Saint Matthew's

This Sunday after worship in our bible class, we will continue our brief look at the “Gospel of Judas,” a gnostic gospel that purports to show that Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ, is not such a bad guy after all. We will then take a few moments to discuss the true topic of our bible study: the Apocrypha.

OK. We’ve melded together gnosticism and the Apocrypha. I didn’t mean for this to happen. But when we set out to discuss the extracanonical books of the Bible, and with the recent explosion of media coverage of gnostic writings, we couldn’t just ignore it. So last week, we started by looking at ‘Judas’ and listened to a portion podcast from our Saint Louis seminary that dealt with this topic. This week, we will read portions of the ‘Judas gospel’ and then begin our outline of our course.

First, one must understand: gnosticism and the Apocrypha are essentially two different topics.

“The Apocrypha” deals with extracanonical books that were written between the time of the end of Malachi and the start of the New Testament era. These are books that provide some insight to the historical and spiritual natures of the Jews as they awaited the coming of the Messiah. For example, the Maccabean books that tell of the Jews and their survival during the end of Malachi and what happened during the intertestamental period (the time between the Old and New Testaments). These are exceedingly helpful in one’s spiritual walk, though they fall short of being canonical. Don’t believe me? Ask Martin Luther.
On the other hand, gnostic writings are heretical. They go completely against the doctrines of the church catholic and that of Jesus Christ, our Lord. ‘Gnosis’ is a Greek word that means intimate knowledge – that means it is more than just being smart. It is an inner understanding of divine knowledge. During the early church, a number of gnostic writings were produced, including the aforementioned “Gospel of Judas,” but those credited to Thomas, Mary Magdalene, and Phillip, as examples.

Now for the confusion: these gnostic writings are considered ‘apocryphal’ though not part of the Old Testament era “Apocrypha.” Ah, who said Christianity can’t be fun! To put it in normal language – Protestants and those of the Lutheran Church say anything that has been written but is not considered inspired by God is lumped into the “apocryphal” category – including both the Apocrypha and the heretical writings. Of that apocryphal category, there are books that some within Christianity consider fine and put them in the canon – like the Maccabean books that appear in Roman Catholic bibles. But then there are apocryphal books that all Christians reject as heretical – namely, the gnostic writings.

Does this make any kind of sense? If not, come by on Sunday @10A.

Somehow, during the next several weeks, I will be leading the discussion in our bible class on these writings, trying my best to keep them as separate as possible. What I will do today is write a synopsis of this bible class and post it here to the blog.

Last night, Concordia Theological Seminary (the seminary I attended in Fort Wayne, Indiana) held their annual candidate placements for men entering the Holy Ministry. To me, that means one thing: a year has flown by since MY candidate placement night in the seminary (who says time doesn’t fly when you’re having fun?).

Well, I will comment later on the general nature of the calls and where men and their families were sent. But one stood out from the list.

Last night at Bible class (better known as Pastor’s “Train Wreck – Ask the Pastor” class), we discussed the call process for seminarians. During our discussion, someone asked about getting a church in, let’s say, Hawaii. As far as I know, no one had ever gotten such a “pretty darn nice” call.

Until last night: Joshua Schneider won the lottery. He will become the Associate Pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Kahului on the island of Maui, Hawaii.

In my post below about church leaders who have called for a Constitutional amendment to define marraige, also included in these ‘church leaders’ was someone from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormons.

I’ll write it once: the Mormons aren’t Christians. Period. They are not and never have been Christian. They don’t have faith in Christ and don’t believe in Him as the Savior of the world. Mormonism is not Christian.

Religious leaders in America and around the world mostly believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. This isn’t going to change. There are some Christian denominations who have or are running really fast to ordain marriage between same sex couples. This is a fight that must be fought within the church catholic only using God’s Word as the ammunition. But it won’t. These “churches” that think same sex marriage is OK are leaving the comfort of God’s Word and embracing the cultural norms of society. They kind of forget: the church isn’t some social policy group; it is the bride of Christ.

That aside, religious leaders have embraced the move to define marriage by passing a Constitutional amendment. On the surface, this sounds fine. I personally have a problem with defining marriage in the Constitution: marriage is right given to the states. Why should we, as Americans, let the federal government take away rights from the states? Haven’t the feds and the courts taken away too many rights that states are supposed to have? I think they have.

