“God with Us in This Place”

(On April 23, 1865, the first Sunday after Easter, 150 Years ago today, Holy Cross Lutheran Church was organized. Meetings had been taking place since December 26, 1864. Since that day regular worship has continued at Holy Cross, Emma. To commemorate the occasion, here's the sermon from the first anniversary service on December 21, 2014.) 

Text: Luke 1:26-38

In the name of Jesus, dear fellow redeemed,

Put yourselves in the shoes of those who gathered for the first time to form our congregation 150 years ago It was December 26, 1864. As they gathered in someone’s home that day with Pastor Biltz, what was on their minds?

It was 11 weeks to the day after the October 10 bushwhacker attack on the community. That day Sophia Dierking Haesemeier—who would live longer than any of the other founders—lost her father, Johann Heinrich Dierking, to the rebels. She was the only one to lose a family member in that attack. This group had suffered in previous attacks. Johann Dietrich Oetting’s brother Christian had been killed in the bushwhacker attack on October 5, 1862. Johann Dietrich’s wife Dorothea and her brother Wilhelm Ehlers lost a brother, Christian Heinrich Ehlers in the attack on August 29, 1861. 

Remember that at Christmas in 1864, the war was still four months from being over. There was still plenty of uncertainty to go around. If there was uncertainty surrounding the war, then there was also uncertainty surrounding their families. 

Death would not let them be. Looking back through records, you see that a lot of these families lost children at a young age. From the thirteen original families, a total of sixteen children and two grandchildren died before reaching adulthood. The family of Friedrich and Sophia Beermann alone lost six children—four of them before the age of two. Those are just the deaths we know about after the church was started, there are probably more from before 1865. These would be the first of hundreds of funerals —988 (as of April 990) to be exact—to take place on our cemetery. 

These people needed to hear good news. There they were the day after Christmas. They wanted to hear good news. So where did they turn? Pastor Biltz brought them God’s Word. They heard and received the same comfort and peace that the Lord gives to us each time we gather.

This is the good news that the Angel Gabriel declared to Mary. The good news for her is also the good news for us as we gather together in this place. Gabriel said to Mary, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” This morning we’ll wonder with Mary at “what sort of greeting this might be.”

            

            Different languages have interesting ways giving a greeting. In Hebrew you say “shalom” which means “peace.” In South Africa, Zulu people say, “Sawubona” which literally means “I see you”. In Thai, people say “gin khao reu yung” (or something like that) which means “have you eaten rice?” But the ancient Greek greeting remains my favorite. To greet someone in ancient Greek you say, “χαῖρε” which comes from the word “rejoice.”

            

           As we read the Gospel narratives, when angels appear to people, it’s time for them to rejoice. First we see the angel Gabriel appearing to Zachariah. He and Elizabeth are going to rejoice because they’re going to have a baby—John the Baptist! Gabriel then appears to Mary. She and Joseph will rejoice because she’s going to have a baby too—our Lord Jesus!

The angel army appears to the shepherds and tells them the “good news of great joy that will be for all people.” They’re going to rejoice because the savior, who is Christ the Lord has been born.

The angels appear to the women at Jesus’ tomb. They declare to the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen!” If that’s not reason for rejoicing, I don’t know what is.

This good news of the Angels is the same good news that Holy Cross Lutheran Church has always proclaimed. We have peace, we have better pediatric care then our founders, but we still face uncertainty each and every day. Not a single one of us knows what this day, week, or year will hold for us.

Mary’s life suddenly became full of uncertainty. What would her parents think? What would her neighbors think? What would Joseph think? For the time being all of these things and so many others were uncertain. But Mary faced the uncertain future with confidence and joy because she trusted the angel’s word.

We can go into our uncertain futures with joy because what the angels proclaim is true for us too. We rejoice because Jesus has been born as one of us. We rejoice because He us our savior who died for us. We rejoice because He is risen from the dead. Your sins are forgiven and you have favor with God.

Gabriel calls Mary, “O favored one.” Mary even wondered what this meant. She was “greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”

We don’t know much about Mary. Zachariah and Elizabeth are described as “righteous and devout” Joseph is called “just.” But we don’t have any word to describe Mary’s character. She must have at least been someone you look at and think, “She’ll make a great mom.” All we know about Mary is that she was a virgin.

Mary knew one thing; she was not worthy of what was about to happen to her. She was afraid like all sinful human beings are when they stand presence of someone who simple stands in God’s presence.

            God favors Mary—not because there was anything special about her—but because of the child she would soon bear. She was favored only because the source of all God’s grace and favor would become a human being in her womb. It shows the power is coming from God and not her.

            We have to say the same thing about us and our congregation. God has given us 150 years together. We haven’t deserved a single second of it. How many times have we despised God’s Word? How many times have we belittled our brothers and sisters in Christ? How many times have sought our own way rather than seeking to love?

            We have been wicked and hateful. We have loved only ourselves. We have neglected our own and completely ignored the world outside. We are totally unworthy of the gifts God has given to us.

            But like Mary, God shows us His grace. He shows us His grace through Mary’s child who was born to live and die for you and for me.

God has given us 150 years together in this place. He has favored us as we’ve heard His Word here together. He’s favored us since the day we first received His grace in the waters of Holy Baptism. He feeds us with His grace and favor when we come to His table to receive His body and blood given for the forgiveness of sins. He’s favored us by giving us the declaration of absolution—forgiveness from the mouth of the pastor—the same words that Jesus Himself would say if He were standing before us. He has given us favor by giving us each other. He promises that where two or three gather together in His name He is here with us.

That’s what the angel said to Mary, “The Lord is with you!”

Mary asked how this would happen—since she was a virgin. Gabriel answered. The Holy Spirit came upon her, the power of the Most High overshadowed her, and the child in her womb was holy, the Son of God! Right there you have Spirit, Father and Son! The whole Trinity was there with Her.

Our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is with us also. The Holy Spirit has called, gathered, and enlightened us. He has made us part of the Holy Christian Church. He was given to us in our baptism as a down payment of eternal life. 

            The Father has determined the places of all people. He made us and knew our entire lives even before we were born. He knew that when the Holy Spirit called you into His kingdom, you would join your brothers and sisters in Christ in a place called Emma here today.  

            Jesus promises that wherever two or three are gathered in His name, He is there with them. Thanks be to God, we have never been quite that small, but the original gathering wasn’t much bigger. Look at where God has brought us today. Christ Jesus is with us no matter how many gather on any given Sunday.

            This is what we believe, this is what our founders believed, and this is what Mary learned through her Son. She responded, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.” 

            When Martin Luther preached on this passage, he listed three miracles that happened here. First we have a virgin conceiving. Second, God the Son becomes a human being—we call it the incarnation. And third, Mary believes what she has heard.

Which one do you think is the greatest of these three? For God to make a virgin conceive is no big deal. For God to become a human being us really a mystery—but definitely within His ability. It needed to happen so that Jesus could die and rise in a human body.

But the greatest of these miracles, Luther says, is that Mary believed. The Holy Spirit had already created faith in her heart. Now that faith was expressed by accepting and submitting to God’s will. That’s how the miracles happened.

Mary’s uncertainty was changed into unwavering faith. Our founders were comforted in their uncertainty by the Good News of Mary’s son and Lord. And so you, when you receive this good news once again, trust and believe. Through the proclamation of the good news, you will be built up in your faith each time you hear.

 

            This is the task we have before us this year. How will we answer the Lord’s call like Mary? Those thirteen families heard the call and started our church because they wanted to hear the good news of Jesus every Sunday for the rest of their lives. They wanted a pastor to bring them God’s Word and His Sacraments in the good times and bad times. They wanted teachers to teach their children about God’s Word and His world.

We are also the servants of the Lord. How will we bring Christ to the world? How will we give them joy in the midst of their pain? How will we show them that God favors them and loves them in Christ? How will we show them that they don’t need to feel alone-the Lord is with them?

             Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is our challenge for this year of celebration. We have done this for 150 years. How will we do it now? How will we continue what they have started?

            We start it with joy because Jesus has been born for us. We start it with God’s grace because we are forgiven. We start it with confidence because He is with us. “All this he does out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in you or me or anyone else. For all this it is our duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.” This is most certainly true. Amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus,

Amen 

Address on the Occasion of the 150th Anniversary of Holy Cross Lutheran Church

(This is what I shared with people at the dinner celebrating the 150th anniversary of Holy Cross Lutheran Church on April 19, 2015. Pastor Ken Klaus spoke right after this.) 

            I want to begin by simply thanking everyone for their kindness to me and Julia since we first announced this ordeal just three weeks ago. We know that there has been a tidal wave of prayers soaking God’s throne of grace not only from here but from throughout the world. We can say that our prayers have been answered. God has been very good to us and merciful to me. The surgery went very well. The cancer was limited to the area of colon which they were able to remove. So far, I’ve been able to make a good recovery. It’ll still be a while before I’m back to full strength, but I’m feeling better each day. 

            We want to thank all of you not only for your prayers but also for all of the meals, cards, and words of encouragement you all have given. They have meant so much to me, Julia, and Hannah. Once again you have taken care of us in absolutely wonderful ways.

            If this ordeal has taught me anything already it’s this: As a pastor, I am replaceable. God’s work in this congregation does not necessarily depend on me. This is actually a great comfort. Look at what happened. I had surgery on Tuesday of Holy Week. Yet all of the Holy Week and Easter celebrations happened without me—they were even well attended. The Easter Egg hunt was again a huge success. The planning for the after school care program continued to move forward—look for a presentation of that plan at the voters meeting next week. All of this could keep moving while I’ve been recovering. To God be the glory!

            This is okay. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains this. The congregation there had a serious problem with people being too devoted to one or another of the pastors who had served them. Here’s what he says in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9:

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

            No one understands this better than a congregation that can boast 150 years of God’s blessings. We’ve had twelve pastors now. Almost all of you remember Pastor Swanson. Many of you remember Pastor Brandt or Pastor Schumpe. Fewer remember the first Pastor Hepting or Pastor Harting. Is there anyone here this morning who remembers Pastor Demetrio? If not, it’s okay, he retired in 1926.

            All of them did important work and so did the ones before. I’m encouraged when I read about guys like Pastor Hermann Wille. Unless you’ve been digging in the history book, you’ve probably not heard of him. He served here from 1874-1886. In those twelve years some important things were accomplished. The congregation wrote its first constitution and (more importantly) helped to start Immanuel Lutheran Church in what would become Sweet Springs. He also conducted more funerals in one year than any pastor before or since (24 in 1876—I think there was a typhoid epidemic that year).

            It’s okay that no one remembers the work he did. The work of comforting people with the Gospel, setting up a new congregation where the Word will be proclaimed and the sacraments administered and even gathering the church together are all God’s work. As Paul wrote, it doesn’t matter who the man is, God is working through it all anyway.

My time here has been less than 2% of our congregation’s history. But when I came here, you were all already Christians. I was just able to fit right in to the work that others had been doing for almost a century and a half. Knowing that coming in was a huge relief for me.

It’s a huge relief going forwards as well. Let’s not forget that today our prayers are not just thanking God for the past, but also asking Him to bless our future. Our prayer is that 150 years from now, our great, great, great, great grandchildren will be here celebrating the 300^th Anniversary of Holy Cross Lutheran Church. It won’t matter if they remember our names or not as long as they still keep Christ crucified at the center of our church’s life and ministry. Who knows what exciting things they will have to add to the story of what God will do in this place?

Funeral Sermon for Brenda Bredehoeft

Jesus said to [Martha], "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."

(John 11:25-27)

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—especially to you, Dennis, Kelly, Karla, Julie, friends and family of Brenda

            In a battle with cancer, it’s very hard to let anything but that horrible disease define who you are. As you all know, there’s so much more to Brenda than cancer. Her world revolved around seven grand kids who called her “Nana”. Even though you guys are scattered across the country she still did so much for you. There were trips—especially to Destin, Florida and Disney along with many to Branson. 

            She loved sharing with you—whether it was meals at a restaurant, cookies from the oven, or produce from her large garden, she wanted you to share in it. She wanted you to share in it even if it meant sending you produce through the mail. This apparently works—occasionally.

             Brenda faced cancer with boldness and courage. Even when it reared its nasty head a second time, she was not dismayed. Even when the end was near, she didn’t give up hope. Her trust in Christ carried her through. She knew Jesus’ promise, “everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

            I know your mom told you not to cry. But that’s something you’re just not going to be able to do. If it isn’t today, tomorrow or next week, the tears will come. It’s okay. Just look at Jesus in our reading. He cried at the death of His friends, certainly it is okay for us to do the same.

            The tears you have shed and the tears that you will shed in the coming days come because you loved Brenda as your wife, mother, grandmother, or friend. God gave you those relationships, those times, and those memories. Although Brenda wasn’t perfect, you still had good times with her.

            That’s the nasty thing about sin. It not only separates us from God, but it also separates us from each other. That’s why we cry. This is where sin brings us—your sin, my sin, Brenda’s sin. It brings us to death.

            But today we have Jesus to not only tell us, but show us His victory over sin and death, your death, my death, and Brenda’s death. We pick up the story as Jesus is coming to his friends, a family in morning. Jesus first meets Martha. Martha attacks Him and says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

            If only. We all play this game. If only Jesus would have been there He could have healed Lazarus and saved everyone a lot of trouble. If only Jesus would have done something—we know He did it for others—why not for the one we love?

            Should you find yourself playing the “if only” game with God, don’t think that you’ve lost faith. Jesus doesn’t reprimand her for what she says. Martha might be a little frustrated with Jesus, but she still knows that despite her frustration she can trust Jesus.

            She does trust Jesus and He speaks those words to her that have been such a great comfort to your family over the last few weeks, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

            So we answer with Martha, “Yes Lord, I believe! Yes I believe that the Father has sent you into the world to be the Christ—the one who would take away our sins. You, Lord Jesus, are the one, the only one, who can fix my problem with death.”

            Next Jesus meets Mary. Mary says the same thing her sister said—at least the first half. She can’t get out any more than the first sentence before she falls at Jesus feet in tears. What’s Jesus’ reaction? He’s deeply moved. He’s troubled because He sees the trouble that death is causing His friends. He cries. He cries along with her.

            Notice that we have different people grieving in different ways. That’s the way it works. Some days we might be like Martha who was ready to talk, both to argue and be comforted. Some days we might be more like Mary who can’t do anything but cry. Jesus is there for both of them. Jesus is here today for you.

Our Lord Jesus has been where we are today. God knows what it’s like to lose a friend. Jesus became like us in every way so that we can go to Him confidently and find grace in our times of need.

But Jesus was not only at funerals as a mourner. He was also where Brenda is today. We can take comfort that Jesus both died and was buried. If we are following Jesus, we must go everywhere He has gone. We follow Him even through death and the grave. We know we can follow Him there because He is the resurrection and the life. So even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil because He is with us. Sure, Jesus died and was buried, but it didn’t last! Because it didn’t last for Him, it won’t last for you, for me, or for Brenda either.

            Death certainly didn’t last for Lazarus! Jesus comes to his grave and asks for them to do the unthinkable—take away the stone! Jesus is willing to take on death, no matter how bad it smells. He calls Lazarus, “Lazarus, come out.” John records what happens next in a very matter of fact sort of way, “The man who had died came out.”

            In the chapter before this Jesus said, “He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:2-3) and “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)

            Jesus calls Lazarus by name and He comes out. He comes out because not even death can keep us from recognizing the voice of our Good Shepherd. Jesus called Brenda by name in the waters of Holy Baptism. He called her out of her battle with cancer last Sunday so that now she is at peace with Him. He will call her name once again when He calls us all from the sleep of death to live with Him in the new heavens and the new earth that we heard about in the reading from Revelation 21.

Jesus wins. Cancer lies broken beneath His feet with death, the devil and hell. Those things may separate us from each other now, but they cannot separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Through Him we are winning an overwhelming victory. 

