my lips but also with a life dedicated to the service of my neighbor. To You, O Lord—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—be all honor and glory, praise and thanksgiving, now and forever. Amen.

Lutheran Book of Prayer

On Thanksgiving Day, #113, pp. 176-177

His Mercy Endures Forever

It’s that time of the year again. Autumn leaves are falling and farmers are out in the fields gathering in the bounty of their labor. With the harvest naturally comes thanksgiving. President Lincoln first set aside a national day of Thanksgiving here in America in 1863. For most Americans, Thanksgiving brings to mind a scrumptious feast of carved turkey, dressing, mashed or sweet potatoes, gravy, corn, squash, rolls, pie, etc. And there’s a good chance this celebration is followed by a nap or the afternoon football game.

But before you feast this coming Thursday, come into God’s house to hear His Word and thank Him for all His blessings. Those blessings are countless, involving both body and soul:

First Article of the Creed 

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.

Second Article of the Creed 

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.

Third Article of the Creed 

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.

What else can we say to all these blessings but “this is most certainly true.” The Triune God has given us everything necessary for body and soul. Therefore, let us give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His mercy endures forever!

Jesus Follower?

The modern believer has finally figured out the secret to salvation, truth, faith, life, evangelism, service, love. Ditch the label “Christian” and take up the label “Jesus Follower” (or “Follower of Jesus”).

I did a Google search to find a definition, a creed, a confession, or some set of beliefs held in common by those who call themselves Jesus Followers. What I found is hundreds of different statements, mostly short and generic. The Jesus Followers I have spoken with in person seem to want to keep things simple, loving Jesus and one another. That’s all fine and good on the surface, but what about the rest of God’s Word? What about original sin, baptism, absolution, and communion? What about Law and Gospel? What about daily crucifying the sinful flesh and rising to new life? What about all the other aspects of Christian doctrine that God has given us in His Word? Where does Holy Scripture ever take the minimalistic approach? Jesus gave His Church the task of teaching “all” that He has commanded (Matthew 20:18-19).

My observations have led me to conclude that Jesus Followers—though they seem to despise the concept of denominations—are a loosely knit denomination of their own.

By God’s grace, I am a Christian. I have a creed, a confession, a certain set of beliefs—all formed by Christ and His Word. When others ask me for a reason for the hope I have, my answer is simple: Jesus Christ and Him crucified for me. (For you too!) My only boast is in His cross, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Saint Luke gives us the origin of the title Christian. “In Antioch the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). Those who sat at the feet of Barnabas and Paul in Antioch believed their proclamation of Christ crucified and were happy to be identified with His messianic title. Peter later speaks beautifully of this title when he writes: “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name” (1 Peter 4:16). Given these wonderful examples, why would any believer want to ditch this Scriptural title for something “new” and “innovative”?

If you consider yourself a Jesus Follower, why do you believe this title is better or more effective than the title Christian (which has apostolic foundation and nearly 2000 years of usage)?

Cliche: Look Within

Today I saw yet another bad church sign message outside a local Christian congregation. It stated:

LOOK NOT BEHIND OR AHEAD,

BUT WITHIN

Christians should know better. Never does God’s Word call us to look within. Why? Because looking within is looking to one’s own heart. And what do you find there? Jesus says:

“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” [Mark 7:20-23]

Instead of looking within, the Christian looks outside of himself to Jesus. Always. The author of Hebrews writes:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [Hebrews 12:1-2]

Even the Holy Spirit, who was given in Holy Baptism and now “dwells within us” (2 Timothy 1:14), bears witness about Jesus (John 15:26). In other words, He focuses our eyes and ears, our thoughts and desires, on Jesus. Thus, do not look within. Look to Jesus. Always!

Cliche: Two Hands

I am always astounded at the generic messages on church signs these days. Most of these messages are worldly, trite, and cliché. This morning I saw the following message on a local sign:

WE HAVE 2 HANDS:

1 TO GIVE

1 TO RECEIVE

We do have two hands. That is true for most, but not all, human beings. But what does it mean to give with one hand and receive with the other hand? Where does Holy Scripture teach such nonsense?

When it comes to receiving what God graciously gives, the Christian receives not with a hand, but with his ears and mouth. Christ’s Word is spoken into his ears (Romans 10:17). Christ’s body and blood are placed into his mouth (1 Corinthians 11:26). And when it comes to receiving help from his neighbor, is the Christian to receive this help with only one hand? What does that even mean?

When it comes to giving back to God out of joyful response to what He has first given us in Christ, the Christian presents not simply a hand, but his entire body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). And when it comes to serving his neighbor, is the Christian to give this help with only one hand? Isn’t it a little selfish to hold something back while serving others?

Stop the worldly gobbledygook. Put up something about Jesus. Preferably a Bible passage. Most certainly the Gospel. After all, the good news of Jesus for sinners is what every one of us daily needs to hear!

Screw You, God!

Yesterday the Illinois House collectively raised its middle finger in a childish temper tantrum and yelled “Screw You, God!” to the LORD God of heaven and earth. This gesture was disguised as a legislative bill that legalized same sex “marriage.” The Illinois Senate did the same thing back on February 14. The Illinois Governor has promised to sign this bill into law.

But try as it may, government can no more legitimately redefine marriage than it can legitimately redefine an apple “a banana,” a tree “a lake,” a dog “a crocodile,” or the sun “a giant luminous marshmallow in the sky.” Government cannot legitimately redefine what God has created, defined, sanctioned, and blessed. Nor does the Church recognize such a false “marriage” as true marriage.

God’s Word teaches us that marriage is a gift from Him. A man leaves his father and mother, holds fast to his wife, and the two become one flesh. God is the One who joins husband and wife together. In this sacred union, the husband nourishes and cherishes his wife as Christ loved His body, the Church. He pledges her his faithfulness. He loves, honors, and keeps her in sickness and in health and remains united to her alone as long as they both shall live. Reciprocating this love, the wife submits to her husband as the Church submits to Christ. She pledges him her faithfulness. She loves, honors, and keeps him in sickness and in health and remains united to him alone as long as they both shall live. In this way, marriage is held in honor and the bed undefiled.

Yes, we live in a sinful and broken world. Yes, husbands and wives daily fail each other. Yes, divorce runs rampant. All of these problems need to be dealt with in accordance with God’s Word. But none of these problems legitimizes our culture’s desire to redefine marriage to something it is not.

At the end of the day, you can take one of two stands on this issue. You can believe God’s Word and confess the beautiful gift a one man one woman marriage is, or you can reject God’s Word and raise your middle finger to Him in a show of defiance. I pray that you, by God’s grace, will add your Amen to what your loving God has given humanity for its good and with His blessing.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of His body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. [Ephesians 5:25-32]