Sermon for Pentecost 12: "Imitators of God" (Ephesians 4:17-5:2)

LISTEN

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord … Be imitators of God” (Ephesians 4:17a, 5:1).

 

Humans are mimetic creatures. That is, we imitate one another. Starting from your own family, you may have noticed that we tend to imitate one another. Children imitate their parents’ speech patterns. They even imitate those words that their parents say they have never said. Children imitate the way their parents walk. Children imitate what their parents find most important. They imitate their parents’ choice in favorite sports team, favorite college, favorite foods, favorite color. Even into adulthood, children imitate their parents for better or for worse.

 

Wise Solomon speaks of children imitating their parents. He says in Proverbs 22: “Train a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

 

And as I’ve mentioned in a past sermon, country singer Rodney Atkins sings about this imitation in his song “Watching You.” He sang: 

“Well then my four-year-old said a four letter word

That started with ‘s’ and I was concerned

So I said, ‘Son, now where did you learn to talk like that?’

 

“He said, ‘I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool

I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you … so I’ve been watching you.”

 

For better or for worse, we mimic one another. So, as adults, we must pay attention to what we are teaching the younger generation. They are watching us. Later in that song, Rodney Atkins sang: 
         “[My son] crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees

He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands

And spoke to God like he was talking to a friend

And I said, ‘Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?’

 

“He said, ‘I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool

I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you … so I’ve been watching you.’”

 

This imitation does not just correspond with parents. Just think about regional intricacies and accents. Why is it that it takes several goodbyes for a Midwestern goodbye? Why is it that people in Boston all sound alike? Or New York? What about that southern drawl?

 

Speaking of accents, it is often that other people hear things that we don’t hear. Often, we don’t hear our own accent. To us, we sound normal. Even when you may move to a new area, you will likely begin to talk like the people that you hear talk all around you. We eventually take on the accents of the people that we listen to.

 

As Christians, we certainly speak with a definite accent. St. Paul admits that. He says that as Christians, we imitate each other by doing honest work with our own hands. We help the poor and needy. We speak what is good, right, and salutary, which is for the building up of each other. We forgive one another. We give of our firstfruits to God in giving thanks for all He has given us – our daily bread: food, clothing, and shelter. And even more: our salvation by grace through faith in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, we may not notice this, and that may be good. Since it is typical that we think that’s just normal. But to the fallen world all around us, they notice it. They hear our particular accent. They notice that Christians have a particular accent.

 

So, as Christians, we are able to imitate one another. But how can we be imitators of God? 

 

How could anyone imitate God? That just seems absurd! Man cannot imitate God! How can we create life out of nothing? How can we equal Jesus’ saving deeds? 

 

Remember when our first parents were coerced by that serpent to have the desire to be like God? What happened to them? They saw that the tree in the midst of the garden was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, so Adam and Eve took of its fruit and ate (Genesis 3). As soon as Adam and Eve disobeyed God by seeing that the fruit that God told them not to eat as pleasing, they sinned, and humanity has dealt with those consequences ever since as our fallen nature wants nothing to do with the one true God. We lost the image of God. We lost the ability to imitate God. Or so we thought. So, how could we regain the ability to imitate God?

 

In our epistle, St. Paul gives us some pointers. First, he teaches us the opposite: how not to imitate God. Paul tells of the Gentiles. Now, he’s not just speaking of those people who are not Jews by blood. He is speaking of heathens – how the people of the fallen world live, who do not have the right faith. Paul says to not be like them in following the futility of their minds. He is speaking of minds, because it is the mind that is the source of all evil behavior. You see, we first think about the sin that we are going to do. So, in this way, Paul is warning the Ephesians and us today against falling back into our old ways that would lead us away from faith in Christ and back into pagan beliefs.

 

So, there is a danger in backsliding into sin. This is why we must imitate what is good and not imitate what is dangerous.

 

In our text, St. Paul writes, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. … Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear”(Ephesians 4:26, 29).

