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In a recent edition of my local paper, a letter to the editor bemoaned the current state of affairs. Many mainline Christian church bodies are embracing CRT, DEI, and LGBTQAI+ ideologies. She rightly observes, in part:

“Through a recent church letter, I have learned that plans have been in the making for a while now … to restructure some of the oldest, most established religions slash churches as diverse, equitable, and inclusive, plans are to allow homosexual marriages, officiated by their clergy, and to also now accept these beliefs into their religions. The clergy themselves may even be LGBQTIA+. In other words, making homosexuality compatible with Christian teachings.”

“[T]he UMC … with the backing of the ELCA, has decided to ratify the plan … to basically align with DEI … I would wager my last dollar that Martin Luther would “not” have been behind this blasphemy.”

“I was instructed as a young child to believe the words of the Bible. … Countless Christians will not support the very churches who chose to go this route of DEI, when previously, these very churches taught them to live by the words in the Bible.”

“When will people start standing up? When will people have had enough? When will God have had enough?” Glynis Tietjen — La Grange

(“Church and Pride,” The Fayette County Record, La Grange, TX, June 14, 2024, Volume 102, Number 64, page D2)

(In response to “Church and Pride,” June 14, 2024) Miss Glynis, I can understand your frustration and disappointment. Christianity used to be more serious about those things forbidden and commanded. You’re right to suggest that DEI and LGBTQAI+ ideologies are opposed to Christianity. The accepted culture of the first quarter of the 21^st century doesn’t just encourage DEI and LGBTQAI+, it demands submission. Acceptance, the terminology of my youth, isn’t enough. The new order requires us to glorify sinfulness as a morally superior lifestyle. Movies, gaming, comics, books, music, and other products of the current mainstream culture attest to this.

I pray you’re right that a minority of folks in national church organizations, including the UMC, the UCC, The PCUSA, the Episcopal Church, and ELCA are behind the shift in official positions and activities. Regardless of who it is, the people of whom we speak are in power. They are driving the bus away from the Bible. Without the only certain witness of God’s Word, the Christian faith has no mooring. We’re certain to be lost apart from the Word of God, which entirely testifies to Jesus’s death and resurrection for sinners like us.

There’s been a bit of linguistic trickery for many years. It is as if Jesus’s love undoes the condemnation of the Law of God. It does not. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17-18) That’s the last day, the judgement, and the resurrection of all flesh.

Jesus forgave and forgives sin even today. The message remains the same. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:8-10)

We are constantly being saved, reconciled by Jesus’s forgiveness. This is where the accepted culture falls down. “Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’” (John 8:10-11) The Gospel of forgiveness doesn’t grant permission to continue in sin. It also doesn’t bless those things that the Law of God condemns: adultery, homosexuality, idolatry, theft, covetousness, and the like.

The battle for the Bible started over 60 years ago. In those early days, the lines were fairly simple: is the Bible the inerrant Word of God or does it only contain the inerrant Word of God? The error we’re seeing on full display is this: if some of the bible isn’t true or isn’t normative to me, who decides that, and where does it end? Each one of us becomes the arbiter of God’s Word for ourselves. It ends when my pet sin becomes permissible. The temptation has never changed from the serpent in the garden. “… Did God actually say … you will be like God.” (Genesis 3)

All of God’s Word actually matters and He did actually say it. He has preserved His Word for us since ancient times in the original languages and in far better density and reliability than any other ancient texts. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Even those bits I don’t like, those are still God’s Word. Especially the bits that accuse me in my sin, those are still God’s Word.

In the LCMS and other orthodox Christian traditions, we have held to the Bible as the rule and norm of the Christian faith. “We believe, teach, and confess that the only rule and norm according to which all teachings, together with all teachers, should be evaluated and judged (2 Timothy 3:15-17) are the prophetic and Apostolic scriptures of the Old and New Testament alone.” (Formula of Concord, Epitome, 1576) It’s been a long and lonely road, cleaving to the Word of God. But, it’s worth it.

You’re always welcome back over on the other side of the fence, where we hold fast to the Word of God. We’d love to have you and your friends among us.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2024 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com

Some people do share your opinion. I understand the motivation to a certain degree. There are many wonderful things about The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941 (TLH). Unlike the scriptures, the canon of the hymnody can never be closed. Like preaching, there is always something new and useful to say regarding God’s Word to His people. Like preaching, the older things should not be thrown away. And they’re not. 340 of TLH hymns are preserved in the Lutheran Service Book (LSB). That’s greater than 50% of its hymnody (h/t Rev. Dr. Paul Grime). TLH is still in print today. There are also congregations that retain the use of both TLH & LSB, and even TLH exclusively.

