Sermon: Reminiscere (Lent 2)

17 February 2008 at Salem Lutheran Church, Gretna, LA
Text: Matt 15:21-28

In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

Every story has a hero. The hero of our Gospel reading is actually a heroine: the Canaanite woman.

But notice what is heroic about her. She isn’t the stereotypical hero. She doesn’t take the bull by the horns and achieve success – rather she begs. She doesn’t grab a weapon and force Jesus to bend to her will – instead she pleads. She doesn’t swagger and strut, she doesn’t put her hands on her hips and roll her eyes, she doesn’t curse and talk trash – rather she cries out, she makes a fool of herself by her pleading and begging, she becomes an embarrassing pest to all around her, all for the sake of her beloved child who is in need.

What makes the Canaanite woman a hero is her selflessness, her love that impels her to accept humiliation, her knowing where to get help, and her complete and total emptying of herself for the sake of her beloved.

In her humility, she ultimately gains victory over the devil. In her persistent prayers, God Himself inclines His ear to her suffering. Even when her faith is tested, and tested in a way that sounds shockingly rude, the Canaanite woman refuses to allow her ego to displace her love for her daughter.

She could have recovered her self-respect at any time. She could have maintained her dignity and walked away. She could have cursed Jesus and denounced Him, making a name for herself as one who just doesn’t put up with disrespect from anyone. But she heroically allows the humiliation, the disapproval, and even our Lord’s testing of her to roll off her back while she unswervingly continues to pray.

She prays, pleads, cries out, and refuses to be embarrassed into silence. She joins with us today even as we too humble ourselves before our Lord and cry out: “Lord, have mercy!” We not only say it, but sing it. We sing it together. And we sing it three times. “Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!” We have come this far, and we will not take “no” for an answer. We imitate the heroic deeds of this humble sainted Gentile woman.

And look at the result!

Her persistence, her love, her faithfulness in prayer is rewarded. Not of her own power, but by the grace of the One to whom she prays, the devil’s torment of the Canaanite woman’s daughter is at an end. Listen to our Lord’s blessing: “Great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” The Lord miraculously cures the sin-sick body and soul of the woman’s daughter. She, who was trapped by the devil, is released – and our Lord Himself credits the faith of the mother who prayed.

More than three centuries after this incident recorded by St. Matthew, another heroic woman named Monica displayed the same steadfastness in prayer for her family. After many years of praying “Lord, have mercy” to our Lord Jesus Christ, Monica’s Pagan husband embraced the faith, as did her rebellious and fiercely anti-Christian son named Augustine. Monica’s son went on to become a bishop, and one of the greatest minds in the history of the Church. The real heroic person in the story of St. Augustine is his faithful mother, a woman who refused to give up, to cease praying, to accept what seemed to be a “no” from the Lord. For Monica’s prayers were heard, just as were those piteous cries of “Lord, have mercy” of the Canaanite woman were heard. Monica is today known as St. Monica because of her heroic deeds – make heroic because of the grace shown to her by the One who hears our pleas for mercy.

In our fallen world, rare indeed is the family without problems, without family members who are under the influence of the devil to some degree or other. Often, parents feel helpless as their children spurn the Church, struggle with sins, and create havoc in the lives of their families.

A mother or father who doesn’t know what to do can take great comfort in this Gospel. For just as St. Monica would three hundred years later, the sainted Canaanite woman has it right. She was the hero in her daughter’s life because of her faith. Her faith enabled her to humble herself before Jesus, to plead in prayer, to cry out “Lord, have mercy!” again and again to the point of becoming annoying. This mother went to where she could find help. She sought out Jesus, and having gotten His ear, continued to fall down upon her knees and plead for mercy.

Her daughter was held captive to Satan. No amount of force, reason, tough-love, bribery, screaming, grounding, or threatening could fix the problem. The problem was too big for her to fix. But she knew Someone who could address the problem. She knew the One more powerful than Satan – and she sought Him out.

She was determined that she would plead for mercy until she got it.

This is not to say that the Lord will answer every prayer we offer up to Him in the way we want as long as we are stubborn. God’s will is a mystery to us. But we do have His promise that He will hear us. We are His dear children. And just as this mother was willing to humiliate herself, and just as no amount of sacrifice was too much for her to offer on behalf of her daughter, so too does our heavenly Father withhold nothing from us.

For the sake of redeeming His creation, in the interest of expelling Satan from His Kingdom, our Lord took human flesh, humiliated Himself, reducing Himself to pleading with His Father that this cup may pass from Him, and yet, in perfect obedience and in total disregard for His own comfort and self-esteem – empties Himself and gives all on the cross. No amount of sacrifice is too great for the sake of the Lord’s beloved. “All this He does,” says Blessed Martin Luther in the Small Catechism, “out of fatherly divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.”

We Christians are at our most heroic when we are our most submissive. We Christians are most powerful when we are pleading “Lord, have mercy.” We Christians display great faith when we put no faith in our abilities, our merit, our power, or anything in ourselves – but rather placing our faith in Christ alone.

The Canaanite woman holds the Lord to His promise. She displays a persistence born of love and a stubbornness born of faith in the power and mercy of God. Her heroism lies in her lack of ego and pride.

And in the end, she doesn’t only receive the miraculous healing that she sought, she also receives praise from the Lord God Himself. In her emptiness, she is filled. In her humiliation, she is exalted. In her weakness, she is strong. In her powerlessness, she brings to bear the might of Christ Himself against the devil.

“O woman, great is your faith. Let it be to you as you desire.” May the Lord grant us such faith. May He show such mercy to us, and may He bring us and those we love to everlasting life. Amen.

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

Sermon: Wednesday of Invocabit (Lent 1)

13 February 2008 at Salem Lutheran Church, Gretna, LA Text: Rom 5:12-19 (Gen 3:1-21, Matt 4:1-11)

In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

When children play games with each other, they will sometimes resort to a “do-over.” This means that due to some controversy about whether or not the rules were followed, all sides agree to not count the last play, and to simply do it over.

Of course, if the kids had referees and officials in the video booth, there would be no do-over, but rather enforced penalties and the option to “challenge the ruling on the field.”

In their simplicity, children simply reach a consensus to have a “do-over.”

In the adult world, we usually don’t get “do-overs.” If you mess up on your job, there will be consequences. If you say something hurtful, it is very difficult to recall your words. In the Garden of Eden, God enforced the ultimate penalty for our transgressions – separation from Him, death, and the punishment of eternal damnation.

However, Satan, the tempter who started this sad chain of events, doesn’t get the last laugh. For God has given us a “do-over.” Our Lord Jesus is tempted – just as Adam was. Satan teased and cajoled Jesus to attempt to make Him use His divine office for selfish gain, to in turn tempt God, and to choose Mammon over the eternal treasures of God. This time, Satan’s ploy failed. Jesus, the New and Greater Adam, won where Adam, the first Adam, our ancestor Adam, the Adam whose name means “dust” – failed.