 

So, how can we be both angry and not sin? What is Paul talking about? Is he speaking about righteous anger, just as when God is angry with His sinful people, as if Paul were saying, “Be angry in such a way that you do not sin?” How could a person be angry and also not sin? Afterall, anger is violating the Fifth Commandment: You shall not murder. So, what is Paul talking about?

 

Martin Luther puts it this way: “Paul is taking into consideration the way of the world. Men are tempted and moved to anger. … But right here, says the apostle, you should beware and not sin; not give reign, nor yield to the impulse and promptings of wrath. … Beware of doing what your wrath would have you do.”

 

Putting everything in context, there is a heightened meaning to Paul’s words: Christians are to daily return to Baptism through repentance and forgiveness. You see, as soon as you were Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins, Satan put a target on your back. He will do anything to destroy you and me. He wants us angry. He wants us to follow the futility of our minds. He wants us to be confused over what is good. He wants our minds perverted. He wants disorder. He wants us “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).

Satan doesn’t want you here today. Satan doesn’t want you to be inundated in the language of forgiveness.

St. Paul speaks about the language of learning. Just as it is best to learn a foreign language through immersion, the Divine Service is an immersion experience. So, the Divine Service is a time for us to work on our language skills. And the consequence of this learning is the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Here in the Divine Service, the triune God comes to us through His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments, so that we can better know Him, so that we can have a proper relationship with Him. Here, we become disciples, which literally means, “the one who learns.”

 

Disciples of Christ are made by teaching and baptizing. To learn Christ is to become Christlike, particularly in bearing the cross. It involves a renunciation of the world. A renunciation of all that is evil and Satanic. We should have nothing to do with evil, and where we see evil, we are to renounce it. We are to “put away falsehood” (Ephesians 4:25) and have nothing to do with it. 

 

Just as Paul points the Ephesians back to catechesis, he does the same for us. You see, it is through catechesis, or teaching, that we come to know Christ and the Gospel, and to your Baptism, where you were placed into Christ and made Christlike. So, going back to my question: how can we become imitators of God? On our own we can’t, since we are poor, miserable, sinners, who desire nothing that God wills. But through the working of the Holy Spirit through Baptism and through right teaching in regular attendance in the Divine Service, we can! This is the place where we learn how to imitate God. Here, we learn how to speak in a way that builds up. Even when we speak hard truths, we speak it in a way that builds up. We speak in a way that gives grace, with a gracious accent. 

 

This is the place where we are being built up. This is the place where we hear and practice forgiveness at every Divine Service. This is the place where we learn how to imitate Christ. And imitation is doing. Our imitating actions are the result of our new life in Christ, as we learn about His love for you in that while we were still sinners, He died for you, so that you would have forgiveness, life, and salvation. And here, we are empowered to be like Him through His Word and Sacraments, knowing that our sins are forgiven thus we forgive one another, just as He has forgiven us. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for the Ascension of Our Lord: "Hidden But Not Absent" (Acts 1:1-11)

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from our risen and ascended Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[The Ascension]

When Jesus and His apostles met on the Mount of Olives, the apostles were full of great expectations. They asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). This question is puzzling. After all they had experienced with Jesus, they ask this question. It appears that they were still expecting Jesus to establish a kingdom here on earth that, in some respects, would be like other earthly kingdoms.

But at the same time, the apostles also believed that this kingdom of God would be one that would bring them spiritual redemption. They were expecting forgiveness of sins won by their Messiah, Jesus, and all the blessings for the soul which flow from forgiveness.

So, Jesus responds saying, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).

As Jesus spoke these words, He began His ascent into heaven. With the eyes of the apostles resting upon Him, they witnessed Jesus being slowly and visibly lifted up. They see all of this with their own very eyes as the witnesses they were to be.

There was an awed silence over the apostles. Their eyes are wide with astonishment as they follow Him and strain in their looking and then a cloud took Him out of their sight. From this event, we confess this great article of faith in the Creeds: “He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty” (Apostles’ Creed).

Although Jesus had vanished and appeared throughout those 40 days since His bodily resurrection – to the Emmaus disciples on the road, to the apostles in the locked upper room twice, at the Sea of Tiberias, and various other appearances to many – the apostles knew that something was different here. Jesus had never vanished from their sight in this way.

So, the apostles do what we would naturally do: stare into the sky. They stare even as the last cloud folds Him in. They gaze after Him – but He is gone.

The ascension was visible for the sake of the apostles. The moment the cloud hid Jesus from their sight, He was transferred timelessly into the heavenly glory. Jesus is now visible in heaven with the same body that died nailed to the cross and lay in the grave.

The obvious questions now for the apostles are: “Now what?”, “What’s next?”

So, as they stare, two angels in white robes appear and say: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). This question intends to turn their minds from mere astonishment to more important thought. You see, the Ascension and the Last Day go together.

[He Shall Return]

Christ departed visibly; He shall return visibly. He went to heaven; He shall come back from heaven. He went away bodily; He shall return bodily.

This is what the two angels spoke to the apostles. The presence of these angels marks the Ascension as one of Christ’s saving acts. Remember, when two angels appeared at the tomb on that Easter morning? What did they say? “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise?” (Luke 24:5-7). The angels did not just appear previously to proclaim the resurrection. They also announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds saying, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

Today on this Ascension of Our Lord Day, we know that because Jesus is risen from the dead, by faith in Him alone, we will also rise! Since Jesus ascended into heaven, we will also ascend! You see, the Ascension of Christ is a feast to celebrate!

So, as the apostles stood staring, these angels brought the glorious promise to them at this great moment that Jesus will come again in the same visible way.

But someone may ask, “How can Jesus be visible to everyone when He returns? If He returns on one side of the earth, how could people know on the other side of the earth?”

Oh, believe me, everyone will know. God is God and we are not. He is the Creator of heaven and earth, so He is capable of accomplishing everything.

So, Jesus will not announce His return on a television talk show or announce His return to you privately at a street corner. And if anyone does say he is Jesus, you ought to know that that man is a fraud, since He will not return in secret. So, don’t be fooled by people claiming to be Jesus. When Christ returns, there will be no mistaking Him. For He will return from heaven in the same way He ascended into heaven. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

The day of Christ’s return will be a day of comfort for all in Christ. It is a day of promise for us! But we also know that He will return as the Judge who will strike paralyzing fear into His foes (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7) as He will say: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Acknowledge Me” (Revelation 1:8). But because He is and remains our Savior, the sight of Him will fill our hearts with overwhelming joy. For He will be our acquitting Judge, the Judge who will speak to us these gracious words: “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).

[Sitting at the Right Hand of the Father]

Today, we live in the age between the Lord’s ascension and His return in glory on the Last Day. During this time, He is hidden from our physical sight, but He is not absent. The Lord’s promise of His continuing presence concludes the Gospel according to Matthew: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus is ascended, but He is still present.

For some Christians, they take Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father to be a literal location. So, for them, Jesus is stuck in heaven, so it’s impossible for Him to be with us here today. Now, how do they account for His resurrection appearances? They say He just snuck through a window or snuck in and out when the people weren’t looking. So, to this they say, “The body of Christ is enclosed in heaven, so He cannot be present in more than one place at a particular time.”[1] But, if this is the case, then Jesus is not fully God. Since Christ is true God, He is indeed present everywhere. He has “ascended far above the heavens, that He might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:10).

So, when we confess He “sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty” and as our Epistle proclaims today that God the Father “seated Him at the right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:20), we are not confessing that Christ is confined or restricted to a place, but that He again has full use of all His divine powers that were His before He took upon Himself our human flesh at His incarnation. So, “right hand” means strength and power, and not a restriction. Again, the “right hand of God the Father almighty” is not a location, but instead an office. If Jesus was confined, He would not be with us always, to the end of the age.

So, for a time, Jesus willingly relinquished much of His divine power as a man, but now that He has returned to heaven as man and God, He has again taken up full use of His divine power. At the Ascension, Jesus was exalted into heaven. On earth, His exaltation was His crucifixion. But His Ascension is His triumphant enthronement as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Today, because the ascended Christ is not only God, but God and man united in one Person, therefore wherever He is, He is present as God and man. This means that He is not only present as God, but He is present also as man, with His Body. Christ is bodily present in the Lord’s Supper, where He gives us His body and blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins.

