Real Schools WILL Be Open

I was infuriated as the Chicago Sun-Times reported: “Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said at a dramatic 10 p.m. Sunday press conference. ‘Real school will not be open [Monday].’”

Seriously?!  “Real” schools?!  There are thousands of teachers, students, and families in parochial schools who will beg to differ.

In my own Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, a network of 2,444 top-notch schools spans this nation – real schools with high standards of excellence!  Historically, the standards set by our schools not only meet, but exceed that of their public counterparts.  In the 19^th century, while many public schools had teachers with 8^th grade educations, our Lutheran schools insisted on a Normal School education, equivalent to two years of college, which they received either in Addison (or later, River Forest), Illinois or Seward, Nebraska.  In addition to the reading, writing, and arithmetic, history, geography, spelling, music, art history & appreciation, etc., while many public school children might have learned *a* foreign language, our students were at least learning German, English, Latin, with some of our schools adding French, Greek, and Hebrew to boot!  In the 21^st century, where funds allow, state-of-the-art technology is used and experienced.  Due to the quality of education, many states simply accept the accreditation of our real Lutheran school system, because it exceeds their own requirements for accreditation.

Families in real Lutheran schools are not there because they think they are better than anyone, or because it is somehow easier than public school; neither is true.  Families come to our schools and stay, knowing that there are smaller schools with faculties that really know their children, providing them an excellent environment in which to be challenged and grow academically, spiritually, and emotionally, in a safe, Christ-centered context.

To Union President Karen Lewis I would say:  “Madame, you are very wrong. Sixteen very real schools of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, as well as several other Lutheran schools, many Roman Catholic schools, and a number of other private schools are quite open.  These safe, welcoming communities of real learning are praying for you to solve your labor differences, without begrudging the fact that your teachers already (on an average) are making *double* the salary that ours are.  Still, most of them would much rather remain where they are, required extra-curriculars and all, knowing the mutual love, concern, and encouragement they receive from very real colleagues, families, and students.

Fear Not; I AM: A Homily on Mark 6:45-56

Mark 6:45-56

9^th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 12

29 July 2012

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The sea.  It is not always the image of peace and tranquility.  You prefer to think of happy times in a sail boat, a fun water taxi on the Chicago River, or a peaceful fishing boat on a small lake.  Maybe even smaller waters, such as the British pool in which Ryan Lochte has earned his gold medal.  But it can be dark, and deep, and deadly.  And so it is that you try to forget about the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Titanic, or the all-but-forgotten Amalia, which carried dozens of Lutherans on their way to America in 1838.

The wind.  Not the Hebrew "ruach" or Greek "pneuma" -- words that are associated with the work of the Holy Spirit.  This is a different word for wind.  One that can be associated with the prince of this world and the so-called "kingdom of the air" -- Satan and all his demonic forces.  "The wind was against them."  Indeed, the devil and all his evil minions could not stand that these men had just witnessed and received from the Lord in this amazing miracle.  All hell was breaking loose to terrify these disciples, so they might consider abandoning Jesus, or maybe, if the demons were lucky, the men would drown and that would harm Jesus' mission.

The wind works against you here and now.  It lashes out against Olympic gymnasts in discouragement, when they fall from the high bar, or Olympic swimmers when they get fourth in the 400 meter. It blows against you as needed repairs to church facilities pop up.  It hurls it's forces against you in budget shortfalls. It gusts against you as  illness or lack of strength.

And all too often you let it win.  You get discouraged from hardships and throw your hands in the air, saying, "Why is life so unfair?!" You feel beaten down.  You accept the deceit as truth and let the devil make you feel defeated.

The disciples are in this boat, while Jesus goes upon the mountain to pray, just like He was planning before He fed the thousands.  They are out there, and the sea gets rougher, the wind gets stronger, and they are full of fear.  They are giving in to the thoughts of the evil overcoming them.  Scared to death, they are fearing all kinds of evil when they see the form walking toward them.