St. Paul recaps this whole cosmic replay of man’s failure at Eden – though this time with Man’s victory – in our epistle. Paul proclaims: “Through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

As a result, he says: “death reigned” – even in the days before God gave the law to Moses. For we all knew right from wrong, chose wrong, and all men carried the curse of Adam. St. Paul also tells us that Adam is a “type” of “Him who was to come.” In other words, Adam is a preview of our Lord Jesus Christ – inasmuch as Adam was formed without a human father, and came into the flesh without sin.

Our Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, is the great “do-over” – through whom mankind would be redeemed by a Man, death was to be defeated by death, and sin was to be atoned for by Him who knew no sin. This New and Greater Adam was to seize the cosmic “do-over” and this time, be victorious.

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

The “do-over” has been done over for us, by the fulfillment of Adam, by God Himself who has come into the flesh to rescue us!

Even as we are beaten down by our sins, even as we struggle with temptation and doubt, even as we are harassed by the devil and downcast by death, listen to this glorious and comforting Word of God:

“ But the free gift is not like the offense, for if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”

In other words, as terrible and wretched as we are in our sins, our Lord Jesus Christ is an even greater Savior. Yes, indeed, our sins are serious things. As one liturgy confesses – even the memory of our sins should be grievous to us. Our sins, and not only the sins of our ancestors, have alienated God. Our sins have brought death upon us. We truly deserve nothing but wrath and hellfire.

But thanks be to God that this very deserved fate does not stand. It is by command of our Lord Himself, by the act of our Lord Himself, by the sacrifice of our Lord Himself that we have been given a second chance. He beat back Satan with the sacred words: “It is written…” He has given us Scripture to hurl at the devil, and preachers for you to listen to, to equip you for battle. He has given you baptism to make you a New Adam, and gives you of His very own flesh and blood, so that you can partake in the divine nature.

All this He gives you as a free gift. None of us deserves this grace, and that’s exactly why it is grace – and it truly abounds upon us.

Dear friends, let this grace pour over you, shower over you, flood over you – as the lavish baptismal waters poured over you at the font, washing away thoughts, words, and deeds of the past, granting us a divine “do-over” that joins us to our Lord’s victory over the devil.

Seize the opportunity of that “do-over.” Having been made over, we have been freed to lead lives of victory, to do good works for the sake of love (and not out of fear). We have been liberated from the devil so that we might help our neighbor simply because it is the right thing to do, without a thought of divine payback. For we have already been given the fullness of heaven in spite of our sinfulness.

Even in the midst of Lent, as we ponder our sins, as we meditate on our faults, as we are filled with grief and regret over our failings – remember, O man, not only that you are dust and to dust you shall return, but remember, O man, that you are a Christian, and your ashy faces have been washed clean by the waters of baptism, that our Lord Jesus has defeated the devil, and that you have been created and made able to do good works to be a blessing in God’s good earth.

This “do-over” is a gift. It is for us. It is a gift that has no end. “Let us give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. And His mercy endureth forever.” Amen.

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

Signa temporum...

Just a few "signs of the times" as a snapshot of where we are today in our ongoing Decline and Fall.

1) Euros Accepted signs pop up in New York City [as a bonus, check out Brace Yourselves by Jacob Hornberger].

2) Boy wants to return to school as a girl [optional extra credit: Sex Workers at William & Mary].

3) Ritual of Dealing With Demons Undergoes a Revival.

Sermon: Invocabit (Lent 1)

10 February 2008 at Salem Lutheran Church, Gretna, LA
Text: Matt 4:1-11 (1 Samuel 17:40-51, 2 Cor 6:1-10)

In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

Today’s readings are exceedingly violent.

Samuel tells the story of the bloodthirsty Philistines and their bully-in-chief Goliath – as well as how he was felled by a shepherd boy with a slingshot. The text gives us details that may seem overly graphic and simply gratuitous – such as the stone sinking into the giant’s forehead and David beheading him with a sword.

St. Paul starts off with a sermon about salvation and repentance, and then abruptly speaks about being persecuted, whipped, and incarcerated. He recalls riots and sleepless nights, hunger and patient suffering. He talks about dying, being chastened, sorrow, and poverty. He tells of the treacherous deceivers who attack his reputation.

Finally, St. Matthew gives us an account of our Lord’s temptation, His battle against the devil. Satan tries to use the Lord’s hunger against Him, attempts to get our Lord to jump off the high point of the Temple, and then brings Him to a mountain to try to drive a wedge between Him and His Father in a vain attempt to create a civil war between the persons of the Trinity. The Lord defeats the devil in this skirmish, commanding him to depart. Angels came to minister to our Lord in the aftermath of this titanic clash with the general of the forces of evil.

It is fitting on this first Sunday of Lent that we be reminded of the violence of the Christian life. We are at war. Too often we forget. For our eyes usually don’t see the carnage. In fact, things are pretty good for us overall. Even the poorest among us lead pretty good lives. Nearly every person in our country enjoys running water, plumbing, refrigerators and freezers, television, telephones, air conditioning, and heating. Most have cars, cell phones, computer access, and ways of playing music and movies. We take luxuries for granted that would have been the envy of royalty only a century ago.

And although we are suffering a terrible upswing in violent crime, most of us simply barricade ourselves in the house and never really confront it. We have not had foreign troops on our soil in nearly a century and a half. We enjoy our sports, our shows, our vacations, and our time of recreation. It’s easy to forget that we are in a war of the most violent and vicious type.

The entire Bible is an account of a war between good and evil, between God and Satan, between angels and demons, between the holy and the unholy, between order and chaos, between the New Man and the Old Adam, between life and death. This is not merely a skirmish or even a world war. This war is cosmic in nature, and the ramifications are eternal.

The weapons in this war are not rifles, grenades, and bombs. Rather the ammunition is spiritual. Evil’s weapons are temptation and deceit, while Good’s power lies in Truth and the Word of God.

Look at our Lord’s battle with Satan. The devil uses the Lord’s hunger-weakened flesh as the battleground upon which to hurl deception. The father of lies tries to get our Lord to depend on His own power to turn stones into bread – rather than to depend on His Father’s mercy to sustain Him. Satan’s second weapon is a temptation to make Jesus test His Father’s love and reliability by issuing God a challenge. And finally, Satan appeals to the last weapon in his arsenal – a naked attempt to bribe our Lord with money and power.

And notice how our Lord repels each Satanic attack – by the Word of God. Jesus, who is the Word of God, cites the enscripturated Word of God like a shield to repel the devil’s darts. When the devil has run out of weapons, our Lord dispatches him not with an arrow or a sword, but rather with a Word: “Away with you!”

One little word can fell him.

Mere words against the author of all evil, a powerful monster armed with deception and hatred? Not mere words, but rather the Word of God – more powerful than any two-edged sword. Satan never had a chance.

For in the Kingdom of God, the victor isn’t necessarily the bigger, the stronger, or even the most clever. The victor is the one armed with truth and God’s promises.

Most people know and love the story of David slaying the giant. Everyone loves an underdog. We look up to people who exhibit bravery in the face of danger and poise in the midst of battle. David certainly had a steady hand, as well as five missiles to hurl at Goliath. But what made the shot connect was the will of God. David had faith in the God of his fathers. He did not allow the appearance of the situation to define the situation. For he knew and understood that God would not allow his people to be destroyed. David held God to His promises, and put himself on the line as collateral. “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin,” David shouts to the Philistine, “but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.”