In this time between the Ascension and His return, the presence of Christ for us is a hidden presence as we no longer physically see Him as a man or audibly hear the words from His mouth. Nevertheless, His presence is not spiritual in the sense that He has nothing to do with this world. Otherwise, how would we identify His presence? He is present to us and speaks to us through His Word, as it is proclaimed and read. These words are not simply written by man; they are not simply words spoken to our ears, or printed signs to our eyes. No! Through the Holy Spirit-inspired Scriptures, Christ speaks to us. For the Church is the assembly of believers around the Word and Sacrament. Around the Means of Grace, the Church gathers around the hidden, yet powerful presence of Christ.

So, the Ascension of our Lord is not a time of mourning. Jesus has not left us. His Ascension is all about our comfort, peace, joy, and confidence. Imagine the awe and delight of the angels and archangels as the Son of God returned as also the Son of Man with all power and authority in heaven and on earth, where He rules with grace and mercy, where repentance for the forgiveness of sins in preached. Jesus is not absent as He rules all things for the sake of His Body, the Church.

Even though He reigns in heaven, He still carries for us the marks of His crucifixion. He is the Lamb who was slain, who “is above all rule and authority and power and dominion” (Ephesians 1:21). He blesses us with forgiveness, lifts us up in His hands and seats us with Himself “in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:20). Alleluia! Christ is Ascended! Amen!

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

---

[1] Book of Concord, Formula of Concord: Epitome, Article VII: Holy Supper. The Reformed argued that Christ cannot be present in the Lord’s Supper, since He was trapped in heaven.

Funeral Sermon: "At Peace with Christ" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

 

Robert, Randy, Brian, and Jon, family and friends of Judy:

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

[Intro: Times and Seasons]

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Each day we have is beyond our own human control. Everything comes and goes at the time that God has appointed. As God spoke in Psalm 90: “For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; but their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” … “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:9-10, 12).

Today, we certainly see the wages of sin, which is death. Due to sin, no human being can overcome death. But, although we all die due to sin, by grace through faith in Jesus, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

Today, Judy has received the victory! She has joined the happy throng singing the triumph song: Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ, the King! (Onward Christian Soldiers, LSB 662, Stanza 4). She is wearing the robe of Christ’s righteousness that covers all of her sins with her fellow saints in the Church Triumphant! She has received the free gift of God, that is eternal life – and all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone!

[Faith and Determination]

Judy loved to dance. In fact, she met her husband Robert at the Play-Mor ballroom. Although, that night, the two did not dance – as she declined Robert’s invitation, their dating life and marriage would not be void of dancing.

But back in 2012 and 2013, it was the thought that Judy would not ever dance again, due to cancer and other infections. For a time, she was unable to walk. But due to her faith and determination, she was able to walk again – and dance again.

Besides dancing, Judy enjoyed her flowers, especially her large Hosta garden. She also enjoyed the company of her cats.

She loved her family, especially her husband Robert and her sons Randy, Brian, and Jon.

Most importantly, her faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior is what kept her going all of her life. Through thick and thin, Jesus was always there for her. He never left her, nor forsake her. He is with her to this day! Today she is in the presence of her Lord and Savior. She is completely satisfied as she hungers no more, neither thirsts anymore. She is no longer suffering the effects of sin. She is at bliss with her fellow saints in the Church Triumphant!

For us today, we are experiencing loss. With any loss, we grieve. So, do not be ashamed to grieve at the loss of Judy this day, or in future days. But also know this: As Christians, we grieve not as the unbelieving world grieves. We grieve in the sure and certain hope that we will be with our loved ones again who have died in the faith! “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep. … Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 18).

So, don’t be ashamed to grieve. Grieving is natural. And we all grieve in different ways. But always remember, Christians have the sure and certain hope that because Christ lives, everyone in Christ also lives!

