Sermon for 7/21/13--Trinity 8

We had audio issues at St. Peter this morning, so there's no audio of the sermon this week. Not yet, anyway...

The Gate of Life Immortal

Matthew 7:15-23

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

In our culture spirituality is a personal and private and practical thing. The focus is not outward to a holy God but inward to your own feelings, to what makes you fulfilled and happy. You find what works for you, I'll find what works for me, and as long as we're both sincere, it doesn't really make too much difference what you believe or what religion you practice or even what sort of god you worship. But then Jesus says, "Beware of false prophets." It stands to reason that if there is such a thing as a false prophet, then there is also such a thing as false teaching and false religion. What they practice doesn't lead to life but to death. Jesus solemnly warns us, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it." The broad way, the easy road of do-it-yourself religion, leads to hell.

It is the way of evil to wrap itself up in good. The Bible says that the devil comes not as the wicked destroyer but as an angel of light, appearing to be holy and good. St. Paul warned the Ephesians that wolves would come in sheep’s clothing to ravage the flock. They might be nice people. They may even wear a collar and a robe and a stole. But they don't teach the truth. They’re people like the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Unitarian Universalists, and all others who do not have Christ as the only Savior. They're people like the pope who, for all his good teachings on moral issues, denies the full power of Jesus' death on the cross to save us, who promises to subtract from your time in purgatory if you follow his Twitter account. They're people like Billy Graham who emphasizes the work of giving our hearts and lives to Jesus over His work for us. They're people like the Lutheran pastor who prays with Muslims and Jews and Hindus, making Jesus into one God among many. They may be sincere in what they believe, but they are sincerely wrong and sincerely in eternal danger. Jesus said, "Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!'"

You might say, "I'm no theologian; I'm not a Bible expert. How do I distinguish a false teacher from a genuine teacher, who both appeal to the Scriptures? How can I tell whether or not someone is preaching the truth of Christ's Word?" The simple answer is this: Know your Catechism by heart; pray and meditate upon it every day. In it you learn and revel in the basic teachings of the Scriptures, what the church has taught and believed from the Word of God since the days of the apostles. In it you learn of God's holy Law and Gospel by which you are brought to repentance and faith in Christ. As the Spirit enables you to receive and hold to that teaching, you are also defended against false teaching. By meditating upon and clinging to the truth, you also learn how to recognize error and reject it.

If you're wondering whether or not someone is a false teacher, just ask yourself, "Is the teaching of this man in keeping with the faith of the church confessed in the creeds? Is it consistent with what I've learned of sin and of Christ and of faith in the Small Catechism?" If not, beware of it. Flee from it. I’ve told you this before, but it bears repeating: if someone steps into this pulpit and preaches something contrary to what you’ve learned from the Bible, the Catechism, and your hymnal, kick the false teacher out of the pulpit and run him out of town. Remember Jesus' words: "Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." That gate is narrow because it doesn't let in any of the opinions or the qualifications of men. Rather, it admits only the merits of Christ and His righteousness.

Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." That way is difficult because it is the way of the cross. It is the way of death to sin and to self. Jesus walked that narrow road to His death for you at Calvary, so that, having been baptized into His death, you would also share in His life. Through the cross you have been entirely forgiven of all your sins. And through Christ's resurrection, you have been raised to new life in Him. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

2013 Reading List: June

A little behind in posting last month's list. Here it is. 98 for the first half of the year, when I was on page for 240 after February. This puts me on pace for 196--not bad, but I've done better.

June

1. Cates, Georgia. Beauty from Surrender. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2013.
2. Duncan, Dave. The Death of Nnanji. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2012.
3. Augustine, L.M. Click to Subscribe. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2013.
4. Hatler, Susan. Truth or Date. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2013.
5. Swank, Denise Grover. After Math. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2013.
6. Harrison, Kim. Perfect Blood. Harper Voyager, 2012.
7. Kurtz, Katherine. Saint Camber. Ballantine Books, 1978.
8. Harrison, Kim. Ever After. Harper Voyager, 2013.
9. Sophia, Hailey. The Last Heartbreak. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2013.
10. Kurtz, Katherine. Camber the Heretic. Ballantine Books, 1981.
11. Brooks, Kathleen. Bluegrass Undercover. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2012.

Sermon for 7/14/13--Trinity 7

Audio:




Text:

No Feast for the Eyes

Mark 8:1-9

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Do not be deceived by what you see. To human eyes, it does not look like much of a feast. A few fish and seven small loaves of bread don’t seem like much when compared to the lavish feasts depicted on television. But with these meager gifts and the power of the Word, Jesus feeds four thousand men. The unbelieving world looked strangely upon the feast that Jesus set before the hungry crowd of 4,000 in the wilderness. Seven loaves and a few small fish might have been enough to serve as a meal for a few men, but certainly not anything approaching 4,000. Yet these starving people “ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.” Do not let Satan deceive you into seeing anything less than a miracle in this event. Do not allow the unbelieving world to undermine your trust in the true Word of God when it claims that this could not possibly be a true account of what actually happened. See in your mind’s eye the picture that the Holy Spirit of God is painting here: a portrait of a true feast from which every guest leaves completely satisfied.

