Being Thankful

 

What does being thankful really mean? We can’t be thankful for nothing. So, we ought to stop and think about what really matters. Being thankful is being content, since the Lord will provide.

 

Oftentimes, our old sinful nature gets the better of us. Our sinful nature causes us to think we always need more things, like more money and more possessions. Or we look at the world around us with a glass half-empty mentality as we look for all what our sinful mind perceives is wrong with the world through complaints.

 

The thing is, the Lord always provides for both the just and the unjust. He provides daily bread – food, clothing, and shelter – to the just and the unjust.

 

Martin Luther explains it this way in the First Article of the Creed in his Small Catechism:

“I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

“He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

“He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.

“All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”

 

Since God provides for all the needs of our body, it is good and right at all times and all places to give thanks to Him. But how? How is it proper to give thanks to God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

 

Do we say to God, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”? We could certainly do that, but God doesn’t need our appreciation, since He gives daily bread to all people – the just and unjust.

 

So, what can we do to show our gratitude to God? We come to where He is. We show our gratitude by putting our complete faith and trust in God as our sole provider. And where is He always found? He is found where His Word is purely proclaimed and His Sacrament is rightly administered. The Divine Service is where Jesus is found. We give thanks to God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as we come together at each Divine Service to receive more of what we are thankful for: forgiveness of sins. Each Sunday, we return to receive more of what we are thankful for since true gratitude proceeds from a heart sustained by faith.

 

The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us on this Day of Thanksgiving and all our days ahead! Amen.

One in Christ

 

At one time, all people had no hope and were without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12). All people – due to sin – were enemies of God (Romans 5:10). Unfortunately, many people today still have no hope and are still enemies of God. These are the people who deny Jesus as “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). But for those in Christ — those who believe, trust, and follow Jesus — they are no longer enemies of God, but are one in Christ Jesus. “For while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

 

Although we have peace with God the Father by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, the evil foes — Satan, the world, and our own sinful nature — lead us to seek division, rather than unification with our neighbors. Instead of focusing upon our oneness in Christ, our evil foes lead us to focus upon the racial, ethnic, national, or pigmented identity of human beings. When Christians fall into our evil foes’ trap, we are to recall that our identity is that of a baptized child of God. In doing so, we repent of our sin and seek the forgiveness that Christ alone won for us upon the cross.

 

For “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) and “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1).

 

In other words, Christians do not reduce fellow human beings to 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.

 

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 (Ephesians 2:14), reconciles the distressed (Ephesians 2:16), forgives sin (Colossians 1:14), removes shame (Romans 10:11), and gives holy identity and moral character (Ephesians 2:19).

 

In Christ alone, humanity is no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow citizens with the saints and are members of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19).

Greater Love Has No One Than This...

Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13).

Jesus sacrificed Himself as He willingly suffered and died upon the cross so that humanity could be saved from the powers of sin, death, and Satan, so that by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone all believers receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. This was a once-for-all sacrifice for all of humanity. He suffered and died for His friends. He suffered and died because He loves all of mankind.

On this Memorial Day, we remember those servicemen and women who lost their lives to protect our temporal freedom of life, liberty, and property. They risked everything for the countless civilians they never knew.  Unlike them, the Holy Trinity inherently knows us all personally (Psalm 139:13-16). Even more so, the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) gives eternal protection and salvation to all who trust in Him.

Known as the sailor’s hymn, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” proclaims the protecting and saving hand of God. Psalm 5:11 proclaims, “But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.” So, no matter our station in life, the Triune God defends us from all harm and danger and from all evil. This means that in life or in death, for those in Christ, nothing can separate us from the love of God.

The first stanza of this hymn is inscribed over the chancel at the United States Naval Academy: “Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep It’s own appointed limits keep: O hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea.” This recalls when Jesus calmed the stormy sea as His disciples were in fear (Mark 4:35-41). So even in the most perilous situation, God is there to calm our fears.

Each stanza of this hymn addresses a different member of the Trinity, but the final stanza praises the whole Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity: “O Trinity of love and pow’r, Our people shield in danger’s hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them where so-e’er they go; Thus evermore shall rise to Thee Glad praise from air and land and sea.”

On this Memorial Day, we remember our lost servicemen and women who died for our temporal freedoms, but most especially we are bound to confess our eternal salvation won for all of mankind through the Holy Trinity as God the Father sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to bear our sins and be our Savior. For us, this is only recognizable through the Holy Spirit as He proclaims our salvation through Jesus Christ.

The Almighty God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – bless us and direct us all our days!

What is – and What isn’t – Repentance?

 “If you ask God to take you back without [repentance], you are really asking Him to let you go back without going back. It cannot happen.”

Those above words are that of C.S. Lewis from his book Mere Christianity. Here, Lewis is writing what repentance is not. By not repenting of sins, the person is actually saying that he or she does not need Jesus. By living an unrepentant life, this person is saying that he or she is fine with the way things are. This may seem fine and good today, but what about tomorrow?

Satan has a way of fooling all of us. Satan isn’t just a cartoonish figure. He is real and we are living in his kingdom. When things are going well, we often like to just pat ourselves on the back and say, “I’ve done a good job,” instead of saying a prayer of thanksgiving to God. Satan fools us into thinking that “I am personally pro-life, but I think...”, or “I would like to tithe, but I need…”

When Jesus was asked about why there was so much suffering in the world (Luke 13:1-5), He replied saying: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

During the season of Lent, we hear a lot about repentance, but to be honest, repentance is not just something Christians do during Lent, this is actually the daily life of any Christian. So, what exactly is repentance? Repentance is turning away from sin – all those thoughts, things spoken, and things done against God’s command – to faith in Jesus and His forgiveness. Repentance is not just attending a Sunday church service by going through the motions with the singing, standing, sitting, and praying. Repentance is much more than that. Repentance is actually hearing and reading God’s inerrant Word as revealed in the Holy Bible as Christ’s Words become our words. Repentance is not just an hour on a Sunday morning. Repentance is life.

