Either with Jesus or with You

“The mouth of the Lord has spoken it. How many mouths does the Lord put to His use? How many Elijahs? How many Sundays in Advent? How many calls to repent, to turn? As many as your sins that need repentance. The Lord is slow to give up on you. He calls you to repent again and again. But if you insist on holding onto your sins—perhaps just your favorite one or two—and try to run with both Him and your sins, He will finally put an end to that game. He tells you so. He issues a warning call to repent, to turn; Your sins are either with Jesus or with you. It is only the sins you hold and keep away from Him that can damn you. Jesus has already answered for your sins. You have to take them back from Him to be damned by them.”

Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel

CPH 2004, page 22

HT: Steven Anderson

US Religious Demographics 2010

An interesting look at the religious demographics of our country...

Zechariah's Song: The Benedictus

The Benedictus

(The Song of Zechariah)

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
     for He has visited and redeemed His people
          and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
     as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old,

     that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
     to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
          the oath that He swore to our father Abraham,

     to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

          might serve Him without fear,

          in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
     for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways,
     to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins,
     because of the tender mercy of our God,

     whereby the Sunrise shall visit us from on high
          to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
          to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Saint Luke 1:67-79 ESV

Saint Nicholas

Do you know the real man behind Santa Claus? The real bishop? The real Saint Nicholas? Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Nicholas. Here he is...

• a fourth-century bishop of Myra in Lycia (in present-day Turkey)
• known for his generosity and his love of children
• saved a poor family’s daughters from slavery by tossing into their window enough gold for a rich dowry, a present that landed in some shoes or stockings
• a delegate to the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, which battled the heretics who denied the deity of Christ
• got so fed up with Arius (who taught that Jesus was just a man) during the aforementioned Council that he walked up and slapped him
• one of the authors of the Nicene Creed, which affirms that Jesus Christ is both true God and true man
• a staunch defender of Jesus Christ and the one true faith
• died on 6 December 342

Today we give thanks to the one true God for Saint Nicholas and his faithful confession of Jesus Christ!

Almighty God, You bestowed upon Your servant Nicholas of Myra the perpetual gift of charity. Grant Your Church the grace to deal in generosity and love with children and with all who are poor and distressed and to plead the cause of those who have no helper, especially those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief. We ask this for the sake of Him who gave His life for us, Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

O Come O Come Emmanuel

A beautiful song for this sacred Advent season by The Piano Guys...

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!