The Sacrament of the Altar is that kind of feast. For this feast here and the feast for the 4,000 in the wilderness have the same Host and the same guests. The Host is Jesus, God Himself. The guests are faith-filled Christians, the people of God. The very same Jesus is here today, as He was there in on that day in the wilderness, to provide for His starving people and to satisfy completely your hunger. You are invited to see yourself in that feast in the wilderness. You are in the same condition spiritually as those four thousand were physically. You are on the journey through the wilderness of life with Jesus. You hear His Word which teaches you about your sin. His Holy Spirit convicts you of seeing greater importance in the things of the world—fortune, fame, work, play—than the things of God.

But the same God Who by His Word and Spirit condemns you for your sin has compassion upon you. He says, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me…and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.” Jesus knows that you are one of the faithful who have continued with Him in faith. He knows that you are starving for a righteousness you do not possess. He knows that if He does not provide it, you will faint dead away in your sins as you attempt to journey to your heavenly home without the nourishment He provides.

Jesus has been there Himself. It was in the wilderness that Jesus encountered the temptations of the devil. Jesus Himself was hungry during that time in the wilderness, continuing with God His Father forty days and having nothing to eat. He knows that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Out of compassion for a starving people, Jesus provides that bread to His people in the wilderness.

Do not be deceived by what you see. To human eyes, it does not look like much of a feast. Small wafers of unleavened bread—a bland bread made without yeast—which, if we took all of the wafers on the Altar this morning and pressed them together, wouldn’t amount to a dinner roll. Wine—an inexpensive, sweet, Concord grape wine, maybe a pint of it on this Altar. Together, this amount of food might barely serve as a light snack for one person. Yet with this meager fare and the power of the Word, Jesus will feed and satisfy all His guests who approach His altar.

Behold the feast that Your Savior presents to you today. Feast upon the Word that proceeds out of His mouth today, the Word that promises you forgiveness and salvation. Come, as often as it is offered here, to feast on the Bread of Life that is never exhausted, for He miraculously multiplies this Bread so that He might continue to give His flesh for the life of the world. Come and partake of not mere bits of bread and sips of wine, but of a most splendid Feast: the Feast of the glorified Body and Blood of your Savior, a foretaste of the feast to come with Him in eternity. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

A CRM Appeal

My name is Alan Kornacki, and I am a parish pastor. That doesn’t sound like a very profound statement. However, though I was Ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry in June of 2000 and have been pastor for over thirteen years now, for over four and a half years, I was not a parish pastor. In the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, this is often called “CRM,” an acronym from Candidatus Reverendi Ministerii—translated as Candidate for the Holy Ministry. In other words, I was a pastor without a congregation to serve.

You can read the full details of the circumstances that led me to Candidate Status on my blog if you’re interested, but there are two highly relevant details in the matter. The first is that the Board of Elders felt justified in asking for my resignation (and in threatening me if I didn’t resign willingly) even though I did not commit one of the “big three”—gross and/or unrepentant sin, false doctrine, or an inability to perform the functions of the Office—that usually merits a pastor being removed from a Call. In addition, I did not violate confidentiality or the Seal of the Confessional. The Scriptural grounds for my forced resignation were sketchy at best. Second, my District President (DP) felt justified in placing me on Restricted Status pending an investigation as to whether or not I should be removed from the clergy roster—meaning I could not consider or accept a Call to another congregation or serve in any pastoral capacity in any congregation other than the one which I was Called to serve until he decided whether or not I could still be a pastor. I had to ask permission to baptize my own children. For ten months I was on Restricted Status—unable to consider Calls to serve congregations, unable to even fill in for a vacationing pastor—because I kept a blog. Again, I was not guilty (or even accused) of committing one of the “big three,” nor did I violate confidentiality or the Seal of the Confessional, yet for ten months I was Restricted.

While I was on Restricted Status, the DP threatened me with the possibility of suspension and even removal from the clergy roster of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. In December of 2005 he promised to remove me from Restricted Status as soon as I completed paperwork he was sending to me, but he did not remove me until August of 2006, though I returned the paperwork immediately. He wanted me to see a specialized counselor (affiliated with the ELCA) to assess my suitability for the Ministry, and he made this a condition of my removal from Restricted status. In his assessment of me to be shared with the specialized counselor he provided a list of concerns, and in that list of "concerns" he included the fact that I am "very conservative theologically". Finally, he warned me not to speak to other pastors who were on CRM, and he also warned me away from “rigid and ultra-conservative pastors, who do not have good relational skills.”

When I was forced to leave my congregation, my wife was thirty-two weeks pregnant with twins. We were told to be out of the parsonage in four weeks. Having nowhere else to go, we along with our seven year-old daughter moved from Ohio to southern Louisiana, into housing provided by a family member. This was right after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, and the job market within an hour of where we were living was glutted with workers. For the first year I couldn’t even get a McDonald’s job. I applied for every job available, even ones for which I had no qualifications. Our twin children, delivered a month early, were mostly healthy other than the older twin's jaundice. However, the delivery, a c-section, caused painful physical issues for my wife, and emotional issues also arose for her after the birth of the twins. Needless to say, she wasn't able to work. What savings we had were depleted by the time I was finally able to find work, which happened a year to the day after my forced resignation, and our credit took a major hit. My DP, to be fair, did send some financial assistance in that first year, but inevitably it was accompanied by the command to "find some menial job" and the encouraging word that the district was "under no obligation" to aid my return to parish ministry.

Though finally employed, I still desired to return to parish ministry. Even after my removal from Restricted Status (after jumping through a number of hoops, including a clean bill of ministerial health from the ELCA counselors), first the DP who had placed me on Restricted Status, then the DP who replaced him when he retired, and then finally the DP who served in our new location did little to bring me relief during my time outside the parish. They didn't call to check up on me or pray with me. They did little to reassure me about my status on the clergy roster. Were it not for brother pastors—the "rigid" men the DP warned me against—I would have lost any and all hope of returning to the parish. As for the DPs, I *did* receive cards from the district office on the anniversaries of my Ordination. That's something, anyway.

These brothers against whom I was warned were also instrumental in keeping me emotionally functional and spiritually healthy. They called to check up on me—and my wife!—and to pray for us. They asked me to fill in for them when they went on vacation and even manufactured preaching opportunities for me at times. They made sure I received the Lord's Supper and offered themselves for Confession and Absolution. They listened when I complained, kicked me in the seat of the pants when I needed it, and encouraged me at all times to entrust my burdens to the Lord.

As time went on, the stress of the situation mounted. For me, weekends were hard times. Though it was good for me to be with my family, Sunday mornings in particular found me withdrawn. My wife finally had to point out to me that it felt to her like I was abandoning the family at times. And dealing with a withdrawn husband and father—who tended to be grumpy when he was around—was tough on my family.

Finally, after nearly four and a half years, my current congregation extended the Call to me to serve as their pastor. This was not the work of DPs. The congregation asked their outgoing pastor and the vacancy pastor for names of pastors they knew and trusted, and my name was among those they shared. My Installation—four years, seven months and four days after my forced resignation—was for my family a day of great joy.

Yet the scars remain. For me, meetings are still times of great stress. I start tensing up before a meeting, and it takes an hour after the meeting for me to loosen up. I second-guess decisions frequently.  Though my current congregation has had little negative to say about me, there's still a little something in me that can't help but worry that every meeting will have an ambush. I still wrestle with the shame and anger and frustration of those four years all the time. (Thank God for Individual Confession and Absolution!)  I escaped with little in the way of depression, and though I admit there were times when I thought my family might be better off without me, suicide was never more than a passing thought.

For me and for my wife, criticisms are still unnaturally hard to handle. "Is this the first sign of trouble?" "Is this the beginning of the end?" Again, my current congregation has never given even the slightest hint of seeking our removal, yet that seed of doubt that was planted nearly eight years ago and which was allowed to grow into poison ivy with little resistance for over four years is so hard to eradicate. It took a long time for my wife—raised in the Roman church—to see Lutherans in a positive light after seeing how we were treated, though the pastors and congregations in Louisiana who showed great love to us certainly did their part to help her see the positives.

As far as finances go, I doubt we'll ever fully recover from the damage of that year without work—especially not with the student loans accrued by attending one if the colleges of the Concordia University System instead of a more reasonably-priced state school. Maybe I'll write that bestseller someday.

I know that's a lot to take in. Believe me when I say I know. I don't share all that to garner pity for me and mine. We're actually one of the rare CRM success stories, such as it is. We're among the fortunate ones who have returned to the parish. I know pastors who have languished for a decade or more without a sniff at a return to the parish. That's why this issue is so near and dear to my heart. There are a lot of hurting pastors out there, a lot of hurting pastors' wives and pastors' kids. Most of them receive little in the way of comfort or support from their DPs, much less any hope for a return to the parish. Some of them are dealing with physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or financial difficulties—and some are dealing with all of those afflictions at the same time.

Our church body is talking a lot right now about "witness," "mercy," and "life together." One of the marks of the early church was the love these Christians showed for their fellows, and this was evident even to their enemies. "See how they love," one said. Their mercy in their life together was a witness to the world.

Well, these CRM men and their families could use some mercy. Some of them need a fair, impartial, and judiciously speedy hearing to settle their status on or off the roster, along with an appeal process that doesn’t involve appealing to the man who made the initial ruling.  (And yes, some men may need time on CRM to help them deal with real issues they face, but some are just the victims of bad financial circumstances, for example, or congregations who had itching ears.) Some of them need help with rent or groceries or medical bills. Some of them need a counselor to help them deal with the stress and shame they face while on CRM. Some may need some help even after returning to the parish to deal with PTSD.

This is something the LCMS needs to address, and quickly! There is a resolution being brought before the 2013 Synodical Convention to address the situation of Candidates…at the 2016 Synodical Convention, after a task force is formed to study the problem. While I’m glad that the Convention plans to take up this issue in some capacity, waiting three years to deal with the meat of this tragedy is a wait three years too long. A task force might be able to come up with ideas for, say, a fair adjudication system or a fair way to address a way to return over two-hundred Candidates to active ministry while not failing our seminary graduates, but we don’t need a task force to commit to contacting these wounded men to pray with them and ask what kind of help they need. We don’t need a task force to set up a fund to help address the financial difficulties these men and their families face. We don’t need a task force to encourage our DPs to bring to bear the love of Christ to these men instead of treating them like proverbial lepers, tax collectors and Gentiles. We don’t need a task force to commit to sending these pastors to Doxology or to ask Doxology to develop a program under their purview for the purpose of addressing the mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of these pastors and their families. Perhaps a friendly amendment to the appropriate resolution might be drafted to speak to some of these needs immediately.