For us, who believe in Jesus, death is just a temporary interruption of our time together. God gave you wonderful years with you Brenda here on earth. She is now with Him and we will all be back together in His presence, never to be separated ever again.

Kelly, Karla, and Julie the last two weeks you were able to spend with your mom were certainly precious times for her. No doubt you will treasure the memories you made during those final days for the rest of your lives. You laughed together. You cried together. She and your Dad were able to share with you the reason your mom was able to die with such peace and such confidence. She knew Jesus, the resurrection and the life. She trusted Him and His promise that “everyone who believes in me will live even though he die, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

            You saw her fall asleep in Christ with the sure and certain hope of eternal life. Our prayer is that God would continue to comfort you with this Good News. May He do so until that day when we all see each other when He calls us again. Amen.

Joy in Preaching the Resurrection

       Often as a pastor, I get to preach not only what people need to hear, but what I myself as a fellow sinner need to hear. Tomorrow will be a perfect example of this. The day before I went in for surgery, one of the members of our congregation, a l woman named Brenda Bredehoeft went into the hospital. Brenda had been going through her second round of cancer. Finally on Sunday, Brenda fell asleep in Jesus, surrounded by her husband and daughters. You can read the obituary for this wonderful sister in Christ here.

       The thought crossed my mind, "wouldn't it be scary to do a funeral for someone who died from cancer while you have cancer?" Yes it would. It would be terrifying except that at a Christian funeral it get's to be all about Jesus and His victory over death for Brenda and for me. That's far more meaningful and even real than any fears I might have.

      Putting together the funeral service with the family was comforting for me, and I think for them as well. We read scripture and hymns that point to Jesus' victory over death. I really like what they picked (I only suggested a few of them) and I'll share it with you here:

Hymns: (all from LSB)
801 "How Great Thou Art,"
461 "I Know that My Redeemer Lives"
490 "Jesus Lives! The Victory's Won."
744 "Amazing Grace" 

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

        I suggested this reading because Brenda liked to share food (offering everyone part of her meal at restaurants), and here God is going to share the best food with everyone! What a great party! We are there because Jesus has defeated death for us.

Epistle Reading: Revelation 21:1-7

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

       The family really like this passage when they saw verse 4 on one of the bulletin covers we keep on hand for funerals. Again, it's a wonderful description of the new heavens and new earth which we will inhabit when Christ comes again for us. The crying, pain and former trouble will all be gone!


Gospel Reading John 11:17-44 (I'll put just part of it here)

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world." (21-27)


Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept. (32-35)


Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." (38-44)


     Verses 25-26 were especially comforting to Brenda and her Husband Dennis in her last days. It's an awesome text to proclaim the resurrection! Brenda is now with the Lord and her battle with cancer is over. And God also promises to raise or bodies so that we will live with Him when He comes again. Death is not the end for those who trust in Christ Jesus!


      The first sermon I preached at Holy Cross was a funeral the day after I was ordained and installed. I guess it's fitting that my first time in the pulpit after cancer surgery would be a funeral also. Yes, this is why I became a pastor, to bring Jesus and His life to the people who need to hear it most--even if that also happens to be me.

Recovery Reading

Now that I've got time on my hands, here's what I'm reading as I recover. I figure if I'm going to be reading it, I might as well let you know if I think it's worth your time.

To Live with Christ: Daily Devotions by Bo Giertz
by Bo Giertz (Translated from Swedish by Richard Wood and Bror Erickson)
Concordia Publishing House, 2008

     This book was given to me by CPH when I graduated from the seminary. To be honest, it sat on my shelf until just before my surgery. I was looking for a good devotion our elders could share with shut-ins while I was recovering. I found excellent devotions for them to use. I thought they were so good, I would take the book with me to the hospital. Julia and I started reading the day before my surgery and we have read it each day since.

    The title does not disappoint. For each day Giertz give you a short reading, often summed up in one verse. The devotions are about a page and a half long reflection on the text. They always point you to Christ and His means of grace. Then comes the prayer. This is where the meat of the personal application lies. Giertz has a wonderful way of bringing you into God's Word. You can almost feel the excitement of a new Christian who has just discovered the Gospel. (Giertz himself made the journey from atheism to Christianity). I wholeheartedly recommend this book for personal, family or group devotions.

Find it here at cph.org!

 Luther Discovers the Gospel: New Light upon Luther's Way from Medieval Catholicism to Evangelical Faith
by Uuras Saarnivaara
Concordia Publishing House, 2005 (originally published in Finnish in 1947)

     My Uncle, Herb Mueller, gave me this book when I was ordained and highly recommended it. Now I see why. Saarnivaara wrote in the middle of the Twentieth Century, a time when most Luther research was focused on the "early Luther", that is the reformer's writings before he posted the 95 Theses in 1517. The author has two goals, first to show that Luther in his early years did not quite have the same understanding of the gospel, justification, or the "righteousness of God" as he would in later years (beginning in 1518). Second, he clearly shows how justification and the "righteousness of God" are to be understood. They are gifts from Christ Himself. Clearly understood they help us see the forgiveness of sins won for us on the cross.

     Saarinivaara traces Luther's thought development through his reading of Augustine, advice from Staupitz, lecturing on theology and scripture. Two passages come up again and again: Romans 1:17 "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'"and Psalm 31:1 "In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!"

    Luther's understanding of these passages was key to his development as he began to understand that God's righteousness was not His condemnation but His grace won by Christ for us.

    I recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of Luther or why the Lutheran church presents the Gospel the way we do. There is a bit of heavy lifting to be done here. If you haven't studied Augustine, Medieval Church History, or Luther's life then Wikipedia will quickly become your friend. At 126 pages it is a quick read, but will take a little longer to digest.  

Find it here at cph.org!


Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel beyond the West
by Lamin Sanneh
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003

     This book got picked up back at the seminary from the discount room at the seminary book store. The original sticker said $13, the discounted price--$1. How could I refuse? Christianity throughout the world is a subject that I'm interested in, of course.

     Lamin Sanneh is from the tiny African nation of Gambia. He's a Christian who has taught at both Harvard and Yale but is one of the few in Ivy League academia who is seriously studying the growth of Christianity--especially in Africa. The book is an interview between Sanneh and a skeptical secular person who can't understand why Christianity is growing.

    Unfortunately the discussion in the first chapter centers around mostly sociological, economic, philosophical and other human explanations about the growth of the church. The questions of the skeptic drive home what Christians have always known: God's work in the world does not make sense in the minds of people without faith. (Although Sanneh doesn't point this out.) There are times when the skeptic asks questions that are so unbelievably insulting to new African Christians that I'm surprised Sanneh didn't punch him/her in the face! Sanneh keeps his cool. His goal is to have a civilized discussion to assure his peers in the Ivy League that Christian growth is okay, because He doesn't think they will come over here.

    The whole argument is a major over simplification: the West is "post-Christian" and completely secular while Africa is eating this up. The truth is less black and white. There are still a lot of Christians in the West. Even in places where Christianity is growing, churches face huge challenges in every area. Sanneh undoubtedly knows about partnerships between churches in the West and Africa but chooses not to talk about them. For me, this is the most exciting thing about the Christian Church. To answer Sanneh's question, the church neither belongs to me nor to Africans. Instead we all belong to Christ. This alone unites us and allows us to serve and challenge one another. I look forward to being challenged by the African church and working with them in Christ.

     The second chapter is an excellent defense of Bible translation. The church has been translating its message into languages people can understand since Pentecost. Sanneh points out that the church has done far more to add value to people groups throughout the world and throughout history with the byproducts of Bible translation; alphabets, dictionaries, and grammars. What began with the peoples of Eastern Europe hundreds of years ago, has continued with Native American languages and the languages of Africa and other places today. (It was so cool to see this in action when I visited Botswana in 2008.) Even when people do not become Christians, their culture is validated and often the identity of their people can continue.

    I would recommend this book to people who need to see the benefit of Bible translation. It might even be good for the atheist who is appalled by the growth of the church in Africa.  

The Problem of Pain
by C. S. Lewis
HarperCollins 2001 (Originally published in 1940)

it came in the mail today,
I look forward to reading this one a lot!