Mere words against a giant of a man armed with weapons? Not mere words, but rather the Word of God – more powerful than any two-edged sword. Goliath never had a chance.

When evil comes upon us, breaking in on our fantasy that we are not involved in the cosmic battle between good and evil, we often don’t know what to do. We fret and lose sleep. We blaze in anger, and we sulk in depression. We fight with words that seem clever and with weapons of this world that are useless in the spiritual war we find ourselves in.

St. Paul’s account of his many sufferings for the sake of the Gospel, his many attacks of the devil, physical and spiritual, concludes curiously: “by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness.” Paul finds life in the midst of death, rather than complaining about his chastisement, he glories in not yet being killed. He speaks of rejoicing even in sorrow, and in seeing himself as rich even in the face of physical want.

This is because Paul understands the ramifications of this war. We Christians are not on the sidelines while others fight – we baptized children of God are the very ground zero of the cosmic strife between God and Satan. No matter how terrible things get, we have already won. No matter what temptations Satan may cast at you, these are all repelled by the Word of God.

Mere words against our sinful flesh, against the world, against the devil himself – all armed with power beyond what we can even imagine? Not mere words, but rather the Word of God – more powerful than any two-edged sword. Satan never had a chance.

Dear friends, St. Paul is pleading with us anew. Don’t give up. Don’t despair. Don’t let the evil one think he can defeat you. For you are baptized. You have the Gospel. You are equipped for warfare. You will struggle, you will doubt, and you will fall in this battle or that battle. But by God’s grace, you can confess, you can draw strength anew from the Holy Scriptures, from Lord’s Supper, by confession and absolution, by the hearing of the Word of God proclaimed, by living in the repentance of your baptismal grace. These five weapons of words seem weak in the face of the giant of the temptations and Goliaths we face, but like David’s five small stones, they are backed by the promise and the power of God.

St. Paul begs you “not to receive the grace of God in vain.” We may be tempted to either underestimate the power of God’s Word, or we may be deceived into taking the Gospel for granted. Avail yourself of the weapons the Lord has given you. Fight! Struggle! Beat back the foe! Rage against him, against the flesh, against hell itself with the fury of a soldier with his back against the wall, fighting for his very life with nothing more than a bayonet in desperate hand-to-hand warfare.

The Christian life is bloody and gory. The Christian life is violent. The Christian life is an epic struggle between cosmic forces far more powerful than we have of our own power. But thanks be to God that the blood and gore are not ours, but of our Champion, the Son of David, who instead of five smooth stones, hurls his five holy wounds at the ancient evil foe. Thanks be to God that the violence of the Christian life was poured out upon the holy Victim on the cross – by whose stripes we are healed. Thanks be to God that the outcome of the epic struggle was sealed long ago when the Son of David, the Son of God breathed out His victory cry: “It is finished,” crushed the serpent’s head, and then rose from the dead in cosmic triumph.

Dear brothers and sisters, to your battle stations – stations of the cross. To your posts – in battle formation on your knees. Prepare to present arms – the Word of God. The day is already yours, for you are the Lord’s. He has done it. We are called to remain steadfast in His service – even as He is steadfastly serving us – unto eternal victory over Satan, sin, the flesh, death, and hell itself.

“Away with you, Satan. For it is written…” Amen.

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

As Seen On TV (Not)

(Children on ladders: a typical shocking Mardi Gras parade sight)

Everything on TV is not real.

I think most people know this, but some people apparently do not.

Now, there is the unreality of animation vs. live actors, the unreality of fiction vs. documentary, and then there's the unreality of the way the media distorts and presents its own version of reality either for the purposes of some agenda, or (more often) in order to sell tennis shoes and soft drinks.

It is the latter part that I want to focus on.

On Ash Wednesday, one of my parishioners came to me irate. He showed me a devotion that someone (a pastor) had written for February 5. This year, February 5 was the day before Ash Wednesday. In many parts of the country, it's called Shrove Tuesday, and there is often the custom of eating pancakes as a last indulgence in a feast before the fasting of Lent. Owing to the French heritage of people in South Louisiana, in my community, Shrove Tuesday is called Mardi Gras - which is French for Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras is the pinnacle of a mini-season called Carnival (from the Latin: carni vale, or "farewell of meat"). We don't have pancake breakfasts, but rather have parades. In fact, in New Orleans, the parades run throughout the Carnival season - which begins on Epiphany (January 6) and runs until Mardi Gras.

Parades in New Orleans are in some ways similar to other parades - like the Parade of Roses in Pasadena, or the Macy's Parade in New York. However, they are different in a few ways too. For one thing, the float riders often wear masks and throw things to the crowds - candy, stuffed animals, plastic cups, toys of various kinds, and strings of beads. On St. Patrick's Day, the riders toss out cabbages, potatoes, onions, and carrots. On the Feast of St. Patrick, you can actually make soup from parade "throws".

New Orleans Carnival parades are entirely run and funded by private clubs - called "krewes." Many of them have tongue-in-cheek names that sound like secret societies. Families have been involved in the krewes for generations. The last two weeks of Carnival feature parades and balls all over New Orleans and the surrounding communities (there were 59 parades this year!). Typically, schools shut down the entire week of Mardi Gras (though Salem Lutheran School only had Monday through Wednesday off this year). This is a huge time of tourism and goodwill for our community. Hundreds of thousands of guests from all over the world stream into New Orleans and vicinity for the Carnival events.

Mardi Gras is fun, and overwhelmingly family-oriented. It is a Christian festival, as it is tied to the Church calendar, and is a part of the cycle of feast and fast (even the colors of Mardi Gras are the liturgical colors of Epiphany, Lent, and Easter). Families and friends gather to watch the parades, to talk, to sing, to dance, to eat scrumptious foods, to enjoy one another's company, and to just plain have a good time. This seems foreign to a lot of people who live "up north" (of course, to us, "up north" can mean Southern Mississippi...).

Of course, much of the country hears "Mardi Gras" and they think of something entirely different. In the French Quarter, and more specifically on Bourbon Street (where, incidentally, there are no parades), you will indeed find activities that are not "family friendly" - just as you will find pretty much anywhere in the country. And that's the specific place you have to go in order to find the off-color stuff. However, the Mardi Gras parades (only two of which even go through the Quarter at all, and one of them is a parade for dogs), have nothing to do with indecency.

In fact, children are everywhere lining the parade routes - many in homemade boxes mounted to ladders so they can be seen high above the crowds to catch toys, candies, and beads (instructions here). Thousands of children and their families look forward to Carnival every year. Some families even camp out on the "neutral ground" (the median to the rest of the county) overnight in order to get a good spot. Very few children (and very few adults, for that matter) in New Orleans don't participate in the parades - at least to some degree. They are good clean fun, and are part of our unique culture.