 

It looks like a man walking upon the water. "It is a ghost!" they cry.  And not some cute, harmless ghost like a cartoon.  This is not Caspar the friendly ghost, or some "grim, grinning ghost, come out to socialize" at Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion.  They fear it is an evil, demonic spirit who would harm them. 

You are full of fear too.  You fear crime.  You fear psychotic grad students, breaking into movie theaters and unleashing evil.  You fear financial troubles or job loss.  You fear trouble in your family or having no friends.  You fear for your health.  Whatever it is that you fear, it comes from a lack of trust that the Lord will provide and protect you.  It becomes a lack of faith.

But then they see Him.  The disciples in the boat, with the wind driving against them, see a figure coming toward them on the sea.  It is Jesus!  Jesus, walking upon the sea!

Doing this, Jesus is clearly demonstrating that He is far more powerful than any so-called "god" of the sea.  He was crushing such evil spirits underfoot as He tread the waves.

Our Lord treads the waves of the devil's discouragements, distractions, and deceit.  He is triumphant, and when He speaks "Fear not!" it is not a wish or prayer, it makes it happen!  As Jesus says these words, He speaks courage into the disciples.  He causes the devil to tremble.

"Fear not.  It is I." Only He doesn't say, "It is I." He actually says, "I AM!" there it is again.  The holy and personal name of the Lord God.  I AM.  There He is, I AM, stomping down the false god of the sea and treading through the devilish wind.  The Lord Himself is defeating these enemies.

It is interesting that from the earliest days of the Church, it has been understood that St. Mark records Peter's preaching.  Peter omits this embarrassing detail of the episode, when Jesus calls him to join the Savior on the waves.

Peter says, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Not simply, "If it really is you, Jesus," but "if it really is You, the Lord God, I AM, Creator and God of Israel." Jesus is not simply showing He has power and can do great miracles; this event gives witness that He is indeed God!

The Lord God tramples upon Satan for you, too.  He has trampled upon him with absolute completion at the cross.  There on that cross, Christ walked straight into hell and accomplished your salvation.  He marched in, rescued you, who were rightfully His, and delivered you from those enemies of sin, death, and hell.

As He burst from His now-empty tomb, Christ crushed the head of the serpent He was stepping on, and kicked death out of your lives.  As He leads you through the valley of the shadow of death, He keeps walking, with the sea of death underfoot, and He pulls you out to life everlasting.

Thanks be to God, our dear Lord Jesus is the Lord "I AM" in the flesh.  He has rescued you as He walked upon this earth to His cross and tomb.  And now He delivers that rescue to you, as He walks upon the waters of baptism, the words of His preaching, and the bread and wine that feed His Body and Blood to you.  Amen.

You Give Them Something to Eat: A Homily on Mark 6:30-44

Mark6:30-44

8th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 11

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

It's intimidating.  Imagine if there were no concessions of sale, and half of the fans at Wrigley Field were famished, all at the same time.  And all you have are five small loves of bread, and two small fish.  You might be looking for a way to sneak out, rather than feed them.

"Hold on," you say.  "Wrigley holds a lot more than 5,000."  Yes, it does.  But our Lord tells us there were 5,000 men in today's text.  Women and children were there in addition, and biblical scholars conservatively estimate the multitude to have been around 20,000 -- about half of Wrigley's 41,210 capacity.

So it's intimidating.  The disciples are getting nervous about what to do, and Jesus says, "You give them something to eat."  "Lord!  What are you saying?!"  The apostles are struck with fear, overwhelmed.  Jesus has just commanded them to feed the people, and they can do nothing to make that happen.

But Jesus can.  And He does.  Your loving Lord multiplies those loaves and fishes, and gives them to His apostles to give to the people.  He had the crowds sit in groups of 50 or 100, just like synagogs, and receive His nourishment that He gave through His ministers.

The Word of the Lord, "You give them something to eat," struck fear in the hearts of the disciples.  They doubted anything could be done.  They lacked trust that God would provide.  They were so overwhelmed by the gigantic size of the crowd when He gave His command, that they did not recognize His promise to provide the gifts needed.

