Local Tourist -- The National Museum of the Great Lakes

This stretches the whole concept of "Local" in the Local Tourist, but Toledo is only about an hour away, so I will accept it.

The Local Tourist took a trip to the National Museum of the Great Lakes on the banks of the Maumee River.  Sadly, the retired Great Lakes freighter, Col. James M. Schoonmaker, was not open for the season just yet, but the rest of the museum was very impressive.  We spent close to four hours there, with a lot to read through.  There were also many exhibits which were able to keep Peter entertained for quite a while.  The stories about the progression of settling the Great Lakes region, the increase of shipping, the Great Lakes involvement of war efforts, and shipwrecks were very well done.  This place is worth your visit!

They also had a few items from the Edmund Fitzgerald, including oars and life raft, a life preserver, and a sounding board.  Apparently there are items from the Fitzgerald spread around quite a few places (e.g., Detroit, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, and Whitefish Point, MI).  Gordon Lightfoot was quoted but not heard in Toledo.

After our time at the museum, we traveled just a few blocks north on Front Street to the original Tony Packo's Cafe for some great food.  We also entertained the kids by showing them the stars' buns on the walls.  (If you've been there, you know.  Or scroll down for an explanation.)

Anyway, here are a few photos.  Enjoy!

Lunch at Tony Packo's.  Note the autographed hot dog buns on the walls.

Sermon -- Easter Sunday (March 27, 2016)

LUKE 24:1-12

WHY DO YOU SEEK THE LIVING 

AMONG THE DEAD?

In the name + of Jesus.

M:         Alleluia!  Christ is risen! 
Cong: He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

     Easter Sunday began in a cemetery.  The women who had grieved at the death of Jesus  were also concerned that Jesus' burial had been so hasty.  His body was wrapped quickly by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.  He was placed in Joseph's tomb because it was so close.  He was buried hurriedly because the Sabbath was so near.
     The women who came to the tomb had followed Jesus and graciously supported Jesus with their savings.  They sought to honor Jesus one last time, giving his body the proper attention it deserved for a burial.  They would tend to Jesus' corpse, and they would leave him for dead.  Then they would depart from the grave as they did on Friday, in tears.
     But when the women got to the tomb, they met the angels who had rolled the stone away.  They asked a question which also served as somewhat of a rebuke.  “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.  Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”  And they remembered his words... (Luke 24:5-8)
     The rebuke came because Jesus had told them explicitly and repeatedly what was going to happen to him at Jerusalem.  And it all unfolded just as Jesus had foretold it.  He was betrayed, he was delivered into the hands of sinful men, and he was crucified.  When Jesus' disciples saw these things, Jesus' words should have resonated in their heads.  Though it was appalling, it should not have been surprising.
     Both the women and the disciples missed the last part of Jesus' words: “on the third day (he will) rise.” (Luke 24:7)  Though Jesus had told them that he was going to die, he also let them know that death would not have the last word.  Jesus is the Lamb of God who was slain to take away the sins of the world.  He is true God so that his sacrifice would be enough to pay for the world.  The eternal God gave himself on behalf of all people of all time.  But he is true man, and this man is risen from the dead.  This man lives to forgive the sins of men.  This man lives to make death answer to him.  He is the man who has gone into death and come out of it.  He is the man who ascended to heaven and dwells there.  This man has paved the way for all mankind, and declares that all who believe in him will likewise be delivered out of the grave to eternal life.
     But the women and the disciples had missed that promise.  We also fail to grasp the fullness of the word of God.  What the angels asked the women they could just as well ask us: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5)  It is also a rebuke for us, because we often look for life in the things that are dying or dead.  We imagine that a life full of stuff is a full life.
     That's not to say the things that bring us happiness are automatically evil things.  We recognize the blessings God gives us in this world.  We receive them with gratitude, and we enjoy them because they make life easier or happier.  We are grateful for priceless blessings like families, health, pets, hobbies, sunsets, apple trees, and music.  We are also grateful for blessings that give just to make life easier—like cars, automatic dishwashers, and WiFi hot spots.  We are even grateful for things are are absolutely frivolous—like stuffed animals, cartoons, and extra-large scoops of Cool Whip on the dessert.  But no matter how much easier or happier they make life, they don't produce life.  They can't preserve or sustain life either.  They are blessings, but they are temporary.  They are all either dead or things.  Over time, you will lose all of them, whether they are frivolous or priceless.  Cool Whip gets consumed.  Cars break down.  And family members die.  They are all temporary.  Even your own body is a temporary blessing.  Over the years, you may lose your hair, your balance, your 20/20 vision, and your ability to bounce back quickly after hard work.  Eventually, you lose even your breath, and you will die.
     Even though these things are dead or dying, we cherish them and cling to them.  We love and trust in them, and we live in fear of losing them.  If you have built your life upon them, you will find that your joy and your comfort and your very soul will be swept away forever.  If your life is wrapped up in dead and dying things, you yourself will die with them.  The angels implore you to consider: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5)  Temporary blessings in a dying world cannot save you.  A life full of stuff is not really a full life.
     But today, Jesus Christ brings life out of death, and he grants life to the dying.  Jesus had gone into death for us, to pay for sin which has corrupted everything in this world.  Most specifically, Jesus went into death for you—so that you would be acquitted from your guilt, so that your body would be redeemed from death, and so that your life would not be measured by the size of your estate sale.  The sufferings and death of Jesus were done to pay for sins.  And the resurrection of Jesus guarantees that Jesus' payment for sins is sufficient.  It shows that Jesus' power over death is certain.  And it shows that life itself is no longer temporary.
     “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5)  The life you seek and the life you dream about is found in Jesus Christ.  Jesus' resurrection means that you who believe in him and have been baptized in him shall also rise from the dead.  These bodies have been corrupted by sin.  They will get old, weak, and finally die.  But on the Last Day, Jesus will summon you from your grave.  Death will have to obey Jesus' orders, for Jesus owns the keys to death and Hades.  And Jesus will raise you up with a body that will never again know disability, disease, decline, or death.  And Jesus will bring you into a life that will never know strife, stress, sickness, sorrow, or struggles.  And better than this world, the blessings which Jesus will deliver to you will not be temporary or fragile.  Jesus' gifts are unending and unbreakable.
     “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5)  Jesus Christ is the living one, and he supplies his life through the word which is preached and through the sacraments that are administered.  Jesus' gifts and the life he gives does not come through our own daydreaming or hard work.  The women at the tomb found no comfort in what they could see and feel.  Their comfort came only when they remembered Jesus' words.  That is why God's word is preached here every week.  That is where Jesus provides this life we crave.
     The life that Jesus supplies is not something that will come to you one day.  It is yours now.  Your eternal life has already begun!  The forgiveness Jesus won is yours now.  The peace Jesus proclaims is yours now.  The salvation which Jesus provides his yours now.  You are children of God.  Your life is founded on Jesus Christ.  Therefore, there is nothing that can rob you of your life.  Your body may dwell in a grave for a while, but your life is with Jesus.  And your body will be raised from the grave, glorified and immortal.
     Easter may have begun at a cemetery, but Jesus' empty tomb reminds you that no cemetery is to be feared.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is risen and has conquered death.  Jesus is the Living One and the source of life.  And his grace and his mercy means all his perfect and permanent blessings are for us.

M:         Alleluia!  Christ is risen! 
Cong: He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

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

Sermon -- Easter Dawn (March 27, 2016)

"NIKA" is the Greek word for "victory."

EZEKIEL 26:24-28

THE LORD BESTOWS A NEW HEART.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The prophet Ezekiel preached to the Israelites when they were already in exile.  They were there because they had sinned against God.  The Lord had sent prophets repeatedly to call Israel to repent, to acknowledge that his will is good, and then to do it.  They did not.  They decided for themselves what is good and bad, and they lived like it.  Each made his own desires and opinions the highest good.  They cast God down and set up themselves as gods in their own little world.  Idolatry is the first sin, and it rears its ugly, self-centered head in every other sin.
    The Babylonian Captivity was not a divinely ordained “time-out.”  God was not teaching the people of Israel to behave so that, once they learned their lesson, they could come back.  Sinners know how to behave, and they do it when they don't have a choice.  Teens straighten up when the teacher enters the room.  Adults do the same when the boss pops his head in.  Even pimps and gang members will demonstrate good manners when they have to stand before a district court judge.  And yet, before God we are still idolaters.  The problem is not that we don't know how to behave.  The problem is that we have not.
     The people of Israel deserved to be banished by God for their idolatry.  We deserve the same.  And yet, God does not banish us.  Rather than reject us, the Lord acts to reconcile us.  Ezekiel declared the word of the Lord:  “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.  And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27)  
     In holy baptism, the Lord applies to you all that Jesus has accomplished for you.  Through your baptism, you partake in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In baptism, the Lord puts to death the sinner.  He kills off the heart that loves only itself and is stone dead to others.  He drives out the unclean spirit which perverts God's word and God's blessings.  Then he raises you up a new creation.  He creates in you a clean heart, grants you a new spirit which delights in God's will and desires to do it, and he even instills his Holy Spirit in you so that you are now the temple of God.  You are no longer unclean, and it is right that you do not revert back to uncleanliness.  Rather, you have been set apart as a child of God.  And even if you do not always feel like you live up to the title, you do have it.  God has given it to you.
     Israel did not deserve to be brought back to their land, but God did it anyway.  You and I do not deserve such a great salvation, but God gives it anyway.  In fact, God does it all: “I will sprinkle...  I will cleanse you.  I will give you a new heart...  I will put (a new spirit) within you.  I will remove the heart of stone...  I will put my Spirit within you.” (Ezekiel 26:25-27)  Jesus is our Savior.  He has done all the work, and he gives us all his benefits.  And since we are united to him in his death and resurrection, he will at the last raise us up from the dead and bring us to the home of his Father; for he has made us his people, and he is pleased to be our God.