However, the pastor who authored the devotion, who obviously has never actually seen a Mardi Gras parade in his life, who has likely never set foot in New Orleans, probably has never eaten crawfish, boudin, or alligator, may think a "po boy" is a young man who lacks money, and who admits that his only understanding of Mardi Gras comes from TV and the Internet - decided to use us as an object lesson about sin. He writes: "Now it's time to get serious about sin. As if."

Thanks a lot, guy.

He writes: "Today is Fat Tuesday. Maybe I'm just a young curmudgeon, but the celebration leaves me cold. Every year, news broadcasts show the Mardi Gras parties and carnival parades, but they're hardly family fare."

At this point, some of my parishioners are reading this, rolling on the floor and laughing at the silly stereotypical Yankee know-it-all who believes everything he sees on TV. Others are really insulted, not exactly thrilled to be denounced by a bloviating outsider whose ignorance is fueled by the idiot box, yet who has been published in a popular devotional booklet.

I would love this pastor to tell me exactly which parade is "hardly family fare." Which one? Can he even name one of the parades? What qualifies this pastor to make this pronouncement?

I wrote to my brother pastor. I sent him a good natured note, explained to him where he was wrong, and even invited him and his family to come to New Orleans for Mardi Gras in the future so he could experience it for himself.

His response was a big disappointment. It was snotty. He addressed me stiffly as "Pastor Beane" (there's an unwritten rule that the clergy are on a first name basis with each other). He stands by his "research."

Research. Goodness! We actually live here! But he has been doing "research" from two thousand miles away. Right. And what is this research? He cites "news broadcasts" and "various media." Uh-huh. He explains, "research indicates that Mardi Gras/Carnival are 'popular as a way to feast and act wild before the somber days of Lent,' in the words of one website." Yes. "In the words of one website." One website. He really said this! O Lord, have mercy! A website. Various media. Research. Enough expertly-mined data to condemn everyone in my congregation - not to mention in our community. I guess he knows what he's talking about. And thanks to his published writing, a lot of other "experts" on Mardi Gras are sure to crop up like termites on a shotgun (which in this context is a house, not a weapon).

He opines: "The 'farewell to the flesh' is not penitence, but is usually portrayed to the world as an indulgence in lust, drunkenness, and revelry. Personally, I cannot reconcile that to Romans 13:13-14; and perhaps it is only my concience [sic], but I cannot reconcile Carnival's 'farewell to the flesh' with the Lord's means of grace, where the Old Adam is bade farewell and the new creation raised up." Uh, Padre, "farewell to the flesh" ("das Fleisch" auf Deutsch) means we're preparing to say goodbye to eating meat. It's called "fasting."

This from a guy that's been in New Orleans as much as I have been in Indonesia. But he did see it on TV - the same venue where one can learn about Ron Popeel's Pocket Fisherman and catch a special about UFOs. Amazing.

What I'm having a problem reconciling is this pastor's misinformed opinion and devotional pontification that is at odds with the eighth commandment. He owes us an apology for hurting our reputation. I asked for one, but was rebuffed. I'm sorry, but the vast majority who catch beads at parades are simply not involved in: "indulgence in lust, drunkenness, and revelry" (his words) - even if a website and a TV reporter told him so. Huge numbers are children. Most are there with their families. That's just reality.

He then masked his insulting e-mail by peppering it with the usual blah-blah-blah of Lutheran jargon: "weaker brother... Christian freedom... bind their consciences..." This all sounds very pious and Sufficiently Lutheran, but it is a damnable lie just the same. We are not a bunch of drunks and whores. We enjoy food, drink, dancing, friends, family, pageantry, beautiful weather, fellowship with others, and the joyful expression of the Christian concept of feasting and celebrating God's good creation. That is not sinful.

But all of these things are repugnant to a particular strain of Christianity known as Pietism, which equates the Christian faith with a dour and joyless view of the Christian life. Pietism condemns drinking, dancing, card playing, and anything that tastes good as somehow sinful. Pietism was a movement that originated within Lutheranism in the 17th century which (on the good side) sought to repudiate lawlessness and taking the Gospel for granted, but (on the bad side) became Pharisaical, self-righteous, joyless, oppressive, and drab. It downplayed the sacraments by spiritualizing the faith - which leads to a dualistic (and Gnostic) condemnation of the physical world. Pietism brought the world the plain cross and prohibition. Pietists do not approve of Mardi Gras.

However, there is nothing wrong with taking pleasure in God's physical creation. The Christian life is meant to be joyful and celebratory - especially in the times of year that are festival in nature.

Of course, we alternate between festival and penitential seasons. And in the French Quarter at midnight on Mardi Gras, sirens blow, the police clear the streets, and the festival comes to an abrupt end out of respect for the Christian tradition of Ash Wednesday. The next morning, you'll see New Orleanians far and wide covered with the ashen crosses on their foreheads - something you probably won't see on Entertainment Tonight.

The fasting of Lent stands in abject contrast to the feasting of Carnival. The somber gray of Ash Wednesday is the other side of the coin to the garish colors of Fat Tuesday. Feast and Fast. Celebration and sackcloth. To everything there is a season...

The world doesn't get it. Apparently some Christians (and even pastors) don't get it either. Apparently some folks can't discern that reality is a whole lot bigger than what's on TV.

If you want to learn about the Christian faith, TBN is not representative - even though it speaks with the authority of "as seen on TV." Benny Hinn does not epitomize Christian preachers. And a few coeds and tourists pulling up their shirts don't define the Christian time of year known as Carnival. If someone wants to learn about New Orleans and our customs, there are plenty of us you can ask. Those Girls Gone Wild videos were never intended to be an objective and all-inclusive look at one of the greatest cities in North America any more than the Sopranos is a genuine snapshot into what being an Italian-American is. Just because something is on TV...

Hopefully, this pastor will repent of his prejudice, bias, and trashing of our reputation as a form of "devotion." Lent is a good time for repentance. And so is any time. But then when Easter comes, we will once more feast and celebrate, and will not be ashamed for doing so.

In honor of our Blessed Lord's resurrection, we will recite the ancient liturgical verse anew: "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" even as we look forward to bons temps without end.

Typical Mardi Gras paraders, obviously an "indulgence in lust, drunkenness, and revelry"

Sermon: Ash Wednesday

6 February 2008 at Salem Lutheran Church, Gretna, LA
Text: Matt 6:1-6, 16-21 (Joel 2:12-19, 2 Pet 1:2-11)

In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

If you want a snapshot of yourself, consider what it is you treasure. We live in a culture of cars, houses, jewelry, electronic gadgetry, sexuality, worship of the body, a cult of youth, and competition for attention. Are these things more important to you than giving alms, fasting and praying?

And which of these things will last to eternity? Those Hannah Montana MP3s? Those Pearl Jam CDs? Those Beatles 8-Tracks? Those Fats Domino 45s?

Will your beautiful house do you any good after you die? Will it even be standing after a category 5 storm? How about your car? Will it be such a status symbol five years from now? Will you always be the top dog at work or the popular kid in school? And do any of these things mean a thing to God?

What impresses God? Do you think God cares about your stock portfolio, your youthful looks, your smarts, your popularity, how many toys you have, or who you know?