You too.  The Word of the Lord can simply strike fear in you.  You often doubt God.  You look at the budget needs at home and here at church, and lack trust that He will provide.  You become overwhelmed by the gigantic size of debts, and salaries, and governmental mandates that drive up insurance costs, that you do not recognize His promise to provide the gifts needed.  Your trust in Jesus as your provider falters.  You hear the news of disturbed gunmen, and become fearful of something as simple as going to the movies.

Yet the One who is the Bread of Life nourishes you with forgiveness, life, and salvation, in spite of your lack of trust.  He feeds you Himself, even when you doubt Him and find the things and people of this world intimidating.  He fills you with His flesh and blood, that you may be freed from fear.

Really?  How can you be free from fear when some deranged mad man can walk into a theater and unleash violent chaos and dole out death?  How can you not be intimidated by lunatics who prey upon unsuspecting civilians?  Because God is Sovereign and in control?  No.  He is, but that is not what can calm and give you peace.  Jesus Christ has become Man for you, and suffered and died to take away your sin.  That is why you have peace with God, and no matter what befalls you, you know you are forgiven and saved.  You have the sure and certain hope of the resurrection that conquers any tragedy that the devil and the world may throw at you.

This morning, you witnessed Christ Jesus delivering the calm and peace that He alone gives.  Through the saving waters of Holy Baptism, these children were just rescued from the devil, and all the harm he attempts to inflict in this life.  Jesus snatched them from the clutches of Satan, and has assured them of eternal salvation.  Each of them, like you, have become God's own child.

And you, baptized children of God, are fed and nourished with Bread from heaven, the Body of Christ.  He gives you His very body and blood, filling you with Himself, that you may have life, and have it abundantly.  He sits you in green pastures, in His congregation, and tells His pastors all over the world, "You give them something to eat."  And He places His Word into their mouths and His Blessed Sacrament in their hands, that they may deliver the Bread of Life to His people. He feeds you.  He preserves you.  He "keeps your going out and your coming in, from this time forth, and even forevermore."  Amen.

Jesus Rises in Your Marriage: The Wedding Homily for Matt and Tiffany Pahnke

Holy Marriage of Matthew and Tiffany Carroll Pahnke

23 June 2012

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

So here we are, what seemed like endless months, even years, and we are finally here...26 days until the release of Dark Knight Rises.  Ok, maybe that isn't what you have been waiting for so intensely -- at least not the highest priority.

But there has been waiting.  Anticipation.  A looking forward to all that God will do as He brings you together as husband and wife. You already have become such a part of each other's life, that it is difficult for each to think about what it was like without the other.

Perhaps you imagined it for a brief instant when the deputy county clerk told you that the wedding license department was closed until August.  Good thing he was joking.

"It is not good that the man should be alone."  Nor the woman.  The Lord God has made you, and redeemed you, yet you have been incomplete.  There was something missing, or rather, someone.  In terms of faith and salvation, all has been made good in Christ.  But you lacked someone to share that with -- a husband or wife to be united with, in the Lord.

And so, as the Perfect Bridegroom Jesus is joined to His Bride, the Church, so He brings Matt the Bridegroom and joins him to his bride, Tiffany.  Christ was first united with His bride at His cross, and continues to unite with her at His altar.  At this same altar, He joins you.  Matthew is leaving his father and mother to be joined to his wife, before the holy altar of the Lord, where the Word of the Lord is proclaimed, His Body and Blood are fed to His Bride, and you return week after week to receive Him.

And week after week, you are comforted with the message of the Gospel you just heard.  Just as the wedding at Cana was blessed with Jesus' presence, and did not run out of wine, so your wedding and marriage is bless by Jesus' presence, and will never run out of Jesus!

Will you always be the perfect husband or perfect wife?  Will you constantly see your spouse as the greatest gift from God, aside from salvation through Christ?   Sadly, no.  You will find times when you would rather sit and watch Frasier reruns, rather than do what your husband would like to do.  Or when you would like to spend some extra cash on a collectible piece of movie memorabilia, while your wife feels a need to spend on some clothes or household items, or even to save. 

