Reflections

Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. (Jeremiah 25:5) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jeremiah must have felt as if he was talking to himself. The people of Judah, to whom he was sent to preach, had a long history of ignoring God's Word. And they weren't about to listen to what Jeremiah had to say. He brought them the "promise" of exile and distress as God's judgment against their sin. They had a First Commandment problem, that is, they did not fear, love and trust in God above all things. Instead, when political and economic hard times came, they turned to pagan nations for help. 

Yet the Lord did not abandon his people. He continued to send them servants of His redeeming work, like Jeremiah. He issued a loving call to repentance. "Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds." They did not listen. God would "banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp. [The] whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years" (Jeremiah 25:10-11). Yet God's promise to save Judah stood, and He would bring a faithful remnant home.

 We know that the promised answer to repentance is always forgiveness and mercy from the Lord. For the faithful of Judah that would mean a return to the land that God had sworn to Abraham and his seed forever. From those people would come the redeemer of the world, Jesus. Born of a daughter of the promise to Abraham, Jesus would answer for the sins of all in His death and resurrection. Hear the Word of the Lord, you, His saints. He loves you enough to call you to repentance and faith. He promises to answer with words of forgiveness. He will cause you to dwell in the land He has promised to all who love Him. He will bring you the promised land of eternal life and resurrection through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Grant us, O God, the strength and courageTo live the faith our lips declare; Bless us in our baptismal calling; Christ's royal priesthood help us share. Turn us from ev'ry false allegiance, That we may trust in Christ alone: Raise up in us a chose people Transformed by love to be Your own. ("Mark How the Lamb of God's Self-Offering" LSB 600, st.3)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Born into a pagan family in what is now Hungary around the year A.D. 316, Martin grew up in Lombardy (Italy). Coming to the Christian faith as a young person, he began a career in the Roman army. But sensing a call to a church vocation, Martin left the military and became a monk, affirming that he was "Christ's soldier." Eventually, Martin was named bishop of Tours in western Gaul (France). He is remembered for his simple lifestyle and his determination to share the Gospel throughout rural Gaul. 

Our Lutheran confessions remind us that it is good to remember saints of old like Martin of Tours. We confess that "the remembrance of the saints is to be commended in order that we may imitate their faith and good works according to their calling" (Augsburg Confession, Article 21). A saint is not someone we go to in prayer so we can get a little extra favor in God's eyes or to get help in selling our house. A saint is one who has been made holy. 

This is what the Holy Spirit has done for you in Holy Baptism, where the flood of Christ's own blood has made you holy, right, and good before your heavenly Father ("All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" LSB, 596, st.4). We remember and give thanks to God for the lives of the saints every Sunday in the Divine Service when we gather at the Lord's table with "angels, archangels, and the whole company of heaven." Who is that company of heaven but the saints? After we commune, we sing the hymn of St. Simeon ("Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace. . . "). Next, we pray that the Body and Blood of Jesus would cause us to live "in fervent love toward one another." This is a prayer that we would regard and treat one another as saints. As Paul says, "So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). We give thanks to God for our brother, Martin, one with us in the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord God of hosts, you clothed your servant Martin the soldier with the spirit of sacrifice and set him as a bishop in your Church to be a defender of the true faith; Give us grace to follow in his steps, that at the last we may be found clothed with righteousness in the dwellings of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It always seems a little dicey for a pastor to write about what the Small Catechism Table of Duties calls "What Hearers Owe Their Pastors." It's dicey because so much sin colors the discussion. Pastors feel that they are underappreciated and would welcome a few more digits added to their paychecks. They also know the Word of God directed to preachers, that they should not be lovers of money (1 Timothy 3:3). Hearers of the Word also struggle with their responsibilities as they look at the church budget and income statement and wonder if the good reverend couldn't get by with a little less. Life in the church is messy that way with sinner pastor and sinner hearer battling it out for the fiscal upper hand. 
So, what is the answer? We heard part one last week when God's Word detailed the responsibility that the pastor has toward those who gather to hear the preaching. Pastors are brought to repentance by those words and receive Absolution for their sin by the Word of Jesus. Part two of the answer is detailed in today's catechism reading. Faith receives the preaching of God's Word and the preacher, with thanksgiving. A physical act of thanksgiving is providing for the worldly needs of the preacher. The pastor is worthy of "double honor" not because of who he is, but because of his work. He labors in preaching and teaching. He works to bring the Word of God to you in the best and worst times of your life. 
You in turn give thanks to God for this gift by supporting the bearer of the Word. "The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the Gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14). Rejoice in the gift that God has given through your pastor and rejoice in the opportunity to show Christ's love to him. In doing so you free him from the worries and cares of this life to continue his loving service to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 
Gracious God, You send great blessings New each morning all our days. For Your mercies never ending, For Your love we offer praise. Lord, we pray that we, Your people Who Your gifts unnumbered claim, Through the sharing of Your blessings May bring glory to Your name. ("Gracious God, You Send Great Blessing" LSB 782, st.1)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. A recent Cornell University study on Americans' belief in an afterlife revealed that there has been very little change on this issue for more than 70 years. According to the study, belief in heaven has been true for over eight in ten people even since the late 1960s, while belief in life after death remains roughly in the range of seven in ten. That's the best that a "spiritual" world can give us, maybe an 80% chance that there is a heaven or even life after death.

I don't know what a study of the Thessalonian church would reveal, but it seems from Paul's letter that they were confused. So, Paul sets them straight. He claims the highest authority for his words: Jesus. Jesus has died and risen again. His resurrection is the proof that the dead will rise and the confirmation that He has the authority to raise the dead on the Last Day. At the command of the Lord, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, the dead will rise. 

If we are around to see that, we'll follow them to resurrection glory. The same is true for all who live and die in Christ. Sin and death have been conquered by the crucified and risen Jesus. This is our greatest strength when we face the trials and terrors of death.
 
We don't have a 70% or 80% chance of a resurrection to eternal life and a place at the Feast of the Lamb. We have a 100% guarantee from Jesus. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Jesus Christ, do not delay, But hasten our salvation; We often tremble on the way
In fear and tribulation O hear and grant our fervent plea: Come mighty judge, and set us free From death and ev'ry evil. ("The Day is Surely Drawing Near" LSB 508, st.7)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

And the Lord said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They 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!'" (Exodus 32:7–8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Well, that didn't take long. Moses had been gone a while, receiving from the LORD the Divine Service instructions for the people of Israel. While the LORD delivered specific instructions regarding the ways God would bless the people and put on them His holiness (Exodus 25-31), the people grew impatient and decided to fashion a god to whom they could offer sacrifice. 

What does it take for you to doubt the good and gracious presence of God? We churn out false gods as fast as we can. Our gods, "O Israel," are money, popularity, success at school or work, the approval of the world, and the fulfillment of every disgusting appetite of our sinful selves. God brought His heavy hand of judgment on the people by the sword and a terrible plague. What do we deserve for our idolatry? We who do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things? What do we deserve? "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a). That is the just payment for our idolatry. 

But this is not what we receive. Here is the miracle of the Gospel: "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). One greater than Moses has come. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4-5). 

Your idolatry is answered for in Jesus. Moses appealed to the mercy of God on behalf of the people. Jesus Himself intercedes for you now! You are not the object of God's wrath and anger. You are not outside the family of God but have been baptismally adopted as His own child. Return from your idolatry to the One who loves you to death in the death of His Son. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We implore You, O Lord, in your kindness to show us Your great mercy that we may be set from our sins and rescued from the punishments that we rightly deserve; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

"For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:27)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How many predictions of the end of the world have you lived through? I'm so old that I remember predictions from the 1970s and a false prophet named Hal Lindsey. Some other old folks will remember the Y2K scare of 1999. Isn't it funny how every generation can recall any number of false and deceiving prophecies of Jesus' return? I suppose I shouldn't describe faith-destroying teaching as "funny" but it is fascinating to see how the wicked one still sows confusion in the Church. That is Satan's old trick, to get the faithful to doubt the certainty of God's Word and move off into unsure speculation. Jesus does not leave us scratching our heads about the future or His return. It will happen, according to the time set by God the Father but the exact day and hour will remain unknown to us.

What is knowable for us is that Jesus will return, and the world will not miss that return. "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matthew 24:27). Christians live in the confidence that Jesus' word is sure. We can look at the world and its decay and recognize that the return of Jesus is drawing near. The day or the hour we will not know, but in the meantime, we will live by faith. Certainly, the signs of the end are all around us, including false christs and false prophets who seek to turn our attention from the sure promises of Jesus to wild speculations about the end. Don't listen to them or go after them. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). In faith, wait patiently for His return. You have nothing to fear. You are died for by Jesus and He will keep you firm in the faith until the end. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, hear the devout prayers of Your Church especially in times of persecution, and grant that what we ask in faith we may obtain; through Jesus Christ, Your son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Third-Last Sunday of the Church Year)

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!  Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! (From the Introit for the 23rd Sunday after Trinity)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. "Why is the Internet so slow?" we ask when the webpage doesn't load in a nanosecond. "What is wrong with these people, how long does it take to make a Big Mac?" we grumble in the drive-through while waiting fewer than two minutes. The blessing of rapid technological advancement has made us an impatient people.

This coming week in the Church Year will start the process of unlearning impatience. The Last Sundays of the Church Year give us the long perspective about our life of faith and teach us to wait in patient anticipation for the return of Jesus or our entrance into His eternal kingdom with our death. Psalm 31 is an insight into King David's concern about death, specifically his own death. We can all relate to David's concern in one way or another. We are confronted by death all the time. A tragic accident here, a heart attack there, and cancer consuming a loved one: It's all a preaching that this world and its inhabitants are dying. 

Amid death and its terrors, David prays with confidence, "In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame." And we, too, can have the same confidence as David because we know to be true what David could only take on faith: Jesus Christ has come to rescue this whole world from death. He does that in a remarkable way: He dies. He is consumed by the sins of the world on the Cross so that all who believe and are baptized receive salvation and eternal life. 

Jesus' bitter sufferings and death are the redemption price paid for you. Baptized into Jesus, you have a confidence that His work has rescued you from the guilt and shame of sin. His righteousness is credited to you and in Him you are delivered. We wait for the ultimate fulfillment of that promise with the return of Jesus in glory. . . or our own death. But we wait patiently on the Lord. He is our rock of refuge and a strong fortress to save. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Take heart, have hope, my spirit, And do not be dismayed; God helps in every trial

And makes you unafraid. Await His time with patience Through darkest hour of night

Until the sun you hoped for Delights your eager sight. ("Entrust Your Days and Burdens"

LSB 754, st.3)

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is often much of life that seems incomplete. There is always some academic assignment or work project waiting for its completion. If we are single, we think that we would be finally complete with a spouse. If we are given a spouse, our sinful nature thinks that we could do with a better one. I suppose that is a byproduct of life in this sinful world. In this life there is always something left to get done, always something incomplete. 

We are invited to a different perspective in our reading today. We are let in on Paul's loving words to the Christians at the church in Philippi. His words are an encouragement for them. They may have been frustrated that the work of the Gospel wasn't going as well as they had hoped. Perhaps the discouragements of life brought about by their own sins or the sins of others were weighing them down. Paul reminds them that they are loved by God and by him! They are pure and blameless in Christ and "filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:11). 

Despite their uncertainty, God was indeed at work in them. He saved them by the righteous life and death of Jesus. He filled them with the fruitful faith that comes through Jesus Christ. And that is what God has done for you, too. Don't be discouraged, dear child of God! All the incompleteness of your life will be unknown on the day of your resurrection. On that day Jesus will say of you, "Well done, good and faithful servant. . . enter in the [resurrection] joy of your master" (Matthew 25:23). He has begun that good work in you and will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Jesus Christ, do not delay, But hasten our salvation; We often tremble on our way

In fear and tribulation O hear and grant our fervent plea; Come mighty judge, and set us free From death and ev'ry evil. ("The Day Is Surely Drawing Near" LSB 508, st.7)

With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? (Micah 6:6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Of all the prophets identified as "minor" in our Bible commentaries, perhaps Micah is the "minorist."  You do know one famous line from this prophet, from the fifth chapter. "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming is from of old, from ancient days" (Micah 5:2). And really, this one verse helps us understand our reading today. 

We know the fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah 5 is Jesus. He is the one born in Bethlehem of the woman, Mary, to be ruler of Israel. He ruled in humility from the Cross, thus fulfilling the ancient promise of a savior for all humanity. And He reigns in glorified humility at the right hand of God the Father. His is the sacrifice that pleases God. He offers up Himself in death for the sake of the sin of your soul. He executes God's justice by becoming the sacrifice for our sin under the burning wrath of God. He loves kindness and displays it in patient love toward us sinners. He walks humbly with God by way of His Cross. And all of this is credited to you by God's grace in Christ. 

So, Paul writes, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:5-9). You come before the LORD covered by the death of Jesus. His sacrifice is alone pleasing to the Lord. So you bow before the LORD as one who has been baptized into Christ and thus clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27). You come to receive the fruits of Jesus' sacrifice at the table of the Lord with Jesus' own Body and Blood given into your mouth. You take heart that all the LORD requires of you has been done in Jesus! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord, you have raised me up To joy and exultation And clearly showed the way

That leads me to salvation My sins are washed away; For this I thank you, Lord.

Now with my heart and soul All evil I abhor. ("How Can I Thank You, Lord" LSB 703, st.3)

He [the pastor] must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Table of Duties of the Small Catechism gives shape to the life of the believer. We are not left to make our own way in determining the contours of our holy orders and positions. Are you a pastor or do you know a pastor? 

The Table of Duties tells us what God says about the shape of that work as the Office of pastor or preacher. That is the focus in our Small Catechism reading for today. This Holy Office is defined by three passages of Scripture, all drawn from what are appropriately called "pastoral epistles." Paul reminds pastors Timothy and Titus of the great responsibility they bear as servants of Christ and of God's people. 

All three texts included in this section of the Table of Duties deal with unique aspects of pastoral work. First is an admonition to a life that is not characterized by open, public sin. Second is a warning against conceit (your pastors know that is their greatest weakness). And third is a reminder of the pastor's responsibility to faithfully use God's word to encourage all believers and refute false teaching. 

Humanly speaking, your pastor can do none of these things well, if at all. But thanks be to God that NOTHING rests in the person of your pastor. As John the Baptist said of his relationship to Jesus, Paul wrote of himself and all pastors, "But we have this treasure (the preaching of the Gospel and administration of the Sacraments) in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). 

Your pastor is as much of a sinner as you are. He needs the same forgiveness of Christ that he proclaims to you in the Absolution. And God gives that to him as freely as He does to you. Give thanks to God this day for your pastor. Pray that God would keep him faithful in his calling and safe from the snares of the devil. He needs such prayer. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O almighty God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, gave to His holy apostles many excellent gifts and commanded them earnestly to feed His flock. Make all pastors diligent to preach Your holy Word and the people obedient to follow it that together they may receive the crown of everlasting glory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.