Prayer – What Does This Mean?

You’re No Angel: Things Angels are Not

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Beautiful young women in long, flowing white gowns, with big, downy wings and a glowing gold halo. A chubby, winged baby. The spirits of deceased Christians, also bearing wings and a halo, carrying a harp, and floating on clouds. Images like these fill our pictures, movies, television shows, and songs. Yet none of these are real, nor do they share much in common with God’s holy angels. They are very different creatures and are not mild, gentle beings. They are God’s heavenly army, powerful servants who, when they appear, command respect.

First of all, angels are not people. They are spirits God created to serve Him (Hebrews 1). Christians do not become angels when they die. Our spirits are unnaturally separated from our bodies at death — bodies that decay. But we do not remain in that state. On the Last Day, God will raise our bodies from the dead and reunite our spirits with them.

Angels are powerful beings, sometimes tasked with battling Satan and his demons (these are fallen, angelic creatures). They guard us, serve God on our behalf, and stand in His eternal presence. When they appear to people, they often inspire fear, and their first words are usually, “Fear not.” Some of God’s people are even tempted to fall down and worship them. Scripture poetically calls them gods.

Unlike popular television series and movies, angels are not like humans with flaws, prone to temptation and sin. The holy angels are now eternally sinless, having been tested by Lucifer’s rebellion. They have a perfect knowledge of God. While they always take the form of a male human when they appear to people, they never marry. They are not young, having existed since before the fall of Adam and Eve, nor are they ever female. Scripture does not mention halos. Medieval artists added them to draw attention to holy people and beings, especially in stained-glass windows. Likewise, Scripture only describes angels with wings when speaking of seraphim and cherubim.

Most importantly, angels ministered to Jesus during His earthly ministry. They announced His birth to the shepherds, ministered to Him after His temptation in the wilderness, strengthened Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, proclaimed His resurrection at the empty tomb, and promised His return at His ascension. Their ministry is always centered on Jesus and His saving work.

God does not send angels so that we will admire angels. He sends them to direct us to Christ. Their ministry always points beyond themselves to the Savior who died and rose again for us. On our last day and on the Last Day, they will escort God’s children into His presence, where we will live with Him forever. Therefore, we thank God for the ministry of His holy angels and join our voices with theirs in praising Him, both now and forever.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: What Does This Mean?

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Stay with Us, Lord, for it is Evening

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Today, our Easter celebration of the resurrection is filled with joy. White paraments, flowers, and banners decorate our churches. Well-practiced organs, choirs, and musical instruments of all kinds add to our song. After all, we know the story and how it ends. Jesus is risen!

The first Easter was quite different. Women close to Jesus reported visions of angels and the Lord Himself. The disciples did not know what to think. The five accounts of that day show the confusion. (Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-49, John 20:1-23, 1 Corinthians 15:3-5) Different people were running all over the place, and each story is its own. One thing was for sure. The tomb was empty.

On the first Sunday afternoon, two disciples were on the road home, feeling very unsettled. Could it be true? Was the Lord really risen from the dead? Jesus appeared to them but did not reveal Himself. As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus showed them how Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all pointed to Him and that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again. Their hearts burned within them as He opened the Scriptures.

They invited Him to stay with them for the evening. As they ate dinner, Jesus blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. He immediately vanished from their sight. The Lord first revealed Himself through His Word and then in the breaking of the bread.

These two disciples went back to Jerusalem to report what had happened. There, they learned Jesus had appeared to Peter. As they were talking about this, Jesus removed all doubt. He appeared to them and ate food to show He was not a ghost, but had risen from the dead, body and soul. He then blessed the Apostles and gave them the power to forgive and retain sins.

When life gets confusing, and we do not know what to do, Jesus comes to us in His Word. Even though we do not see Him, He is still present with His people. He continues to teach, forgive, and strengthen us. When we pray, “Stay with us, Lord,” He does. We are never alone, even until the end of time itself.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

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Good Friday is the most somber day in the Church Year. On this day, God Himself pays the price of our sin in full. The ancient plan for our salvation had been unfolding for thousands of years. The descendant of Eve, Noah, Abraham, and David was born to the Virgin Mary. The Son of God, the Author of Life himself, became one of us. At the Jordan River, he made the waters of Baptism holy and took on the sins of the world. On Mt. Zion, ancient Mt. Moriah, where the Angel of the Lord stayed the hand of Abraham, God’s Son, His only Son, whom he loves, was condemned to die as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Sentenced by Pilate, he began his final suffering and was nailed to the cross. Even as he began to die, the forgiving began — first of those who killed him and then of a thief on a nearby cross.

