What Is God's Will for My Life?

Lutherans have a fancy label for the idea we’ve been considering in the last few posts.  It’s called “the doctrine of vocation.”  And it is a very encouraging and empowering doctrine!  It says, “God has called you to be and do what you are and do as Christian!”  On one level, your “vocation” is “a baptized child of God” no matter what you do.  But on another level, your “vocation” is all of the different roles, responsibilities and service opportunities you have assumed, because you carry them out AS a baptized child of God.

Sometimes Christians are tempted to ask, “What would God have me do with my life?” And then they become paralyzed waiting for a bolt of blinding clarity to come to them.  

There’s nothing wrong with wanting God to guide your decisions, especially when you are contemplating a change in work or lifestyle.  But Christians who ask “what would God have me do?” are often convinced that it’s “something different.”  In other words, they want a change and they believe that God wants them to change, too.

The truth, though, is that God wants you to serve Him where you are RIGHT NOW!  That doesn’t mean you can’t make a change in work or lifestyle, but it does mean that God has good work for you to do right now in the meantime!  

Don’t get frustrated that God hasn’t given you a “bolt of blinding clarity” while you pray over a change.  Whether you make the change or not, God wants to work through you where you are!  Wherever you are, there are people around you to bear with, love and forgive.  Whatever work you do, you can work as though serving the Lord with your work.

"for various holy orders and positions"

If you opened up your catechism to section 3 when you were reading the last post, you may have noticed the surprising sub-heading for the “Table of Duties”: “Certain passages of Scripture for various holy orders and positions, admonishing them about their duties and responsibilities.”

Holy orders!?!   That’s surprising enough, but then the list of “various holy orders” includes “hearers”, civil government, citizens, husbands, wives, parents, children, workers of all kinds, employers and supervisors, youth, widows, and even “everyone.”  

How can a list that includes “everyone” be a list of “holy” (i.e., set apart) orders?!?  Because this catechism is written for Christians!  And when Christians “go to work,” they are sent out into the world as God’s co-creators and Gospel ambassadors.  God is at work in the world through you!  And that makes your “day job” a holy work.

Does God work through engineers, secretaries and professional athletes who are not Christians?  Does He accomplish good things through them, too?  Yes, He does!  But as a Christian, you have a special calling as you go about your “day job.”  You share the Gospel in your words and deeds as you do your job!  In fact, you reveal Christ in your job.

“What Would Jesus Do?” has become a very popular slogan among Christians in the last few decades.  It’s meant to remind us that we want to follow the example of our Lord as we go through life.  And when it comes to doing our day job, that means we want people to see what “Jesus the engineer” or “Jesus the secretary” or “Jesus the professional athlete” looks like.

God's Word Has Even More to Say

Section 1 in the Small Catechism teaches the “six chief parts” of Christian doctrine, and most Lutherans teach these.  But it’s surprising how few churches teach the next three sections!  Section 2 provides four very helpful “daily prayers” for our use (either directly or as prompts for further prayer).  And Section 4 gives us a set of questions and answers to use when examining ourselves before participating in the Sacrament. 

But for this part of the blog, I want you to know about Section 3.  If you read through this section, you will notice that it is divided into different roles and responsibilities people can have:  pastors, hearers, citizens, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, etc.  And in each sub-section is one or more passages of scripture that speak directly to how that person should carry out their duties.

For example:  Under “To Parents” we find Ephesians 6:4 which says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”  So if you are a father (or a single mother trying to make up for a fathers’ absence) and you want some guidance on how to do your “God-given job,” this passage makes it clear that bringing your children up in the training and instruction of the Lord is your job.  Now you will probably rely on people in the church to help you do this, but you will make sure that it is getting done well whether you or they are doing the heavy lifting.

The Bible is full of passages that speak to us “where we are” like this.  This is another great reason for every Christian to eagerly study the scriptures.  Maybe you don’t have time to read large portions of the Scripture every day, but I encourage you to read a little every day.  

Get a small devotional booklet that gives you a Bible passage and a couple of paragraphs to think on every day.  (I encourage you to pick up a copy of Portals of Prayer at St. Paul – Annapolis on Sunday.  We distribute them in the narthex.)  After you read the passage of scripture and the author’s brief meditation, ask yourself this question:  “What is God saying to me through this Bible verse right now?”  Maybe the passage will reveal something God desires of you that you have been resisting.  Then simply say, “I’m sorry, Lord.  I want to do better.”  Maybe the passage will reveal something He wants of you that you never realized.  Then simply say, “Lord, I want to serve you.  Help me see how I can do what you have asked today.”  Maybe the passage will encourage you that God has already given you great gifts.  Then simply say, “Lord, thank you so much!”

Keep the Ten Commandments

In one sense, the Christian life should have a very predictable look at feel.  In the six parts of the Catechism, we have learned how Jesus’ sacrifice and new life have saved us from sin and given us a new life, too.  But being saved from sin means we now live according to God’s plan for His children and His creation.  And that’s summarized in the Ten Commandments!

So whatever you do – whether you are a husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, butcher, baker or candlestick maker – keep the Commandments!  Martin Luther was famous for saying that this alone would give you plenty of good works to keep you busy for the rest of your life.  You don’t need to go chasing after “more noble” works than these; they are commanded by God, they are pleasing in His sight, and He has attached great promises to keeping them.  Why “make up” new works when we already have enough trouble with the works we’ve been given to do?!? 

But if you are like a lot of Christians, you want something a little more “prescriptive” to guide your life.  For example:  Knowing that God wants me to “love God” and “love my neighbor” doesn’t help me choose a college major or decide whether to relocate my family to take a new job.  Or does it?

In one sense it does!  God has given you your talents and abilities, passions and interest.  But you can use those to serve selfishly or selflessly.  So when you are considering a college major, you really should ask yourself:  Will I be able to use the opportunities unlocked by this degree to serve God by serving my neighbor.

That reminds me of an annual dinner I attended while I was an engineer.  The comedian who entertained us was talking about the engineers he’d met from a competing company at their annual dinner.  They were building a high bandwidth satellite communication system and the comedian was looking for an opening to make a joke.  So he asked the engineers in the front: “What are people going to do with all this bandwidth?”  Without pausing between bites, the engineers responded: “Porn.”

Now I’m not saying that the engineers who built that system were responsible for the many ways people would misuse it.  But we should care about the work we do and the effect it has on people!  We should care if the company we work for maximizes profits by employing foreign workers at near-slavery wages.  We should care whether the commercial artwork we produce sells products by exciting lust.  We should care whether we are going to be forced to say or teach things that God finds morally repugnant.

So the first question you can ask when you have to make a decision (of almost any kind):  Has God forbid or commanded this in His Commandments?

That's All Folks! (Or Is It?)

At this point, we have examined the six chief parts of Christian doctrine as the Reformers presented them in the Small Catechism.  And this is the strong foundation of faith for Lutheran Christians.  When a Christian joins the congregation of St. Paul – Annapolis, (s)he affirms that (s)he believes this doctrine and will live his or her life according to it.