There are some historical failures of the church, leading to the notion that TLH is the only right hymnal. Emotions, which are a poor standard of decision making in most contexts, notwithstanding, poor timing is among the chief concerns.

There were theological errors in the Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978 (LBW), causing a stir at a time when a new hymnal was needed and desired. Our (LCMS) participation with the other Lutheran groups produced a hymnal, whose use we could not encourage. We had to back out of the project, but retained copyright usage authority over the materials produced.

This led to a hasty publication of the Lutheran Worship, 1982 (LW). That was a bad move. Simply stripping-out and correcting theological errors didn’t produce a good hymnal. In fact, it produced a fairly poor hymnal. It was not well received. At LW’s peak, it was in use in just over half of LCMS congregations. As evidence of that, the old LWs are even difficult to give away.

Among the complaints about LW are these: the defaced common service, organ arrangements, and altered text. By “Common Service,” I mean TLH p. 5/15, LW Divine Service I, and LSB Divine Service, Setting Three. The TLH and LSB settings are quite similar. The LW setting updated the Jacobean English and stripped the chorale harmonies from the pew edition. Further, LW has also removed and/or rewritten common chorale harmonies to several hymns. These were not well received.

All of this failure has encouraged the notion that TLH might be the only good hymnal. Even the great TLH contains some noticeable weaknesses. Some translations of the German hymns are theologically sketchy, leading to some of the revised wording more recently. A more subtle, but more significant, error comes from the sequencing of the services. The Order of Morning Service without communion on page 5 for use on Sunday is followed by The Order of the Holy Communion on page 15 are a two-fold failure. Prior to TLH there was no printed chief service for Sunday without the Lord’s Supper. TLH not only introduced an innovation but also gave it priority by placing it first in the book. This may have been an editorial oversight. However, it leaves the impression that not only is Sunday without communion normal, it may be preferable.

At a time when the frequency of the celebration of the Lord’s supper may have been at an historic low, TLH inadvertently or deliberately reinforced the same. For LCMS congregations that celebrated as infrequently as once a month, once a quarter, twice a year, or once a year, TLH gave at least a nod to encourage the practice. Ask some of your own elderly members. You’ll likely hear about how infrequent it was. You may even hear like I have, “Well, p. 5 comes first. That’s the one we used most.”

LSB is also not a perfect hymnal. It is a good hymnal. A harsh reality at its publication was division in hymnal usage throughout the LCMS. In 1999, 35% of LCMS congregations retained TLH only, 60% had adopted LW, and scant number had even adopted LBW (h/t Rev. Dr. Paul Grime). There was no hope of returning to TLH more broadly. LW had demonstrated the peak of its acceptance. LSB achieved its goal of unifying a greater number of LCMS congregations under a single, common service book. By returning to the TLH, page 15 liturgy (LSB DS 3), as well as the LW Divine Service II: settings one & two (LSB DS 1 & 2), LSB struck a balance. LSB also restored the original settings and text of many of the TLH hymns with a few translation corrections.

LSB enjoys greater than 70% adoption among LCMS congregations. It’s not perfect by any means. It does, however, improve the likelihood of lifelong Lutherans like us and new converts finding a familiar hymnal in use, when they travel or move their families.

That’s good for the synod as a whole.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2024 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com.

Six months is all that separates the Baptist and Jesus, at least by earthly age. And so typically on June 24th, the Church celebrates and remembers the birth of the Baptist. For with his coming into the world, the Sun of Righteousness also would follow soon after.

Zechariah, when he was confronted by Gabriel, was confused and unbelieving of the news that he and Elizabeth would have a son. As part of the sign that Elizabeth would have a son, Zechariah would be mute until the child was born. And when he named the child John, in accordance with what the Angel told him, Zechariah’s mouth was loosed. He could speak. And the people were filled with awe and asked: “What then will this child be?” 

Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Zechariah prophesied the song that we commonly call the Benedictus, Latin for “Blessed.” Zechariah’s song does not answer the question of the people right away. He first prophesies of the One that his own son would point to as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

This song is not about John, but about Jesus. And He had actually been in Zechariah’s house for the past 3 months via the womb of Mary. And the redemption of God’s people was the plan from of old as far back as Adam’s fall. John still proclaims that message into your very ears every Advent season, preparing us for the coming of our Lord, the Sun of Righteousness.