[At the Appointed Time]

We should also remember that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

All things have their time. All things have their definite hour. Everything comes and goes at the time that God Himself has appointed: “A time to be born, and time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2a).

Birth has its own time, and death has its own time. As we do not have our own birth planned out, we also do not have our own death planned out either. A baby is in the hand of God and is not born until its hour of birth comes. Women labor and concern about the birth of their baby, and they predict the time, but there is nothing certain about it. Nor do we die, except at our appointed hour.

For Judy, she may have thought when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 that death was near, or when her kidneys failed, but only God knew her appointed date and time.

Essentially, God is saying: “Why fear death?” Afterall, we cannot live any longer than the Lord has prescribed, nor die any sooner. So, we each have “a time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2a).

But our sinful nature may say: “What about those people who die of their own initiative? What about those who died too young? Could they not have saved their lives?” No. God has set this hour and even the means and kind of death. God sets the moments of our life and of our death. They are fixed.

Now, our sinful nature may not like this. Our sinful nature likes the idea that we have some form of control. But this is a great comfort. God has indeed numbered our days. Our birth and our death are in His control.

Now, the time between our birth and our death, we perform the works of man.

“A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:2b).

These are the works of human life. In the spring there is planting, in the autumn there is plucking up. As Judy enjoyed taking care of her flowers and plants, she would be familiar with this. The flowers and plants would only last so long, then they would be plucked up for the next season. This is our life. This is our life now.

So, for everything there is a season. A season to weep, a season to laugh, a season to mourn, a season to dance, and on and on.

For each of these works, there is a defined time. There is a time to weep, there is a time to laugh. But it often happens that when we want to be very joyous, a sudden disturbance arises. Therefore joy – like all seasons – has its appointed time.

What God teaches us in Ecclesiastes 3 is this: Enjoy the present things. Enjoy all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us and all creatures – His Daily Bread – because they will come to an end.

Even as the grass withers and the flower fades through the seasons of our life, the Word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). The Word of the Lord never withers nor fades but endures forever!

All material things are temporal – they will fade away, but our faith in Christ is eternal! Our faith is eternal, because the eternal God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – strengthens our faith through His Means of Grace: Word and Sacrament!

Since, the Word of the Lord endures forever, Judy is at peace. She is at peace because she has entered by the Door of the Sheep – Jesus Christ, who is our Good Shepherd.

She – and all who trust in Christ – received this peace at their Baptism. For “there is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

You see, at your baptism, you were joined to Christ Himself. You were joined to His suffering, His death, and His bodily resurrection. In doing so, by faith in Christ alone, we share in the fruits of His cross: forgiveness of sins, which begets eternal life and salvation!

So, we acknowledge one Lord: Jesus Christ; one Faith: that is true doctrine as confessed in the Creeds; one Baptism: where we are joined to Christ.

Jesus came to “lay down [His] life for the sheep” (John 10:15b), so that He “may take it up again” (John 10:17) for which He did on that Good Friday and Easter morning, so that all who would trust in Him would live with Him forever.

Today, Judy and her fellow saints are at peace. They are dwelling in the house of the Lord and receiving the feast that is prepared for all the faithful (Psalm 23). May we on our appointed day join her and all the faithful in heaven!

For us this day, we have the sure and certain hope that because Christ lives, we shall also live, as we – with the Church Triumphant in Heaven – await Christ’s coming on the Last Day! Amen!

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Judy Sellnow's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/judith-judy-sellnow/

The Christian Response to Critical Race Theory

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

As the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to say, our identity is in Christ: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20), and “in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28). In other words, Christians do not speak of fellow human beings based on their specific cultural, racial, sexual, or national identity, but upon their redeemed identity in Christ as a precious and beloved Child of God – one who has been justified and sanctified by the shed blood of Christ and His Holy Spirit. So, historic Biblical Christianity does not create theology and ethics based on the racial, ethnic, national, or pigmented identity of human beings.

In the last year or so, words and phrases like “equity,” “woke,” “antiracist,” “social justice,” “systemic racism,” “white privilege,” and “Critical Race Theory” have become a part of the mainstream. As Lutheran Christians, we may ask, “What does this mean?” Before I get too far, I would like to remind us all that all injustice and oppression can be traced back to Satan, the world, and our own sinful nature and that all humankind is depraved as a result of the fall into sin. However, it is true that human depravity explains the existence of racist oppression and injustice, it by no means excuses it. Rather, Christ has given His Church the commission to proclaim both repentance and remission of sins in His name. So, it is our duty to call each and every sinner to confess all sins of thought, word, and deed and find full and free remission in Jesus Christ for the sake of His bitter suffering, death, and bodily resurrection. Therein, this new life in Christ will also bring a change in behavior and care for our neighbor.

Recently, Rev. Dr. Lucas Woodford, the district president of the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, published a paper titled What Does This Mean? Responding to Social Justice & Critical Race Theory. In this well-developed paper, Woodford goes into the details on how Lutheran Christians are to respond when confronted with social justice and the Critical Race Theory.

In Chapter 2 of his paper, Woodford lays out definitions of what those many words or phrases above actually mean. First off, Social Justice and Critical Race Theory have become dogmas. This means that these ideas have become a doctrine, like that as proclaimed by the Church. So, for people who adhere to Social Justice and Critical Race Theory, they believe they are correct in their understanding and so they find it difficult to be swayed to believing otherwise. These ideas have become their religion.

So, what is it that they believe? According to Woodford:

Antiracist: A person must be an “antiracist.” Now, an antiracist is different than being “not racist.” According to their dogma, one can never be neutral. They must either be a racist or actively working against racism.

Equity: The equality of outcome is the demand that regardless of individual effort the outcome must be the same for all. The historical definition of equality which means an equal opportunity to achieve success is considered undesirable.

Woke: The perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice. To be “woke” is to awaken from the sleep of ignorance or from outdated beliefs into the enlightenment of new cultural awareness about social and racial justice. According to Woodford, “woke” finds its roots in the Marxist Revolution. The Marxist Revolution needed the images of Christ to be removed, speech codes enforced against pastors, and icons of Biblical truth destroyed in order to clear the path toward socialism and communism. The social justice movement carries similar Marxian themes as it seeks to remake the whole of culture. To do this, new words must be added to our vocabulary and old definitions must be altered or reinvented and then repeatedly mainstreamed into social consciousness to modify thought and behavior.

Social Justice: The idea that true justice must be equality of outcome, rather than only equality of opportunity, upon all of society.

Systemic Racism: The belief that social structures have assumptions that systemically oppress minorities. This has nothing to do with the historical definition of racism, which is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to physical appearance and should be distinguished based on the alleged superiority of one race over another. (As God teaches through His written Word in the Scriptures, racism is a sin and must be treated as the sin that it is. Those who have committed racist acts or carry a racially prejudiced mindset need to repent and rest on the full forgiveness of Jesus Christ.)

White Privilege: The belief that white people are born with an unearned advantage based upon the color of skin (their whiteness).

Critical Race Theory: The theory that holds that race is a social construct that was created to maintain white privilege and white supremacy. This theory is rooted in “critical theory,” which was originated by German philosopher Karl Marx and was formally presented in the pamphlet, The Communist Manifesto. Critical Theory is about the struggle between the bourgeoisie (capitalists) and the proletariat (poor workers). Critical Race Theory expresses the desire to fundamentally alter the control of power in favor of the morals that they assert are essential. The goal is to deconstruct and upend power structures in favor of who they believe are the oppressed.

Critical Race Theory and Social Justice ideologies seek to reduce character to collectivist identities using their own definitions that constantly change. Christianity, on the other hand, does not change: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). In Christ, through repentance, there is forgiveness for every sin. However, according to Social Justice and Critical Race Theory, there is never any possibility for forgiveness.