For that matter, is God impressed by how much you give alms, how often you fast, or by how fervently you pray? Is God impressed because you have come to church today and gotten an ash cross on your face?

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Our Lord doesn’t command us to give alms, to fast, and to pray. Doing these things will not save us, impress God, or make us Christians. Our Lord Jesus simply assumes we do these things: “When you do a charitable deed…. When you fast…. When you pray…” This is simply what Christians do. These acts flow from the Christian life. Since Jesus has died for you, and since you are not commanded to do these things, that’s exactly why Christians do them.

Christians don’t give alms to get a pat on the back – giving to charity for the sake of good P.R. or in order to get thanks and praise from other people. Christians don’t fast to get attention – the way some people use their aches and pains as a bid for sympathy, or the way others will recount all the drugs they are on as a boast of their trendy neediness. Christians don’t pray to be glorified by men or to get attention – like the religious showboating that happens in the French Quarter on Fat Tuesday, or by politicians who suddenly get religion on Super Tuesday.

Christians should be giving alms, fasting, and praying for the same reason that fish swim, birds fly, and flowers open. That’s just what they do. And their treasure ought not to be with the passing things of this world – be they wealth, health, or status.

So what should we do? The prophet Joel has told us already – if we are willing to listen: “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.”

Our kind and merciful God created all things and declared them “good.” Even the dust of the earth was good – and God made us from this good earth. We had it all. The treasures of the world were eternal treasures. In Paradise, we had eternal wealth and health. We had no aches and pains, no desire for attention, nor death itself. We wanted for nothing. We didn’t obsess about youth, or sexuality, or holding on to riches. We did not compete for the attention of God and men. But after we sinned, all of these things became counterfeit treasures “where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” In our sinfulness, we desire and run after the rotting and temporary even as we turn our noses up at the glorious and the everlasting.

After choosing death over life, Adam was told “Remember, O man, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Reversing the elevation of the good dust to a greater man, we now see creation’s opposite – the greater man has fallen back to dust – even a dust that has been defiled by sin. Adam (which means “man”) decays into adamah (which means “dust”). And dust blows away and is forgotten.

Our houses, cars, TVs, music collections, libraries, coin collections, bank accounts, stock portfolios, and toys of every sort will end up as dust. Even the people we love, even our pets, even our churches, our Bibles, memories of the saints, and even the holy fonts, altars, and pulpits will one day be dust. The heavens and earth will be reduced to rubble.

“You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

This one sentence makes every other pursuit in this world seem frivolous. Promotions, raises, praise of men, money in the bank, status symbols, toys, and every sort of temporary carnal pleasure don’t seem all that important when you realize that your days are numbered, that you are basically a death row inmate, and not one of these earthly treasures will last forever. In fact, when the pursuit of worldly treasure takes you away from your heavenly treasure, from a life of charity, of self-control, and of prayer and meditation – these things are even worse than worthless. When your job keeps you from the Lord’s Supper, when your hobbies separate you from God’s Word, when your children’s education is more important than praying with them – you are putting your treasure “where moth and rust destroy.”

But the Word of God, which does endure forever, offers us a better way. God’s Word places before us eternal treasure that will not be reduced to ashes and dust, will not be destroyed by moth and rust, and can never be stolen by any enemy – human or supernatural.

In our epistle, St. Peter promises: “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Dear brothers and sisters, dear men and women of dust, listen to St. Peter! Heed the Word of the Lord! You will return to dust, but you will be restored to eternity – to be a “partaker of the divine nature” – made incorruptible and never again to fall to ashes. Where your treasure is, there is where your heart is also. At this font, at this altar, and from this pulpit you are given treasures beyond all treasures, treasures that will never rot, fall out of fashion, be stolen, or return to dust. For the Word of the Lord endures forever.

The Lord Himself pleads with us: “Blow the trumpet in Zion. Consecrate a fast. Call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and the nursing babes, let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests who minister to the Lord weep between the porch and the altar, let them say ‘Spare Your people, O Lord.”

In this repentance, in this baptismal grace, in this putting away of foolish things, in this turning from sin, “the Lord will answer and say to His people, ‘Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.”

In the life of repentance, the dust of death and the ashes of sin yield to eternal grain, wine, and oil, material riches that last forever and will truly satisfy us. We will no longer fret about being accepted and popular, for the Lord Himself will honor us before all nations. And as St. Peter proclaims: “for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Having been given the kingdom, we can cease our hording and remain confident that the Lord will provide for us materially, freeing us to share by giving alms. Having been given abundance in food, we can cease our gorging and remain confident that the Lord will provide our daily bread, freeing us to fast and exercise self-discipline for the sake of feeding others. And having the Lord Jesus Himself interceding for us by prayer, we can cease focusing on ourselves and remain confident that the Lord Himself gives us all that we need in this life, freeing us to pray for the needs of others.

That, dear brothers and sisters, is eternal treasure: where moth and rust and thieves have no power to destroy. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Amen.

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

Bons temps!

Today is Mardi Gras and our 14th wedding anniversary. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and my 44th birthday (which in good Lutheran fashion will be "transferred" likely to next Sunday, which is not actually part of Lent). Yesterday was Lundi Gras, and we've been living it up in preparation for the beginning of six weeks of the penitential season of Lent.

The weather the past two days has been beautiful - about 80 degrees in the day, and still balmy at night.

Lundi Gras

On Lundi Gras, the Hollywoods headed to the Algiers Point ferry station and rode the Thomas Jefferson across Old Man River en route to the Audubon Aquarium. The ferry was packed with pedestrians - locals and tourists alike. On the shore, we saw four pelicans, one up high and three arrayed below - matching the four on our state flag flapping on the front of the ferry. They seemed to be joining in the Carnival frolic.

On the other side of the river, the crowds were huge, music filled the air, and the smells - oh my goodness - scrumptious food was everywhere! We passed a nice time at the aquarium looking at sharks and stingrays - to the great pleasure of Lion Boy - many of whose best friends live there in the tanks.

We then headed for a stroll through the French Quarter. Everyone should do this at least once - especially during Carnival. People of every age, shape, and size wandered around smiling, with no place in particular to go. Many wore garish costumes, some had wigs, others were dressed "to the nines." Some carried plastic "hand grenade" pitchers and oversized margarita glasses. There were people in masks, wearing huge feathers, most covered in beads, all grinning - except for those who were too inebriated to curl up the edges of the mouth.

People drifted in and out of the hustling, bustling bars, antique shops, souvenir stores, art galleries, etc. We wandered by the Napoleon House cafe - said to have been bought for the exiled emperor to live in. He never made it.

We wandered over to Bourbon Street. The crowds were more intense both in number and in, er, intensity. Bead throwers taunted and teased the crowds from their balconies wrought with ironwork. Leo, Grace, and I were showered with beads - which calls for alertness lest one get clobbered.

We met some people who were covered with large boas. Not the feathers, but the snakes. Lion Boy fearlessly petted the reptiles, and even waved and said "bye bye" as we moved on. His friends in the animal world are not limited to the aquatic variety.

In spite of the seedy reputation of Bourbon Street, we saw very little by way of "indecent exposure." Most of it was in the form of photographs on the front of the strip joints. Frankly, I've seen more skin at La Leche League meetings. But in fairness, we were there during the day, and not on Mardi Gras itself. I am quite certain that things are a little different in a nocturnal setting.

After having our fill of Rue Bourbon, we strolled alongside the St. Louis Cathedral down Pirate's Alley - a historic brick road where buccaneers and swindlers made shady deals in ages past. We walked by the house in which William Faulkner wrote his first novel. We emerged in front of the cathedral to the usual crowd of artists and palm readers. At some point, Lion Boy's head began to wobble, as he heroically tried to remain awake.

We continued our promenade away from the Quarter, heading over to the River Walk, where we were looking to have coffee and beignets, and to visit a shop to buy Mrs. Hollywood her anniversary gift.

At this point, I have to sing the praises of a man named Sidney Torres. I have never met him, but he has become a folk hero in New Orleans. His waste removal company has made the Quarter sparkle. No more putrid vomit smell, no more flies, no more empty bottles lining the streets. Everywhere you look, you see SDT men with the latest equipment scouring the place. The Quarter isn't just clean, it is immaculate - even at the peak of Mardi Gras! Torres is the man!

Anyway, we strolled over to the River Walk, enjoyed some seafood gumbo, crab etoufee, and a daiquiri (made with 190 proof grain alcohol and served in a styrofoam go cup with a straw so you can walk - hopefully - around the mall) before having dessert at the Cafe du Monde. We then went to a little boutique to buy Mrs. Hollywood's gift - a pair of elegant "wraps" to wear when the weather gets a little chilly. It does happen here - even though Spring has really begun by this time of year (the lone flower on our Japanese magnolia in the front yard is proof). At this point, it was beginning to get dark, and the fireworks were about to begin. We walked along the boardwalk just as the pyrotechnics began from a barge in the river.

At first, Leo protested that they were scary. He was converted in about three minutes, though, as celestial blasts of purple, green, and gold shimmered in the clear sky over the river amid the booms that echoed off of the downtown skyscrapers.

We saw a U.S. Coast Guard ship flying the Mardi Gras flag - the purple, green, and gold banner with a crown in the middle. I imagine this violates some kind of federal or maritime law, but this is Mardi Gras, cher!

By this time the crowds were pressing in every direction amid music and celebration. The stage at the Spanish Plaza was filled with Mardi Gras pageantry. Rex, the robed, sceptered, and masked King of Carnival greeted the King of the Krewe of Zulu (if you're not familiar with New Orleans, this has nothing to do with bad science fiction). We then wandered back over to the ferry terminal.

Getting his second wind, Lion Boy wanted to go to "the bookstore" (Barnes & Noble's). That we did, and closed the evening with a couple of chais and a hot chocolate as Lion Boy looked at books about sharks and played with Thomas the Tank Engine.

Upon retiring, we asked Leo if he had a good time. "Yeah" was his reply before drifting off.


Mardi Gras

Today is Fat Tuesday, and we celebrated in style close to home. This morning, we picked up some sandwiches (including a roast beef po boy that melted in the mouth) from Common Grounds. We headed over to the church to get a front row seat for the West Bank's Grella parade.

One of my students was kind enough to leave his lunch kit in lost and found for me to borrow to keep a couple of Heinekins cold. I'm glad to see that his Latin book was not in lost and found. And I did make sure I didn't leave anything beer-related in his lunch kit. Had I forgotten and left a can inside, there would be a sixth grader with some explaining to do.

The parade was lavish! We received more beads than ever. Lion Boy scored a spear (a real treasure), a large sword, and a turtle (the latter from Salem teacher and Sassy Kat high-stepper Miss Kitty). He also played with lots of kids in the Salem parking lot.

A parishioner shared mimosas with us. Other parishioners shared drinks with Lion Boy. I saw several Salem students who were playing and enjoying the beautiful weather.

After closing out the festivities, we commenced to celebrate our anniversary - provided by that noted caterer - Winn Dixie. We feasted on an eclectic celebratory meal of cocktail shrimp, buffalo wings, boiled peanuts, and egg rolls.

Lion Boy crashed, as we heard the party continue through our open windows (even well after dark, it's still in the seventies). A block and a half away, the partying, music, and les bons temps continue.

It will all come to an abrupt end at midnight - as even the hardy partiers of New Orleans remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.

Genuine Lutheranism on YouTube...

Thanks to the Rev. William Weedon for finding this.

Note that this YouTube video was produced independent of any official church channels - which explains its lack of corporate buzzwords, gimmicks, and fads that the video presents as being contrary to genuine Lutheranism. Sadly, you will find a lot of nonsense in Lutheran churches. But if you're willing to look, you will also find the kind of faithful, reverent, and uplifting Evangelical Catholicism, biblically and historically grounded in the Gospel and the Sacraments, as shown in this video.

I don't belong to the Wittenberg Trail web-ring (nor do I know much about them), but I want to give them a thumbs up on their fine work here!

Sermon: Quinquagesima

3 February 2008 at Salem Lutheran Church, Gretna, LA
Text: Luke 18: 31-43 (1 Samuel 16:1-13, 1 Cor 13:1-13)

In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

Our Gospel puts together two different readings that seem to have nothing to do with one another. First, Jesus speaks bluntly with the twelve, telling them what is going to happen: they are going to Jerusalem, Jesus will be arrested and handed over to the Romans, He will be abused and tortured, He will be executed – and He will rise from the dead. “But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them.” It’s as though they were blinded to the plain truth given them from the very mouth of Jesus. They just didn’t get it.

Immediately thereafter, Jesus and His followers encounter a blind beggar who cries out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” He continues to repeat this prayer – just as we do in our liturgy: “Lord, have mercy upon us!” This is what peasants would cry out when the king went by in a parade, bearing gifts. The king would throw coins or goodies toward his subjects in response. This blind beggar, unlike the twelve, gets it. He understands that Jesus is the King who stands in the train of King David. This king tosses more than coins and baubles – but rather He dispenses life and healing.

Jesus responds to the man’s request for gifts, this blind man’s cry of “Throw me something mister!” by stopping and speaking to Him. He asks, “What do you want?” The man, though blind, is not blinded to the reality that this King can work miracles. He asks: “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” Our Lord uses His words to heal him: “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”

Whereas the twelve were blinded to our Lord’s plain words, their faith being small – blinded by what they saw with their eyes, hidden by their own expectations and desires, this blind beggar saw by faith that this King could recreate His broken body and make him whole. This man came in hope and faith. He expected to receive gifts from the King, mercy and loving-kindness, and He believed that the King could, and would, deliver.

In our Old Testament reading, Samuel was seeking the royal ancestor of Jesus, the replacement for King Saul. The Lord chose the smallest, youngest, and least likely-looking king to rule Israel. Samuel was commanded to anoint this unlikely David as king. In the Greek language, Samuel was commanded to “Christ” him with oil. For God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the one who establishes the Kingdom. It is a Kingdom that defies our expectations and refuses to conform to what our fallen sinful eyes expect, and even demand, to see.

Apart from the eyes of faith, Samuel could not have envisioned David to have been the great king of Israel. Apart from the eyes of faith, the twelve could not understand that the Kingdom of God would be ushered in by the Lord’s cross and passion, by His death and resurrection. Apart from the eyes of faith, the blind beggar would have been unable to see that this unlikely descendant of the unlikely king David would be able to do the work that only God Himself could do.

For from this faith is born hope. And as Paul tells us in our epistle, “we see in a mirror, dimly.” We look in the mirror and see a poor, miserable sinner.

But with the eyes of faith, we the sinful, we who have confronted our sins, we who have been turned into beggars by the law, we the baptized, we the forgiven, we who cry out in faith and hope “Lord, have mercy” – we who confess our sins and know to where we must go to receive restoration and healing – we pray to him in hope and by faith. This is the same faith that made the blind beggar well.

But St. Paul tells us that there is even something greater and more powerful than this hope that leads us to Jesus, and this faith that believes in Jesus – and that is love. For the beggar reached out in faith and hope, and His King reached back to Him in love – the same love that causes God the Father in mercy to send His Son. And in love and mercy, the Son dies for his beloved creation, freely giving them eyes of faith, restoration, reason to hope and something in which to have faith. The Holy Spirit too rests upon the Anointed One, the Christ, and upon those who have been given His name in holy baptism.

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Lord, have mercy, have love for us, throw us your gifts, restore our sight, increase our faith, give us hope, forgive us our sins, grant us everlasting life!

For look at what our Lord promises and gives, by His Word, to the blind beggar who prays with us the Kyrie, the blind man who begs for mercy over and over. Jesus says: “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” And look what happens! “Immediately, he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”

The blind beggar has become a disciple, a man whose sight has been restored, whose flesh has been cured, who retains his faith in the one who showed him mercy and showered him with His gifts. He follows Jesus, and he glorifies God.

The people around, whose eyes have seen this great wonder, are strengthened in their faith. They too place their hope in Him who has given the blind beggar not only his sight but the riches of the Kingdom. The people join the former blind beggar in giving praise to God. We continue to join them in their praise, in their hope, and in their faith – as we continue to join with the prayer “Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.”

And the Lord continues to give out His mercy to every soul who raises his hands heavenward crying out for some of His gifts to be thrown to them.

The annual ritual of Carnival is a symbol of the Christian life. For we beggars stand on the side of the street as our Lord and King is raised up before us. We cry out to Him for mercy with hopeful and expectant hands raised. Our King delivers. He casts His gifts from heaven lovingly toward us, giving us His mercy, knowing that our faith has made us well, by the grace of our King, our Rex.

When you see a crucifix, you may see four letters on top: “INRI.” This is an abbreviation of the Latin inscription on our Lord’s cross. The third letter “R” stands for Rex. For Jesus is the King, the Son of David, the Ruler of the Universe, the one by whose cross we share in the Kingdom of Heaven.

And like parade-goers, no-one whose hands are raised up in faith and hope goes home empty-handed. The Lord’s mercy endures forever. This Rex is a true Rex, the King of all Creation, the Son of God and the Son of Man. He who gives sight to the blind gives hope and faith to His beloved people.

No-one who cries out in faith and hope: “Lord, have mercy” will go away without treasures. And these treasures are not of this world, where rust and moth and flood waters destroy, but rather this Anointed Son of David, our Christus Rex, flings to us heavenly treasures – tossed to us in love and mercy, bestowed upon us by His holy Word and by His holy sacraments.

May we see Him with eyes of faith, never too proud to beg, never in arrogance so as to miss the point of His Kingdom, but rather with humble hands outstretched in hope and faith, receiving His love and mercy and storing up treasures in heaven in a Kingdom that has no end. Amen.

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

A Pleasant Surprise

I had just returned from a hospital visit to find Lionboy with beads! These were not last year's leftovers, but a new stash.

He and Mrs. Hollywood had just been to the Pawty Gras parade here in Old Gretna (which is a parade in which people dress up their pets and march down the street tossing beads, treats, and stuffed toys to everyone). For the past two years, the parade has gone by the Farmer's Market one block from our home - and so they went to check it out.

But, surprise, the parade route was also to pass right by our house. It was coming by just as I got home. So, we were treated to another round of the festivities - dogs dressed up in skirts, masks, and costumes, some dyed in different colors, all very friendly and excited - golden retrievers, boxers, dachshunds, and even a handicapped collie in a wagon - with tails wagging and eager to run to the side of the road for a pat.

Their humans were dressed up too, as music played, decorated umbrellas were twirled, and the two-legged critters showered us with goodies. We got tons of loot - beads, candy, cups, beads, toys, stuffed animals, and did I say beads? This being the last weekend before Mardi Gras, the whole region is festive, happy, friendly, and enjoying our newly-arrived warm weather (it was nearly seventy degrees). Tourism seems to be way up - which is great for our economy. Today is a perfect day for parades and frivolity.

After the parade, we cleaned our part of the street of all debris, scooped up even more candy, draped beads on our fence, and sat on the porch swing as the St. Joseph's church bells rang out Ave Verum Corpus and Panis Angelicus.

Our Depraved Culture

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Depravity is more than having a few rude or sexually inappropriate words said on TV and some people having too much to drink at Mardi Gras. There is something far more sinister, that I believe, is definitional to depravity. According to the Book of Genesis, mankind's fall into sin had nothing to do with sex, bad language, or drinking. It had to do with Satan tempting a woman into upsetting the order of creation, rebelling against the divinely established hierarchy, appealing to her selfish ambition and rejection of submission - all the while her husband sat idly by and let it happen - for he too had some putative benefit in the unholy deal.

This is when the wheels came off. This is when sickness and death entered our existence. This is when the seeds of violent crime and war were sown - seeds that would necessitate dangerous vocations such as police officers and military personnel - part of the husband's punishment that he would have to make his living by the sweat of his brow. The woman's cross had to do with pain in childbearing. The man's natural bodily strength and the woman's natural vocation for mothering created a universal cultural understanding of sex roles.

Our inability to submit: mankind to God, women to men, children to parents - our loathing for hierarchy - is what has led us into our depravity. And the depravity continues to worsen, and will worsen, until the End.

Our desire to rule: children over parents, women over men, mankind over God, continues to increase the consequences of the fall in new and more depraved ways.

In our culture, we have especially focused on the upsetting of the divine order between the sexes. The leading issues dividing the body politic and the Church are all so-called "gender issues" (e.g. homosexuality, the role of women, abortion, etc.). And these issues are nearly always discussed not in terms of how God's creation was designed to work, but rather in terms of "rights" and "what I want."

Further complicating matters, is that our notion of rights is no longer consistent with that of the founders of the United States. According to Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, rights are bestowed on creation by the Creator. In today's culture, we have dethroned the Creator. Rights are whatever we say they are. They are whatever we want - whether consistent with creation and natural law or not.

