Christ Academy Sermon, 2008

June 21, 2008
Text: Colossians 2: 1-12

When I was a teenager - about 150,000 years ago - I was a pretty big fan of riding roller coasters. The amusement park near where I grew up in Kansas City, MO is called Worlds of Fun. I can remember the first roller coaster that I ever rode that had a loopty loop. It was called the Scream Roller. The first wooden coaster I rode was the Timber Wolf. But my all-time favorite, which now no longer exists, I'm sad to say, was the Orient Express. I could go on and on. And now I have the joy of watching my almost 13-year-old son become entusiastic about theme parks and extreme thrill rides.

Last year, I went with the Academy to Cedar Point and a great time, even though my stomach cannot tolerate the rides like it used to. There is just something about being thrust along at 70 m.p.h., 75 degree angles, 350 foot drops, loops, twirls, corkscrews and having my head jostled around, back and forth, like a bobble-headed doll in an earthquake that just is not as fun as it used to be. It can be disorienting. It makes me feel dizzy and light-headed and yes, maybe even a little bit nauseous.

Like so many things, this can be a metaphor for life. Is your life merely a day at the park? All fun and games? Cotton candy for dinner and ice cream for dessert? Or is it sometimes fun and sometimes confusing, disorienting, dizzying, terrifying or even nauseating?

We have an enemy, the devil, and he is a liar. Jesus said that the devil has been lying from the very beginning. Ever since he told that deadly little fib to our first mother, Eve, in the garden of earthly delights. Jesus said that when the devil lies, he is speaking his native language.

The very best lies, the most effective deceptions, are those which are blended with a dose of the truth. The difficulty is being able to divide the truth from the errors. St. Paul speaks to us today and he says: "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."

This is precisely the reason why I rejoice to God that all of you are here at Christ Academy these two weeks at the end of June. Some of you are here for the very first time and others of you have been here year after year. Frankly, I consider that to be a miracle of God. It is miraculous that you young men, with all the world's temptations displayed lavishly before you, have chosen to be here in humble Fort Wayne, IN in order to study the very words of our great and living God. You are here by God's design. Not your own. And what we give you here are not the philosophies of this age, the empty traditions of men, but rather the truth of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that the truth shall make you free. Well, He is the truth. He is the One who makes us free. Not as a mere theory or abstraction but in reality, in flesh-and-blood, in history, on the earth.

We want you to have fun while you are here as well. And we schedule a number of events and activities that we think you will enjoy like Cedar Point yesterday, the baseball game on monday, a movie night later next week. We want you to enjoy the good things of God's world and to make lasting friendships with one another. But most importantly, Christ Academy exists in order to train young men in the things of the spirit, to deepen the roots of your faith in the soil of Holy Scripture and perhaps even to equip some of you for a later life of formation and pastoral ministry.

One of the most pernicious and persistent lies of this age is the doctrine of naturalism or scientific materialism. This is the belief that all there is to human existence is summed up in what the hand can hold and the eyes can see. Very persuasive entities in our culture maintain that nothing exists except that which can be observed. And although most Americans still profess some kind of belief in God, many are living as if all that really matters is material stuff: money, possessions, bodily enticements, and the feeding of your carnel appetites.

St. Pauls was concerned for the congregation in Colossai that they not be, as he puts it, deluded by plausible arguments. That rebelliousness that resides inside all of us wants to be deluded by plausible arguments. We want to be persuaded that the pursuit of earthly gain is a good thing. We want to believe that everything is ok and we are alright in the sight of God, all on our own, no matter what. A part of you wants to be independent, not just from your parent, teachers and human authority, but from God Himself. And there is nothing natural or good or beneficial in that rebelious wish. In fact, it is destructive, corrosive, poisonous and foul.

In our reading from Colossians chapter 2, St. Paul states: Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in him.... "Walk in him" is a common biblical way of saying live your life in Christ, take every step in fellowship with Jesus. He says, "as you recevied Christ Jesus... so walk in Him." In other words, live your life as a Christian in the same manner as you began it. And how did you receive Christ? In what manner did that occur? Certainly, not as a result of your good works. Not by the effect of your will. No, you received Christ Jesus by God's grace. He gave Himself to you at your Baptism. He continues to give Himself to you in preaching, absolution and the sacrament of the altar. God is a giver. It is the very nature of God for Him to offer himself to those whom he loves. That is the definition of love, the giving of oneself to another, with no thought for personal gain. Our Lord has no need of us. There is nothing compelling Him to love us, forgive us or save us. This He does freely, purely out of goodness and mercy, concepts which we can never fully understand. For just as it is the very nature of God to give, it is the very nature of created beings to receive.

