“And I saw another angel flying in midheaven with an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people; and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, and sea and springs of waters” (Revelation 14:5-7).

How long will God have mercy?  He truly loves us and desires that none would perish.  Right up to the end, He offers the Gospel of grace.  Remember the thief who repented and is with the Lord in paradise.  Who knows but that the whole of this age is simply about the opportunity to turn to the Lord in repentance and live?  But will you wait until you hear an angel proclaiming from the heavens, or will you begin today and look to the Lord of life and live?

Lord, in this crazy mixed-up world I become disoriented and do not know which way to turn.  But that’s not true.  I do know which way to turn.  I need to repent and turn to You.  But I do not really want to do that because I am not honest with myself.  Lord, save me and turn my heart toward You.  You have come to do just that.  Help me to not waste time, but to turn to You and live eternally.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the gift of life that You give to those who see the light.  It is so hard, and it is so simple.  Guide me, dear Lord, so that I may humbly walk with You forever.  If it be Your will, let me be a messenger to another who has not yet truly heard the word of truth.  Guide me in the way of everlasting life and help me to walk humbly with You, my God and Savior.  Amen.

“And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless” (Revelation 14:5).

The person with whom we have the greatest difficulty being honest is ourselves.  When we become like Christ, there is no longer any deceit.  Think about everything Jesus said and then think about how often you do not live the words He spoke and how they conflict with what you are truly like right now and where you go astray.  As to being blameless?  Christ has taken all blame upon Himself and on the cross it died with Him.  We are called to be reconciled to God.

Lord, I find these thoughts almost impossible to begin to comprehend.  In my mind it is just You and me right now and You know how I twist and turn things all the time.  I long for the day when I too shall speak only truth.  To live in a place where everyone is blameless and truthful.  It must begin with me and that is an amazing thought.  Lead me, O Lord, to do what is right even if others do not like what is right and true.

Lord Jesus, You have taken all my sins upon Yourself and on the cross the blame died with You.  I understand that.  I do not understand the evil that is within me that causes me to think, say, and do things that are not right or true.  Help me to become honest, first with myself, and then in a gracious way, truthful with others.  Guide me into the life where I will become what You intend.  Amen.

“These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are celibate. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from mankind as first fruits to God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4).

We each have a call from the Lord.  A vocation, that which the Lord has created us to do.  These are things the Lord gives.  Do not be surprised.  Look at creation and you see the great diversity that the Lord has created.  The Lord has given you a vocation.  Not a job, but a heart’s desire to fulfill.  Are you walking with the Lord and living out what He has given you to do?  Live for the Lord, for He has redeemed you.

Lord, sometimes I do not know why I am living.  I go through the motions, but I often do not understand what is happening around me.  Guide me, dear Lord, in the way of everlasting life so that I may humbly walk in that way You have created me to walk with You.  Guide me in Your goodness to know both that I have the life You have created and its purpose You are awakening me day by day.

Lord Jesus, You redeemed me with Your own blood.  With Your life, You freed me from the penalty on my head because of sin.  Help me to not just go on living, but to live with the purpose You have implanted in me from the beginning.  Guide me in Your goodness to know that in You alone, the Author of life, and my faith, is all that I need.  Help me each day to seek You and Your righteousness.  Amen.

“And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth” (Revelation 14:3).

There are things of faith which only those who have faith understand.  It is not a secret, but the wisdom that comes when the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the blind.  Imagine describing sight to one born blind.  The faithful know their hope is a real assurance.  They sing about it.  As many as believe are the ones who are saved.  Do not look at these numbers in absolute and modern terms but see that  the numbers include those from every tribe, folk, tongue, and nation.

Lord from the twelve tribes, the twelve apostles, from all times and places, there are those whom you have called and awakened to the reality of eternity.  That is Your business.  You have privileged me to be a part of what You are doing.  You have redeemed us by Your own shed blood.  Bring us together so that we no longer see the distinctions of tribe, folk, or nation, but understand that we are all one in You.

Lord Jesus, there is a much that needs to happen in my heart.  I understand enough to hear these things and believe them.  Then, I go about my daily life, and I do not live according to what I have heard.  You know the difference.  Help me to join with You in what You are doing so that I can move further along this path that You have set before me.  Abiding in Your goodness, may I become more like You with each day You give me.  Amen.

WILL YOUR CHURCH BE NEXT?

There are three things that I would like to say as follow up to my last two articles about two ELCA congregations where their respective synods used paragraph S13.24 in the ELCA’s constitution for synods as justification and empowerment to take over and close a CORE-friendly congregation and to claim to have the right to the property of a former-ALC congregation that had taken its first vote to disaffiliate from the ELCA. 

The first one is this: It could happen to anyone. S13.24 empowers a synod council to “take charge and control of the property of a congregation” if “the membership of a congregation has become so scattered or so diminished in numbers that it cannot provide required governance or . . . fulfill the purposes for which it was organized” and if the synod council determines that it needs to take this action “to protect and preserve the congregation’s property from waste and deterioration.” Since telling the story of two congregations – one in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod and one in the Southwest California Synod – I have been informed of situations in other synods where the synod council has taken similar action against congregations. And in none of those situations has the membership of that congregation become “so scattered or so diminished” or has the property of that congregation become in danger of “waste and deterioration.” Rather in each situation either the synod did not like the direction of the ministry of the congregation (it did not line up with the ELCA) or the synod wanted to grab the assets of the congregation before that congregation were to leave the ELCA. In one situation the synod council took this action against a congregation even though the synod committee that was charged with reviewing the situation did not find sufficient reason for the synod council to do so. 

It is important that people know what this kind of total takeover entails. In one situation the synod closed the congregation. In another situation the synod demanded that the congregation turn over the deed to the property. In a third situation the synod appointed a group of trustees to have full and complete authority in regard to the assets and business affairs of the congregation. In other words, the congregation’s elected leadership is completely disempowered.

It is my opinion that we are going to see an increasing number of examples of synod councils’ using (mis-using) S13.24 to close, take over, and/or seize the properties of congregations. As synods continue to experience a decrease in their number of congregations and a decrease in the financial viability of congregations, they will experience a decrease in income from congregations. And with the severe shortage of pastors, synods will not be able to provide all congregations with a pastor. So what will they do? I believe they will take over and close congregations, get the number of congregations down to the number of available pastors, sell buildings and properties, and thereby accumulate financial assets that will enable them to continue to advance their radical, leftist agenda for years to come. 

Because synods are taking this kind of action against congregations whose membership is not scattered or diminished, and whose property is not in danger of “waste and deterioration,” this kind of takeover could happen to anyone. Will your congregation be next?  

The second thing I want to say is this. I continue to be absolutely astounded at how quickly the ELCA is departing from Biblical moral values, confessional Lutheran theology, and a Biblical concept of the mission of the church. Once the dam broke, it did not take long for anything holding back the floodwaters to be completely washed away.

In my Summer Letter from the Director I wrote about St. Timothy Lutheran Church in the Hermosa neighborhood of northwest Chicago. This was the location for Lutheran CORE’s annual Encuentro festival for bi-lingual and Spanish language ministries. The bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod threatened the supply preacher (who also was the coordinator of the Encuentros) with discipline and possible removal from the ELCA clergy roster if he did not immediately cease his ministry there. And the sons of the former pastor who were maintaining the property and providing stability and leadership to the congregation were evicted from the parsonage (and have since then moved out of the area). 

Within a few short days after the removal of confessional Lutheran leaders, what is happening at that congregation now? Under the guidance and with the permission of the two Latinx pastors who were appointed by the synodical bishop, a neighborhood group that makes use of a South American psychoactive and entheogenic brewed drink called Ayahuasca is holding weekend-long gatherings in the church building. In case you are not familiar with it, Ayahuasca is used both socially and as a ceremonial or shamanic spiritual medicine among the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin. Its use has recently spread to North America and Europe. This drink creates altered states of consciousness and psychedelic experiences which can include visual hallucinations and altered perceptions of reality. Before the weekend-long event a shaman blesses the space, which once had been the location of a Christo-centric Lutheran ministry. 

How could one possibly justify the holding of this kind of alternate spiritual experience on the property of a Lutheran congregation? According to one of the Latinx pastors who was appointed by the synod to lead and serve the congregation, the people of South America who make use of Ayahuasca were oppressed by the Conquistadores and their religions and culture were marginalized if not destroyed. Therefore, we must be hospitable to them today. Certainly we need to be welcoming and hospitable to all people. But I cannot imagine the Old Testament prophets saying to the Canaanite people, “We have oppressed you ever since we moved into this land. We have marginalized if not destroyed your religions and culture. Therefore, we will invite you to set up an altar in the Temple.” What that synod-appointed Latinx pastor is doing sounds consistent with the “Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment,” which was overwhelmingly approved by the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. After declaring that “we must be careful about claiming to know God’s judgments regarding another religion,” that document then states that our main role as Christians is to love and serve our neighbor. In other words, as followers of Christ we have nothing unique to offer. And if we have nothing unique to offer, why not invite a shaman to bless the space, which once had been the location of a Christo-centric Lutheran ministry, and why not offer Ayahuasca-induced altered states of consciousness, psychedelic experiences, and visual hallucinations, instead of introducing people to Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and who came that we might have life and have it abundantly?

The third thing I want to say is this. As expected, the ELCA has absolutely no interest in hearing any voice other than its own.

As I wrote in my Summer Letter from the Director, I was very pleased to hear back – and in a very timely way – from Judith Roberts, senior director for ELCA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and co-convenor of a task force for addressing the disciplinary concerns of leaders of color. I told her about the situation with the bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod and St. Timothy, and how in this situation a leader of color was the perpetrator rather than the victim of harassment and discrimination. She wrote back –

“Thank you for sharing your concerns, and we will certainly take them into account. The Churchwide Organization takes misconduct complaints against synod bishops seriously; if you believe that a synod bishop has engaged in misconduct, please direct that concern to the Presiding Bishop.”

I waited until after the three sons of the former pastor who had been maintaining the property and providing leadership and stability for the congregation were safely out of the parsonage. Then I sent an account of the events at St. Timothy to five ELCA leaders – Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton; Imran Siddiqui, vice president of the ELCA; Tracie Bartholomew, chairperson of the Conference of Bishops; and the two members of the task force that made the presentation to the Conference of Bishops – Judith Roberts and Bishop Paul Erickson of the Greater Milwaukee Synod. I never heard from any of them.

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VIDEO MINISTRIES

HERE is a link to our You Tube channel. In the top row you will find both our Video Book Reviews as well as our CORE Convictions Videos on various topics related to Biblical teaching, Lutheran theology, and Christian living. You will find these videos in the order in which they were posted, beginning with the most recent. In the second row you will find links to the Playlists for both sets of videos. This month we want to feature two videos.     

WHO GETS TO EAT? ISSUES OF ADMISSION TO THE LORD’S SUPPER

BY ERIC W. GRITSCH

REVIEWED BY FR LAWRENCE (LARRY) RECLA

Many thanks to Fr Lawrence (Larry) Recla STS for his review of the book, “Who Gets to Eat?” by Eric W. Gritsch. Pastor Recla is a retired ELCA clergy now serving an Episcopal Church. He is also Dean of the Florida Chapter of The Society of the Holy Trinity. HERE is a link to his video review. 

Pastor Recla writes, In the 1970’s several seminarians at Gettysburg Seminary wanted to have their children receive Communion. The Reverend Dr. Eric W. Gritsch became the center of what some would call a controversy. “Who Gets to Eat?” is my editing nine lectures and printed essays from the late 1970’s as well as other original materials into a format more suitable for reading in a book. Dr. Gritsch invites us to a reasoned debate with the presentation of the various historical positions the Church has practiced and espoused. He has the integrity to include all positions, not just those supporting his conclusions. While I am at some divergence with some of his conclusions, I am convinced that everyone, clergy and laity, would be informed and humbled by attending to his presentation. Some might even be convinced to the contrary of their initial inclinations; all would be the more respectful of others’ conclusions.

REFRESHMENT AND DELIVERANCE: THE MUSIC OF FAITH

BY WILLIAM DECKER

Many thanks to William Decker, retired ELCA deacon (and formerly an associate in ministry), for reminding us of how music will always play an integral part in human life, and this includes the music of faith. HERE is a link to his video, which underscores the amazing role that music has played in Christian congregations.

The author introduces the video with some pivotal theological insights from Martin Luther. In his own writings, Luther spoke the words of a true musician, giving to music his “highest praise” next to theology’s fundamental truths about the Christian life. The video ends by emphasizing the place that Christian hope embodies in each of us as we sing the Lord’s song.

In between these theological pillars, the author then looks at a variety of practical ways that our congregations have sought to worship God through music: that is, through the choir, summer worship, the organ, instrumentalists, and traditional hymns. His video is based on a little more than six decades of congregational experience.

Bill Decker recently retired as the musician at Messiah Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, IL after more than four years. He has sung in children’s and adult choirs and his college’s Chapel Choir. He plays the piano, writes a bit of music, and is a novice at the organ.

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May the Lord bless you, keep you, make His face shine upon you, be gracious to you, look upon you with favor, and give you peace. 

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

“And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps” (Revelation 14:2).

How does one describe what they do not understand?  Is that not true of many of the things we experience in faith when trying to tell an unbeliever?  But press on anyway and tell the story of our God and Savior.  The day will come when the voices who know the Lord will gather and sing of His goodness. grace, and mercy.  Why do you worry about what you sound like.  Sing the tune and lyrics the Lord gives you.

Lord, there are many things I do not understand.  The longer I live, the greater the list of things I do not understand.  Help me to seek not so much to understand all things as to live life as You have created it to be lived.  Help me to be thankful for what You have given me and to tell others of the Good News of great joy.  Lead me from where I am to join those who are with You.

Lord Jesus, between the confession and the encouragement to go and tell others is the reality of inaction in me.  You know what it will take to move me from where I am to where You are taking me.  Lord, You lead this.  I’ve been trying too hard and seeking to lead too long.  Be the leader who is directing me in thought, word, and deed.  Guide me according to, well, You.   Guide me and teach me how to follow humbly.  Amen.

“Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads” (Revelation 14:1).

There are those who retain the mark of promise, the seal of the Holy Spirit.  From every tribe, tongue, folk, and nation they come.  As with many places in Scripture, it boils down to the simple fact that either you will go with the Lord, or else remain in the rebellion of this age.  To whom will you turn?  The Lord has the words of eternal life and in Him you have hope and His promise.

Lord, I do not understand why I am so conflicted.  You have given me promises and a hope that I will become like You.  Guide me, Lord, in the way of everlasting life so that I do not get swallowed up by this world and its crazy ways.  Marks, leaders, constant lies, and deception have always been around.  If I am in You, nothing can snatch me out of Your hands.  You are the Savior, and You are the author and finisher of my faith.

Lord, do not let me be caught up in all of the emotional hoopla of this age.  I am in You and nothing can take me out of Your hand.  I can reject you, Lord forbid, but I cannot be taken from You.  Guide me now in the way of true faith so that I remain in the faith, living by faith, and growing in Your likeness.  Help me, dear Lord, to see past the temptations that will come my way so that I may remain faithful always.  Amen.

“Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six” (Revelation 13:18).

What is the mark of rebellion?  Why does a tyrant want worship?  Why do the wicked lie and then want you to accept the lie as truth?  Do not focus upon these questions.  They are a distraction.  Turn to the Lord and seek Him while He may be found.  He is truth.  The many beasts who have come into the world want to be worshiped.  The Lord has made clear that He alone is God and He alone is to be worshiped.

Lord, I do fall into the trap of seeking answers to questions that really do not matter.  So, I know some things.  So what?  The difference in my life that matters is Your Spirit in me.  Being conformed to the image of Christ, becoming like Him, is the hope sanctification gives.  Turn my eyes from the distractions and marks of this world to live in the hope the mark of my baptism gives me.

Lord Jesus, You died to free us to walk with You in faith.  Guide me, dear Lord, to live according to Your goodness and mercy.  Keep me from taking the mark of any of the fakers in this world so that I may live in the faithfulness You give me.  No matter the cost, keep my faith in the forefront and lead me according to the Father’s will.  Help me always to abide in You alone, maturing in this faith You have given me.  Amen.

“And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17).

In your baptism, you were marked with the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit as Christ’s own forever.  The devil always mocks the Lord.  Of course, he wants his own mark.  When the devil has your hand and mind, he’s got you.  The Lord wants all of you, heart, soul, mind, and all that you do, knowing that whatever you do, is done as though serving the Lord.  But the day will come when the tyrant is allowed to rule.

Lord, it has happened before and it seems that each new batch of tyrants gets worse.  Tyrants, dictators, and those who deem themselves superior tell others how to live and what to do.  Guide me away from this nonsense so that I live according to the goodness of Your grace and mercy.  Lead me, Lord, amidst all the tyrannies of this world to be faithful.

Lord Jesus, You had Rome, Herod, and the corrupt leaders of Judea to contend with.  You understand the sinful leadership that lives in lavish ways while the petty people work hard just to stay alive.  No matter my complaints, turn my eyes to You and Your example, Lord, so that I may humbly walk in the way of faith.  I have been marked by You as a sign of the truth of the salvation I have in You.  Keep me in You always.  Amen.

“And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Revelation 13:15).

It was given to him.  He did not have it, but it was given.  Do you think the Lord is given anything when you give Him what was already His?  Of course not.  The tricks of the devil are to take your eyes off the Lord and live the lie that you do not need the Lord.  Kill you?  No, only hasten your journey to be with the Lord forever.  The devil can kill the body, but if you are Christ’s own forever the Lord has promised you salvation if you endure to the end.

Lord, the emotional tugs of this world cause me to be afraid.  Help me, dear Lord, to live in the true hope You give so that even if I am killed, I will not try to save my own skin.  I will die and You have promised that even though I die, yet shall I live.  Keep Your promises close to my heart so that I am led by You and not by the insanity of this crazy world.  Rulers will rise who demand that we worship them, but there are no other gods besides You, the Lord of all.

Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, even You were crucified when You would not do as the earthly rulers wanted.  Help me to understand this clearly.  We face persecution because this world is in rebellion, but You have come to save those who look to You.  Guide me in the way of everlasting life and lead me according to Your promises to live into the eternal life You give by  grace through faith.  Amen.