Lutheranism – Mt. Olive Lutheran Church

PLANTING TREES

There is no doubt that we live in a time of colossal and world-shattering change: socially, religiously, culturally, nationally, globally, etcetera. It is indeed the end of the world as we know it.

Historians have recognized that approximately every five hundred years human civilization goes through some kind of major transition from an older structure of things to a new one, and it sure feels like that’s exactly what’s happening in our time. In fact, the last major civilizational shift was the Protestant Reformation, five hundred years ago, when Martin Luther and the other Protestant Reformers sparked this world-changing transfiguration through their reforms of the Medieval Roman Church.

Today, the world as we have known it is rapidly being replace by an emerging reality that is not yet fully clear. Consequently, speculations of the various end times theologies and ideologies abound. And due to the influential pre-millennial theology of the Left Behind novels, some Christians have started to regard any global peacemaking initiative as automatically some kind of great antichrist deception.

Consequently, such Christians (in the name of Jesus) often orient themselves against work for international peace and reconciliation because their Left Behind theology says that such work is always secretly on the side of the evil one. However, our Lord Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). And when Martin Luther was asked what he would do today if he knew the world would end tomorrow, Luther said, “I would plant a tree.”

In other words, even if we knew that tomorrow the world was going to end and the Kingdom of God was going to come in its fullness, we are called to never stop planting “trees” today (both literally and metaphorically). That is, we are to especially plant the metaphorical trees of peace and truth and grace today, no matter what God has in store tomorrow.

God’s people are to always and continually take part in the creative and redeeming work of God today and every day! By the grace and power of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, we are to plant trees of faith in the midst of fear, trees of hope against all hope, and trees of righteousness and peace. And of course, we are to not forget to plant real trees that give us oxygen and help regulate the balance of life on God’s green Earth. Therefore, to prescribe and do anything other than this is to be “anti” (against) Christ.

As our Lord Jesus declares in Matthew 25:31-46, we are called to continue to labor to make the world a better place right up to the great Day of the Lord, the great Second Advent of Jesus Christ. By God’s grace, we are to continue to work (right up to the very moment of Christ’s return) to ease human suffering, to promote equal treatment under law, and, of course, to be peacemakers in the name of Yeshua (Jesus) our Eternal Savior.

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

THE DIVINE MIRROR RESTORED

It’s true that we Lutherans certainly believe that the Lutheran branch of the Christian Faith has many wonderful gifts to offer to the whole of Christianity and indeed to the entire world, but we Lutherans also recognize that we do not have a monopoly on all theological and spiritual truths. And it’s true that we as Christians proclaim that the good news of Jesus Christ provides direct access to the fullness of God’s grace and truth, but we do not say that we have a monopoly on God’s eternal grace and truth. So if members of the Church of Jesus Christ consider those of other religions to be completely ignorant of all theological and spiritual truths, then this is just plain wrong. And if non-Christians assume that we Christians claim to be the sole purveyors of truth, then they’re wrong too.

Nevertheless, we Christians do profess and confess that Christ is “the Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), and so we earnestly proclaim the good news of his redeeming life, death and resurrection for the sake of the world. In fact, the Holy Scriptures exhort us to always be ready to share the grace and truth of Jesus Christ with our neighbors:

“So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth [of Christ] to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.” – (Ephesians 4:25)

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” – (First Peter 3:15-16)

However, we do this proclamation of Jesus’ good news within the multicultural context of human civilization. For we see throughout the history of salvation (from ancient times unto today) that there is a certain universal pattern we sinful human beings (of all times and places) seem to follow. It’s the pattern of faithfulness and apostasy, and it should be very familiar to us within the Christian Faith because the Holy Bible is filled with this pattern.

The cycle of faithfulness and apostasy is the historical pattern of civilization all over the world throughout the ages. From the very genesis of humanity, over and over again, God calls us, gathers us, instructs us and blesses us. But over and over again, people begin to reject and fall away from God’s revealed truth and grace. Therefore, God decided to send us the exact reflection of the glory of the fullness of himself — Christ Jesus our Lord, the Eternal Son of God and Bread of Heaven.

Let’s imagine that the revelation of God is one great Divine Mirror. And let’s imagine that the pattern of faithfulness and apostasy within human civilization is that Mirror breaking into a thousand pieces and scattering throughout the world. And then, after each shattering of this Mirror, a faithful remnant of believers were left to salvage as many pieces of God’s grace and truth as they could, resulting in a great diversity of faiths and spiritual traditions over time. So each time this shattering would happen in history, a group of like-minded believers would gather their particular shards of the Divine Mirror, and they would follow God’s Light reflected in these shards as best they knew how. And thousands of other groups did the same thing with the shards of truth they had collected.

But then, at the right time in human history, God revealed the fullness of his truth and grace for all people through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the entire Divine Mirror restored to humanity — for he is the clear-as-glass Living Mirror of Heaven. And it might sound presumptuous to claim that the faith, hope and love of Jesus constitute the complete Divine Mirror reflecting the fullness of God’s Heart for humanity, but that is indeed what we have been granted in Jesus Christ our Lord. Thanks be to God!

However, while we have amazing access to the entire Divine Mirror of God (in all its clarity) through Jesus our Savior, this should not by any means negate the importance of the shards of God’s grace and truth that other religions have access to. In fact, the shards of Divine Truth within non-Christian religions (although incomplete) are nevertheless reflective of God’s saving truth. Consequently, the great non-Christian religious leaders of the world such as Buddha, Krishna, Muhammad, Confucius, and Lao-Tzu (as well as philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and others) have all received pieces of God’s complete Mirror. They all have received a portion of God’s True Light — morsels of the Bread of Heaven (so to speak). So let’s genuinely appreciate the Truth of God from whichever direction it’s coming at us, even from non-Christian sources.

As we Christians share with others the fullness of God’s grace and truth in Christ Jesus our Lord, let’s remember the great Divine Mirror that every compassionate religion has pieces of — precious pieces of the universal reality and saving grace of God. Yet, our evangelical mission is to always uplift how all those shards of God’s Truth fit into the wholeness of God’s pure reflection in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. And even if a certain non-Christian belief seems to be contrary to the gospel of Jesus, it just might be that this belief is still somehow based upon an eternal principle of God (if we look deeply enough). So maybe that shard of belief that seems to contradict Jesus simply needs a little ‘gospel windex’ to clarify it a bit.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re not here to trash the pieces of the Mirror (or the portions of the Bread of Heaven) that people of other belief systems possess. We are simply here to do as it says in Ephesians 4 and First Peter 3, where it says: “let all of us speak the truth [of Christ] to our neighbors, for we are members of one another” and “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect…”

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

GOD’S TWO KINGDOMS

With all the “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) these days, many Christians are wondering what God’s Word within the Holy Bible says to us about such things. In particular, with regard to Russia/Ukraine, Azerbaijan/Armenia, Iran/Israel, and China/Taiwan, is there a general guiding principle of Christian doctrine that we can draw upon in order to help us process all that’s going on in our world right now? For although Ukraine, Armenia, Israel and Taiwan are not perfect nations (no nation is), and they do not have completely innocent histories (no nation does), the Western democratic world is nevertheless rallying in support and defense of these countries who are fighting an existential struggle against adversaries who are seeking their utter destruction as free independent nations.

Lutheran Christians have traditionally followed the Two Kingdoms Doctrine in our understanding of the relationship of Church and State. Rooted in the Holy Scriptures, this doctrine affirms that God established two primary realms of societal order: 1) the kingdom of God’s right hand, and 2) the kingdom of God’s left hand. Simply put, the so-called kingdom of God’s right hand is the Church and the kingdom of God’s left hand is the State. Specifically, the kingdom of God’s left hand refers to the State’s God-given responsibility for law enforcement and military service for the sake of an orderly and peaceable society. As it says in Romans chapter 13, God has instituted the governing authorities “to bear the sword” (13:4) to exact justice upon the wrongdoer. As a result, Lutheran Christians have always honored the vocations of law enforcement and military service as God-ordained functions within society for the sake of good order. Therefore, the kingdom of God’s left hand (the State) is the realm of law, justice and peacekeeping; however, the kingdom of God’s right hand (the Church) is the realm of forgiveness, mercy and peacemaking. So ideally, with both peacekeeping on one hand and peacemaking on the other, the whole structure of human society functions and thrives.

Now, as we apply this Two Kingdoms Doctrine to what’s going on in our globalized world today, we can acknowledge the important role of our armed forces in defending democracy, liberty and commerce. For example, if there was no United States Navy defending freedom of navigation then the seaways would be strangled by authoritarian autocrats and pirate warlords. Consequently, since the end of WWII our governing authorities have worked to cooperate with other democratic nations of the world to maintain the most peaceful and prosperous era in human history (broadly speaking, of course).

On the other hand, the Church (the kingdom of God’s right hand) worships the Prince of Peace, so we always seek to faithfully exercise our role as peacemakers within our world according to the eternal principles of the gospel…

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45).

We recognize that the kingdom of God’s left hand (the State) in its peacekeeping role and the kingdom of God’s right hand (the Church) in its peacemaking role are both essential. And we also recognize that people of faith who have been called into law enforcement or military service are uniquely positioned by God to operate within both realms, and they offer us a great bridge of understanding. For example, I proudly served in our armed forces in the USAF as a young man; however, as a Christian, I’m also called to be a builder of bridges for understanding and peace.

In the face of wars and rumors of wars in these times, we acknowledge the important role of our peacekeeping forces, but we Christians also continually seek peacemaking solutions and peaceful resolutions within our world — always looking toward the great and glorious Day of the Lord when “Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

And so, with one voice in universal chorus, we exclaim, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:21).

In Christ’s Peace, Pastor Tim

SACRED WATER

As our Foothills community leaves behind the annual “May gray” and “June gloom” season of overcast mornings with occasional small weather systems coming through, we are now entering the bone-dry season of July through September/October. And although we can sometimes forget we live in an arid climate because of all the irrigated landscaping we enjoy, the simple truth is that we live where the desert meets the sea. Therefore, large-scale desalination (making fresh water from salt water), using a combination of low-carbon energy sources (wind, solar, natural gas, geothermal, nuclear and hydroelectric), along with increased large-scale water storage, are clear and present necessities for the sustained wellbeing of Southern California.

However, the arid climate of our part of the country and the 3+ months of dry season we’re entering are powerful reminders of the preciousness of water and its sacredness when connected to God’s Word for the baptismal covenant that God makes with us in Holy Baptism. For indeed, water is sacred both because it’s the most basic molecular element for physical life and because it’s the most basic sacramental element for incorporating us into God’s New Covenant established through Jesus Christ our Lord. In fact, the New Testament of the Holy Bible is clear about the sacramental and covenantal use of water according to God’s Word…

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
ROMANS 6:3-4

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the bathing water [mikvah] of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This saying is sure.
TITUS 3:4-8a

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
MATTHEW 28:19-20

While some Christian traditions teach that Holy Baptism is exclusively for adult believers, not for young children or infants, Lutheran Christians understand the Bible as presenting the Sacrament of Baptism as inclusive of people at every stage of life. For Lutherans, we acknowledge that the early Church of Jesus Christ baptized both adults and entire households, including young children and infants. And we know this from the baptisms of whole households in the biblical Book of Acts as well as from the earliest of Christian Church writings from the First Century AD. Moreover, we Lutheran Christians also see the Holy Bible as presenting a covenantal understanding of Holy Baptism that’s similar to but exceeds the covenant of circumcision in the Old Testament.

Just as the Old Testament sign and seal of the Hebraic Covenant is physical circumcision — and afterward the circumcised Jewish male is expected to respond to and affirm this covenant of God in his adult life — so likewise Holy Baptism is the New Testament sign and seal of God’s New Covenant in Christ that we (both male and female) are to respond to and affirm for ourselves in our adulthood by the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, this covenantal theology of the Lutheran branch of the Christian Faith differs from Christian traditions which teach that Holy Baptism is merely symbolic.

Thanks be to God for our new birth into a living hope through God’s baptismal covenant with us! Baptized into Jesus Christ and his Church, the resurrection life of Jesus becomes our resurrection life. And as often as we affirm and abide in this baptismal grace through faith, we are “born again from above” (John 3:3-8) with a spiritual “circumcision of the heart” (Romans 2:29), over and over again, granting us continual renewal as beloved children of God throughout our lives.

Grace & Peace, Pastor Tim

WAR & PEACE

With the “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) of our 21st Century world, many Christians are wondering what God’s Word within the Bible says to us about such things. In particular, with Russia’s war against Ukraine in Eastern Europe and with “rumors of wars” brewing between China and Taiwan in the Western Pacific, I’ve been hearing questions about what the Bible has to say (especially the New Testament) regarding all of this. So, I thought I’d use my church article this month to do some biblical and theological reflections concerning war and peace from a Lutheran perspective.

Specifically, the kingdom of God’s left hand refers to the State’s God-given responsibility for law enforcement and military service for the sake of an orderly and peaceable society. As it says in Romans chapter 13, God has instituted the governing authorities “to bear the sword” (13:4) to exact justice upon the wrongdoer. As a result, Lutheran Christians have always honored the vocations of law enforcement and military service as God-ordained functions within society for the sake of good order.

Therefore, the kingdom of God’s left hand (the State) is the realm of law, justice and peacekeeping. While at the same time, the kingdom of God’s right hand (the Church) is the realm of forgiveness, mercy and peacemaking. And with both peacekeeping on one hand and peacemaking on the other, the whole structure of human society functions and thrives.

Functioning as the so-called kingdom of God’s left hand, our governing authorities have exercised the peacekeeping role of the State according to the longstanding foreign policy principle of peace through strength. As the Roman Christian, nobleman and scholar of the late 300’s AD, Flavius Vegetius Renatus, famously wrote, “If you want peace then prepare for war” (Si vis pacem para bellum). But of course, “The soldier above all others prays for peace” (General Douglas MacArthur).

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45).

We recognize that the kingdom of God’s left hand (the State) in its peacekeeping role and the kingdom of God’s right hand (the Church) in its peacemaking role are both essential. And we also recognize that people of faith who have been called into law enforcement or military service are uniquely positioned by God to operate within both realms, and they offer us a great bridge of understanding. For example, I proudly served in our armed forces in the USAF as a young man. But as a Christian, I’m also called to be a builder of bridges for understanding and peace.

In the face of wars and rumors of wars in these times, we acknowledge the important role of our peacekeeping forces, but we Christians also continually seek peacemaking solutions and peaceful resolutions within our world — always looking toward the great and glorious Day of the Lord when “Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

And so, with one voice in universal chorus, we exclaim, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:21).

Grace & Peace, Pastor Tim