More Walgreen's Music Musing

Today's trip to Walgreen's, unlike my 1980s-pop memory trip of December 13, yielded the above music selection, which is actually a prayer written and performed by the late George Harrison, MBE in 1973, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).

Mr. Harrison was not a Christian (apparently, he was baptized in infancy, but was raised in a non-practicing Roman Catholic home, and subsequently embraced the Hare Krishna sect of Hinduism in 1969), and yet his desire for peace is certainly universal among men, along with the other petitions in this song for love, life, light, freedom, hope, faith, and physical communion with God (or some alleged supreme being Harrison calls "Lord").

That same desired universal peace, the peace which passes all understanding, can only truly be found in Christ.

This theme of peace through the Lord Christ was sung by the hosts of heaven to the Bethlehem shepherds when Jesus was born, and the prayer for peace lives on in different parts of the Eastern and Western Christian liturgies - such as in the prayer to Christ known as the Agnus Dei, which contains the line: "Grant us Thy peace," (sung in Latin as "Dona nobis pacem"); the Pax Domini ("The peace of the Lord be with you always"); and the great hymn of praise the Western Church copied from the East, known to us by its Latin name, the Gloria in Excelsis (the above, mentioned angelic prayer which includes the line: "Peace, goodwill toward men").

"Peace" is explicitly mentioned in many of our Christmas hymns, including Silent Night (LSB 363), It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (LSB 366), Where Shepherds Lately Knelt (LSB 369), and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (LSB 380) - with many more hymns addressing the concept without using the word "peace."

"Peace" became the way modern Jews greet each other (Hebrew: "Shalom"). Jesus Himself greeted the disciples this way after the resurrection. A variation of this Hebrew word, incorporated into the name of the Holy City (Jerusalem), was chosen by the 19th century founders of my congregation: Salem.

Caption needed...

There is just something funny about our blessed Lord, His virgin mother, his step-father, the magi, and the angel all posing in front of the "Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers." There is either something very silly, profound, or both that could be said here. But I could not come up with a caption.

Can I get a little help here?

A blessed remainder of the week of Rorate Coeli and a Merry Christmas to all. (And boy is it ever hard to find just the right Rorate Coeli card at Walgreen's!).

A History Quiz

Here is a little quiz regarding an American president by the legendary Clyde N. Wilson, professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina, perhaps one of the last conservative historians to hold a professorship at a major state university.

I had the privilege to meet Dr. Wilson while I served as a vicar just a few feet from the USC campus in the beautiful city of Columbia. I wish I could have found some way to audit one of his history classes.

HT: Lew Rockwell

Rated "M" for "Madness"

The rating for the film Avatar reads as follows:

"Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking."

Smoking.

Yeah, we were okay bringing our little guy to see the "epic battle scenes and warfare," and the "sensuality." But that "smoking" thing was a deal breaker. What kind of parents do they think we are, anyway? I mean, this whole "smoking" thing could give the kid nightmares - if not turn him into a crackhead before the credits roll. Thank God for that tip-off! Whew, that was a close one!

I predict that in a few years, we will see such ratings as these:

• "Rated R for explicit sexuality, severed human heads, and a scene of donut consumption."
• "Rated PG for cartoon violence, implied sensuality, and prayer."
• "Rated PG-13 for disturbing scenes of graphic violence, language, and historic footage of a parking lot without handicapped spaces."
• "Rated NC-17 for mild language and advocacy of a return to the gold standard."

Well, on the bright side, given the way things are going, Alice in Wonderland will soon be re-released as a documentary.

Sermon: Rorate Coeli (Advent 4)

20 December 2009 at Salem Lutheran Church, Gretna, LA

Text: Luke 1:39-56, (Deut 18:15-19, Phil 4:4-7)

In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

“The Lord your God,” Moses prophesied, “will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, from your brothers.” In hindsight, we know that the Prophet of which Moses speaks is the promised Messiah, God in the flesh, our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. And this Savior, who is God in the flesh, came from among us, as one of our own brothers.

And like all of our human brothers, the Lord Jesus has a human mother. And with the Lord’s mother, the Church continues to joyfully resound: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

This notion that God can have a mother is what separates Christianity from Paganism, and distinguishes the Christian faith from all forms of unbelief. For the idea that God can exist in human form, that a human being can be God, taxes our logic, offends our sensibilities, and violates everything our reason tells us about both God and mankind. The idea of a virgin giving birth to God the Son by way of God the Father through the Holy Spirit, is why Christmas is such a wonder, dear friends. The moment Mary became pregnant, the fabric of the universe irrevocably and wonderfully changed. The Holy Trinity acted in space and time, a virgin conceived, and God became a Man of both human and divine natures.