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

Sermon -- Good Friday: The 7th Word (March 25, 2016)

THE SEVENTH WORD — Luke 23:44-46
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”  And having said this he breathed his last.

     With his last breath, Jesus again recited his Psalms: “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.” (Luke 23:46; Psalm 31:5)  He went into death as if he were going to bed.  “Now I lay me down to sleep....”, confident that he would get up again.
     In his final word, Jesus does not address “God,” but his “Father.”  Like a son who has completed his assigned task, so he presented himself to his Father and submitted his work certain of his Father’s good pleasure.  Therefore, Jesus willingly put himself into his Father’s hands.  He willingly gave himself into death.  He confidently awaited his resurrection.
            Now you also are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)  Therefore, you, like the Son of God, can face death with equal comfort and confidence.  The God who gave you life has also secured your eternal life.  The Savior who conquered death remains your Savior even when death comes to you.  There is nothing to fear.  You can go into death as a child who has completed the task God has given you to do—which is to believe in the one he has sent.  You can submit to your Father, confident that he approves and loves you as his own child, for that is what you are.  And you can lay down confidently awaiting your resurrection.  For, death is but a sleep from which your Lord will awaken you.
            So, when your last hour comes, you can recite your Psalms as Jesus did: I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8, NIV '84) “Father, into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things.” (Luther's evening prayer)

Sermon -- Good Friday: The 6th Word (March 25, 2016)

THE SIXTH WORD — John 19:30
           When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 

     Of the seven words which Jesus spoke from the cross, these words are probably the most familiar, and the most comforting.  Three words in English; one word in Greek: “It is finished!” “tetelestai.”  In English, it is a present tense.  In Greek, it is a perfect tense.  The perfect tense refers to something which happened and which still has effect to the present time.  We heard in when Satan tempted Jesus.  We heard Jesus say, “It is written.”  But it is really a perfect tense: “It has been written.”  And it still stands.  That is what Jesus says at the cross: “It is finished.”  It has been accomplished, and it still stands.
     “It is finished!”  It was not the last gasp of a man dying by crucifixion.  Jesus cried this out in a loud voice.  It was a proclamation.  It was said for the benefit of anyone in earshot.  It was recorded for the benefit of the world.
     “It is finished!”  Tetelestai.  It has been accomplished, and it still stands.  What is “it”?  Jesus has done what no person has ever done.  He is the one man who has ever given perfect obedience to God's Commandments.  Even on our best days we are not perfect.  But all of Jesus' days were perfect.  The Law has been fulfilled.  A man has kept the Law, and he has done it for you.  He gives you credit for the work which you did not do.
     In turn, he takes credit for the sins which he did not do.  Jesus offered up his life as the perfect sacrifice which takes away the sins of the world.  He absorbed the guilt and, therefore, the torments that the guilty deserve.  He consumed God's wrath to its last drop.  Therefore, there is no more wrath.  There are no unpaid debts.  There is no sacrifice left to be made.  “It is finished.”  Tetelestai.  It has been accomplished, and it still stands.
     “It is finished.”  This word Jesus uttered just before he died.  And it is the word we cling to when we face death.  Because of this word, we do not have to invent virtues that we do not have.  Nor do we have to pretend that our sins are not what they were.  Are we sinners?  Yes, but Jesus has taken our sins away.  Are we perfect?  No, but Jesus supplies us with his holiness.  We do not have to go into death pretending to be what we are not or pretending to have what we don't.
     What we do have is all we need: the word of Jesus.  “It is finished.”  The perfect life has been lived.  The cursed death has been died.  The sins of the world have been paid for.  Jesus has completed it all.  It has all been accomplished, and it still stands.  Tetelestai.  It is finished.

