Category: Interfaith Relations

AN ECUMENICAL PEOPLE OF GOD

While staying with our son, daughter-in-law and grandkids this past August, we were able to see many of our national shrines and memorials in Washington DC and the surrounding area. We were blessed to be able to visit the giant obelisk monument to the Father of our Country, George Washington, at the National Mall area. We also visited Mount Vernon, George Washington’s beloved home in Alexandria VA, of which he famously said, “I’d rather be at Mount Vernon with a friend or two about me, than to be attended at the Seat of Government by the Officers of State and the Representatives of every Power in Europe.” We were also able to see the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court, the Smithsonian Museum of American History (which displays the actual Star-Spangled Banner of our national anthem), and the Smithsonian Museum of Air & Space. In addition, we visited the US Naval Academy and harbor area of Annapolis MD, and we saw Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled banner fame) in Baltimore.

As we traveled around these amazing historical sites, one thing I took note of was the fact that our national founding (although imperfect) was deeply rooted in biblical faith. However, our Founders made sure that our establishment was nonsectarian. While they repeatedly appealed to God in our founding documents (speaking of our “Creator” and our “Lord”), and while they regularly addressed God in our founding traditions (Congressional prayer, oaths of office, and so on), they also made sure that there would be no establishment of a state-run religious denomination. Therefore, I observed during our trip a clear Judeo-Christian rootedness on display at all of our national shrines and memorials, but this was accompanied by a clear interdenominational, nonsectarian and ecumenical emphasis according to the clear direction of our Founders.

By the way, the word “ecumenical” (oikoumene in Greek) literally means “the whole inhabitable earth” — but it refers to the concept that the entire Christian Church of all its various denominations should work together to develop closer relationships and to promote Christian unity according to the biblical High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in John, chapter 17, verses 20-26.

So all of this stuff got me thinking about our ecumenical relations right here where we live as Mt. Olive Lutheran Church. I think of Via De Cristo (VDC), the spiritual retreat ministry our congregation participates in. While it’s mostly a retreat ministry involving Lutherans, rooted in the covenantal and sacramental theology of the Lutheran branch of Christianity, VDC also draws in people from many different denominations of our Lord’s Holy Church. I also think about the Lift Up Crescenta Valley ecumenical association we are a part of, as well as all the various ecumenical partnerships we support like the Bailey Human Care Center.

Like the ark of the Prophet Noah and the fishing boat of the Apostle Peter, all the denominations of the Christian Faith constitute the holy life raft for all believers and followers of Jesus Christ in a world deluged with the floodwaters of hopelessness and spiritual death. In fact, the Christian ecumenical movement is often symbolized by a boat, representing that all the people of all the denominations of the Church of Jesus Christ are in the same spiritual boat together.

So essentially, the various branches of the Christian Church are UNITED IN THE ESSENTIALS of our Christian Faith: 1) Jesus of Nazareth was and is more than a man, even much more than a prophet or priest or king, 2) Jesus is the only-begotten divine Son of God, 3) Jesus freely gave of himself in sacrificial love to be the once-and-for-all-time offering of atonement for our sins, 4) Jesus was crucified, was dead, was buried, then he rose from the grave and ascended into heaven, 5) Jesus is our Lord and Savior, 6) We proclaim the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life by the blood of Jesus, and 7) We do good works of lovingkindness and service in the name of Jesus. However, we also have DIVERSITY IN THE NON-ESSENTIALS of our Christian Life: that is, diversity of denominational practices related to sacraments, ordination, worship, piety, organizational structures, etc.

Therefore, as the various branches of the Christian Church have diversity in the non-essentials but unity in the essentials, we should also have CHARITY IN ALL THINGS. We can have a joyful and charitable spirit with one another as we agree to disagree regarding the non-essentials, because we share together in the all-surpassing seven Christian essentials I listed above.

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:22-23)

Together in Christ,  Pastor Tim

THREE-PART INFORMATIONAL SERIES

We are a nation of immigrants, and this means that we’re a nation of individuals who are woven together from virtually all tribes, languages and creeds of Planet Earth. Particularly, in our La Crescenta area we have a strong representation of American citizens who are from Armenia and Korea. And coming along with these two demographic cohorts, there’s a strong tradition of Christian faith and life. However, many other immigrants to our nation profess one of the following three biggest non-Christian faiths: Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.