Some think John’s preaching is fire and brimstone, and it might be on that side, but how else to rattle and crack the hearts of stone of a dead people? The preaching of repentance puts you to death, but not only that, it raises you to life. John’s preaching causes the Light of the Lord’s mercy to shine upon you. It gives you the new birth of the Holy Spirit, and gives to you the Name of God by his Grace, granting you peace that passes all human understanding. John preaches not his own word but the Word of the Lord, in order that they might be made alive by the Gospel and Comfort of the coming of the Lord Jesus who would die for the sin of the world and be raised from the dead on the 3^rd day and would then lead the way unto everlasting life with the Father in Heaven.

John’ preaching of repentance is the preaching of the forgiveness of sins. But John’s preaching is really the preaching of Christ! And thus by John’s preaching, you are not just prepared for Jesus’ coming, but it is by this way and means that Christ comes to you in love and visits you with tender compassion. 

Christ did not just visited Zechariah or the people of Judea and Galilee, but He has come and visits you with tender care and mercy this day. He has redeemed you just as we swore he would do, giving you the forgiveness of sins which He won for you by his cross, now by giving you His body and blood in the Sacrament, the Covenant/Testament of His body and blood. That you may be led in the way of peace forever. 

John was the forerunner, the preparer, the preacher who pointed to Jesus without fail. May the preachers of this day follow on coattails of John and continue to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, that ears and hearts be prepared to receive Christ now and always, for it is He who has released you from all sins, and has removed from us one and for all fear of death and hell and now guides our feet into the way of Peace. 

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
Christ Lutheran Church
Noblesville, Indiana

©2024 Jacob Hercamp. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com

Christianity is often a system of maintaining polar opposites without compromise. The law accuses us of sin (even in its instructive sense), and the Gospel forgives sin with no merit or worthiness in us. We receive salvation through God’s gifts of repentance and faith by Sacrament and Word. Damnation comes to unbelievers solely because of their stubborn unbelief and hatred of God.

These aren’t systems we built for ourselves. They are truths taught by God’s Word that leave us with concepts that defy our human logic. The tension makes us uncomfortable, leading us into accidental error. Arminian decision theology and Calvinist double predestination are two notable examples.

Jacob Arminius harmonized the clear teaching that damnation is our own doing and our own choosing in unbelief, by teaching that we choose salvation as well. “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:18-19 ESV) He was and is half right. Damnation is entirely on us and because of our sinful unbelief.

John Calvin harmonized the clear teaching that God chooses some for salvation, by teaching that salvation and damnation were solely by God’s choosing. “In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4b-6 ESV) In Calvin’s desire to uphold God’s sovereignty, Calvin made God a capricious ruler, separating without discernible reason.

The biblical position, which we Lutherans hold, is that damnation is our doing and salvation is God’s doing. We sometimes call this single predestination.

The same sort of harmony confusion is at play here. We should much more correctly say that God loves us despite the way we are. Poorly hidden behind the God-loves-me-just-the-way-I-am view of myself is a desire to overwrite God’s Law. I don’t want to leave my former sins behind. I want God to bless my sin and call it good. I want Jesus to Jesus me in the way that I would have Him Jesus me, rather than the way that he does.

Jesus doesn’t bless our sin. He forgives it AND sends us off without sin. To the adulteress spared from stoning, He says, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:11b ESV) The forgiveness we receive delivers a clear conscience, which will flee from sin.

St. Paul describes our sinful situation as a state of death. Only God can bring life into dead things. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV)

God loved us despite our deadness in sin. His love revives us and sets us free from that sin. He has delivered us out from the “way we are” into the way He would have us be.

Go forth and sin no more,

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2024 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

In the enlightened prose of a certain modern public figure, “seriously, not a joke, that’s no lie.” Call your pastor. “Call” doesn’t even have to be literal; call (and leave a message), send a letter, email, Facebook messenger, any sort of direct contact is good. Your pastor doesn’t know about the joys and sorrows in your life outside of the things you share with him.

But for goodness’ sake, don’t spread a rumor, expecting it to make it to your pastor’s ears. There are countless things he’s heard through the rumor mill. Your pastor is bound by the eighth commandment in the same way you are. He does hear about someone drinking too much, stepping out on their spouse, building their fence on the wrong side of the property line, being sad, being angry, or being ill. When he hears these things, he is also bound by God’s Law to put out of his mind the thing that he shouldn’t have heard about someone from someone else.

