Sermon for Easter 5: "Into All Truth" (John 16:12-22)

 

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]

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus said to His apostles: “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13a).

Pontius Pilate famously asked Jesus: “What is truth?” (John 18:38). How would we know truth from fiction? From online fact checkers? From the “Ministry of Truth”?

All too recently, we were told to trust the science. But what happens when the science changes? Do we continually trust the shifting sands? Is truth today considered “fluid”? Is it the nature of truth to change?

So, what is Jesus telling us by saying, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth”? Today on this Fifth Sunday of Easter, Jesus gives us the answer to the question that is still asked today: “What is truth?”

[The Truth is Out There]

As I have said, there are so many questions in regard to truth. Today, truth has undertaken a new meaning: opinion. Today, opinion seems to matter more than fact. Today, opinion has taken center stage to some big questions, such as: When does life begin? Is it just a clump of cells until I say it’s life? How do I know my sex or gender? Is it assigned to me, or do I choose? What is a woman? What is a man?

In a world without truth, nothing has meaning. But as the television show X-Files proclaims: The truth is out there. It’s certainly out there, but where?

How are we to distinguish truth from lies?

To this, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth. He does this to contrast with the spirit of lies – the devil – who turns everything on its head: evil is good, good is evil, and truth is exchanged for a lie. Jesus proclaims that the Holy Spirit will teach the apostles and show them that everything He told them is the truth.

Everything Jesus taught is the Truth, for He said, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Now, many men have told us the truth, but no Man ever embodied it except for Jesus Christ. You see, if a man proposes to teach moral truth, his character makes all the difference in the world. Moral truth cannot be conveyed solely in words; it must be conveyed by example. Many people could say: “I have taught you the truth.” But only Jesus says: “I am the Truth.”

But how did the unbelieving world react to Jesus? They called Him a blasphemer. They called Him a liar. They said He was crazy. They shouted, “Crucify Him!”

What did Jesus say of Paul being His chosen instrument in proclaiming the Gospel? “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My name” (Acts 9:16).

How is this any different from today? It is the fate of every Christian to suffer for the truth because Christ suffered as the Truth. We are to suffer whatever grief the devil and the world can inflict upon us. The question then is: why would anyone want to be a Christian? Who would want to be a Christian if there is guaranteed suffering? Human reason says, “No way!” But the Holy Spirit says otherwise. He is the Spirit of Truth because in spite of what may appear to be suffering – when we are mocked and ridiculed for speaking God’s Word – He strengthens and preserves our hearts in the one true faith.

Without the Holy Spirit, no one would have believed in Jesus for any length of time, or would still believe today, that Jesus is the Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father, and who was crucified as a criminal by His own people is the true God.

It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to live and to die by the truth. The Holy Spirit is the guide who leads us into all truth. The Holy Spirit occupies Himself in how to rescue men from sin and death by making them children of God, righteous and heirs of eternal life. The Holy Spirit is about building the kingdom of God and destroying the kingdom of hell. He teaches us how to fight against the devil and overcome him. He gives us comfort, strength, and support to a believing conscience. The Holy Spirit does all of this so we may remain alive in the midst of death and may be able to keep a good conscience even when we are aware of our sins, so that we confess those sins to God our Father and receive reconciliation.

It is certainly necessary to fight and grapple with the devil and sin. Here nothing but eternal things – eternal life or eternal death – is at issue. As Baptized Christians, Satan constantly goes after us with all his fury. He wants us to denounce our inheritance as children of the heavenly Father. So, in this life, we are faced with either gaining the victory over the devil and sin by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, or being their captives and lost forever.

As Christians, we are opposed by an enemy who is not interested in our temporal knowledge which we possess. No, he struggles and strives to hold our consciences bound in sin and to plague us from the eternal terrors of hell and with despair to drag us down with him from the kingdom of God and from all communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and into eternal damnation and the fire of hell. Such battles cannot be fought and such victories cannot be won without the Holy Spirit. Our reason and strength alone get us nowhere, as all temporal things will pass away.

Therefore, let us cling to this truth which the Holy Spirit teaches: how we can retain faith in Christ; tread the devil, sin, and death underfoot; bear and overcome the world’s wrath and raging; build God’s kingdom and gain eternal life. And where does the Holy Spirit work in us to retain this? It is only through His Means of Grace.

[Holy Spirit in Means of Grace]

When we hear God’s Word proclaimed and preached, receive Christ’s forgiveness in holy absolution and in receiving Christ’s very Body and Blood under the bread and the wine, we receive forgiveness of sins, which is supplied through Christ’s work of reconciliation, hence God’s grace. It is through these Means of Grace that God reveals and declares to believers that he or she is fully reconciled through Christ. The efficacious power of the Means of Grace consists of this, that through Word and Sacrament, the Holy Spirit works and strengthens faith, faith in the very forgiveness, God’s love and grace, which these means declare and reveal.

So, when we avoid the Means of Grace, we are depriving the Holy Spirit from awaking and strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ. For, as Martin Luther has said, “God does not wish to deal with us otherwise than through the spoken Word and Sacraments. It is the devil himself who is extolled as spirit without the Word and the Sacrament.”[1]

It is through the Means of Grace that the Holy Spirit works through us the preservation of the pure doctrine and of faith; victory over sin, the devil, and hell; and also love and obedience to God and our neighbor.

So, we know the truth from the Holy Spirit working within us through His Means of Grace. But does truth change with the times? Can men become women? Does life begin at conception or at birth, or even after birth?

[The Guide into All Truth]

To that question, Jesus says: “He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13b-c).

Here, Jesus defines the Holy Spirit’s office. The Holy Spirit is the guide into all truth.

There are two kinds of teachers. There are some who speak on their own authority by evolving their message from their own reasoning and judgment. And, there are those who do not speak on their own authority.

The Holy Spirit does not speak on His own authority, and His message will not be a human dream and thought like those who speak on their own authority of things which they have never seen nor experienced. The Holy Spirit’s message has substance: It is certain and absolute truth, for He proclaims what He has received from the Father and the Son.

We recognize the Holy Spirit by the fact that He does not speak on His own authority – as the spirit of lies, the devil, and his mobs do – but will proclaim what He will hear. The Holy Spirit speaks exclusively of Jesus and glorifies Jesus, so that people would believe in Jesus as their crucified and risen Savior.

In this way, Jesus sets the bounds for the message of the Holy Spirit Himself. He does not preach anything new or anything else than Christ and His Word. Thus, we have a sure guide and touchstone for judging false spirits.

Christ teaches His followers: “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). We come to know the truth through the nature of the Scriptures. You see, the entire Scriptures – the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments – are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Everything in the Scriptures has its origin in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. These are the very words of Jesus that have been preserved by the Holy Spirit.

So, all who imagine that they have found truth elsewhere are deluding themselves, because as Psalm 119 proclaims: “the sum of Your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (Psalm 119:160).

So, what does the Spirit of Truth say to some of today’s questions?

• On Life: Jeremiah 1(:5a): “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” and Psalm 139 (:13-14a, 15-16) “For You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. … My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
• On Sex or gender: Genesis 1(:27): “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them,” Matthew 19(:4) “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,” and Jesus Himself says in today’s Gospel lesson that only women give birth as He compares the birth of a baby to the joy of His resurrection (John 16:21).

We can only be adequately informed of the truth in God’s Means of Grace: Word and Sacrament.

Although, we aspire to be perfect in following God’s commandments, His Law is impossible for us since we are all sinners. We all do what we should not do, and we all forget from time to time on the things we ought to be doing. Thanks be to God that we have Jesus who is perfect and He gives us His perfection that He won for us upon the cross. He gives us reconciliation through repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

It is the Holy Spirit who takes all things that belong to Jesus and gives forgiveness of sins, life and salvation to us. So, do not be deceived by the spirit of lies, who is at work within the sinful hearts of humanity, who attempts to deceive us into lies. Instead, always remember that the Holy Spirit dwells in believers through their Baptism into Christ, through the Lord’s Supper, and in the Scriptures that “are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 21:5b), which reveal to us God’s love and salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who supports and comforts believers with Christ’s gift of peace! Amen.

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Portions of the Sermon cited from:

Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works American Edition: Volume 24, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, Chapters 14-16 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1961), 357-371.

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[1] Trigl. 495, Part III, Art. VIII, 3-10

Sermon for Pentecost 11: "Feed on the Bread of Life" (John 6:35-51)

 

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]

Jesus said to them: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

To the hearers that day, they must have thought: “This makes no sense at all! This guy must be a fool!”

