Wednesday, September 28, 2016

MLS Football vs. St. Louis

On Thursday, September 22, the Michigan Lutheran Seminary JV team traveled west to St. Louis to take on the Sharks, where we got to enjoy one of my favorite stadiums in the conference.  Not only are the home team stands nestled nicely into the hill side, it is also one of the view venues where we do not have to go blind staring into the sun for the first half of the game.

Philip got quite a bit of playing time both on offensive and defensive line.  He had some good technique on a number of plays, but will need to work on the foot work to get better.  He is only a Freshman, and he will get better, bigger, and faster.  I think the MLS varsity might enjoy one of the biggest offensive lines they have had in a couple of years.

Since this game is a few days in the rear view mirror, I don't recall too many details except that MLS came away with a strong 27-12 victory.  Way to go, Cardinals!

Philip was at center for this one.
Philip (#65) and Cole Broekhuizen (#62), friends since Kindergarten (maybe even pre-school),
lined up next to each other on defense.


Friday, September 23 marked MLS' Homecoming.  MLS hosted the Sharks and jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead.  The result was that things got pretty chippy (some would argue dirty) after that.  The St. Louis players took runs after the MLS players when they did not have the ball and after the whistle.  Casey was speared in the back of the head when he was face down on the ground after a run.  Although it was a late hit and, in my opinion targetting, no call was made.  Players complained of having their knees targetted all night long.  Offensive lineman Big O (can't spell his last name -- Owcarszac?) was speared in the back after a whistle.  No call.  Caleb said he took blows to his ear hole a few times when he was running routes at wide receiver.  No calls there.  Noah Nordlie was a casualty of this, likely lost for the season with a knee injury.

The result of this chippy play was that MLS lost their concentration and composure a few times.  The MLS varsity was called for numerous false starts and a few personal fouls, most likely retaliation.  It was not a very pretty game after the 1st quarter.  They will have to work at keeping their heads together with their game against Ithaca next.

The game against St. Louis ended in a 27-0 MLS victory, but the spirit on the MLS sideline was one of disgust rather than joy.

There was no M-Live article.  WNEM Friday Night Lights had two clips from the game, but only two plays.  Some photos follow.

Caleb (far left, #3) blocks for a PAT.
Philip and his Homecoming poster.  MLS had a Disney theme for Homecoming.

Caleb had one reception against St. Louis.  Here it is.  Nice!

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Sermon -- 19th Sunday after Pentecost (September 25, 2016)

LUKE 16:19-31

GOD'S PROMISE IS ENOUGH.

In the name + of Jesus.