Please, call your pastor.

“Pastor’s are too busy to be bothered with [this event or thing].” Yes, pastors are frequently busy. But, pastors also constantly make adjustments to meet, talk to, and visit folks on a regular basis. We do this, I do this, because your concerns concern us.

Do you desire the prayers of the congregation? Call your pastor.

“Why wasn’t I included in the prayers?” Prayer requests are one link where the gossip chain breaks. Prayer requests from immediate family go right onto the list; requests from someone who heard from someone else that a third someone may have a need, do not so readily make the list. Since the Lord knows our needs, we also do not include details with requests. If you know, you know. If you don’t know, the Lord doesn’t require your knowledge to hear and answer the prayer.

AND, He does promise to hear and answer our prayers. (1 Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 18; 1 Thessalonians 5; Romans 5:26-27) The scriptures in no place require a detailed analysis of the situations of our prayers. Prayer is what the Lord requires.

Do you want a visit? Call your pastor.

He doesn’t know if you don’t contact him. He will spare no effort to meet your request. While we’re talking about it, contact him before it’s an emergency. I make visits most every week. The shut-in list gets the initial scheduling spots. Nota bene: the shut-in list includes folks who aren’t listed in the prayers by their own request. Additional notes: a visit from your pastor does not mean you are, or require you to be, near death. A visit is just a visit.

Seriously, call your pastor. – Pastor

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2024 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

Introduction: One Hundred and Eighty-six years ago, a dense forest stretched from the Great Lakes west to the Illinois prairie and south to the Ohio River Valley. Majestic oaks and sycamores, elms and maples, chestnuts, pines and cedars lined the paths and newly hewn roads, moved even young banker Hugh McCulloch to awe. Into this frontier poured first thousands and soon tens of thousands of Germans and Irishmen, drawn by the promise of the most fertile land in the world, where anyone was free to carve out a farmstead and leave a heritage to his children. They found it hard work in a hard climate. Isolated in the wilderness, where the bush might keep you from knowing you even had neighbors, you were very much alone and isolated. No church bells would call you to worship in non-existent churches. You see, while they came, pastors, by and large, did not.

Even when you were blessed with a servant of the word and the Lord’s house, tragedy often struck. In the frontier village of Fort Wayne, St. Paul’s Lutheran Congregation was in mourning. Their young German American pastor had just died. Their elder Adam Wesel wrote the Pennsylvania Ministerium Mission society on June 4^th: “If you canvas the northern part of Indiana, you will soon see how important it is that you send us a faithful Shepherd. The harvest is great, but unfortunately there are no workers. If it is not possible to send us a pastor, dear brothers, then send us a circuit rider. We hunger and thirst for the Word of God.”

God heard their prayer. Three days before their pastor died, Friedrich Wyneken set sail for Baltimore on the Brig Apollo. As Adam Wesel’s letter arrived in Pennsylvania, he presented himself before the mission society, prepared to receive a call as a missionary. They sent him to gather the scattered Germany Protestants of Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. And he did.

1. God has called you to proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light

a) As God’s people prayed for a pastor then, so they do now.        
b) As God answered their prayer, sending Wyneken, so he answers their prayer and sends you.       
c) You bear the same call that Wyneken did       
d) You have the same gospel to proclaim, the same baptism to administer; the same absolution to grant; the same Supper to celebrate.

2. Yet you are aliens and exiles in this world

a) While a remnant of Christian America remains, we live a pagan culture.    
b) The fear of death drives their lives and actions       
c) What little they know about Jesus and the church is a caricature.       
d) Peter’s advice is sound: live an honorable life among them.

3. We are founded on the living cornerstone, chosen and precious

a) We are not redeemed by silver and gold, but his precious blood.       
b) We are now his own holy nation, a royal priesthood.       
c) Though we may seem alone, we are never alone.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2020-2024 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

Those words are a good indicator that was or is about to be said shouldn’t be said, heard, shared, or thought about. The 8^th Commandment is among the top ten commandments of the Lord.  It applies to all Christians and unbelievers at all times.  Yes, the 8^th commandment is just as forceful as the prohibitions against murder (5^th Commandment) or adultery (6^th Commandment).  Sadly, we Christians often grant ourselves a pass in the use of our words, thinking they can do no harm.