It is very likely that when the Jews first heard Jesus say, “I am the bread of life,” they must have just stared at Jesus and envisioned their storehouses filled with food. “Surely this Man is possessed!” they thought, “He claims to have the ability to provide sufficient nourishment – food and drink – to sustain life forever! Come on! Who is He kidding?!”

This is also the reaction by many who claim to be worldly-wise today. When they hear Christ say, “I am the bread of life,” the worldly-wise would likely say, “You don’t say! Aren’t you special?!”

This is certainly a strange manner of speech to say to someone to eat of a person who stands before him and says, “I am the bread of life.”

Christ’s Bread of Life discourse was certainly offensive to many. Christ’s speech offended the Jews back then. Christ’s speech continues to offend many today.

On this 11^th Sunday after Pentecost, Jesus comes to us today and says, “I am the bread of life, depend on Me alone, for I give eternal life.”

[Reason]

For the hearers that day, they must have thought Jesus was crazy. This Jesus, the son of Joseph, claiming to be bread come down from heaven. Really?! Well, if we were in that crowd that day, we may have had the same thoughts. This guy has gone off his rocker!

As crazy as Jesus may sound, He is actually teaching them and us to silence the voice of reason and just believe.

Instead of trusting reason, we must look and grab onto nothing, but the Word spoken by Christ. For Christian doctrine certainly sounds ridiculous and nonsensical to reason. To the judgment of reason, Christian doctrine appears so far from the truth that it is impossible to believe it. Reason never comes to grasp with the truth that God is God and I am not. Reason leads us to go astray thinking, “This doesn’t make any sense to me, so I won’t believe it.” Thus, the Jews that day found it impossible to accommodate themselves to these words of Christ.

Through reason, the Jews are offended. They murmur and grumble. Using pure reason, they find it impossible for Christ to feed the whole world with His body.

As the Reformation was spreading across Europe, many people thought that they had the right ideas in reforming the Christian Church. For Martin Luther who sparked the Reformation, his reformation was based in getting back to the Scripture alone. The Lutheran Reformation was a conservative reformation as Luther and his allies wanted to get back to the basics of the Christian faith as found in the Scriptures: we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone.

But not everyone felt the same way. Other reformers popped up here and there and many had other ideas for where the Reformation should go. One of those men was Ulrich Zwingli. Although Zwingli was formerly a Roman priest – like Luther – he wanted a reformation that was not entirely based in Scripture. He wanted a reformation that used man’s reason. Zwingli certainly appealed to Scripture, but he used his own reason in applying it to the Christian life.

Just as the Jews grumbled at Jesus saying, “I am the bread of life,” Zwingli, too, would grumble the same. At a time when these two reformations could have become one, Luther and Zwingli would not budge. Luther held to Scripture. Zwingli held to reason.

To settle this dispute and possibly unite the two reformations, a meeting was attempted with Luther and Zwingli known as the Marburg Colloquy in October of 1529. The two found agreement on every theological point, except for one. They could not find agreement on the Lord’s Supper.

The disagreement was over a single word: “is”. What is the meaning of “is”? The fight was over these words of Christ: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you” and “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

Luther argued that “is” means “is.” Zwingli argued that “is” means “represents” or “signifies.”

Zwingli said, “For if the ‘is’ is to be taken literally, then we must eat the body of Christ with its flesh, bones, veins, nerves, marrow and other members which I will forbear to mention.”[1] To which Luther would respond saying, “Every time I hope they will produce Scripture, they pronounce their own dreams. [Zwingli] says, if one teaches that the physical or bodily eating of Christ’s body forgives sin, that is contrary to faith. I testify on my part that I regard Zwingli as un-Christian, with all his teaching, for he holds and teaches no part of the Christian faith rightly.”[2]

Zwingli was too focused on human reason to the point that he could not believe Christ’s very words.

For Luther, the Lord’s Supper was a doctrine he would never waver. Since Christ said it, he believed it. That was that. No more thinking. Christ said it, and that was good enough for Luther.

Luther would go on to write in his Large Catechism: We shall learn the [Sacrament of the Altar] and its greatest importance, namely, that the chief thing is God’s Word and command. It was not dreamed up or invented by some mere human being but was instituted by Christ without anyone’s counsel or deliberation. This Sacrament of the Altar is not a mere memorial meal, it is the true body and blood of the Lord Christ, in and under the bread and wine, which Christians are commanded by Christ’s word to eat and drink.

For if the Lord’s Supper is only a memorial meal, then there is no benefit to this meal. It is only temporal food that perishes. Not eternal food that endures forever. There is no Means of Grace, thus there is no forgiveness of sins given in eating and drinking. There is no faith being strengthened. If there is no Means of Grace in the Lord’s Supper, what’s the point? This was Luther’s argument!

[Faith]

Again, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

If a physician or pharmacist were to tell you: “I can give you a medicine that will save you from death. And with this medicine, you will no longer live in fear of death, since you would be immune from death.” Would you take this medicine? This is what Jesus is offering to you and me!

So, what is this medicine and how do I take it? This medicine is in fact – faith. Jesus – the Bread of Life – is the preservative against eternal death. To come to Christ means the same as to believe in Christ. This is what it means to have the Bread of Life and to eat it. For to eat – to come to Christ – and to believe in Christ are all one and the same thing.

Christ says to us, “To eat Me means to come to Me and believe in Me.” We all come to Christ in no other way. We only come to Christ by means of faith in Him. All we have to do is just believe in Him, and then we have eaten Him and come to Him.

So, if you do not want to die and be condemned, come to Christ, believe in Him, cling to Him, and eat Him. When we think this way, this old prayer makes more sense: “Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that, by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

We, too, must say to Christ, “Give us this bread always” (John 6:34) to which He will reply, “Yes, with all My heart I will give it: for that is why I came from heaven. Believe only Me. Let Me be your food. Do not pin your hope on another food. Beware of that. For I am the bread, not any other man on earth. No one except Me will help you. And if you cling to Me, no devil will do you any harm; for here is the bread which will not let you go hungry.”

So, are you always clinging to Christ? For many of us, we are being fed moldy bread. We seem to trust false idols more than Jesus. Many of us trust the “so-called experts” on the evening and cable news more than we trust Jesus. Yes, we should be informed, but not to the point that we end up living in fear for ourselves and live in fear of our neighbor.

For many people, unholy fear has become their false religion. Instead of having your mind molded by the news and culture, open up your Bible, thumb through those pages, and read God’s Word, which is always relevant and newsworthy – after all our salvation through Christ’s body and blood is always newsworthy! And, come to the Divine Service weekly, because this is the place where we always receive the Bread of Life!

The Jewish hearers back then used human reason to the point that they believed they were entitled to not depend upon Jesus as their Bread of Life. They believed that they did not have to believe in Christ for salvation. They believed they were entitled to free lunches and handouts without faith, as they received at the feeding of the 5,000. Today, not much has changed.

Apart from Christ we are indeed helpless. We can’t save ourselves. We need a savior. Thus, Christ took upon Himself our flesh as He came down from heaven to be the Bread of Life that we may eat and never die.

For those who do not hold onto Christ’s flesh and blood by faith, they are lost, they are doomed. So, believe in Christ’s flesh and blood! Christ is the very Bread of Life. So, eat Him, that is, trust in Him. For when we “eat of this bread, [we] will live forever” (John 6:51).

This bread – Christ’s flesh – gave life to the world when He suffered and died for our sins. It is only through His death, that we have life! By faith in Him, we receive the fruits of His death upon the cross: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation!

Although Christ’s words today refer primarily to His coming sacrificial death, within these words we anticipate the blessings of the Sacrament of our Lord’s Body and Blood.

With that being the case, Jesus must have knowingly formed His following words, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst. … I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:35, 51). He said those words in such a way that they would correspond to what He would later say at the Last Supper: “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” And: “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:19-20).

Our Lord Jesus Christ has prepared the foretaste of the feast to come at the Lord’s Table to which He invites us to receive the medicine of immortality – His very Body and Blood under the bread and wine – as the antidote to eternal death, so we live forever in Jesus Christ!

So, trust in Jesus, depend on Him, for He alone is the Bread of Life who feeds us with His own flesh, so that we will live forever! 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

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[1] Zwingli and Bullinger (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1953), 199.

[2] Luther’s Works, Volume 37: Word and Sacrament III (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1961), 189, 191, 231.

The Medicine of Immortality

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

In the past many months, there has been a lot of chatter about vaccines. Each effective vaccine is a miracle. Each vaccine gives people hope that they could avoid a particular sickness. But even with the most effective vaccine, humanity has the same mortality rate. To date, every person has a mortality rate of 100 percent. We all have the same fate: death. This is because the wages of sin is death, and since all have sinned, all will die (Romans 6:23a).