So as Christians, how are we to be true to our own spiritual inheritance while we seek greater understanding with other religious groups? How are we to understand our own religious faith and spirituality in relation to non-Christian groups? How can we witness to the grace, truth and hope of Christ in an open and respectful way? Is there a positive and constructive perspective on this issue that glorifies God and faithfully uplifts the gospel of Jesus Christ?

For me, the term “non-Christian” does not mean “un-Christian” or “anti-Christian.” Therefore, we can learn about these non-Christian faiths, grow in our understanding of them, highlight our commonalities while acknowledging our differences, look for any and all areas in which the Spirit of Christ is genuinely present within their beliefs and practices, and then faithfully, lovingly and respectfully share the gospel.

Toward this goal, we are having a three-part informational series about the three largest non-Christian faiths over three consecutive Thursdays in June. These three gatherings will take place in our church sanctuary, and each gathering will include a printed summary sheet for each of these three largest non-Christian faiths. In addition, there will be visual aids projected up on the church sanctuary screen, and there will be discussion time as well.

The three-Thursday schedule for this three-part June series is the following…

JUNE 16 ~ 7-8 PM ~ HINDUISM ~ (the 2nd largest non-Christian faith)

JUNE 23 ~ 7-8 PM ~ BUDDHISM ~ (the 3rd largest non-Christian faith)

JUNE 30 ~ 7-8 PM ~ ISLAM ~ (the largest non-Christian faith)

My prayer for this series is that Almighty God, the Father of Glory and the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, may give us a spirit of wisdom and guidance as we come to understand these three largest non-Christian faiths, so that we may know more deeply the grace, truth and hope to which we have been called in Christ our Savior — whom God raised from the dead and seated at his right hand in the heavenly places “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come” (Ephesians 1:21).

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

As I get older, the well-known saying “God works in mysterious ways” is becoming much less a mere platitude for me and much more a powerful statement of divine truth. Biblically speaking, we see this throughout the Holy Scriptures, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. In particular, this mysterious truth is clearly apparent in God’s surprising use of very unlikely historical characters to achieve his ends for the sake of his believers and followers. For instance, King Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire comes to mind.

The Kingdom of Judah was the last remaining Israelite realm in the Promised Land, but in 589 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Babylonian Empire laid siege to the City of Jerusalem, utterly destroying it and its Holy Temple in the summer of 587 BC. However, in 539 BC, God used the Persian Empire to thwart the Babylonian Empire, which allowed the People of Israel to return to the Promised Land in large numbers. God used King Cyrus the Great of Persia to release the Jews from their captivity in Babylon and let them go back to their beloved Jerusalem, decreeing that the Jerusalem Temple be rebuilt. This edict is fully preserved in the Book of Ezra, which states the following:

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the king issued a decree: “Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be retained, its height being 60 cubits and its width 60 cubits; with three layers of huge stones and one layer of timbers. And let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. Also let the gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be returned and brought to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; and you shall put them in the house of God.” – (Ezra 6:3-5)

Because of this, the Jewish People honored Cyrus the Great with the sacred title “Anointed One” — making him the only Gentile (non-Jew) to receive this title in all of history. And also in the Book of Isaiah, God says, “I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness… He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 45:13).

The return from exile of the People of Israel under the direction of King Cyrus the Great of Persia is one amazing example of many historical examples in which the mysterious ways of God are at work through unexpected people to ultimately accomplish God’s will. So in the case of King Cyrus, God used a pagan Gentile emperor to bless the Israelites and the Holy City of Jerusalem.

Again, King Cyrus is only one example of this because the Bible and history are filled to overflowing with examples of God’s mysterious work in using unlikely and very problematic individuals to further God’s purposes. Of course, this includes the various flawed biblical heroes such as Abraham, Moses, Samson, David, Peter, Matthew, Paul, etc. And this also includes biblical antiheroes like King Cyrus the Great, as well as some biblical villains like Pontius Pilate.

Even today, God continues to work in mysterious ways through unlikely and flawed people, and through unexpected turns in life, and even through you and me. The older I get, the more I see the truth of this within all aspects of our lives. For as the famous Tapestry Poem beautifully states, “[Our] life is but a weaving” and “[we], in foolish pride, forget God sees the upper and [we] the underside.” And then the great promise of the Lord is articulated in this poem with the words, “Not ‘til the loom is silent, and the shuttles cease to fly, will God unroll the tapestry and explain the reason why.”

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you!

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

JESUS, GOD’S PRISM

The Seasons of Advent, Christmastime and Epiphany all share together the theme of spiritual light. And Jesus of Nazareth is the Holy Son of God who shines God’s Eternal Light on us and the whole world.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

(John 8:12)

Our risen Lord and Savior is the Light of God that’s revealed to us in specific and concrete ways. Through Jesus Christ, God’s Light is not only reflected to us by Jesus but it’s also refracted to us by him in very specific hues. Through our Lord Jesus who is God’s Prism, we see the Light of God refracted into its specific spectrum of colors for us to clearly see and understand.

The Universal Light of God is made known to us in the sevenfold spectrum of Jesus’ birth, his life, his teachings, his suffering, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension. Through these seven rays of Jesus’ earthly and heavenly ministry, the rainbow spectrum of God’s Light is shed upon our lives to save, redeem and guide us.

Jesus said, “If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

(John 14:7)

Therefore, as we avail ourselves of the full rainbow of God’s Light in Christ our Lord through his gracious gifts of Word and Sacrament, we receive grace upon grace, and we are strengthened and kept in true faith. And the continuing challenge to all of us is to recognize that this grace and truth of God in Christ will never fit neatly into either a loose universalist faith or a strict fundamentalist faith. Jesus Christ is God’s grace and God’s challenge to absolutely everyone.

Revealed through Jesus Christ and his Apostles, may the New Covenant rainbow of God’s Light grant us the new life of a born again spirit (see John 3). And may Christ’s New Covenant rainbow of God’s Light fill us, challenge us, change us and renew us. Amen.

Good Advent, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Blessed Epiphany!!!

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

REFORMATIONAL DO’S & DON’TS

Each year on Reformation Sunday, which is always the last Sunday in October, we commemorate the great Protestant Reformation that took place during the period of transition from the late Medieval timeframe into the Renaissance timeframe. For Lutherans and Catholics, this commemoration is marked both by sorrow for past sins against one another and by deep gratitude for the spiritual gifts we now offer to one another through Christ our Lord and Savior.

As we are reformational Lutheran Christians of the 21st Century (now over two decades into the Third Millennium of Christ’s Redemption), I offer you the following couple areas of reformational do’s and don’ts:

DO’S & DON’TS FOR INTERFAITH RELATIONS…

DO… Let us regard all people as fellow children of God, made in the spiritual image of God. While we profess that Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) is the fullest revelation and manifestation of God, we must also be sure to look for and celebrate the Spirit of our Lord Jesus within non-Christian faiths. Even as we proclaim that Jesus is the Eternal Word of God incarnate in human flesh (John 1), we must also be sure to seek to recognize the ‘Seeds of the Word’ (Semina Verbi in Latin) that are scattered throughout the world. In other words, as I often like to say, while Jesus is the “full enchilada” of the revelation of God, there are also slices of this Divine “enchilada” within other faiths as well.

DON’T… When it comes to interfaith relations, it’s a temptation to downplay our Christian theology and spirituality in order to be hospitable and friendly. It’s tempting to say that all roads to God are equal. However, we cannot do this if we are to remain faithful to the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.

The big question is, “Will the real Jesus please stand up?” Well, the answer for some people is that Jesus is a prophet, and for some he is a buddha, and for some others he is a rabbi or a guru. However, the plain historical truth is that the people who know Jesus best are the people of the living community that he and his Apostles founded, which is the Church of Jesus Christ. So for those who know him best — that is, for Christians — Jesus is much more than everything these various titles convey. For us Christians, Jesus is the Son of God and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity (the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit). For us, Jesus is the Divine Messiah who is the Supreme Prophet, the Heavenly High Priest, the Prince of Peace, and the Everlasting King of Kings. For us, Jesus isn’t merely Prophet Jesus, but rather he is LORD Jesus. Consequently, we can be understanding and respectful of other religions while at the same time we can hold firm to our confession of our Trinitarian Christian faith and spirituality.

DO’S & DON’TS FOR CHRISTIAN CHURCH RELATIONS…

DO… Let us start all interactions with Christians of different branches of the Church from a position of UNITY IN DIVERSITY. So much more unites us than differentiates us as fellow brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ, the Christian Church. We share the same foundational, central and essential confession that Jesus the Christ (Yeshua Ha-Mashiach) is Lord and Savior, just as we have received from the very beginning at the Annunciation to Mary:

The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

(Luke 1:35)

We share in the same baptismal grace and faith, and we share in the same resurrection hope and charitable love of our Lord Jesus.

DON’T… We must never see other branches of the Christian Church as alien to our own identity in Christ Jesus. For we are ONE BODY in Christ with many uniquely gifted members by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are ONE TREE in Christ, with many uniquely gifted branches reaching out in all directions — Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, and so on.

Together in Christ,  Pastor Tim

BUILDING BRIDGES IN JESUS’ NAME

In the Beatitudes of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:1-12, our Lord Jesus very plainly states that his believers and followers will be persecuted because of our faith in him.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”

Matthew 5:11

And after Jesus states this, he goes on in Matthew 5 to specify the particular aspects of following him that will get us into trouble within our world. He specifies things like being salt and light, which means being active witnesses to his gospel within our world. And he highlights that his followers will be observant of the Ten Commandments, listing the following: that his followers will value human life within a world that devalues it, that we will honor and uphold the covenant of marriage within an adulterous world, that we will be keepers of our word within a deceitful world, and he adds that we will be merciful within an unforgiving world, that we will love all people as children of our Heavenly Father, and that we will prayerfully seek to build bridges even with our enemies.

Many despised Jesus for his ethics of inclusivity and bridge-building. He was absolutely despised for his insistence that all people are to be treated as children of God and they must be regarded equally as such: Hebrew and Pagan, Jew and Roman, male and female, countryman and foreigner, so on and so forth. However, when building bridges between very different people according to his grace and truth, Jesus essentially warns us in Matthew 5:11 that IF YOU BUILD BRIDGES THEN YOU WILL OFTEN BE MISUNDERSTOOD FROM BOTH SIDES.

When we follow Jesus by building bridges between different people, especially people of different points of view, the simple truth is that we should expect to be persecuted, reviled, and have all kinds of evil uttered against us. And this is especially true when we follow Jesus by building bridges of understanding, coexistence and cooperation in all areas of human life (ethnicity, religion, politics, sexuality, culture, etc.). So, we ought to be prepared for this rejection and condemnation.

In particular, within today’s religiously diverse society, how are we as Christians to be reconcilers and bridge builders? How are we to be true to our own spiritual inheritance while we seek greater understanding with other religious groups? How are we to understand our own religious faith and spirituality in relation to non-Christian groups? Is there a positive and constructive perspective on this issue that glorifies God and benefits everyone?

For me, “non-Christian” does not mean “un-Christian” or “anti-Christian.” And for me, God is like a great body of water connecting all the various ports and harbors that occupy God’s shoreline. These various harbors are the various religions, and the various piers (on which we dock our individual boats) are the various traditions within each religion. Consequently, there’s a Judeo-Christian harbor that Jews and Christians share (although we have different piers in this shared harbor). There’s also a Muslim harbor, a Hindu harbor, a Buddhist harbor, a Sikh harbor, and so on. So, in this metaphor we are all connected by the Great Water (God), but we each occupy a unique and special place on it.

Therefore, we can explore God’s diverse Oneness from our own safe harbor (“Judeo-Christian Harbor”) and from our own particular dock in this harbor (“Christianity Pier”). So, as with all the various peoples of faith, we can sail out on the great water of God to explore, discover and grow in understanding and wisdom. We can visit other harbors, and we can fish the Great Water (as fishers of people for Christ), but we come home to our own safe harbor when we are tired from our journeys and are in need of our spiritual home port.

Our Christianity Pier and Judeo-Christian Harbor are our secure jumping-off point into the Great Ocean of God. The doctrines of our Christian Faith are wonderfully and gloriously true — especially the tri-unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as the Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus the Son of God. So yes, God is truly revealed in these wonderful doctrines of Christianity, but God is also much more than is revealed in these doctrines.

Therefore, we travel out to sea for religious exploration and discovery, and for fishing for people out at sea, but NOT for religious conquest of other ports. For me, I enjoy going out into the beautiful Ocean of God and exploring, and I seek to fish for people in Jesus’ name, but I don’t raid the other harbors and ports like some kind of spiritual pirate. Simply put, we witness to Christ Jesus best in this bridge-building way, and it will bring upon us misunderstanding, condemnation, and even persecution, but Jesus gives to his persecuted believers the following promise:

“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:12

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

“HOLY ADMIRATION, BATMAN!”

As most of you probably know by now, I’m quite the nerd when it comes to sci-fi and superheroes and the like. So the title of my article plays around with this interest of mine, borrowing from the comic book character Robin’s many sayings from the Batman & Robin comic series. I Googled it, and the character Robin exclaimed everything from “Holy Alphabet, Batman!” to “Holy Love Birds, Batman!” to “Holy Zorro, Batman!” But let’s talk about why this article is entitled “Holy Admiration, Batman!”

I was recently driving by the St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Glendale, and I decided to stop there and walk around the church grounds a bit. And I have to say that the beauty of that church structure was very uplifting. As I often do when visiting worship sites of other spiritual groups (Christian or otherwise), I felt a sense of “holy admiration” for their religious faith and spirituality, and I believe that a healthy sense of holy admiration for communities of God other than our own is a very good thing.

As Christians we follow the Ten Commandments, and among these seminal commandments of God is to “not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16) which also means that we try to “interpret everything they do in the best possible light” (Martin Luther’s Small Catechism). So according to this, whenever we take part in interchurch relations or interfaith relations we are to have holy admiration for the highest aspects (the better angels) of other faith traditions, even if it is a non-Christian religion.

Of course it is much easier to do this with Christian groups, as is the case with the Armenian Orthodox Church, but this also goes for non-Christian faith expressions. However, it is important for the followers of Jesus to be spiritually discerning about harmful religious manifestations, and even to be critical of anything that might be directly opposed to the core principles of the Faith, Hope and Love of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, we should always leave room in our hearts for reverent appreciation — even a kind of sacred envy — concerning anything good and Divine within other religions.

Now let me be clear, this does not mean we profess that all beliefs are equal. In fact, because all things are not equal in philosophy or science or any other discipline, therefore not all things are equal in theology and spirituality. So while we reverently appreciate and even admire aspects of various non-Christian groups, we also believe and trust in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, who is the fullest revelation of God’s Heart and the fullness of salvation for the whole world.

As the Apostles Paul and John write…

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith…”

St. Paul in Romans 1:16-17a

“God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.”

St. John in First John 4:9-11

So let us engage in interchurch and interfaith conversations and relations, with admiration and lovingkindness, but let us also hold fast to the universal good news of God the Son. And let us never be ashamed or hesitant to share the good news that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have everlasting life” (Jesus speaking to Nicodemus in John 3:16).

Together in Christ,  Pastor Tim

THE SON IS SHINING

As we undergo this extended quarantine due to the global Coronavirus pandemic, we find ourselves with ample opportunity (the rare opportunity) to be alone with our thoughts more and to engage in more intentional reflection and prayerful contemplation. And thankfully, because we live in sunny Southern California, our social distancing is not as claustrophobic as it is in cold grey areas of our country. So, we also have the opportunity to be outside as we use this extraordinary period of quarantine to meditate upon the Word of God in the Holy Bible and to prayerfully wrestle with the deep questions of faith and life. (I recommend any of the following biblical books:  the Book of Genesis, the Book of Psalms, the Gospel of Matthew, the Book of Acts, the Book of Romans, the Book of Hebrews, the Book of First John.)

In a way our whole society is entombed right now, awaiting a return to normalcy. But for people of faith, the eventual reopening of society can be much more than a mere return to what was before. For us it can be a kind of resurrection, a renewal of spiritual life, and a rededication to participating in the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the ministry of his amazing gospel. Furthermore, as I am generally a very ecumenical person, I hope and pray that this renewal will be the case within all denominations throughout our nation — for we are a peculiar nation that has always acknowledged God (in a nonsectarian way) as the fundamental basis and very foundation of our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As we sing in “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”…

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills.
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.

In addition, as we are going through the budding and flowering of Spring, transitioning toward Summer, I’m mindful of the passage of the times and seasons of our lives. Consequently, the beautiful song from the musical Fiddler On The Roof called “Sunrise, Sunset” also comes to my mind. It is a song specifically about the passage of time as it relates to children and family, but it’s also about the passage of all the times and seasons of faith and life. The following is an excerpt of the lyrics of this song…

Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as they gaze

Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

Truly, so very swiftly flow the days and so very swiftly fly the years of this life, calling us to savor each and every moment, and causing us to reflect on the life to come when we pass on from this world of “happiness and tears.” This is especially true when a loved one is nearing death. At that particular season of life (a season of tears) we contemplate our place in God’s universe and our ultimate heavenly destiny granted to us by the grace of God in, with and through Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord.

Therefore, according to the faith, hope and love of Christ, the Christian believer is able to reverse the song “Sunrise, Sunset” to “Sunset, Sunrise.” This is because of the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross for our sins and because of his glorious resurrection from the dead on the third day. In other words, through the Son-set and Son-rise of Christ our Lord, we can live this life with the deep inner joy of the living hope of forgiveness of sins and resurrection life. For as it says in First Peter…

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice,even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

First Peter 1:3-7

Thanks be to God for the risen Son of God! Even though we are going through dark times of sunset due to the global Coronavirus pandemic, the grace and truth of the gospel is that the Son is shining upon us now and forever. Amen.

Alleluia, Christ Is Risen! Pastor Tim

VISIBLE IMAGES POINTING TO THE INVISIBLE GOD

I was recently asked by a parishioner about the biblical prohibition against “graven images” in the Ten Commandments. And since it is the heartfelt desire of every Christian believer to love God, I have heard this particular concern many times over the years regarding Christian sculptures, carvings, etchings, icons, paintings and other artwork that depict Jesus, or his family, or his early disciples, or great Church leaders of history (i.e. Martin Luther, John Wesley, and others).

In the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20, it says the following: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself any graven images—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.”

Based on this Bible text, some Protestant Christians (as well as all Muslims and most Jews) assert that sculptures and icons of Jesus Christ, or statues of saints and angels, or paintings of holy images, are all violations of Exodus 20. But is this really the case? Are we breaking the commandment of God by having statuary, icons and other images of either earthly or heavenly subjects in our homes and churches?

To more fully understand Exodus 20, we need to use the principle of interpreting Holy Scripture with Holy Scripture. So let’s look at other Bible passages that can shed light on this commandment of God from Exodus 20…

  • The prohibition against “graven images” in Exodus 20:4 and “molten gods” in Exodus 34:17 are both given in the context of the idolatry of the ancient Near East.
  • God commanded that gold images of cherubim (winged angels of heaven) be made and placed on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. See Exodus 25:18-22.
  • God commanded that cherubim images be fashioned on the curtains of the Tabernacle. See Exodus 26:1.
  • God commanded that cherubim images be on the veil of the Tabernacle that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (“Holy of Holies”) where the Ark was placed. See Exodus 26:31.
  • In First Kings 6:23-28, the Jerusalem Temple had two large gold-overlaid olivewood cherubim on either side of the Ark in the Holy of Holies.
  • Also in First Kings 7:13-51, the Jerusalem Temple had oxen sculptures holding up the bronze laver (large water basin), and the base of the laver had earthly images of lions and oxen, as well as heavenly images of cherubim.
  • The Lord God commanded Moses in Numbers 21:8-9 to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole as a means through which the Israelites would receive grace for healing from wilderness snakebites. See John 3:14-16 for Jesus’ comparison of his New Testament ministry and crucifixion with the healing grace of the Old Testament bronze serpent and pole.