You have received Christ and with Christ, you receive all things, forgiveness, righteousness, and abundant life both now and forever. As Christians and as sons of God, we live by faith, not by sight. The Bible says, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1)." Contrary to the philosphers of this age who place their ultimate hope in material goods, we see what lies beyond.

It reminds me a little bit of those police television shows where the detectives are interrogating their prisoners in the poorly lit room with no windows. There is only a single long mirror on the wall. But of course, we the viewers all know that it is not really a mirror, but a two way glass and that there are other detectives on the other sides observing all that takes place.

Like the suspect in the interrogation chamber, the people of this world look and all that they see is a reflection of themselves. We are on the other side of the wall and because of illumination we have in Christ, we can see through the glass, not at ourselves, but at reality as it truly exists.

You know the truth about yourselves, about this world and its passing fantasies. You know the truth about your Creator and your eternal destiny in Him. For Jesus Christ, in whom dwells all the fullness of the deity in bodily form, He has suffered and died on your behalf, in your place, in the place of sinners, so that we who were once captivated by the lies of Satan, in bondage not with shackles of iron but with the brittle chains of false promises. And you have been liberated from your bondage, set free from captivity, unleashed by the pronouncement of God. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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The Best Burger's in the World

I'm back in my hometown area, Kansas City, MO, doing a bit of recruiting for the seminary. I do love being here. One thing I'd nearly forgotten about is the legendary Winstead's burger joint. I'm glad to see there are some new locations, but this place is pretty unique to Kansas City. There just happens to be one near my hotel. I haven't eaten there yet, but will probably for dinner tonight. They have arguably the best steakburgers in the world and the awesomest chocolate malts named The Frosty long before there ever was such thing as Wendy's. They've been in business since 1940.

If you ever come to Kansas City, MO, there are a few must sees. One is the excellent art museum, the Nelson Atkins gallery. I've been to art museums all of the nation and the one in KC is one of the best. Another is Gate's Bar-B-Q. But if you don't at least once at Winstead's, there's something wrong.

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Candy Coating Jesus

A great pal has this short insightful post on his blog, The Lutheran Logomaniac.

In case you've wondered at the recent scarcity of posts here, I have been putting most of my blogging energy recently into the new seminary admission department blog called Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary. Come pay a visit.

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Remind Me Not to Go to Congo...

Penis Theft Panic Hits City

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New Way to Search Online

I don't know yet what I think of Stumpedia. It's interesting. I've been adding a bunch of links. You should too.

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Supporting "Issues, Etc."

I think this is great!

South Wisconsin District Votes Unanimously to Support "Issues, Etc."

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Making the Internet Obsolete

Did you just figure out how to get online a year ago? Have you only recently discovered what "Googling" means? Well, get ready for the next information technology paradigm shift.

European scientists are unveiling something called "the Grid" which is supposed to be so fast that it will download full length feature films in two seconds.

Check it out.

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Satanists At Large

I've been doing some research lately on the history and practice of Satanism. I just finished Lure of the Sinister: The Unnatural History of Satanism, in which the author, Gareth Medway, argues that there is no proof of any satanic crimes or ritual abuse/murders, as was the scare in the 60s, 70s and 80s. For the longest time, it was frequently reported that covens were sexually abusing, torturing, and murdering children and adults in Black Masses or other satanic rituals.

You can see evidence of this popular fascination with Satan by the way scary movies changed in the 1970s. In the 30s, horror films dealt mostly with mythical and literary figures. In the 40s and 50s, the struggles with fascism and communism were mirrored in alien invasion pictures. Also in the 50s, a string of atomic mutant films emerged with giant ants, Godzilla, etc. But in the 60s and 70s, the horror themes became much darker. That's when satanic conspiracies were in the backs of peoples' minds, i.e. The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, The Omen.

Medway posits that this is a phenomena akin to people who talk about being abducted by aliens: lots of reports and rumors with scant physical evidence.

Certainly, we saw lots of "survivors" of ritual abuse and former high priestesses on Oprah and Sally Jessy Raphael. In the 70s and 80s, a popular evangelical preacher/comedian named Mike Warnke made an impression on me. I had some of his comedy tapes and I thought he was hilarious. But then he would become serious and talk about his years as a satanic high priest as his evangelistic hook. The trouble is that he made it all up. He was exposed as a liar and fake. Medway points out that this is the pattern with most of these scenarios.

Gareth Medway is not unbiased. His inclinations are easily apparent. He reveals upfront that he is a practicing pagan. And it is evident that he believes that followers of dark spiritualities have been persecuted by narrow minded Christians. Indeed, many innocents have had their reputations destroyed by the conspiracy theorists.

I don't know if he's right or not about satanic crimes and ritual abuse. And it is helpful to distinguish between Wiccans, neopagans, Church of Satanists and run-of-the-mill devil worshippers. What is crucial, I believe, is that the Christian Church have a clear understanding of the person and work of Satan. Out of sight, out of mind. But this mustn't be out of our mind. If the sensational stories are mostly bunk, there still is a rebellious spirit who oppresses the earth and all upon it.

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The Annunciation

I posted a commentary on the incarnation and abortion over at the seminary blog. Go here to check it out.

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Vampire Author's Second Novel About Jesus

I'm thoroughly enjoying Anne Rice's second novel about Jesus, having read and enjoyed the first when it came out. It's called, Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana. Her first novel about Jesus which looked at a portion of his childhood is Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.

I am one who has also read a couple of her former vampire books, and derived a certain literary enjoyment even from them. She is, without question, a gifted writer.

And I can't imagine the overpowering experience it must have been to pen these books on Jesus' life, especially as they are told in the first person, from the Lord's point of view. I would be terrified to attempt that. And I ordinarily would scoff at anyone who would be bold enough to attempt it.

But my impression is that she pulls it off. The books are reverent without being saccharine or entirely predictable or boring. Her extensive biblical and historical research is evident, but not in the sense of bogging down the story. Rather in the sense of illuminating it. Writing these must have been an act of worship for her. I can see no other way. Only with much prayer and fasting could one do this.

I have not finished The Road to Cana yet, but what I've read so far is very encouraging.

Dr. Gene Vieth posts some new remarks from Rice about her conversion over on his blog. Go here to see.

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Cats and Dogs: Images of Human Nature

We have two cats and one dog. Our dog happens to be one of the most popular breeds, a Golden Retriever.

Living with these animals, I enjoy observing their behavior especially as they relate to Julie and Jacob and I.

The dog is an innocent. She really is without guile. This animal adores us. She worships us. Her greatest desire is to please us. Her greatest fear is our displeasure. If anything, she is too obsequious. It gets kind of pathetic at times, her constant need for our approval. But that is unarguably a dog's charm. There is no one more loyal, no one more faithful, no one more reliable than one's pet dog. Man's best friend. She is also a pacifist. Don't raise your voice in her presence. Don't appear to make any threatening gestures. If she thinks you are getting violent, she will not hesitate to take you DOWN! She even breaks up the cats when they fight with each other. Though Lucy can be annoying as she fawns for attention, she is amazing in that she is always happy to see me, she is always the first one to greet me when I get home from work, she is always ready to do whatever I desire. I have no greater fan than Lucy and no more loyal subject.

The cats are different. Everyone knows that. They are more solitary animals. In their feral state, dogs live in packs while cats are their own masters. They do like human companionship but they aren't as obsessed with us as the dog is. The relationship is always on their terms.

I am clearly Lucy's master. Not so with the kitties. They acknowledge no lord but themselves. I exist to serve them, not the other way around.

When Lucy does something "bad," and I scold her, her emotional state is clear as crystal. Immediate remorse and fear of punishment. The cats don't give a rip. Oh, they know what I'm saying, they just don't care.

Not all cats and dogs are the same. When you are around them for any stretch of time, you begin to note their unique "personalities." But what amazes and amuses me, at times, is how much they reflect various aspects of people.