As followers of Christ, we believe, teach, and confess that our identity and character is found in our baptism. Our baptismal identity as child and heir of God unites us to Christ and provides a spiritual way of life, which is also an ethical way of life. So, when the Christian is led to sin, we are called to repentance and prayer. Whatever the sinful thought, behavior, and vice, the sinner pleads for mercy and forgiveness and that sinner receives forgiveness. As baptized believers, we are delivered from the hands of Satan by Christ’s cross, as our Lord Jesus through baptism equips Christians to live with a divine identity, with moral integrity, and with the eternal destiny of a heavenly kingdom.

The only remedy for all sin, hurt, injustice, and oppression is the hope and healing that comes through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of the Church who breaks down dividing walls of hostility, reconciles the distressed, forgives sin, removes shame, and gives holy identity and moral character. There is only one body and one Spirit, just as we were called to the one hope that belongs to us all by God’s grace: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:5-6).

For even more on responding to social justice and Critical Race Theory, I strongly recommend reading District President Woodford’s paper, which can be found here: https://www.doxology.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/dox_2021_woodford_crt_final2.pdf?fbclid=IwAR00Yyc9sRgV-wSA19tiDMApGIbAX1GRSiZ0wLOgIXS-2Og-mcLijDfpIsw

Woodford also discussed his paper on Issues, Etc. (a Lutheran radio talk show): https://issuesetc.org/2021/06/11/1622-christianity-critical-theory-and-the-social-justice-movement-dr-lucas-woodford-6-11-21/

In Christ,
Pastor Adelsen

Sermon for Pentecost 11: "Unity in the One True Faith" (Ephesians 4:1-16)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

The best arguers don’t point their fingers. That’s according to a study reported in Psychological Science. The study also said the person who says “we” the most during an argument suggests the best solutions.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied 59 couples. Spouses who used second-person pronouns (you) tended to be negative in interactions. Those using first-person plural pronouns (we) provided solutions to problems.

The study concluded, “‘We’ users may have a sense of shared interest. ‘You’-sayers tend to criticize and disagree.”[1]

[Unified in One True Faith]

In this morning’s epistle, the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write to the Church in Ephesus and to all Christians that we are to be unified in the one true Christian faith.

Paul writes: “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

We are not to be divided, but instead united under one God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What Paul is writing is for all Christians to hold fast, keep, and treasure the unity we have in the Triune God. He is telling us to not create something new, but to hold on to the one true faith that was given to us through Christ and His apostles.

In today’s culture, we may want to change what we believe in order to gain more people in the pews. But, Paul is saying just the opposite. He is saying to remain true to the faith and to not to change with the culture.

An example of changing in hopes of gaining more people in the pews has been done by seven major mainline denominations, which now say, “Being in full communion and bonding together makes us stronger.”[2]

Instead of holding to God’s Written Word as found in the Holy Bible, they sought unity for unity sake. These church bodies have gone into full altar and pulpit fellowship just because they could.

They say they have a mutual recognition of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which allows for joint worship. But, in reality, they disagree. Each church body has differing opinions on the Lord’s Supper and what the Lord’s Supper does. This spectrum goes from the true body and blood of Christ shed for us for the forgiveness of sins to being a memorial meal or a reminder on what Christ had done, which eliminates the Lord’s Supper as a Means of Grace – a means of forgiveness.

So, in the end, they agree to disagree on fundamental doctrinal statements of belief. But is this what Paul meant by “unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3)?

No, this is unionism. Unionism is joint worship and fellowship among churches that are not in doctrinal agreement. This might sound like a good way on unifying the Christian Church to many of us, but this is exactly what Paul is warning us about.

So, instead of “walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which [they] have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2-3), these churches are choosing to walk together in conflict. Their only agreement is that proper Christian doctrine does not matter.

As Christians, we are united in doctrine. For only in pure doctrine are we are unified in “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).

We are unified in one Lord – not many Lords, but one Lord – who is Jesus Christ. We are unified in one faith – not many faiths – which is the true doctrine handed down to us in God’s Written Word. We are unified in one baptism, when we were adopted by the Triune God and thereby joined.

[Early Creedal Statement]

Well before Christians began memorizing the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, there were other creedal statements being memorized by Christians.

