What Does This Mean?

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: When people speak of the Second Advent of Christ, the focus almost always is on his descent from Heaven, with all the angels and all the saints who had died. That is a natural thing to do, because it is very dramatic. The skies parting, the army of heaven with countless members descending with the Son of God in his full glory. The tombs are rended, the dead raised as the author of life calls them forth in the glorious resurrection of the last day. Then the drama of the destruction of sin, death and the power of the devil and the summons all must obey to the Judgment Seat of Christ. Then the book of life is opened, all secrets are revealed and those with faith in Jesus pronounced “not guilty” before the throne of God, for the Son of God, the Lamb who took away the sin of the world, was slain for their sake. Then the unbelieving will be sent with Satan and his angels to the unending lake of fire prepared for them.

But the best is yet to come and gets little attention. Perhaps it is because we merge it in our minds with the state of the dead who, in this age, die in the Lord. They are with him forever. And yet their state is not yet perfect. Their bodies are yet to be called by Jesus from their graves, so they may be fully restored and improved for eternity.

Perhaps it is because we really can’t understand it. So, the Scripture describes it for us and paints several images for us. Eternal life is — well — eternal! We will die only once and once resurrected, live forever with the Lord. It will be without sin. Having been defeated on the cross. We are cleansed of it forever. There will be no more sorrow or sighing or grief or pain, for these things will pass away. God will dry every tear from our eyes. Our bodies will be glorified, purged of sin and its curse. We will shine like the stars in the joy of our Heavenly Father. We do not know what we will be like except that we will be like Christ.

Best of all, we will be with Jesus and see him face to face. Then, with joy, we will sing his praises forever.

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

©2019-2023 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

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.