Now, in light of the Bible passages listed above (and their historical contexts), it is clear that an absolute rejection of all manmade images of earthly and heavenly things is not God’s intention. Consequently, those who interpret Exodus 20:3-4 as prohibiting any and all images do not agree with the interpretation of Moses and Solomon (according to God’s intention) — and we clearly see this fact by interpreting Holy Scripture with Holy Scripture, and by interpreting Holy Scripture within its various historical contexts.

Therefore, the main thing in Exodus 20:2-6 is simply to NOT worship lesser gods, and to ONLY worship and serve the One Almighty God of All. Moreover, the Bible is warning us of the error of venerating the manmade thing (the handcrafted image) rather than focusing on the creative Source of all good things (the Eternal God). So while we can conclude that Christian statuary, icons and other artwork are permissible by God for reminding us of (and pointing us toward) his eternal grace and truth, we must never fall into worshiping such images. In other words, the prohibition in Exodus 20 is not the production of graven images per se, but the bowing down and serving of such images (see also Deuteronomy 5:8-10).

Similarly, Lutheran Christians do not bow down to and do not worship/serve images of Christ, or of his Apostles, or of past and present Church leaders. However, we can and do include such sacred images in our homes and churches, and this is all well and good as long as we use these beautiful things appropriately in order to worship and serve only the Lord God Almighty.

Lastly, as Lutheran Christians who believe, trust and profess that Jesus Christ is the Son and Living Icon of God with us, we make and use sacred Christ-centered images as helpful tools in sharing the good news of Jesus within a world constantly flooded by ungodly images of all sorts. After all, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (see Colossians 1:15-20).

Together in Christ’s Mission, Pastor Tim

BORN TO ETERNAL LIFE

On the Fourth Sunday of Eastertime a few weeks ago, which also was Mother’s Day, I shared a story in my sermon that many people asked me for a copy. So, I thought I’d include it in my article for the June issue of our Olive Branch newsletter.

This wonderfully imaginative story is about fraternal twin babies in their mother’s womb discussing life after delivery, and while it’s originally attributed to the great Dutch theologian Henri Nouwen, there are many different variations of it. The following is the version I used for my sermon…

One of the twin babies asked the other, “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The other replied, “Of course. There has to be something after delivery. And maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.” “Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?” The second said, “I don’t know exactly, but I feel there will be more light there than here. Not that faint red glow we sometimes have here. Maybe we will be able to move around more freely and journey to places we just can’t understand right now. And maybe we will have other senses that we can’t yet understand.” The first replied, “That’s absurd! Ridiculous! This umbilical cord supplies everything we need. But the umbilical cord is too short, so life after delivery is to be logically excluded.” The second insisted, “Well I think there is something, and maybe it’s just different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this umbilical cord anymore.” The first replied, “Absolute nonsense, and furthermore, delivery is the end, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but oblivion. It takes us nowhere.” “Well” said the second, “I trust in Mother, and when we get to meet her in the after-delivery, she will show us all these amazing things.” The first replied, “A Mother? You actually believe in a Mother?! That’s laughable. If a Mother exists, then where is She right now?” The second said, “She’s all around us. We are surrounded by Her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live and move and have our being. Without Her this small confined existence of ours would not, and could not, exist.” And the first said, “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.” To which the second replied, “Well sometimes, when you’re in silence, and you focus and really listen, you can feel Her Presence.”

This ‘embryonic’ mortal existence we are journeying through is temporary, and one of my preferred terms for our physical death from this world is “Born to eternal life.” And you know it’s been said that we are spiritual beings having a human experience — an experience that is so very brief in the grand scheme of things.

However, the good news of the gospel of Christ our Good Shepherd leads us to the supreme joy and hope of heaven. Therefore, the reality of heaven (an eternal existence of true and never-ending happiness) is a central part of the honest-to-goodness gospel of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So simply because we live in a cynical and jaded time, we as Christians should not shy away from or downplay this great Easter truth and grace of eternal resurrection life. Rather we should embrace this heavenly faith, and then live lives of compassion and service in the name of Jesus. Because Christ is risen and because we too shall arise through him, we must live our lives right now according to the Word of the Lord in Micah chapter 6…

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Jesus is risen beyond this impermanent existence, and we are his sheep who are to hear him and follow him for the sake of a better world for all people and for an eternal heavenly future by his grace.

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim