Worship

Christmas creep is such that we have been seeing Christmas things in stores for some time now. I was looking for something in Lowes back in early October and while I expected to see Halloween things I was a bit surprised to see the Christmas trees right behind them. At this point I’m not sure there is much use in telling you but, in case you didn’t know it, Christmas will be coming soon. In the Church we have our own way of preparing for Christmas and that is the season of Advent. Advent is a time to look forward to Christ coming to earth. It is a time to look backward and remember that God’s people of old waited for a long time and trusted in a lot of promises of a Savior before He was   actually born. And Advent is a time to look at ourselves right now and consider how our Savior’s return effects our lives in this moment.

This Advent and Christmas we will be looking at the miracle of Christ’s birth with the theme of “Savior of the Nations”. The first thing that comes to mind for many is the familiar Advent hymn Savior of the Nations, Come. We  will use this hymn (and others) this season as we consider how Our Lord was born to save not only you and me but all  people. The hymn beautifully focuses on the two natures of Christ and the full revelation of God in the person of Jesus.

Not by human flesh and blood,

By the Spirit of our God,

Was the Word of God made flesh—

Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh. (LSB 332)

The flesh and blood of the God-man brings our salvation. God has become one of us. He has been eternally joined to the stuff of Mary’s womb so that He might be present for us. And this not of man, but a gift of God, a work of the Spirit. The mystery of the incarnation causes all of us to ponder anew the sacrificial love of God. To be fully one of us, to share with us in all things, to know no sin, and yet to become sin for us, that is the stuff that causes all creation to fall at His feet and worship. There is no greater love of God than the work of Jesus Christ in rescuing falling creation.

Have a blessed Advent as we prepare for our Lord’s coming and a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the Nations.

– Pastor Mehl

Reformation Day is October 31. It is October 31 because that is the day before November 1. November 1 is All Saints’ Day. The Reformation is really an entire movement that spanned many years and manifested itself in many different ways. With things like this it is not always easy to pin down a start date. October 31 was chosen because that is the day that Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg.

Now why would he do a thing like that? At that time, the church door was like a bulletin board so plenty of people nailed things to it (think yard sale, lost pet, babysitting fliers, etc.). A lot of people went to church there at that time and since there were not denominations as we have them today, everyone went to the same church. If you wanted people to see your flyer, then you would have to post it in a place people would see it. The church door fit that bill. So, Luther posts his 95 topics for discussion to the church door and since it becomes very hard to take this public act back once you have done it, this is the accepted start of the Reformation.

October 31 was chosen because it would have provided one of the largest audiences of the year for flyers posted to the church door. Again, because All Saints’ Day was the following morning. This means that the importance of All Saints’ Day to the church of Luther’s day is the reason that the Reformation began on the day that it did. Many modern Christians might raise an eyebrow at this because All Saints’ Day is not nearly as prominent as, say, Christmas or Easter. Why not? Why do we not think All Saints’ Day is a bigger deal? Good question.

First of all, it must be said that Roman Catholics have a different view of “Saints” than nearly all other Christians. Yet, when most people think of Saints they think of them in Roman Catholic terms. We call to mind people who have done especially good things in their lives and are now worthy of having their likeness affixed to a candle available for purchase from Spanish speaking grocery merchants and Catholic gift shops. This view of saints deliberately sets them apart as a thing that only the very pious may become and therefore, very few. Most of us do not think of ourselves as worthy of being put on the outside of a candle.

If we turn our eye to God’s Word what do we find? Paul in the beginning of his letter to the Romans says, “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints”. It seems that Paul is calling all the Christians in Rome Saints. Either that or Romans was written to only a select few people there. This would also be the case with many of Paul’s other letters i.e. 1 & 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians.

So how are we to understand what is and is not a saint? Let’s take Paul’s view and view all Christians as Saints. That would include you and me. But especially on All Saints’ Day we remember those Saints who no longer struggle with sin, those who have died and are now with their Lord. So for us, All Saints’ Day can, and perhaps should, be a special day for us as we remember our family and friends who believed as we do that Jesus is Lord and have passed away. For them, however, life is much easier and much better. So much so that we look forward to joining them. Happy All Saints’ Day this November 1.  ~ Pastor Mehl

In celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, our circuit will be holding a special Reformation service on Sunday, October 29 at 7:00 pm at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Lockwood. This service is open to all of the people in our circuit (and frankly, anyone at all who wants to come). Many of the pastors of our circuit will be involved in the service and there are plans to involve all of the different congregation’s choirs that wish to participate as well. This service will be a splendid opportunity for us to celebrate the Reformation with the fellow Lutherans in our circuit.
LWML

Last month I wrote about the Reformation in terms of its effects on Christians today as its 500th anniversary approaches. I talked mostly about its importance to Germans, Lutherans, (German Lutherans) other protestants, and even Roman Catholics. I didn’t talk all that much about the theology behind the reformation though. Certainly there are a lot of parts to the Reformation. Some of them really have nothing to do with the church (i.e. the printing press being the first form of mass media, the relationship that the various rulers had with each other and with the Pope, etc.). For us, one of the most influential parts of the Reformation is the theology. Certainly as Lutherans we carry Luther’s name and we also carry his theology.

When one considers Luther’s impact on Christian theology, it is always good to remember that he did not set out to create a new or separate church body. Luther was a good Catholic who was interested in making the rest of the Church good Catholics too. He set out to help correct the church, to reform it. Not to leave it. However, due to the circumstances of the time, this was not possible and the Reformation has become known as the time when the Christian Church was split into multiple denominations. Luther first engaged his superiors over the issue of indulgences. Selling indulgences in exchange for the forgiveness of sins was an understandable money-maker for the Roman Catholic Church but this is not Luther’s chief concern. His argument was more theological. Could anyone, the Pope included, even provide what indulgences claimed to offer? It was possible to buy an indulgence that forgave you all of your sins and thus guaranteed your entrance to heaven. On October 31, 1517, Luther asked some questions about this. He asked if the Pope even had a storehouse of forgiveness to dish out to paying customers. If he did, why did he not forgive everyone for free? Why make poor people pay for forgiveness, more than that, potentially send them to hell if they could not?

This issue is the one that Luther and various representatives of the church would argue about in the early days of the Reformation. But it was really more of a jumping off point to a larger issue which was: How do people get to heaven in the first place? Do they get there by doing works, by being good, by helping others, by saying prayers (or buying indulgences)? Or do we go to heaven because Jesus died on the cross and won forgiveness for us?

If you have been a Lutheran for any length of time, I trust you know how Luther (and therefore, we) answer this question. We have salvation, we go to heaven, because Jesus died and rose to earn it for us. He gives it to us free of charge. We do not have, nor are we able, to add anything to Jesus’ work. This is the essential difference between Lutheran Theology and Roman Catholic Theology (and most other Christian Theology as well for that matter). Relying solely on God’s grace for our salvation is the touchstone of Reformation theology.
This month, as we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, rest at ease knowing that you are not asked to do things in order to earn your salvation. You get to go to heaven for free. You get to go because of God’s grace, because of what He has done for you. And because of the Reformation you get to hear that gospel message in church every week.
~ Pastor Mehl