When we follow the natural order of creation, things simply work better. A hammer is more effective at pounding in a nail than a screwdriver - by virtue of its design. A screwdriver may be able to do the job, but not nearly as efficiently as a hammer. You may even hurt yourself or damage something in the process of pretending that a screwdriver is just as suited to driving nails as a hammer. It just isn't. Not even an army of ideologue professors, a crush of lawyers, and an aggressive campaign of "political correctness" can change the reality.

Similarly, if you want plumbing to work well, a male fitting needs to be coupled with a female fitting. You may be able to get two male or two female fittings to imitate the job of a properly designed joint (especially with some welding and tape), but it is a flight of fancy to think that such an unnatural arrangement will work as well as the original design and will have the staying power of a more stable arrangement. And there may well be unforeseen (and expensive) consequences for stubbornly trying to outsmart the natural order instead of simply submitting to it.

Feminism is not the "radical notion that woman are human beings" (created in the image of God, to boot). That "radical notion" is called "Christianity." Rather feminism is the radical notion that male and female are only social constructs, that there is no physical, psychological, or spiritual distinction between the sexes. Feminism is the mathematical fallacy that equality is the same as congruity. It's a lie - just as it was six thousand years ago when the Serpent first uttered it and sold us on its alleged benefits - "benefits" which include death itself.

New Orleans recently lost a police officer in the line of duty - always a sobering and somber moment for a community - especially for police officers and their families. In this particular instance the officer killed was well-liked and respected, brave, and a 24-year old woman. She was also two months pregnant.

She was overpowered by a male suspect who disarmed her and shot her with her own weapon.

Feminism killed this woman. For she was fed the lie that she could go to police school, could meet lower physical standards, learn some martial arts, carry a gun, and then she would be at no disadvantage when compared to male officers. "You can be like God" says the Serpent. You don't have to submit to the reality of a natural order you have no control over. "A screwdriver can drive in a nail as well as a hammer" says the Serpent. "Did God really say you would die?" In our post-modern and post-hierarchical culture, we are told that we can ignore the reality of nature and create our own reality. Angelina Jolie can beat up men like rag dolls in the movies, so it must be true.

The officer, Nicola Cotton, was described as a "shy, soft-spoken and ambitious young officer patrolling some of the city's most violent corridors." Her ambition to be something she was not proved fatal. Her shyness, soft-spokenness, and her upper body strength did not give her the ability to overpower her opponent. God did not make this woman for the purpose (however necessary) of confronting criminals and hauling them in. God created this woman for a more noble and sublime purpose - to bring new life into the world. By her very nature, her created nature, Officer Cotton was carrying a two-month old baby inside of her - a baby that will now never be born. I am not being critical of this heroic police officer, but rather of the culture that would approve of putting such a brave woman - a mother - into such a situation. It shows nothing but contempt for women, children, families, and God's created order.

Nicola Cotton was indeed brave and obviously cared about her city and the quality of life in our community. But she was victimized by feminism - as was her baby. The Serpent, the father of lies and the harbinger of death, is laughing.

Had she been driving a car with her two-year old child not strapped properly into a government approved safety seat, the public would be filled with outrage. If a child dies as a result of something like this, people are indignant, and may even want to proffer charges against the grieving parents. But we allow (and even encourage) a pregnant woman carrying a two month old fetus to patrol "some of the city's most violent corridors," carrying a gun, and confronting belligerent and hardened criminals who vastly overpower her physically. Does this make any sense? It does to the Serpent. He is still laughing.

What a sick and depraved culture we have become! We used to hold doors open for women and avoid spitting and using bad language in their presence - but now we ask them to protect us from murderers and thugs who outweigh them, who out-muscle them in upper body strength - and we even ask them to do it while they carry a helpless baby along with them while on patrol.

In the January 2008 edition of Lutheran Witness, LCMS president Gerald Kieschnick mentions "the shaken and upset 26-year-old wife and mother, a U.S. Marine, who sat next to [him] on a plane. She was on her way to Iraq with only a few hours notice, leaving her husband and two young children behind."

Once more, can you think of anything more depraved? This is in no way a critique of President Kieschnick, but rather with the cultural situation. Here you see the ultimate goal of the Serpent - children who lack maternal protection, mothers placed into hostile situations, fathers forced into a nurturing maternal role while their wives are off in a foreign land under martial orders and arms. Not only does this do violence to the order of creation, but also to the consequences laid down by God as a result of the fall. In this case, the wife is earning the family's bread (and taking up arms in a military action) by the sweat of her brow, while the husband has the painful duty of raising the children without her, without their mother. And this is all by choice. This woman was not drafted into the Marines.

In fact, it is especially interesting that this young woman is a Marine. For every Marine is, by definition, an armed fighting man regardless of his specialty or job . This is why there are no Marine chaplains or medical personnel (they are provided by the Navy). International law and codes of civility prevent chaplains, doctors, and corpsmen from being Marines - but the same doesn't apply to women - not even pregnant women. This is potentially the Nicola Cotton situation all over again.

How sick a society have we become when men stay at home while women are overseas being taken as POWs and getting wounded in combat situations? Could you imagine, say, Titus Pullo from HBOs Rome staying home to change diapers and buy groceries while his petite wife is camping with Caesar's Army in Gaul and taking part in gruesome battles? I imagine Titus Pullo would not believe such a thing possible, that any society could be so disordered and depraved. He certainly wouldn't just shrug and accept this as normal (and he was not even a believer in God's order of creation as a matter of theology, and knew nothing of the laughing Serpent).

The Christian Church has much more reason to be appalled than Titus Pullo.

Where is Christian outrage when young women - some pregnant, others with children at home - are being put into uniforms, given weapons, and ordered into gunfire - while Dad keeps the home-fires burning? The U.S. military forces have perfectly healthy strong young men in non-combat roles even as we have women, like this 26-year old mom, in battle zones. Police forces around the country have perfectly healthy strong young men sitting behind desks and shuffling paperwork while young women, like the 23-year old pregnant Nicola Cotton, on the streets with their service revolvers and flack jackets. Why don't the men rise up and protect the women? What has become of our civilization?

Why is it that Missouri Synod Lutherans trot out the doctrine of the order of creation when the question of ordaining women comes up, but they suddenly shelve the doctrine when it comes to dressing young mothers in cammies and combat boots and outfitting them with 9 mm revolvers or M16s? Why won't we let a woman serve as a military chaplain, but we do let our unarmed chaplains be protected by these armed women? Why do we let our wives and daughters go off to war without even a word of admonishment from the Book of Genesis? In fact, we seem to laud the practice. And can an LCMS chaplain legally criticize the U.S. policy that is at odds with Scripture? I honestly don't know what he can and can't say, but I do suspect that WELS chaplains (who are civilians) have a little more wiggle room when the Lord and Caesar don't see eye to eye.

I don't endorse female ordination by any stretch. But if we were consistent, we would either speak out against putting women in combat (domestic or foreign, police or military), or we would allow women to serve as spiritual warriors in the pulpit. The order of creation is the order of creation. Gaging by the recently published statistics of the opinions of young members of LCMS churches, we are more likely to see women serving as pastors before we see any consistent call for women to cease serving as cops and soldiers. More depraved amusement for the Serpent.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.