“The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly.  Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!”  But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed” (Mark 15:3-5).

Most of us would have an argument to make.  We are filled with self-justification.  Could we even imagine being guilty of nothing and standing trial?  Jesus did not answer.  He took what was given.  We who are guilty were replaced by the One who has no guilt.  He literally took our place!  How great is the love our Lord has for us.  Receive His love and walk in the truth that You are precious to the Lord.

Lord, I cannot fathom the depth of Your willingness to take my place.  You were condemned so that I could be freed from the condemnation of sin.  Lead me in the way of life that I may learn from You, and even if falsely accused, not seek to react as sinners react.  Guide me to defend myself by Your leading, yes, but willing to pay the small price compared to the great price You paid for my eternal freedom.

Grant, Holy Spirit, Your power to pour through me so that I have strength to meet the days ahead.  Guide me in the way of humility knowing that only in You is there sufficient strength to meet with righteousness each situation.  You have come to save, and I need saving.  Lead me in the upward call You have given me knowing that life is in You, Lord.  Help me to live by Your Word and to be willing to share the Gospel through how I live.  Amen.

“Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.  Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say” (Mark 15:1-2).

Jesus is the King of kings.  Humbly submitting Himself to earthly authorities, He speaks truth.  If only the unbelieving would see, but they will not.  Think about the reality that the King of the universe stands before you.  What else matters more than this reality?  In this world, we are distracted and our priorities are all jumbled.  Jesus comes to lead us into all righteousness.

Lord, I cannot begin to imagine the reality of You willingly submitting Yourself to the authorities of this world, but You did.  You, through whom all things have their being, allowed Yourself to be treated like the criminal that we sinners are.  You took our place.  What love is this that You would do such a thing for one like me?  Help me to see and lament over sin and begin to understand the reality of what You have done.

Lord Jesus, I confess that I am too often cavalier about the reality of what You have done.  Guide me out of indifference so that I live each day in You, and humbly come into Your presence and dwell with You every moment.  When I am confronted by difficulties in this world, help me to see them in the perspective that You are right here and with me always.  Lead me to humbly be in Your eternal presence.  Amen.

“Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he began to weep” (Mark 14:72).

Our Lord brings to remembrance the times when we betray Him.  We are given the opportunity to repent.  We are given grace upon grace to not continue sinning, but to come to the Lord in repentance and live as He directs.  Peter would do this.  The repentant Peter was not the same man Jesus met in the beginning.  He would be transformed by humility to walk in the way of the Lord.  So will we if we repent.

Lord, I too have my share of sinful moments in which I deny You.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, lead me into repentance so that I willingly lay down my excuses and indignation to take up the life You have given me by grace.  Let the shame give way to resolution that I may stand firm in the faith You have given me.  Guide me so that I walk humbly by Your leading, living for the sake of the Gospel.

Lord Jesus, there are so many ways in which I live that, too often, I am not conscious of the things I say and do which hurt the truth of the Gospel.  Lead me to be sensitive so that I willingly repent when You confront me and walk in the way You have established.  You save me daily from myself.  Lead me to see clearly and humbly submit to Your leading.  Guide me in the way I need to go today.  Amen

“But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.”  But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” (Mark 14:70-71)

Cursing and swearing?  How often do we fall into the language of the culture pretending we are one with the world?  Words are words, but they do have meaning.  To take the name of the Lord in vain is to deny His saving power.  It is not just swear-words, but the things that are behind them.  Peter was trying to save himself.  We cannot save ourselves.  The Lord would bring Him to that knowledge.

Lord, there are too many times when I conform to this world because I am afraid.  But am I more afraid of the world which can kill the body?  You are the lover of my soul, but You also are the One who can cast me away from Your presence.  You have said that fear of You is the beginning of wisdom.  Help me so that I see clearly that Your love is greater than anything that can harm me in this world.

Lord Jesus, You gave Your life so that I could truly live.  There are many circumstances that frighten me; but help me in such times to realize that being apart from You should frighten me even more.  Lead me as You led the Apostles to come to the place where I do not fear the world or what it can do to me but love You such that I would be willing to lay down my life rather than deny You.  Amen.

“But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he went out onto the porch.  The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!” (Mark 14:68-69)

How often do we deny the Lord?  We find ourselves in a hostile environment and do not want to take the chance of losing a confrontation.  Peter has been an example of every failed experience where we could have stood in our faith but chose the coward’s way out.  This may give us solace, but it also has the purpose of encouraging us to move forward and to become willing to stand firm in the truth of Jesus’ salvation.

Lord, I too have denied You.  Maybe not as dramatically as this, but there are many times when I have sinned and not stood up for what is right.  Lead me so that I may have fortitude and stand firm in the truth.  This is easy for me to say when I am not under fire, so help me by whatever means to hold fast to the truth You have revealed, and save me in order that I might be able to stand firm in the time of trial.

Lord Jesus, Your word tells me over and over again to stand firm in the Gospel which You have given me.  Prepare me for the trials that will come so that I may hold fast and stand firm in You.  You went to the cross for me.  Help me to be Your witness and not deny that I am Your follower.  Lead me in the way of all truth.  You are truth.  Guide me into You, my Lord and Savior.  Amen.

“As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene” (Mark 14:66-67).

Peter has just cut off the ear of the servant in a skirmish during the arrest of Jesus.  He was confused, angry, and combative.  He is confronted by another.  What would you do?  So often we like to think that we will react in a good and godly way, but what is our real reaction in the moment?  In our worst moments, we meet the sinner who still needs to be put to death.  We are often self-centered when we need to put our focus upon the Lord.

You know, Lord, how many times I am self-absorbed with my thoughts and feelings.  When in doubt, I often display who I really am.  I may not let others see it, but You know it is there.  Help me to the core of my being.  You are the One who has come to save me and I need saving.  I know that the transformation of Peter was great, for from the fisherman to the one who fished for men, You transformed him.

Lord Jesus, I often tell others what I would do if I were in Peter’s shoes.  The truth is that I do not know what I would do.  Help me to be honest before You knowing that You know me to the core of my being.  Keep me from becoming caught up in the games I play with myself.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to live into the life to which You are calling me.  Aid me to keep my eyes upon You.  Amen.

“Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face” (Mark 14:65).

This is how the world treats God.  They pretend He is not there, cannot see, and make outrageous demands.  The world is in rebellion and does not want to submit to the One to whom every knee will eventually bow.  All are invited to come into a right relationship because of what Jesus did when He was ridiculed and mocked.  It does no good to ask if there could have been any other way, for this is the way the Lord has chosen to reconcile us to Him.

Lord, I am in the world, but I do not want to be a part of its rebellion.  Through Your Holy Spirit, grant me wisdom so that my rebellion would end.  Lead me to see things through Your eyes.  Help me to ask good and right questions and not be a part of the insanity of this world.  Things are the way You have made them to be.  Lead me according to Your wisdom to see things as they are.

Lord Jesus, You endured all of these things so that each of us might have the opportunity to be rid of that which separates us from You.  Lead me in the way of salvation so that I may humbly follow You wherever You will take me.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to see that in You alone there is a new and better life.  You are the hope that our hearts long for.  Keep me in Your goodness and mercy all the days of my life.  Amen.

Many thanks to AALC pastor James Hoefer and NALC pastor Cathy Ammlung for providing the latest videos for our You Tube Channel.    A link to our YouTube channel, which contains sixty-nine videos on books and topics of interest and importance, can be found HERE.   

“WALKING WET: GOD’S BAPTISMAL PROMISE”

by James Hoefer

Pastor James Hoefer has reviewed his latest book, “Walking Wet: God’s Baptismal Promise.”  A link to his review can be found HERE. 

In this book Pastor James clearly states that baptism is God’s saving work – not our work of obedience and testimony.  God does not start with our faith in Him, our witness to Him, or our efforts for Him.  Rather He starts with His promises to us – promises He made and gave long before you or I could ever do anything to earn them.  Our faith in Him, witness to Him, and efforts for Him would never be enough.  They could never give us a solid foundation for life, a sure and certain sense of who we are, and security in our relationship with God.  All these are given to us through God’s promises through baptism. 

Dennis Nelson, executive director of Lutheran CORE, writes –

This book is clearly written with many very interesting and relevant illustrations.  It reflects a pastor’s heart and is theologically solid.  I was deeply honored to have been invited to write the Forward for this book.  James and I were roommates in seminary and have been good friends ever since.  I have always known him to have a deep love for Jesus, a passion for ministry, and a heart for global mission, especially in the Third World.     

“TOOLKIT FOR WORSHIP PLANNING – PART FOUR”

by Cathy Ammlung

Pastor Cathy Ammlung has released the fourth in a series of videos intended to provide congregations – especially those with temporary or longer-term pastoral vacancies – with some tools for worship planning.  A link to her latest video can be found HERE.  A link to the full manuscript of her latest video can be found HERE.   

In this video Cathy covers more traditional hymnody and the most common Lutheran hymnals.  In her next video she will address hymn selection in contemporary worship.

Cathy writes –

In the present video, we’ll talk about why selecting hymns can be difficult and examine some of the tools the hymnals themselves provide for assisting you.  Make sure you have an LBW (Lutheran Book of Worship), ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship), or LSB (Lutheran Service Book) in hand so you can follow along.  In addition to navigating the lectionary information in the front of hymnals, we will also look at several of the indexes. We’ll use a popular hymn tune as an example as we examine the indexes and give a practical example of how that can be helpful.  Finally, we’ll wrap up with some additional “helpful hints” and strategies for selecting hymns, swapping out tunes, teaching and introducing new hymns, and helping people really sing their faith.

In the first video in this series Cathy discussed the importance of worship planning.  In her second video she talked about the church year, including festivals.  The third video covers the lectionary.

The ELCA developed worship resources for the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  As expected, right from the start, the ELCA made this observance into something negative.  It introduced these resources as ones that “both celebrate and lament our nation’s history.”  HERE is a link to the resources. 

Certainly there are many things in our nation’s history that were done wrong.  Racism is wrong.  Slavery followed by decades of racial discrimination were wrong.  The way that indigenous people were treated was wrong.  Any form of oppression of the weak and vulnerable is wrong.  But why can we not just give thanks for this great country that we have been privileged to live in as we re-commit ourselves to continuing to work for “liberty and justice for all”?

What would it be like if my wife and I were celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary and she were to tell me all the things I have done wrong during our years of married life?   Before I retired I served as pastor of the same congregation for forty years.  What would it have been like if on my final Sunday there I had told the congregation all the things that they had done wrong and all the ways I had been treated badly?  And what if the congregation were to invite me to return some Sunday and I were to repeat the same list of grievances?  Would I be invited again?  And yet that is what the ELCA consistently does.  It has even made worship resources for the 250^th birthday of our nation into a time of criticism of our country and “white-dominant Christianity.” 

And then the next thing I want to talk about is the order of confession and forgiveness in the proposed worship service.  The order of confession is as follows –

“God of all mercy, we have sinned against you, our neighbors, and your creation.  Within ourselves and our communities, our desire to do what is good is at war with the evil that dwells in us.  We lament the evil that holds us captive.  We repent of the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf.  Rescue us, forgive us, and restore us for lives of compassion and courage through our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

What word is used four times?  Evil.  Evil that dwells in us, evil that holds us captive, evil that we have done, and evil that has been done on our behalf.  Evil is a very strong word.  Is evil the word that most accurately describes how we have lived and how our country has been for the past 250 years?

In contrast to the wording of the confession, compare the wording of the absolution –

“All-merciful, Almighty God forgive you all your sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit’s power strengthen you in doing what is good.  Amen.”

If evil is the primary word that describes my and our country’s spiritual condition, then I need far more than just forgiveness and strength to do what is good.  I need someone to deliver me from and break the power of evil. 

In the Second Reading for July 5 from Romans 7 the apostle Paul talks about the struggle taking place within himself.  He does use the word evil twice.  But then what he calls out for is not just forgiveness and strength to do good.  He begs for deliverance.  “Wretched man that I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7: 24-25)

But I am not convinced that the ELCA really wants us to be rescued from “this body of death.”  Rather it seems to want to continually be able to call on us to grovel and repent of the same things – racism, sexism, patriarchalism, white supremacy, male dominance, and so on.  I am not convinced that the ELCA really wants there to be forgiveness and really wants Someone to break the power of evil because then the ELCA would have no authority and right to continually call on me to grovel over and repent of the same things if they have been forgiven and the power of evil were to be broken.  There is real power in claiming to be in a position to continually call on others to grovel and repent, just as there is real power in claiming to be one who has been victimized and oppressed.  If I were to forgive, then I lose my power over the one whom I claim has offended me.  If the power of evil were to be broken, then I would lose my power over and my vindication for putting my foot on the neck of the one whom I claim has victimized and oppressed me.

The words of the third verse of the hymn, “When Peace, Like a River,” are as follows –

“He lives – oh, the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part, but the whole

Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more.  Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

That is a gift that I am not convinced that the ELCA actually wants people and our nation to have.  Because if our sins truly were nailed to the cross and we bear them no more, then the ELCA would have no right and authority to keep on calling on us to grovel over and repent of the same things.

Finally, I would like to say a few words about the article that comes after the sample worship service.  It is written by an ELCA pastor and is entitled, “Preaching the Lectionary on the Occasion of the US Semiquincentennial.”  Because it is included with these resources, I take it to be an accurate reflection of the position of the ELCA.

The first thing I notice is that it is overwhelmingly negative. Right from the start it talks about all the awful things that were happening in our country during the time leading up to our nation’s Bicentennial.  Then it makes these comments –

“On this day, Lutheran preachers in particular are called to reject outright the temptations and claims of Christian nationalism.  At this moment in the United States, we are faced with a political movement that has married Christianity with an embrace of hardline authoritarianism and glorification of violent masculinity, casting Jesus in the role of a warrior.  We have seen a political Christian movement that has attempted to demonize empathy and love of neighbor, recasting ‘neighbors’ as only those who share the same ethnicity and cultural background.”

“In today’s gospel (from Matthew 11), we hear. . . . the call to repentance for a church that has celebrated America without acknowledging the role its dominant (white Christian) culture has played in enslavement, abuse, and terrorization of non-white, non-Christian Americans, and all are (sic) who are most vulnerable, including women, children, and the poor.”

White supremacy, violent male dominance, and Christian nationalism are all wrong.  The United States is a great place to live, but it is not the Kingdom of God on earth.  And yet are the bad things rejected in this article actually concerns and values held by the typical ELCA member of a typical ELCA congregation?  Rather I believe they are issues raised by a certain group because it makes them feel powerful and better to do so.  At the heart of much extreme left political activism is an intense sense of self-righteousness.

The introduction to these resources says that they are intended to “unite the diverse body of Christ for the life of the world.”  With their negative, inflammatory language they do just the opposite.

by Dennis D. Nelson