Pastors' Conference: Calvary Lutheran Church, Eaton Rapids, Michigan

On Tuesday and Wednesday, April 29-30, the pastors of the southeast conference of the Michigan District of the WELS met at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Eaton Rapids, Michigan.

For your amusement: Apparently, at Calvery in Eaton Rapids, Jesus has a special interest in what time it is!

Pastor / Teacher Conference at St. John’s, Westland, MI

On Monday, February 17, the pastors and teachers of the southeast conference of the Michigan District of the WELS met at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Westland, Michigan.  I failed to take a photo of the inside, but you can find additional photos on the St. John's webpage.

District Council -- Maumee, Ohio

On Tuesday and Wednesday (January 28-29), the circuit pastors from the Michigan District of the WELS met at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Maumee, Ohio.  The chapel is pictured below, but our meeting was in the fellowship hall which I did not take a photo of.

Pastors' Conference -- St. John's, Ann Arbor

On Tuesday-Wednesday, April 9-10, the pastors of the southeast conference of the Michigan District of the WELS met at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northfield Township (rural Ann Arbor).

Here are some photos. 

Pastor / Teacher Conference (February 19, 2024)

On Mondays, the pastors and teachers of the southeastern conference of the Michigan District of the WELS met at Divine Grace Lutheran Church in Lake Orion, Michigan for our annual joint conference. 

Here are photos from Divine Grace.

Pastors' Conference -- Zion Lutheran Church, Lansing, Michigan

On Monday, September 25 and Tuesday, September 26, the pastors of the southeast conference of the Michigan District of the WELS met at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lansing, Michigan for mutual encouragement and growth.

Pastors' Conference -- Immanuel, South Lyon

On Tuesday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 19, the pastors of the Southeast Conference of the Michigan District met for meetings at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Lyon, MI.  Here are some photos of Immanuel.

Pastor / Teacher Conference at Zion Lutheran Church, Monroe, MI

On Monday, February 20, the pastors and teachers from the Southeast Conference of the Michigan District met at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Monroe, Michigan.  On Tuesday, February 21, the pastors continued their meeting in the morning.  Here are some photos of Zion.  Note: The screen was set up for the presentation, not for the Divine Service which opened the conference.

Pastors' Conference at Our Saviour, Westland

On Monday and Tuesday, September 26-27, the pastors of the Southeast Conference of the Michigan District met at Our Saviour Evangelical Lutheran Church for fellowship and growth in the study of God's Word. 

Michigan District Convention -- Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw

Monday through Wednesday morning this week, pastors, teachers, and lay delegates from all over the Michigan District of the WELS met at Michigan Lutheran Seminary to discuss the business and affairs of the synod and the district.

The fellowship and conversations with many brothers is always appreciated and valuable.   Our Divine Service on Tuesday evening at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church was wonderful.  And I was also elected circuit pastor for the Metro-West Circuit near Detroit.

Here are some photos from our convention.

MLS Chapel

Convention floor in MLS Gymnasium

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Saginaw

Sermon -- Matins for Pastors' Conference (April 27, 2022)

 EXODUS 15:1-11

THE LORD HAS TRIUMPHED GLORIOUSLY.

M:       Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

Cong:  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

In the name + of Jesus.

     One of the criticisms lodged against Christianity is that our God is bloodthirsty, violent, and murderous.  He destroyed the world in the Flood.  He ordered the slaughter of the Canaanite nations.  He commanded that Israel stone its adulterers, psychics, and false prophets.  The argument concludes, “If that is what your God is like, then I want no part of him!” 

     Our Old Testament lesson seems to reinforce that image.  Not only did the Lord act violently in slaying the Egyptian army, the Israelites took up instruments and sang rousing songs of praise about it.  Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:1).

     This was a violent battle and, in fact, a massacre.  The Egyptian army was utterly wiped out.  Israel sustained no fatalities or even wounds.  There is no need to apologize for the Lord.  Our Lord is a bloodthirsty God, and he acts violently as he slays his enemies.  But if you want to be saved, then it has to be this way.  The Lord has triumphed gloriously; his victory is absolute and undisputed.

     The Lord's violence against Pharaoh and his army came about because God has a fierce loyalty to his promises.  God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that salvation would come through them.  God promised to give their descendants the Promised Land and to preserve them until the Savior came.  The Egyptians had other plans for Israel.  They were cheap labor.  Sure, they had to be coaxed with threats and whips, but they would build the glory of Pharaoh and Egypt.  After the Passover slaughter of their firstborn, the Egyptians begged the Israelites to leave.  But then they had a change of heart.  So, Pharaoh ordered the greatest army on earth to pursue the Israelites.

     The Egyptians were not going to ask politely for Israel's return or to negotiate a labor contract.  They were not going to play nice.  “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.  I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them’” (Exodus 15:9).  This was a bloodthirsty enemy, devoted to acts of violence, oppression, and murder.  Whoever was not slaughtered by Egyptian swords would be captives of the Egyptian empire and assumed into Egyptian culture.  It would not just be the loss of a nation, but the end of God's promise. 

     But the Lord is fiercely loyal to his promise of the Messiah.  To attack the promise is to attack the Lord.  So, the Lord acted decisively and destroyed those who threatened his promise.  “Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.  The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.  Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy” (Exodus 15:4-6).  The Lord has triumphed gloriously.  He has defended his promise.  He has preserved the salvation of mankind.  If you want to be saved, this is the way it has to be.

     Our songs today are even more robust than what the Israelites sang.  Easter is the celebration after a bloody, violent battle.  In this battle, it was winner take all, leaving no survivors.  Either life wins, or death wins.  Our songs ring out because Jesus came out alive.  Indeed, it was a massacre.  If you want to be saved, then it has to be this way.  The Lord has triumphed gloriously; his victory is absolute and undisputed.

     If there is joy in having a bloodthirsty, violent, murderous God, you have to recognize your enemies for what they are.  Every one of us is tormented and terrorized by sin, death, and the devil.  Sin is not polite.  It wounds your conscience, scars you with shame and regret, and finally condemns you.  Death does not negotiate with you.  It seizes everyone.  The devil does not play nice, and he never will.  He entices you to seize what you want no matter what God says about it.  Then he accuses you, buries you with guilt, and damns you for the very things he convinced you were good.  These are bloodthirsty, violent, and murderous enemies who drag their captives down to hell for everlasting torment.  They boast, “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, … my hand shall destroy them’” (Exodus 15:9), and no one can escape them. 

     If you want to be rescued from your enemies and delivered from their deadly grip, then they must be killed off.  No treaties.  Not even a cease fire.  They must be slain, never to rise again.  So, for us fights the Valiant One whom God himself elected.  God took on our flesh in order to deliver our flesh from sin, death, and the devil.  This man, Jesus, single-handedly faced the enemy to deliver you out of your captivity to your enemies.  The enemies drew blood and inflicted wounds on Jesus.  Your bloodthirsty God poured out his blood for you.  Jesus willingly threw your sins upon himself and threw himself into death for you.  He let Satan do his worst, and Satan delivered the death blow to Jesus. 

     But now, Jesus is risen!  By his resurrection, Jesus has left sin for dead.  Because of Jesus' resurrection, death is now a corpse.  By his resurrection, Jesus crushed the Serpent’s head, and a dead serpent is no threat.  It was a bloody, violent, and deadly battle, but Jesus lives as the victor.  All your enemies lie slaughtered and massacred.  Today, the sounds on the battlefield are joyful songs of victory and praise.  If you want to be saved, then it has to be this way.  The Lord has triumphed gloriously; his victory is absolute and undisputed.

     The Lord has triumphed gloriously.  And Jesus makes this victory yours through baptism.  Just as the enemies of Israel were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea, so your enemies were drowned in the waters of baptism.  For, this is what the Lord says: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3,4).  In your baptism, you have been freed from your enemies.  For, baptism connects you to Jesus who saves you.  Your enemies have been killed—violently and definitively slain by the Lord who lives and reigns forever.  He lives and reigns for you, and you shall now live and reign forever with him.  For, the Lord has triumphed gloriously.

     Therefore, let your hymns of praise be sung out with gusto and gratitude.  Do not apologize for our Lord's bloody battle or the violent slaughter of your enemies.  If that is what your God is like, then he has saved you completely.  The Lord has triumphed gloriously; his victory is absolute and undisputed.  So, we paraphrase the song of Moses and rejoice in our Easter victory: “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; sin, death, and the devil he has drowned in the waters.  The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.  The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name” (Exodus 15:1-3, paraphrase).

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Pastors' Conference, Spring 2022

On April 26-27, the pastors of the Southeast Conference of the Michigan District met at Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church in Novi, Michigan for worship, fellowship, and professional development.  

The members of Good Shepherd did a fantastic job providing food, beverages, and snacks.  Well done, dear friends!

Fall Pastors' Conference 2021

On Monday and Tuesday, September 27-28, the pastors of the Southeast Conference of the Michigan District met at Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor.

Pastors' Conference -- Lola Park Evangelical Lutheran Church, Redford, Michigan

Yesterday (April 14, 2021), the pastors of the Southeastern Conference of the Michigan District met at Lola Park Evangelical Lutheran Church.  This church is tucked away quietly in a neighborhood in Redford, Michigan.  Our host, Rev. Gregory Gibbons, managed to arrange a fantastic lunch for us at the newly opened clubhouse at Western Golf and Country Club across the street.

Here are a few photos of Lola Park Lutheran Church.

Pastors' Conference at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ann Arbor

COVID limited our Pastors' Conference quite a bit this year.  Nevertheless, for one day, a number of pastors gathered at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ann Arbor on Monday, September 28.  Actually, Ann Arbor is a bit of a misnomer.  Salem is situated very much in the country to the southwest of Ann Arbor.  I suspect that Ann Arbor residents will eventually make their way closer, but for now I don't think anyone would think "Ann Arbor" when they see it.

All masked up and spread apart (we're usually spread apart as it is anyway), we discussed theology, practice, and the work of our synod.  Here are some photos of Salem.

Sermon -- Pastor / Teacher Conference (February 17, 2020)

This sermon was preached at Emanuel-First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lansing, Michigan for the WELS Pastor/Teacher Conference of the Southeastern Conference of the Michigan District. 

MARK 7:31-37

THE LORD COMES IN THE FLESH TO TOUCH OUR LIVES.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The Lord Jesus Christ does not seem to have respect for personal space.  “They brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.” (Mark 7:32)  I doubt that he was prepared for Jesus sticking his fingers into his ears.  If you dig into your own ears, some might call it gross.  If you stick your finger in a stranger's ears, you might get smacked.  “And after spitting (Jesus) touched his tongue.” (Mark 7:33)  If having Jesus' fingers poking in his ears were not awkward enough, Jesus then stuck his finger into the man's mouth.  It is an invasion of personal space.  Jesus did not care.  Jesus put his fleshly digit onto the man's tongue.  Jesus knew what the man's problem was, and he vividly showed the deaf mute that he knew.  With Jesus' touch and with his “Ephphatha!” came perfect healing.  “His ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.” (Mark 7:35)
     Chances are, this miracle makes you uncomfortable.  Wasn't there a more hygienic way to heal the man than to poke fingers into his ears and mouth?  Why not lay on hands?  Why not wash in a pool?  Jesus didn't ask what you would have preferred.  He chose fleshly contact and invasion of personal space.  We regularly second guess the way God works.  We think God has better options.  If God really wants all people to be saved and none to perish, why doesn't he just give an omnipotent decree that all sins are erased and the gates of heaven can be removed from their hinges?  Why doesn't God simply declare his “Ephphatha!” over the whole world to eradicate every disease, disability, natural disaster, and death?  Why doesn't God work more effectively in the lives of his people so that Christians stop causing problems?  With every “Why?” we challenge God's wisdom, power, or love.  We believe we could do a better job, as if we could out-God God.  Repent.  Neither your love nor your wisdom are greater than his.  And when he acts, he does not concern himself with what you would have preferred or what makes you comfortable.
     When the Lord sticks his fingers into our personal space, he has not overstepped his bounds.  He makes us uncomfortable because we don't want him touching parts of our lives.  We want others to respect our privacy, and we hope that the Lord would also keep his hands out of certain parts of our lives.  But the Lord does not keep a proper distance.  He invades your space, knows your opinions, scans your thoughts, and reads your hearts.  The Lord wants to know you intimately, and he knows everything.
     The Lord does not keep his distance from mankind.  In fact, he loves mankind so much that he came to correct and to restore all that corrupts mankind.  To do so, Jesus became a man and bound himself to mankind.  He did not try to get around the Commandments by making some divine decree that obedience to the Commandments is not necessary or that sins against the Commandments don't matter.  Rather, he submitted to the Commandments in order to obey them.  Heaven is open only to whomever is holy and obedient.  But now a man has lived a life of holy obedience.  He is the only way that man can now dwell in the presence of God. 
     The Lord came in the flesh to touch your life and to take up your cause.  Even though you have opened your mouth to challenge how or why God does things, Jesus has come to pay the price for it.  He did not question how cruel it was that he would silently suffer for your critical and boastful speech.  He did not challenge how fair it was that he in his innocence was damned and that you despite your guilt are set free.  Jesus did what he was given to do—to redeem sinners.  He took into his flesh everything that is corrupt in your flesh.  He bore the curse in his body which was beaten, pierced, and crucified for you.  Jesus personally took your space in hell and death to ransom you from them.  But his flesh was not devoured by death.  Rather than be left to decay, your flesh-and-blood Savior rose from the dead.  A man has conquered death and lives and reigns forever. 
     Just as Jesus united himself to you by becoming man, so now you are united to him through your baptism.  Therefore, you are covered by Jesus' perfect obedience.  Since God judges you to be holy and obedient, you have a space in the heavenly kingdom.  Since a man has conquered death and you are united to him in baptism, the grave does not get to keep you, and hell cannot have you.  It is not just your soul that he saves; he saves you completely.  God has made you flesh and blood, body and soul.  Therefore, the Lord became flesh-and-blood, body-and-soul to save you.  What the Lord created, he became.  And what the Lord became, he redeemed.  The Lord came in the flesh to touch our lives in order to deliver us from corruption to righteousness, from death to life, and from hell to heaven.
     The man from the Decapolis who was brought to Jesus had the same problem you do; he was a sinner.  He had additional problems; he was deaf and mute.  The people brought him to Jesus to correct what sin had wrought in his life.  They were right to do so.  Jesus personally attended to the man's salvation and to his handicaps.  For, when our Lord restores everything sin corrupted, he not only forgives sins, he will eventually restore bodies to their complete perfection.  Bodies in heaven have no need for hearing aids, crutches, medication, or Kleenex.  All will be restored.  All will be made right; for Jesus has come in the flesh to touch our lives.
     When Jesus chooses to deal with us, he still comes to us in fleshy ways.  Our Lord no longer comes to us himself.  Now he sends his ministers into the world to preach the word and to administer the sacraments.  Through his flesh-and-blood ministers, Jesus bestows the forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation to flesh-and-blood sinners.  As the word is preached, ears are opened to hear the word of life.  As the Lord's Supper is administered, the Lord puts his body and blood into unclean lips and mouths so that they are purified of sin.  Through his ministers, Jesus absolves the penitent and comforts the fearful.  He then opens your lips so that you may speak clearly and confess the good news of Jesus.  The Lord comes to you in fleshly ways to touch your life with forgiveness, new life, and salvation.
     And now the Lord Jesus has also chosen you to be the flesh-and-blood people who touch the lives of others.  The Lord was pleased to connect himself with us, and now he has us connect with others.  That doesn't mean that it is easy.  People have messy lives.  They carry burdens that we don't often recognize.  They come with baggage that we can't really ignore.  They are hurting, struggling, and confused.  Their problems are real.  Their pains are real. 
     That is why Jesus does not deal with us in theories, in our own introspection, or in words out of thin air.  There is precious little comfort to be given to a grieving sinner if we simply hand them a Bible and say, “Read this.  I hope it helps.”  Instead, God works through flesh and blood people who touch lives and step into their personal space.  Instead of “Take this pamphlet,” it is “Take my hand.”  No text message will be preferred to sitting with someone and praying with them.  No sad emoji will ever replace hugging a person who is mourning.  God did not save us by an idea; he saved us by a man.  Therefore, God uses people to teach his word, to comfort those who are hurting, to encourage those who are struggling, and to hold the hand of the sick and dying.  We get to invade their space, give of our time, and invest our lives into theirs; for this is what love does.  This is what Jesus did—he came in the flesh to touch our lives.
     God calls us into a family of believers for a reason, and all families have their problems.  Nevertheless, our Lord knows that contact with people is important—important enough that he became a man to unite himself to mankind, and even important enough to stick his fingers in a man's ears and mouth.  The Lord came in the flesh to touch our lives, and he calls us to touch the lives of others with words of mercy, with acts of patience, and with prayer.
     Jesus came in the flesh to touch our lives.  He is a real Savior who touches real sinners and bestows real healing, real hope, and real salvation.  And Jesus continues to come to us through fleshly means.  Flesh and blood ministers proclaim real forgiveness, administer the true body and blood of our Lord, and alleviate real guilt so that you can have true comfort. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Pastors' Conference-- Emanuel First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lansing

On Monday, February 17 the WELS pastors and teachers of the Southeastern Conference of the Michigan District met together for mutual encouragement and consolation.  The focus was on use of social media that both promotes and detracts from the Gospel.  The pastors met Tuesday morning for an additional day of conference.  The meeting was held at Emanuel First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lansing, Michigan.  I was privileged to preach the sermon for the opening service.

Here are some photos of Emanuel First.

The Gospel writers are painted on the peak of the ceiling.

Michigan District Convention -- Bowling Green University

This past week, June 10-12, the pastors of the Michigan District met at Bowling Green University for our district convention.  The theme of the convention was on Holy Baptism, which always makes for a comforting and Christ-centered theme.  There was no controversy brewing, so it was a pretty uneventful convention.  But a boring convention usually means good things for the district and synod.  Here are a couple of photos from Bowling Green, Ohio.

Pastor's Conference -- St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Monroe, MI

This past Tuesday and Wednesday (April 30 - May 1), the pastors of the southeast conference of the Michigan District met for encouragement and strengthening at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Monroe, Michigan.  This setting was a bit different than most, as St. Paul's has a historical church on site which they still use from time to time.  Our conference was held in the newer portion, but Pastor Fager opened up the historic church so that we could see it.

I thought it was neat to see that the circular stained glass window in the historic church (the Lamb of God seated on the book with the seven seals) was duplicated in the center of the stained glass cross in the newer church building.

Here are photos of both.