An Unofficial Fun Poll

Please put your answer to the following question in the comments (if you comment on Facebook I will transfer it to the blog with your name):
If you were given the great honor and responsibility to re-name your current church or to start a new congregation and name it, what would you name it and why? (This poll is open to all denominations, however, any comment without the reason why you gave it that name will be deleted)

I'll start: Holy Archangels Evangelical Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

Why? The Holy Archangels are God's sacred messengers sent to give the good news of the coming of His Messiah, Jesus Christ. St. Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, giving him the news of the coming Forerunner and the coming Christ (Luke1:5-24) and again proclaimed the birth of the Christ to the blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-38)

The Archangel, St. Michael, is also a holy messenger of God whose name means "who is like God". Not only does Michael proclaim God's Word faithfully, as when contending with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9), he also is given the charge over the angel legions to wage war against Satan and cast him into the pit (Daniel 12, Revelation 12:7-17) Because of this power over Satan and his name, some theologians think Michael the archangel is at least a type of Christ if not Christ Himself (sermon on the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels preached by Rev'd President Matthew Harrison from Issues, etc.)

Since the Holy Archangels deliver God's message of Law and Gospel faithfully and perfectly, as well as proclaiming the Incarnate Lord, I think it is a wonderful confession to name a church Holy Archangels because this is what we must always be doing in Christ's Church.

Witness, Mercy, Life Together

Wow! What more can be said? What beautiful words to hold up together as Christ's Church in the Missouri Synod.

The "perfect church service"?

I read this wonderful C.S. Lewis quote from Pr. Jeffrey Ries on Facebook:

"The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God. But every novelty prevents this. It fixes our attention on the service itself, and thinking about worship is a different thing from worshiping."
~C.S. Lewis

Wonderfully put and absolutely true. Come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith!

Witness, Mercy, Life Together

This sounds like church language, which is good considering that these words are what our new Synodical President, Rev. Matthew Harrison, is focusing on as he takes office (installation tomorrow at the Chapel of Sts. Timothy and Titus).

Read more about witness, mercy and life together.

A great sermon by Rev. William Weedon

May be listened to at Issues, etc. [Rev. Wilkens gives some commentary, which one may or may not find helpful, but the sermon is great with or without the commentary.]

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Hymn Writer and Theologian

Today the Christian Church gives thanks for our brother, Bernard of Clairvaux, who beautified the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with wonderful hymns such as this:


From our Synod's Website:
Bernard of Clairvaux, Hymnwriter and Theologian
A leader in Christian Europe in the first half of the 11th century A.D., Bernard is honored in his native France and around the world. Born into a noble family in Burgundy in 1090, Bernard left the affluence of his heritage and entered the monastery of Citeaux at the age of 22. After two years he was sent to start a new monastic house at Clairvaux. His work there was blessed in many ways. The monastery at Clairvaux grew in mission and service, eventually establishing some 68 daughter houses. Bernard is remembered for his charity and political abilities, but especially for his preaching and hymn composition. The hymn texts “O Jesus, King Most Wonderful” and “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” are part of the heritage of the faith left by Saint Bernard.


And from Issues, etc. :

St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

Today the church catholic gives thanks for the life, service, and faithful martyrdom of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr.

From Foxe's Book of Martyrs*:

Now let us enter the story of that most constant and courageous martyr of
Christ, St. Lawrence, whose words and works deserve to be as fresh and green in
Christian hearts, as is the flourishing laurel-tree...Let us draw near to the
fire of martyred Lawrence, that our cold hearts may be warmed thereby. The
merciless tyrant, understanding him to be not only a minister of the sacraments,
but a distributor also of the Church riches, promised to himself a double
prey,by the apprehension of one soul.... With furious face and cruel
countenance, the greedy wolf demanded where this Lawrence had bestowed the
substance of the Church: who, craving three day's respite, promised to declare
where the treasure might be had. In the meantime, he caused a good number of
poor Christians to be congregated. So, when the day of his answer was come, the
persecutor strictly charged him to stand to his promise. Then valiant Lawrence,
stretching out his arms over the poor, said: "These are the precious treasure of
the church; these are the treasure indeed, in whom the faith of Christ reigneth,
in whom Jesus Christ hath His mansion-place. What more precious jewels can
Christ have, than those in whom He hath promised to dwell? For so it is written,
'I was hungry and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty and ye gave me to drink; I
was harbourless and ye lodged me.' And again; 'Look, what ye have done to the
least of these, the same have ye done to me.' What greater riches can Christ our
Master possess, than the poor people, in whom He loveth to be seen?"

And from the Missouri Synod's website:

Laurence, Deacon and Martyr

Early in the third century A.D., Laurence, most likely born in Spain, made his way to Rome. There he was appointed chief of the seven deacons and was given the responsibility to manage church property and finances. The emperor at the time, who thought that the church had valuable things worth confiscating, ordered Laurence to produce the “treasures of the church.” Laurence brought before the emperor the poor whose lives had been touched by Christian charity. He was then jailed and eventually executed in the year 258 by being roasted on a gridiron. His martyrdom left a deep impression on the young church. Almost immediately, the date of His death, August 10, became a permanent fixture on the early commemorative calendar of the Church.

From the Treasury of Daily Prayer:

Almighty God, You called Lawrence to be a deacon in Your Church to serve Your saints with deeds of love, and you gave him the crown of martyrdom. Give us the same charity of heart that we may fulfill Your love by defending and supporting the poor, that by loving them we may love You with all our hearts, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

*edited by W. Grinton Berry, reprinted by Fleming H. Revell, a division of Baker Book House Company, Spire edition published 1998.

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

Sometimes you don't. That's how I've felt about blogging lately. For a long time I really loved blogging. And then life just got busy, I was busy, I didn't feel like sharing my thoughts about anything. I didn't want to engage electronically. I didn't feel like a nut.

I guess I'm starting to feel like a nut again. It's been a crazy busy summer, but in a great way. I won't go through all the minutia of our summer activities, if you would like to see what our family has been doing over the summer, my wife has done a wonderful job chronicling the many adventures of the Roemke family.


I have had many wonderful opportunities this summer, including presenting at Higher Things Sola in Grand Rapids. If you are a pastor, a parent, a grandparent, an aunt or and uncle and you have youngin's who dare to be Lutheran (or you are gently and dutifully pushing them to dare to be Lutheran) Higher Things is the best thing out there. It is wonderfully encouraging to see over 900 high school kids sing out with real vitality the hymnody and liturgy of the Lutheran Church. It is also a wonderful and encouraging thing to see 900 plus Lutheran young people interested in topics that encourage Lutheran living and a deeper understanding of the Christian faith and life from a uniquely Lutheran perspective. Next year they are having two conferences, one in Logan, Utah and the other in Memphis Tennessee. The theme of these conferences is "Given" and you may read more about them here. I am hoping to take our Good Shepherd youth and maybe I will be blessed to present again!

Another wonderful thing I would like to direct you to, especially for summer vacations. If you are travelling over the weekend and are looking for a place to worship that is Lutheran and not some kind of generic methobapticostipal mix-mash of "me" religion, I strongly recommend you check out the ELLC Directory. I was talking with a dear father in the faith today about the ELLC Directory and he was lamenting the need for something like this in the LCMS (he is not convinced that this kind of thing is necessary, I disagree). When Christ commanded Peter to feed His sheep He meant all of them, not just those who are ignorant, willfully or otherwise, of the Church's rich heritage and tradition. It is a terrible shame that some churches, in the name of missions and outreach will totally neglect a whole segment of people, young and old, who desire to be fed with the Word and Sacraments in the beautiful platter of the historic liturgy of the Lutheran Confessions. This directory is a help to those who desire to experience the Church in her full historic beauty and majesty. Now, this listing is certainly not exhaustive and I have been to very good churches that are not listed on this directory, but this is a great way to take out some of the guess-work of what you will get in a Lutheran church when out of town. We had a family visit us this past weekend because of the ELLC directory and it was a blessing to them and us!

There have been a lot of other things going on this summer, some good, some bad, some indifferent. I find that my nuttiness is beginning to wear off. I do hope to be a bit more regular with my postings, but I can make no promises.

The Walking Witness

Last Tuesday I was given the most extraordinary opportunity. I was walking to church for an elders meeting in my work clothes (black clerical collar and black pants) listening to archived episodes of Issues, etc about the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession in preparation for the Divine Service in celebration of its anniversary when a man sitting in a car in the Shell station parking lot motioned me over.

Of course, my sinful, cynical nature assumed this young man was looking for some kind of financial help and saw an easy mark in a clergyman. I asked him if I could help him. He asked if I was a priest, I told him I am a Lutheran pastor. To that, he responded with several very deep and serious questions about our Christian faith, especially when compared with the Roman Catholic faith. We talked for about 20 minutes. It was truly wonderful. Had I not just listened to two hours on Roman Catholicism from now fired Reverends Todd Wilken and Martin Noland, I would not have had the answers I did for this young man and his friend.

This is what true mission and outreach are about. It's not all about programs and gimmicks. It's not about "critical events." It's not about asking a waitress if you can pray for her. It's about the work of the Spirit creating these amazing and low-key opportunities. It's about Christians living their faith, being ready to give and account for the hope that fills them.

These two people may never come to Good Shepherd. I have certainly been praying that they would, but it is not for me to give the growth. I am simply a laborer in the Lord's vineyard. I can only give what He has given me to plant. He will cause all the growth.

So, now I wonder if I turned this witnessing story into the Ablaze! (tm) story page, that through the power of the Spirit I was able to share our Lutheran Confession of faith. That I was prepared to do so by the teaching of two faithful men who have been fired for "programmatic and business reasons." That the opportunity came only because I was dressed for work, that is in the clerical uniform of the Church of the Lutheran Confessions.

Well, they didn't post my daughter's baptism story, so we'll see.

Come back later...

After listening to a three episode series on the Issues, etc archive with Dr. Ken Wieting, author of The Blessings of Weekly Communion, I was again taken aback by the attitude of many life-long LCMSers that weekly communion would somehow diminish the value and "specialness" of the sacred visitation and digestion of Christ's most perfectand sacred gift to us: His very own body and blood.

I couldn't help but think of that old favorite portrait of Christ at the door. I guess someone inside is telling him "Come back at Christmas and Easter, we don't want to see you too much, it would make it less SPECIAL!!"

WHERE DID THIS FOOLISHNESS COME FROM!?!? Listen to the archives with the good and faithful Dr. Wieting to learn our love-hate relationship with the Eucharist.

To quote the Church Lady, "Well, isn't that SPECIAL?!"

Sorry, First (Insert Denominational Title Here) Church, someone beat you too it!

This fascinating news story tells of the discovery of the "first church," supposedly the church of the 70 with a mosaic describing the charter members as "the 70 beloved by God and Divine." I look forward to hearing more about this one.

Travel Itineraries

For my family's history, I have traveled quite a bit. I was born and raised in a northeastern Indiana farm family. My entire family (all aunts, uncles, cousins, great-aunts and great-uncles, 2nd cousins, grandparents, etc.) live within 20 miles of each other (most still do to this day!) When I was young, a two-hour car drive to the huge city of Indianapolis was a HUGE trip and very special.

But, I was not content (or really able) to stay in my family's homeland. After getting married my new bride and I moved to St. Louis so I could attend seminary and she grad school. I never imagined living that far from home for so long! My vicarage year took us to central Texas and I was not blessed to see the flat lands of corn, soy beans and wheat for a whole year. Back to St. Louis and now in Western Michigan.

My wife and I have done a lot of traveling by car in our five years of marriage. One constant about any kind of travel or moving is having an itinerary. You need to plan a trip. Know your stops, plan how far you want to go in a day, where you want to eat, pack up everything that you could conceivably need (and now with a little one, that list of "conceivable" needs boggles the mind!)

One thing is certain: when you travel, you want to be prepared. Nothing, in my mind is worse than getting to your destination and finding you have left a key component at home. Or worse, not even getting to your destination because you didn't plan well enough! I guess given my family's history of putting down deep roots in a place, my sometimes obsessive trip planning is understandable.

Perhaps that is why the Gospel reading for the fifth Sunday in Pentecost (Matthew 9:35-10:20, Series A) causes me to worry just a bit.
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying,'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Jesus sends His disciples out without any earthly travel itinerary! They have a very broad destination (the lost sheep of the house of Israel), they have a truly miraculous and earthly impossible goal (heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons), and Christ goes so far as to tell them NOT to prepare for their trip (Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff). They are sent out with Christ's word and promise as their only preparation! And this terrifies me!!

Could I be so faithful as to leave all the preparations and comforts I have set up for myself to follow Christ's word? Could I go someplace without making any plans other than to proclaim the kingdom of heaven? Is it possible that Christ is really able to do what He says? Even more amazing than that, is it possible that I could actually put my faith completely in His sufficiency?

As if all that weren't bad enough, the destination for Christ's disciples is not even that rosy. Check this out: "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

What would we do if told to leave every thing we know and love, make no provision for our journey, and be persecuted severely as a reward for our faithful following? No doubt, our practical side would scream "GET OUT OF THERE!! THIS MAN IS CRAZY! HE'S TRYING TO GET YOU KILLED!!" And indeed, Christ is trying to get us killed. He desires to tear down the old, sin-filled, foul, diseased Adam in each of us so that He may build up a new creation that is perfected in His life, death and resurrection. He calls us to deny ourselves completely and rely fully on His guidance. He calls us to loose ourselves and find in Him a perfection of righteousness and holiness. He calls us to let Him do everything, to relinquish power and control, to be found in His loving-kindness and all sufficient grace.

This is the radical call of Christ: to throw away our perceived eternal travel itinerary and to trust in Him to get us to our heavenly home. Do not be anxious about how He will do it, do not be anxious about how He will use you, but trust in His guidance and His work, for in loosing ourselves we are found in His perfection.

Maintenance or Mission--Which one will get you there?

We just got back from a very nice vacation. We drove from western Michigan to Northeast Indiana to St. Louis, Missouri, to Warsaw, Missouri back again to Western Michigan--about 1800 miles in all. As we were driving something became abundantly clear to me--we spend ENTIRELY TOO MUCH TIME and MONEY on MAINTENANCE!!

That whole trip I never once FELT the importance of spending money on oil changes or tires. Sure, it could be argued that had I not spent the time and money on gas, oil changes, tires, brake repairs, air filters, wiper blades, wiper fluid, insurance, registration, etc. we would not be able to drive, but I don't buy it!!

What we really need to do with our cars is make them MISSIONAL!! That's right, it makes perfect sense. We use cars to get places, they take us on our missions, so we need to invest all of our car money into the MISSION of auto-ownership! Our car trip would have been much nicer had we had more room. Think of all the extra seats we could put into our car if we just didn't buy gas. And if we would cut out oil changes we could make those extra seats leather with massagers, cut out tire maintenance and those seats could be heated and cooled!!

If we stopped wasting all of our time and resources "maintaining" we could have high-def, flat-screen DVD players for all the passengers. Everyone could have their own choice of seat type, climate control, and entertainment choices. Why stop there? Why not give everyone their own STEERING WHEEL!!! If it wasn't for all that wasted time and money on maintaining we could make the mission of car ownership a truly spiritual and self-satisfying experience for all.

But, then again, if I would have done that I would not have made it to my destination. Oh well, at least I wouldn't be labeled a "maintenance" car owner!!

Where you find vigilantes...

You often find a society, institutions, justice system that is either totally corrupt, useless or ineffective(or all of the above!)

I bring this up because some have said my e-mail from the previous post is vigilantism. It may be.

Think about what kind of institution would breed vigilantism. Is that necessarily a bad thing? If things are not getting done, if rules are blatantly being broken or just flat out ignored with absoltely no consequence, what is the responsibilty of the individual? Should we sit around and wait for the proper authorities to do their job? If the proper authorities refuse to do their job, are they still proper authorities?

Our Heavenly Heritage

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, our country saw an explosion of immigration from several European countries. This is not really all that new, our country is, after all, technically made up of entirely of immigrants. What was interesting about that wave of immigration was that it presented a much larger scale problem for U.S. culture. The problem of assimilation. It is a problem we face with the increasing immigration from Mexico and Latin America today. How much of your native land do you hold on to and how much do you assimilate and become like the new land?

I think it is funny when older people, especially 1st or 2nd generation German-Americans, complain about Hispanic immigrants not learning the language. Truthfully, if there had not been two devastating wars in which Germany was a very big pain in the butt (to say the least), many Midwestern Lutheran Churches would still be having exclusively German services, there would be exclusive German neighborhoods, businesses, schools, libraries, etc.

This struggle with assimilation into a new culture is a very real struggle with Christians. We must never forget that, as Christians, this worldly truly is not our home. We are foreigners, strangers in a strange land. So, how much of our heavenly heritage do we hold on to and in what ways can we be like our present culture? Over and over again Scripture tells us that we cannot assimilate one bit. It is, in fact, impossible because we are dead to sin and alive to Christ.

It is part of the pastoral office to maintain our heavenly heritage. That's one very good reason why we do not simply do things the same on Sunday as we do the rest of the week. Our worship should be the last place we assimilate, and yet it is often the first place. My Fathers would weep to know of my limited knowledge of their native language. They would find it inconceivable that I do not have the German Small Catechism memorized. They would wonder if I were, in fact, truly Lutheran.

Perhaps our church Fathers would also weep to know of our limited knowledge of the native language of the Church, the divine liturgy. They, I'm sure, would find it inconceivable how little I know about the doctrines and struggles of the Church, perhaps they would even wonder, from all outward appearances, if I were even a Christian at all.

Our heavenly heritage is of great importance. While assimilation is a tempting thing, it is not an option for one who truly loves and longs to return to the Fatherland.

Communisquity

An excellent post by Pr. Tom Chryst on what "open" communion really is.

Is there a connection...

Between the generation (mostly, from what I can discern, in my grandparents age, commonly called the "greatest generation") that was told by "knowledgeable" doctors, nurses, mothers, friends, etc. that breast feeding their babies was the worst thing they could do and the same generation that was told by "knowledgeable" pastors, district presidents, seminaries, etc. that weekly communion was the worst thing they could do???

It seems to me that there must be some connection and it seems the connection lies in some uber-confidence in the know-how, intuition and ultimate perfection of man through scientific reason and theory. In both instances, the good gifts of God, given for the perfect nourishment of His people are utterly disregarded in favor of a starvation diet of the intellect.

As my lovely wife and I are taking pre-birthing classes, I am amazed, as are many of the younger nurses and doctors, that there was ever a time when something as perfect as breast feeding would have been cast aside. My parents generation, and in many cases, my own generation are now reaping the bitter fruit of that "wisdom" of men with lowered immunities, hightened allergies and a long list of other possible ailments that came from this denial of God's provision.

Many of my peers in the Office of the Holy Ministry are also amazed that there was ever a time when pastors, well-meaning or not, would have denied the faithful feeding of their flocks. Our Church is also reaping that bitter fruit with apathy, spiritual anemia, allergic reactions to sanctification, and general disease.

And yet, there are still some die-hards who insist breast feeding is not nearly as good as formula, those same die-hards insist that weekly communion is not nearly as "special" as monthly, or even, God forbid, quarterly communion.

What a shame. God, preserve us from looking too highly on our own abilities and know how and turn us to Your perfect wisdom which shines forth from the bright light of the Incarnate Word!

Home Blessed

Well, we had 31 people at our home yesterday for the open house and home blessing. It was very nice and several people commented on what a nice rite it is. Thanks to Pr. Jon Krenz for officiating. This rite has a lot of great potential for sharing the faith and the Word with friends, neighbors and family who may not go to church. As Scripture says, God's Word does not return void, but accomplishes the purposes for which He sent it. Pastors, encourage your people to use this rite. Teach about it and use it yourself as an example for them to see it in practice. Laypeople, ask your pastors about it, and for heaven's sake, don't let them tell you its too Catholic! Its in our Lutheran Service Book and valuable for the edification and sanctification of the Christian life.

Everything I need to know about Life in Christ, I learned in the Divine Service

1. There is one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and He has marked me as His own by the Cross of Christ. (Invocation)

2. I am sinful and deserve nothing from God except His wrath and punishment. If I don't believe and confess this I am a liar. (Confession)

3. Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for me and for Christ's sake, He forgives me all of my sins. So that I would believe that more completely, God has called and ordained certain men to assure me of my temporal and eternal forgiveness. (Absolution)

4. As a forgiven child of God, I am invited and commanded to offer Him my prayer and praise. I may come into His divine and glorious presence for He has had mercy on me.(Service of the Word: Psalm/Introit, Kyrie, Hymn of Praise, Salutation and Collect of the Day)

5. Holy Scripture is the Word of the Lord, it does not contain some of the Word of the Lord, but is wholly, without doubt the complete Word of God, for this reason, I give God thanks. (Readings and their responses)

6. The Holy Gospel is Christ speaking. Where else can I go to find eternal life? Because of this the Church raises up her alleluias of praise. (Alleluia and Verse)

7. I believe in God the Father Almighty, and in One Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. My faith is my own but it is the same as the Church throughout time. I cannot rely on anyone else's faith for my eternal salvation. (The Creed)

8. God's love for me is so great that He has given me a trained and ordained pastor and preacher, that His Word may be delivered to me in its truth and purity, that I may be convicted by God's Law and learn to live under it and that I may see with new sweetness and thanksgiving the life-giving and freeing Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Sermon)

9. Again, God calls me to come directly to Him in prayer. There is one Mediator between God and man, the one man, Jesus Christ. In His name I join with the Church, offering up prayers and petitions and thanksgiving for all things. (Prayer of the Church)

10. I am blessed to give God's Church a part of the blessings God has given me so that the work of the Gospel, namely the ministry of Word and Sacrament, may continue through His called and ordained servants. (Offering and Offertory)

11. The Lord is with us so we lift our hearts and give thanks, singing Him songs of praise, the very angelic hymn, which confesses our Holy Triune God to be almighty and having salvation in His wings. (Preface, Sanctus and Proper Preface)

12. God loves me so much that He has graciously taught me to pray. (Lord's Prayer)

13. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Mary, has given me His own body and blood as He says in His Gospel which is the true and complete Word of God. The bread and wine that we receive as a testament of the Lord's death are truly what He says they are, that is Body and Blood given for our forgiveness. (Words of Institution)

14. The Peace of the Lord is found in His Eucharist which gives us Christ and the forgiveness of sins. (Pax Domini)

15. I recognize Christ in the Sacrament by the words of St. John the Baptizer and Forerunner: Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world. (Agnus Dei)

16. Again, God in His all-availing love, has not left me to my own reason and experience to know that He comes to us in the body and blood, but has called and ordained certain men to give us and assure us that we receive the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins. (Distribution)

17. My response to God's mercy and kindness is a canticle of praise, either thanking our Lord and singing His praise, or asking Him to bless us with peace for the gift of His salvation, and coming before Him in prayer. (Post-Communion Canticle and Collect)

18. I leave this beautiful presence of the Lord, again reminded that it is in the name of the Triune God that I received and continue to receive all blessings, namely the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. (Benediction)

19. Amen, that is, it shall be done.

Let People Confess

I have a big pet peeve. Why do pastors refuse to let their people confess their sins? I'm not talking about not having times for private confession and absolution. I'm talking about those times when God's people faithfully harken to the call to repent and the pastor does, what in my opinion, is the stupidest, most faithless thing he could do..."That's not really a sin," or "That's not that bad."

If people come to you with something to confess, let them! Give them the sweet gift of Holy Absolution. I don't care if its something as seemingly trivial as going 1 mile over the speed limit, if that has caused a dear saint in Christ to despair so much so that they would come to you privately seeking the Gospel, GIVE IT TO THEM!!!

I had a pastor to whom I made confession once, many years ago. It was a big sin that I struggled with for years. He looked at me and said, "It's not that big of a deal, many people do that." Why did he do it? Why does any pastor turn away a penitent sinner? Perhaps its because they struggle with the same sin but have not or refuse to acknowledge it as sinfulness. Perhaps its because they despise their office and the Gospel, refusing to give that which was given freely, it to a beggar. Whatever the reason, if you are a pastor and have done this, REPENT! If you are a lay-person and have done what few Lutherans are willing to do by going to private confession, make your pastor forgive you. It's his job! Don't ever let him off with "that's ok, it's not a big deal!" The atonement of Christ is a big deal and He has given it to you at a high cost.