      The rich man did not go to hell because he was rich.  He did not go to hell because he was generous to himself with food and clothing, but was stingy to others.  He did not even go to hell because he ignored Lazarus at his front gate.  If the rich man did go to hell for being self-centered and failing to help a man in need, then we are all damned.  When we drive past people stranded by the side of the road, when we hang up the phone on charities so that we can get back to our supper, and when what we spend on our vacations is exponentially greater than what we give for disaster relief, then we are just as guilty as the rich man.  And we are.  We are sinners.  We are selfish.  We dress well.  We eat well.  And we are able to do it while we are oblivious to our neighbor in need.  Repent.
     The rich man did not go to hell because he sinned in these ways.  Likewise, Lazarus was not rewarded with eternal life because he was poor or neglected or diseased.  The rich man went to hell because he was an unbeliever.  He did not love God.  He did not fear God.  He did not take God's commandments seriously.  It is even possible that the rich man, like so many in our land today, did not believe that hell is real.  He had fine food.  He had nice clothes.  He had a caring family—five brothers, anyway.  Life was good.  So who cares about anything else?
     Even if the rich man did believe that hell is real, he clearly was not concerned that he might go there.  Only when he was there did the rich man recognize that God was serious.  Of course, by then, it was not a matter of faith.  Faith is being sure of what you do not see.  People in hell see and know God is serious.  Only then, it is too late.
     Even in hell, the rich man remained an unbeliever.  He was resigned to the fact that his place in eternal torment was fixed, but he had five brothers.  He did not want his brothers to suffer the same fate as him.  So he pleaded with Abraham, “I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” (Luke 16:27-28)  Abraham's response was short: “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” (Luke 16:29)  They have God's word.  God's word is enough to warn them and to save them.
     But the rich man was an unbeliever.  He did not believe that God's word would be convincing enough.  The rich man believed God's word needs a gimmick, a hook, a door prize—something—to make it more important, more convincing, more believable.  So he offered this: “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” (Luke 16:30)  Again, Abraham's response was terse: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31)  God's promise is enough.  If God saying so is not important enough, convincing enough, or believable enough, nothing will help it.  God's promise is enough.
     The Psalms teach us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10)  If you fear the Lord, it means that you take him seriously.  When you hear God's Commandments and recognize that you do not live as they command—that you have withheld your love for your neighbor because you have loved yourself generously—and then you fear that God will hold you accountable for that sin, good.  Then you are taking God seriously.  You recognize that his threats are not empty.  And repent; for God is revealing a heart that does not believe that selfishness is bad or that generosity is worth the effort.
     But “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10, emphasis added)  Such fear means that you take God seriously, but such fear does not save you.  It only shows you know that God holds you accountable for your sins.  True wisdom is revealed in Jesus Christ.  Jesus has come to do for sinners what we have not done: He loved his neighbor and helped us all in our greatest need.  He took our sins and put himself in the cross hairs of God's wrath and judgment.  Jesus suffered for our sins, and endured our judgment.  Since Jesus has taken your sins from you, God cannot be angry with you.  And he is not.  He forgives all your sins for Jesus' sake.  The blood of Jesus has paid for your sins, and that holy blood has cleansed you from all your guilt.  Jesus not only went into death for your sins, he also conquered death for you.  No longer can hell have you.  No longer does the grave claim you.  Jesus has overcome death for you.  Since you have been purchased and won by Jesus, he makes you partakers of the resurrection to eternal life.
     God has made you wise for salvation.  He has revealed his salvation to you through his words and promises in the Bible.  You are not saved because you think you should be.  You are not saved because you don't like the idea of eternal torment in fiery hell.  You are saved by faith in Jesus.  By God's gracious work, he has made you believers in his word.  By faith, you are credited with Jesus' holy life and perfect love.  By faith, you are cleansed of all sin and delivered from all wrath.  By faith, you believe that God's word is true—not only that you are forgiven of sins against God's Commandments, but also that you are now order your life according to those Commandments because they are good and right.  By faith, you recognize that God's love is to be reflected in the way you live, showing love to others, even if they cannot repay you and even if they do not like you.  That is the same love God has for sinners.  For us.
     God's word reveals this saving love.  It does not need any gimmick or glitz or hook to make it more important, more convincing, or more believable.  You have Moses and the Prophets.  You have the apostles and evangelists.  God's promise is enough.  God's word reveals his salvation, and it imparts saving faith to you.  That faith will reveal itself in love.  That love will show itself in serving your fellow man in his need.  You will not be saved because you loved enough or because you served well enough.  You are not saved by how much you get done.  You are saved by Jesus Christ who has done all things for your salvation.  Faith trusts in Jesus for all righteousness, mercy, and grace.  That is enough.

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

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Octoberfest is coming to Good Shepherd!






Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church
(41415 W. 9 Mile Road, Novi) invites you to join us for our annual
Octoberfest
Sunday, October 2




5:00 PM Vespers


5:30 PM         Bratwurst Dinner


6:30 PM Luther Lecture


This year’s Luther Lecture will be:

“What Does This Mean?” 
Confession and Catechesis (1526-1529)
 


“We have no small reasons for constantly preaching the catechism and for both desiring and begging others to teach it.”  

— Martin Luther, 
Preface to the Large Catechism, 
April, 1529 






We hope that all guests of our Octoberfest celebration will gain a greater appreciation for the confessors and the confession of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
There is no cost for Octoberfest, but we will have a free-will offering to offset any expenses incurred from our festival.
In order to be sure that we will have enough food for all who attend, please RSVP to Good Shepherd at (248) 349-0565 or at welsnovi@aol.com.  Be sure to include how many will be in your party.
         If you would be so inclined to bring food for the event, you can find a link at our Sign-Up Genius page here.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

MLS Football vs. Ovid-Elsie

JV Football
The Cardinal JV teams traveled to Ovid-Elsie (that's two towns, one high school) to face the Marauders on September 15.  We did not make the trip since Philip was out of commission.  He had taken a knee to the head at a pick up game on Sunday and got a mild concussion.  That means one week of no contact.  We were told by numerous sources that we made a wise choice not to come.  The Marauders handed the MLS JV Cardinals a 34-0 loss.

For what it is worth, I looked up the word "marauder" to see the definition.  The first definition listed was: "one who marauds."  So, there you go.