While we wait for Synod in Convention to do something, Pastor Ken Kelly is spearheading an effort to help CRM men and their families. Among other things, he is trying to raise funds to address the financial needs of CRM families. He is selling t-shirts and pins with artwork that reminds us of the plight of these pastors, and any money raised beyond the cost of producing these items goes into a fund to help these families. He is not collecting any administrative costs for himself. Here is a link to the page: THE LEAST OF THESE

In addition, the Augustana Ministerium, an organization of Lutheran pastors, along with its lay counterpart, the Augustana Confraternity, has been allotting a portion of their membership fees to helping pastors and families in need. You can find their page here: THE AUGUSTANA MINISTERIUM

Finally, you can help these men and their families without spending a dime. Commit to praying for pastors who need calls and the families who support and depend on these men. Commit to praying for the congregations who need pastors. Commit to praying for faithful pastors and congregations who will love each other with Christ’s love.

These men and their families need your support and prayers. They are lying on the side of the road—bruised, bleeding, broken—and we have the means of picking them up and helping them. They, too, should receive mercy, so our life together may be a witness to the world.

Sermon for 7/7/13--Trinity 6

Audio




Text:

Forgiven and Forgotten

Matthew 5:17-26

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

The world is full of people who don’t think of themselves as murderers. So is the Church. As far as I know, no one in this congregation has felony homicide on their criminal record. We haven't shot anybody or run anyone over with our car, and that makes us comfortable with thinking we're in the clear. We ought to know better. Jesus teaches us quite clearly—and the Catechism drives the point home—if we are angry with another person, if we are resentful and bear them a grudge, if we are upset at them and don't want to get over it, then we are murderers. I don't know of anyone here that has taken a life, but I do know that all of us have been or may still be mad at someone. We harbor anger, resentment, bitterness, bad feelings, hatred and malice in our hearts against them. And yet there is no one who would stand up and say, "I don't forgive them." Of course you forgive them! You just don't forget what they've said or done. No one here would say they aren't a forgiving person. But a person's actions have consequences. If you sin against me, I will forgive you, but I won't forget. Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you think that way, believe that way, act that way, you are not forgiving. Ask yourself this question: Do you want God to forgive you and not forget? The baptized child of God doesn't play such games.

But Jesus saves murderers. Just ask Barabbas. Barabbas was set free and Jesus went to the cross in his place. Jesus never murders anyone. His words save. His life saves. His death saves. Jesus obeys the Father's will to come and pay the price for your sins. On Cavalry, Jesus sheds His blood. And Jesus rises the third day, leaving your sins in the grave. When Christ rises from the dead on Easter, your sins are not just forgiven; they are forgotten. Jesus comes to show His own righteousness which is beyond the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. With His righteousness, sins aren't remembered by God. Pharisees that we are, we want to say we forgive, but we hang on to anger and resentment. Our heavenly Father doesn't work that way. He can't—Christ stands between us and the judgment against sins. Where Christ is, there our sins are forgotten. What has been paid for by the blood of Christ is not later pulled out and thrown back in your face. The Lord doesn't work that way. When your sins are forgiven, they are forgotten, washed away by the blood of Christ and left in the tomb.

St. Paul writes that we are a new creation through our baptism into Christ. Through Baptism, spoken again in absolution, and put into you in the Supper, God not only forgives your sins but forgets them too. And now, with our sins forgiven and forgotten by the Lord, the Spirit works in you to forgive and forget the sins of others. Jesus says that if we are going to the altar and remember that someone has something against us, we should go and make peace. When you walk out of church today, will you still be mad at me for what I've said or done? Will you still be mad at someone in your family? Someone here in church? Someone at work? Will you go out with the memory of how you have been wronged and hurt? Repent of making anger your god. When you hear the word of holy absolution, when you eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus, you walk out that door with your Lord knowing nothing about your sins. He has forgotten them. You, too, go out that door as the Lord has treated you—not remembering what others have done to you, but forgiving and forgetting all together in Christ.

You are a new creation. Your sins are dead with Christ. You have been raised and made new in the Baptism Jesus gives you. That is righteousness that goes far beyond the scribes and Pharisees. That's Good News for you, and it’s good news for your neighbor who needs their sins to be forgiven and forgotten, just as yours have been in Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

   

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

PARODY: Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

One of my favorite hymns is "Of the Father's Love Begotten," an eleventh century hymn celebrating the Incarnation and Nativity of Our Lord. It also happens to be the conference hymn for this year's "From Above" Higher Things Conferences. Pastor Buetow, one of the HT bigwigs, is also a neighbor of mine, in a manner of speaking, and we get together most weeks to study the pericope for the coming Sunday in the Greek. Before our study this week, he planted an idea in my head: a parody of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," with its famous line, "Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'" Earlier this week on Facebook I posted a single verse parody:

"Once upon a midnight dreary-"
Thus wrote Edgar Allan Poe.
'Tis the story of the Raven
Who once did a-tapping go.
Perched he did within my chamber,
And he muttered, muttered slow,

"Nevermore--" just "Nevermore."

However, as OCD as I tend to be, I couldn't leave it done halfway. So today I finished a parody of the whole poem. Here it is.

PARODY: Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

Once upon a midnight dreary

Sought I quaint, forgotten lore,

And while pond’ring, weak and weary,

I heard tapping at my door.

And I thought perhaps it could be

Just a random visitor—

            Only that and nothing more.

How distinctly I remember,

Like a ghost upon the floor

Shone the glowing of each ember,

And I thought of lost Lenore.

But my books could not distract me

From that radiant maid of yore—

            Nameless now forevermore.

Lo, the rustling, purple curtains

Brought me fear like ne’er before,

Yet I stood repeating, certain,

“Tis some late night visitor.”
Yet those words stilled not the beating

Of my heart, yet still I swore,

“Tis a guest and nothing more.”

Thinking thus, my soul grew stronger.

“Your forgiveness I implore,”

Said I to the stranger rapping,

Rapping gently on my door.

“Scarcely could I hear your tapping.”

Here I opened wide the door.

            Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering,

Dreaming doubts like ne’er before,

Long I stood there wond’ring, fearing,

Ere I fin’lly gasped, “Lenore?”

Whispered once and then repeating,

Merely this and nothing more—

            Just one single word: “Lenore!”

Back into the chamber turning—

This time it was not the door!

All my soul within me burning

As, much louder than before,

Heard I tapping from the window.

Here’s a myst’ry to explore.

            “Tis the wind and nothing more.”

Open here I threw the shutter,

And a Raven inward tore,

Causing curtains, hearts to flutter

As he perched above the door.

Not a bow or bob he gave me,

This most stately bird of yore.

            Perched he sat and nothing more.

Then the great black bird beguiling

By the stern, grave face he wore,

My sad fancy into smiling.

“Raven from the nightly shore,

To what name should I be calling

As you perch above my door?”

            Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

Strange to hear this discourse plainly,

Though the speech no reason bore,

From this Raven most ungainly

Who did perch above my door.

What an odd and ugly naming

This poor, guesting Raven bore—

            Such a name as “Nevermore.”

But the Raven sitting only

Did that single word outpour

From that perch most placid, lonely,

There above the chamber door,

Til I scarcely more than muttered,

“You will fly as all before.”

            Then the bird said, “Nevermore.”

This reply, so aptly spoken,

Seemed its only stock and store.

Startled by the stillness broken,

I considered, sad and sore.

Such a song, a hopeless burden,

Was the sad, sad dirge he bore—

            Only “Never—Nevermore.”

Still, that Raven most beguiling,

As I turned to face the door,

Brought me once again to smiling

As I thought these matters o’er.

What could be this Raven’s meaning—

This most ghastly bird of yore—

            Mean in croaking, “Nevermore”?

Though no word I was expressing

As I sat, consid’ring more,

I sat thus engaged in guessing,

His eyes burning to my core.

On the cushion’s velvet lining

Sat I, where my fair Lenore

Shall not sit forevermore.

Then, methought, the air grew denser,

As if Seraphs on the floor

Swung an unseen, perfumed censer,

Wafting mem’ries of Lenore.

“Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe

And forget the lost Lenore!”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet,” said I, “thing of evil,

Tempter sent or tossed ashore—

Desolate, yet all undaunted,

Tell me truly, I implore:

Is there any balm or comfort?

Is there comfort heretofore?”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet,” said I, “thing of evil,

By the heav’ns that bendeth o’er—

Prophet, still, if bird or devil,

Tell this soul with burden sore,

If, within the distant Aidenn

Rests the angel, blest Lenore.”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Be that word our sign of parting.

Say it not forevermore.”

Thus I said unto the Raven.

“Seek ye out some distant shore.

Haunt my heart and soul no longer.

Quit the bust above my door!”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

And the Raven, never flitting

From his perch, which I deplore,

Still resides—he still is sitting

On the bust above my door.

And the shadow on my spirit

From his shadow on the floor

Shall be lifted—nevermore!

Sermon for 6/30/13--Trinity 5

Audio:



               

Text:

The Word Works

Luke 5:1-11

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

The Word of God is a marvelous and mysterious thing. God the Father makes all things through His Word. Jesus was conceived by God's Word spoken by the angel Gabriel. The Holy Spirit comes to us through the Word. Water washes away sins because God adds His Word. Pastors and Christians forgive sins because Jesus' Word says they do. So…how is it that a boat full of fisherman can fish all night and catch absolutely nothing, but when they go out into the deep, they can hardly haul in all the fish? It works that way because that's where our Lord’s Word pointed them. The Word of God has unfathomable power. Where Jesus puts His Word, there we have forgiveness, life and salvation.

Where Christ and His Word are, there the devil and the world and our sinful nature have no power. Everything begins with God's Word. It's always His Word that directs us to what saves us and blesses us. God the Son came into this world, born of the Virgin Mary, and He came to speak the Father's Word to save sinners. In fact, Jesus is the Word made flesh, born to suffer for our sins and to die for them on the cross. Who would have guessed that God Himself would come in the flesh and die on the cross and rise again to take away our sins? Think what other amazing things Christ has done. See how He directs the fishermen to let down their nets for a huge catch; in the same way He has let you into the waters of the font in which you catch the great bounty of forgiveness and life. See how Jesus absolves Peter; in the same way you have been forgiven. See how Jesus leads the disciples to follow Him; in the same way He leads you today to His altar to be where He is for you in His body and blood.

When Peter sees the great catch of fish, however, he throws himself at Jesus' feet: "Away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Peter knows that Jesus is God and He is not. Peter knows that He doesn't deserve anything from Jesus. That's you too. When you see and hear all that God does for you, learn Peter's response: "Away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" When you kneel for confession and absolution and when you come today to kneel at Christ's altar, understand that it is not that you are worthy or deserve to be here. If you think you are worthy, if you think you do deserve what Christ is about to give you, then stop and repent. Come as a sinner. Confess your sinfulness as Peter does. Only at the font, only at the altar, only in His church does Christ come to you and forgive your sins. Jesus says, "Do not be afraid." You are washed, you are absolved, and now you will eat and drink my flesh and blood. There is nothing to be afraid of. I have defeated all your enemies. You are mine.

Dear Christians, you belong where Jesus is: present in His Word, present where His holy gifts are. In Baptism, Absolution, through the Gospel, in the Lord’s Supper—in His church, you receive His love for you. Here you are forgiven. Here you are a child of God. Here you are no sinner but a saint of Christ's church. Outside of Jesus, none of that is true. Approach your Lord Jesus Christ boldly to receive His pledge and promise that nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Come now to receive more Jesus. Come and receive what Jesus has for you. Come to receive Him as He comes to you in His holy body and blood. Like Peter, you are unworthy on your own. But also like Peter, your Savior speaks His Word of forgiveness to you. He chooses you. He makes you worthy. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

   

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.  

HYMN: The Holy Feast Is Ready

I've been working on something for about a month now, though the deep digging on it has happened in the last week. I had an idea for a hymn based on Luke 14:15-24, the Gospel appointed for the Second Sunday After Trinity in the LSB 1-year lectionary. Finally it came together about a week ago--at least, the bones of the idea. I wrote three verses, but it felt like it was missing something. I changed some things around and added a fourth verse, and this is what has come out. Any feedback would be appreciated.

The Holy Feast Is Ready

1. The holy feast is ready.

The Master bids you, “Come!”

His Gospel calls to many—

To ev’ry land and home.

The Lord in grace has spoken:
“Come forth, you lame and blind.

Come forth, you poor and broken.

You here a welcome find.”

2. With blood and body given,

Our hunger He would feed.

This living Bread from heaven

Would meet our ev’ry need.

But woe and condemnation

To those who love their hoard

And spurn the invitation,

For they have their reward.

3.We hear, compelled, unwilling.

Begrudging, we come near.

All shame forever stilling,

He calms the sinner’s fear.

The Master, holy Jesus—

Himself the Host and Feast—

In mercy He receives us,
The greatest and the least.

4. We are the guests invited

To eat this Gospel feast,

And by our Lord delighted

We are from sin released.

Forgiven saints, we gather

Your glory to confess,

O Spirit, Son and Father—

Our God, forever blest.

© 2013, Alan Kornacki, Jr.
76 76 D
Tune: EWING (LSB 672)--at least temporarily

 

Sermon for 6/23/13--Trinity 4

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Text:

As We Forgive…

Luke 6:36-42

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

“Judge not and you will not be judged.” As I’ve told you before, these are probably the most misused words in all of Scripture, and they are the words non-believers most enjoy using against Christians. So let's start with what these words don’t mean. They don't mean you can’t tell someone that what they're doing is wrong. In truth, the Lord gives us the authority in our various callings to do exactly that. Parents are to teach their kids right from wrong. Teachers have to discipline students who misbehave. Police officers have to enforce the law. Pastors have to remind people of the Lord's Word and call them to repentance. As Christians, the Lord gives us the task sometimes of speaking the truth to the world which doesn't want to hear it. That's when the world throws these words of Jesus back in our face.

But that's not what these words mean! When Jesus says, "Do not judge," He is urging His hearers to forgive. One who judges is condemning someone for their sins, treating them as their actions deserve. Forgiving means not treating someone as their sins deserve. Look at Joseph. If there was anyone who could punish his brothers for what they did, it was Joseph. He could have made them suffer just as he had suffered. He could have put them to death. Who doesn't like a good story where the hero suffers at the hands of villains, and then in the end finally brings justice?

These words might sound familiar: “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We don’t like those pesky words in the Lord’s Prayer. It's much more satisfying when the bad guys get what they deserve. That's because we'd rather pay back than forgive. When someone wrongs you, do you act like it never happened? That's forgiveness! Or do you condemn them or give them the silent treatment? That is the judging which our Lord forbids. We like to forget how our Lord deals with us. God Himself becomes man and makes Himself our brother. We sell Him into the slavery of our sin, give Him over to the hands of evil men and kill Him. In our sinfulness we put Him to death and pretend to the Father that it's not our fault. And just as Joseph rose from the dungeons to be Pharaoh's right hand man, even so Jesus rose from the dead to sit at the Father's right hand with all majesty and power. When we stand before Him now, will He condemn us? No. He treats us like brothers, like we had not done all those things to Him, like we are holy and righteous. He takes us to Himself so we may share in His eternal glory! Jesus does not judge; Jesus forgives.

The Lord promises that there is no judgment or condemnation for you. Your baptism says so. Holy Absolution says so. The body and blood of Jesus say so. Christ's Word and gifts are His promise that He who could condemn you without a word instead loves you, forgives you, and has prepared a place for you with Him. When someone sins against you, forgive as you have been forgiven. Don't judge. Be merciful and forgive them, treating them as if they haven't done anything wrong. That’s the way the Lord sees you. But what about when you don't want to? What about when it's hard to do? Then go back to your Baptism and the Supper and the Word so that you may hear again your own forgiveness—for it is through those gifts that the Spirit enables you to forgive others.

Dear brothers and sisters, the plank has been removed from your eye. God's judgment is turned aside. For you it's all mercy and forgiveness from the Lord. For you it's a good measure, pressed down and overflowing. In Christ, you too are merciful, forgiving and not judging, able to gently remove the speck from your brother's eye—not by pointing it out in judgment, but by taking it out with forgiveness. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Sermon for 6/16/13--Trinity 3

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A God Like You

Luke 15:1-10

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

God doesn't make sense. He is supposedly a just God, yet He pardons iniquity and passes over transgressions. God is supposed to bless those who live good lives and punish sinners. What's with all this forgiveness? The Pharisees and scribes thought that way. Jesus was preaching and teaching to tax collectors and sinners and even ate with them! If He was really God, He would know what kind of people those are. And He does. But Jesus is not the kind of God who slaps the back of good people. Jesus comes for sinners. By sending His Son, God the Father is seeking lost sheep and lost coins—sheep that have wandered off in their sins and are perilously close to getting eaten by a wolf; coins that have rolled into the farthest corner under the cabinet where the cobwebs and dirt are. Jesus came for sinners: people who don't love God or their neighbors as they should; people who don't pray and learn the Scriptures as they should; people who are messed up parents and spouses and children who seem to break a commandment whenever they take a step!

That's who Jesus comes to rescue. He comes for them by taking their sins Himself and carrying them to the cross, where He bleeds and dies to pay their price. He searches them out and finds them through the preaching of His Gospel in the world, through the water and word of Holy Baptism. He finds them and brings them into His church. We talk about repentance, and it’s a big word. Repentance is not some showy display that you got your life straightened out. Repentance works like this: You sin, and Jesus finds you and saves you and brings you into His Kingdom. He does it with water and the Word and the preaching of the Gospel. He keeps you in the faith by His Word and Absolution and His body and blood. That's why the tax collectors and sinners came to hear Jesus: He did not preach as the god of the Pharisees to demand that they clean up their act. They came to Jesus because the Law was of no help to them. Try as they might, they could not love God and their neighbor as they should. So they came to hear Jesus because He spoke forgiveness to them.

But watch out! Your enemy the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. And how will the Devil eat you up? He will do it by turning you back into a Pharisee! The great danger to faith is refusing to believe you are a sinner.  Christians are always faced with the temptation to think we're basically good people. But that's the inner Pharisee speaking! It doesn't matter who you are or what you do—you will always think there are worse people than you. You can drive better. You can raise your kids better. You have a better marriage. You have a neater yard. You are better pastor. You're a better Christian. The Pharisees thought God was like them and showed favor to them because they were so holy. Today, hearing about lost sheep and coins, we must confess that, when it comes down to it, we don't really think we're sinners!

If you're not a poor, miserable sinner, then Jesus can't help you. If you come to this place because you think this is the place where the righteous people hang out, then your pastor has nothing for you. You’ve wasted your time today. But if you come to church because you are beat down by the devil, the world and your sinful nature, then Jesus has given your pastor plenty of Good News to speak to you. All we have going on in this place is the forgiveness of sins for sinners. The Lord spares no expense to find us and rescue us in our sins! The shepherd searches high and low until he finds that lost sheep. The woman doesn't stop sweeping and scrubbing until she finds that coin. In the same way, our Lord stops at nothing to rescue us from our sins. He goes through arrest and beatings and spitting and mocking and flogging and the agony of crucifixion and the rest in the tomb to bring you back to God. There is no sin too big, no iniquity hidden so well that Jesus cannot wipe it away with His blood. If you are troubled by your sins, rejoice in the God who comes to take them away! If you are worried that you haven't lived the life you should, rejoice in the Savior who lived in perfect obedience for you. If you are certain that you are no lover of God and no lover of your neighbor, rejoice that the Lord has come and found you by His cross. Rejoice that those sins have been blotted out. Rejoice that through Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, our Lord has made you holy and righteous in His sight, and then share that forgiveness with other sinners.

“Who is a God like you?” asks Micah. Indeed, who is a God like Jesus? He is not the God we expect. He doesn't come to congratulate the righteous. No, He comes to be a Savior for the sinners. Thanks and praise be to Jesus who come to be a man, and yet was without sin so that He could take away our sins. Jesus is for sinners. Jesus is for you. Here is your repentance all you sheep and lost coins: You have been found in Christ. And the angels rejoice in heaven over what the Lord has done for you. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen. 

2013 Reading List: May

May saw me slow down a little bit again on the reading. Life has a way of imposing itself. Mom and Dad Kornacki visited us in May, as did a friend of ours who just finished his studies and has become an intern in a hospital setting. I've been doing some research for a possible writing project--my fourth novel, this time in a different genre, anyone? And of course being a husband, father, pastor, friend, and all-around good guy (*wink*) tends to take some time. All that being said, I still did some good reading in May. I should hop the 100 book mark in June, even should I continue to do novel prep.

Without further ado...

May

1. Apuzzo, Nick. Nine Hundred Nights. Self-Published Kindle edition, 2011.
2. Pekkanen, Sarah. All Is Bright. Washington Square Press, 2010.
3. Brown, Christopher Boyd. Singing the Gospel. The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2005.
4. Ragan, Theresa. Taming Mad Max. Self-Published Kindle edition, 2011.
5. Vargas, Kimberly. Gumbeaux. Self-Published Kindle edition, 2011.
6. McClure, Mark D. Her. Self-Published Kindle edition, 2013.
7. Eads, Michael L. Leap Year at the Coffee Shop. Red San Publishing, 2011.
8. Rosenberg, Joel. The Fire Duke. Keepers of the Hidden Ways, Book 1. Eos, 1996.
9. James, Brooklyn. The Boots My Mother Gave Me. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2010.
10. Brown, Carolyn. The Ladies’ Room. Montlake Romance, 2011.
11. Cates, Georgia. Beauty from Pain. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2013.
12. Gaiman, Neil. How to Talk to Girls at Parties. William Morrow, 2006.
13. Burkhart, Stephanie. A Polish Heart. Publishing by Rebecca J. Vickery, 2012.
14. Bishop, Paul. Penalty Shot. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2011.
15. Duck, Julie Rieman. A Place in This Life. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2011.
16. Kurtz, Katherine. Camber of Culdi. Legends of Camber of Culdi, Book 1. Ballantine Books, 1976.

Sermon for 6/9/13--Trinity 2

No audio this week. Yesterday was a concatenation of silly little blunders: waking up at 8:45am for the 9am service, my interesting pubescent voice change during the Salutation, and a complete mind-blank on my sermon when a page of my manuscript went missing (which wouldn't have been a problem if [1] I'd had time to review my sermon text a few times before the service as I usually do or [2] I'd been more awake--for which, again, I have no one to blame but myself). So...for the members of St. Peter who didn't get to hear the portion of this that got lost between printing and preaching, the bold print is what you missed. My apologies. I'd like to say that it won't happen again, but instead let me say that I'll do everything I can to prevent this from happening again.

Ringing the Dinner Bell

Luke 14:15-24

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A certain man gave a great supper and invited many." This certain man is God the Father. The supper is the banquet of forgiveness and life which Christ His Son purchased by His death for sin and by His victory over the grave. In fact, Jesus is Himself the meal, the bread of life given in His body and blood. God has sent out His Holy Spirit to invite many through the preaching of the Gospel to come to the feast. All things have been prepared by God; there is no cost to you. Those invited may freely dine on the finest of fare which God has to offer.

"But they all with one accord began to make excuses." They all had other things they thought were more important to do.  Being with the Giver of the feast and sharing in the joy of His meal was low on the priority list. They all demonstrate unbelief in the Gospel invitation. The first said, "I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused." This man is caught up in his property and does not believe that in Christ the meek shall inherit the earth. He seeks to gain the world and in the process forfeits his soul. He sees the value of land but does not desire the priceless land of the new creation. He elects to go and see his piece of ground, showing his destiny to return to the ground in temporal and eternal death.

The second said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused." This man prefers his work to the work of Christ. This man seeks to produce His own righteousness before God, walking under the yoke of the five books of Moses' Law, rather than trusting in the righteousness of Christ, walking in the freedom of the Gospel. He will find no rest. His labor is in vain.

The third said, "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come." This man prized his earthly marriage over the heavenly wedding of Christ and His Churchly Bride. He desired a fleeting wedding celebration more than the everlasting marriage feast. He loved union with his wife more than communion with his Creator. When death parts him from his wife, there will be nothing to restore him to life.

On the surface all of these excuses seem pretty reasonable. Taking care of land and business concerns and being with your new wife sound at first like pretty legitimate justifications for saying "no" to the invitation. And it's that same sort of seemingly reasonable excuse-making that we are tempted to engage in when the Gospel invitation comes to us. We too can come up with our own rationalizations for saying "maybe later" to God and His invitation to the feast. And this is true in every stage of life. In youth, sowing our wild oats seems like the most important thing. Reaching adulthood, it’s the responsibilities of family and employment. In middle age, we must work hard for retirement. And then it’s time to retire, when we can finally afford to travel and do all the things we missed while we were getting ready for this day. Please, Lord, have me excused.
 

And lest we who are here today become self-righteous, what about when we come to the banquet of the Lord but don't eat? What about when we hear the Word of the Lord that is read and preached in this place but refuse to pay attention to it and receive it? What about when we starve ourselves, lest we believe the Supper loses what makes it special? We're at the table, so to speak, but our attention is elsewhere than on God's free gifts of mercy and life in Christ. The food is in front of us, but we're not hungry. We've lost sight of our need for Jesus and what He has to give.
 

God will have a full house on the Last Day for His feast. And if those who should come don't, then many whom you might not expect will: not only the poor and the lame and the blind, but also even many from among the heathen nations will be brought to believe and be saved. This meal is given not on the credentials of the invitees but on the graciousness of the Host.

Our Lord Jesus offered up His body on the cross to be "roasted" in the fire of judgment. He suffered hell in our place at Calvary. Having rescued us from sin and Satan by His holy death, and being now raised from the dead, Jesus offers Himself to the whole world as heavenly food that we might receive His saving gifts and be nourished by them. Jesus said, "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." And if Christ dwells in you, then the sin and death which troubles you ultimately cannot harm you, for in Christ you have pure righteousness and life which conquers all, even the grave. He will indeed bring you who believe to the resurrection of the body at the close of the age.

And so the Spirit's call goes out to you again this day: "Come, for all things are now ready." The banquet table is laid before you, not only in the Word of God you are hearing, but also in the Sacrament of the Altar. Partake of this holy, life-giving food.  Believe in Christ and be saved. Receive the foretaste of the Feast to come, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which will have no end. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

    

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.