Now, the repentant life is never easy, especially since our sinful nature, the world, and Satan are constantly trying to deceive us. It is difficult to admit that we are sorry for our sins and surrender our lives to God. No human being enjoys eating humble pie, when we know we are wrong, or have fled astray. We must all remember that God is God and we are not. His ways are not our ways. Although how weird God’s ways may be, His ways are always perfect.

Human reason could never fathom God the Father sending His only begotten Son to suffer and die in our place in order to bring us back to Him. It took Jesus, who is fully God and fully human to atone for all of our sins. Any ordinary human, that is, a sinful human, could never atone for humanity’s sin. Only a sinless human would suffice. This sinless Man would be baptized with a sinners’ baptism, so all sinners could partake in His sacrificial suffering and death, so that through our baptism into Christ, we would receive Christ’s blessings of forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. However, the Christian life does not stop there. The Christian life continues as we live a life of repentance. Satan does not admit defeat at the very moment a Christian is adopted by the triune God at baptism, he tries harder. Satan constantly seeds doubt and fear as he entices us to sin, and often, we fall into his trap. Satan thinks he has us. But we are not doomed as long as we daily repent and return to God. It is through turning away from sin and back to faith in Jesus that we have no doubt about our salvation.

The Most Important Election

By Pastor Peter Adelsen
First Ev. Lutheran Church, Glencoe

McLeod County Chronicle's Pastor's Corner 

“This election is the most important of our lifetime!” We hear this same phrase every four years. But is this true?

If we put all our stock on the things of this world, then yes. But, if we put our stock on the things of life eternal, then no. You see, if we put all our focus on temporal politics, instead of eternal politics, we will never be satisfied. Each earthly politician makes promises and due to their sinful nature inherited from our first parents Adam and Eve, they will break promises. It is extremely rare that a politician will keep all his or her promises.

Everything in life is political. We can focus on the temporal politics of “R” or “D,” or we can focus on the eternal politic that is “Jesus is Lord.” Now, do not be mistaken, for there is an election that is the most important in our lifetime, but it is not temporal politics.

The most important election of our lifetime was when God the Father elected you and made you His own at your Baptism. This is the election that matters most.

You see, through Baptism, the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) made a promise, and His promises are never broken. This promise is that He will never leave you, nor forsake your Baptismal seal as His own. The most important election is when we were chosen by God as His own (1 Thessalonians 1:4). So, through the water and the Word, we are united to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In doing so, since Christ was raised from the dead, we too, by faith in Christ, which began at our Baptism through the Holy Spirit, will also be bodily raised on the Last Day. From this Baptismal promise, the Holy Spirit teaches us as we grow in the one true faith as we love God and love our neighbor.

Now, Baptism is not a “get into heaven free card,” since as a Baptized child of God we can choose to deny our faith in Christ and follow another false god. But, at the same time, God never forsakes His promise, so that when the Holy Spirit brings the unbeliever to faith again in Christ, this person is guaranteed of the Baptismal promise.

So, trust in your Baptismal promise, for this is in fact the most important election of your lifetime!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will” (Ephesians 1:3-5).

Merciful Father, though we do not deserve it, You have called us to be Your own through Holy Baptism. Preserve us in Your righteousness as we by faith in Your Son Jesus Christ inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life. Amen.

How are You Being Fed?

By Pastor Peter Adelsen
First Ev. Lutheran Church, Glencoe

McLeod County Chronicle's Pastor's Corner

“[Jesus] said to [Peter] the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep’” (John 21:17).

Today, the sheep are worried and frightened. The network evening news leads each broadcast with these similar words: “Crisis in America. Hospitals over-run in New York City. Violence in Chicago. Racism in Minneapolis. The Climate in Crisis.” The network news leads each story this way to get us to worry and keep watching.  Who is to blame? Are we to blame for all these problems and countless other problems? Well, not exactly. The one to blame is Satan himself, who convinced Adam to sin in the Garden. From that moment, we, who are descendants of Adam have become dead in our sin. Sin is the root cause of every problem in the world. Instead of being content in peace, we are attracted to all sorts and kinds of sin. One of those sins is worry.

The duty of news is to cause us to worry. Why would they do this? From my experience in my previous career as a journalist, they do this for ratings, clicks, sales, and advertising revenue. You see, as long as people are scared enough to watch, listen, or read, they are included in the ratings, clicks, and sales. Due to our sin, bad news attracts our attention. Good news is just ignored.

Instead of the constant crisis and fear, we need hope and assurance! We need the power of sin defeated! We need life! This hope, assurance, sin’s defeat, and eternal life can only be found in Jesus! Now, where is the place where this happens? It is the Church, as we are among fellow believers in Christ and hear Christ’s doctrine rightly taught. Yes, we can read about Jesus at home in your Bible, but it is only in God’s House where we receive His forgiveness as we confess our sins and fears to God the Father and receive Christ’s true Body and Blood for the forgiveness of our sins. In response, God the Father removes those sins and doubts through the merit and work of His only Son Jesus Christ. It is only through the Church and through the stead of Christ’s pastors that the sheep are fed with the sure and certain hope that Christ alone gives: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

Christ reassures us saying: “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27) So, why worry? Christ is with us always! In our life now, we will experience persecution, pain, sorrow, and heartache. Did Christ promise that His followers would have their best life now? No! He alone gives us the assurance of the sure and certain hope of life everlasting! “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).

Through the atoning death and bodily resurrection of Christ alone, the sheep are truly fed with the sure and certain hope of forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation!