What Does This Mean?

I’m compiling an ever-increasing list of errors, failures, and generally bad advice that rose to prominence in the 20^th century. While the list is mostly church-related, there are familial and societal issues mingled in. This topic is more familial with theological undertones. Following are five good standards for young people to find a mate (or having one found for them).

First: Faith & Practice

Coming into the 20^th century, the prevailing wisdom for young people was to find a husband or a wife within their church tradition, even within their language group (Wendish, German, Polish, Czech, French, etc.). At the turn of the 21st century, that wisdom faded into a hollow hope. Certainly, you’ve heard some statements like these: “At least they’re a Christian.” “I think they believe.” “They might convert when kids come along.”

An unbeliever or a noncommittal Christian is unlikely to have a proper moral compass either. Husbands and wives are bound closer or separated further from each other by their adherence to God’s law. Dishonesty and unfaithfulness are two major disasters that may be averted by similar faith, practice, and commitment to the faith.

Should we be surprised at the rate of marital failure? Is the lack of families growing up in church any surprise? No, in both cases, this is entirely predictable. Confusion or uncertainty about the church in a marriage will lead to confusion, uncertainty, or, more likely, complete apostasy (abandoning the faith) among any children.

The older course is the better course. A generic believer or Christian isn’t good enough for your kids. They need a suitable mate with a high likelihood of marital success. Young people should look for a mate in the churches of their tradition and of close practice to their own. It’s no secret that a huge church in Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio and a small church in Fayette County are unlikely to gather for worship in similar ways. Encourage the young to look in familiar-sounding and looking churches. There are endless battles in marriage.  Every sword we can take out of the hands of a world that hates faithful marriage is worth doing.

Second: Money

The number one cause of divorce in the United States remains money fights and money problems. The value of agreeing on how to manage our money before we earn it can’t be undersold. Along with Dave Ramsey, I suggest that giving, eliminating debt, and saving are the most peaceful ways for couples to manage their finances. Regardless of how, we have to agree on how to manage our money.  Well-managed finances in a marriage are actually a tactic in fighting off divorce.  It’s another weapon taken out of the world’s hand.

This one has a unique ability to be rectified on the fly.  Couples can change the whole trajectory of the marriage or the failure by straightening out finances. Working together towards a common goal helps rebuild trust and intimacy. Fighting off the wolves at the door will steel us in our resolve toward each other.

Third: Kids

How many children will we have? How soon will we try? As an extension of the first point, what church will they attend? How will we be doing schooling? How will we guide them in dating? Disagreements here can easily shipwreck a marriage.

I encourage young people to marry young and have children early. My own life is a predictable, negative example.  Waiting to marry and have children can place you outside the biological window. The desire to have children doesn’t automatically agree with God’s blessings in opening and closing the womb.

Modern medicine may be a tool to fight back, but not necessarily always advisedly.  There are moral concerns with the unnecessary products of fertility. In some cases, those “products” are fertilized human embryos, you know, living babies, unneeded and presumably frozen in a suspended, unliving state forever.

It’s far simpler to marry well, marry young, and have babies soon.

Fourth: Attraction

He ought to find her pretty. She ought to find him handsome. We often downplay these criteria among Christians. “We should look for what’s inside.” Attraction is far more complex than it looks.  However, physical attraction is an inseparable element. It makes a suitable shorthand for the whole of attraction.

Fifth: Submission & Headship

This was largely taboo for discussion among Christians in the mid to late 1900s. Fortunately, Christian gender roles are seeing a resurgence recently. For gals, y’all need to be hunting for a man who’s willing to lead. Leadership is not simply authority; it comes with responsibility. A man doesn’t get to shift blame. His leadership comes with being the sole culprit in our failures.

For the fellas, y’all need to be looking for a woman who can follow and support you. Power struggles within a marriage are a recipe for disaster. This disaster comes to us from the fall into sin. The native sin of the man is to shirk authority. The native sin of the woman is to seize it.

“To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be over your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.’” (Genesis 3:16-19 KNJV)

Bonus: Parental Approval

Yes, your parents do need to approve. It may seem fun or edgy to rebel against their wisdom. It’s not to your benefit. They are God’s gift to you. Some of the stupidity they’re trying to preserve is their own. Your parents want a better life for you than their own.

Older wisdom is often better.

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

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

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

©2025 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.

[Sixteenth in a series of posts on last things] 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 standardised 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, baptised in the name of the Triune God, trusted in Christ, whose tears are gone and whose sorrows have been turned into joy. We pray 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 vale 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, baptised in the name of the Triune God…” The pagan world has convinced us 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 the moment of 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 its emptiness. 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.

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

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

Rev. 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.

[Sixteenth in a series of posts on Last Things] 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 root of “euphemism” means nearly the same: good speaking. 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 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 confidently about their state after death. Without 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 in 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.

Those who rest in Christ have not passed away.

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

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

Rev. 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@msn.com.

[Fourteenth in a series of posts on last things] 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 1st and 2nd. 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, 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 Aztec religious beliefs about 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 worldwide 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 periodically place little mementos on the table or mantel. 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 a 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 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 although death separates us in this life, we are still united 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 is in that moment, singing “Holy, Holy, Holy,” with all the hosts of heaven, that 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 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’ death for us. That’s what brings us closer to our dearly departed loved ones.

Let us confess Jesus Christ, even in death.

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

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

Rev. 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@msn.com.

[Fourteenth in a series of posts on Last Things] 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. However, it’s incorrect and needs to be addressed.

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 the 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 snowfall 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.

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

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

Rev. 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@msn.com

[Twelfth in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: One of the most popular of the signs Jesus predicted would happen before the Second Advent is the success of the missionary mandate. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world ,” Jesus predicted. (Matthew 24:14) This sign appears to be, unlike the other signs, a unique condition, one that was not fulfilled during the ministry of Jesus. Millennialist prophecy scholars observe it wasn’t until the 19th century that many areas of the world were visited by missionaries. While this is true, it is based on an English translation of the prophecy. The passage is better translated: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole civilized world. (οἰκουμένῃ–oikoumene–Ecumene)”

The Greek language of the New Testament uses several words that are translated world in our English Bibles. οἰκουμένῃ was used by the Greeks and Romans for the lands of the Roman Empire. They thought of humanity as made up of two classes of people, the civilized Graeco-Roman nations and the barbarians. κόσμος (kosmos–cosmos) was the word used by Greek philosophers to speak about the universe. Greek-speaking Judaism used it to translate the Old Testament phrase “Heavens and the Earth” — all of creation and especially all peoples. This is the word used in John 3:16. The word γῆς (ges–the root for our word geography) was used for the physical world, translated earth or the land.

This prophecy, then, is similar to the others we’ve examined. It refers to the gospel being preached to all peoples. It was fulfilled already when St. Paul reached Spain, known in his day as “The End of the World.” It continues to be fulfilled wherever Christians preach the good news of salvation, wherever they live. As they fulfill Christ’s sending, baptizing and teaching, the Holy Spirit uses their witness to create faith, call the lost to faith, and build Christ’s church. When he completes this task and our mission in accomplished, Jesus will return to bring his bride home.

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

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

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

©2019 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@msn.com

Lent Midweek V
Malachi 3:1-7b
April 9, 2025

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

          What better way to close out this sermon series on the Minor Prophets than with the prophet Malachi? The timing is impeccable. Every one of these prophets spoke about the coming Messiah, and this sermon leads us straight into Holy Week, where we hear about the suffering, death, and resurrection of that Messiah.

          And while I know that Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament and that Matthew’s Gospel follows immediately afterward in our Bibles, you need to know that there was about four hundred years of history in between Malachi and Matthew. That’s a longer period than the history of America, and many things that happened during that time directly relate to the context in which Jesus was born and lived and died and rose again.

On that note, it is worthy of your time to seek out the history of the “Time between the Testaments,” which we call the Apocrypha. You may have seen these books if you have perused a Roman Catholic Bible once. Or maybe you have heard about those books on a TV program. And I bet you did not know that Luther’s German Bible included all of those Apocrypha books in it until very recently. What you need to know is this: The Apocrypha is good history, but the books are not biblical books and they are not written for faith and salvation.

But I digress. This is not a sermon on the Apocrypha. I just want you to know that there was a four hundred year gap between Malachi and Matthew. That realization makes Malachi’s message even more profound for us. These were the last words heard by God’s prophets and His beloved people: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. You and I both know that this refers to John the Baptizer, the cousin of Jesus. This word from Malachi sounds like Advent to us. That John the Baptizer will prepare the way of the Lord and make straight the highway of our God. But it also sounds like a Lenten theme, especially on a week like this. For Malachi’s words come true in the clearest way as Jesus enters into Jerusalem on a donkey.

At that point, the way had been prepared and God came to town. Malachi lays it out for us in so clear a way when he says, And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The Lord Jesus Christ came to Jerusalem. The High Priest Jesus came into the temple, His Father’s House. There are at least three stories related to this prophecy. First during Jesus’ childhood, He stayed behind when He was a boy and Joseph and Mary had to come back to find Him. Second during His ministry, Jesus overturned the tables of the moneychangers and declared the temple a House of Prayer rather than a den of robbers. And then finally, during this Holy Week, the Lord came to Jerusalem to “celebrate the Passover” as the Passover Lamb who took away all the sins of the world. Christ certainly came to His temple.

Christ certainly came to His temple and what a message this was for Malachi’s people who had not seen the glory of the Lord in the temple for over a hundred years and who would not see the presence of the Lord for another 400 years. The thought of God returning was yes joyful, but also a quite fearful thing for the people, especially as the years went on and on and God did not return. Malachi himself asked the congregation, But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? This too we see in the Scriptures. Who could endure the day of Christ’s coming? Did Peter, who denied Him three times? Did Judas, who betrayed Him into the hands of the chief priests? Did the chief priests and Pharisees, those who should have welcomed our Lord to the temple, did they endure the day of Christ’s coming? What about the other disciples? They all scattered and only John was left there at the cross. Who can endure? Who can believe? Who can stand?

It turns out that following Jesus at the time of Malachi and at the time of Holy Week and even during our own lives now is incredibly difficult. Consider one simple example, who could commit on one week of the year to go to church so much, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Eve, and Easter Sunday? I completely admit, that it’s a lot of time and effort just to commemorate the days of Holy Week, but imagine if you lived in those days? Imagine if the events transpired in your lifetime, and you were eyewitnesses to the day of the Lord who came to die on the cross!

Malachi expresses this endurance and faith as a process of purification. He says to us today, For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Consider then these Holy Days of Holy Week not as a burden, but rather as the work of God upon your soul, to refine you like silver, to purify your minds toward God, and to strengthen your faith in Him. Consider then this Holy Week not as your work or obligation, but rather as the opportunity that God works on you, saying to you, Take eat and Drink of it all of you for the forgiveness of your sins. That God works on you and says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” That the Lord works on you and says, “On the seventh Day God rested from all His work in the tomb.” That God works on you and says, “He is not here. He is risen just as He said.”

Malachi speaks four hundred years before the life of Christ, but his message is fulfilled even among us. And this final thing I leave with you. That Jesus is enough. That Jesus’ work during this Holy Week justifies and sanctifies you. That Christ’s death on the cross atones for you. That God the Father’s offering of His only-begotten Son for the sins of the world is enough. Malachi himself declares, Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. That offering, Jesus Christ the Lord, is sufficient for your salvation. This messenger was sent, and this message was preached and even you believe it, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, and that He rose again so that you too shall live forever.

In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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

©2025 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@msn.com

[Eleventh in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: Jesus repeatedly warned his disciples that they would be hated for his sake. Already in the Beatitudes, Jesus tells them they will be blessed when they are persecuted and slandered for his sake, for they have the kingdom of heaven and are like the prophets who came before them. (Matthew 5:10-12) He tells them that being a disciple means taking up their cross and following him. (Matthew 16:24-26) The enemies of Jesus and his gospel would arrest you and throw you in prison, bring you before kings and governors. Even parents, family members, and friends will betray you to the authorities. Some will even be put to death. You need not worry, however, because the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak. Yet you will not perish. (Luke 21:12-19)

So, as a sign of the end, this prediction is nothing new for them or for us. That it is associated with the end of days should not be a surprise. It is not, as some millennialist writers believe, a specific prophecy of the persecution of the Jewish church after the rapture. Like the previous sign, they describe the times that are infected by sin and its effects.

This prophecy was fulfilled in the days following the Ascension of Jesus and continuing to the present. All but one of the apostles died a martyr’s death. Throughout the early Church, persecution occurred from time to time. The witness of these early witnesses to Jesus was so impressive that pagans — including persecutors came to faith. As Tertullian put it, “The blood of the martyrs is seed for the church.”

Throughout the ages, the church has continued to be persecuted until today, and more Christians are persecuted and martyred than in all of history. Like their Lord, they laid down their lives for Jesus. When Jesus returns in glory, they will come with him to greet those of us who are alive on that day. With them numbered may we be, here and in eternity.

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

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

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

©2019 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@msn.com

[Tenth in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: When Jesus’ disciples asked him for signs of the end of the age, the first sign he gave them came with a warning not to be deceived. (Luke 21:8) The Lord warns us that two things will happen. First, there will be people who claim to be christ. Second, others will tell you the end is near, but it is not. ( Luke 21:8, Matthew 24:5 , 11, 23-28) But Christ will not return secretly, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach, or by birth, as Sun Myung Moon claimed when he declared himself the second coming of Christ, or as a prophet who came after Christ, like Muhammad and Joseph Smith, or many others. Christ will return from the sky with all his angels and the saints who have gone before us to Heaven. Every eye will see him. In addition to these, in almost every generation, some false prophet or another would appear and announce they knew what even the Son of God did not know — the date of the Second Advent.

Like all of the Biblical signs of the end, these signs were fulfilled during the lifetime of the Apostles and every generation since. These describe our times, not specific events to be checked off. False Christs show how desperately the devil wants to take God’s children away from Him. It tells us, as do the other signs, that the age is coming to an end and that Christ can really return at a time we do not know.

Instead of false Christs, their fake miracles and promises, we seek Christ where He truly is. He is with us until the end of time already — in his word purely proclaimed, in baptism, and especially in the Lord’s Supper. There he comes to us to give us his body to eat with bread and his blood to drink with wine. There, he offers what he earned for us on the cross — the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. We look forward to the day when he returns from Heaven to bring an end to sin, death, and the power of the devil. On that day, he will wipe every tear from our eyes and bring us to his new Heaven and new Earth forever.

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

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

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

©2019 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