But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing more to learn!  In truth, we never exhaust God’s Word.  It speaks a fresh message to us as the time and circumstances of our life change, and the time and circumstances of our lives give us a fresh perspective on things we have heard before.  For example:  The Bible passages about persecution rarely leave much of an impression on Christians in America until they’ve had to suffer in some way for the faith. Then they suddenly discover that the Bible speaks directly to their circumstances and – surprise, surprise – it speaks a word of comfort!

In fact, it’s generally true that God’s Word and the Christian faith should, can and does inform every aspect of our lives!  Consequently, I want to commit a few posts to this topic:  What do I do now that I’m a Christian?

The Lord's Prayer: Conclusion

After all of these requests to God, the Lord's Prayer ends like this:  "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.  Amen."

What does this mean?  The Catechism says this: "This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us.  Amen, amen means 'yes, yes, it shall be so.'"

I've never particularly liked the longer explanation, but it does emphasize one thing very well:  We pray in faith.  We pray the Lord's prayer with boldness because God Himself gave it to us.  We know this prayer is pleasing to Him because this is the prayer He taught us to pray.  And because God gave us a pray that He finds pleasing, we can be sure that He hears it.

More than that:  When we say "Amen" it doesn't mean "I'm done now."  It means: "Let it be established!"  (That is the literalistic translation of the Hebrew word "amen.")  But we don't say this with any uncertainty.  God has called on us to pray for these things because He plans to give them to us.  And if God has said He will give them to us, it's a done deal.  The only question now is "how long, O Lord?"

So what should we do until He has answered all these petitions for us?  Oh, I know!  Keep on praying!

The Lord's Prayer: The Seventh Petition

The seventh petition of the Lord's Prayer is this:  "But deliver us from evil."

In truth, this is the second half of the sixth petition.  I find it helpful to imagine praying them as one:  "Lead us not into temptation; instead, deliver us from evil."

Of course, the attacks of the Evil one are many and varied.  But in the end they are all temptations!  The Devil is not content to just ruin your life or kill your body.  He wants you to reject the salvation you have in Jesus Christ!  And that means he wants to tempt you away from the faith with every thing he does.

Consequently, the Reformers explained the seventh petition in this way:  "We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven."

The Lord's Prayer: The Sixth Petition

The sixth petition of the Lord's Prayer is this:  "And lead us not into temptation."

We may think we already know, but what does this really mean? The Reformers started their answer  with "God tempts no one."

But if nothing happens apart from God's permitting it to happen, can we really say that God doesn't tempt us?  It's a fair question, but we need to distinguish between "testing" and "tempting."  Because God most certainly tests us.

In Deuteronomy 13, Moses conveys this Law to God's people: "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.  For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

Hence, the Reformers go deeper with their answer:  "We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair and other great shame and vice.  Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory."

In the end, there is a real difference between "testing" and "tempting," even though they feel the same when they are happening.  The Tempter wants you to fail; God wants you to succeed.  And He sends His Holy Spirit to you to provide for you and protect you when you are tested so that you do not fail.  Trust Him!

The Lord's Prayer: The Fifth Petition

The fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer is this:  "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

What does this mean? "We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them.  We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment.  So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us."

For many, the question they have about this petition is "what are trespasses," but it clears right up for you when we say, "Trespasses are sins."  Trespasses are simply all the things we are and do that separate us from God.  Trespasses are the reason why God would be justified if He decided to crumple up the whole creation like a piece of paper and toss it in the trash can.

The mercy of God is that He does not do this, but sent Jesus to suffer the just punishment which we deserve.  His grace is that He gives us the gifts that we no longer deserve, but that He desires for His children.

That's what we're praying for in this petition.  Just that our heavenly Father would forgive us for Jesus sake and treat us as dear children.

Of course, God also calls on us to forgive others in the way we've been forgiven.  Read Matthew 18:21-35.  Jesus is very clear in this passage about how He expects God's forgiven children to respond to their own forgiveness by forgiving those around them.

The Lord's Prayer: The Fourth Petition

The fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer is this:  "Give us this day our daily bread."

What does this mean? "God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving."

Of course, it's best when the "meaning" doesn't include the very word we're trying to understand, i.e., daily bread.  But before we turn our attention to "daily bread," notice that the focus here is the effect praying this prayer has on us.   It's not that we won't have daily bread unless we pray for it!  Quite the contrary - God gives daily bread to all people, even evil people.

No.  We are to recognize that we receive all that we have from the hand of a gracious God and thank Him for it.

But what is "daily bread"?  This is the answer the Reformers gave:  "Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like."  In other words:  Everything good in this life comes as a gift from God's hand!

Of course, when most of us think about the claim that "everyone" gets daily bread, we immediately think of hungry and starving people.  How are they receiving their daily bread?  A fuller answer will have to wait for another time, but the short answer is this:  They are still alive and God is supporting them in this flesh for as long as they are to remain in this flesh.  No.  They are not being cared for as God desired it in the beginning, but sin and the curse of the fallen creation have put a new "spin" on daily bread.  Now we have to "scrape by" to make a living.  Thank God it won't always be this way!

The Lord's Prayer: The Third Petition

The third petition in the Lord's Prayer is: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the third petition means in this way:  "The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also."

It must be admitted from the outset that we don't always see God's will being done around us with our eyes.  When it comes to suffering and pain in the world, we want to say:  "Either that's not God's will or He's a monster that I won't worship."  But the truth is this:  It's either all in His hands or it's not.  Either He allows our pain and suffering (an unpleasant thought at first), planning to work it together for good, or He isn't strong enough to save us from it (an even more unpleasant thought!).

But we don't pray for God's will as though He is "the dispenser of good and evil."  We pray to "our heavenly Father," who has revealed His gracious will to us in many way.  He graciously wills good for us and He is working to make it happen in the midst of a fallen world that will ultimately pass away.  His merciful and gracious will is most clearly seen by His sending His own Son to die in our place so that our death isn't "for good."  In this way, He even turns "earthly death" to a good end.

God also works lesser blessings for us in this life, but He will never sacrifice our eternal life for the sake of temporary comfort.  If you and I suffer in this life, it is part of God's plan and in accordance with His will... but not for the sake of our suffering.  Ultimately, it all works together "to strengthen us and keep us firm in His word and faith until we die."

That's the "will" we pray for in this petition!  That is the will of "our Father", the gracious God.

This is how the Reformers understood this Third Petition, too. "How is God's will done?"  They answered: "God's will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God's name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens us and keeps us firm in His word and faith until we die.  This is His good and gracious will."

The Lord's Prayer: The Second Petition

The second petition in the Lord's Prayer is: "Thy kingdom come."

After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the second petition means in this way:  "The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also."

It helps to remember that the word "kingdom" is almost always a "verbal noun" in Scripture.  In other words, a "kingdom" is "what a king does" more than just "where a king does it."  The kingdom is the reign of the king.

Of course, when you are talking about the "king of creation" and "lord of the nations," you might wonder how it could possibly happen that His kingdom hasn't already come to you and everyone else?

And that's where we need to recognize that this kingdom is the kingdom of Christ that will never end.  Unbelievers are not a part of this kingdom, unless they are drawn into it by God's gracious calling through the Gospel.  When that happens, His kingdom comes to them.

But the kingdom doesn't just come once (i.e., to a unbeliever); it keeps on coming to those who are in it!  Think about it:  A king doesn't stop reigning in His subjects' lives just because they have become His subjects.  Just the opposite!  So the kingdom keeps coming to those who are in the kingdom.

With that as a backdrop, we can understand the Reformer's follow-up question and answer from the Small Catechism:  "How does God's kingdom come?"  Answer: "God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity."

The Lord's Prayer: The First Petition

As I mentioned in the last post, the main body of the Lord's Prayer is a string of "petitions" - i.e., things we are asking God to do.  Petition is the heart of prayer!

The first petition in the Lord's Prayer is: "Hallowed be Thy name."

After a thorough study of the scriptures, the Reformers summarized what the first petition means in this way:  "God's name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also."

Of course, this immediately begs a second question:  "How is God's name kept holy?"  And answering this question requires that we remember what "holy" is.  It means "set apart" or "not mixed with the common, i.e., everything else."

Moreover, we need to remember that God's "name" is more than just the word or words we use to address Him, such as "Our Father who art in heaven" (as we do in the Lord's Prayer) or "Dear God" (as we sometimes do in personal prayers).  God's Name is everything about Him; it's His essence and attributes.  And it goes even further than that:  His Name is Who He is and what He does for us, too.  The Name of God is the story of God and His dealings with mankind.

In view of this, the Reformers answered the second question in this way:  "God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it.  Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven!  But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us.  Protect us from this, heavenly Father!"

The Lord's Prayer: Introduction

The Lord's Prayer does come with an introduction, but most of us don't think of it that way.  It's the words, "Our Father, who art in heaven."  The reason this is considered the "introduction" is because it doesn't ask for anything.  The rest of the prayer (with the exception of the last line) is a string of "petitions" (i.e., things we are asking God to do), but here in the introduction we are simply stating who we are praying to.

Many of us start our prayers "Dear God" or "God" or "Lord" or something akin to that.  Sometimes we leave off the introduction entirely and barrel straight into the need of the moment.  All of these are fine, of course, but Jesus is urging us in this model prayer to consider who God is for us as we pray to Him:  He is our heavenly Father.

Now "father" can carry a lot of negative connotations for people because they've had less-than-perfect (and sometimes FAR-less-than-perfect) fathers.  Instead of refusing to call God "Father" because of the failings of our earthly fathers, recognize that God is the father par excellence and that all earthly fathers are measured against Him.

And what does that mean?  To have a heavenly Father?  The Reformers put it this way in the catechism:  "With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father."

Notice the words: "tenderly invites us," "true Father," "as dear children ask their dear father."  When we approach our heavenly Father as His children, we are entering into the relationship that we were meant to have with our earthly fathers, too, before sin entered the world and ruined it for far too many.  But rejoice!  In God you have a true, heavenly Father.  And you can pray to Him boldly and confidently as a dearly loved child!

Prayer: But What Should I Ask For?

But how should I pray?  What kinds of things should I ask for?  Is there anything I shouldn't?

Jesus' disciples asked the same kind of questions once when He was praying "in a certain place. ... One of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'  And he said to them, 'When you pray, say:

'Father, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation." (Luke 11:1-4)

Most of you will recognize this as the beginning of what we call the Lord's Prayer.  There is another account of Jesus giving this prayer to His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13.

Now Jesus wasn't telling us the only words that we can use to pray, but He was telling us the kind of things we can and should pray for.  And this prayer covers a lot of ground!  In the next nine posts, we'll look at each of these petitions and consider how we can pray these same things in our lives!

But before we move on, I must give you the "fuller" version of the Lord's Prayer that we use in worship on Sunday.  This longer version is based on the version from Matthew's Gospel with a line added by the early church at the end.

Our Father, Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Prayer: Why Bother? - Part 2

In the last post, I answered the question "Why bother praying if God already knows everything I plan to pray for?" in this way:  "Because He told us to.  There must be a reason why He would have us pray, even if He doesn't need us to."

But our human curiosity struggles with "just do it" as an answer.  We want to know why!  And as with every other part of the Christian life, God binds up a blessing with every call to obedience.

In Philippians 4:5b-7, we even get a glimpse at the "why" of prayer:  "The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

"And the peace of God..." describes both the effect of "praying in everything" and letting your requests "be made known to God.":  "The peace of God, ..., will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  But this "effect" is given us in God's Holy Word; it is sure and certain.

So although there are other benefits to praying, here is one:  The peace of God that guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus!

Prayer: Why Bother? - Part 1

If God already knows everything anyway - everything we want, everything we need, everything we are inclined to praise Him for - why bother?  What good does it do?

The answer to this question comes in two parts (one today and one tomorrow), and the first part is not very satisfying for many people:  God told us to pray even though He already knows everything!  So whether it's for our good (for some reason) or for His good (which would also be our good), we pray because He told us to pray!

St. Paul acknowledged and passed on this command to us in Ephesians 6:16-18:  "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert with all perseverance, ..."

Prayer: It's Like Breathing

Prayer is another form of communion with God, though it is a very different experience than the Lord's Supper.  Formally prayer is "speaking to God in words and thoughts," though as you will see, speaking to God in 'thoughts' can cover a lot of ground.

Now at first it may seem like a good definition of prayer would be "TALKING with God in words and thoughts," but "talking with" is different from "speaking to" in the following way:  God does not speak back in prayer.  Prayer is one-way communication.  God speaks back to us in other ways.

So what do we say to God?  Although prayer will vary from person to person and occasion to occasion, what we can say about prayer falls into two categories:  "supplication and intercession" (that is, asking something of God) or "praise and thanks" (that is, rejoicing in who God is and what He has done for us).

Some people will immediately object that one can say more than this to God.  And I agree!  Just think of the conversations Tevye shares with God in A Fiddler on the Roof.  In that musical, we see a man talking to his God in an almost conversational way, and many of my prayers sound like that.

But there are no commands or promises in God's Word about our "rambling monologues" toward heaven other than God's promise to hear us.  On the other hand, there are commands and promises about our "supplications and intercessions" and "praise and thanks."  So we're going to limit our attention to these!

In the end, though, prayer is like breathing.  You live in a relationship with the Author of Life; apart from that relationship you die.  So sharing with Him your needs and desires because you trust Him to provide what you need and what is good for you - that is simply what it means to have a God!  What would it mean to have a God that you asked nothing from?  Or that you could live just fine without?  That you could take or leave?  That sounds like a toaster or a microwave, not a God!

And the same goes for "praise and thanksgiving"!  We teach our children to say "thank you" when someone does something for them or gives them something because it's polite.  And we want to be respectful to God, too.  But on another level, what would it mean if we had nothing good to say about our God?!?  If we were never impressed with what He does for us?  Or how incredible He is in making  all this stuff that we see around us (to say nothing of making us)?  Or how merciful He is to save us?  Or how gracious to take care of us, even when we don't do enough to take care of ourselves?  If His grace, mercy and power don't move us in our inner being, what kind of God do we have?

You see!  We live in a relationship that moves us to prayer!  It's like breathing!

The Sacrament of the Altar: But What If I Don't Believe This? - Part 2

After the last post on the "real presence," you still might be struggling to believe it.  And that might make you wonder all over again whether you can or should participate in the Lord's Supper at St. Paul - Annapolis?

In essence, the answer is still the same.  Jesus instituted the Supper for His disciples, and you cannot claim to be a disciple if you do not follow your Master in the things He says and does.  If you will not believe what the Lord says in the Scriptures, you should NOT participate in the Lord's Supper.

But just as in the earlier post "What If I Don't Believe This? - Park I:  There is a difference between saying, "I understand what God says in the Scriptures, and I WON'T believe it until I'm convinced" and saying, "I understand what God says in the Scriptures, and I am struggling to believe it, but I WANT to."  The former are the words of a sinner refusing to repent; the latter are the words of a sinner repenting.  The former words belong to someone who should NOT participate in the Lord's Supper; the latter words belong to someone who SHOULD.

The Sacrament of the Altar: Do You Really Believe This? - Part 2

The other thing about the Lord's Supper that people really struggle to believe is what we Lutheran's call "the doctrine of the real presence."  In brief:  We believe the Bible speaks clearly, that Christ identified the bread and the wine used in the Supper as His Body and Blood.  That is what He gave His disciples in the Supper.

The counterargument offered to this most often is that Jesus was speaking figuratively.  These say that Jesus was only creating a symbol that only points to the real body and blood sacrificed on the cross.

Now let me say this:  If we had nothing but the words of scripture to go on, then I would have to admit that this argument is POSSIBLE, but it's still not the clearest interpretation of the scriptures we have.  There are many ways to argue this point, and we cannot go through them in depth here - I urge you to participate in a confirmation class to delve deeper into "why" questions - but here's a brief summary:

1.  The clearest meaning of Jesus' words (though also most challenging to modern sensibilities) is the literal sense.  Even St. Paul takes it that way in 1 Corinthians 10:16: "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" So without a compelling argument from Scripture itself, we receive the clearest meaning.

2.  The Lord's Supper is clearly patterned after the Passover observed in Egypt and the "blood of the covenant" offered at the foot of Mt. Sinai.  In both cases, the blood was applied directly.  And in the subsequent annual observance of the Passover, the blood of the sacrifice was applied directly.  It is a stretch to imagine that Jesus would have instituted a change to the basic structure of the very ritual He referenced when He's talking to Jews (i.e., those who would have VERY naturally taken the ritual to mean a literal application of the sacrificed blood.)  "Going the other way" requires that we read INTO scripture something that NONE of the Gospel writers recorded.

I'll give you another argument, though I don't want you to take it as seriously as the previous two:

3.  The practice and doctrine of the earliest church affirms their belief in the real presence in the sacrament.  The idea that the bread and wine are just symbols was an innovation that was introduced MUCH later in history.  (It really took off in the wake of the Renaissance, among the second generation of reformers,  and (especially) during the Enlightenment; i.e., over a thousand years AFTER Jesus instituted the Supper.)

The Sacrament of the Altar: But What If I Don't Believe This? - Part 1

But what if you are having a hard time believing that God would accomplish the forgiveness of sins through eating and drinking?  (To say nothing of WHAT we are eating and drinking!  That's a whole other issue, and we'll get to that next.)  If someone can't quite bring themselves to believe it, can they commune anyway?

The short answer is:  Yes and no.  I know - that's not helpful!  So let me explain...

God's Word is very clear.  This cup is the covenant in His blood for the forgiveness of sins.  It is not forgiveness for drinking wine; it's forgiveness because this eating and this drinking have been tied to Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary's cross by God's Word.  Consequently, the Reformers gave this answer:  "That person is truly worthy and well prepared [to receive this sacrament] who has faith in these words: 'Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.'"

That said, they also added this:  "But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words 'for you' require all hearts to believe."

Sounds like the answer is "no," right?  And that's the simplest answer.  But I want to offer two additional thoughts:

1.  What if "someone can't quite bring themselves to believe it"?  That's part of the problem!  We want it to make sense and it doesn't.  So let me ask you this:  Do you believe that God COULD do it this way if He so chooses?  When I put it that way, most people will admit that the answer is "yes."  So the question isn't your faith in what God CAN do!  You trust Him to do what He will.  You're question is what He DOES do and what He SAYS He will do.

2.  If you want to know what He DOES do or WILL do, what else do you have to go by except His Word?

Rather than wanting it to "make sense," ask that God will grant you faith to trust the things He says and does that DON'T make sense!

If you can honestly pray "Lord, I'm having a hard time believing this.  But I want to.  Help my unbelief!", then I urge you to participate in the Supper.  That is a disciple's prayer of repentance; the blessings of the Supper are meant for Jesus' disciples.

On the other hand:  If you say "I don't believe it, and until it makes sense to me, I won't believe it.", then I urge you to refrain from receiving the Supper.  Remain in your pew or come to the rail to receive a blessing by crossing your arms.

The Sacrament of the Altar: Do You Really Believe This? - Part 1

For some reason, the other elements of the Christian faith - even some of the amazing ones, like "God in human flesh" or "forgiveness of sins because Jesus died for me" - don't disturb folks nearly as much as the Sacrament of the Altar.

How can we believe that eating bread and drinking wine could possibly accomplish something as incredible as giving us forgiveness of sins (to say nothing of eternal life and salvation)?

Along with the Reformers, we focus on the words of Christ.  The Small Catechism puts it this way:  "Certainly not just the eating and drinking do these things, but the words written here: 'Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.'  These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament.  Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: 'forgiveness of sins.'"

You see:  It's not the eating and the drinking by itself that accomplishes anything.  It's that GOD HIMSELF says they do.  If it weren't for His words, there'd be no reason to believe that eating and drinking could possibly have such benefits for us.  But once you know that God said so... that changes things!

The Sacrament of the Altar: Why Do We Do This? - Part 2

In the last post, I claimed that the first reason why we Christians celebrate the Lord's Supper is "because Jesus told us to." And this is true!  But that's not the ONLY reason.  In fact, it's not even the BEST reason!  We don't celebrate the Supper just because we have a command to do so from Christ; we also do it because Christ Himself attached great promises to the Supper itself!

In Matthew's Gospel, he is careful to include these words from the night when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper:  "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'"

Now that last part is important.  Jesus' blood was poured out as "the blood of the covenant" for the forgiveness of sins.  We'd have to do a longer Bible study of the Old Testament sacrificial system to fully understand what it means, but let's say this here:  The blood of the covenant was applied to the people to cover their sins in the sight of God.  When Jesus uses these words - "blood of the covenant" - to refer to His own blood, He is saying something VERY profound.

