The Lutheran Review

February 2, What a Day!

By Rev. Ronald Jansen

Several years ago news commentator Harry Reasoner called February the useless month. Though it’s the shortest month, yet it seems the longest. By February, we’re sick of winter and spring is no where in sight. Indeed, when I lived in Minn. and Wis., sometime in February I would inform God that I had been shoveling His snow for at least two months. From now on if He put snow in my driveway, He could see to it that he took away again. God never listened.

Whatever we might think of February, the month starts out in a big way with Ground Hogs Day, the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus and Candlemas.

The 1999 issue of Sundays and Seasons (Augsburg Fortress) brings all three celebrations together.

“Forty days after the birth of Christ we celebrate his presentation in the temple by his parents. Two aged saints, Anna and Simeon, recognize him as the promised messiah. Simeon speaks the words of the beloved Nunc dimittis in which he calls Jesus a “light for the nations.”

This day is also called Candlemas, a traditional time to bless candles for the coming year. An old reading for this festival from Zephaniah contains the line, I will search Jerusalem with candles.

We are midway between winter and spring, and the custom of the groundhog looking for his shadow symbolizes our hope for the coming light and warmth of spring”

Almighty and ever-living God, as Your only begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in the substance of our flesh, grant that we may be presented to You with .pure and clean hearts; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the

Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Conversion of St. Paul

By Rev. Ronald Jansen

To say that the risen Christ appeared to a man named Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus and called him to proclaim the gospel of Christ is an accurate statement. However, it fails to include the dramatic events that accompanied Saul’s turn around.

We first meet Saul standing by at the stoning of Stephen. (Acts 5 & 7). Acts 8:1, “And Saul approved of his execution.” Chapter 9 begins, “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples…” Stephen’s passionate witness to Christ had only inflamed Saul’s sense of urgency that this sect needed to be snuffed out.

With letters from the priest in hand he was on his way to Damascus to search out anyone who might be a follower of the Way when Jesus met him with a blinding light that knocked him to the ground. Now blinded by Jesus, Jesus opened his eyes of faith. At Jesus direction he sought out a follower of the Way named Ananias to whom the Lord had also spoken directing him to seek Saul. At first Ananias was reluctant, wouldn’t you be? But when he found Saul on Straight street, he blessed him with the Holy Spirit. Saul regained his sight. Now he could see with his physical eyes and with the eyes of faith. With his new and renewed eyesight, he was baptized.

Our conversion may not have been accompanied by such dramatic events. However, the same elements, as those in Saul’s case, were present. Jesus confronted a sinner who was in open rebellion against him. The eyes of our faith were still blind. Yet, in our baptism the sinful person was drowned in baptism and also filled with the Holy Spirit.

Immediately following his baptism Saul began to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God. “Jesus is the Christ,” was his message. How long ago were we baptized? What message do we proclaim?

Almighty God, grant us ever to rejoice in the saving light of Your Gospel and, following the example of the apostle Paul, to spread it to the end of the earth; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

St. Timothy

January 24^th is set aside for Timothy. His seminary training under Paul’s mentoring was painful, thorough, exciting, and dramatic.

It was painful because the before leaving Lystra with Paul and Silas, Paul circumcised Timothy. On the other hand, the pain probably didn’t last as long as today’s seminary student suffers learning Hebrew in 9 weeks during summer school.

His seminary training was thorough because their journey began in Lystra, in what is now south central Turkey, and ended in Greece. If you read Acts 16-18, you find that the action moves along quickly. However, if you read with a map of Paul’s second missionary journey in hand, you will find that they traveled at least 850 miles on foot, for the most part. That’s like walking from St. Louis to Baltimore or Denver.

It must have been exciting for young Timothy to travel with Paul and Silas as they sought to discover just where the Holy Spirit would allow them to go. Finally, they end up at the Aegean Sea where Paul has a vision of a man calling them to Macedonia. Can you imagine the discussion that went into the decision to leave Asia and go over into Europe? Then to travel down the east coast of Greece and end up in Athens and then Corinth?

Finally, training was dramatic because he saw churches strengthened through Paul and Silas preaching and teaching. He saw churches established at .places like Philippi and Thessalonica He also witnessed Paul and Silas being beaten and thrown into jail, where the jailer underwent an overnight conversion.