In one supernatural moment, God took on flesh. And from that moment, God became a baby. In this miracle, God comes to us, as one of us, “from our brothers.” God preaches, heals, and works miracles in our midst. God proclaims His kingdom. God forgives sins. God dies an ignoble death on the cross among our very flesh and blood. God Himself pays the price of the entire world’s sin and offers eternal life to all in fallen creation who are baptized and believe. God rises bodily from death and continues to be with us – in Word and Sacrament – until the end of the age – when “He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead.”.

This Good News is certainly why St. Paul tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice.” Given this startling and glorious reality of Emmanuel – “God with us” – how can we not “Let [our] reasonableness be known to everyone.” What is there to be unreasonable about? “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything.” And in light of this Good News, St. Paul promises a “peace of God” that “surpasses all understanding” to guard our “hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

This is the center, the crux, of the Christian faith. And it is no accident that the word “crux” is Latin for “cross.” For we worship a God who is flesh and blood, the Crucified One, the One “conceived by the Holy Spirit” and “born of the virgin Mary.” We worship the “Prophet… from [our] brothers.”

That, dear brothers and sisters of Christ and in Christ, is the meaning of Advent and of the coming Christmas.

While the one that our Lutheran confessions call the “pure, holy, and virgin Mary” (and the “mother of God”) was pregnant and visiting her cousin Elizabeth, the nature of Him within her womb was being revealed. Elizabeth’s own miraculous and prophetic baby, John the Baptist, leaped in her womb as the unborn Jesus drew near. And Elizabeth exclaimed to the Lord’s mother: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” St. Elizabeth’s baby did not leap out of fear or compulsion, but rather as St. Elizabeth confesses, he “leaped for joy.”

“Rejoice in the Lord, always!” John was doing so not only before St. Paul wrote this, but before he, John, was even born. “Again, I will say, ‘Rejoice.’” Even before being able to draw a breath of air, the infant John was himself confessing, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

And though St. Mary points out that “all generations will call me blessed,” she takes no credit. Though the Lutheran confessions call her “pure” and “holy” she does not point to herself as the source of this purity and holiness, but rather to Him within her. Her purity and holiness flow from the fountainhead of her Son, who is truly God her Savior.

Indeed, Mary’s yet-unborn Son is her Savior. He is God. He is the one who will die on the cross for the sin of the world. He is the one who dies for you, dear friends. He is Mary’s Savior, and He is your Savior. And Mary carried Him in her womb, nursed Him, raised Him, and was even with Him at His cross. And though the sword pierced her own soul as she watched helplessly as her Son, flesh of her flesh, died in unspeakable agony, she is truly “blessed among women” and remains so for “all generations.”

Blessed Mary is blessed because she has been blessed by God. She is the recipient of this great gift. In fact, just before she became the mother of God, she was greeted by the angel Gabriel: “Hail, O favored one!” St. Luke’s Greek for this “favored one” includes the very word “grace.” In other words, the angel hails her as being “full of grace.” Of all the virgins descended from the line of David, she is one who has been chosen, selected purely by grace, shown favor all apart from any works of her own.

Is there any better picture of grace alone?

And Mary’s unrestrained joy in this grace, in having not only a Son but a Savior within her, shines through in her prayer and song called the Magnificat. The Lord’s mother is of “humble estate” and she calls herself “His servant.” She is not mighty, nor has she done great things for God – but just the opposite. This is why she sings: “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Having a Savior is the greatest thing about which we have to rejoice. “And again, I say, rejoice.”

The humble, the lowly, those who acknowledge the Lord have much to rejoice over. But there is also a warning in Blessed Mary’s song. For God “has shown strength with His arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has brought down the mighty from their thrones.” And he has sent the rich away “empty.”

To those who are proud, mighty, and trustful of their own riches – the Song of Mary is Law. But to those like the Lord’s mother, full of grace, blessed, confessing God as Savior, being of “humble estate,” the Magnificat is a beautiful expression of the Gospel: the good news that the Fruit of Mary’s womb has died for the sin of the world, and that He and He alone saves us by pure, unbridled, beautiful, glorious grace alone, and takes away all pretense of pride and vainglory.

The Blessed Virgin Mary’s entire life is a pointer toward our Lord Jesus. Her Magnificat glorifies Jesus and points to Him within her own flesh. At the Lord’s first miracle at Cana, she told the servants: “Do whatever He tells you.” And at the Lord’s cross, the one all generations call “blessed” humbly submitted to her Savior when He placed her under St. John’s custodial care. The Blessed Virgin Mary never took upon herself the vocation to preach and administer sacraments. She never pointed to herself, nor ever even hinted that she could save anyone. She never claimed holiness or grace apart from her Savior, the Lord Jesus. And in so doing, she has left a saintly example for all of us to follow.

For though there is only one mother of God in the flesh, our Lord Jesus Himself has taught us that among all of us in His spiritual body, the Church: “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” And though only one person ever carried the unborn Jesus in her body, a temple of the presence of God – all Christians’ bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, by grace, carrying Jesus within them in His Eucharistic flesh and blood, in His Word and forgiveness, made pure and holy by Baptism.

Let the Church ever sing, humble and unashamed, with the Blessed Virgin Mary for all generations: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Amen.

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

Parties Thwart the Constitution

This little bit of arm-twisting by the executive branch is symptomatic of the failure of the federal government and its disdain for the Constitution.

Here's the problem: the founders of the Republic ditched the British parliamentary system (which is heavily dependent on political parties) in favor of a non-partisan checks-and-balance system comprising of three branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The three are intended to spread power around and dilute the authority of any small cabal of men. The three branches should (in theory) work like a three-legged stool, a structure that is stable and balanced. Besides, the powers of the federal government were to be so small, and specifically enumerated, so as to deter any real incentive to seize power.

So far, so good.

The Constitution envisioned a Congress comprised of the representatives of the people (the House of Representatives) and the states (the Senate). Between the two of them, they are to prevent both judicial tyranny (by actually having a say over that which the federal courts, including the Supreme Court, have jurisdiction over), as well as executive tyranny (by controlling the purse strings, passing laws, and declaring war - all keeping check over any over-aggressive president).

But something funny happened on the way to the forum. Soon after the Republic began to function, political parties made their re-appearance - albeit not in any official capacity. But in time, the legitimacy and power of the parties grew.

So, now the people are no longer represented by the legislature. Congress actually represents the two major parties - who themselves have a choke-hold on the process. The parties actually control such things as ballot access - making it all but necessary to join a major party in order to have a voice at the polls or to run for office. The parties are no longer private organizations, but tax-supported pseudo-governmental agencies (unrecognized by the Constitution) complete with a murky and highly bureaucratized elected and appointed structure that almost no American thinks about, or perhaps even knows about. At least the major parties are tax-run and in bed with the mechanism of the governmental apparatus. The minor parties are still private voting blocs. But then again, the goal of the minor parties is to become major parties.

One result is this: the legislature no longer speaks for the people. Congress will not stand up to a sitting president - especially if he is of the majority congressional party. If he is of the opposing party, Congress might oppose him, but only on partisan grounds - not out of branch loyalty. Typically, congressmen allow themselves to be dictated to by the administration, and meekly show up when the president "summons" them. And their motivation is one of political greed. Congressmen do not want a de-fanged presidency - because they all know that the next time at bat, it might be one of their own (or even one of them) sitting in the White House. They like an imperial presidency just fine - so long as it is their emperor in power or potentially in power.

So, what about the people? What about the states? Who?

The states are no longer represented by the Senate - thanks to the 17th amendment adopted in 1913 - the same year that brought us the unconstitutional Federal Reserve as well as the 16th amendment and income taxes. It is hardly a coincidence that this major revision of how the federal government operates was only four years before the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, and in the age when nationalism and fascism were both on the rise worldwide. This was the era when American school children actually saluted the flag with outstretched arms and downward facing palms. It was an odd time in history, a time of centralization and populism that ironically undermined the representation of the people in the long run.

And just as Congress does not want to push back against the executive branch (knowing that a powerful presidency is good for the parties), they similarly cower in the face of the Supreme Court. Rather than limit the power of the federal judiciary (as they are empowered to do by the Constitution), Congress plays along, with the parties trying to get their guy elected to the presidency so as to appoint members of the Supreme Court. Again, in the congressional mindset, there is nothing wrong with judicial tyranny, so long as their party gets to play the tyrant.

So, modern America is left with a mixture of more democracy and less republic, and at the same time, more fascism and less decentralized freedom. The states are largely impotent to check and balance the federal power in the way that the founders intended - although there is a renewed interest in the 10th amendment, states rights, interposition, nullification, and even secession. Besides, the same party hacks that run the federal government also run the state governments. A similar collusion occurs across those lines of power as across the branches of the federal government.

As it stands now, Congress is more loyal to the party in power, and no longer sees itself as an opposing force over and against the courts and the presidency, checking these potential tyrannies on behalf of the people and the states. That simply doesn't happen. They no longer even bother with the rhetoric.

There is a coziness between the branches that the founders absolutely did not want - and for good reason. Rather than check and balance one another, they horse-trade and play patty cake with each other. One branch winks and looks the other way while the other branch usurps power. The Congress turns the Nelson eye (or even applauds) when the presidents assume war-powers with no congressional declaration. Congress allows presidents of both major parties to abuse "signing statements" - turning what was once a fairly uncommon statement used to clarify the interpretation of a bill into a virtual (and now typical) dictatorial power to reinterpret congressional bills into something the branch supposedly representing the people did not draft - or maybe they did all along. There is so much collusion, who knows?

Until Congress begins to see itself as representing the people and the states over and against the other branches, they will continue to be lackeys with loyalty to party instead of to the electorate and of the original intent of the founders as inscribed in the Constitution.

Under the circumstances, if we're going to recognize political parties and make use of them in an official way, we might as well have kept the parliamentary system - including a king. We've basically been left with the worst of both worlds - a system as centralized and unresponsive to the people as a monarchy, but one in which the monarch might change every four years. We get the tyranny of monarchy without the stability.

And I believe that until the people of the United States begin to view all political parties, major and minor, with suspicion rather than cheering for them like the local college football team - the federal government will continue to abuse its powers and will continue to treat the Constitution as something to work around rather than the law to which they are bound to obey by duty to the people who elect them.

Louisiana critters

The appropriate protocol in this situation is to call the Mrs. and have her start a roux.

Tannenbaum 2.0

Well, here is the Hollywood Christmas tree, round two.

Version 1.0 was an epic fail when it flunked the Rex Test. In the immortal words of the late Warren Zevon, Rex is our "Excitable Boy." The feline one, that is. Leo is our human excitable boy. Rex is Leo's "little brother."

Anyway, Rex decided to climb up the tree, or something. We don't know. All we heard was a big crash. We found the tree on its side, antique bulbs shattered, as well as Mrs. H.'s three favorite ornaments (two of which can be glued, the third is a maybe). The base was ruined. Rex apparently lost bladder control in the mayhem, which rendered the decorative tree skirt in a less-than-desirable estate.

Sigh.

So, after a base repair job involving a hammer, tape, and a t-shirt (now that's my kind of home improvement project!), re-inserted limbs, and a trip to Walgreen's to buy some new shatterproof (read: Rex-proof) ornaments - our Arbre de Noel, part deux, is up and running. The tree skirt (not yet installed) has been cleaned and is ready to roll - hopefully before Santa shows up to consume a plate of red beans and rice and an Abita.

Meanwhile, the door to the parlor is now closed. Rex will have to limit his destructive activities to one of the other five rooms in the Hollywood Rectory. But at least our fix didn't look like this:

66 Clouds

Here is a very cool website.

Each of the 66 books of the undisputed universal canon of the Bible has its own "word cloud" based on the frequency of the words' usage in each book.

Here is the explanation:

Sixty-Six Clouds is a visual exploration of word frequency in the Bible. Each book of the Bible was individually imported into www.wordle.net to create a unique word cloud for all sixty-six books. The significance of word clouds is that they quickly present the gist of large bodies of written materials at a glance. Wordle gives greater prominence and size to words that appear more frequently in the source text. Therefore, the larger the word is in the cloud, the more prominent it is in the text. Within Wordle, clouds can be adjusted with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. A specific set of parameters was set within Wordle and then each book of the Bible was individually imported to generate a corresponding word cloud. The exact same parameters were used for all sixty-six books of the Bible to give Sixty-Six Clouds a consistent style and appearance. The word limit was set at 150. Many common words and all numbers were filtered out of the text. Sixty-Six Clouds attributes all images to http://www.wordle.net/. A free PDF version is available for download.

So, once again, here's the link.

The Cross is Still a Scandal

In today's zero-tolerance-for-common-sense government schools, we have such Onion-like spectacles as a 2nd-grader sent home for drawing a crucifix. And he was not just sent home, but subjected to a psychological evaluation (which, by the way, was commonly done to Christians in the Soviet Union). And notice the passive, hand-wringing reaction of the brainwashed father! Once again, the world has officially gone mad.

And listen to a bizarre interview here. This edu-crat, while somewhat sympathetic, seems to have little idea of what a crucifix is, or that Christianity is not some bizarre cult embraced by a dozen people. Does she think we shrink heads and read chicken entrails? How myopic must your existence be to find a crucifix to be a strange curiosity?

Instead of making the little kid "prove" his innocence, essentially putting the child on trial, how about criminally charging the tax-feeding "teacher" for religious harassment, and firing her for sheer stupidity and lack of common sense? Nah. In the real world, she'll probably be running the place in a few years.

There are a few exceptions, but the quality of "public" education is plummeting and getting weirder by the year.

Unless your public school is a rare exception, you parents might want to seriously consider a private or parochial school, or else homeschool your children. I keep wondering when the American people will have had enough of this nonsense and start defending their children (and the faith!) from institutional know-nothings who make their living from tax dollars. I'm not surprised that the world is still offended at Jesus and scandalized by the cross, but why in heaven's name do people allow their children to be subjected to such things? Why won't people stand up for their own kids?

I'm honestly baffled.

Sermon: Wednesday of Gaudete (Advent 3)

16 December 2009 at Salem Lutheran Church, Gretna, LA

Text: Zeph 3:14-20

In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

One of the nice things about being a Christian is that we are time travelers. Or more accurately, time doesn’t really matter to us. Tonight, we heard a preacher’s words reach forward through 27 centuries of time, thanks to the Holy Spirit and the prophetic Word of God. Zephaniah has good news for us on this the week in the church year known as “Gaudete” – that is, “rejoice!”

The prophet called the people of Israel to repent, and then called them to rejoice.

“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel!”

You can hear the joy resounding from the prophet, even though we are half a world away and speak a language that didn’t even exist when Zephaniah was imploring the people of God to “rejoice and exult with all your heart!”

For the good news Zephaniah has for us is that we have overcome all of our enemies – or more accurately, “The Lord has taken away judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies.” The oldest enemies faced by mankind: sin, death, and the devil, have all been conquered. For as the holy prophet preaches: “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst.”

Dear brothers and sisters, did you hear the good news? “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst.” He is among us. He is here. He is Emmanuel – God with us!

He is not a billion light years away rooting for us from afar. He does not merely fill our remembrance. Our Lord, who is also our King, our God, who is also a Man – is among us. He comes to us not only in the manger, but in the Word. He is in our midst not only on the cross, but also in the Holy Sacrament of His body and blood, which like the Word of the prophet, transcends space and time to be with us in space and time.

He is indeed “in your midst.”

And listen to the promise given by Zephaniah to the people of God: “You shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord is in your midst.”

How sad it is that we do grow discouraged. How unnecessary for us to worry and fret! The Lord our God is in our midst, and what’s more, He is “a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.”

Our Savior rejoices over us, His beloved bride. He is not angry at us, but is filled with gladness, for we have been redeemed and restored from the exile of our sinfulness and cleansed from our guilt. We are not the only ones who rejoice this week of Gaudete, dear friends, but our Blessed Lord Himself rejoices with us and for us.

If these holy words resounded in our hearts and minds, how foolish it would be for us to be disturbed by anything, disquieted by anyone, or molested by any evil spirit. And even though the Church is harried and harassed, mistreated and scorned, persecuted and maligned – our Lord and King promises that she “will no longer suffer reproach.” She shall be vindicated in the fullness of time, and “at that time,” says the Lord, “I will deal with all your oppressors.” He Himself will vindicate us by from our reproach by refusing to vindicate Himself in His greatest moment of reproach. For our Lord and King has dealt with our oppressors by dying for us and by defeating the devil on our behalf.

And even though the Church be wounded and cast aside, the Lord promises: “I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.”

As remarkable as it may seem, the frail and feeble Church of God, small in number, dwindling to a remnant, treated by the world as a foolish maid, will be seated upon the throne next to her King, beloved, vindicated, and “praised among all the peoples of the earth.”

And this vindication, this redemption, this reversal in fortune will have no end! For once again, to us Christians, time is no longer a factor. We live in time, but we are redeemed in eternity. We wait in this fallen world in our broken bodies, crying out for renewal, and our waiting is not in vain. But we wait in expectation and joy for the fullness of time when Zephaniah’s prophecy is fulfilled. We can rejoice because the coming of our King is as certain and sure of His presence in our midst.

He is coming, and yet He has come, and He is here. He came as:
Light of Light, O Sole Begotten
Radiance of the Father’s face,
Word made flesh, who lived among us
Full of truth and full of grace.

He comes to us today as we sing:
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

And we pray for His return:

Come, Thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art,
Dear desire of ev’ry nation,
Joy of ev’ry longing heart.

For indeed, in Word and Sacrament, in the promise and mercy of God, we are time travelers. Time doesn’t really matter to us, for we cling to a timeless Truth and an eternity that transcends all time. “Rejoice,” says the prophet to our fathers in the past, to us in the present, and extending unto all the saints for all eternity, “Rejoice and exult with all your heart!” Amen.

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

Israel and Romans 11

An interesting discussion in Bible class yesterday (Sunday) - we're in Romans 11. This concerns St. Paul's use of the name "Israel," which can be used in Scripture in several ways, among which are:

1) The new name of the man Jacob
2) The nation of people descended from Jacob (the nation of Israel, the Jews, the OT people of God)
3) The Church (the New Testament people of God)

There is divided opinion in our class regarding how we should interpret "Israel" in Romans 11. Obviously, this is not about the man Jacob, so that leaves us either options 2 or 3. When Paul speaks of "Israel" in the context of Romans 11, does he mean the Jews or does he mean the Church (comprised of, of course, both Jews and Gentiles)?

There was a lively discussion as opinions run both ways.

Any thoughts from Cyberspace? I'm including the ESV text below from Bible Gateway.

Romans 11

The Remnant of Israel

¹I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,^a]">[a] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ³ "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life." ⁴But what is God’s reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." ⁵So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. ⁶ But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, ⁸as it is written,

"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day."

⁹And David says,

"Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
¹⁰let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever."

Gentiles Grafted In

¹¹So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹²Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion^b]">[b] mean!

¹³Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. ¹⁵For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^c]">[c] of the olive tree, ¹⁸do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." ²⁰That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²²Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. ²³And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Mystery of Israel’s Salvation

²⁵ Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers:^d]">[d] a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

"The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob";
²⁷"and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins."

²⁸As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. ²⁹For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now^e]">[e] receive mercy. ³²For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

³³Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
³⁴"For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?"
³⁵"Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?"

³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 11:1 Or one of the offspring of Abraham
2. Romans 11:12 Greek their fullness
3. Romans 11:17 Greek root of richness; some manuscripts richness
4. Romans 11:25 Or brothers and sisters
5. Romans 11:31 Some manuscripts omit now

Tiger Woods: Enemy of Diversity

If you've received an e-mail announcing that the "Rev." Al Sharpton is scolding Tiger Woods for the lack of racial diversity in his selection of mistresses - you should be able to tell by the satirical tone of the article and its level of ridiculousness that it is a spoof.

But, as all good satire does, it makes a point. It is a humorous critique of how our culture elevates racial quotas as a social good even over and against marital fidelity and personal honor and integrity - as well as how some people make a killing at being perpetually and professionally "offended." There is just enough of a grain of truth in the attitude attributed to Mr. Sharpton to make the reader pause just for a second and say, "Hey, did he really say that?"

You can continue reading here.

Your Complimentary 80s Flashback

During an expedition to Walgreen's today, I heard the above 80s anthem by the Canadian band "Glass Tiger" (with fellow Canuck Bryan Adams singing background vocals).

And before Brother Latif gets all excited that this is going to be about the decade of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople III), this video is actually the 1980s, not the 680s. The music of the 7th century was indeed fantastic, but unfortunately there was no G-TV for Gregorian chant. Sorry, Bro!

You gotta hand it to Walgreen's - they do play quite a wide swath of music. But then again, it also means that my generation is now starting to make its way to the pharmacy more often. Uh-oh...

Back in the day, my metal-head friends and I used to make fun of this song. And now, more than 20 years in retrospect, it is delightfully dated. So, get out your 80s Bingo cards (is there such a thing?), and watch this video.

Of course, the "free space" in the middle is for "big hair."

Bingo!

Sermon: Gaudete (Advent 3) and St. Lucy

13 December 2009 at Salem Lutheran Church, Gretna, LA

Text: Matt 11:2-11 (Isa 40:1-11, 1 Cor 4:1-5)

In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

After thousands of years of waiting for the Anointed One to come, after millennia of prophets preparing the way, the time had arrived. There was only one more prophet, and his name was John. His testimony was much the same of every prophet: “Repent, for God’s kingdom is near.”

John was not just a prophet and a witness, but the last prophet to point forward to the Christ and the first to witness His public ministry.

John was flesh of Jesus’s flesh, a cousin through our Lord’s Blessed Mother. John was the son of St. Zechariah the priest and of St. Elizabeth the holy woman of God whose Spirit-inspired praise of her cousin Mary would be written in Scripture. John leapt in his mother’s womb in proximity to the fetal Lord Jesus. And John was called to preach, and that he did. And John would finally be called to surrender his disciples, to yield up his freedom, and deliver his head to his enemies for the sake of the Gospel.

Our Lord said of his cousin, the Lord’s messenger: “Among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.”

The greatness of John was not in himself. For John himself announced that Jesus must increase while John must decrease. John understood that he was not the Messiah, but had the honor and the duty to preach the Messiah. And like the moon in the heavens, John’s task was to reflect a greater light, a light not his own. And in this process of handing all the attention over to Jesus, John found himself in darkness, locked in a dungeon, the words of his testimony seemingly silenced. John sent his Lord and cousin some disciples with a question: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another.”

Instead of giving John a straight answer, Jesus pointed John to the evidence. For this is what either validates or disproves testimony. It is evidence that sheds light on the veracity of a witness. “The blind receive their sight,” notes our Lord, “and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up.” Our Lord saves the greatest miracle for the last: “The poor have good news preached to them.”

Having heard this assurance, this testimony from the Greater Light himself, John’s lesser light would be extinguished by wicked King Herod’s sword.

And though the enemies of the cross can snuff out the life of the witnesses, they cannot rid the world of their testimony, nor extinguish the Greater Light about which they testify. And this, dear friends, is why this Sunday is called “Gaudete” – meaning “Rejoice!” Even in death, we yet live. Even though the evil one uses violence to attack the kingdom, he is powerless to stifle the Word, to extinguish the Light, to take away our place in the kingdom.

The Church continues to celebrate the witness of lesser lights who reflected the Greater Light of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today is such a feast day in the Church, a day particularly beloved to Lutherans. On this evening, our brothers and sisters in Scandinavia will honor St. Lucy, otherwise known by her Italian name, Santa Lucia. Young women will wear white gowns symbolic of baptism and purity, as well as crowns adorned with lights – which call to mind St. Lucy’s name (which is based on the Latin word for “light”).

Lucy was a 21-year old Christian young lady living in Sicily. And though she was a consecrated virgin, she was being forced to marry a pagan. She refused, and insisted that her dowry instead be given to the poor. The Christians were already being persecuted under the wicked emperor Diocletian. It was a time of open season on our dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Lucy was arrested and tortured. Her eyes were gouged out before she was killed with the sword.

In testifying to the Light of Christ, she accepted the darkness of blindness. In bearing witness to eternal life, she accepted death. And though she was neither a prophet nor preacher, Santa Lucia is a witness to the Greater Light. She gave testimony even as did St. John the Baptist. And though to the Romans, the testimony of a woman was worthless, to us Christians, the life and witness of every martyr and saint is precious, a testimony of Him who died so that we might live; of Him who died bearing our sins so that we might live as saints.

When St. Lucy was brought before the Roman prefect, he told her: “Your words will be silenced when the storm of blows falls upon you!” Lucy replied: “To God’s servants the right words will not be wanting, for the Holy Spirit speaks in us.” That is what makes St. Lucy’s testimony so powerful.

And this is why we continue to honor St. Lucy and St. John the Baptist, witnesses of the kingdom who continue to give testimony of the kingdom and of the King through the Holy Spirit by the example of their lives and in their witness of Jesus Christ, saints who continue to pray around the throne of the Lamb in eternity.

For in spite of the severance of John’s head by the sword of a Herodian guard, St. John gave his life for the sake of Him who is the head of our holy body, Christ the head of the Church. And though her eyes were darkened by the sword of a Roman soldier, St. Lucy gave her life for the sake of Him who is the Light of the World, Christ the Light of light, very God of very God.

For John, Lucy, and “for all the saints who from their labors rest” heard the Word of the Lord: “The blind receive their sight.” The old paradigm of disease, decay, and death has made way for the new age of love, light, and life! “And the poor have good news preached to them.”

This, dear friends, is why we rejoice! We rejoice in the face of another troubled year in the world. We rejoice continuing to wait for our Lord to return. We rejoice in the midst of the aches and pains of aging. We rejoice even surrounded by heartache and betrayal. We rejoice as those around us become ill and die. We rejoice with our brethren around the world, who, treading the path of Sts. John and Lucia, continue to live as witnesses of the Light of Christ – even in persecution, as their own lives are threatened or even taken.

We rejoice even as we pray with our brothers and sisters around the world:

Lord, give us courage as You gave to St. Lucy. As we celebrate her entrance into eternal glory, we ask to share her happiness in the life to come. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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

Gaude! Gaude!

Veni, Emmanuel!

The choir is called the Schola Cantorum Riga and they often sing in the Riga Cathedral in Latvia, a 13th century Lutheran Cathedral that is currently served by Bishop Janis Vanags.

And if you like this kind of masculine ecclesiastical vocal music and you live in the deep South, you might consider making a pilgrimage to hear the CTS Fort Wayne Kantorei on their Epiphany tour which is in Florida this year.

HT: Pr. Weedon (whose hat in turn tips to Pr. McCain)

Vsevolad. Yeah. Whaaat's happening? Yeah. I'm gonna have to ask you...

... to use the new cover sheet on your TPS reports. Did you get that memo? Yeaaaah.

This is no joke. This is what goes on in the bureaucracy of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, otherwise known as Initech. I mean, really. "Partner churches" vs. "sister churches"? Is it really too much to ask churchmen to use churchly vocabulary? And are the suits really that eager to use the word "partner" in the current ecclesiastical climate? Before they know it, they'll have Gene "The Bish Is Back" Robinson sashaying into the Lavendar Palace looking for one of those big-buck office jobs.

Do you guys even hear yourselves? Maybe it's time to get back to the parish. Then again, maybe that's not such a hot idea.

And here is a little detail that may have gotten lost in the shuffle: we are already in fellowship with Lutheran churches that are themselves in fellowship with the SELC. Did anyone get that memo?

Of course, nobody will be able to give one single theological or doctrinal reason why we are not in official altar and pulpit fellowship right now with this faithful Lutheran church body that is contending for the Gospel and has had close ties to the LCMS for many years. And if you can, fellas, feel free to weigh in. Instead we are getting a bunch of doublespeak. Actually, there is a theological term for it. It's German and rhymes with "edelweiss" - but only has one syllable and starts with the letter "s."

The good news is that the Russians are used to all the foibles of bureaucracy and politics. Hopefully, they won't have to wait 70 years for this "iron curtain" to fall. But can you just imagine the jokes they tell in Novosibirsk about the Purple Palace? It's almost enough to make one want to learn Russian.

Altar and Pulpit fellowship for Siberia now, Lumbergh! And give me my red Swingline stapler back!

Don't Mess With the Lucky Dog Man!

Not to be confused with this man.

Here is a heart-warming local interest story about a former-Marine Lucky Dog vendor who foiled a robbery of his hot dog cart in the French Quarter using his bare hands.

Lucky Dog vendors are an iconic part of the New Orleans scene, and they were immortalized by the posthumous Pulitzer-winning John Kennedy Toole in his comedic magnum opus, A Confederacy of Dunces.

Way to go, Roy! And kudos to the New Orleans Times Picayune for putting this on the front page. Thugs beware! Don't mess with the Lucky Dog man!

Free Course on Practical Theology

I cannot recommend this blog enough - for both Lutheran pastors and laypeople.

Pastor Cota, who serves St. John Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church in Suring, Wisconsin, has been laying out some wonderful practical theology lately - especially in matters of worship and what it means to be a contemporary American Lutheran - all in a concise and well-written format. These articles are almost like tracts in a weblog format.

For example, you can find:

• Do Lutherans Worship Saints?
• Using Incense in Worship Comes From the Bible
• Bonus: Here is an excellent post on this topic from Pr. Weedon
• 7 Reasons Why Lutherans Should Not Jump on the Contemporary Worship Bandwagon
• What Makes a Genuine Church Member?
• Christians Go to Worship
• Lutherans Being Accused of Being "Too Roman Catholic" is Nothing New
• What Does it Mean for a Pastor to be "Pastoral"? - link to Pr. Peters' outstanding blog
• Maintaining Peace in the Congregation
• Thinking Theologically

Outstanding stuff!

I'm humbled to serve alongside such men in the ministerium of the LCMS who have the gift of teaching with such clarity and succinctness.

Siberian Lutheran Mission Society newsletter

As promised, you can click here for the latest (Dec 2009) issue of the SLMS newsletter.

This issue includes Part Two of Albina Decker's extraordinary life story as a Russian Lutheran growing up during the dark days of Communism, the story of Olga Suhinina, the brilliant and devoted classroom translator for the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk, and an unlikely history of the Pihtinsk Lutherans who live in Siberia but worship in the Polish language.

And check out these magnificent pictures on the SELC's website (Note: if the pictures don't come up, try again, and click the little Russian flag in the left-hand column).