Now take it one step further.  Jesus is holding a cup of wine before His disciples and saying, "THIS is my blood of the covenant."  Which means when we take this cup (and by association the whole Supper which Jesus bid us repeat), we receive the same forgiveness.

The forgiveness of sins!  Reconciliation with the Author of Life for the sake of His Son!  Restoration of His favor and protection in this life and for eternity! Those are INCREDIBLE gifts given to us in a SUPRISING package!

That's an even BETTER reason to celebrate the Lord's Supper!

The Sacrament of the Altar: Why Do We Do This? - Part 1

In the last post, I focused mostly on the look-and-feel of communion at St. Paul, and also what we believe is going on there (as revealed by the liturgy itself).  But  you may have noticed that I never quoted a single scripture, and that is very unusual for a Lutheran Christian pastor.  Lutherans take their queues (especially when it comes to the sacraments) from what the scriptures actually say, so it is important that we recognize the Biblical foundations of the Lord's Supper.

Why do we do this?  The answer is found in several places in the scripture, but let's first consider Mark 14:22-25.  There Jesus is eating the Passover (a Jewish festival meal) with His disciples on the night before He will be crucified.  "And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.  And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Luke included another key feature of this event that helps us understand what Jesus intended.  In Luke chapter 22, Jesus explicitly says that the disciples should "Do this in remembrance of me" (verse 19).

But if there were any lingering questions about whether Jesus intended for this Supper to be repeated by Christians of every time and place, we find the Apostle Paul saying this about the continuing practice of the Lord's Supper in the early church: "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.'  In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

So why do we celebrate the Lord's Supper in the church?  The first answer is this:  Because Jesus told us to!

The Sacrament of the Altar: What's Going On Here?

It's time to move on to a new topic:  The Sacrament of the Altar.  Holy Communion.  The Eucharist.  The Lord's Supper. It goes by many names, but they all refer to the same thing.

After the prayers of the church and collecting the offering, we begin to approach the altar area, gathering at a rail.  (In our congregation, this process is guided by ushers and follows a particular order.  This is not a requirement, but it is good for things to be orderly and reverent in a worship service.)  Once there the pastor welcomes the gathered group "to the table of the Lord," which indicates that he (the pastor) and we (the congregation) aren't the ones who host this gathering.  There is another host who is "the Lord."

By the time you approach the rail, though, you should know who "the Lord" is and what He is welcoming You for, because the liturgy that goes before the service has already told you.  Before people started coming forward to the rail, the pastor stands at the altar and chants some words of welcome, blessing and prayer called the "preface" and the "proper preface" (i.e.,  "The Lord be with you." "And also with you." "Lift up your hearts."  "We lift them up unto the Lord."  "Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.").

After these, we sing what is called the "sanctus" (i.e., "holy"), which echoes the sound of the angels in heaven gathered around the throne of God Almighty and of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Basically, we are joining our voices to theirs.  We are entering the presence of God in a very special way!

Then the pastor speaks the words of a prayer called the "great thanksgiving," which says what happens at communion very clearly:  "Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit.  Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament.  Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end."

So He (that is, Jesus) is the Lord, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He welcomes us to His Supper.  He (that is, Jesus) bids us to eat and drink His body and blood.  Through it we are forgiven, renewed and strengthened in faith.  That is what we gather to receive at the rail.

In the posts that follow, we'll learn how this Sacrament came to be.  These passages will answer many or most of the questions you probably have, but feel free to write them in the comments here.  I'll try to make sure the posts and comments cover everything!

When Does Confession NOT Work!

Maybe this all feels a little too neat and tidy:   A human admits they've sinned, and another human says, "God forgives you."

But what about the person who isn't really sorry for their sin?  Well, God's Word speaks to that.  If you aren't really sorry for your sin, then what are you asking to be forgiven of?  Nothing, really.  And if you aren't really asking to be forgiven, are you?  Not really.  Without sorrow for sin, it's a sham.

But what if I know I should feel sorry but I don't?  Well, it sounds like you feel sorry for being the kind of sinner who's not sorry.  In that case, you can ask for forgiveness for being hard of heart and not feeling sorry for your sin as you should.  (And I'd also pray for the Lord to change my heart so that I DO feel sorry for my sins!)

Basically, confession and absolution doesn't "work" when the individual Christian doesn't really believe they are a sinner or that they have sinned or if they do not believe that God will truly forgive as He said He would!  In the first case, they aren't really confessing at all.  In the latter case, they don't believe that God truly has any reason to be merciful.

There's another time when confession won't "work"?  When you refuse to repent.  This is a lot like not feeling sorry for your sin, but it's not exactly the same.  You can feel sorry for your sin and still refuse to turn from it.  Too many are the times when Christians have said, "I'm just going to sin again anyway.  I might as well get it over with."  Maybe they don't say it so crassly, but that's the way they approach it:  They know what God says is sin; they know they've never been able to keep away from it in the past; they conclude that they'll not be able to keep away from it in the future; so they stop trying!

In the end:  Confession doesn't "work" when Christians refuse to repent of their sins!

How Does Personal/Private Confession Work?

If we're talking about confession AND absolution then (strictly speaking) there is no such thing as personal/private confession and absolution.  That's because absolution is a word spoken to you from the outside.  You can't absolve yourself; it's God's Word spoken to you.

That said:  There is a Word of God that takes root in you, which you remember and respond to in faith later after you have heard it.  One of those Words, is the Word that announces God's forgiveness for Jesus' sake when you repent and turn from your sin.

So suppose you realize you have fallen into sin of one type or another.  (Maybe you were reading your morning devotions and it "called you out" on a sin you'd been ignoring or suppressing.)  Realizing that you have sinned once again, you drop to your knees before God saying, "God be merciful to me, a sinner!"

Now assuming you say this because you know God has already sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for all your sins (past, present and future) and promised to forgive your sins for Jesus' sake, then you are confessing to Him and "hearing" Him "speak" the words of absolution to you as a memory from an earlier sermon, Bible class or Christian conversation.

In almost every way, it looks like confession and absolution.  All it's missing is a second human being (aka the pastor) who hears the words you say and speaks the absolution back to you.

In view of this, many people ask: "Well, if I can 'get forgiven' without the embarrassment of anyone hearing about my sin, why would I ever confess to a pastor?"

Answer:  Because you might need to hear it directly.  Hear me now and believe me later:  There is something powerful about speaking your sins out loud to someone who (as a human) has no reason whatsoever to forgive you, only to hear them say the very words they have no reason to say (as a human).  This mirrors the relationship we have to God Himself:  Measured according to human standards of justice and law, there is no reason to expect His forgiveness.  Yet we plea for mercy and experience great relief (sometimes even surprise) when He grants it to us. The more ashamed or embarrassed you are to speak the sin aloud, the more profound the words of absolution will probably strike you.

I can't make you experience this for yourself, but I wish I could.  Once people have experienced genuine individual confession and absolution, they don't usually hesitate to go back again when they need it.  The rest are just missing out on a profound and very personal experience of God's grace.  They are no less saved, but they are missing a good gift that God means for them to have!

How Does Individual Confession and Absolution Work?

Individual confession and absolution is often mis-named "private" confession and absolution because it is done "in private" between an individual Christian and his or her pastor.  But it's not truly "private" because the pastor is there to hear the individual Christian's confession.  It's private between those two, but it's not truly private.

There is a prepared set of words that a pastor and parishioner can use for individual confession and absolution in the Lutheran Service Book (our hymnal) on pages 292-3.

The key differences between corporate confession and individual confession, though, are:

1.  Who is present (i.e. individual and pastor)
2.   The words on page 292 that say: If you wish to confess specific sins that trouble you, continue as follows:  "What troubles me particularly is that..."  Confess whatever you have done against the commandments of God, according to your own place in life.  The pastor may gently question or instruct you - not to pry or judge - but to assist in self-examination.

That last part about the pastor "gently questioning or instructing" is how individual confession and absolution usually happens.  Most often, a Christian comes to the pastor to talk something over and in the course of the conversation, it becomes increasingly clear (often to the individual) that there are sins he or she needs to confess.  At that point, whether the individual requests it or the pastor suggests it, the conversation transitions smoothly into confession and absolution without using the "formal, printed rite."

Do you want to know how it "works"?  Well, it "works" just like corporate confession and absolution.  Through God's Word (sometimes as guided conversation with the pastor, though not necessarily) we become conscious of our sin and say "I am sorry for all of this and ask for grace.  I want to do better."

The printed rite continues like this:  [Pastor]  "God be merciful to you and strengthen your faith.  Do you believe that my forgiveness is God's forgiveness?"  [Individual]  "Yes."  [Pastor]  "Let it be done for you as you believe.  In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

The Word of God convicts the sinner through the Law, but the Gospel promises grace and mercy in the form of forgiveness.  The repentant sinner trusts God's promise and receives the forgiveness that He has promised.

How Does Corporate Confession Work?

At St. Paul - Annapolis, we practice corporate confession (and absolution) at the beginning of every service.  After a period of personal meditation on our own sins and sinfulness, we give voice to our general sinfulness in unison(-ish):

"Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean.  We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment.  For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.  Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name.  Amen."

After this, I (as the pastor) speak these words back to the congregation:

"Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins.  As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Now how does this work?

Through the Word of God taught or heard prior to confession, we Christians confess our sinfulness, or inability to save ourselves, and our need for God to save us.  We lay hold of the salvation God HAS worked for us in Jesus Christ by asking Him to forgive us "for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ."  That is asking God to do what He has promised to do.

Then the pastor (in this case, me) speaks for God according to His divine command (John 20:19-23), announcing the forgiveness He has already promised us.

Three Kinds of Confession

I've made reference to different ways that Christians confess their sins and that they receive the absolution (i.e., the announcement of the forgiveness of their sins).  They are:

1.  Corporate Confession and Absolution

2.  Individual Confession and Absolution

3.  Private/Personal Confession and Absolution

If you are participating in New Beginnings after gathering with St. Paul Lutheran Church - Annapolis, MD, then you've already seen corporate confession, since this is a part of the liturgy every week.  If you've been a Christian for some time, you probably also know about the last one (i.e., private/personal confession and absolution).  But precious few Protestant (i.e., non-Roman Catholic) Christians know about the second kind of confession and absolution.

In the next three posts, I want to briefly review these three types of confession and talk though "how they work"... so unless you have a lingering question about confession and absolution more generally, hold your questions for another day or so.

Why Do YOU Forgive Me?

Perhaps the last post begs a question:  "1 John 1:8-9 says that GOD will forgive sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness.  Why does the PASTOR forgive sins?"  It's a good question.  

First of all, recognize that God is always the one who forgives sins.  And He always (and only) does it for Jesus' sake.

But, second, recognize that our God often prefers to work through created people and things to accomplish His purposes.  In John 20:22-23, Jesus appears to His disciples after His resurrection and "breathed on His disciples and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'"

Now these words are directed to the disciples as Jesus' followers - that is, the church.  As the Reformers wrote it in the Catechism, we Lutheran Christians believe that "the Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent."

"But I'm asking why do YOU forgive me. If God gave the keys to the whole church, why can't I come to anyone in the church for confession and absolution?"

I'm going to give you two answers to this, and the first one might get me in trouble with some of my fellow pastors.

The first answer is this: You can. God gave the Office of the Keys to the church, and every member of the church is gifted with the Holy Spirit to carry out the Gospel ministry of the church. BUT BUT BUT...

The second answer is also true: The exercise of the Office of the Keys is not a "power" exercised by an "individual." It is given to the whole church. Just imagine the chaos that could result if every member of the congregation heard a person's confession and then, for any number of reasons, half of them absolved that persons' sins and the other half refused to do so. And so it is the case that God, through the church, calls men into the pastoral office to speak His Word to His people, including this word of forgiveness in absolution.

For this reason, you as an individual Christian may (and should) forgive sins committed against you. And you may (and should) announce the good news of the Gospel to the people around you. But you should NOT take it on yourself to speak for the Church to announce absolution, since God has seen fit to call a pastor to do this in His stead within the congregation already.

Why Do You FORGIVE Me?

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  But if we confess our sins, God Who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (1 John 1:8-9)

Basically, we Lutheran Christians believe that "confession" is given us for the sake of the forgiveness that follows.  Without the announcement of God's mercy on you for Jesus' sake, confession is either a one-way ticket to despair as we admit our failure to keep God's Law OR it's a self-indulgent enumeration of our brokenness for personal cathartic purposes.  Unless the announcement of forgiveness follows the spoken confession, nothing good can ultimately come of it.

Once again, "being forgiven" is always about God's mercy on us for Jesus' sake.  We are forgiven because we trust that what God said is true.  We trust that He will do what He says He will do:  He says He will forgive us for Jesus' sake.

So when we confess our sins, we aren't "hoping against hope" that God will forgive us.  We confess our sins KNOWING God will forgive us for Jesus' sake.

In the Catechism, the Reformers put it this way.  The question is "What is Confession?"  The answer is: "Confess has two parts.  First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven."

What Sins Should I Confess?

"Pastor, what sins should I confess?  Are there some that I should keep quietly between me and God and others that I need to tell you directly and out loud?  And what about the sins that I've forgotten?  Or never knew about?  How does confession and absolution 'work'?"

I'm actually going to talk about the "how" of confession and absolution in later posts.  But the Catechism gives a good answer to this basic question: "Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord's Prayer; but before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts."

In other words, because we know that we're sinners even after our sins have been forgiven, we always need forgiveness for that.  And then there are the sins we're not aware of and for which we have never asked for forgiveness:  We need forgiveness for those, too.  So we approach God to confess sins we know, sins we don't and the fact that we are still sinners.

Sometimes you will want to speak your sins aloud to the pastor and hear the words of absolution spoken (more on why and how later).  In those cases, you don't necessarily confess your general sinfulness (though you can) or the sins you don't know (though you can).  In those cases, you focus on the sins that are weighing down on you and that have caused you to seek out the word of absolution privately.

Why Do We Confess Our Sins Every Week?

It's interesting to consider this question: "If we don't RE-baptize since we believe God 'got it right the first time,' then why do we confess our sins every week?  Didn't God get the forgiveness thing right the first time, too?"

When it comes to forgiveness, Jesus got it right 2000 years ago when He won the forgiveness of sins for us on the cross.  Now our forgiveness is a guarantee.  Every time we turn to God seeking His mercy for Jesus' sake, we receive it.  

In fact, THAT is the faith we are baptized into!  When we are baptized, God sets us aside for a life lived according to THAT story, a story where we: 1) strive to walk according to his way; 2) fall into sin because we are born sinful and cannot save ourselves; 3) hear the call of the Holy Spirit through the Law's accusation and the Gospel's promise of forgiveness; and 4) trusting those promises, we ask for forgiveness and begin to walk in God's ways again (i.e., we repent).  That is the shape of a Christian life.

A person who feels that they have "fallen from the faith" and needs to be RE-baptized has missed the fact that they are living their life in EXACTLY the shape that they were baptized into.  They fell away for one reason or another, but God faithfully called them back to Himself, and now they are responding to that call.  That is the faith of their FIRST baptism at work, whether they realize it or not!

And that is also why we confess our sins in our services every week:  We are sinners and we need to hear the good news that we are forgiven for Christ's sake!  "Absolution" is nothing more (and definitely nothing less) than the Holy Spirit doing His work of calling, gathering, enlightening, sanctifying and keeping us in the Christian faith.

But don't think that confessing your sins once a week is "enough"! We don't "store up" our sins for a once a week absolution. You can confess your sins to God anytime you realize that you've fallen into sin. (And if you come to see me to confess privately, you will also hear the words of absolution (i.e., forgiveness) spoken to you. Some people need to hear the absolution spoken in the middle of the week, and that's one of the reasons God gave us pastors. More on this later.)

Every individual Christian's life will vary in its details, but many Christians come to services on Sunday and their consciences aren't burdened at that moment by any particular sin. So what are they confessing? Most are simply confessing that they are still sinners (generally speaking) and are constantly in need of forgiveness. When I speak the words of absolution (e.g., "In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins..."), that forgiveness covers the sins you are aware of, the ones you aren't, and even your general sinfulness. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was "once, for all," we just need to hear about it more than once!

Baptism: What If I Was Baptized Before?

Since we have recognized that baptism is an initiation rite, but that it is more than just an initiation rite, you might be wondering, "What if I was baptized before?"  And what you are probably asking is this:  "Should I be baptized again?" "Should I be re-baptized?"

The answer is "no!"  And there's a very comforting reason for that "no":  Your first baptism is "still good"!  Remember:  Baptism is God's work, and He doesn't make mistakes. To get be re-baptized would express doubt that God did it right the first time!

But even if you still feel the need to publicly express your "recommitment" to the faith of your baptism, there are ways to do this without being re-baptized.  Just ask your pastor!

Why Should I Be Baptized?

If - after all that I've written - you are still wondering "Why Should I Be Baptized?", then the best I can do is give you the chance to clarify your real question or concern in the comments below.  Add your questions as a comment here and I'll take another stab at it!

However, if your question is "Do I have to be baptized?"  Then look to Christ's command to His church in Matthew 28 and Peter's instructions to the crowd in Acts 2.  If your question is "What's in it for me?", then look to the promises in Mark 16:16 and 1 Peter 3:21.

The better question is this: "Why NOT be baptized?"  And when you figure out your answer to that question, compare it to Christ's command and promise.

Baptism: Who Does the Baptizing? - Part III

But notice that even though we say that Church "goes and makes disciples by baptizing and teaching," we still say that God does the baptizing.  Why?  Because He's the One who sends the church to do it.  It's His command and the power in baptism is rooted in His promises.  In the end, we can do a lot of things, but only the ones that have His command and promise hold out any hope for us and inspire our faith.

When it comes to conversion and baptism, I like the analogy of God as a chess grandmaster.  Do you need to hear the Gospel to believe?  Yes.  But do you need to hear it all at one time in a crisis conversation with a friend who happens to be a deep Christian?  Well, it might happen like that and I've heard some pretty incredible conversion stories.

But here's another one!  Eric was raised in a "secularized home" with two athiests for parents.  And I don't mean the run-of-the-mill athiests.  I mean militant atheists.  Atheists who were angry every time "those Christians" were on the TV or newspaper.  Atheists who resented that kids got out of school for a Christmas break, because they knew the holiday had its origins in Christianity, even if it has lost much of its meaning in today's culture.  Atheists who were diligent to lift up every logical flaw in the arguments of any Christians they happened to hear.  And they were never wrong about these things!

Which had the effect of keeping Christianity in front of Eric all his life.  Many of his friends growing up were probably Christians, but Eric would never have known it.  They were quiet about their Christianity the same way he was quiet about being an atheist.  He just never gave it much thought.  They seemed like normal people; same as him.

The "rebellious teenage years" saw Eric exploring religion.  He'd tell his parents that it made him better able to argue when he needed to fend them off - words his parents appreciated - but in truth he was curious.

High school and college were a mishmash of religious experiences, but they always includes a handful of Christian friends, who became increasingly vocal about their Christianity.  ("Not militant, but not quiet, either.")  Eric didn't know how he felt about that, but they were all less aggressive than his parents and willing to talk to him.  They would talk about their lives and life choices, and Eric was struck by two things:  1) they owned up to mistakes they made and were willing to say they were sorry; 2) they were willing forgive Eric and others when they said THEY were sorry.  Over time, Eric found that this reliable pattern of apology and forgiveness made him more comfortable in his friendships.  He didn't have to justify himself when he was wrong, as though he'd lose his friends if they found out he'd made a mistake (even one that hurt them).

As a young man after college, he was dating a woman name Cara who was - surprise, surprise - a Christian.  During one of their weekend trips, he shared his reflections about the way some of his high school and college friends would apologize and forgive each other.  Cara said, "They sound like Christians to me... were they?"

Eric's conversation (and conversion) continued from there.  Cara connected a deep impression Eric had formed of Christians with the life Jesus Christ lived for us, so that we might receive forgiveness from God Himself.  This sounds very "bland" to you and me - especially those of us who have been "in the church" a long time - but with Eric, God used Cara to strike exactly the right chord.  The twenty-plus years prior were just the warmup.

So I ask you?  When Eric was baptized three years later in the church he and Cara now go to, who did the baptizing?  Was it Eric who figured it all out himself and brought himself forward? Or was it God who used the constant mention of Christian's in Eric's militantly anti-Christian home, followed by Eric's teenage rebellion and subsequent seeking, followed by Christians who lived out a critical feature of Christian living (i.e., asking for and receiving forgiveness), followed by an intimate conversation in the context of a trusted relationship?

I assure you:  Eric had the experience of making a choice to be baptized, and we should never try to take that away from him.  But Eric now recognizes the hand of God leading him to that moment from a very early age.

Baptism: Who Does the Baptizing? - Part II

"Okay, then," you might ask, "why does the CHURCH do the baptizing?  Why doesn't God do it directly, like He baptized the disciples in the Holy Spirit on Pentecost?" (You can read this story in Acts 2, by the way.)

Again:  These are good questions, so I hope you will find the answers equally good.  In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gave his disciples (i.e., the earliest Christian Church) this commission: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.  And surely I will be with you to the end of the age."

When Jesus said this, He didn't rule out God accomplishing baptism in other ways, but He did tell the Christians what He wanted them to do.  Go baptize!  Now if you search the scriptures, you will not find any other command telling the church to baptize in any other way, nor will you find a command to individual Christians to seek baptism in any other way.  So although God COULD do it some other way, that's not the way He's given to Christians and the Christian church to do it!

Baptism: Who Does the Baptizing?- Part I

I've already "telegraphed the punch" on this one, but all of the power and promise of baptism depends on the answer to this question:  "Who does the baptizing?"  

Many Christians think of baptism as something that YOU do.  It's your repentance, your commitment, your vows, your agreement to live as a Christian.  So even though a pastor or another Christian may sprinkle, pour or dunk, it's the Christian being baptized who does the baptism.

Unfortunately, that way of viewing baptism limits it to self-expression, and misses much of what we've considered in the last few posts.  Forgiveness, life and salvation are gifts that GOD gives.  So if baptism gives these gifts, then your commitment can't be the main thing.  

After all, when was the last time you committed yourself to never sinning and followed through on your commitment?  Never, right?

Remember what we learned about the work of the Holy Spirit!  We can't believe in Jesus on our own and we can't come to Him on our own.  We need God to draw us.  If baptism is just an initiation rite, then it should come after the Holy Spirit's calling and coming.  But if it's just an initiation rite, it doesn't have the power of the promises that Christ has attached to it.

No.  We need to turn it around.  Although we do "get baptized," we don't "baptize ourselves."  Baptism is something that God does to us!  And that's a good thing!

Baptism: More Than Just an Initiation

"Okay," you might say.  "We baptize (and receive baptism) because Christ commanded it.  But that doesn't make it more than just a symbolic act of initiation!"

You would be quite right... given what we've said so far.  But there's more.  And the "more" is what makes Holy Baptism more than just an initiation.  

In Mark 16:16, Christ our Lord says, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."  Peter wrote in his first letter, "This water [of Noah's flood] symbolizes baptism that now saves you also... It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."  And earlier, in the earliest days of the church, Peter said to a crowd on Pentecost: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."

Because of verses like these, the Reformers concluded that baptism conveys great gifts: "It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare."

When was the last time a Junior High Honor Society initiation or citizenship ceremony did all of that!?!  Clearly Holy Baptism is more than just an initiation.

Baptism: More Than "Just a Good Idea"

We need to take a step back and ask a really basic question:  "What is baptism?"

After a thorough examination of the Bible, the Reformer's gave this answer: "Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in and combined with God's word."

You see, there were baptisms before Holy Baptism.  "Baptism" means "to wash" and human beings didn't just start washing themselves 2000 years ago.  And it was inevitable that some humans would make a ritual or rite out of something that humans have been doing from the beginning.  In the Bible itself, we read about John the Baptist baptizing people in the river Jordan with a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."  And there are indications that there were other "washing rituals" inside and outside Judaism.  Judaism and Christianity do not have a corner on the "baptism" market.

But that's why we need to mark a difference between just any baptism and Holy Baptism.  Holy Baptism is the baptism instituted by God in His Word.  Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew:  "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)

In other words, Holy Baptism is God's invention, not ours.  We don't do it because "it seems good to us."  It's more than just a good idea.  We baptize (and receive baptism) because Christ commanded it!

Baptism: What Does This Mean?

Like any initiation, baptism changes our lives.  However, unlike your initiation into the National Junior High Honor Society (which didn't change my life for more than an hour or two), this initiation says something about your whole life from this point on.  It says something about how you see yourself and how you relate to God.

In the catechism, the Reformers pose this question about Holy Baptism: "What does such baptizing with water indicate?"  

And to that question they give this answer:  "It indicates that the Old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever."

We can pick apart some of the words in this answer in the comments below if you want, but let me highlight one thing:  From the moment of baptism on, your life is a life shaped by dying and rising.  As a sinner, you deserve to die.  And as a baptized believer, you will die every day.  You will turn aside from your sinful self, leaving it to die.

Using baptismal language, you don't just leave that sinful person, (s)he is DROWNED.  It is the point when you were brought into a new life.  So you always take the part of yourself that is associated with the old life and "drown" it in the font.  When you "rise up" from the font, you rise up to live the life that Jesus calls you to live.  You leave behind the life of sin.

St. Paul used this kind of language to describe a life shaped by baptism in Romans chapter six:  "We were therefore buried with Him [Jesus] through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."  (Romans 6:4)

Baptism: The Christian Initiation Rite

The next thing we need to look at is Holy Baptism.  And if you are not baptized, now is the time.

If you believe what you have read so far - that God made the world and everything in it; that God's law is His will for His creation; that human beings have rebelled against God's will and fallen into sin; that you, too, are a sinner and will die unless you are saved from your separation from God; that the Father sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for your sins and to draw you back to Himself so that you can live forever; that Jesus will return on the last day to usher in eternity - if you believe these things, then it is time for you to be baptized.

Basically, believing these things is a miracle of the Holy Spirit.  He has "called you by the Gospel" and "enlightened and sanctified you."  And now He would give you an amazing gift:  Holy Baptism.

On the surface, baptism looks like an initiation rite.  Before you are baptized, Christians think you should be baptized.  After baptism, they clearly recognize you as one of their own.  That sure looks like an initiation rite!

And it is!  There's no sense denying it!  When foreign nationals desire American citizenship, they learn facts about America, as well as the duties and obligations, rights and privileges citizens enjoy.  But they are not citizens yet.  They cannot claim those rights and privileges, nor must they exercise the duties and obligations of citizenship.  Only after they are "sworn in" can they claim these things!  They can claim to be an American before then, but only after the ceremony will America recognize them as a citizen.

Baptism is a lot like that.  God has made great promises for those who trust Him and all He has done for us in Jesus.  But Jesus has also called us to be baptized.  Until you actually do what Jesus (the one you would claim as your Lord and Savior) says, what "right" do you have to call yourself His disciple.

However, as we will see in the next seven posts, baptism is so much more than JUST an initiation rite!

Trinity: One God

So there appear to be three persons involved in the work of salvation; however, there is still only one God.  This is also the clear testimony of the Bible.

First of all, that is how God is described in the Old Testament:  "Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is one."  (Deut. 6:4; cited in a helpful way in Mark 12:28-34)

Second of all, that is how Jesus describes His relationship to the Father:  "I do not ask or these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one..." (John 17:20-23)

And, finally, remember that the Spirit was described in the same way:  "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." (John 16:13-15)

These three persons are one God.  They are united: they never disagree; they never work at cross purposes.  They do different work, but the work of all three is necessary.

Together they are the only true God:  The triune God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.