“I Just Thought You Should Know.”  “Someone needs to hear this.”  “So-and-so didn’t say I could share this, but…”  “People are saying…”  “I can’t say who said this, but…”  The list of creative pardons from and side steps around the 8^th never cease to grow.  We’ll explain ourselves out from under the accusation of God’s Law as quick as a hopped-up 2JZ (ask your grandkids).  These “little sins” are lower in our minds, more deserving of exception.  It’s not murder after all, right?

St. Paul gives us some great framing about the severity of individual sins in his epistle to the Galatian Christians.  “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)  He includes sexual immorality, idolatry, jealousy, envy, and drunkenness into a single list with other sins.  He’s teaching that persistence in these seemingly big or little sins will separate us from the Kingdom of God, just the same.

In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther explains the commandments in an expansive way like our Lord did.  Jesus taught the disciples concerning the 5^th and 6^th Commandments, expanding the limits to include anger and lust under murder and adultery (Matthew 5:21-30).

The first application for us is our own tongues.  We should not say or spread anything that could harm our neighbor.  A simple way to think about it might be: am I authorized by the original source/subject of the information to speak? No or maybe not?  Then, don’t speak of, hint at, or allude to the thing you know.

In the second case, our ears are the problem.  We should not listen to anything that may not be suitably spread.  Again simply, are Abigail or Thom authorized by the original source/subject of the information to speak? No or maybe not?  Then, don’t listen, step away, and speak in defense of your neighbor.

Third, We can’t let our minds gossip within us either.  What does that even mean?  Speculating on the thoughts, motivations, or unheard words of my neighbor is just like gossiping to myself.  I’m not allowed to malign my neighbor that way either, even just in my own mind.

The fourth error against the 8^th commandment falls in my desire to use a town crier in a positive way.  We might think to ourselves, “I don’t want to speak about this.  So, I’ll tell Bjørn.  He’s unable to keep his mouth shut.  And, I won’t have to say it myself.”  Encouraging Bjørn in his sin is still an evil thing for me to do.  It can’t be made righteous.

In the Fifth case, there can be no anonymous complaints among Christians.  Both Matthew 18 & the 8th Commandment forbid anonymity.  We don’t get to skip past confronting those who have maligned us, or hand it off to someone else.

“Can’t I ever rat out my neighbor in Christian way?”  No, but there is a Christian way to confront sin.  Are you directly confronting the one sinning against you?  Yes?  Then within the framing of Matthew 18, we find the right way to confront sin against us.

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17)

When the sin is against you, then you should confront your neighbor and escalate in this way.  The point here is not to expose our neighbor.  The point is to turn then from their sin.  As soon as they repent, forgiveness must follow.  The discussion is also over.  We don’t get to confess out neighbor’s sins. There is no room for, “Quentin apologized, but you need to know what he did to me…” Curbing our wicked tongues is prob’ly among the most difficult of Christian disciplines.  It is one we need to undertake to better serve and love our neighbor.

Things We Say

The first application for us is our own tongues.  We should not say or spread anything that could harm our neighbor.  The commandment isn’t limited to speaking truth.  Also, we are to put the best construction on everything, to protect and defend our neighbor’s good name.

Am I authorized by the original source/subject of the information to speak?  To that let’s add: will sharing this information help my neighbor and improve their reputation?  Usually, the answer is no.  We are often aware of this.

“I’d like to tell you something.  …  Please don’t share this with anyone right now.  …  I appreciate your prayers.”  That sort of framing around some personal information shared in common conversation reveals the sinful weakness within the house of Christianity.  If we were any good at the eighth commandment, it would never need to be said this way.  Furthermore, if we defaulted to silence rather than over-sharing, there would be no need.

Instead, we frame our sharing and request for brotherly Christian prayer with a restriction.  “Don’t share this,” still, it gets out.  Did you hear that concealment just now?  Like a headline identifying an SUV as the cause of an accident or a handgun as the cause of a shooting, the culprit is excused.  The SUV didn’t plow into a crowd.  It was driven by a human acting maliciously or negligently.  The gun didn’t go off on its own.  A person acting negligently or maliciously pulled the trigger, firing the weapon.  The same is true of the leak of a piece of private confidence.

“It gets out” means someone acting alone or with co-conspirators violated confidence.  Worse, we violated God’s 8^th commandment.  It got out because I said it.  It got out because you said it.  It got out because trust and God’s Law weren’t on our hearts and lips. There is nothing that needs to be shared or said without clear permission to do so.  The only information emergencies involve crimes and the police.  Anything else is just evil gossip.