Is it bad thing to define marriage? No. It is essential for states to define who can get ‘married.’ But what is happening, we are losing the true meaning of marriage in society. Marriage now is less about the Godly admonition of why a man is to leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and more about keeping health insurance costs down and money.

We in the church have to fight this battle. God’s Word tells us what marriage is, and when we ignore God’s Word as some Christians denominations are starting to do, we turn our backs on God. Church then becomes a social club. Church on Sunday morning is more than a nice get together, where coffee and doughnuts are served afterwards.

This is a continuing – and sad – trend in the church catholic: we don’t trust God. God is just a nuisance. Holy Scripture is made up book of stories that are intended to guide our actions to help others. Faith? Not needed. Being nice, that’s what is needed. Denominations are sliding down this slippery slope where our actions are more important that the action that truly saved us from sin: Christ’s crucifixion. As the cross of Christ is minimized in Christ’s church, the more cultural and societal ideas of “anything goes” will grow.

Yes, I haven’t posted since Saturday. Sorry.

Rev. Paul McCain has posted what can be considered one of the best postings on what one of the goals of the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod should be: liturgical uniformity.

I believe it is essential for all of us to set aside a fixation on”contemporary worship” [as if there is any worship that is not contemporary"] and stop dividing up our Sunday mornings between “traditional” and “classical grace” or “contemporary” or “blended” and just start having “church,” period. It means that we need to stop turning the church into a popular opinion poll from Sunday to Sunday. It means that we use the church’s hymnal. Use the church’s liturgies as they are printed in the church’s new hymnal and use the many opportunities for variety within that structure. I see as little wisdom in trying to mimic some specific territorial German church order, as I do in trying to take our cues from the non-denominational “Evangelical” worship forms prevalent in our nation among many Protestants.

We, here at Saint Matthew’s, do use the liturgy as it is printed in our pew hymnal, Lutheran Worship. However, it may not seem like it because we print out the liturgy each week. Each week, take a look at the structure of our printed service and that located in Divine Service II, First Setting. You will notice something interesting: it is the same thing. We print out our service each week, including the psalmody that we chant and the readings that are read, because we want people who come to Saint Matthew’s to understand our liturgy and be able to follow along.

Our printed service each week is also devotional in nature: why not pray the Collect for the week at home during your prayers? Why not read and re-read the Scripture lessons from the previous Sunday? Why not read the Introit throught the week? Our weekly printed bulletin provides this option. (We also provide a weekly devotional sheet that goes above and beyond the initial devotional nature of our weekly printed bulletin.)

Rev. McCain is correct: there should be a synodical drive for liturgical uniformity. Use the services as they are outlined in our hymnals – both now and later.

For when we review what we do in church, we will notice something more powerful: our liturgy is not all that different from that of the Roman Catholic Church. Now why is that? Lutheranism comes out of the Catholic tradition. When we say we are Lutherans, we are not saying that we reject our history and want to do things our own way, as some Lutheran churches attempt to do today. No, instead we are saying that we are part of the church catholic that holds our doctrine high and doesn’t forget its history or its theological standings. Worshipping liturgically is important for us as Lutherans because as we do so, we don’t lose sight of who we are!

And one important thing about liturgical uniformity: it means that our worship life will be ordered. God doesn’t like disorder. Never has. Never will. Just read Scripture and you will see God wants our lives to be ordered, and that includes our worship life. Considering he gave the Hebrews an ordered liturgical and worship life, why should we be any different?

While Saint Matthew’s will most likely not purchase pew copies of the new LSB, we will be purchasing the Lutheran Service Builder. (May pick up a number of copies of the LSB for church use). On the other hand, I will be spending lots-o-money on the new hymnal and its assorted manuals. All in all, Saint Matthew’s will continue to be a liturgical church.

And who says liturgy is boring?

Tremendous article at the National Review: Fr. Thomas Williams responds to the United Church of Christ (Ha!) that has promoted itself during the lead up to the Easter season as the church that doesn’t discriminate. As Fr. Williams writes:

I am unaware of any church in America that turns away blacks, or that has a policy against Arabs or handicapped persons. There are, however, a number of Christian churches that consider homosexual behavior to be sinful. By sneaking the gay couple in between the African-American woman and the Arab-American, the UCC disingenuously equates racial discrimination with moral principle.

Fr. Williams is right.

A church without a moral compass is not a church at all. The U.C.C. has promoted itself as a church that allows all behaviors, but has couched it in terms of some sort of discrimination. They love to promote the “love your neighbor” aspect of the Christian life, but fail to remember the central theme of a Christian’s life: you are forgiven, we are told by our loving Savior Jesus Christ, but then He tells us as he told the prostitute – “Go and sin no more.”

There is a difference between a church saying “We welcome all persons” and “We welcome all behavior.” After all, two things distinguish Christian belief: a body of doctrine and a moral code. Following Jesus entails both. Jesus welcomed prostitutes, but he never welcomed prostitution. He was soft on adulterers, but unyielding on adultery. After forgiving the adulterous woman, in fact, he adds: “Go and sin no more.” And the tax collector Zacchaeus, on encountering Jesus, promises to pay back all those he has cheated — fourfold. Jesus never welcomed cheating, but he did welcome reformed cheaters. This is not just a matter of semantic hair-splitting. Jesus came to call sinners but to condemn sin, much as a doctor heals sick people but eradicates sickness.

The Christian life is one of repentance and forgiveness, all centered on the cross of Jesus Christ. It is not centered on the “anything goes” mantra of the U.C.C.

This Wednesday night, we are starting a new bible class here at Saint Matthew’s: “Ask the Pastor.”

When we last left Bible class in February (right before the start of the season of Lent), we were looking at the Book of Genesis and we were taking a slow, plodding look at this first book of the bible. As you would guess, we are nowhere near the end of looking at Genesis. But…

Why not take some time to look at some contemporary issues and view them through a Christ-centered lens? Heck, we reviewed “The Da Vinci Code” in our Sunday morning Bible study, and this Sunday, we begin a look at “The Gospel of Judas.” If we can look at those books through a Christ-centered lens, why can’t we look at other issues that are impacting our society and try to present a different view than what the world promotes.

As I said in church, this class is open to all people, either in the congregation or outside. We would love it if others in our community would come on by and participate. Discussing some of the important issues that are impacting our society today is central to our walk as Christians. How do we respond when issues like abortion or homosexuality or assisted suicide? Do we have to sound like lawyers and have no feelings or understanding what others are going through when they face these issues, many times facing them alone?

Well, that’s what will make this time different. So, if you have some time on Wednesday evening at 7:30, come on by Saint Matthew’s. For those who don’t know – we are located at 225 Center Street in New Milford. We have parking and will have the coffee pot on…

In probably one of the weirdest and dopiest things ever, a professional wrestling promoter is actually promoting a match on pay-per-view against God.

Yes, you read that right.

World Wrestling Entertainment of Connecticut (the people who brought us Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Steve Austin, et. al) and their chairman, Vince McMahon, have a pay-per-view event on April 30th where one of the featured matches involves McMahon teaming with his son Shane to “fight” Shawn Michaels (a born-again Christian in real life) and God. Yes, God. Apparently, McMahon thinks that he is a god, of sorts. According to the WWE website, McMahon has started his own “religion” since he is a god of pro wrestling (he owns the company, he names himself god), he wants to take on the Almighty.

When I was growing up, professional wrestling was a little fun – you had Hulk Hogan, the big muscle-bound brute beating up the bad guys. The storylines were off the wall and cartoonish. Now, apparently they take on a more serious nature and sometimes just make people scratch their heads. This storyline, well, is a little nuts. I know, it’s pro wrestling. I shouldn’t make a big thing about it. And really, I am not. I don’t care what McMahon does on his television shows or in his wrestling promotion. He owns it – he can do what he wants.

But he should realize that many people who are religious in America do take their religion seriously, even younger wrestling fans. I hope this storyline is going in a different direction. It is just so, so, dumb. Maybe McMahon needs a little bit more time in the boardroom rather than the wrestling ring.

OK. I survived my first Holy Week. A total of 16 services throughout the week is enough to wear down just about anyone. I thought on Sunday morning I was starting to lose my voice…but thankfully, that hasn’t happened as of this post of early Tuesday morning.

Yes, the entire week was exceedingly emotional for me. I have gone to church, worked as a vicar, but the true emotion of Holy Week really didn’t hit me until Good Friday when “it all came together” for me. All the reading of Scripture, all the praying, all the reflecting on God’s Word – it just came together as our Lord Jesus gave up His spirit that Friday. Onto Saturday with our special Easter Vigil here at Saint Matthew’s (a service of meditation, reading, and prayer — not the traditional “Vigil”) that pointed all to the tomb. And then Sunday morning – the joyous day of our Lord’s resurrection!

It was an emotional and uplifting week.

But now … back to somewhat of normal. Tonight, our Vision Team meets at 7P in our library. Tomorrow night, our Midweek Divine Service with Holy Communion, followed by a special “Ask the Pastor” bible class. This morning, I finalized our Sunday service and will begin to work on the sermon for Sunday sometime this afternoon. And on Sunday, our after-church bible study begins anew with our look at “The Apocrypha.” Our first book – of course, “The Gospel of Judas.”

So, if you are in the New Milford, New Jersey area tomorrow, come on by for church at 7P!

We just completed our Good Friday Tenebrae service here at Saint Matthew’s. To me, it was very touching. My voice cracked a couple of times toward the end of my sermon. I borrowed an idea from a pastor friend – to chant “The Lord’s Prayer” at the conclusion of the service before the “tomb” is closed – and I nearly cried. So solemn.

Our Lord Jesus is dead, locked in the tomb.

It just seems sooooo easy: tell people that their actions are against God’s Law and they should immediately change their lives. Preaching the Law, especially during Holy Week, seems just too easy. We see our Lord Jesus Christ suffer and die for our sins … sins that we committed in our lives of the flesh. It is God the Father’s only-begotten one who humbled Himself to take on our flesh and keep the Law in our place and then suffer and die for us.

“It is because of you sinners our Lord Jesus had to die. It is because of your failures, your missteps, your spitting in the eye of God that Jesus Christ had to suffer, bleed, and die. You, sinners to the core, should have to suffer instead of Christ. You, sinners since conception, should be the ones who must pay, not the holy one of God the Father, Jesus Christ, His Son.”

What I am finding during my first Holy Week as an ordained pastor is that I gravitate to heavy Law preaching. It is almost like I am forgetting the Gospel – the saving grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout these past several days of Holy Week where I have delivered homilies during our Evening Prayer services, I felt that I have been too heavy on the Law. And now that I am finalizing sermons for tonight (Maundy Thursday) and Good Friday, they are based too much on the Law.

One of the biggest problems in Christianity today is that clergy-persons either forget the Law in sermons and make them gooey-sweet with the Gospel promise, or that they emphasize the Law way too much and make the Gospel a minor point. Lutheranism is not supposed to do either – we pastors are to balance the Law and the Gospel in all preaching. It is not that we sit there and count words to make sure we have a good balance of the two, but we try our best to focus on sin and its consequences and deliver the Gospel message as one of hope for a better day.

I am now going to sign off and refocus my sermon on true Law and Gospel preaching.

Last night, we held Saint Matthew’s first Holy Week service. We had members of our Voter’s Body in attendance last night (guess scheduling a meeting for Holy Monday does have its benefits). I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to come together and pray and sing and prepare ourselves for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday when our joy over our Lord’s victory becomes apparent.

Tonight, we continue our walk – our readings come from the Historic One-Year lectionary: Jeremiah 11:18-20; 1 Timothy 6:12-14; and Mark 14:1-15, 46.

The media coverage of “The Gospel of Judas” has been bordering on hysterical. Every newspaper has included a story about this newly discovered “gospel” that is supposed to portray Judas not as Christ’s betrayer, but a willing dupe of Jesus who went off and gave Jesus over to His enemies in order to “free Jesus” from his body.

Too bad the members of the media don’t know their history of gnosticism. But that is journalism school in the modern era.

A funny post over at the World Magazine on this Judas coverage — using an American history example as its hypothetical.

P.S.: Do you subscribe to “World Magazine?” It is a tremendous Christian-oriented news magazine that deals with cultural and societal issues that impact our world. Give a try.

Have to come up with a new name for this blog…