“And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up” (Matthew 13:3-4).

The seeds that the Lord gives us are all around us.  Many fall by the wayside.  Enamored with the earth’s beauty, we go about our business as if nothing mattered.  We live life in this physical world without much thought about the life to which we have been called by faith.  Do not let the things of this world overwhelm you such that you forget the One who created all things and who has called you to be with Him.

Lord, I do become distracted with the life I live in this world.  I am often overwhelmed both by what I am enjoying as well as what is distracting me.  You have created all things, and we may enjoy them, but You call for us –  for me – to worship You, the Creator, and not created things.  I am distracted by the good things of life and forget You, the One through whom all life has its being.

Lord Jesus, with simple and timeless words, You have given us words to live by.  Help me to be mindful lest Your word of life be taken from me.  Guide me to have Your word upon my heart and on my lips so that I may become more like You each day.  Lead me, O Lord, to walk the way You would have me walk, doing what You give me to do.  Guide me in Your goodness and grace.  Amen.

“On that day Jesus had gone out of the house and was sitting by the sea.  And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach” (Matthew 13:1-2).

Jesus is practical.  All things were created through Him, so of course He knows physics and how things work.  He’s in the boat and they are on the shore.  It’s a natural amphitheater.  Our Lord will use current situations and circumstances for His word to go forth.  Be a part of what the Lord is doing and know that You also may be called upon to be His voice speaking the words of truth.

Lord, You always seem so natural when You do things.  You just sit in a boat and start talking to thousands.  You and the Father are One and in that mystery, I think of myself as one in the crowd and would never be one to speak.  But You have given me the words of eternal life.  How can I stand by and watch as the multitudes go hungry for the lack of the eternal sustenance that You give?

Lord Jesus, You have called for me to follow You.  No matter where I am, or what I am doing, give me Your word to speak.  Holy Spirit, bring to remembrance everything I need to know so that I may speak Your words when needed.  In all things, Lord, grant that I would be faithful to use every situation and act in all circumstances to be faithful to the call of grace You have given me.  Lead me to be a child of the Heavenly Father.  Amen. 

“But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48-50).

For those who focus upon earthly circumstances, see what Jesus is saying. The ones who do the Father’s will are the children of God. It is not what we are now, but what we are becoming, that matters. Do not be led by the false words of this world, but by the Author of life, Whose word is truth. You were born in the circumstances into which you were born. Christ offers to make of you a child of the Heavenly Father.

Holy Spirit, help me to see the simplicity of the reality of Your kingdom. My earthly circumstances are temporary, but being a part of the heavenly family is eternal. By grace, I have been called into the fellowship of the saints. Lead me to see that where I belong is important. Take away any hindrance which would keep me from seeing the simple reality of what Jesus says.

Lord Jesus, You are inviting me to be in Your family. It is not a privilege which I can claim, but one that You give by grace. Though I be the least in Your family, You have included me. Guide me in Your grace and mercy to honor the family of my rebirth. Guide me to be gracious with others as You are gracious to me. Help me to understand more fully this day the privilege that You have given me. Amen.

“While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you” (Matthew 12:46-47).

Some look at this verse and say to those who believe that Mary was a perpetual virgin and say, “See, this cannot be.” Do not go there. It is what it is. Whether cousins – which were considered brothers – or whatever, what is important is that Jesus grew up in a family just as you and I have grown up in a family. He lived a fully human life. Through His death, we have received grace upon grace.

Lord, after I see you face to face, I will know fully. Help me to respect my brothers and sisters who believe differently than me about Your earthly mother. It is what it is and either way changes nothing about what You have done. Guide me to look to You alone and be a part of Your family. Lead me in the way of grace and mercy so that I may humbly walk in the way You have established.

Lord Jesus, I do have my opinions about many kinds of things. Guide me away from looking at simple things that might distract me from the truth. Help me to be guided by Your grace and mercy. Amidst the distractions of this life, keep me from being carried away by all the speculations and remain true to the Gospel which You have revealed. Lead me always in the way of revealed truth, for You are Truth. Amen.

“When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation” (Matthew 12:44b-45).

Thinking we know what we’re doing, without the Lord, the more we think we improve, the worse it will be. The wicked one excels in corruption. The Lord alone gives life. The offer of grace is to see the house cleaned by the Lord so that He may dwell with us. He will not fill us with nothingness, as the world does, but fulfil us with life, meaning, and joy.

Lord, I see two kinds of wickedness. There is that which most agree is heinous, and the worse which are the smug self-righteous people who look down upon others with a hateful attitude of superiority. Let me be neither. Sweep my house clean and go into the dark corners to rid all the rebellion in my heart. Keep me full of the truth of Your presence and purpose.

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for dwelling in me. Lead me according to Your goodness and grace so that I may humbly walk under Your guidance. Let not the wicked one have his way with me but keep the house of my soul clean. Create in me a clean heart, renewing my spirit so that I may go about the Father’s business with joy. Teach me how to love others as You love me. Amen.

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’” (Matthew 12:43-44a).

We are plagued by the wicked spirits of this age. Those banished from heaven torment with their temptations. Sadly, we listen. If we seek to clean our house on our own, they will find a place prepared for even more to live. If the LORD cleans our house, it will be cleansed, and He will come and dwell with us. On your own, or by the power of the LORD; one works, the other does not.

Lord, why do I wrestle for control? You are the Lord of all. I can do nothing without You and yet, I go through life as if I could do things on my own. Help me to see that if I try to do things without You, there will be a mess because of what I do not know. Help me to do all things by Your direction and in Your power so that what is done is within the plans of the Father. Yes, clean my house and then come dwell with me.

Lord Jesus, apart from You I can do nothing. I may be busy and believe I am doing something, but without You, I will make a mess of it. Guide me in the way of everlasting life so that I may live with Your guidance all the days of my life. I must decrease and You must increase. Lead me to increase my faith in You that I may live in the way You have established. Amen.

“The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!” (Matthew 12:42)

How is it not better when what you are looking for is right before you and you are ignoring it as opposed to searching far and wide until you find it? It seems some want everything handed to them, but the Lord has chosen to have you seek these things. What is behind this is the simple truth of sin. You want it your way, but it must be in the way the Lord has determined.

Lord, will others judge us from their various perspectives? I judge others from my perspective.  Take me beyond my own perspective to see things through Your eyes. Without Your grace, it is hopeless, but by Your grace, I can journey in the way of salvation that You have established. The world plays games, but You invite us to come into true life. Lead me out of death and into life.

Lord Jesus, I do play so many games with myself and others. Help me to be guided by You and Your grace so that I see only hope and a future in You. You have come that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Lead me in the way of true life, being less concerned with what others think and more concerned with doing what is pleasing to the Father. Help me to walk humbly with You always. Amen.

“The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!” (Matthew 12:41)

Justice moves beyond what you or I think. It moves through reality of circumstances and place. The people of Nineveh were evil but repented. People today do not believe they are evil. Looking truthfully at oneself is not easy. You are where you are. Where you have done evil, repent and walk in the grace given to you. The Lord has come, and He bids us to walk with Him now and forever.

Lord, it is not about the amount of evil done. It is not about my place in time or even the situation. It is about acknowledging my need for You. Death has swallowed me up so that I struggle to not die rather that walk with You and simply live. Lord, teach me to confess so that I do not fear judgement. Teach me to live looking to You, knowing that all things are in Your hands.

Lord Jesus, judgement is in Your hands. Where I fear judgement, bring me to repentance. Guide me so that I come to you for the directions I need each day. Correct me as I walk the life of faith. In all things, help me to see that I am being transformed to Your image as You prepare me for that day when I stand before You face to face. Let me see that there is plenty to condemn, but only You who gives life through faith and forgiveness by grace. Amen.

“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

From dust we were created and to dust we shall return. No matter what you believe, Jesus was dead. Then, from death, He was raised to life. Scripture is silent on what happened from Jesus’ perspective, so respect the silence and do not speculate. There are many things our Lord does which we do not know about (John 21:25). Learn to trust God above all things, especially your ability to understand.

Lord, I am curious, and I want to know. When it causes me to move forward, that is a good thing. Sometimes my curiosity causes me to stumble and because I do not know, I think it cannot be. Guide me to look to You for all things. Help me to realize that, of course, there are many things I do not understand. Therefore, lead me so that I may learn to trust You always and for all things.

My Lord and Savior, I do need to be saved from my desire to know everything. But that is why faith is required. You were dead and then You rose. You have said that all who believe are saved by Your grace. Help me to learn how to be faithful in all circumstances. Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to humbly walk where You lead and do the things You give me to do. May I be faithful to Your call today and every day. Amen.

September 2024

ASTOUNDED BUT NOT SURPRISED

Dear Friends in the Savior-King –

I found myself fluctuating between being astounded and not surprised when a friend of Lutheran CORE told me of her synodical bishop’s presentation to her ELCA congregation. When asked about the ELCA’s recent DEIA (Diversity-Equity-Inclusion-Accessibility) audit and how it might impact the future of congregations and the report and recommendations from the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, the synodical bishop said that he did not know about the DEIA audit until recently. When the friend of Lutheran CORE challenged him on his statement inasmuch as the audit was the result of official church action, cost who knows how many tens of thousands of dollars, was presented to the ELCA Church Council in November 2023, has been reviewed by the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, and is available to everyone online, she was cutoff. I really question the honesty and integrity of any ELCA synodical bishop who claims that he or she had not been aware of the audit until recently.

Another friend of Lutheran CORE told me that his synodical bishop tried to minimize the audit by saying that in his synod the recommendations from the audit will never become requirements. Why should we believe that?

In the September issue of our newsletter, CORE Voice, I have written regarding the work of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. Again, I am astounded (but not surprised) that while the ELCA Churchwide Assembly that called for the formation of the Commission was held in August 2022, it was not until July 2023 that the Commission held their first meeting, and now more than half of the time has passed between their first meeting and the time when they need to present their report and recommendations first to the Conference of Bishops and then to the Church Council. At the beginning of the process a lot of people used grand and glorious language to describe what they hoped would come forth out of the Commission, but the written summaries of their meetings only speak in generalities and are completely non-informative. In my article I suggested two possible reasons. First, they are just spinning their wheels; they are not getting anything done; they do not know how to make grand and glorious ideas into reality. Or second, they are purposefully not telling us what they are doing. They do not want to create chaos and turmoil until the end. Again, how can you trust the honesty and integrity – and/or the competence – of a Commission that functions like that?

I was astounded but not surprised when I watched the livestreams and recordings of the evening sessions for the ELCA’s Youth Gathering this past July. As expected, the young people attending were totally indoctrinated in the LGBTQ+ agenda, transgender and non-binary ideology, and the virtue of being social justice warriors. The only time when Jesus was mentioned in the Video Summary of the gathering was when the bishop of the host synod said that Jesus calls us to challenge systems of oppression. Certainly, the Old Testament prophets like Amos and Micah call us to “do justice,” but does the ELCA really believe that the main message and mission of Jesus and the Church is to challenge systems of oppression? What was equally astounding (but not surprising) was how quickly the recordings of the evening sessions were taken down from the internet. The only conclusion that I can come to is that the ELCA does not want us to know what was “pumped into the minds” of the young people.

As we have promised, we will continue to keep you informed about whether traditional views and those who hold them will continue to have a place of respect in the ELCA’s revised human sexuality social statement, as well as about the work of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church and the place of DEIA ideology in the Renewed Church.

But as we do all that we will continue to provide resources and support for confessional Lutherans who hold to the authority and reliability of the Bible. We will continue to offer on our website worship resources such as prayers and hymn suggestions, daily devotions, weekly lectionary-based Bible studies and children’s messages, and video reviews of books and on topics of interest and importance. In addition we will continue to support the local and cross country mission trips of River’s Edge Ministries in Mt. Airy, Maryland, and the NEXUS program of Grand View University. We will continue to have a support group for seminarians and young people considering going to seminary, and we will continue to offer our Congregations in Transition and Congregational Lay Leadership Initiative ministries for churches that are between pastors that are still hoping to call a pastor as well as churches that are realizing that there will possibly or even probably not be a seminary-trained, ordained pastor for them to call.

A new ministry, which was described in our September newsletter, is our series of webinars for pastors and lay leaders and members of congregations. The first one is scheduled for Wednesday, September 25 and is entitled “Planning as a Paradigm Shift.” Future webinars are being planned and will provide inspiration, encouragement, and practical ideas for leadership and ministry.

Thank you for your prayers and your faithful and generous financial support, which enable us to continue to do our work of being a Voice for Biblical Truth and a Network for Confessing Lutherans. Please find below a link to a form which you can use to let us know how we can be praying for you.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you” (Philippians 1: 3-4). That is how we feel about you.

Blessings in Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE