The Lutheran Review

The Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Sower

By Stephen Mitchell

From Parables and Portraits

A sower went forth to sow.  Some of his seeds fell upon stony places.  Centuries passed, millennia.  And the seeds remained.  And the stones crumbled and became good soil, and the seeds brought forth fruit.

“Wait a minute,” said one listener.  “You can’t play fast and loose that way with the natural facts.  The seeds would die long before the soil could receive them.”

“Why would they die?”

“Because they can’t hold out in stony places, for thousands of years.”

“But, my dear, what kind of seeds do you think we’re talking about?”

Parse, Proclaim and Praise

Parse, Proclaim and Praise

In Marilynne Robinson’s latest novel, “Home” daughter Glory remembers her father standing tall in the pulpit, “Parsing the heart of man; praising the heart of Christ.”

That little quote struck me as I listened to audio version on my way back from Pinckneyville this week. Parsing the heart of man is the first job of the preacher when he ponders, prepares and finally steps into the pulpit to preach. In Lutheran parlance that is preaching the law. Actually, I find it easier to parse the heart than to parse a sentence; though recently I have discovered that I will need at least another forty two years to plumb the depths of the human heart. I gave up parsing sentences a long time ago.

Father Tim Kavanagh, now age 70, in Jan Karon’s novel, “Home to Holly Springs” is reflecting on his life and faith as he visits his family plot in the cemetery.

“He had struggled for years to get it right-struggled to experience the joy, the peace, the sense of oneness with the One who was born for him, gave himself for him, and in so doing, offered Timothy Kavanagh the supernatural gift of eternal life.

He genuinely believed in this One, had even been ordained as a priest (Episcopal) in his service, and yet, in all the long years of his faith since childhood, he had never deeply, viscerally known the warmth and protection of the divinely unconditional, even tender love about which he had heard and read so much. He had trembled to think he was a fraud.”

I wonder how many of us would also confess just such a struggle. That’s why I think we need to add something between parsing the heart of man and praising the heart of Christ. Week after week, better yet; day after day we need the proclamation of Christ’s forgiveness and salvation. Luther has it right, “not by my own reason or strength…but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel.”

Psalm 136 often grows repetitious with its refrain, “for his steadfast love endures forever.” However, God’s steadfast love in Christ is the reason we are able to move on from parsing the heart of man to praising the heart of Christ. For those times when we can’t know the warmth and protection of Christ’s unconditional love; that unconditional love is still present for us.

James the Elder

James the Elder

Today is the day to remember the disciple James, sometimes known as the “Elder” to distinguish him from James the Less whom we remember on May 1 and James of Jerusalem whose day is October 23. It’s as confusing for me to keep the James boys straight as it is to keep track of the several women named Mary.

In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee when he calls two brothers, Simon (Peter) and Andrew to “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.“ Jesus continued on down the shore and finds two more fishing brothers, Andrew and James. Jesus called them and “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” I know this is an example of the power and urgency of Christ’s call to discipleship and the need for our immediate response. However, Jesus call that day must have seriously affected the fishing industry along the Sea of Galilee.

James and his brother John were known as “sons of thunder.” On one occasion they asked Jesus for permission to call down lightning on a Samaritan village that had refused to welcome Jesus. Another time James and John requested that they be given the most important cabinet posts in Jesus administration when he finally got around to running the Romans out of the country.

James was the first of the disciples to be martyred. His is the only martyrdom of a disciple recorded in the New Testament. He is frequently pictured with a scallop shell. It recalls his life as a fisherman, his call to fish people, and the gift of our baptism into Christ.

In the hymn, “By All Your Saints in Warfare” we sing of James the Elder,

O Lord, for James we praise you,

Who fell to Herod’s sword;

He drank the cup of suff’ring

And thus fulfilled your word.

Lord, curb our vain impatience

For glory and for fame,

Equip us for such suff’rings

As glorify your name.

LSB 518, St. 20

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene

From ancient times Mary Magdalene has been thought to be the sinful woman who repented anointed Jesus’ feet. However, there has been long standing debate over whether the repentant prostitute is Mary Magdalene.

Valerius Herberger writes, “We do not want to grow grey hairs over this debate…” Neither do I, since mine are already grey.

An examination of Luke 7:36-50 provides no biblical basis for Mary Magdalene being the repentant prostitute.

What we do know for sure is that she saw Jesus die. She also witnessed his burial. And most important of all, she was the first to see Him alive after His resurrection (John 20:11-18). Bernard of Clairveux calls her “the apostle to the apostles.” For as we read in John 20:18, she “announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’ - and that he had said these things to her.”

Because John’s gospel reports her as weeping at the tomb, she is often portrayed with red eyes. Icons depict her standing by the tomb holding a red egg.

　

Christ's Cross

Christ’s Cross

According to a bit of information from my grandfather, Ted Jansen, he helped build my home church, Christ Lutheran, Pipe Lake in 1903. None of the other men working on the project wanted to go up and construct the steeple. So my grandfather, then a young man, volunteered for the job, or maybe he was urged into the task and couldn‘t very well back down. Grandfather built many of the houses (including the one in which my brothers and I grew up), and barns in the area.

At some point around 1950 the steeple was damaged. I can vaguely remember my parents discussing what should be done with it. I think they thought it was just too dangerous for anyone from the congregation to go up there and work. No one had ladders that would reach that high. It was finally decided not to rebuild it. Instead a stubby bronze metal cross was positioned on the flattened base where the steeple once stood. It doesn’t fit architecturally. However, like many things in our lives that aren’t quite right, we get used to it.

Several years ago I was visiting the farm. One evening I was coming back from swimming in nearby Pipe Lake just as the last rays of the sun were still shining above the horizon. As I drove near the church on County Rd. T the metal cross was bathed in the rosy glow of the fading sunlight. It was a beautiful shining brightly in the sun’s light.

The stubby cross that does not fit on the top of the church building does not fit in the world either. We would rather build our own steeples to reach toward the heavens. However, God makes the cross a thing of beauty in the light of His Son which baths our lives with the glow of his grace. Christ’s cross proclaims the cross of Christ.

The psalm for this coming Sunday calls us to “Give thanks to the Lord; for His steadfast love (his unbreakable love) endures forever.”

Summer Reading

Summer Reading

I recently completed a novel that I picked up for some light summer reading. What else but light summer reading could be a book entitled, “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society.”

The novel is in the form of letters written from and to the Channel Island of Guernsey in 1946. Through the series of letters, written with humor and some light heartedness, is revealed the story of the Nazi German occupation of Guernsey during World War II. In fact the novel makes me want to visit the island that has been a British dependent since the Norman Conquest in 1066 that lie only 10 miles from the French coast.

The following paragraph particularly caught my attention.

“I, too, have felt that the war goes on and on. When my son, Ian, died at El Alamein-side by side with Eli’s father, John-visitors offering their condolences, thinking to comfort me, said, ’Life goes on.’ What nonsense, I thought, of course it doesn’t. It’s death that goes on; Ian is dead now and will be dead tomorrow and next year and forever. There’s no end to that. But perhaps there will be an end to the sorrow of it. Sorrow has rushed over the world like the waters of the Deluge, and it will take time to recede. But already, there are small islands of-hope? Happiness? Something like them anyway.”

The book is authored by Mary Ann Shaffer and her niece Annie Barrows. Dial Press is the publisher.

P.S. I’m leaving tomorrow, July 16^th to participate in my home church’s 125^th anniversary. So I may not have anything for 5 or 6 days.

Ron Jansen

Odium

Odium

Odium is the state of being odious. One tends to run into that word in English literature when they want to express repugnance for someone’s behavior.

There is much odium in the gospel lesson for this past Sunday, Mark 6:14-29. In fact it was one of those lessons that I am hesitant to announce, “This is the Gospel of the Lord.” I wanted to add a question mark. “This is the Gospel of the Lord?” The “good news” ends with the disciples of John the Baptist carrying John’s headless body to its tomb.

Mark does a skillful job of leading us into the story of John’s death. Jesus had sent the twelve out in pairs to go into the nearby villages to proclaim repentance, cast out demons and anoint the sick with oil for their healing.

The news came back to Herod which engendered a discussion of Jesus identity. Herod was convinced that John, whom he had ordered to be beheaded, had been raised from the dead.

Now mark tells the sordid details that led to John’s demise. Herod’s wife Herodias hated John, because he condemned her and her husband for their marriage, since she had previously been married to Philip, Herod’s brother. Then comes the birthday bash with to which only A list people were invited. Herodias daughter dances. Herod is pleased and promises her anything. Daughter runs back to mom, “Mom, what should I ask for? Any suggestions?” Mom has a suggestion, John’s head on a platter, right now. What could Herod do? He liked John. He was puzzled, but he liked to hear him preach. However, here were all these A list guests, so John’s head on a platter it was.

What an odious bunch of people. However, odium doesn’t stop there. Our Lord, himself will be the victim of some most odious people. Nevertheless, odium is not the last word.

To paraphrase Paul in Romans 5:20, “where odium increased, grace abounded all the more.”

THIS IS THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD!

　

　

　

I'm Listening

I’m Listening

I intended to write something on the psalm for Sunday, Psalm 85, particularly verse 8, “will listen to what the Lord God is saying.” However this morning Becky took a misstep while walking Boomer. A trip to an urgent care center confirmed that she had broken her fifth metatarsal, that’s the bone that goes to the little toe. So she’s hobble ling around.

While I was putting dishes in the dish washer I reached down to catch the bottom tray which was rolling out and jabbed a knife point into my hand. Well, it’s not as serious as I thought at first and can now type with both hands.

But I’m listening Lord. Is this a harbinger of future things to come?

I have left out the end of verse 8. “For you speak peace to your faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to you.” So it’s not true as daughter Sarah said, that we got our injuries because last night I buried in the back of her backyard two possum or raccoons that had drowned in one of her garbage cans a few days ago. And some people think that a preachers life is all wine and roses. Could have used some of both last night. Took me back to my days growing up on the farm.

I found a prayer attached to this Psalm 85 in the LBW Ministers Desk Edition.

“God of love and faithfulness, you so loved the world that you gave your only Son to be our Savior. Help us to receive him as both Lord and brother and freely celebrate him as our gracious Redeemer now and forever.” Amen.

Ah, its not about a broken metatarsal or a punctured hand. Its about God’s love and faithfulness in giving Jesus to be our Savior. That’s the peace the psalmist was writing about.

So I guess I’ve written about Psalm 85:8 after all.

More Prophets Needed

More Prophets Needed

In Numbers 11 the Lord tells Moses to select 70 men and bring them to the tent of meeting where He will take some of the Spirit that is on Moses and give it to the 70 elders. They are to help Moses bear the burden of the people. However, two men, Eldad and Medad stay in the camp and miss out. Nevertheless, they begin prophesying when a young man tattles on them Joshua wants to Moses put a stop to it. Moses answers, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets…”

During July and August when pastors go on vacation or take calls to other congregations, one might wish that all the Lord’s people were preachers. OT prophets were the preachers of the day.

Since I accepted the request to begin as vacancy pastor at Pinckneyville/Conant, IL., a vacancy at Festus, Mo has opened up. Furthermore, today I have had telephone calls from Cuba, Mo. and Hannibal asking if I could fill in for a Sunday in August.

As for myself, I will be at my home congregation on July 19^; I needed someone to fill in at Pinckneyville/Conant. I was about to give up when I found someone. Only then did I get two calls from pastors who were willing to take that date. So I used the opportunity to schedule one for the end of August when I will be out for at least one week.

This is a long way getting around to encouraging men to consider studying for the pastoral ministry. When I asked the elder from Hannibal if he had more names on his list, he said he did, but most of them had died.

Nobody is going to get rich as a pastor. But we have job security until we gain our ultimate security in the arms of our risen and living Savior. Most of us are joyful failures at retirement.

Jan Hus

Jan Hus was a Bohemian priest who spoke out against the abuses in the church of hi8s day.  A century later, Luther found a kinship with Hus.  Luther writes that, he had read “the very sensible, noble, Christian booklet (of Hus), the like of which has not been written inn four hundred years.

Hus spoke against withholding the cup in Holy Communion which led to his excommunication, not for heresy but for insubordination toward his archbishop.  He preached against the selling of indulgences; particularly in the light that two rival claimants to the papacy were using the sale of indulgences to raise money for war against one another. 
After being granted a guarantee of safe travel he attended the Council of Contance3 in 1415, where he was convicted and burned at the stake.
His followers became known as the Czech Brethren and later became the Moravian Church.