The greatest mystery of all came at the height of his suffering. The Eternal Son of God cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) in the language of his boyhood. We should not be surprised that we cannot understand this profound moment. Yet we know a few things for sure. We know Scripture itself reveals this moment in detail. Jesus’ words quote his father, David, in Psalm 22, written a thousand years earlier. We know Jesus felt abandoned by God. His unanswered prayers and loneliness show that he shares fully in our humanity. He is like us in every way, which is why his sacrifice on our behalf is possible. We know he paid for our sin on the cross, and that price is unimaginably high. We are moved as we extinguish one light after another, remembering the depth of his suffering.

Yet this is not the last word we hear from our Lord’s suffering. As he died, he said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Sin was atoned for, the power of the Devil defeated, and the seal of the grave soon to be broken. Jesus knew the Father had not abandoned him. He once again quoted his father, David, in Psalm 31, “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46), and entered his three-day rest in the tomb.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

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Angel in the Temple

[Forty-Sixth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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Four hundred years had passed since the prophet Malachi spoke to God’s people. God had been silent all those years, but had not been idle. Now, an elderly priest named Zechariah was chosen to burn incense in the Holy Place of the temple, right outside the Holy of Holies. The angel Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God himself, appeared to Zechariah to announce the miraculous birth of a son. He was to be named John (God’s gift) and would fulfill Malachi’s last prophecy to send a herald to prepare the way of the Messiah. The last time this angel appeared, he brought dreams to Daniel.

You’d think Zechariah, who should have known better, would accept the news that he would have a son with joy. Yet that, like Abraham, he would have a child in his old age, when he was barren, was too much. Gabriel punished him by taking his voice until the day his son was to be circumcised.

When John was born, his relatives asked Zechariah what name to give his son. Zechariah wrote on a Roman wax tablet, “His name is John.” Then the silence of God was broken. Zechariah prophesied about the coming salvation and the role his son would play in it. We sing this prophecy in the liturgy of morning prayer. It is called the Benedictus. This old priest was, therefore, the second-to-last prophet of the Old Testament. His son, who we know as John the Baptist, would be the last and greatest.

John the Baptist had almost all the credentials to be the Messiah. His father was a priest, descended from Aaron. His mother was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and so descended from King David. Gabriel the Archangel announced his birth in the temple, while his father was offering prayers on behalf of the people to God. Both of his parents were very old, like Abraham and Sarah, and barren, like Hannah, the mother of Samuel. God named him in the same way he named Isaac and changed Jacob’s name to Israel. The angel announced he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets. Yet from the very start, he and his parents understood John was not the Messiah, but the one who would reveal him to the world and prepare the way for him.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Daniel and the Lions

[Forty-First in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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Daniel lived a long and remarkable life. As a young man, he was carried off into exile by the Babylonians. Because he showed remarkable leadership skills, King Nebuchadnezzar brought him into the court. He lived a long life in the service of Babylon, living until the Persians conquered the empire. He continued to serve the Persians.

Daniel was an honorable official and fell victim to politics in the top ranks of the Persian Empire. His enemies got a law passed that Daniel could not keep. (Daniel 6) The law required that no one pray to any god other than the king for thirty days. Even though he knew the law, Daniel continued his custom of praying three times a day, facing Jerusalem, giving thanks to God. His enemies turned him in to King Darius, who, even though he was Daniel’s friend and didn’t want to condemn him, ordered him thrown to the lions.

Being above reproach, Daniel did not respond as many politicians in his day, and those in government even to this day, did. He did not retaliate, but allowed his innocence to speak for him. Having been thrown to the lions, God rewarded Daniel’s trust and faithfulness by sending an angel to protect his servant. When the king saw Daniel was still alive, he restored Daniel and had his enemies thrown to the lions.

Daniel has become a model for Christian civil service. His example of faith was praised by the writer of the book of Hebrews, along with his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He shows us the way to love God and serve our nation as well.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

King Hezekiah and the Assyrian Siege

[Thirty-Sixth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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Before King Josiah, there was another king who followed the commandments of the Lord. His name was Hezekiah. His story is covered in 2 Kings 18-20. There, the author of Kings tells us that Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, cutting down the Asherah poles. He recognized the idolatry that ran rampant among the people. Judah was actually bowing down before the bronze serpent that Moses made in the wilderness! Hezekiah broke it into pieces. He was zealous for proper worship of the Lord.

Hezekiah was the king of Judah during the Assyrian destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel. After Israel’s defeat, Judah was on high alert. The largest superpower was knocking on their door. And Assyria was a promised instrument of the Lord to exact judgment on His people.

The Rabshakeh, who was a spokesman for the king of Assyria, spoke to Hezekiah, telling him that no god had saved the other surrounding countries. So, would Hezekiah’s God save Judah? The king of Assyria, Sennacherib, speaks of himself as a god, able to give a land that is good, as if not better than what God had promised to the people of Israel way back in his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and again to the people as they were coming into the Promised Land.

Hezekiah, though afraid of the impending doom for Jerusalem, does what a faithful Christian ought to do in times of distress. He spoke with the Lord’s servant Isaiah and inquired of the Lord in prayer. God has been mocked in Sennacherib’s speech, and Hezekiah pleads that God hear it. He does and gives peace to Hezekiah, promising that Sennacherib will die by the sword in his own land.

Isaiah 37 records for us what happens to the Assyrian army. The Angel of the Lord struck the army, and 185,000 died that night. The Lord preserved Hezekiah and Jerusalem for the time being.

We learn from Hezekiah to rely on God alone, both in times of distress and in times of plenty. Isaiah the prophet and this story of Jerusalem being under siege tell us to rely on God, who gives us our daily bread. For he also gives us the blessed forgiveness of sins in the saving work of Jesus on the cross, who took upon himself the siege of the devil at the cross and won for us the true promised land, the promise of the new heaven and new earth that is to come.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
Christ Lutheran Church
Noblesville, Indiana

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

[Twenty-ninth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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When God invited Solomon to ask for a blessing, Solomon asked for wisdom. Solomon’s request pleased God for several reasons. First, he was humble, realizing his limitations. He was still very young and had little experience in governing. Second, he sought to serve God first. He asked for wisdom — the ability to use knowledge well to meet needs — and discernment, the ability to tell right from wrong. He sought first God’s kingdom and righteousness. God granted him what he asked for — and riches, fame, and a long life as well.

King Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba. His life shows how completely God forgives, since David committed great sins with and because of Bathsheba. They deserved to die, but God forgave them, let them live, and gave them a second son. Solomon would be an ancestor of the Messiah.

Under Solomon, Israel became a prosperous and powerful nation. Solomon was a superb organizer. He reformed the kingdom’s bureaucracy, making it more efficient and channeling its prosperity more effectively. He built God’s Holy Temple and numerous other buildings. He became a collector of proverbs, many of which appear in the Book of Proverbs. According to tradition, the Books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs were written by the King, although there is much debate among scholars about this.

As great as he was, Solomon was a sinner also. He married hundreds of wives, mainly to secure treaties. He allowed them to worship the gods of their fathers and even constructed temples for them. For this reason, God caused the kingdom to be divided during his son’s reign. Yet, for the sake of the one greater than Solomon, his sins are forgiven, along with ours.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Job and Suffering Even Though We Don’t Know Why

[Seventh in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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Job was a good man. He loved God and served Him well. When Job lost everything he had, his friends thought he must have done something very evil. Yet Job insisted he did nothing wrong. He could not figure out why these things were happening to him. Job was right. God allowed Satan to attack Job to test his faith, not to punish him.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin, sickness, disaster, and death entered the world. Most of the time, innocent people suffer from them. Because God loves us, He does not want people to suffer and to die from these things. He wants us to live the way He intended when He made the world and called it “very good.” So He sent His Son to die in our place and pay for our sins. Now our sins are forgiven, and we will live forever with Him. One day, Jesus will return to bring a final end to sin, suffering, grief, and death. In life everlasting, He will dry every tear from our eyes.

Yet sin, suffering, grief, and death continue in this world — even for us. When Job finally lost his health, he complained to God that it wasn’t fair. He was, after all, a good man. God pointed out that Job should trust Him, even though Job could not understand why he was suffering. God knows what’s best, and sometimes He allows evil to happen because ending it would be worse than letting it take its course. God can use the world’s evil to strengthen our faith — our trust — in him and his promises. Job repented of questioning God and placed his trust in God’s love. In the end, God restored Job’s prosperity.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Mercy

[Twenty-first in a series of posts on church words]

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Many Lutheran pastors begin their sermons with the greeting: “Grace, Mercy and Peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” St. Paul used this blessing to begin both his letters to Timothy, and St. John used it for one of his letters. Two other posts cover grace and peace. In this one, we take up the third of the triad, mercy.

Yet, in a way, we’ve been here before. One of the Hebrew words for love, חֶ֫סֶד, often translated lovingkindness, is also used for mercy. You probably already know the Greek word for mercy. It is ἐλεέω — eleeo — the word in the ancient prayer we call the Kyrie Eleison: “Lord, have mercy.” This prayer appears as the congregation’s response to prayer in worship services of the 4th century (300s AD). To this day, Christians still pray it in traditional worship services. The word mercy is love in action. It is the response someone who cares has when they see another in great pain and suffering.

When God shows mercy, he acts out of his compassion to save, to help, and to heal. Most of the time, the person suffering cannot help themselves. All of the time, they do not deserve mercy. Mercy comes from the love and grace of God. Sometimes the person asking for mercy is about to be sentenced for a crime and hopes for punishment less severe than he should receive. God’s mercy is always for the sake of his Son, who took the punishment we deserved, atoned for our sins on the cross, and suffered for us in full. God is indeed merciful to us, for he forgives our sins and grants us everlasting life.

Yet mercy does not end with God. Because God is merciful to us, we are merciful to our suffering neighbors. Since the very beginning of the church, Christians have sought to be channels of God’s mercy to all who suffer. They have visited the sick and brought healing where they could. They have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, sheltered the homeless, visited the imprisoned, befriended the lonely and those grieving, and cared for orphans and widows. In us, they see God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and full of faithful love. Most of all, we bring the good news of God’s greatest mercy — salvation in Christ Jesus, our merciful Lord.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Church Words: Congregation

[Seventh in a series of posts on church words]

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From the very beginning of the church, Christians gathered together to read scripture, sing the praises of God, hear their pastors preach, and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This should not surprise us — Jews had been doing that for centuries, beginning sometime during the Babylonian Exile. Those gatherings became known in Greek as συναγωγή — Synagogues — meaning “to lead, gather together; assemble.” The New Testament calls these groups ἐκκλησία — churches — literally “called up” (to assemble). The Greeks used the word for civil assemblies and the calling up of militias. The word “Congregation” is the Latin translation of these words and means “to gather together.”

The church continued to worship after the pattern of the synagogue, with two exceptions — they met for worship on the Lord’s Day (Sunday), not the Sabbath (Saturday), because it was the day on which Christ rose from the dead. They also added readings from the Gospels and letters from the Apostles and other respected leaders. These are the books that would be very quickly (for the most part) recognized as Holy Scripture, along with the Old Testament.

For the first generation of Missouri Synod leaders, the distinction between the local congregation and the universal church was crucial. They used the German word Gemeinde only for a local church and the word Kirche for the universal church. They deliberately did not call their church body a church. They called it a Synode — a Synod.

Why were they so picky? Because most of the action in God’s kingdom is not done in Church Bodies, which get most of the press, but in the local congregation. They represent the universal Church, the invisible Church. On behalf of the Church, congregations baptize, teach the Word of God, celebrate the Lord’s Supper, use the Office of the Keys to forgive and retain sins, and extend God’s call to men to exercise the Office of the Holy Ministry and other church workers to support it. The work of synods is done as local congregations band together to do things no one can do alone.

Congregations are much more than social clubs or private charities. They are God’s kingdom on earth, proclaiming the gospel and giving his gifts to all. In them, the lost get to meet Jesus, and through the word preached by them, people are saved. So come! God is waiting to meet you — and we are too!

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana