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Yes, we certainly can.  This incenses the enemies of the church, who find their god in the authority of the state instead.  Sadly, every election season, this comes up.  There are precious few limitations on how or when pastors may exercise our liberties both within and outside the pastoral office.  (“Office” here means vocation, job, or duty, rather than the place where my books live). 

Rev. Dr. Christopher Thoma, senior pastor of Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hartland, Michigan holds an annual conference called the Body of Christ in the Public Square.  He’s hosted speakers in the ten or so years he’s been holding the conference at Our Savior including: Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, Candace Owens, Riley Gaines, Ben Carson, Jack Phillips, and Rev. Dr. Jamison Hardy (fmr. President of the English District – LCMS, and current president of the LCMS Concordia University System).  That’s not exactly a balanced list of speakers.

Rev. Thoma recently posted this in public (published with permission):

“Considering a particular jab following worship today — one suggesting my political preferences “might be too visible to the public” — I’m just going to put this image right here.  [the image: Rev. Thoma with a political yard sign] Let there be no “might be” regarding my predilections.  [He doesn’t conceal his political opinions].  In addition to the image, I’ll share a summary of the Johnson Amendment (since it was mentioned in passing) that I wrote a few years ago.  I share it not necessarily to claim my rights above the need for expressing Christian love in such conversations (which I certainly attempt to do), but rather so that others are not confused with regard to a clergyman-citizen’s actual freedoms.  Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod leadership, pastors, and parishioners would do well to take note.”

Rev. Thoma’s post from a few years ago (ibid):

“Of course as a Lutheran pastor, I’m probably not going to say from the pulpit, “Vote for so-and-so!” At its heart, that’s not the task of preaching.  Although I’ll admit that in this day and age, it’s becoming more and more likely that such a phrase might actually be necessary homiletically.

Babies are being murdered.  The freedom to preach and proclaim the Gospel is being smothered.  The twisting of Natural Law in ways that disintegrate the family while adulterating God’s design in holy marriage are actual planks in political party platforms.  Too many Christians sitting in the pews are choosing to elect leaders who support these diabolical things, even as the Word of God speaks against them.

[We can certainly now add to this list: Critical Race Theory, distorting God’s forgiveness; and trans ideology, distorting God’s gift of gender.]

With this, it should be no surprise if a pastor does what he can from the pulpit to aim his flock toward candidates who are most aligned with the will of God and not the will of devilry.  But either way, whether saying “Vote for so-and-so” seems appropriate or not, if a pastor wanted to say it from the pulpit, according to the law he could.  He is free to preach and teach as he chooses, even if particular parties or candidates are promoted.  Admittedly, as the efforts of a pastor and church (a non-profit religious organization) might meet with the Johnson Amendment’s particulars, there are certain things they cannot do.  For the sake of clarity, here’s the best summary I can offer of the law in this regard.

Firstly, the Amendment states that a non-profit religious organization may not endorse or oppose a particular candidate in a way that results in the imposition of punitive action against members of the organization who endorse or oppose a different candidate, contribute to or use a church’s resources for the benefit of one candidate over another.  This typically happens when one particular candidate or party is granted open access to a church’s membership roster.  [(RR 2007-41, p.  11, Situation 18)]

Secondly, a non-profit religious organization may perform such activities as register their members as voters, distribute non-partisan voting guides, invite candidates to speak, directly address issues and legislation (abortion, marriage, and the like), even employing the church’s resources to move for or against these issues.  Preaching is not excluded.  [(RR 2007-41, p.  3-4, Situations 1-2)]

Thirdly, as an individual, the pastor or religious leader of a non-profit religious organization may do whatever he or she feels led to do within his or her station —which includes but is not limited to publicly endorsing a candidate, supporting (or encouraging support toward) a party or campaign, and the like, as long as the efforts are not done using the church’s material resources.  There are no limitations on the pastors as individuals serving in their offices.  The few limitations above that do exist are only for the religious entity as a whole and only if the religious entity is a non-profit organization.” [(RR 2007-41, p.  10-11)]

Rev. Thoma didn’t and the IRS barely addresses the parsonage.  So, I’ll add for your benefit:

Fourthly, the pastor’s home, a parsonage, is in his possession and not a material asset of the church, as explained by the Treasurer’s office of the Texas District – LCMS.  The parsonage is a taxable portion of the pastor’s pay.  The benefit is limited in scope.  Pastor only has exclusive use of it, while he is serving.  But, during the term of the benefit, the church does not have possession of it.  The church may not place signage at the parsonage, nor use it uninvited.

“Charities, including churches, placing signs on their property that show they support a particular candidate.” (IR-2006-36)  Without access to do so, neither the church nor her agents acting in their office, have placed nor can place anything on the parsonage yard.  The pastor is a resident, when he is at home, and not acting from his office.

Despite their volumes of guidance, the IRS rarely, if ever enforces their rules concerning the unclear letter of the law in the Johnson Amendment.  It is impossible to prove a negative.  As such, in the absence of a clear directive defining the situation of a parsonage, none of the other criteria apply.

Concerning the Johnson Amendment on it’s own merits, the law is probably on thin ice.  It was introduced in retribution against two Texas non-profits that supported LBJ’s primary opponent.  The Johnson Amendment stands contrary to the free exercise clause of the first amendment (American Center for Law and Justice).  “Congress shall make no law”… except the Johnson Amendment.

Dear Christians, exercise your 4^th Commandment duty — register & vote!

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

Encore Post: Jesus had quite a bit to say about his return. The signs that we are in the last days are clear. He will return suddenly, so be ready! The angels will descend, the dead will come to life again, we will all gather before his judgment throne. The lost will then be thrown with the devil and his angels into hell and we will go with him to live forever. But where is talk about the Tribulation and the Millennium? Jesus never speaks about a seven-year period of special punishment of the world for their sins or an earthly reign at the end of time, much less a thousand year one. So where does the talk of a millennium on Christian radio, in endless end time and prophecy books come from?

The concepts of the Rapture, the Great Tribulation and a one thousand-year reign of Christ prior to the final judgment are less than 200 years old. John Nelson Darby first taught the idea that faithful Christians would be “raptured” — removed from the world at the end of the current age just as God poured out his wrath in a seven year “Great Tribulation” when the Anti-Christ would rule and severely persecute people who became Christians — mostly Jewish people. At the end of this period, Christ was to return to rule the world for 1000 years. After that he was to judge the world, condemning the lost, the devil and his angels to hell, while the saints will live with God forever.

These views, popularized by the Scofield Reference Bible and evangelical authors, became an established theology among Fundamentalist, Evangelical and independent Protestant Churches. Some pastors and evangelists speculated that current events fulfilled Biblical prophecies, treating the Bible like a giant algebra problem. Some even set a date for the rapture — and recalculated when the prediction failed. Yet the whole view of the end is not true.

All of the signs Jesus taught apply to all the time between the Ascension of Jesus and his return at the end of time. No one knows the day or the hour of his return (Mark 13:32). It will be a normal day like any other — until it is not. (Luke 17:26-35) Jesus calls on us to stay awake. We do not know when he is coming for us — at the end of days — or the end of our days. Either way, we should be about what God has called us to do, so when he comes to take us home, we are ready to greet him.

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

©2023 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

Sermon on Psalm 90
Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost
Our Hope Lutheran Church
October 13-14, 2024

Text: Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.

For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Introduction: Our God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, our shelter from the storm blast, be Thou our Guard while troubles last, and our eternal Home. Amen.

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

‌Time is a curious thing. When we are little, it seems to go on forever. As we grow older, we start to notice time passing. First hours pass quickly, gone before we know it. Then days vanish and then months. As we get old, years disappear as well. We soon can grasp how a thousand ages in God’s sight are like an evening gone.

‌Yet sometimes time means nothing at all to us. We are filled with all the things that we can do and the plans that we can set for the future. Our minds and attention are filled with the things we must do, with the worries and challenges set before us. We can become quite busy with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In the moments when we achieve our goals, we can be so filled with joy that we wish it would never end.

In ancient Rome, the city would celebrate its conquering generals with a triumph, a parade, in which the public could cheer them on. It is a lot like the big victory parades we celebrate today. Legend tells us that, during the triumph, a slave would whisper into the general’s ear, “memento mori” — “remember you will die.” It seems kind of morbid, doesn’t it? But, when we think about it, it’s not. It’s easy to forget God when we enjoy the blessings he gives us. It is why Moses urges us to pray: “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

There are many reasons why it is wise to remember that we are mortal. One is that we can easily become accustomed to the blessings God has given us. It is easy to take them for granted and not as gifts God has given us to enjoy and to allow us to serve him and others. While we have the time, we need to thank God for them, enjoy the people he has placed in our lives, share the gospel with them. We may have time to do these things, but we do not know how long. Only God has our days numbered. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away. They fly forgotten as a dream dies at the opening day.

Another reason is that this world itself is filled with the curse that came from Adam’s sin—and ours. Death and decay are all around us. We walk in the valley of the shadow of death. Hurricanes Helene and Milton have rudely reminded us this week that in an instant our lives can change. Satan, the World and our passions work to weaken our trust in God when the routines of our life lull us into complacency. We must never forget that God’s word commands our flesh to dust, “return child of men.”

As much as we like to think we deserve the things we have, our accomplishments and our relationships, we have none of these except by the grace and mercy of God. Our sins earn us nothing but sin and death. But because before the hills in order stood or earth received her frame, God loved us. The son of God came just in time, born of the virgin Mary, to bear our sins to the cross. There it paid for them all in his suffering and death. Having broken the seal of the grave, he rose from the dead that, even though we will return to dust, we will rise to everlasting life on the day of the resurrection of all flesh.

Yes, time is a funny thing. Our days are numbered, so it is really not right to say a particular life is short or long. God’s plan for it will come to pass and it will instead be complete. And yet—in a very real sense—our life will not end. We live our lives under the shadow of his throne, where we dwell secure. When the end of our days come, God’s own angels will carry us home where we will be at rest until, at his call, our bodies will rise again from death and we will live with God, body and soul, forever. After all, we are visitors here—God is our eternal home.

Our God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, be Thou our Guard while troubles last and our eternal home.

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

©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

Encore Post: It begins and ends with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The funeral service starts with a baptismal remembrance. At the graveside, we pray and rejoice in the resurrection promised to our deceased loved ones in their baptism. The obituary should be no different.

“Jason Matthew Kaspar, a baptized child of God, died (situation may be included) on Blurnsday, Septober 32, 20xx, (location), having lived [x] years upon the earth (sometimes years, months, days, and hours are calculated).”

Use Baptismal names up front. Short forms and nicknames are suitable in the body that follows. We ought to use baptismal names at the start and in the funeral, as a reflection of the name used in God’s claiming of us. He knows the day He called you by name, forgave your sins, and placed faith in your heart. He knows the name by which you were called.

“Jason was born on [date, location], baptized in the Name of the Triune God on [date, congregation], confirmed in the Christian faith on [date, congregation], graduated from [name of high school, college, technical school, or such institution] on [date], was married to Mandy on [date, congregation] enjoying and toiling [x] years as husband and wife together. [They were blessed in their union by the birth(s) of [x] child(ren)]. He was ordained into the office of Holy Ministry on [date], serving the people of God [x] years in full-time ministry and [x] years of pulpit supply in retirement.”

A listing of significant dates shall include the most important ones: those involving the Christian life in faith. This is also a good spot for a military service record and/or other public service like law enforcement, elected office, service organizations, term as king or queen, and the like. It makes for better reading to list activities dryly here and expound on them in the following section.

“‘Pacco Kappa’ as he was called by little ones struggling to learn their intervocalic ‘s’es and terminal ‘r’s…” [Fluffy details and glowing remembrances go here. Please avoid making the deceased sound like a flawlessly angelic figure in need of no savior. Definitely avoid saying they deserve admission into the heavens by dint of their deeds or character.]

In my case, this will be a short section. The life and times bit is very important to the surviving family. It will likely be the hardest part to write. No one is likely to get all the things they want into the obituary. Space limitations and memory-blurring power of immediate grief are certain to truncate that data contained herein. Survivors, don’t beat yourselves up about a perfect remembrance. The years to come and your memories will serve far better than these paragraphs.

“He was preceded in death by [expand or abridge this section as desired], and all the host of those have died in the faith.

He is survived by [living relative and descendants are listed here, close/beloved acquaintances are also appropriate].

We, the surviving family, with certain confidence, entrust our son, brother, grandson, friend, pastor, (list exhaustively), into the arms of Jesus Christ, who called him by name on [baptismal date], and who is the Resurrection and the Life.”

The conclusion should absolutely recapitulate our only true hope and promise. There is no comfort outside of Jesus and his work for our loved ones, which has now been delivered! Double down on the thing that gives a lasting comfort: the deceased was promised salvation in their baptism. And they have it today!

Details for visitation, funeral service, interment, and memorials may follow. These announcements aren’t exactly “part” of the obituary. They’re more like obituary-istic adjacent material. Do your survivors a solid. Start working on your own obituary today. Even just a collection of dates and basic details will help them immensely.

Let us confess Jesus Christ, certain of the resurrection.

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

©2022 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.

Encore Post: The death announcement is as much a part of an obituary as it can be without being in it. The announcement quickly indicates who the deceased is and where they currently reside. The hopelessness and unmitigated grief in death for unbelievers is the opposite of what we get to confess as Christians. Here is a great standardized format of how we ought to speak of our loved ones in death commonly used by many pastors in the LCMS. I learned it from my vicarage supervisor, Rev. Robert Smith formerly of the CTSFW Library.

“It has pleased Almighty God on September 8th, 2022 to call into His presence Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms, who, baptized in the name of the Triune God, trusted in Christ, whose tears are gone and whose sorrows have been turned into joy. We pray that God will comfort those who mourn her death with the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord!”

“It Has Pleased Almighty God to call into His presence…” Our temporal death is a release from our bondage to the sin that remains in this flesh before the resurrection of all flesh on the last day. Our Lord loves us and is pleased to see us delivered from this veil of tears. Our Heavenly Father sent His Son to die for your sins. It shouldn’t surprise us to hear that our death and deliverance into His presence is His will and our blessing.

“…Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor …who, baptized in the name of the Triune God…” The pagan world has convinced us that we can only find comfort in memory. In Christ, that’s not so. In the announcement, we say why we should take comfort. Memory can help us. But the only certain comfort, the only true comfort, comes from the knowledge that God has kept His word. He has saved the Queen, Aunt Hildegard, and Uncle Fritz. He saved them through their baptism, preserved them in the Christian faith, and delivered them to Himself.

In the case of the death announcement and the obituary, it is good to use their full baptismal name. Nicknames and/or titles may follow. Your Baptismal name is the name God used, when He called you His own and put faith into your heart. This is also true of Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor.

“Who… trusted in Christ, whose tears are gone and whose sorrows have been turned into joy.” Everyone who lives a Christian life has lived from their baptism in faith. They are forgiven and renewed in that same faith by the continued blessings of the Lord in His absolution and His Eucharist for the forgiveness of sins. In that promise, Jesus has brought her from this vale of tears into heavenly joy.

“We pray that God will comfort those who mourn her death with the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead.” We’ve developed a lazy habit through social media of saying, “prayers.” It’s hollow, keeping up an appearance of faith. Christians and non-Christians alike share the sentiment, revealing the emptiness in it. Dear Christians, we pray in specificity. In death, we pray for comfort to the survivors. Their comfort comes from the Lord. It flows from the knowledge of God’s faithfulness to us.

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord!” He has delivered Elizabeth from death into eternal life. He will do it for you, too. That’s the comfort of the resurrection. This separation through death is temporary. We will see it brought to resolution in Christ with our own eyes on the last day.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds.” (Psalm 116:15-16)

Let us confess Jesus Christ, especially in death.

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

©2022 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.

Encore Post: The expression “pass away” is a ubiquitous term among English speakers. It’s a euphemism intended, in kindness, to soften the blow of death. I’m certain. No one uses “pass away” to mislead anyone. But the term conceals reality. And, it fails to confess the great news for Christians in the bitterness of death.

A euphemism is simply a good sounding word to use in place of a term that may be profane, uncomfortable, hurtful, or off-putting. The Greek rooting of “euphemism” means nearly the same: good speaking. The good speaking serves to conceal or soften uncomfortable things.

I can’t speak to the origin of “pass away” in common parlance for death. The funeral industry has certainly embraced the use of it. Again, this isn’t a malicious use of the euphemism. They are likely trying to protect people’s feelings. But, there may have been a theological driver here too.

For some folks, we may not be able to speak well confidently about their state after death. With no evidence of Christianity, there’s no hope of salvation or resurrection to eternal life. We should and do hope that something is hidden from us. But some dwell in sin and separation from God by their own doing.

Other Christian traditions place great importance on our actions regarding God. A Baptist may be disinclined to trust in infant baptism. They believe that, contrary to the scriptures, a person must make a public confession as an adult and be baptized for the first time, or again, as an outward sign of the internal decision to accept Jesus. When a Romanist or a Lutheran dies, the Baptist may not have a full-throated confidence in their rest in Christ. This finds confidence in the works and words of man, not God.

We begin the funeral service with a remembrance of baptism. That’s the key fact for Christianity. Pastor starts, “In Holy Baptism [the deceased] was clothed with the robe of Christ’s righteousness that covered all his or her sin. St. Paul says: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Romans 6:3) The congregation speaks along, “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.” (Roman 6:4)

But I digress. Let’s get back to the euphemistic “passing away” as a term for death. Do the scriptures speak about passing away? Yup, they sure do.

“Terrors are turned upon me; my honor is pursued as by the wind, and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.” (Job 30:15) This is negative. For Job, all the good things of his life, before his affliction, have passed away.

“I have seen a wicked, ruthless man spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.” (Psalm 37:35-36) This is negative. In the Psalms, wicked things, wicked people, and the brokenness of a fallen creation pass away.

“'[The Assyrian’s] rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic,’ declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 31:9) This is negative. The power of Israel’s oppressor is the thing passing away.

“Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches… Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.” (Amos 6:4a, 7) This is negative. In the minor prophets, things that pass away are wicked or sinful.

(See also – Job 6:14-16; Job 11:16; Job 34:18-20; Psalm 90:7-9; Psalm 102:3-5; Psalm 148:5-6; Isaiah 2:17-18; Jeremiah 8:14; Daniel 7:13-14; Nahum 1:12-13; Zephaniah 2:1-2)

Speaking the way the scriptures speak, we are saying that those things which pass away are wicked, evil, sinful, oppressive, or in need of destruction. We ought to speak well of those who have died, even in our simple expressions.

They who rest in Christ have not passed away.

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

©2022 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.

Encore Post: In Hispanic culture, there is sometimes a familial practice of setting up an ofrenda (offering altar) for the home visitation upon a loved one’s death. The individual ofrenda may remain up for as long as grieving persists. For example, an elderly person might leave the ofrenda of their child, preceding them in death, up for the rest of the years of their natural life.

In more traditional homes, you might see a family ofrenda, which bears the photos of generations of deceased family members. This type of ofrenda typically doesn’t come down.

In other cases, the individual ofrenda or family ofrenda may only be set up for the celebration of Día de los Muertos (day of the dead), November first and second. The day of the dead festivities come from extant pagan ancestor worship practices of the Aztecs and other central American tribes. Upon their conversion to Christianity, the ancestor worship remained to varying degrees.

Make no mistake, the ofrenda is an altar of worship to the deceased. Placing a crucifix nearby doesn’t make it anything else. The offerings in particular reveal this. There are various food and drink offerings set on the ofrenda for the dead. But the “required” items are: water, bread, and coins. These confess a specific, non-Christian eschatology (understanding of things pertaining to the end times).

In the Aztec religious confession of the afterlife, the dead must undergo a journey to the land of the dead. The journey is long, through a barren land. So, the offerings are for the journey. Many pagan cultures throughout the world share similar views.

Christianity teaches differently. For us, upon our death, our souls are immediately delivered to heaven to rest, awaiting the resurrection of all flesh on the last day. On that day, the souls of all believers will be reunited with their glorified bodies to dwell forever in the new Jerusalem with Jesus.

About now, you might say, “But, Pastor Kaspar, I’m an Anglo. We don’t do these things. What does this matter to us?”

Many of us have an Uncle Fritz with one of these. Uncle Fritz lost his wife 15 years ago. He put her ashes on the mantle at home, or on a sofa table in the hallway. Her picture is there too. He and the kids place little mementoes on the table or mantle periodically. This is basically also an ofrenda.

The only real difference is the occasional attempt by ofrenda users to sanctify the paganism with a crucifix or statuette of St. Mary’s sacred heart. The non-remembrance altar doesn’t even get religious recognition.

These altars to our deceased loved ones are a bad idea. They teach us to think about their death differently than the scriptures teach. It’s best to place our dead to rest, among their brothers and sisters in the faith, in a permanent spot. Let their bodies rest undisturbed until the day of resurrection.

Remember that though death separates us in this life, we are still joined together in the faith. Specifically, when we celebrate the foretaste of the feast to come in the Lord’s Supper, a spectacular reality descends to us. It that moment, singing “Holy, Holy, Holy,” with all the hosts of heaven, we commune with all the saints in heaven.

It’s not a little pagan altar to my mom that gets me close to her. It’s the Lord’s gathering the faithful around His altar, which brings us back together for a moment, a foretaste of the eternal feast awaiting us in His kingdom for the sake of Jesus’s death for us. That’s what brings us closer to our dearly departed loved ones.

Let us confess Jesus Christ, even in death.

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

©2022 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.

Encore Post: “Pennies from heaven,” “a cardinal on my fence line,” and “someone looking down on me” are a few examples of seemingly innocuous things even faithful Christians will say regarding the dead. We’ll hear folks speak of the dead as if they are still interacting with us here on earth. I don’t believe for a second that most folks realize what they’re saying or intend to promote heresy in any way. But, it’s wrong and needs addressing.

The first concern here is that our loved ones at rest in Christ are sending love notes to us from their rest in Christ in heaven. As I’ve discussed before, our deceased loved ones are finally free from the taint of sin. Dwelling only in blessedness and righteousness, they have a dim view of the world still corrupted by sin and our part in it.

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” (Revelation 6:9-11)

I thank the Lord that their awareness of us is probably hidden.

In Luke 16, we have the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. In torment in Hell, the nameless Rich Man is allowed to see Abraham and Lazarus. He speaks with Abraham. There is no interaction between him and Lazarus. The Rich Man sees nothing else of Heaven or Earth. And Abraham defines their positions thusly, “…between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” (Luke 16:26)

Now, the second concern here is an attribution of godlike powers to those who have been taken on to glory in the heavens. In this case, Aunt Hildegard is “smiling down on me.” We’ll hear of her sending a rainbow, of a cool breeze in the summer heat, a rainstorm in a drought, sunshine to break up a monsoon, a pristine snow fall on a winter’s night, or some other weather anomaly.

We’ve made blessed Aunt Hildegard into nothing more than a pagan weather goddess. By applying god-like power to her, we diminish the Lord of the heavens and the earth. And we seek to pull her out of salvation in heaven with Jesus. Instead, we’d see her moved into a pagan pantheon and a lesser god status there too.

The real error: finding peace and comfort in this life, not the promise of the resurrection. There’s no promise our loved ones will hear us now. But, we will see them again at the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom. That’s a little sad, and a whole lot OK.

Real Christian comfort comes in knowing that our loved ones have received salvation bought for them by the death of Jesus. That’s the same salvation promised to us in our own baptism. It will be delivered in full on the day of our death. The day when we too inherit the crown of salvation bought by Jesus’s blood and righteousness.

In our grief, let the Lord be the King of Salvation.

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

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Encore Post: The question that most haunts our lives is the question of life after death. What will it be like? Will our spirits wander the earth, becoming the ghosts of popular imagination? Will they acquire a new body to work off negative karma? Merge with the whole universe or become a spiritual guide for others for a while? Will they go to a dark underworld forever? Will they go to a place to purge off their remaining sins before being fit for heaven? Or will they cease to exist completely when our bodies die? The Scripture firmly tells us “no” to these things. None of these fates await us or our loved ones.

It may come as a complete surprise, but Scripture tells us very little about what happens to us when death rips our souls apart from our bodies. Most of the passages that speak about the end of things focus on the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the bodies of all people, the glorious transformation of our bodies into our eternal, spiritual bodies, the last judgement and eternal life for the saints and eternal death for the damned. The few things it does tell us are often vague, sometimes speaking of their intermediate state (the theologian’s term for the time between death and the resurrection) and other times of our glorious bodies. There is even some doubt whether these is an intermediate state at all from the perspective of the soul.

No matter which description fits a Christian at the moment of death, for a Christian, eternal life begins before death, when God adopts that person as his own son or daughter. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even if he dies, yet shall he live. And he who lives and believes in me should never die.” (John 11:25-26; see also John 3:26, 5:24) They commend their souls into the hands of God. (Acts 7:59, Luke 23:46) For those without faith, death brings with it eternal separation from God, a prison for spirits (1 Peter 3:19) until the Last Judgement, after which eternal punishment in Hell with Satan and his angels awaits.

So, what can we conclude about the life our loved ones departed in Christian faith, enjoy now, while waiting for the resurrection of their bodies? They are with Christ in paradise (Philippians 1:23, Luke 23:43) The angels carry them to be with him and others who died in the faith. (Luke 16:19-31) There, God will comfort them and dry every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16-17, 21:4) They are at rest from their labors, as Christ rested in the tomb on Holy Saturday. The deeds they did with faith in Christ will follow them. (Revelation 14:13) They are free once and for all from the Old Adam or Old Eve that plagued them in this life and their sin purged from their souls. (2 Timothy 4:18) They will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father (Matthew 13:43).

What is certain is that, as glorious as life is in the presence of Christ now, the best is yet to come. When their souls return with Christ at the second advent, he will raise their bodies from the grave, reunite them with their souls and transform them fit for eternity. Life in the world with Christ is good, at rest with Jesus better, but by far the best is yet to come. On that day, God will once again look at all he had made, and now redeemed and say, “Look! It is very good!”

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

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Encore Posts: In Holy Baptism, Jesus unites Christians with his death and resurrection. Our sins are drowned in its waters, washed away forever. His death is our death and his resurrection guarantees our resurrection. In his wounds, we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5) Yet every Christian will suffer and get sick. Except for the Christians alive when Christ returns, all people alike, rich and poor, evil and saintly, will die and their bodies decay. Jesus promised Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”” (John 11:25–26) So, why do all Christians — including Mary, Martha and Lazarus — still die?

The answer is very simple, but not very satisfying. The wages of sin is death. (Genesis 2:17, 3:17, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:10, James 1:15) God’s wrath punishes our rebellion with physical death (Psalm 90) Sin infects us through many means. We inherited original sin when we were conceived. Just as DNA is passed on to us, from parent to child, ultimately from our first father, Adam, so also is original sin passed on to us. (Romans 5:12) So, we continue to sin much daily. God’s sentence for this rebellion is that the soul that sins will die. (Ezekiel 18:4)

Our old Adam and old Eve, the sinful desire within us, called by Scripture the flesh, fills us with emotion and overcomes even our common sense. The world calls on us to fit in and thus abandon God’s will for us. Finally, the devil tempts us and tries to intimidate us into looking to our own interests. Baptism saves us but does not free us from the sinful flesh. The struggle between these forces on the one side and our new nature on the other lasts as long as we live. Only our death or the return of Christ ends this lifelong battle.

For those who suffer the death of loved ones, there is no tougher trial than the grief that follows. So, let there be no illusions: death is no friend. It is the last enemy to be defeated. (1 Corinthians 15:26) So, why does Scripture tell us: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15)

Because Jesus died and rose again from the dead, the seal of the grave is broken forever. Now, for a Christian, death is the gateway to everlasting life. (John 5:24) Suffering comes to an end for them. Sin is removed from them. Their sorrows are turned to joy forever. (Isaiah 51:11, Isaiah 26:19) He wipes every tear from their eyes. (Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:17, 21:4) No one can snatch them from his hand. (John 10:27-30) They see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12) and live in the arms of their savior. They rest from their labors (Revelation 14:13).

So, Christians still die because they still sin. For them, however, death brings the blessings of eternal life. So we who miss them greatly grieve, but not as though without hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13) The musings of Dr. Martin Luther at the death of his daughter say it well: “I am joyful in spirit but I am sad according to the flesh. The flesh doesn’t take kindly to this. The separation troubles me above measure. It’s strange to know that she is surely at peace and that she is well off there, very well off, and yet to grieve so much!” (AE 54: 432, no. 5498).

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

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©2022 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