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Across the Universe

All I can say is "Wow!" Julie and I watched Across the Universe this evening after a romantic dinner at the Glenbrook Mall food court. It's a terrific film, particularly for music lovers. When was the last time you saw a really good new movie musical? Moulin Rouge? Chicago? Those were good, but this one transcends them.

Hearing all those incredible Beatles songs in these new settings was a really powerful experience for me. I've always liked a lot of their stuff, but tonight I completely fell head-over-heels in love with them all over again. Man, oh man.

Just the other day, Julie and I were listening to some of the tracks from Abbey Road and remarking on how creative was the Fab Four. Every song is completely unique. They sound like absolutely no one else. Poets and musical geniuses really. Most of today's popular music sounds like the same song just replayed over and over again. Blah! Like eating nothing but Saltine crackers for every meal.

Over impressed with their massive talent, I'd almost forgotten how truly sweet and charming so many of their songs are. And humorous too. But the performances in Universe with the art, the style, the dance, the design, the 1001 inside jokes and references, and the story moved me. Bravo!

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Challenge of Islam

It's not very politically correct, and in some quarters is not even safe, to say that Islam is a problem. A couple of years ago, I spent several days in the Kenya/Sudan border town of Lokichoggio in the Turkana district of Kenya. If you've seen the movie Constant Gardener, Loki factors into that plot. Getting to know one of the Christian men there, I noticed that he kept referring to a lot of the locals simply as al Quaeda. Here in the U.S., of course, one think of that term to refer to a very specific group of Islamic terrorists. I asked my new friend about this and he simply said that that is how they refer to all Muslims there.

My point is that the soft and ignorant Westerners tend to want to assume the best of everyone. All Muslims are nice until proven otherwise, we are prone to think. I'm just not so sure. People in other parts of the world, such as Africa, seem to perceive Islam a bit differently.

I'm delighted to report that our seminary is hosting a conference on the challenge of Islam led by Dr. Adam S. Francisco, of our CTS faculty. Click here for the brochure.

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Homily on Luke 11:14-28

Third Sunday in Lent
February 24, 2008
Text: Lk 11.14-28

We don’t know much about the man who was possessed by the demon in Luke chapter 11. We don’t know his name or where he came from. We don’t know how long he’d been possessed or how he came to become possessed. All we do know is that while he was under the control of Satan, he was mute. And when Jesus performed the exorcism, the man began to speak.

There were three types of response to this miracle. The Scripture says that some were amazed. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. They conclude, and rightly so, that this is clear evidence that God is moving amongst them in powerful ways. Matthew's account tells us that a hopeful murmur went up from the crowd, "Could this be the Son of David?" Is he the one?

Incredibly, some of them doubted and said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” The word “Beelzebub” is usually translated as “Lord of the Flies.” It could also be “Lord of the Dung Heap.” This verse reminds me that there are always people who insist on seeing everything in the worst light. They aren’t happy unless they’re mad at something. A man is delivered from a debilitating demonic affliction. It must be the work of the devil. They can’t tell the difference between good or evil. God blesses them and they insist that it’s a curse.

Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. But if releasing a man from demonic possession is not a sign, I don’t know what is. What they had just witnessed in the cleaning of the demoniac was an unambiguous demonstration of the power of God. Yet they are so blind to God’s mercy that they fail to see the obvious.

Jesus' exorcism of demons should be seen as signs pointing to the arrival of the Kingdom of God, just as seeing leaves budding on the trees is an indication that the lifeless tyranny of winter is coming to an end. The exorcisms indicate that an invincible, world-transforming potency has been set in motion. The visions of the prophets are being fulfilled! The day is dawning. The night is over.

Remember the song?

Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up - sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. She's gone where the goblins go,
Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
Let them know The Wicked Witch is dead!

The scene in The Wizard of Oz when the munchkins realize that their oppressor had been crushed under Dorothy’s house?

Jesus is not a pacifist. Elsewhere he said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace to the world, but a sword.”

The Muslims speak of the concept of a jihad, or a holy war. The only holy war is the war that Christ has waged against the Devil. And it is a war that will not be fought and won with bullets and guns. Our sword is the Word of God that pierces through your armor of defensiveness and self-justification. There is no diplomacy. There is no negotiation. There is no appeasement. There is only crushing, brutal, devastating victory from the ashes of which springs new life.

There are no Switzerlands in spiritual warfare. Neutrality is not an option. No one is merely an onlooker. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. It is impossible to remain uninvolved in the conflict of the ages – the conflict between the Church Militant on earth, and the satanic realm of darkness and evil.

On the one side, there is joy and peace and knowledge and power. And on the other is madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness.

In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” I think many times Christians understand this to mean that God will preserve His Church on earth through every toil and pain, that no matter what evil Satan pours out upon us, the Holy Church will endure by the grace of God. It certainly means that, but also something more. The idea is not merely that the Church will survive, but that the Church will prevail. It says the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against us. We, the church, are on the offense. We are not quietly enduring the assaults of the devil. No, the Church is laying siege to hell itself. And the battering ram of the gospel, of the good news of forgiveness, will shatter the gates of Satan’s realm. The chains of guilt which bound us drop from our arms and the prisoners, newly freed, go delirious with their freedom. In Christ, the dominion of evil is ended. By his glorious resurrection from the dead, our Lord Jesus is not merely a survivor. He is the victor. Christ’s epic battle with Satan is not some kind of draw or stalemate or deadlock. He won the decisive victory. He is the champion and his scars are his trophies. Jesus is the victor and He shares the spoils with all of us.

But that does not mean there will not still be trouble for us here. The enemy insurgents are still trying to sabotage Christ’s victory. But do not be afraid.

A couple of years ago, when I was still pastoring a congregation in Pittsburgh, PA, there was one Sunday morning when I was sitting in the Sedalia off the to the side of the chancel during the hymn just before the sermon and I saw coming toward me on the carpet a big, black, fuzzy spider. Of all of God’s creatures, the spider is one of the few that creeps me out. I know I should have been paying attention to the hymn or at least thinking pious thoughts in preparation for delivering the message. But I just kept watching that little fiend coming closer and closer. Finally, it came to the point, where I felt action was required on my part. So right when he got to my foot, I lifted my black, leather, wingtip shoe to send him to his maker when the most amazing thing occurred. For at that moment, the spider must have detected my challenge and he stopped in his tracks and he raised up his legs at my shoe like this (demonstrate). Now I almost had to laugh because, his threatening gesture aside, I knew without a shadow of doubt that I was going to smoosh him. And I did. That spider was no match for the sole of my shoe.

In the words of Jesus this morning, Satan is the strong man who has built a fortress around his possessions. And we are born into this world as objects of God’s wrath. Before we do or say anything, we are alienated and enemies of our Creator. And we are fully subjects of the Evil One. Looking all around you, it is obvious the mastery which Satan has in this world, this fallen order of things. Yes, Satan is strong. He is the strong man. But Jesus Christ is the stronger man who comes to invade the devil’s fortress. Jesus Christ breaks down the doors of hell and He overpowers the tyrant. And He expels that bully, that braggart, from our lives forever. And He did so with the flick of His finger.

Once upon a time, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, and Pharaoh would not let them go. How were they eventually freed? God Almighty attacked the arrogance of Pharaoh and his evil magicians with one plague after another to confound them. In exasperation the sorcerers and witch doctors of Egypt exclaimed: "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:18). That is the same unusual phrase Jesus uses this morning. He casts out demonsby the finger of God. We are also told that after God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him two tablets of stone, written by “the finger of God.” Jesus had the same power and authority as Yahweh when He emancipated His people of old. And He comes to emancipate us as well.

Think of that the next time you see your pastor use finger to make the sign of the cross upon the baptized to mark him as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Unhappiness is Boring

The famous first line of the novel Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Tolstoy was a brilliant writer but I think he’s got it wrong. It’s exactly the opposite. It’s unhappiness that is monochrome, uniform and boring. Joy is lively and complex and filled with an abundance of variation.

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Lutherans Before Luther?

Thanks to Rev. Paul McCain for bringing this fine article by Pastor William Weedon to light. Did Lutheranism exist before there was a Martin Luther? In other words, did the Lutheran Reformers innovate a new doctrine or are the standards of the Reformation truly catholic? Read and enjoy.

UPDATE: Here it is as a pdf.

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