Crazy Theological Thoughts

Sweaty Question of the Week on Collider Heroes was Superhero comics have been a part of America for decades now, but with the recent surge in popularity, thanks to Hollywood, do you think it could be seen as the USA's version of Ancient Greek Mythology a century from now?: "definitely not in the same realm as Religion" Hosts seemed to recognize DC heroes are related to Greek Mythology, and that these movies may help us morally or supportively. But their conclusion sounded more that they are not religious nor would they replace religion in our society. My Comments: There is a larger discussion to be had here. As one who studies Religion in America for a living. I feel the need to way in, especially with your simplistic notions of religion. Religion can be defined in several different ways. Hosts seem to define religion with some sort of altar or sacrificial system (Old Testament blood sacrifice rather than time and energy sacrifice). Others define religious devotion based...

There are many things we can ask of ourselves as a Congregation. Especially as Zion Lutheran Church has struggled with maintaining attendance levels and membership, “how do we reach new people” becomes a very pressing question. But as I am often reminded the greatest struggle we have is “how do we remain Church?” I think there might be yet a better question, which we have spent the last several months trying to address. What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? This is where we started back in September. We talked about the definitions of Church verses Congregation and the Theology of Vocation. We talked about challenges that are faced in understanding a theology of vocation especially with Holy Orders. Then we talked about a couple of ways in which we can see the theology of Vocation used or could be used in a congregation. Maybe you have taken some notes along the way. Maybe you even have some new strategic planning ideas of how we can be church i...

Last month we helped you to see the Four Realms and how a Congregation can support its members and the understanding of Vocation in each of those Realms (it may have been a lot). This month we are going to talk first about the Theology of Place, and then how this may help us better understand the Theology of Vocation. The Theology of Place isn’t that complicated. It starts back in Genesis either with Garden of Eden where God is walking in the Garden, Jacob’s ladder to Heaven, Jacob wrestling with God, etc. It continues in Exodus as God establishes his presence in the place of Sinai or the place of the Tent of Meeting. Then further with the Holy of Holies throughout the Old Testament. Finally, the Theology of Place takes on a new character with Jesus being the place where God comes to be with his people. So the foundation for the Theology of Place is that God has established or promised to be with his people in certain places. In Church on Sunday morning God promises to be with us....

Some of you may not know what the Four Realms are, these are sometimes referred to as the Four Estates. Luther uses the Four Realms to talk about the four places in which a Christian lives. Every Christian lives within the family unit, community, church and employment. Within each of these Realms you also have different Vocations, responsibilities towards your neighbors within these Realms. What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? In order to answer this we will look at each of the four Realms in particular. How does our Congregation help support your Vocation in the Family Unit? How does our Congregation help support your Vocations in Community? How does our Congregation help support your Vocations within the Church? How does our Congregation help support your Vocations in Employment? One of the major ways most congregations support our vocation within the Family Unit is through education. So in Sunday School you help children to understand their ...

This month we will be starting the Season of Lent, in which many Christians will be giving up something in order to show their devotion to God. (It may be a good practice to spend this season focusing on overcoming some particular bad behavior or developing a good behavior.) This is a good time for us to reflect on what the worship life may look like for a Congregation that lives out a Theology of Vocation. First, you need to reflect on what is the worship life of our congregation (remember that the congregation is the people of God). So this worship life is not one hour a week on Sunday mornings. It isn’t even the additional (not quite an) hour on Wednesday evenings during Lent. There are 168 hours in a week, so how does the congregation worship during these 168 hours? Does a congregation living out the Theology of Vocation worship only one hour out of 168? No, it is seen in our daily life of prayer. So it is important to ask: does the one hour we get together help elevate, suppo...

As you have started to make out your New Year’s resolutions, maybe you have given some thought into how you are going to be a happier person this year. We could all really use a resolution to be more “Positive Peggy”s rather than “Negative Nancy”s. So how does this help us better understand: What does a congregation look like that lives out a Theology of Vocation?  The last challenge we need to address is a constant Pursuit of Happiness. Our desire to be happy can drive us to do all sorts of things, which means that it can help us to do good things or bad things. Sometimes our desires can have good intentions but ultimately are either too self-centered or place greater burdens on others. (Sin can be defined as actions turned toward self or for advantage of self, in opposition to others.) One of the important keys to understanding the Theology of Vocation is that while Vocation is a Calling from God, it is also a call to service. God does not call you to serve yourself (Sin),...

We have spent the last couple of months with the question: What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of Vocation? A congregation was defined as the people of God gathering together around the Word and sacraments. Vocation was defined by various things God has called us to do or be. So as we have started addressing the challenges to this question we first noted some idea of the Pastor or Holy Orders making a distinction between various vocations. Now as we are approaching the Christmas season, it may seem relevant to think about how we derive purpose in our vocations. Most people will tell you that the best Jobs are those in which you don’t feel like you have to go to work. The balance between “have to”s and “get to”s can reflect your understanding of purpose in your vocation. Thus, we like it when our “have to”s don’t outweigh our “get to”s. For some of you finding purpose and meaning in your vocation may be difficult. For others you may instantly understand. An...

Now that we have settled the understanding of Definitions, we can address the real challenges around answering the question: What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? In the Augsburg Confession, the Lutheran Princes had to address the issue of Monks, Bishops, and Priests being declared the only Holy Vocations. They write:  [15] Furthermore, whoever was so ensnared and ended up in the monastery learned little about Christ. At one time there were schools of Holy Scripture and other disciplines useful for the Christian church in the monasteries, so that pastors and bishops were taken from the monasteries. But now the picture is quite different. [16] In former times, people adopted the monastic life in order to study Scripture. Now they pretend that the monastic life is of such a nature that through it a person may earn God’s grace and righteousness before God—indeed that it is a state of perfection, far above all other walks of life instituted by G...

Last Month we established a Question: What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? We defined the congregation as the people of God gathered around Word and sacraments. So this Month it is our goal to look at the Theology of Vocation. The Theology of Vocation is outlined in many different places. It is most prominent in the Table of Duties. In Luther’s Small Catechism, he writes the Table of Duties outlining the various vocations people have. He lists things like Husband, Wife, Son, Daughter, Worker, Employer, Pastor, Hearer, etc. The Table of Duties is just a starting point. The term Vocation comes from the term vocatio in Latin. This Latin word means calling or called. As Paul talks about walking in the way of the Lord, this is about Vocation. Walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, screams vocatio or Vocation. So we think about the different things we have been called to be. Think not only of your station within ...

There are many things we can ask of ourselves as a Congregation. Especially as Zion Lutheran Church has struggled with maintaining attendance levels and membership, “how do we reach new people” becomes a very pressing question. But as I am often reminded the greatest struggle we have is “how do we remain Church?” But after being asked again today, what is Church? I think there might be yet a better question, which we will spend the next several months trying to address. What does a congregation look like that lives out a theology of vocation? You will note that the question itself assumes several things before it can be answered. First, what is the difference between a Church and a congregation or even a Parish. Second, we will have to define the theology of vocation. This will be followed by the further discussion on challenges and ways in which we can apply these answers. Luther tells us: We do not want to hear what they command or forbid in the name of the church, because, Go...

Sande, Ken. The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal conflict . Baker Books. Grand Rapids, MI. 2004 I am going to start by telling you about several related materials. Ambassadors of Reconciliation has two fabulous Bible Studies entitled "Blessed are the Peacemakers" and "Go and Be Reconciled: What Does this Mean?" Also, a very similar book to this one is Confession & Forgiveness by Ted Kober. Sande outlines his book based on the Four G's: Glorify God, Get the Log out of Your Eye, Gently Restore and Go and Be Reconciled. While other books and studies use this as their outline, you can easily forget this. Sande helps to maintain your focus on the big picture as well as the small picture. Chapter one takes the simple "slippery slope" to remind us of how we can find opportunities in the midst of conflict to glorify God. Chapter Two entitled "Live at Peace" reminds us that Peace starts with Peace with God and flows...

In response to a Facebook Meme about taking the scripture seriously verses taking the Koran seriously. I was brought to remark, about the fact that the Koran in several places appeals to Holy Scripture in order to confirm its statements to be true. Lutheran Hour Ministry's: Men's Network program The Challenge of Islam (Part 2): Defending the Christian Faith identifies several passages of the Koran which appeals to scripture for validity and confirmation. Koran 5:43-51 appeals to the Torah which was confirmed by Jesus and the Gospel was given as a book of Truth. Koran 21:105 and surrounding appeal to various stories and quotations from the Old Testament. Koran 10:94 and surrounding appeal to the book of truth to stave off any doubt people might have with these new revelations. Koran 3:55 and 61:14 even report that the followers of Jesus will be held up as true believers. While these passages may be difficult for Muslims to understand, there are Biblical Passages that are dif...

Not long ago in Bible Study we had a discussion on how birth, baptismal, and death records were kept on the prairie. As settlers moved west, they did not have established churches to keep such records. There were not court houses in order to hold such records, nor hospitals to keep track of specific certificats. I said the records were kept in their church records. Likewise, someone else indicated that they were kept in the family bible. This brings to mind a great problem with our understanding of Church. A congregation is a group of believers that gather together around word and Sacrament. A congregation is a family. For most settlers, their family was their congregation. Their family was the better part of their community. Nearby families would be able to get together and establish larger congregations. But often times unless you made sure to travel with like minded Christians. Your family may have been the only Lutheran, Reformed, or Catholic family. Your family bible became the ch...

"Hence from ancient times it has been called, in Greek, a “catechism”—that is, instruction for children. It contains what every Christian should know. Anyone who does not know it should not be numbered among Christians nor admitted to any sacrament, just as artisans who do not know the rules and practices of their craft are rejected and considered incompetent. For this reason young people should be thoroughly taught the parts of the catechism (that is, instruction for children) and diligently drilled in their practice." (Preface to the Large Catechism) Often times I struggle with getting people to sensibly understand what is confirmation. Most people think confirmation is some kind of Graduation within the Church. This is often perpetuated by the idea that it takes place in the spring, so some have moved it to Reformation Sunday in the Fall. Others have helped foster this idea because they no longer connect it with first communion. In the early church a catechumen was one lea...

I am a little confused of why this is the great issue. I don't think someone who is biologically a Male should use a female lockerrroom or changing room. But this is where I am very confused, and have been for a long time. Why when you go to a clothing store they have separate locations for men and women changing rooms, in addition they have separate stalls for each individual person, yet when you go to a locker room (where you are most likely removing all your clothing and showering) they have communal rooms (and sometimes communal showers). Whether you are attracted to women or attracted to men, it does not matter do I need to change in front of you? Whether you claim to be a man or a woman, do I need to change in front of you? Or in either case do I have to allow you to change in front of me? I don't care whether you support Transgender, Homosexuality, or even Pedaphilia, do we really need to have men and women Locker rooms? Why do we have these labels in the first place? I ...

Often times Bible translations will change this to something like “child,” or even “sons and daughters.” They do this to be more gender inclusive. But they are really diminishing who you really are. They lose sight of the theology behind terms like, Son of God, Son of Man, or Brothers in Christ. Most people simply view these terms as Masculine dominance within Scripture. But the truth is that it is connecting us with Jesus Christ. These terms are used in different ways throughout scripture but always in connection with Jesus. Jesus is the Son of the Father. He is the one who takes our place. He is the one with whom we die. He is the one with whom we rise. One of my favorite references in Ezekiel is that he is referred to as the Son of Man. Most commentators (I have read) say this is connected to his mortality. As the people are in Exile and the Angel shows him the Temple and the New Jerusalem, the Angel continues to emphasize his mortality. The fact that Ezekiel will die. So Jesus uses...

I have been informed that there is some kind of Transgender issue going on within our state. I also recognize people are continuing to struggle with Homosexual Marriage. Many people want to know what the Bible says. Other people want to claim the Bible to be heartless. Some even want to use the Bible to emphasize forgiveness and mercy, over what it clearly says to be wrong. I am not going to tell you how to set up your bathrooms, because I find it foolish to force anyone to watch another person change clothing, shower, or use the restroom (even if they are the same Biological Gender).  Rather I am going to turn to the broader topic. Does God declare you to be something? Or do You get to pick what you are going to be? Or does Science tell you what you are supposed to be? You can look at most people and determine what gender they are. You can look at most people and figure out whether they are good or evil by their words and deeds. But is this the truth? If we got to determine our ge...

I personally have no problem believing that the second person of the Trinity appeared in the Old Testament in the form of the Angel of the LORD. I also have no problem saying that Jesus was in the form of a man wrestling with Jacob and coming to Abraham (with two Angels). But for those who wish not to think such things. I want to make sure you don't throw everything out. Jesus was in the Old Testament. John 1 makes it fairly clear that Jesus was with God from the beginning. Some will connect the spoken Word in Genesis 1, as the work of Jesus, even as we confess "through whom all things were made." But there is yet a still more fundamental principle at play. In Ephesians 1 there is a great Prayer of St Paul. He attributes various activities to various persons of the Trinity. Yet, it takes great tact to parse out every distinction of the 3rd person Masculine Pronoun. Can we apply this tact to the entire Old Testament? Should we apply this to the entire Old Testament? I don...

How often do we over exemplify the faith of the Saints of old? We often want to ask God for faith like Peter or Paul. Some even want to have faith like Daniel, Elijah, or Jeremiah. There is part of me that has the knee jerk reaction, you don't want faith like them because look how much trouble it got them into, or look how much more God would put you through. The more sensible reaction is who is to say you don't have faith like them. Do you have the faith to call upon the LORD even when your King or Government tells you not to do so? Do you have the faith to tell your rulers they are listening to the wrong sources of information? Do you have the faith to flee from people trying to kill you on account of your faith? Do you have faith enough to do all the short sighted things St Peter did? You may have greater faith than Peter, Paul, Daniel, Jeremiah or even Elijah and Moses. You may have the greatest faith of them all. But you have not walked in their shoes. You will face differ...

I have been thinking about Matthew 23 for a while lately as I think about the struggles some have with a high view of the LORD's Supper. Some my find this difficult to think through, others may find it connecting to things unrelated. But in Matthew 23 Jesus says, "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "if anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?" I find it very difficult to think of this text with anything greater than the way in which we view the sacraments. When Lutherans talk about the Means of Grace, there is the WORD and the sacraments. But often times today it h...