But don't worry.  Fear not.  Your loving Lord does not leave you stuck in your selfishness or doomed in disunity.  Our Savior has brought you together, and united you in faith, and now is uniting you in heart, body, and mind.  He pours out His mercy, forgiveness, and love, and leads you to do the same.  And a Christian marriage will always thrive as the husband and wife, children of God, receive and give that mercy, forgiveness, and love.

You already know the strength of your marriage before it has officially begun.  Your relationship is not just about each of you as individuals.  Believe it or not, your marriage is not even about you as a couple.  It is about husband, wife, and Jesus Christ. 

The Lord Jesus is the third (and most important) One in this relationship.  He is the true and perfect Hero who is risen.  He has rescued you from the devil, the world, and your sinful self, and keeps bringing you back to this altar to receive that mercy, forgiveness, and love from Him through His Gospel and Sacraments.  He brings you to this very altar rail, where you will never run out of Jesus, and where He feeds you forgiveness, life, and salvation, at His wedding feast of love.  And that is the foundation of your ideal marriage in the Lord.  Amen.

A Sense of the Holy! Holy! Holy!: A Homily for Holy Trinity Sunday

Feast of the Holy Trinity

3 June 2012

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You have lost all sense of holiness, if you are like most 21^st century Americans; and you are.  Over the years, the honor, respect, and awe regarding things and places set aside for the Lord’s purposes, have diminished. 

The seraphim -- these angels placed by the Lord God to guard the heavenly throne -- even these sinless, perfect beings keep their faces bowed, and dare not gaze into the face of God.  While you don't often think twice about carrying in your coffee, or not silencing your cell phone, of worrying more about the fellowship that will follow the service in the Lord's house.  You begin feeling pretty casual and comfortable in your sin.  Yet it takes the formal, deliberate action of your Savior to deliver you.

Isaiah recognized this.  As God gave him the vision to see into heaven's throne room, Isaiah almost falls to pieces.  He recognizes that he is a sinner.  He understands that the Lord is holy and perfect.  He knows that being present there should destroy his mortal flesh, and he grieves.

My friends, you too are men and women of unclean lips, who live in the midst of a people of unclean lips.  Nothing in you is worth saving.  Nothing, that is, until the Lord has come to you and made you worth saving.

The imagery surrounds you.  Books, films, and art immerse you in Baptism, even whether the artist realizes it, or not.  In the novel and musical, Les Misérables, as Eponine lays, dying in the arms of the young hero Marius, it begins to rain.  They speak of it as cleansing and washing – and with this reassuring water, she falls asleep in Jesus.  The water is the reminder of Baptism, giving one hope for this tragic character.

At the conclusion of Disney’s The Lion King, the parched, devastated land is dismal and seems to promise only death.  Yet at the conclusion, after a great battle of good and evil, heavy rains ensue.  The water washes away all traces of death and destruction – even to the point of dry bones being swept away in the currents.  Although the film is not teaching Christianity by any means, there are definite baptismal undertones here.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast did the same thing.  The dead Beast lies on the pavement surrounding the castle.  While the movie would say it was the magic of love, rain is falling as Beast is suddenly raised up from death, and made a new creature. This certainly can make one mindful of when God raised you from death and made you a new creature in water, with His Word.

These moments of entertainment call to mind the greater reality of what God has done.  The Holy Trinity has delivered you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, plunging you into the waters of the font, forgiving, rescuing, and giving salvation, as He raises your new creature out of those waters.  He took those baptismal currents, and swept you out of death, into life.

First, you are born of the flesh.  Born of a flesh that does not want to attend the Divine Service every single Sunday, and receive the Lord’s Body and Blood.  Born of a flesh that does not care to gather with the Church for Bible Study week after week.  Born of a flesh that does not really care about being a wise and faithful steward.  Born of a flesh that would rather gossip, and tear down reputations, rather than defend and speak well of others, explaining everything in the kindest way.  When it comes down to it, you are a mess, sitting in this fleshly filth.

But your Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts does not leave you to your own devices, left in the death and destruction of your first birth.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit grant you new birth – you are born from above, into new life in Him!  And that is an amazing miracle!

At His holy font, miracles are always taking place!  Christ sends the Holy Spirit to make you children of the Heavenly Father.  He calls you by name and places His holy Name upon you: “In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  When He does this, He joins the Word of God to that water, and literally bathes you in salvation.  He cleanses your flesh, rescues, and washes you in forgiveness.  He begins transforming your life, giving you the new birth – born again of water and the Spirit!

What a joyous gift!  You are not stuck simply having been born of the flesh.  Dear friends in Christ, you have been born again of water and the spirit!  So rejoice!  You have the same joy as the apostles, as all the faithful bishops of the Council in Nicea, and of St. Athanasius: our Blessed and Holy Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has called you out of darkness and caused you to be born again of water and the spirit!  And in this baptism, the Holy Spirit has given you the faith of the church catholic, that you may be saved. 

Having been given that faith by the Holy Spirit, He renews in you a sense of the holy.  So even when in the forest preserve in shorts and t-shirts, you are aware that the Lord God of the universe is more than your softball buddy, or master of bar-b-queuing on the grill.  You are filled with wonder and awe that He would come to you and give you new birth and life in Him!

Now you do not approach the throne of God with dread and terror, fearing that your body might even disintegrate.  No.  Now you approach His throne, knowing it is the very place where the Father sends the Spirit to place the body and blood of the Son in you, that your body might be prepared to be glorified and stand before Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.  This is most certainly true!  Amen.

The Agent Who Brings Your Hero: A Homily for Pentecost

Feast of Pentecost  

27 May 2012

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Agent Phil Coulson is a national hero.  At least, in Marvel Comics.  But he is not in the limelight. He is not noticed by the public.  Agent Coulson is perfectly happy to do the background and behind-the-scenes work, while Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the rest end up saving the day.  He himself admires these heroes, and would be the first to tell you not to pay attention to him, but to the Avengers.

In a similar, but infinitely greater way, the Holy Spirit is God.  Yet He is not in the limelight.  He is not noticed much.  He is perfectly happy to do the background and behind-the-scenes work in giving and strengthening and sustaining your faith, as Christ Jesus saves you.  Even though He is equal to God the Son, the Spirit would tell you not to focus your attention on Him,but on Christ alone.

Here we are.  Ten days after the Ascension.  Jesus had told the Eleven to wait in Jerusalem until He sent them the Gift that would come on this very day; the Holy Spirit Himself!  He taught them a great deal about the Spirit, as He prayed and promised them on the night before He died.  Now, it was finally coming to pass.

The children of God were receiving the Spirit of the Lord, and were prophesying, just as the Prophet Joel had foretold.  Through this gift of speaking in languages they had never studied, the Lord was taking His Gospel, and spreading it to great numbers of people, very swiftly!

The Spirit was using this Word of God to breathe new life into vast armies of dry bones, as He took those who had languished, waiting for God to act throughout the centuries.  Now, He had, and now, He resuscitated them, breathing life and immortality to them as a gift through Christ Jesus!

The Lord God provided this Feast of Pentecost in His Old Testament Church to anticipate this very day that the disciples were now experiencing.  This harvest festival was 50 days after Passover.  Now, 50 days after the ultimate Passover, the Holy Spirit was harvesting thousands in faith for the Lord.  No one could see Him or touch Him, but the Holy Spirit was and is working through God's means.

Pentecost would now be remembered for the event it had anticipated; this harvest of faithful, which the Lord reaped through the preaching of St. Peter and the others.  Yes, it was the work of the Spirit, but He does not magically work by Himself.  The Spirit gave words to Peter to preach.  And He worked through the Baptism that washed some 3,000 people into God's kingdom that day. 

There are many who would try to persuade you that the Spirit is working when you can feel it.  That somehow your heart is burning, or you have some calming peace.  Well, He may give you some reassurance like that, but He never promises it. 

What He does promise is to work through the Means of Grace.  He will work through every Baptism to deliver forgiveness, rescue, and salvation.  He will attend the preaching of Christ's Gospel, so that the Word of God is spoken clearly and work through that Law and Gospel to bring forgiveness and life.  He will be at that altar, bringing the body and blood of Christ Jesus to you, that you may eat and drink forgiveness, life, and salvation.

You fall into the same traps.  You can end up talking about the Holy Spirit as if He is your imaginary friend.  You grieve God when you look for this Spirit where He is not to be found.  And you grieve Him when you pay too much attention to the Spirit, rather than Christ!  Don't start looking for gifts that were not promised beyond the generation of the apostles.  Nothing will come of that, except perhaps, the wasting away to dry bones, while you look away from the renewing and refreshing and reviving Word.

Christ is the perfect and ultimate hero, who has rescued you, not from some alien invasion, but from yourself, and the pains of hell that you were courting.  And the Holy Spirit is the agent who brings you into contact with your divine Hero, bringing you to be rescued.  

Thanks be to God, who sends His agent to deliver Jesus to you, that you may be His, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.  Amen.

Up with Jesus: A Homily for Ascension Day

Luke24:44-53

Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord

17 May 2012

Concordia University -- Chicago

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

A few years ago, Disney and Pixar released the film, Up!  In the film, Carl, a widower, sets out on an adventure to keep a promise to his beloved, late wife, Ellie.  He ties a great number of balloons to his  Victorian, until the house rises.  As he and his house ascend from the old neighborhood, and set out for his destination, the lonely widower seems to think he will feel closer to her.

Jesus, as He draws His earthly pilgrimage to a close, sets out on the ultimate adventure to keep His promise to His beloved Bride, the Church.  As He ascends from the Mount of Olives,  and sets out for His heavenly destination, Jesus goes away, in order to actually be closer with her.

There is the blessed paradox.  Jesus goes away, in order to be closer to you.  Now, He in His risen and glorified and ascended body, can keep His promise and be with you always, in His Baptism, preaching, and Holy Supper. 

As He walked this earth before His suffering and death, Jesus was in one place at a time.  He confined Himself to the normal earthly limits that we face, of just being in one location.  Now, after He is risen and ascended, His glorified body is at the right hand of the Father.  The Father is everywhere, and so is His right hand.  And Jesus promises to be wherever His Gospel is proclaimed and where His Sacraments are given. 

In the film, Carl and Ellie had admired an early 20th century adventurer and explorer. In the end, he turned out to be quite deceptive and evil.  Life can be full of Charles Muntzes, looking appealing, seeking your admiration, and promising adventure, but with hearts far from the Lord. 

Do not give in.  Do not fall for the tricks and lies of such deceivers.  Do not seek the Lord where He does not promise to be.   When you stand, gazing into heaven, looking for some bodiless, spiritualized, ghostly Jesus, you ignore Him in the very body where He promises to be located. 

In the holy font, your baptized and ascended Lord comes to you, and washes you into salvation.  From the pulpit, Jesus locates Himself in the preaching of your pastor.  On His holy altar, Christ Jesus places His holy Body and Blood in and with the bread and wine, removing all doubt that the risen and ascended Lord is come in the flesh!  And now that He is ascended, your risen and glorified Lord makes Himself located in these many places, all at once.

Your Old Adam yearns for excitement and adventure, imagining that life should be full of grand and amazing moments like the Ascension.  But remember the truth contained in the note in Ellie's scrap book: "Thank you for the grand adventure."  Carl thought he had not given here any adventures, and was sad that life had been so ordinary.  But really,it was a marvelous adventure. 

Your life in Christ is that, and even more.  When He comes in His Word and Sacraments, it seems so ordinary, and like there is no adventure or excitement.  But the joy of your Ascended Savior is that by coming through such ordinary means, he gives you the grand adventure of forgiveness, life, and salvation, blessing you until this same Jesus that was carried up into heaven, returns and gathers His bride the Church for an eternal, holy, and grand adventure.  Amen.