Things We Hear

In the second case, our ears are the problem.  We should never hear anything that could harm our neighbor’s reputation.  The commandment isn’t limited to hearing only the truth.  We are also bound not to hear anything lacking the best construction, or leave uncharitable speaking uncontested.  This requires of us a conscious response to the gossiper or concerning the gossip.  A passive response isn’t adequate.

Consider these questions: Are Ainsley or Thom authorized by the original source/subject of the information to speak?  Were Thom or Ainsley given a letter, but not permission to share it?  Most often the case is, no.  Then, don’t listen, step away, and speak in defense of your neighbor.

We aren’t granted to just wait it out.  I may resolutely change the subject, and stop it from coming back up.  You may condemn the gossip or contradict the poor inference.  You should say, “this is gossip.”  Or, “they could easily be driven by [a positive motive].”  We could also physically leave the conversation.  “Sorry, I can’t listen to this gossip.”

These are not options for us in fleeing from sin: Hear Ainsley out, because someone needs to know what she’s saying.  Listen to what Thom says, so it can be reported back to the victim.  Listen to them, but try not to pay attention.  Avoid conflict by not reacting poorly to my neighbor’s obvious sin.

Why is it that we grant the sinful gossip latitude that we would never grant to someone else in another sin?  Why do we compound their sinful tongues with our sinful ears and the encouragement they bring?  We’re afraid of being unliked.  We want to be thought of well, to the detriment of our neighbor’s good name.

We would never stand by while someone murders, harms, or expresses genuine hatred toward someone else, would we?  We would never watch our friend steal a car, would we?  We shouldn’t help a husband or wife create a lie to facilitate an adulterous tryst, should we?  In the same way, we can’t allow gossip to enter our ears.  We can’t allow it to hang in the air either.

What Will People Say?

Third, We can’t let our minds gossip within us either.  What does that even mean?  Speculating on the thoughts, motivations, or unheard words of my neighbor is just like gossiping to myself.  I’m not allowed to malign my neighbor that way either, even just in my own mind.

When we speculate about our neighbors’ inward thoughts, we give in to the worst construction.  Rather than interpreting everything in the kindest way, you choose to assume the worst reaction and respond to an unspoken, unknown deed.  When I impugn my neighbors’ thoughts, I harm his good name in my mind.  The commandment requires that we protect the name and reputation of our neighbor, even from ourselves.

This inward talking, concern over what people might say or think, is also a kind of idolatry.  Usually, this kind of crass idolatry doesn’t even have an external god.  It looks inward to the self.  The imaginary opinion of our neighbor drives us in a desire to obtain or maintain respect or adoration.  It’s a reflexive worship of self.

The fourth error against the 8^th commandment falls in my desire to use a town crier in a positive way.  We might think to ourselves, “I don’t want to speak about this.  So, I’ll tell Bjørn.  He’s unable to keep his mouth shut.  And, I won’t have to say it myself.”  Encouraging Bjørn in his sin is still an evil thing for me to do.  It can’t be made righteous.

We speak at great length about how we cannot bless our neighbor’s sin into righteousness.  Liberal sects calling themselves Christian publicly reject the Bible’s clear teachings on divorce, adultery, homosexuality, God’s gift of gender/sex, and the like.  These attempts to bless sin reject God’s Word.  The same thing applies to my neighbor’s 8th commandment sin.  I can’t use his weakness to this sin against him, separating him from the Lord.  This is hatred of my neighbor.

In the Fifth case, there can be no anonymous complaints among Christians.  Both Matthew 18 & the 8^th Commandment forbid anonymity.  The sinner cannot be confronted by anyone, but the one who was maligned; just the two of you.  Then, bring one or two others with you to confront your neighbor.

We don’t get to skip step one by dropping an anonymous letter in the office.  We don’t get to skip step one and gossip to someone else, who will offer our anonymous complaint.  Anonymity ignores Matthew 18 entirely.  These sorts of discussions ought to die in the air.  The letters are only fit for the rubbish heap or the fire.

How are we to speak?  Can we say nothing?  Let’s hear Luther’s Small Catechism again.  “We should fear and love God so that we … defend [our neighbor], speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.”  Your neighbor’s good name is yours to defend.  And, your good name is theirs.

Our Lord died to purchase forgiveness for our evil, gossiping tongues.  Rise each day in that forgiveness and sin no more. Jesus was crucified for our evil ears, and the things they hear.  Remember your baptism, you’re not a slave to your former sins.

Let our tongues only be used to praise God and uplift our neighbor.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2024 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

Bumper sticker theology always falls flat.  There was a commercial on the Superb Owl* this past weekend.  The HeGetsUs campaign ran an ad consisting of 12 four second images and two closing title cards.  The cards read “Jesus didn’t preach hate” & “He washed feet.”  With such little information contained in the ad, there is so much to unpack. 

(*copyright safe term for the big game)

The promoting organization is a conservative Baptist Christian group to the best of my knowledge.  The problems I see may or may not be deliberate.  But that’s the dilemma with bumper sticker theology.  What’s not said can be as important or more important than what is said.

Step one, let me offer a few quick impressions of the four second images.  These flash by so quickly that we’re invited to make snap judgements.  Some of them are nonsensical and contain no discernable conflict.  I’ll ignore those.  These images have an AI, hyper realistic look to them, which creates the possibility that the ghost in the machine may have added unknown or unintended details.  Still, you can’t unring a bell or unsee a picture.

The second image is two men in an alley at night.  The black man standing is sweaty and sort of disheveled.  The Hispanic cop is washing the other man’s feet on a dairy crate.  The flashing lights indicate a foot pursuit.  The cop’s expression is submissive, though sour in some way.  The standing man has a dominant position and expression.

The sixth image shows two women of similar age, seated abruptly on a kitchen floor.  Alcohol bottles, empty and unfinished alike, surround the unkempt one.  This image shows more discernable emotion than others.  The unkempt lady seems to be in distress.  The other woman seems to be giving comfort.

The eighth image has two women in front of a bus.  This one is politically charged.  The older, white woman has a look of reticent compliance, attentive to her washing task.  The Hispanic woman, standing on one foot, holding a baby looks indignant and entitled.  She seems to think she deserves the service.

The tenth image is emotionally charged.  The backing cast is full of intensity and screaming.  The Hispanic woman getting her feet washed is the only calm figure.  The black woman doing the washing wears an expression of pure condescension.  It’s unclear what is going on here.  But the conflict is still raging.

Step two, I want to look more closely at the two images that grab the most attention with their austerity.  The pregnancy clinic and the beach side bench are central to the ad.  The lack of additional detail in these two images draws our attention more closely.  They more quickly throw out a claim.

The fifth image shows two women in front of a pregnancy clinic that’s totally not Planned Parenthood (wink).  This image is significant to the ad.  It has much less going on.  There are protesters and a seedy motel in the background.  The younger women appears to be pregnant, with a steeled, serious expression.  The older woman is focused on her washing task.

This image is the opposite of repentance.  The image shows an excuse, “I didn’t really want to cause a pregnancy in that seedy motel.”  It shows an unfair opposition.  The protesters are just mean people, who don’t care/love enough.  The morally superior woman washing the pregnant gal’s feet doesn’t seem to be doing a moral good.  The clinic is a murder mill.  The pregnant woman shows no indication of a change of intention.

The twelfth image is an austere beachside setting.  Here a deliberately homosexual looking man gets his feet washed by an obvious clergyman.  The setting invites us to see nothing but the action.  A priest is symbolically baptizing sin into righteousness.  This one is the most egregious of the pile.

This foot washing is an image of the failure of the progressive church.  The Law condemns sin and the Gospel forgives repentant sinners.  Mingling them together into an acceptance of sin as it is, destroys both the Law and the Gospel, leaving us with nothing.

Third, the title cards say, “Jesus didn’t preach hate” & “He washed feet.”  This a non sequitur, the two statements don’t follow one from the other.  No, Jesus didn’t preach hate.  That’s not permission to love, permit, declare righteous, or embrace old sins.  In addition to whipping money changers in the temple in His anger, don’t forget Jesus preaching this.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.  Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)

Faith and unbelief will clash.  God wants all to come to faith.  But, some will not have Him.  That recalcitrant, hateful unbelief earns God’s condemnation.  Preaching against sin is what love actually sounds like.  “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” (Malachi 1:2-3). The unbelief of Edom separated them from God.

It’s only in Jesus that we find forgiveness and redemption.  He comes with forgiveness and says “go forth and sin no more.”  The work of the church can only ever identify sin, condemn it, and point to Jesus for faith and forgiveness.

Something else isn’t Christianity.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2024 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

A Sermon on 1 Samuel 17

Wednesday in the Second Week in Advent

December 13, 2023

          Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

          The theme is this: The King slays our enemies and saves us.

