Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity (30 Sept. 2018)

Rule Number One...

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?  Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.  Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.  Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.  For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.  He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.  Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.  You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.  He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.  Deuteronomy 10:12-21

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!  Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!  The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.  Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.  What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?  Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.  Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.  The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.  The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.  When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.  He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.  Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.  The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.  Psalm 34:8-22

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-- even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-- so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him.  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"  And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."  Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The son of David."  He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls Him Lord, saying, "'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet"'?  If then David calls Him Lord, how is He his son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask Him any more questions.  Matthew 22:34-46

Much of the time, we want to either make the Law "go away" or fit into nice, neat categories we can accomplish on our own.  We think "if I can do this, then God will like me," or some other equally silly and shortsighted thing.

But there is some truth to the notion that there are different "degrees" of Law.  In the time of Israel under the Sinai covenant, there were Civic, Ceremonial, and Religious laws.  Some of these were tired into the covenant, while others were only for the "state."  The foundation, though, was the moral Law written on every person's heart.  It is this Law, broken in Eden, that condemns us to hell.  It is this Law that is stated plainly in the Ten Commandments.

Except, it isn't.

The religious leaders of the Jews through they knew the Law.  In fact, they though they knew the Law so well that they could stump Jesus.  "Which of the Ten is the best?"  Jesus, the author of the Law, sets everything on its head.  Or rather, sets everything back the way it was meant to be.

There are only two Laws: Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor.  The buzzwords for these two Laws are the "First and Second Table," because Ten Commandments, and all other law, both divinely instated and composed by humanity, are founded upon them.

The First Table is denoted in the First, Second, and Third Commandments, although breaking any of the Ten breaks the First: you shall have no other gods.  This is because any infraction against God's Law is placing our trust and worship in something or someone who is not God, and therefore not worthy of our fear, love, and trust.

The Second Table is the Fourth through Tenth Commandments, and express how we, as God's people, are to live holy, blameless, and pleasing lives.  These express how we are to live vocationally (the Fourth), care for our neighbor (Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh), and refrain from seeking that which does not belong to us (Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth), be it physical items, honor, or relationships.

In this light, when viewed through the Cross, we see the Law as not a burden that must be completed, but a way of life we are free to strive after.  But we are only able to seek this because Christ is Lord, both of the Gospel and the Law.  They are not diametrically opposed.  They do not stand in conflict.  They are not even in balance, like some eastern philosophy.

Rather the Law and the Gospel are constantly at play, fully.  Both are good, but one is tasked with condemning sin to its rightful place, hell, and the other is the free gift of God that saves us from our own faulty self-righteousness that can never save.

Mail Call - 10

28 Sept., 2018

Adam Baumann
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fall Quarter, 2018-2019


16-28 Sept. 2018

Seminary field work assignments were given out on the 24th.  I was placed at Emmaus Lutheran Church and School in Fort Wayne.

Yay.

Work will start off slow, mostly observation initially, then some assisting with readings and such, especially once Liturgics is finished.  So keeping my shoes polished will be a must, and finding a long-sleeved clerical shirt, since it's starting to cool off here.

It might sound like a broken record, but stuff is moving fast.  We just finished week four, out of ten in the quarter.  In the next two to three weeks I have a couple exams, a couple papers, a few quizzes, and reciting the stanzas of the Advent hymn "Savior of the Nations, Come."  And the weekly Gospel pericope translation from the Greek.  So much fun.

I've gotten to meet a USAF reserve chaplain and find out more about the process.  I've gotten to listen to a student of Herman Sasse talk about this most recent theological powerhouse.  And as this post is published, there is a conference on Lutheranism and Classical Philosophy happening with a number of "big names" often heard on Issues, Etc., like Dr. Angus Menuge.  We actually went and listened to his presentation as part of Dogmatics class, and got some good stuff.  A few weeks from now I'm even participating in a satirical theological disputation.  All that's missing is getting to sit at the lunch table with Pres. Harrison.

And we're not even half way through the first quarter.

---

Here's a few quotes from Dr. Menuge's presentation that I thought were worth chewing on (and what I could get written down as I was frantically listened):

• "Paradox is fine if truth is paradoxical."
• "The paradox of the God-man answers the paradox of Man, who cannot be what he ought be."
• "Luther's critique of the limitations of unaided reason and his openness to higher input of God's word are surprisingly rational."

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity (23 Sept. 2018)

No Honor Among Humans

Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, "Come up here," than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?  Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another's secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end.  A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.  Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.  Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.  Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.  Proverbs 25:6-14

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us."  He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.  Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill."  I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you.  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.  You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."  Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.  Psalm 2

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  Ephesians 4:1-6

One Sabbath, when He went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching Him carefully.  And behold, there was a man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"  But they remained silent. Then He took him and healed him and sent him away.  And He said to them, "Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?"  And they could not reply to these things.  Now He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this person,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  Luke 14:1-11

It seems, in spite of Western Societies infatuation with Eastern culture and philosophy-religions, the idea of "honor" is still belittled.

"Honor" in the West is something to be gained.  We work to be honored.  We revel in it.  Simply watch any of the award shows.  Or visit any "hall of fame," or even a museum dedicated to a specific person.  There is an extremely fine line between holding up someone's live and accomplishments are worthy of note and with self-gratifying worship.  Actors, musicians, and athletes make stupidly long and wordy speeches to all the people they want to "thank," when all they are doing is say "look at all these people who made me great, and I am great, aren't I?"  Politicians, journalists, professors, they all do it too.

In the East, "honor" is something deserved.  It is a showing of subservience.  Someone has earned honor by their actions or sayings, and that honor is untouchable.  And if that honor is belittled, it must be regained by a show of force.  This is seen most harshly in eras of Japanese and Chinese culture, where a perceived "dishonoring" leads to feuds that would rival the Hatfields and McCoys in violence, death, and stupidity.  And the smallest, most insignificant thing, is considered "dishonorable."

In the West, honor is sought for the culture's ultimate idol: ourself.  In the East, honor is to be given to that culture's ultimate idol: honor.

Either way, it is a worship of self.

St. Paul, the Psalmist, the Teacher, and the Word Himself all teach contrary to that foolish notion.  The "slant" each has is a little different, though three of them have parallel.

St. Paul is the one who focuses on himself.  Not because he's seeking to be honored, but to point out that the whole body of Christ is not to seek after honor, which can only be gained at the expense of others.  Rather, we are to be humble, since honor is only for God.

Through the Psalmist and the Teacher, we learn that those who are of the world seek to gain honor at the expense of God, if that were even possible.  But in human arrogance, we seek to put aside those "silly superstitions" that hold us back from our ability to be the best we can be.  And if we can become the "best we can be," then we will be honored for achieving what no one else could.  The wisdom found in the Old Testament shows this to be folly.

Christ puts this lesson to practical use, leveling the charges of "false honor" against the "rockstars" of the day: the religious leaders.  They no longer think about what will honor God, but what will gain them recognition and temporary honor.  People seek to rank themselves based on what they can see, not realizing that the criteria for true honor cannot be seen.

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  The ultimate example of this is the cross.  The Only Begotten Son of the Almighty God chose to be born of a virgin, live under one of the most strict applications of the Law and morality, worked as a mere servant to all He encountered, was wrongfully accused of any infraction, was beaten and tortured, executed in the most embarrassing and painful way possible, and buried as a nameless criminal far from His family.

Christ willingly humiliated Himself.  And that does not mean "humiliate" as in embarrassed, but in being brought to a status far beneath Himself.  This is God.  Yet He was born in the same fashion as any other human in all of history.  Every trouble, struggle, frustration, temptation, misfortune, and annoyance that humans can experience He experienced.  He even died due to orchestrated injustice.

There was no honor in that.  At least, no honor according to those who craved honor.  Boy, were they wrong.

Christ's exaltation began with His death.  He was honored by the Father, which is first spoken during His ministry at the Baptism, but it spoken of clearly throughout all of history.  Christians continue to show honor, sometimes called reverence, to Him in our worship and lives.  We seek to live an "honorable" life to show that we believe that Christ did not die in vain, but that He is God and worthy of being followed and trusted.

For us, temporally, that means when we humble ourselves and seek to follow the teaching St. Paul clearly states, we will be honored by our Father in heaven.  But it will not be honor we had earned, but the honor of Christ granted to us, covering us and our shameful lives.

Without this honor, won by Christ on the cross and not earned by us, we are not worthy to take a place at the wedding banquet when the Lamb returns.

Mail Call - 9

18 Sept., 2018

Adam Baumann
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fall Quarter, 2018-2019


8-15 Sept. 2018

First paper done.  Things are going well.  Nothing has gotten too overwhelming yet.  There is a lot of reading, but the required portion of it isn't unmanageable.

I had signed up for leading the discussions for the second week of Gospels, realizing then that this meant the first exegetical paper was due the same time.  Which was good, since it forced me to dive head first into "real" work.  It was an interesting nut to crack, and the mental block of "writing a paper" was the harder part.  Not that the deciphering of the Greek or hunting and comprehending the resources wasn't difficult, because they were.  But getting the ball rolling was the first hurdle.  Once it got going, things went pretty fast.  Translating the Greek took a while, and was probably the longest portion of the paper, both in time working and number of pages when done.

The portion of Matthew I had was on the Baptism of Christ.  The paper was to be 7-10 pages long, and I ended with 6 pages just on Greek, both translation and discussion on the text.  The end result was an 11 page paper.  Not quite as daunting as the 25-page exegetical expected in the "Interpretation of Pauline Epistles" class at CUNE, but it has been a long time since that paper, so it was a challenge to shift my mindset back into academic writing.

The big news is that on Monday, 24 Sept., we will be assigned to our field work church.  The whole class, all 43 of us, will be in Sihler auditorium for this assigning.  From what we were told, it sounds like a theological version of draft-day.  After being assigned, we'll have lunch with our supervisors, so that we can get to know the church we'll be working at and what our supervisor will be expecting of us.

Things are moving fast, and its going to be a blast.

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity (16 Sept. 2018)

Even A God Over Death

After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.  And she said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!"  And he said to her, "Give me your son." And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.  And he cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?"  Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again."  And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.  And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives."  And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."  1 Kings 17:17-24

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple. I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.  O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.  O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.  Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.  For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.  As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."  By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.  To you, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?  Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!"  You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!  Psalm 30

So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  Ephesians 3:13-21

Soon afterward He went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a great crowd went with Him.  As He drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.  And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!"  And this report about Him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.  Luke 7:11-17

The church year is starting to wind down, though there is still a ways to go before All Saints Day.  But the readings for today have an eschatological slant, thanks to being focused on death.

In the Psalm, David asserts his understanding that, no matter where he may be, God is there.  Even in the depths of Hell, Sheol, God is still God.  Not even Hell could separate us from God.

How, if it wasn't for God being a God over death, and if He had not sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us, the statement that "not even Hell could separate us from God" is be a terrifying thought.  The almighty morally perfect creator God is judging you while you are in the grips of all the tortures of Hell is sobering.

Its the sort of emotions a parent has when their child dies, or is near death.  Despair, plain and simple.  The mothers in both the Old Testament and the Gospel reading are without doubt feeling despair.  And for similar reasons.

Both are widows.  Both had only a single son.

The first widow confronts Elijah, likely out of fear and frustration more than anything else.  Here is a powerful man of God, a prophet who had humbled kings and worked wonders.  A guest in her house who now repaid her generosity by allowing her only son to die.

The second widow does not even have the chance to confront the Son of David.  She is already on the path to bury her only son.  He is dead, and there is nothing left but the grief and despair.  The whole town of Nain mourns with her while the Christ watches the procession.

God the Father, the almighty creator of the universe, knows that pain first hand.  Not just because He is omniscient, but because He sent His Only Son to die in our stead.  And for the Son of God to watch this procession, where and only son has died, has got to be an especially emotional moment.

Through Elijah, God raised the widow's only son back to life.

Christ Himself brings the widow of Nain's only son back to life.

Because He is the God over both life and death.  There is nothing beyond His reach.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Manning the rails

"Manning the rails" is a navy tradition.  Usually, we civilians see it when a ship enters port, and all the crew in their starched whites are standing along all the railings.  It sure looks impressive.

This version is even more impressive.

That is a picture of the German destroyer Lütjens.  On 14 September, 2001, she was steaming near the USS Winston Churchill and USS Gonzolaz.  The crew manned the rails, raised a US flag, and displayed a banner.

WE STAND BY YOU

Frequently I've reposted or posted the link to my little poem about Arlington National Cemetery on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks.  If you want to find that post, its here: Rest Well.  Otherwise, enjoy this bit of nautical brotherhood.

Mail Call - 8

11 Sept., 2018

Adam Baumann
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fall Quarter, 2018-2019


4-7 Sept. 2018

4th: First day of class, and of the 173 academic year.  At least that's what we were told at the opening service.  And class picture.  Which meant being outside, in 90º heat, in a full suit.  Oh well.

The day started with Gospels I, which for myself was a bit of a review.  Having a background in theology, that shouldn't be a surprise.  We basically had a brief primer on exegetical theology.  And found out that there are two exegetical papers due.

Afternoon was Dogmatics I.  Again, it was a bit of a primer, this time on the nature of theology.  This will be a more technical class, being systematics.  And there's a paper on a theological topic, ranging from the interesting to the controversial.

5th: Church History I was very full.  Like "almost the entire First Year class" full.  We're going to need a different room.  Oh well.  It will be a fun class (at least in my opinion).  And it is early Church, starting with the last word of Acts, more or less.  So not just the dates and places and names, but the mindset of the people who lived the events that founded the Church.  This is family lineage we're learning.

Liturgics I, though, might be the most hands-on class this quarter.  And that might make it the most scary.  Chanting and prayers, for one, and knowing that this is training specifically so that I can stand up in front of a congregation and be "under the microscope" to a degree.

6th: Thursdays in Gospels I is the "breakout" sessions, with each small group's instructor.  In some ways it is lab, in some ways it is observation.  We read the text and discussed it, fairly thoroughly.

7th: First Greek readings, and proof that its a small world.  My instructor attended Seward back in the day, though he did (somewhat jokingly) admit that he didn't like me as much since I didn't take Hebrew.  But it was a good discussion, connecting Mark 7 with various portions of Isaiah.

That evening there was a "meet-n-greet" with my mentor and the other mentees.  All in all, a pretty good experience.

First week is finished, now on to finish an exegetical paper (due on the 13th), a worksheet on the next pericope, and a rubric on prayer.