Philip from last week's game vs. St. Charles.
Varsity Football
On Friday, September 16, the Michigan Lutheran Seminary Cardinals played host to the Ovid-Elsie Marauaders.  We had heard good things about the Ovid-Elsie team, but having never played each other before, no one knew what to expect.

Ovid-Elsie jumped out to a 17-0 lead after two long TD passes.  The MLS offense had a hard time getting traction until late in the 2nd quarter.  A TD shortly before halftime brought the score to a much less scary 17-7.  It was last week's St. Charles game all over again.

In the 2nd half, the Cardinal defense stiffened up a bit, limiting the Marauder offense to short drives.  Ovid-Elsie saw the end zone only one more time after a strong drive down the field in the 4th quarter.  By that time, the Cardinals were facing a 24-13 deficit with time becoming a factor.

MLS drew the score much closer after a Mark Burger TD catch.  Mark had been wide open a few times, and he finally got targetted with points being the result on one nice catch and run.  From there, Casey Williams put on a show.  He had a long run to hoist MLS into the lead, 25-24.  MLS needed to run out the clock, but faced a 4th and 7 with about 1 minute left.  Casey went back to punt, but found a green  patch in front of him, so he ran for the first down.  He ran past the first down, shifting through all defenders until he got to the end zone, making the score 31-24.  Ovid-Elsie's last effort came to an end after a Jordan Hayes interception.

Caleb got in for a few plays on defense and made 2 tackles.  He also was on a number of special teams plays.

You can read the M-Live article here.



Harvest moon over football.
Caleb on the tackle.
Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt made the trek up from Indiana for the game.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Sermon -- 17th Sunday after Pentecost (September 11, 2016)



EXODUS 32:7-14

OUR MEDIATOR UPHOLDS 
GOD'S PROMISES.

In the name + of Jesus.

      St. Paul wrote to Timothy, “The sins of some men are conspicuous, going before them to judgment...” (1 Timothy 5:24)  The wickedness of some people is so obvious and blatant that we expect God to be angry about them.  In fact, when we hear about such blatant wickedness, we get angry with God that he does not respond with immeasurable wrath and immediate judgment.  If God is capable of wiping out Sodom and Gomorrah, we wonder why he does not destroy those whose sins are conspicuous.
     When Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the Commandments from God, the Israelites grew impatient.  Moses was gone for 40 days, so the people demanded a new leader and a new god.  The people who had trembled before God now engaged in idolatry without fear.  The people who had vowed to obey every word of the Lord would not even honor the First Commandment.  They crafted a golden calf, called it “the LORD”, and offered sacrifices to it—all right under God's nose.
     The Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people...have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them.  They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’”  ...Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them....” (Exodus 32:7-10)  The phrase “that my wrath may burn” is more literally, “that my nose may grow hot” against them.  The Lord's nostrils flared with anger.  He was fuming against Israel whose idolatry was blatantly committed right under God's nose.  The stench of their sin and rebellion could not be ignored.  We do not fault the Lord for getting so angry.  Such blatant sins deserve swift and severe judgment.
     “The sins of some men are conspicuous...” (1 Timothy 5:24)  But just because sins are not blatant or obvious does not mean they are not wicked.  We are all idolaters.  Every sin, finally, is idolatry.  Every time you sin, you put your will above God's.  You know what God's word forbids—and if you honestly do not, you had better hear and learn his word—and yet, you still do it.  You want to do what you want more than what God wants.  That is idolatry.  Or perhaps your friends encourage you to join them in sin.  You don't fear God whom you do not see; you fear losing your friends whom you see regularly.  Or you fear hearing your friends tease you more than you fear hearing God's judgment.  So you exalt your friends over God.  That is idolatry.
     It is fairly common today to hear people even turn Jesus into a false God.  People insist, “My Jesus would never judge.  My Jesus would never condemn...” fill-in-the-blank.   People claim to know what Jesus would or would not do.  It sounds so pious, except that Jesus does not need us to dictate whom he will or will not judge.  Or worse, that Jesus will judge no one.  When Jesus says, “The Father … has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22), it is clear that Jesus judges everyone.  Anyone who asserts, “My Jesus...,” is almost always invoking an invented Jesus.  This is idolatry, as bad as anything the Israelites did at Mt. Sinai.  They sacrificed to a golden calf, but they called it the LORD.  They actually believed that they had not forsaken the Lord when they worshiped their hand-crafted god.  Likewise, when we claim that “My Jesus” does what my opinion is, that, too, is gross idolatry.  Such rebellion is a stench in the Lord's nose, and it makes the Lord's nose grow hot.  Who could blame the Lord for his wrath against such blatant and conspicuous sins?
     The prophet Moses acted as mediator between God and Israel.  Moses did not try to excuse Israel's sin at all.  They were guilty.  Moses did not pretend otherwise.  But what Moses did do was uphold God's promises to him.  Moses implored the Lord..., “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” (Exodus 32:11,13)  Moses upheld God's promises to him, trusting that God would be faithful to his own word.  He had promised to bring Israel's offspring to the land he had sworn to give them.  He had promised to bless them and bring a Savior through them.  To destroy Israel would be to unfaithful to his own promises.  No Israel = No promise, no Savior, and no faithful God.
     Our mediator upholds God's promises.  But we have a greater mediator than Moses.  We have the Savior who came from Israel.  We have God's fulfillment to his promises.  We have Jesus.  And even though Jesus is a greater mediator than Moses, like Moses, Jesus upheld God's promises.  Jesus did not pretend that we are not guilty of rebellion and idolatry.  Jesus did not sweep away the First Commandment.  Rather, Jesus put himself under the judgment of the First Commandment to suffer God's wrath and judgment for our idolatry.
     When Israel needed to atone for their sins, they offered up sacrifices to God.  They slaughtered an unblemished animal and had fire consume it on an altar.  The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma of the sacrifice.  He turned his anger aside and declared his favor upon the people.  The sacrifice that Jesus made for you was himself.  Jesus is the unblemished Lamb of God which was slain for you.  The cross is where Jesus was offered up for your sins.  The cross is where Jesus was consumed in God's wrath for your rebellion.  Strangely and graciously, God offered up himself for our idolatry.  The Lord was slain for sinners who have not honored and served him as God.  The holy, obedient Jesus died for our disobedience.  He is our sin offering, and the Father in heaven smells the pleasing aroma of his sacrifice for us and relents from his wrath and punishment.
     Our mediator upholds God's promises.  For, he not only dies in fulfillment of God's word, he also makes us participants in his promises.  When you were baptized, you were bathed in the blood of Jesus Christ.  You have been covered in his sacrificial blood so that the Lord no longer smells the stench of your sin.  Jesus has made you pleasing to God.  No longer do the Lord's nostrils fume at you.  You have been found guiltless through Jesus.  And the body and blood that were given into death for your sins have been raised from the grave.  Therefore, Jesus lives to intercede for you, living forever as your mediator and forever upholding God's promises before you.  And your living Savior even gives you his body and blood on which you feast for the forgiveness of your sins.  We do this in remembrance—as we remember Jesus' death for us, as God remembers Jesus' death on our behalf, and as God remembers us as Jesus' redeemed people.  Therefore, the Lord relents from his anger.  He renders a new verdict—that we are pardoned of all guilt for Jesus' sake.  He upholds his promises so that we are saved.
     You do not have to invoke the name of a special Jesus who will not fault people for their sins.  This is the devil's Jesus who tells no one to repent.  Rather, Jesus is the one who has taken all of your faults, your sins, your rebellion, and your idolatry and put himself under the flaring nostrils of God for them.  He is the atoning sacrifice which was offered up for you.  His sacrifice has produced the sweet aroma that covers the stench of your guilt, and his blood covers you so that you yourself are pleasing to God.  The suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus were public and conspicuous so that you can know God's judgment upon you—forgiven of all sins, covered in Jesus' blood, cleansed from the stench of sin and death so that you have life and immortality.  It is exactly what God has promised to sinners, and Jesus, our mediator, upholds God's them for you.

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

Saturday, September 10, 2016

MLS Football vs. St. Charles

JV Football
On Thursday, September 8, the Michigan Lutheran Seminary JV Cardinals played host to the 
Bulldogs of St. Charles.  The result was a 34-34 tie.

Depending upon your demeanor, you can say that each team had lots of chances to win the game, or both teams did what they could to fumble the game away.  Each team coughed up quite a few turnovers throughout the game.  So, while each offense was able to amass some yardage, drives often ended with the ball on the ground or intercepted.  

For MLS, perhaps the most heart-rending of those turnovers came deep in St. Charles territory with under a minute to play.  The score was knotted at 34-34.  MLS had gotten the ball after a turnover (surprise!) and drove down toward the goal line as the clock ticked down.  MLS has a kicker with a really good leg, so a field goal attempt was certainly in the picture.  There were about 30 seconds on the clock, so why not take a chance for the end zone and take even more time on the clock?  MLS threw a slant route which had been open pretty much all game.  This time, the Bulldogs were ready and it was intercepted around the 5 yard line.  A few plays later, it was over.  Tied.  34-34.  And since JV has no overtime, each team went to their locker rooms counting missed opportunities.  