Sermon -- Maundy Thursday (March 24, 2016)

1 CORINTHIANS 11:26

WE PROCLAIM 

THE LORD'S DEATH.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The greatest event in Israel's history was marked by a feast.  The Lord had promised the deliverance of his people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land.  But before the Lord's deliverance, he had afflicted the nation of Egypt with ten distinct plagues, each plague mocking Egypt's gods and proving their impotence.  The tenth and final plague was the plague on the firstborn.  Every firstborn male in Egypt—whether man or animal—would be slain by the Lord in one night.  The Lord, however, gave Israel deliverance from death.  He commanded them to slaughter a flawless lamb.  Its blood was to be put on their doorposts.  When the angel of the Lord saw the blood of the lamb, he would pass over their homes, and no death would come upon them.
     That night, the angel went throughout Egypt.  Every home which was not marked by the blood of the lamb was filled with death, with shrieks of grief, and with mourning.  At that very moment, the people of Israel were all gathered together in familial harmony, and they were feasting.  They were not ignorant of what was going on in the Egyptian homes.  Nevertheless, their homes were filled with peace, with comfort, and with festal joy.
     The Israelites commemorated that deliverance annually.  They continued to slaughter lambs.  They continued to gather in familial harmony.  They continued to proclaim the Lord's deliverance with a feast.
     Prior to the Lord's deliverance, God had spoken to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD.  I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.” (Exodus 6:2-3)  That's not to say that Abraham did not know who the Lord was.  It means that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not witness the Lord's salvation.  At the Passover, the Lord revealed himself to Israel as the God who saves.  At every successive Passover, the Israelites continued to proclaim the LORD as the Savior-God.  The greatest event in Israel's history was marked with a feast.
     Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover together on the night he was betrayed, which began the series of events leading to his crucifixion.  Once again, the Lord was about to reveal himself as the God who saves.  However, the enemy to be destroyed was not a powerful army of men and horses and chariots.  The enemies to be destroyed were sin, death, and the devil.  Like a Passover lamb, Jesus would be slain and pour out his blood.  That blood, which pays for our sins, also marks us and delivers us from death.  Jesus would crush the devil so that he could no longer taunt us over sins we have done or torment us over the judgment we deserve.  The Lord Jesus Christ was about to go forth and put an end to these enemies once and for all.  Just as it was with Israel, so it is with us: We celebrate a victory we did nothing to win.
     And as it was with Israel, so it is with us: The greatest event in the history of the Church is celebrated with a feast.  St. Paul reminds us, “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)  It is in this feast that Jesus reveals himself as the Lord, the Savior-God.  The Lord's Supper, upon which our Lord summons us to feast, is no re-enactment.  This is not a Passion play or a Christmas pageant.  We are not pretending or memorializing anything.  What Jesus gave into death to pay for our sins he gives to us in the feast for the forgiveness of our sins.  Thus, we proclaim the Lord's death.  Jesus himself says so.
     The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)  
     Jesus does not give us counterfeit comfort.  He does not supply his forgiveness in theory.  That would reduce God's promises to slogans and buzzwords.  In the face of death, such words are ultimately useless.  We suffer from true and real guilt.  There is nothing pretend about our sins.  We may paste on a happy face, but we often are hiding real shame and painful regret.  Especially at the grave, there is no play-acting.  Even the best eulogies do not reverse death or remove guilt and shame.  Therefore, the Lord took a true, real body because we bear in our bodies true, real sins.  Jesus took our sins into his body in order to suffer a true and real death for them.  The Lord took on flesh so that it could be nailed to a cross and laid in a tomb.  By his death, Jesus removed our sins from us and left them for dead in his grave.  By his resurrection, Jesus destroyed death.  We have a living Savior who proclaims a true real forgiveness of our sins and a real and everlasting life to all who believe.  Thus, we proclaim and celebrate his death, for that is where the payment for sins has been made.
     Just as Jesus assumed a real body to bring us the forgiveness of our sins, so he gives us his true body and blood in the Lord's Supper for the forgiveness of our sins.  He is the Lord—the Savior-God who comes to us in a real, tangible way to personally deliver the benefits of his sufferings and death to us.  That is why, when the Church gathers, we do not put on Passion plays or show movies.  They may tell a story.  They may tug on emotions.  But Jesus has given us something better and something real.  He summons us to the feast where Jesus personally gives us the body and blood which take away sin, which overcome Satan, and with bring victory over the grave.  In the feast of the Lamb, we don't ponder Jesus' love and salvation; we ingest it.
     That is why “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)  This supper delivers everything that Jesus won for you—forgiveness, life, and salvation.  The body which bore our sins is given to you to eat.  The blood, which was shed as the atoning sacrifice, is given to you to drink.  When we eat and drink, we participate in the body and blood of Christ and receive his salvation.  When we eat and drink, we consume our Lord who is pleased to dwell in us and conform our lives to his.  This, then, is also the death of our sin and the newness of life in Christ.  For here, we are united to Jesus.  We proclaim his death, and we partake of its benefits.
     As it was with Israel at the Passover, so it is with us: We are not ignorant of what is going on the world around us.  We know there is death.  We see the brokenness of this world—revealed in violent storms and viruses.  We notice the wickedness of men—whether in petty squabbles or in mass destruction.  But in the midst of all of it, we have a Savior-God who delivers us from evil and preserves us in his kingdom.  Our Lord tells us not to fear.  Instead, he prepares a feast.  He has us gather in familial harmony as the family of God.  He summons us to eat and to drink.  We partake of the cup and feast on the Lamb.  We are delivered from sin, death, and the devil.  In the midst of death and pain and sorrow, we celebrate with joy.  We feast with our Savior-God.  We proclaim his death, and we receive his mercy.

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

Holy Week -- The Triduum

INTRODUCTION TO THE TRIDUUM

                 The enormous significance of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection has always been the central focus of Christian worship.  Prior to the fourth century, Easter Day itself included all three emphases, but thereafter they were distributed over three days of special observance, which Augustine called “the most holy Triduum of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord.”  These days have long been understood as the climax of the Church’s year.

                Since the last half of the 20^th century, Lutherans have been rediscovering the richness of the ancient Triduum (pronounced TRIH-doo-um) and adapting the traditional services associated with it for use in Evangelical-Lutheran worship.  In keeping with their origins, the Triduum services are closely connected with one another.   We observe the Triduum as a single service that extends over the “three holy days.”

MAUNDY THURSDAY

The theme of Maundy Thursday, best expressed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ according toSt. John, is the novum mandatum or “new command” of Jesus that his disciples “love one another.”  The institution of the Lord’s Supper sets forth the depth of Jesus’ love and gives power to the Church to live out his command.  For the Triduum, Maundy Thursday marks the end of Lent proper.  The service begins with the sermon and an exhortation regarding the end of Lent.  This unusual arrangement allows the minister to explain the meaning of the Sacrament and the liturgical actions that are to take place so that they may proceed uninterruptedly and vividly from this evening through Good Friday to the Easter Vigil.  The action of ceremonially stripping the altar prepares the chancel and the congregation for Good Friday.

GOOD FRIDAY: THE SERVICE OF THE CROSS

                As the middle service of the Triduum, Good Friday is prepared for by Maundy Thursday.  In turn, it leads into the Easter Vigil.  The absence of a benediction the previous evening and again on Good Friday underscores the connectedness of the Triduumservice.  Good Friday is not a “funeral” for Jesus, but an austere celebration of the Lamb and his sacrifice.  The bare altar, symbolic of Christ, is the focus along with a large, rough finished wood cross.  The Service of the Cross consists of two parts: I. The Word and II. The Meditation on the Cross.  The service is highly meditative in nature and is celebrated simply and not hurried.  The Service of the Cross is intended as the primary Good Friday service and his historically been observed sometime during the “hours of the cross,” between noon and three o’clock.  It may also be used in place of the Service of Darkness (Tenebrae) as an evening service, as is the case at Good Shepherd.

EASTER VIGIL

                The climax of the Triduum comes in the Vigil of Easter, a service of watching and waiting which utilizes prayer, Scripture, and hymns.  The Vigil is composed of four parts.

The Greek word "NIKA" means victory.

I.                     The Service of Light focuses on the Paschal  Candle, the representation of the unconquered life of Christ.

           II.             The Service of Lessons uses Old Testament texts that foreshadowed our deliverance and rescue by Jesus.

            III.                 The Service of Holy Baptism emphasizes our baptismal connection to the crucified and risen Christ.
IV.                The Service of Holy Communion proclaims the risen Savior and our blessed reconciliation to God.

                In the ancient Church, the Vigil began on Saturday and continued through to Easter Dawn.  It was at dawn that the cry rang out: “Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!”  We honor the spirit of the Vigil, beginning our Easter Vigil at an early hour on Easter Sunday.  With the service of Easter Dawn, we conclude theTriduum.  Our Festival celebration is held at our regular hour of Divine Service, at 10:00 AM.

May the Lord bless us as we observe these “three holy days,” the Triduum.