One such creed is in today’s epistle. In fact, I have already said it.

“There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Here we read God’s Triune Name, but only backwards: Holy Spirit, Son, Father.

And, this creedal statement could even be seen as a creed within a creed, when Paul writes: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

You see, creedal statements were important to the early Christians and are equally important to Christians today.

These statements of faith say what we believe as a Christian. Statements such as these help us understand the Christian faith in just minimal words. These statements of faith also guard us against false teachings that float around in the culture.

You see, creeds such as “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” were written for one essential purpose: to unite Christians.

[One Faith]

During the time of the Reformation, there were many ideas floating around from the various reformers. Some reformers wanted to throw out everything connected to the historical Church.

Martin Luther, on the other hand, argued against throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Luther made some changes, but only changes created by man, rather than the Triune God.

As many other reformers were “tossing to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14), Luther remained faithful to the one true Christian faith as handed down by the Creeds.

Luther said, “[The Creed] holds together the Christian community, preventing factions and schisms. So Paul here [in Ephesians 4] admonishes men to be careful for harmony, making every endeavor to preserve it. [Paul] thus emphasizes oneness of doctrine – the one true faith.

“Above all things, then, the effort must be to preserve, in the Church, the doctrine of the Scriptures, pure and in its unity.”[3]

So, why is the Creed so important?

Well, for those who do not have the entire Word of God memorized, the Creed is the next best thing, since everything from the Creed is from God’s Word.

The Creed also reminds us on what is taught in God’s Word.

We are reminded that “there is one body”, which is the one holy Christian and apostolic Church.

According to God’s Word, the Church is the assembly of all those on earth who believe in Christ, just as we pray in the Creed. “Hence, although they be a thousand miles apart in body, they are yet an assembly in spirit because each one preaches, believes, hopes, loves, and lives like the other.”[4]

Pure doctrine is what unites the Christian Church.

Now, you may be thinking: “Does doctrine really matter? Don’t we want to be more appealing to those outside our church walls?”

Well, as Luther puts it, “Doctrine saves” because through proper teaching we learn about what Jesus has done and continues to do for us.

[Baby Food and Steak]

Now, as Christians it is difficult to comprehend pure doctrine depending on what stage of life you are in as a Christian.

When we were infants, we didn’t eat steak. As adults, we don’t eat baby food.

Likewise, when we are young in the faith, we can only comprehend what we can handle, but the goal is to mature and thus grow deeper in the one true faith.

Paul tells us that Jesus “gave us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints” (Ephesians 4:11-12) – to outfit all Christians as a soldier for battle against false teachings.

In being handed down pure doctrine, we are able to know what is correct and wrong and thus we know how to defend ourselves and others from wicked teachings.

As our Lord Jesus Christ said in today’s gospel lesson, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” (John 6:27).

Then the crowd, which just witnessed the Feeding of the 5,000, asked Jesus, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” (John 6:28)

Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29).

You see, the Holy Spirit gives us faith so we can believe in Jesus as our Lord, so we can be saved through Him.

[Jesus Unites Us to Him by Grace]

Today, we receive a foretaste of “the food that endures to eternal life” in the Lord’s Supper.

In this Supper, our faith is strengthened and our sins are forgiven.

All other food perishes, but Jesus is the “bread of life” who gives us life through His death on the cross, His resurrection from the grave, and His ascension to heaven where He lives and reigns to this day.

He alone gives us food so we shall not hunger. He alone gives us drink so what we shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

We have received this gift by grace through faith in Him – our Lord Jesus Christ, who alone “is the head” (Ephesians 4:15) of the whole body that unites us in the one true faith. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

 

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Preached at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, Minnesota.

---

[1] 1001 Illustrations That Connect, “The Best Arguers” (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 2008), 328.

[2] “Stronger Together: ELCA congregations find vitality through full-communion partnerships,” Living Lutheran (official ELCA magazine), August 2018, p. 14-19.

[3] Thomas Winger, Concordia Commentary: Ephesians (Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, 2015) 489-490,

[4] What Luther Says, #767, 260