 

Even with the certainty of death on the horizon, the life of the Christian does not end at death. You see, Jesus offers everyone the free gift of eternal life through the medicine of immortality. Jesus says to us, “Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks my blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:54-56).

 

Jesus gives us the medicine of immortality through His Means of Grace in His Word and Sacrament. Through the Sacrament of the Altar, Christ cures everyone from death itself. This is what the Great Physician does. Jesus calls us all to eat and to drink His true body and His true blood under the bread and the wine to give us forgiveness of sins. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation.

 

As sinner-saints, we need this medicine weekly in the Divine Service, as we constantly need forgiveness for our sins and our Christian faith strengthened. This is what God does for us as He serves us — His flock — each and every Sunday.

 

This medicine of immortality is the greatest gift we could ever receive. This Christ offers to us freely and out of His abounding love for you!

 

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen

It's About Body and Soul (Update)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

As human beings, we are both body and soul. First Ev. Lutheran Church’s last corporate worship service was on Wednesday, March 18. Following that Lenten midweek service, no person rushed from their pew to go home. Everyone sat quietly and wondered “What’s next?” First Ev. Lutheran never wanted to close, but we did out of care for our neighbor.

We closed because as Christ’s Church, we honor His commandments. In the Fourth Commandment, we are to “honor your father and mother.” This means that we are to fear and love God so that we honor our authorities. The authorities wanted to flatten the COVID-19 curve, so hospitals would not be over-run and we followed their advice. In the Fifth Commandment, we are to “not murder.” This means that we are to fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need. We closed so we would not hurt or harm our neighbor.

As the Apostle Paul writes: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). At the same time, there comes a time when the government can go too far. When that happens: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). This is the case now, since our state government moved the “goal posts” from “flattening the curve” to we must have a vaccine. I hate to break it to everyone, but on the best year, the Influenza vaccine is only 50 percent effective.

So, on the Ascension of Our Lord (May 21), the Church Council voted unanimously to resume Divine Services on Pentecost Sunday (May 31). This was such great news for Pastor Welch and myself!

As the news of resuming Divine Services made its way around Facebook that Thursday night into Friday morning, some onlookers may have thought: “It’s too early! People will die!” If you are worried about this, you may continue to watch the Divine Services from home. But, remember, even before COVID-19 people died. Death isn’t new. Death is the result of sin.

As of Pentecost Sunday (May 31), our religious liberty is restored and we all have a choice on how we worship the one true God. Now that the church is open, our first choice should be to worship together in the Divine Service. Plan "B" is to watch the Divine Service from home. This should continue to be the plan for anyone who is ill, showing symptoms of being ill, or has underlying health conditions. This being said, if you plan to remain at home and would like to receive the Lord’s Supper, please contact me so I can add you to the shut-in list.

Our society and culture is focused on the body, but Jesus is focused on both body and soul. He tells us: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Through this COVID-19 pandemic, we have all become frustrated. For me, I am frustrated that I cannot visit sick members in the hospital. And, I cannot visit members in long-term care facilities. Yes, I am only a phone call away, but it’s much more than that, it’s about being there. Even if I don’t say a word, by being there, God provides comfort.

I have also become frustrated with the governor’s executive orders. From the start, big box stores could be open, but not small businesses. Then, casinos, restaurants and bars were allowed to open, but not the church. All the while, the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod was urging the governor for a plan for churches to re-open. The District never heard back from the governor.

So in the absence of a timeline or any other assurances that churches would soon be able to reopen, the Minnesota South District and its sister district the Minnesota North District, along with the Minnesota District of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) and the Roman Catholic dioceses of Minnesota decided to move forward with opening churches against the governor’s order on Ascension Eve (May 20).

Then on the Saturday afternoon of May 23, we finally heard from the governor. Upon the public pressure of many church bodies, the governor is now allowing churches to resume public worship on May 27, but with restrictions.

So, why would we open corporate worship? It’s about salvation for the body and the soul.

This is why Pastor Welch and I never turned away anyone on these past Sunday mornings. You may have noticed that more and more people have attended our live streamed Divine Services.

This is why we offered small group services with Holy Communion each Sunday morning and on Maundy Thursday.