I guess the Freshmen can say, "We'll get 'em next year," but no one really got anyone this year.

Varsity Football
On Friday, September 9, the MLS Cardinals traveled to St. Charles.  Seasoned fans know St. Charles as the place with the line of trees just behind the stands which demand large doses of Deep Woods Off, Cutter, Repel, or any other kind of insect repellent--and perhaps a combination of them all.  All things considered, the mosquitoes were not bad on Friday, though I did spray myself pretty well.  Other bugs, however, got torched by the lights and dropped on us throughout the game. 

Oh, the game.  St. Charles' offense was humming early in the game.  Two long runs (one for TD and the other to set up a short TD) and another drive meant the Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-0 lead.  The Bulldogs' kicker kicks straight on, not soccer style.  Old school.  Sweet!  

Fortunately for MLS, it was not panic time.

The entire Bulldog defense was targeted on Casey Williams, trying to contain him from doing any damage.  For the first half, they were pretty successful, stringing out runs and gang tackling him.  It looked like another one of those plays as Casey took the pitch and started the run to the left.  But Casey pulled up and threw down field to a wide open Jordan Hayes for the first Cardinals score.

After half time adjustments, the Cardinals defense got pretty stingy.  The Bulldogs did not see the end zone for the rest of the night.  But Casey Williams did--three times.  Two runs and a punt return meant 20 more points for the Cardinals, giving MLS the 27-17 win.

One side note.  Since teams do not like kicking off deep to Casey, two pooch kicks were fielded by Caleb who ran them back for about ten yards each.  I think Caleb had more kick return yards than Casey did.  Woo-hoo!

Since we forgot the camera, there are no photos from this game.

But you can read an M-Live article here.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

A Pastoral Concern – Private Confession and Absolution

A Pastoral Concern – Private Confession and Absolution 
(Saturday, September 10, 9:00-11:00 AM)

When Lutherans hear someone speak of Private Confession and Absolution, the response is usually a knee-jerk, "That's Roman Catholic!"  Though that may be a common perception, the perception is because either it was taught wrongly or understood wrongly.  Consider what the Lutheran Confessions teach about Private Confession and Absolution.

Our churches teach that private Absolution should be retained in the churches, although listing all sins is not necessary for Confession.  For, according to the Psalm, it is impossible.  "Who can discern his errors?" (Psalm 19:12) -- Augsburg Confession, Article XI

What is Confession?
     Answer: Confession has two parts: the one is that we confess our sins; the other is that we receive Absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor, as from God Himself, and in no way doubt, but firmly believe that our sins are forgiven before God in heaven by this.
What sins should we confess?
     Answer: Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even of those that we do not know, as we do in the Lord's Prayer.  But before the confessor we should confess only those sins that we know and feel in our hearts. -- Luther's Small Catechism, Part V

These are basic confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.  They are catholic, insofar as they are Christian.  But they are not Roman, insofar as the penitent is not obligated to orally confess every sin in order to be forgiven of it and insofar as one's forgiveness is not dependent upon some action on the part of the penitent.  The forgiveness is based on Jesus' sufferings and death for the penitent who has been baptized into his name.

Since the practice of Private Confession and Absolution is a Lutheran practice, it would be good for Lutherans to practice it.  It is good for the penitent who is grieved by a particular sin to confess it so that he can hear Christ say through the mouth of his minister: "I forgive you."  It would be good for the one who is burdened to be relieved of his burden by Holy Absolution.  It would be good for this practice, though foreign to many in my corner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to be restored.  And so it will be.

Private Confession and Absolution has always been available to all members by appointment.  (I am guessing that has been a pretty good secret.)  In order for this practice to be restored and perhaps put to better use, there will be dates on the calendar set aside for anyone who would like to drop in and make use of this means of grace.  These will be set up about 4 times per year.  Private Confession and Absolution will still be available by appointment in addition to these scheduled times.

It is anticipated that Private Confession and Absolution will roughly follow this regular schedule.
     The Saturday before or on Epiphany (Epiphany is always January 6)
     The Saturday before Palm Sunday
     The Saturday after Labor Day weekend
     The Saturday after Thanksgiving weekend (should coincide with the 1st Saturday in Advent)

The next scheduled date and time for Private Confession and Absolution will be Saturday, September 10, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Appointments are not necessary.  You need only drop in.  All participation is voluntary, as Absolution cannot be forced upon anyone.

Of course, this will be new to pretty much any member who decides to make use of it.  If you happen to come in, the pastor will walk through the rite with you and explain the various parts of it, especially including the "private" part, namely, that this confession is to Christ and, therefore, remains his business alone.  The pastor will not report any confession or even the names of those who come for confession.  Finally, the point of this is not for a pastor to learn everyone's dirty, little secrets.  (His life is easier if he remains ignorant.  But God's people do not call a pastor to be ignorant; they call him to absolve in the name of Jesus.)  The point is for the guilty and the grieved to find relief and receive forgiveness, or absolution.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Something from ... Luther re: The presence of Jesus

I will let Luther speak for himself:

"It is one thing if God is present, and another if he is present for you."  (Martin Luther, "That These Words of Christ, 'This Is My Body,' Etc. Still Stand Against the Fanatics," Luther's Works: American Edition, Volume 37 [Word and Sacrament III], p 68)

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Sermon -- 16th Sunday after Pentecost (September 4, 2016)

LUKE 14:25-33

COUNT THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Jesus says one of the most provocative statements he ever makes in our Gospel lesson: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.  ...Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26,33)  What is provocative is not so much what he demands of us, it is what Jesus says of himself.  If anyone were to come up to you today and insist on your total allegiance, demanding that you prioritize him above your family, friends, and all that you have, you would either accuse him of being insane, or you would accuse him of blasphemy.
     Our Lord Jesus Christ is not insane.  He knows exactly what he is saying, and he says it on purpose.  Jesus is not guilty of blasphemy, either.  He is God, and he says so in unmistakable terms.  The First Commandment is about him.  “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3)—not your father or mother, not your spouse or child, not your family, not your friends, and not anything else you have including your own life.  If you are going to call Jesus your “Lord,” then he should be.  He must be.  If you follow Jesus' word only when it is convenient, then you are not his disciple.  Jesus urges everyone who wants to call himself a Christian to count the cost of being a disciple.
     Count the cost of discipleship.  It is no small matter.  If you take on the title of Christian, then you also are taking on the duty to believe all of God's word and to live a life according to it.  It means you will order your life according to what God says is good and will shun what God calls sin.  It means that you will not feel superior to those trapped in their sins; you will feel compassion for them.  It means you will love your neighbor and seek his good—even when your neighbor will not return the favor, or even when he is your enemy.
     Count the cost of discipleship.  It will not be easy.  You cannot be a casual disciple anymore than a soldier in combat can be a casual fighter.  You dwell in the Church Militant, and that means you will battle and struggle every day against your sinful flesh and this sinful world.  Jesus has you consider: “Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30)  
     Unbelievers have no interest in following Jesus.  They do not believe his word has any authority over them and they live like it.  But they expect you who bear the name of Jesus will live Christ-like lives.  Unbelievers will even mock you if you do not.  They despise Jesus.  They despise you because you call yourself a disciple of Jesus.  And they pretend to be outraged when you do not live up to God's word.  “Aha!” they cry.  “You call yourself a Christian, but you sure don't act like one!”  With this mock outrage, unbelievers are trying to prove to themselves that they are righteous even though they do not love God or keep his word.  Although their mock outrage is self-righteous and self-serving, such rebukes still sting because they are correct.  We do not act Christ-like.  We do sin, and we do sully the name of Jesus and his Church with our sins.
     Count the cost of discipleship.  It is not easy to live a Christ-like life because your flesh will never want to.  Your flesh will tell you that those who are lost are losers and not worth your time and effort.  Your flesh will tell you that those who are damned deserve what they get, implying that you have earned better for yourself.  Your sinful nature will always love and praise and exalt you above others.  And you will always struggle with these opinions because your sinful nature does not go away or get better.  That is why Jesus says, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27)  You must bear the cross, and by that cross, put your sinful nature to death.  And it will not be easy, because the sinful nature never wants to die.
     Count the cost of discipleship.  While the mockery of unbelievers is hard to hear, we do not deny the charges that we have fallen short of holiness.  We do not pretend that we are perfect.  On the contrary, we confess our sins and our sinfulness.  We are not disciples of Jesus because we need someone to give us orders so that we do better.  We follow Jesus and yearn for his word because he has mercy upon us.
     Jesus recognized the cost of saving sinners.  It cost him his life.  Jesus did not hesitate to pay the price for you.  He went to the cross on purpose.  He who has authority over all things submitted to the crooked authority of sinners who demanded his death.  He who has boundless power was willingly bound and beaten by cruel soldiers who reveled in their thuggery.  He who is just willingly endured injustice.  He who is innocent died bearing our guilt.  He who is the source of blessing died under a curse.  The living God was put to death for the sins of mortal men.  He did all of this on purpose to pay the price to redeem us from sin and Satan and the grave.
     Jesus counted the cost, and he did not hesitate to make the payment.  More than that, Jesus knows your every weakness.  He knows that you and I still sin against him.  He knows that our love for our parents, our children, our friends, and ourselves will vie for our affection above his word.  But Jesus does not mock you when you fall.  Jesus does not regret suffering and dying for you even though you are still weak.  Jesus does not cancel the payment for our sins because we are still sinners.  He continues to declare the terms of peace—that he is your Savior and that his blood purifies you.  He summons you to this altar where penitent sinners find forgiveness, where grieved hearts find comfort, and where weak souls find strength.
     Count the cost of discipleship.  While the Lord gives you the blessings of parents, the First Commandment remains above the Fourth.  “Honor your father and mother,” but not above your Father in heaven.  While the Lord may give you a spouse, the First Commandment remains above the Sixth.  “Husbands and wives shall love and honor each other,” but not above the heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus.  While the Lord may bless you with many friends and goods, the First Commandment remains above the Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth.  You shall care for all that God gives you, but not more than you care for God and his word.  Jesus is Lord and God.  Jesus is Savior and Redeemer.  Since family and friends, fame and fortune cannot change that, neither should they replace it.
     Count the cost of discipleship, and do not value your Lord's gifts above the Lord who gives them.  Finally, the day will come when you will bid farewell to them all.  Some have already bid farewell to parents or spouses.  You will one day bid farewell to your children.  May God spare you the grief of having to bury a child, but the day will come when your children will bury you.  Over time, you will lose your goods, your agility, your senses, and finally your breath.  No matter how much people labor to cling to these things, they will all taken from them.  When all of these things are gone, you will only have one thing left to your name—Jesus.  Or, more specifically, Jesus will have his name upon you.  For, he has redeemed you.  He is your Lord, and you are his.  But that is all you need.  For with Jesus, you have forgiveness of all your sins, deliverance from death and the grave, and the resurrection to everlasting life.  There is no other Savior and no other hope.  But Jesus is all the hope you need.  He remains your Savior.
     Count the cost of discipleship.  Though you may suffer loss here on earth, you will never lose Christ's mercy and salvation.  For, he has covered the cost for you.

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

Concordia Football at St. Ambrose

Andrew made the trip to Davenport, Iowa as Concordia began their season against the Fighting Bees of St. Ambrose.  It was not live-streamed, so we had to resort to listening to the radio broadcast and watching the "live" updates.  Those updates were a few minutes behind the broadcast.

At one point, we heard about a Concordia TD caught by "the receiver."  Then, after waiting patiently for the update, we got to see this:


Way to go, Andrew!  Concordia wins, 35-16.

For a game summary, you can look at Concordia's web page here.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

MLS Football vs. Hemlock

On Wednesday, August 31, the Michigan Lutheran Seminary JV Cardinals travelled west down M-46 to face the Huskies of Hemlock.  It proved to be a pretty even battle, although MLS squandered some opportunities deep in Huskies' territory.  Twice MLS had the ball inside the 5 yard line, and neither time did they cross the goal line.  In fact, once they moved backwards significnatly.

MLS was down 13-7 at half time, but came out in the 2nd half and played solid enough defnese that Hemlock was held scoreless.  Meanwhile, MLS put one in the end zone (the PAT was blocked) and then later kicked a field goal wihch proved to be the winning margin.  The MLS defense was forced to make a stand deep in their own territory at the end of the 4th quarter to seal the win.  (Philip did not play this game partly due to tweaking his back in practice last week.)  Final score was 16-13, giving the JV Cardinals their first win of the season.





On Thursday, the calendar turned to September and the MLS Cardinals played host to Hemlock for the varsity match up.  These two teams had not played each other for years, but a shuffling of the Tri-Valley Conference put Hemlock in MLS' division.

I got to be part of the chain gang which is nice to be that close to the action, but makes it impossible for me to take photos of the game.  Photos below are courtesy of my lovely wife, Laura.  You can see me in action in the photos below.  If I look stern, it is because we take our chain gang seriously in Saginaw.  We almost had a measurement once!  (Can the chain gang request one?)

Hemlock's game plan was simple: Stop Casey Williams.  They had some success at that (Casey still had a long TD run and a few other long runs).  But MLS spread the ball around, including two nice TD catches by senior Ben Burger.  Caleb also had one catch.

MLS took a 21-12 lead into the locker room at halftime.  They opened the second half with a TD drive, making the second half a little more comfortable.  Hemlock, however, grabbed some momentum and started to assert themselves.  They had a TD drive which gave them a lot of confidence and made MLS look pretty tired.  A 2-point conversion made the score 27-20.  MLS managed to regain some momentum and added a TD on a run late in the 4th quarter by QB, Adam Arrowsmith.  Cardinals win, 33-20.

UPDATE:  You can find MLS covered on WNEM, channel 5's Friday Night Lights here.  MLS' coverage begins about the 2:29 mark.

Photos of the varsity game below.


There I am with Dave Broekhuizen.  I think the orange vest is slimming.
Then again, maybe more stripes would help, too.


Caleb (right) blocking for Casey Williams.
Caleb with his roommate, Tres Leasure.
Peter reviews the game with Caleb.
Caleb and Adam Arrowsmith.

Friday, September 2, 2016

A Pastoral Concern – Private Confession and Absolution

A Pastoral Concern –  
Private Confession and Absolution


When Lutherans hear someone speak of Private Confession and Absolution, the response is usually a knee-jerk, "That's Roman Catholic!"  Though that may be a common perception, the perception is because either it was taught wrongly or understood wrongly.  Consider what the Lutheran Confessions teach about Private Confession and Absolution.

Our churches teach that private Absolution should be retained in the churches, although listing all sins is not necessary for Confession.  For, according to the Psalm, it is impossible.  "Who can discern his errors?" (Psalm 19:12) -- Augsburg Confession, Article XI

What is Confession?
     Answer: Confession has two parts: the one is that we confess our sins; the other is that we receive Absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor, as from God Himself, and in no way doubt, but firmly believe that our sins are forgiven before God in heaven by this.

What sins should we confess?
     Answer: Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even of those that we do not know, as we do in the Lord's Prayer.  But before the confessor we should confess only those sins that we know and feel in our hearts. -- Luther's Small Catechism, Part V

These are basic confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.  They are catholic, insofar as they are Christian.  But they are not Roman, insofar as the penitent is not obligated to orally confess every sin in order to be forgiven of it and insofar as one's forgiveness is not dependent upon some action on the part of the penitent.  The forgiveness is based on Jesus' sufferings and death for the penitent who has been baptized into his name.

Since the practice of Private Confession and Absolution is a Lutheran practice, it would be good for Lutherans to practice it.  It is good for the penitent who is grieved by a particular sin to confess it so that he can hear Christ say through the mouth of his minister: "I forgive you."  It would be good for the one who is burdened to be relieved of his burden by Holy Absolution.  It would be good for this practice, though foreign to many in my corner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to be restored.  And so it will be.

Private Confession and Absolution has always been available to all members by appointment.  (I am guessing that has been a pretty good secret.)  In order for this practice to be restored and perhaps put to better use, there will be dates on the calendar set aside for anyone who would like to drop in and make use of this means of grace.  These will be set up about 4 times per year.  Private Confession and Absolution will still be available by appointment in addition to these scheduled times.

It is anticipated that Private Confession and Absolution will roughly follow this regular schedule.
     The Saturday before or on Epiphany (Epiphany is always January 6)
     The Saturday before Palm Sunday
     The Saturday after Labor Day weekend
     The Saturday after Thanksgiving weekend (should coincide with the 1st Saturday in Advent)

The next scheduled date and time for Private Confession and Absolution will be Saturday, September 10, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Appointments are not necessary.  You need only drop in.  All participation is voluntary, as Absolution cannot be forced upon anyone.

Of course, this will be new to pretty much any member who decides to make use of it.  If you happen to come in, the pastor will walk through the rite with you and explain the various parts of it, especially including the "private" part, namely, that this confession is to Christ and, therefore, remains his business alone.  The pastor will not report any confession or even the names of those who come for confession.  Finally, the point of this is not for a pastor to learn everyone's dirty, little secrets.  (His life is easier if he remains ignorant.  But God's people do not call a pastor to be ignorant; they call him to absolve in the name of Jesus.)  The point is for the guilty and the grieved to find relief and receive forgiveness, or absolution.