Timothy absorbed what Paul had to teach. Eventually, Paul sent him back to Thessalonica to pastor that beleaguered congregation. Truly Timothy learned how to “fight the good fight” and to “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” (I Timothy 6:11-16)

Lord Jesus Christ, You have always given to Your Church on earth faithful shepherds such as Timothy to guide and feed Your Flock. Make all pastors diligent to preach Your holy Word and administer Your means of grace, and grant Your people wisdom to follow in the way that leads to life eternal; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Sarah

By Rev. Ronald Jansen

Now wasn’t it thoughtful that LSB would set aside a special day just for my daughter?

Of course in our family we have a daughter-in-law named Sara, too. Furthermore, my nephew, Dan, has a daughter also named Sarah. To all the Sarahs, however their name might be spelled, give a cheer.

To be more realistic I suppose the LSB hymnal committee had in mind that other Sarah, the one who started out as Sarai back some 4,000 years ago. The first time we hear of Sarai is that she is Abram’s wife and is barren. The next time we hear of her is that Abram passes her off as his sister in Egypt in order to save his own skin. Since she was a beautiful woman, she attracted the attention of the men of the royal family of Egypt. Somehow pharaoh figured out that the plagues that descended upon them were from the Lord and were connected to Sarai being in his house. Whereupon Abram and Sarai were sent packing.

The next thing we hear of Sarai is that she barren she hands over her maid, Hagar to Abram. Abram, being a man and husband, listened to his wife. Soon Hagar was pregnant. Howe3ver, that idea didn’t work out and still causes trouble since the descendants of Hagar and Abraham’s son, Ishmael, still lay claim to the same land as Abraham and Sarah’s son.

Eventually, God changes Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah. He also .promises a son to this now elderly couple. Sarah was eavesdropping behind the tent flap. When she heard the promise of a son to Abraham and her, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Well, you know the rest of the story. Isaac, “laughing boy” was born to them. Abraham again passes off his more than 90 year old wife as his sister (Gen. 20). Sarah dies at age 127. Abraham bought a burial site east of Hebron, a kind of down payment of land promised to him by the Lord.

To say the least, Sarai/Sarah lived an interesting and full life in her 127 years.

Rivalries

 

By Rev. Ronald Jansen

Remember those high school rivalries? I do. Turtle Lake had rivals in Prairie Farm, Shell Lake and Clear Lake. However, nothing matched the rivalry with Clayton just five miles down highway 63. I remember clearly the last-second-half-court-shot one of our players made that put us up by 10 points at half time. Hah, we knew it. Those Clayton Bears were no match for the Lakers. But alas, Clayton came back in the second half and won. Bill Gates, our Principal for over 25 years, railed in the Assembly next morning. “I can count the number of times Clayton has beaten Turtle Lake on one hand.”

Well, I think it was rivalry between Cana and Nazareth that caused Nathanael to say, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip had just told him about Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Philip, who was from Bethsaida on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, wasn’t about to get mixed up in some local Galilean rivalry. He simply invited Nate, “Come and See.”

After talking with Jesus, Nate not only recognized that something good had come out of Nazareth, but that Jesus was the ultimate good. He confessed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Nathanael became the fifth of Jesus’ disciples.

Nathanael would also come to see that the Son of God would be lifted up on the cross for him. Above his head there would be a sign, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Jesus of Nazareth is not only good for the Jews but for all humanity.

Lord, lead me like Philip to invite even the skeptics to come and see Jesus. Then lead those who have their doubts about you to confess you in faith as Son of God and King of all people. Amen

-Rev. Ronald A. Jansen

Within the Father’s House

This morning we sang the hymn “Within the Father’s House.” (LSB 410, LW 80, TLH 133) I picked the hymn, however, I had not look at the words until we sang it just prior to the sermon. I find too often that I sing a hymn and once I close the hymnal I have no idea what I sang. I’m using this time to review what I sang this morning.

When the 12-year-old Jesus entered into the Temple, even though he had come from his home in Nazareth, He found his true home. Suddenly the Lord of life was present. Yet the secret of who he really was escapes everyone there. Even Mary and Joseph don’t know and understand. Even you and I, who ponder in our hearts Jesus our Lord of life, “wait the full epiphany.”

In stanza 5, the author James Woodford, leads us to prayer.

Lord, visit Thou our souls and teach us by Thy grace

each dim revealing of Thyself with loving awe to trace

till we behold Thy face and know as we are known

Thee, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, coequal three in One.

The best we can ever do is have a dim picture of the full import of who Jesus is and what he did and still does for us. Even those dim pictures are revealed to us by God, because, as the hymn writer says in stanza 3, The secret of the Lord escapes each human eye. Thus we pray in the Epiphany Collect, “Lead us, who know you by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence.” In the meantime we await the full epiphany.

Clement of Rome

November 23^rd is the day set aside for Clement of Rome. He was third bishop of Rome and served at the end of the first century. He is best remembered for a letter he wrote in 96 to the congregation in Corinth. They were still a fractious group still having difficulties with divisions in spite of Paul’s letters to them which we find in the New Testament. Remember, they had problems with seeking status on the basis of who baptized whom. They had difficulties with the resurrection, with marriage and morality, and they had made a shambles of the Lord’s supper. The gifts of the Spirit caused some to promote themselves over others.

Now thirty years after Paul, some of the younger Christians revolted against the older leader in the congregation. Clement’s letter is a model of pastoral concern. He writes, “Love…has no limits to its endurance, bears everything patiently. Love is neither servile nor arrogant. It does not promote schisms or form cliques, but always acts in harmony with others.”

Clement’s letter reminds us that divisions within the church are a sad part of our history and that pastoral love for people must be present amid our differing views. His letter was well received and read often. It was also widely distributed and regarded in some area as part of sacred scripture.

Elizabeth

When I was a pastor in Collinsville, IL, there were two hospitals in the area named St. Elizabeth. They were named after the Elizabeth we are remembering today.

Elizabeth, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary, was born in 1207. At the age of 14 she was married to the Landgrave of Thuringia in central Germany. The family lived in Wartburg Castle near Eisenach. (Wartburg Castle is where, in 1521, Martin Luther was taken for his protection after the Diet of Worms) Elizabeth gave away large sums of money, including her dowry, for relief of the poor and sick. She founded hospitals, cared for orphans and used the royal food supplies to feed the hungry. Nevertheless, she was not popular within the royal court. When her husband died of the plague in 1227, she was driven out. After she saw to it that her children were provided for, she join the order of St. Francis on Good Friday 1228.

She was treated ruthlessly by her confessor, living in extreme austerity. She died on November 27, 1231 at the age of 24. Because of her life of generosity many hospitals are named after her.

Elizabeth is a pattern for us as we hear the gospel for next Sunday, Matthew 25: 31-46. Jesus comes in all his glory to judge the world. To those who have been blessed by the Father through Jesus death and resurrection, Christ the King says, “I was hungry and you gave me food…I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

Ten Most Quoted, No. 2

John 8:32, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

These words of Jesus are not only among the most quoted; they are also among the most misquoted or misapplied. I’ve heard them used on a sports broadcast when one announcer corrects another.

Jesus said something similar in 8:12 when early one morning some scribes and Pharisees brought him a woman caught in the act of adultery. He prevented them from stoning her. Then he said to them, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Like the pillar in the desert Jesus, as the light of the world, draws people out of the darkness of death. He is the one and only light that draws us to the light of life.

Similarly, remaining in Jesus’ words gives knowledge, that is, experience of truth. The truth is the content of the words of Jesus. The content of His words is that he, and only he, frees from the slavery to sin. Slavery to sin is the condition of anyone who commits sin. The only way to be free from slavery to sin is to know the truth, which is the good news of Jesus, who is the truth himself.

Lord, keep me faithful to your word of truth that I may be set free from slavery to sin and live in your light free of the darkness of death. Amen.

The Second Martin

November 9^th is the birth date of Martin Chemnitz. Just who is Martin Chemnitz? Born in 1522 he lived until 1586. A favorite adage concerning him is, “If Martin (Chemnitz) had not come along, Martin (Luther) would hardly have survived.” Thus he is known as the “Second Martin.”

After Luther died in 1546, the Catholic elements took measures to try to suppress the Lutherans. Under this pressure and having lost the strong leadership of Luther himself, the Lutherans fell into dissension and bitter dispute. Martin Chemnitz, among others, sought to bring peace and unity of doctrine to the fractured followers of Martin Luther.

After thirty years of division, Chemnitz was one of the authors of the Formula of Concord which became the final writing in the Book of Concord which contains the doctrinal basis for Lutheran teaching.

Though he originally studied mathematics at university, he later shifted to teaching himself theology. He was 32 years old when was ordained a pastor.

The sum of his writings is huge. Many of his writings were not translated into English until the latter half of the 20^th century.

In the light of much of the emphasis today on uniting ourselves to the spiritual, Chemnitz sets out clearly the biblical, and thus the Christian, means of union between God and us.

“For Christ, both God and man must lay hold on us in order that there be a union between Him and us.