Throughout all of this, I pray that this pandemic has exposed the true churches from the false churches. Yes, many LCMS congregations completely closed, but they all wanted to be open. They all closed out of fear from the government.

While that happened, many other Christian denominations wish to remain closed, and many churches have publicly acknowledged this fact. One church leader tweeted: “The President’s call to return to in-person worship is reckless, divisive, dangerous… The church has not been closed these past months. The Body of Christ is connected and worshiping. Is it ideal? No.”[1] Another tweeted: “I reassert my earlier recommendation to the people and communities… that in-person gatherings for worship continue to be suspended, at least into June and probably longer. The church does not need to re-open.”[2]

Frankly, I pray that many churches do remain closed, since again, this is all about salvation for both body and soul. Most of the denominations that wish to remain closed – even after the governor is allowing public worship – preach the false doctrine of social justice in the place of Christ crucified and risen and His unchanging Word. I pray that this has been further exposed during this pandemic. Again, I pray that they remain closed in order to save some of their parishioners from eternal death, by hearing God’s Word in places like First Ev. Lutheran Church.

At the beginning of May, I began asking the home shut-ins if they would like for me to physically stop in and give them the gifts bestowed in Holy Communion. I received a resounding “Yes!” Again, this is about salvation of both body and soul.

So, why can’t we just continue with Divine Services on Facebook only? Luke tells us: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). And Paul tells us: “Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with you heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:18b-21).

In other words, as Christians we are not to worship God by ourselves, but we are to worship God together in order to strengthen one another and build each other up. Even better than that, the Triune God comes to us in the Divine Service! He is there in the Means of Grace: Baptism, God’s Word, and the Lord’s Supper. So, we thank and praise Him together as we hear His Word and sing His praise!

For Lutherans, we are an incarnational church. Not every church is like us. We know that Christ comes to us as we hear the invocation “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” for which we remember that we are baptized into Christ. He comes to us as we hear His Word and it rightly taught. He comes to us as we receive His very Body and His very Blood in the Lord’s Supper for the forgiveness of our sins and for strength in our weak faith!

In the Divine Service, Christ comes to us and we receive His gifts – eternal life, salvation, and forgiveness of sins – all by grace through faith in Christ alone! He alone strengthens both our body and soul!

This is why First Ev. Lutheran Church is resuming Divine Services! It is all about the care of both our body and our soul. It is all about the battle between eternal damnation and eternal life. For me, and I pray for you, I would rather live with Jesus and all the saints in the Church Triumphant, than face God’s wrath.

The Lord be with you always! To God be the glory! Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen

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[1] https://twitter.com/ELCABishopEaton/status/1263993098109059072?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

[2] https://iksynod.org/2020/05/22/from-bishop-william-o-gafkjen-may-22-2020/

It's About the Care of Body and Soul

(To be published in the June 2020 First Ev. Lutheran Church Newsletter)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

As human beings, we are both body and soul. First Ev. Lutheran Church’s last corporate worship service was on Wednesday, March 18. Following that Lenten midweek service, no person rushed from their pew to go home. Everyone sat quietly and wondered “What’s next?” First Ev. Lutheran never wanted to close, but we did out of care for our neighbor.

We closed because as Christ’s Church, we honor His commandments. In the Fourth Commandment, we are to “honor your father and mother.” This means that we are to fear and love God so that we honor our authorities. The authorities wanted to flatten the COVID-19 curve and we followed their advice. In the Fifth Commandment, we are to “not murder.” This means that we are to fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need. We closed so we would not hurt or harm our neighbor.

As the Apostle Paul writes: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). At the same time, there comes a time when the government can go too far. When that happens: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

On the Ascension of Our Lord (May 21), the Church Council voted unanimously to resume Divine Services on Pentecost Sunday (May 31). This was such great news for Pastor Welch and myself!

As the news of resuming Divine Services made its way around Facebook that Thursday night into Friday morning, some onlookers may have thought: “It’s too early! People will die!” If you are worried about this, you may continue to watch the Divine Services from home. But, remember, even before COVID-19 people died. Death isn’t new. Death is the result of sin.

Our society and culture is focused on the body, but Jesus is focused on both body and soul. He tells us: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Through this COVID-19 pandemic, we have all become frustrated. For me, I am frustrated that I cannot visit sick members in the hospital. And, I cannot visit members in long-term care facilities. Yes, I am only a phone call away, but it’s much more than that, it’s about being there. Even if I don’t say a word, by being there, God provides comfort.

I have also become frustrated with the governor’s executive orders. From the start, big box stores could be open, but not small businesses. Then, casinos, restaurants and bars were allowed to open, but not the church. All the while, the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod was urging the governor for a plan for churches to re-open. The District never heard back from the governor.

So in the absence of a timeline or any other assurances that churches would soon be able to reopen, the Minnesota South District and its sister district the Minnesota North District, along with the Minnesota District of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) and the Roman Catholic dioceses of Minnesota decided to move forward with opening churches against the governor’s order.

Why would we do this? It’s about salvation for the body and the soul.

This is why Pastor Welch and I never turned away anyone on these past Sunday mornings. You may have noticed that more and more people have attended our live streamed Divine Services.

This is why we offered small group services with Holy Communion each Sunday morning and on Maundy Thursday.

Throughout all of this, I pray that this pandemic has exposed the true churches from the false churches. Yes, many LCMS congregations completely closed, but they all wanted to be open. They all closed out of fear from the government.

While that happened, many other Christian denominations wish to remain closed. And, frankly, I pray that many remain closed, since again, this is all about salvation for both body and soul. Most of the denominations that wish to remain closed preach the false doctrine of social justice in the place of Christ crucified and risen and His unchanging Word. I pray that this has been further exposed during this pandemic.

At the beginning of May, I began asking the shut-ins if they would like for me to physically stop in and give them the gifts bestowed in Holy Communion. I received a resounding “Yes!” Again, this is about salvation of both body and soul.

So, why can’t we just continue with Divine Services on Facebook only? Luke tells us: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). And Paul tells us: “Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with you heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:18b-21).

In other words, as Christians we are not to worship God by ourselves, but we are to worship God together in order to strengthen one another and build each other up. Even better than that, the Triune God comes to us in the Divine Service! He is there in the Means of Grace: Baptism, God’s Word, and the Lord’s Supper. So, we thank and praise Him together as we hear His Word and sing His praise!

For Lutherans, we are an incarnational church. Not every church is like us. We know that Christ comes to us as we hear the invocation “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” for which we remember that we are baptized into Christ. He comes to us as we hear His Word and it rightly taught. He comes to us as we receive His very Body and His very Blood in the Lord’s Supper for the forgiveness of our sins and for strength in our weak faith!

This is why First Ev. Lutheran Church is resuming Divine Services! It is all about the care of both our body and our soul. It is all about the battle between eternal damnation and eternal life. For me, and I pray for you, I would rather live with Jesus and all the saints in the Church Triumphant, than face God’s wrath.

The Lord be with you always! To God be the glory! Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen

O Lord, We Praise Thee

Today on this Maundy Thursday, we remember when Christ first instituted the Sacrament of the Altar as He said: "Take, eat. This is My body, which is given for you. Take, drink. This is My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."

The hymn "O Lord, We Praise Thee" (LSB 617) was encouraged by Martin Luther to be sung each time the congregation would receive the Sacrament of the Altar. Luther revised the original first stanza, and he, himself, wrote the second and third stanzas of this hymn.

He added the second and third stanzas to remind everyone that we are to partake of the Sacrament in both kinds [The very Body (bread) and very Blood (wine) of Christ].

The hymn reflects Luther's trinitarian understanding of Holy Communion in its three-stanzas and in its content: the grace of God (the Father), whom we praise and thank and before whom we bow and adore; the communion in the body and blood of Christ (the Son); and the gift of the Spirit to live in accordance with God's will.

Stanza three reminds us of what participation in this Holy Supper means when God give us His "grace and favor" by living together "in love and union" with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, when we partake of Christ's very Body and Blood in, with, and under the bread and wine, we not only receive forgiveness of sins and strength for our faith, but we confess that we are in doctrinal agreement with what the altar and pulpit teaches -- God's inerrant Word. As sinners, we all need forgiveness, that is what we poor sinners receive at the Lord's Table of grace.

1 O Lord, we praise Thee, bless Thee, and adore Thee,
In thanksgiving bow before Thee.
Thou with Thy body and Thy blood didst nourish
Our weak souls that they may flourish:
O Lord, have mercy!
May Thy body, Lord, born of Mary,
That our sins and sorrows did carry,
And Thy blood for us plead
In all trial, fear, and need:
O Lord, have mercy!

2 Thy holy body into death was given,
Life to win for us in heaven.
No greater love than this to Thee could bind us;
May this feast thereof remind us!
O Lord, have mercy!
Lord, Thy kindness did so constrain Thee
That Thy blood should bless and sustain me.
All our debt Thou hast paid;
Peace with God once more is made:
O Lord, have mercy!

3 May God bestow on us His grace and favor
That we follow Christ our Savior
And live together here in love and union
Nor despise this blest Communion!
O Lord, have mercy!
Let not Thy good Spirit forsake us;
Grant that heav’nly-minded He make us;
Give Thy Church, Lord, to see
Days of peace and unity:
O Lord, have mercy!

Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000

When You Woke That Thursday Morning

"When You Woke That Thursday Morning" (LSB 445) asks the question of our Lord: "[Did you know] how the day would end?"

Yes, Christ knew. But, notice how the hymn is not directed at Jesus. Instead, the hymn is directed at the singer - you and me. So, this hymn is about our reflection upon that original Maundy Thursday. Upon this reflection, we remember what the institution of the Lord's Supper truly is: Christ's very Body and His very Blood for the forgiveness of sins, which also strengthens our weak faith. And, most importantly, we partake of the Lord's Supper with unity of doctrine and heart, so we do not condemn ourselves or unbelievers at His table of grace.

1 When You woke that Thursday morning,
Savior, teacher, faithful friend,
Thoughts of self and safety scorning,
Knowing how the day would end;
Lamb of God, foretold for ages,
Now at last the hour had come
When but One could pay sin’s wages:
You assumed their dreadful sum.

2 Never so alone and lonely,
Longing with tormented heart
To be with Your dear ones only
For a quiet hour apart:
Sinless Lamb and fallen creature,
One last paschal meal to eat,
One last lesson as their teacher,
Washing Your disciples’ feet.

3 What was there that You could give them
That would never be outspent,
What great gift that would outlive them,
What last will and testament?
“Show Me and the world you love Me,
Know Me as the Lamb of God:
Do this in remembrance of Me,
Eat this body, drink this blood.”

4 One in faith, in love united,
All one body, You the head,
When we meet, by You invited,
You are with us, as You said.
One with You and one another
In a unity sublime,
See in us Your sister, brother,
One in ev’ry place and time.

5 One day all the Church will capture
That bright vision glorious,
And Your saints will know the rapture
That Your heart desired for us,
When the longed-for peace and union
Of the Greatest and the least
Meet in joyous, blest communion
In Your never-ending feast.

Text: © 1991 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000

All Christians Who Have Been Baptized

Who is to give thanks for the gift of salvation? Not a select few, but "all Christians who have been baptized, who know the God of heaven," for they have "the name of Christ once given." The hymn "All Christians who have been Baptized" (LSB 596) reminds us that all people who have been Baptized receive the new birth by water and Spirit in Baptism and this brings the comfort of Christ's unlimited atonement to all who are Baptized. There is no excluding little children and no limited atonement, because everyone who is Baptized into Christ and come to faith in Jesus as Lord receive eternal life, salvation and forgiveness of sins!

1 All Christians who have been baptized,
Who know the God of heaven,
And in whose daily life is prized
The name of Christ once given:
Consider now what God has done,
The gifts He gives to ev’ryone
Baptized into Christ Jesus!

2 You were before your day of birth,
Indeed, from your conception,
Condemned and lost with all the earth,
None good, without exception.
For like your parents’ flesh and blood,
Turned inward from the highest good,
You constantly denied Him.

3 But all of that was washed away—
Immersed and drowned forever.
The water of your Baptism day
Restored again whatever
Old Adam and his sin destroyed
And all our sinful selves employed
According to our nature.

4 In Baptism we now put on Christ—
Our shame is fully covered
With all that He once sacrificed
And freely for us suffered.
For here the flood of His own blood
Now makes us holy, right, and good
Before our heav’nly Father.

5 O Christian, firmly hold this gift
And give God thanks forever!
It gives the power to uplift
In all that you endeavor.
When nothing else revives your soul,
Your Baptism stands and makes you whole
And then in death completes you.

6 So use it well! You are made new—
In Christ a new creation!
As faithful Christians, live and do
Within your own vocation,
Until that day when you possess
His glorious robe of righteousness
Bestowed on you forever!

Text: © 2004 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000