          There is one basic truth that is has applied in all civilizations: The King fights for us. The Pharoahs of Egypt led the armies out on chariots to take back the Israelites. Joshua led the people around Jericho until the walls came tumbling down. The Judges of old led the armies to victories over the Midianites, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and all the other OT  -ites in the Scriptures.

          The King fights for us. Sennacherib led Assyria to take away the Northern Tribes and Nebuchadnezzar led Babylon to exile the Southern Tribes of Israel. Alexander the Great led his troops on conquests on multiple continents. Romans Caesars led armies clear into Britain to expand the empire.

          The King fights for us. This has been true even in our country because of the first President George Washington, who was a military commander first who became President later on. Even today we consider our political leader to be the Commander-in-Chief. If the King (or in our case President) does not control the army, then he does not control very much. The Executive Branch isn’t the Executive Branch, or is a government with no teeth.

          What is most surprising to us this evening is that the King does not fight for us. No, King Saul is afraid. The whole army is afraid. When the leader is afraid, then the followers become afraid. When the shepherd is afraid, then the sheep become afraid. When the world around us is afraid, then we too become afraid and worry. When the church becomes afraid, then we lose our hope and our faith and our trust in God the King.

          David knew about that very well. His sheep trusted him because he protected them from the lion and the bear. Like Joshua led God’s people walking around Jericho, David led his sheep out in the wilderness walking around in danger all the way. The shepherd fights for the sheep; the shepherd dies for his sheep.

          And so David fights for Israel. David is anointed, but he isn’t the king yet. No, but David knows what the real problem is. David understands this basic truth: God fights for him! Physical strength and height have defied the armies of the living God, but the living God will not be defeated. That is what David knows. That is what we know too.

          The King fights for us. God Himself fights for us. Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings all show us this promise and comfort. And so no, I am not going to preach the tired sermon “go slay your Goliaths” or “God will give you strength.” That works-righteousness message is not the point of the reading and it is not the point of the Bible. The point is that God fights for you.

          And this is most obvious to us in Matthew 4, the temptation of Jesus. The Holy Spirit leads Jesus out into the wilderness. And the devil tempts and taunts Jesus out there in the wilderness. And there Jesus fasts for forty days just like the forty days that Goliath taunted the Israelites in our reading this evening. This Old Testament battle is just like the New Testament battle. And the God is the same God in both. And God wins both battles too!

          For the King Jesus fights for us. He slays our enemy the devil and saves us from him forever. How? The same way that we ought to resist temptation: through the Word of God. When the devil assails us, use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to combat the evil one. And you will not win on your own power or faith, but Jesus fights for you!

          Jesus fought for us when He healed the demon-possessed men. This ought to be comforting for us too. God fights for us, and He alone has the power of both devil and demons. He has won the victory and slayed our enemies. We are saved from the powers of evil and the destruction of souls in hell.

          Jesus fights for you. He slayed your enemies and saved you. He forgave your sins, paying for them like a shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. He forgave your sins, like a king cancelling a debt, like a king promising you an inheritance of grace and mercy and love and peace.

          This He applied to you like He did to the paralytic man. Our God is not a God who piles up sins and expects us to pay for it. No, our God is the only God who forgives sins and sets His people free. God fights for us! The Lord Jesus slays our enemies and saves us!

          Jesus fights for you! He defeated death when He rose from the grave on Easter Sunday. Surely we can see how David realized that he would have to die to defeat Goliath if he did all by himself, but he knew that God fights for Him. God had mercy on David and saved him from death. And we definitely believe that Jesus knew He would have to die to defeat death, that curse of Adam, so that we can live forever. And so the shepherd laid down His life for the sheep and died to show that He alone has the power and the victory over the grave.

          So I say to you this basic truth: The King Jesus has slain your enemies and saved you forever. Jesus has won a greater victory than David at Socoh, than David defeating Goliath. Jesus has won a greater victory than the temptation in the wilderness. Jesus has won for us because Jesus has fought for us. Our enemies sin, death, and the devil have no power over us. We the sheep do not need to be afraid.

          For the King of Kings has gone out and fought the battles and won. The King of Kings has led the army out like all the kings of old and now we live in His glory. The King of Kings, Jesus Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth, has slain our enemies and saved us forever as His holy people.

          In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

Rev. James Peterson
St. John Lutheran Church
Curtis, Nebraska

©2024 James Peterson. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com