Tolkien on the Liturgy

I've never understood how people can just sit in the pew and not sing. If you don't like the liturgy here, you're going to really be bummed out in heaven. It's one endless Divine Service with an endless liturgy sung by angels and men. Now, I can understand (with sensitivity) the timid in voice, those who are afraid of "how it might sound," but just to sit in silence without as much as a quiver of the lip, or a silent hum-along. That I don't understand. Neither did Tolkien.

Even if you've only spent a short time in Middle-earth it is quite apparent that men and elves, hobbits and wizards, even the trees love to sing. They sing of sorrow and joy, dark days and homely day dreams. All of life is encompassed in song in Middle-earth. Come to think of it, that's the same way it is in the Church. The liturgy envelops sings along with our sorrow and sadness as much as it does our great joy and celebration. Whatever day we might be having, the liturgy gives us a song to sing, filling our lips with the Word of God. The liturgy is what fulfills and consumes all songs (even our very lives) in heaven and on earth, even in Middle-earth.

In a letter to his son, Christopher, Tolkien makes a similar point:

"If you don't do so already, make a habit of the 'praises'. I use them much (in Latin): the Gloria Patri, the Gloria in Excelsis, the Laudate Dominum; the Laudete Pueri Dominum (of which I am specially fond), one of the Sunday psalms; and the Magnificat; also the Litany of Loretto (with the prayer Sub tuum praesidium). If you have these by heart you never need words for joy."

The liturgy not only gives our voice God's Word to sing, but it shapes our lives with the very Word of Christ, the forgiveness of sins and above all, the liturgy points us, leads us and woos us to the Sacrament, from whence all liturgy leads to and flows out of. The road to the Altar goes ever on...even unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures (of earth and Middle-earth) here below. Praise Him above ye heav'nly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Dwarfs and Pastors: "At Your Service"

The dwarves (ahem...dwarfs) of middle-earth had it right: "At your service" was the repeated refrain as they crowded Bilbo's doorstep and then his Hobbit hole followed swiftly, as dwarfs are wont to do, the dinner table, pantry and keg. "At your service." Fitting words for dwarfs about to embark upon an adventure seeking to reclaim treasure and (more importantly) honor. And even more fitting words for pastors. "At your service." Whose service? Well, first and foremost it is Christ - the great servant of all - who gives any Christian in their vocation the humility to say: at your service. But pastors in particular have this unique vocation. That's the way Christian ordination begins for pastors. And it continues to the bedside of the ill and dying: "at your service."  Or driving the elderly to the pharmacy and the post-office: "at your service." Or at the home of a shut-in: "at your service." Or to the homeless and hungry: "at your service." And it all comes out of (and leads back to) that great "Hobbit" feast known as the Divine Service. There's always room for elevensies, second breakfast and more when our Servant-Savior, Jesus is involved. He calls pastors to be dwarf-ish. Not much to look at...simply a task given by the Servant of all. Feed my sheep. Serve my sheep. Love my sheep. Say to those in need, declare the Gospel, preach the forgiveness of sins and administer the Sacraments all in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ. And through Christ, according to their vocation(s), all Christians are given to say: "At your service." 

Epiphany Sermon: "Lost and Found"

+ Epiphany of Our Lord – January 6^th, 2012 +

Text: Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12

Theme: Epiphany is a season where the lost are found in Christ

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

            The season of Epiphany shines brightly with themes of Christ’s saving work. Literally it means “appearing or revealing”; Christ appearing in human flesh. Christ revealing who He is and what He comes to do for all people, even the nations, the goyim, the gentiles.

            But the image stuck in my head all week was the Lost and Found bin. You know what I’m talking about. Who hasn’t scored a nice t-shirt or new pair of gently-used jeans from a local lost and found? At some point we’ve all rummaged around to find some forgotten hidden treasure.

            It’s great, you receive something that wasn’t yours to begin with; it didn’t belong to you but you get it anyway. It’s free. Take it home. Wash it. Good as new. It’s yours.

            Epiphany is a lot like that: a season for the Lost and Found. A season where Jesus comes and rummages through this world – not for some special over-looked treasure, but for the forgotten, for the lost, for the dead sinners not even looking to be found, for you and me. He searches until he’s found every last one of His wayward sheep, until he’s found his lost coin and welcomed home his prodigal sons. Epiphany is a season where the lost are found in Christ.

            That’s where the magi come in. Israel, once exiled in the east, now beckons astrologers from the east to seek Israel’s true King. That’s who they were looking for - not an after-Christmas-bargain but a king. “Where is he who is born king of the Jews?”

            Only problem is, Herod has no answer. He’s too busy trying to protect his throne of lies to care about the real King of the Jews. Thankfully, the prophet Micah has the answer:

But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
      Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
      For out of you shall come a Ruler
       Who will shepherd My people Israel.

            Micah points the magi in the right direction. That’s God’s way of things. Through his Word to Jesus. The lost are found in Bethlehem, and wherever Jesus makes himself known. So it is for all who are lost.

            And maybe that’s where you find yourself this New Year. Maybe you’ve lost something this past year. Job. Home. Money. Health. Something or someone special to you – although truth is, the dead in Christ are never lost. It’s easy to lose hope. Lose patience. Lose your way in the darkness of sin and death in this world.

            That’s where we find ourselves apart from Christ; apart from his Word; apart from His sacraments: Lost. We need His Word daily, by the hour, by the minute, by the millisecond; and his sacraments – we can never get too much of Christ’s good things. The Sacrament is our “star” where Jesus does one better than the magi, he points to himself and gives you himself.

            Fear not. His Epiphany is for you. Not for you to find your way to him, but for Jesus to come and find you who were lost. The Light of the world comes to shine upon you who sit in darkness. In Epiphany, the Sun of Righteousness shines from Bethlehem all the way to Huntington Beach to you.           

            God gave the magi a star. But you don’t need a star. You have something better, more tangible. You have the prophets and apostles. You have Christ, the Word made flesh in bread and wine. All that you seek – all that you need - is found in Him who finds you. Epiphany is a season where the lost are found in Christ.

            That’s our Lord’s work in Epiphany. Lost sheep. Lost coins. Lost, prodigal sons. If the world was a department store, Jesus’ favorite department would be the Lost & Found. He finds you. Brings you home. Washes you. And you are his. Good as – no better than – new, reborn. A lost sinner found in Christ.

            Jesus is a spendthrift for your salvation. He’s a shopaholic when it comes to your sin – He shops till he drops dead in your sin. Your debt is paid in full; you are redeemed. He’s not satisfied until he’s paid for every last sinner and every last one your sins; and he does it not with gold or silver but with his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. That’s not cheap grace…that’s outrageous forgiveness for undeserving sinners. That’s the joy of Epiphany. A season where the Lost who are found in Christ.

            You see, the Christmas cards are all wrong. Jesus isn’t the reason for the season. Jesus didn’t come to earth to throw himself a party. He wasn’t bored. He wasn’t being a super-duper heroic guy. He came for you. You are the reason for the season. You are the reason Christ took on human flesh. You are the reason He located Himself in a specific time, at a specific place in history. Jesus comes to find you.

           

            That’s the great irony of the Magi’s visit. The king they had travelled so far to find was actually the One who was finding them and seeking them all along. His star. His Word. He finds the lost. So they did the only thing you can do before Jesus; they bowed before the King of the Jews playing around Mary’s ankles. A Divine Service of sorts. And here’s another irony: they brought Jesus gifts – much like our offerings and lives – we give thee but thine own. A living sacrifice. That’s faith. That’s the gift the Christ Child gives to shepherds and magi, Jew and Gentile, even to you and me.

            That’s another reason why the church celebrates Epiphany. It’s the other Christmas. Christmas for the outsiders, the nations, the goyim, the Gentiles. This is good for us because most of our ancestors were running around in animal skins and long hair, dancing around fires worshiping pagan gods just like the magi worshiped the stars.

            But over the years the Gospel made its way into our ancestors’ home by the blood of missionaries. The Gospel went out like a star signaling the nations once again. Yes, God gave those magi a special sign – the star. But it wasn’t until they read the prophet Micah that they knew where to go. That’s your sign too. The Word. The Word made Flesh. The Word that remains flesh and blood for you in the Supper. You want a sign – that things will get better, that there’s hope, life, salvation, daily bread - it’s all here in Jesus death for you.

            It’s not until the end of the Matthew’s Gospel that we get the answer to the Magi’s question…”Where is the one born King of the Jews?”

            Everyone wants to know if Jesus is the King. Even Pontius Pilate doesn’t get a straight answer out of Jesus. But there above his head on Good Friday is the answer. There on the cross is God’s epiphany. There is no star in the sky…only a sign above his head as he hangs crucified for all men: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. O, come let us adore him.

            Unlike the Magi, you didn’t need to hop on your camel and travel hundreds of miles across the desert to worship Jesus this evening. And you don’t need a star to guide you either. Here is your Bethlehem; your house of bread. Christ the Lord comes to you here. Leads you here. Brings you home. Washes you. Makes you his own. You, and all who are lost, are found in Jesus.

            But you are like the Magi in this, that you go home another way, a new person, carrying the Light of Christ with you into the world, into your vocations, to your neighbor in need with the light of Christ. Because Epiphany is a season where the lost are found in Christ.

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

E-nklings Cloud of Witnesses: Lutheran Satire vs. Bart Ehrman

If you haven't watched Lutheran Satire yet I suggest you hurry on down to youtube and check out the mad genius that it is. Anyhow, this little video is part of the 12 Days of Christmas Special that happens to touch on apologetics related issues that have been covered here before and will be again in the future. Namely, Bart Ehrman and the alleged errors in the Bible. He's famous for books like Misquoting Jesus and Forged. A more serious critique is overdue but for now, enjoy the well crafted satire. It pretty much sums up Ehrman's position in 54 seconds.

Christmas and The Last Battle

One of my absolute favorite themes in Lewis's writing is the "small made large," or the narrow doorway that opens into unimaginable joy. In other words, the great reversal. Lewis is a master artist at painting his stories into a corner, only to have found that in that corner, or through that door the story (and the world as it were) becomes larger, even larger than life. There are countless ways that Lewis develops this theme throughout his writing. No doubt, many authors have made use of this literary device, but none so skillfully as Lewis (although Tolkien perhaps matches this but in a different sort of way in Middle-earth). And yet it's more than mere rhetoric; when all is said and done, it points to the very heart of the Christian Gospel - that what looks weak and poor and lowly is in fact the very joy and eternal peace we are in need of. Here are just a few examples to illustrate what I'm talking about:

In the Magician's Nephew the pool in the wood between the worlds. It is a rather small pool and yet it is the gateway to a new world.

In Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe it is (among other examples) most clearly the wardrobe itself. On the surface it looked like a quick fix for children escaping the chastisement of the Macready. And yet once they move through the overcoats, the pine needles poked them into reality. The wardrobe was much larger on the inside than it appeared.

In The Silver Chair the narrow passage of escape from the underworld is but a hole and yet the great joy that abounds once Jill pokes her head through to a celebration of victory.

In Dawn Treader Edmund, Lucy and Eustace enter into Narnia through a painting on a wall and Aslan sends them home again through a passage in the wave, both into a world larger than their entrance, especially in the case of the painting and ensuing adventures in Narnia.

It's the same for Prince Caspian, where the children find themselves in a cave upon a sudden change of scenery as Susan's horn had been blown. Out of the cave into the light of Narnia.

And finally, in The Last Battle, there are the memorable words, "further up and further in" - words that could easily accompany the Gloria of the angels in heaven. And all of this is centered around Lewis's grand ending (or should we say beginning) of the Narnian series. It all centers around a stable. What the stable means in its totality I shall not say too much here. I do not want to spoil the ending of the book for someone who has not read it or has forgotten how it ends having read it some time ago. And yet we must say a few words. The stable is the beginning of the end of the world in The Last Battle. It leads to Narnia's version of Matthew 25, the separation of the sheep and the goats, or the true Narnians and those who refuse Aslan's grace, such as the dwarves. In the midst of all the action at the end of the book - where the pace is so well timed (like a river rushing to its meeting with the edge of a cataract) that it must be read more than once, which I am sure is part of the point. It's like the Gospel - you can never read too much Good News - it is here, at the end of the world, where Christmas comes to Narnia again (you might recall the first time it came in Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe). As Tirian, Lucy, Lord Digory and the others go through the stable doors the following conversation strikes chord of that great reversal theme again:

"It seems, then," said Tirian, smiling to himself, "that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places."

"Yes," said the Lord Digory. "Its inside is bigger than its outside."

"Yes, said Queen Lucy. "In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world."

Lucy was too happy to speak. Just as I am sure the shepherds were, at least until they left the side of the stable that Lucy is referring to. Then they could no longer hold back their joy. But Lucy is right. Through her we see that Lewis gets the incarnation (which reminds me of his introduction to On the Incarnation by Athanasius - exquisite); it's not so much God-made-small as it is man-made big. One small leap for God, one giant leap for mankind. And yet there in the mystery of the Word made Flesh, the infant Jesus holds all things even as he clings to Mary's breast. The manger encompasses the Alpha and Omega. It is, for sinful men, the beginning of hope and the end of sorrow. Christ is born. The end of the world is near. Come, further up and further in to His stable, to His altar, to the Lamb sacrificed to set us free that we might see Him seated on the throne and rejoice in the Lamb laying in a stable in human flesh, for you and for the world. No matter how big sin and death seem to be, there's more than enough room in that stable for all of it; your sin, your death, are taken up by this Christ Child so that He can gather you into his stable, his storehouse, a great barn forevermore. A blessed 11th day of Christmas to you!

O Jesus Christ, Thy manger is
My paradise at which my soul reclineth.
For there, O Lord, doth lie the Word
Made flesh for us; herein Thy grace forthshineth.

He Whom the sea and wind obey
Doth come to serve the sinner in great meekness.
Thou, God’s own Son, with us art one,
Dost join us and our children in our weakness.

Thy light and grace our guilt efface,
Thy heavenly riches all our loss retrieving.
Immanuel, Thy birth doth quell
The power of hell and Satan’s bold deceiving.

Thou Christian heart, whoe’er thou art,
Be of good cheer and let no sorrow move thee!
For God’s own Child, in mercy mild,
Joins thee to Him—how greatly God must love thee!

Remember thou what glory now
The Lord prepared thee for all earthly sadness.
The angel host can never boast
Of greater glory, greater bliss or gladness.

The world may hold her wealth and gold;
But thou, my heart, keep Christ as thy true Treasure.
To Him hold fast until at last
A crown be thine and honor in full measure.

Tolkien's Birthday Wish

Undoubtedly the title is misleading. I have no idea what J.R.R. Tolkien ever wanted for his birthday. But I do know that among the many things he loved - family, language, fairy tales, middle-earth, his pipe and so on - there was one desire that fulfilled all desires. One love that satisfied all needs for love one wish (perhaps on his birthday, if not every day) that he desired above all. I stumbled across this absolutely stunning quotation a week or so ago while reading a letter Tolkien wrote to his son, Michael, on love and human sexuality (March 1941). I imagine that the Blessed Sacrament referred to in Tolkien's letter would have been a very fine birthday wish indeed. And on this day - the day that marks his 120th birthday - I rejoice that Tolkien rests, asleep in Jesus awaiting the resurrection of the dead and the eternal marriage supper of the Lamb. Happy Birthday, Mr. Tolkien. And thank you for the world you have created in writing that so frequently points me to the same joy and desire (found only in Christ) expressed in your pious wisdom here.

Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament.....There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth, and more than that: Death by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yetby the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man's heart desires.

Sermon for the Circumcision and Name of Jesus: "Savior Is As Savior Does

+ Name and Circumcision of Jesus – January 1^st, 2012 +

Text: Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 2:21

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

That’s no typo. You read the bulletin right. Today the church celebrates the naming and circumcision of Jesus. The what? You’ve gotta be kidding, right? Circumcision? Ew, gross. Seems a bit awkward to talk about in church. What does that have to do with anything?

            Think of Jesus’ circumcision like His Baptism…Jesus doesn’t need to be baptized; He’s perfect, sinless and steps into a sinner’s Baptism to take on our sin, to fulfill all righteousness.

            So too with his circumcision; He’s already a child of the promise (in fact he is the promise!), the Son of God and the bearer of the covenant; blameless before God according to the Law of Moses. And yet for our sakes he is born of a woman, born under the law to redeem us who are under the law.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise Him, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived.  (Luke 2:21)

Only one short verse...probably a world record for a Sunday Gospel reading...but it is one important verse. Here the Lord of all receives circumcision on behalf of all. The mysterious infinite, all powerful YHWH takes on human flesh and takes a human name, Jesus, to place His name upon you. God becomes a child to make you children of God.

           Thus, The Name and Circumcision and Jesus has everything to with your salvation.

            It’s all in the details. Luke the historian loves the God-in-the-flesh details; look at the Christmas story. Joseph and Mary. Taxes, census and Caesar. Quirinius and Syria. Bethlehem and a crowded inn. Shepherds wondering and praising. Angels singing “Glory to God in the highest.” And all of the attention is where it should be – focused on the newborn baby in the manger.

            But if you listen carefully to Luke’s account of Christmas there’s one rather significant detail left out. For seven days, He’s simply Mary’s first-born, a baby boy, lying in a manger. Only Mary and Joseph know the baby’s name – must have driven the relatives crazy.  But, like a good historian, Luke waits to tell us Jesus’ name until it is given at his circumcision on the 8^th day.

            That was the custom: 8 day old Israelite males received their name on the day of circumcision. Kind of like Christians in Luther’s day received the name of the saint whose day they were Baptized on. But before Christ, circumcision was the main event. This was the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his offspring forever pointing to Christ and to Baptism. On the 8^th day God names you and claims you as his own. Not the 7^th or the 9^th day. Not a day of the child’s own choosing or an age of accountability. The 8^th day; just the way God set it up. That’s the way our Lord works. You don’t make Him your Lord; He declares Himself to be your Lord and places His mark of ownership on you.  You don’t choose and claim Him; He chooses and claims you.

            So on the 8^th day, Jesus is circumcised according to the Law of Moses in order to fulfill the Law of Moses. In doing so, God Himself does what we cannot (and will not) do.

            The Law is a brutal task master; it tells us to walk but gives us no legs. And if you’re guilty of one part you’re accountable for all of it (James 2:10). The 10 commandments don’t work like our new year’s resolutions from 2011: “Oh it’s ok, I’ll do better next year.” It’s do or do not. There is no try with the Law.

            That’s why we confess…I a poor miserable sinner, confess until You all my sins and iniquities; what I’ve done and what I’ve left undone. Our sin cuts us off from God. This is why Jesus was born. Why he was circumcised and given the Name Jesus. So that when He goes to the cross He is the one cut off from God so that you are cut off from your sin forever.

            For every sin you have done – for the sinner you are – Christ is not. He is perfect, perfectly good for you. For all that you do or do not do. Christ does, leaving nothing undone. He doesn't wait to get started on saving you. No days off. No breaks. Before Jesus walks, before He talks, before He takes his first step or crawls, before He can even hold his head up by Himself, His blood is shed for you.

            That’s why we celebrate Jesus’ circumcision.  Jesus does the Law perfectly, every commandment; His perfection; it’s yours by grace through faith in Christ. He bears the pain, the suffering, the blood the Law demands of the substitute, the vicarious victim.  And you receive forgiveness, life, and salvation.  You are all sons of the covenant, heirs of life, true offspring of Abraham, all thanks to 8-day-old-YHWH-in-the-flesh.   Or better yet, you could say:  we are all perfect Jews in Jesus, the one perfect Jew who kept the Torah down its smallest mark and letter.

            You are holy because He is holy. You are righteous because He is righteous. You are perfect, because He is perfect.  You are all these things not because you’ve resolved to make yourself a better person, but because God gives them to you through the flesh and blood of Jesus. 

            Jesus is you everything you need. Cut His flesh and He bleeds like you. Betray Him and He weeps like you. A loved one dies and He grieves like you. He carries disease and guilt for you…but greater, this Savior dies for you. And before He goes to the cross, He takes a Name for you and bleeds for you. 

            The circumcision and name of Jesus has everything to do with your salvation.

            It’s true that Jesus is a perfectly ordinary human name. Any carpenter from Nazareth might have been named Jesus. Yet there’s always more to names in the Bible than sentimentality. Jesus is the NT version of Joshua or Isaiah – YHWH saves. Jesus literally does what his name means: YHWH saves.

            But this is no ordinary name. The Name of Jesus also causes controversy, scandal and offense. The Name of Jesus causes thrones of kings to topple and sway. This Name causes the politically correct to be on edge. No other name causes such a ruckus.

            And yet this is the only Name under heaven by which we are saved. This is the Name that is higher than any other name. King of kings. Lord of lords. Name of names. YHWH in human flesh. Jesus. This is the Name that causes devils to flee, the Name by which prayer is heard, the Name by which God in the flesh is known, the name by which we are saved. 

            This is the Name you need. For without the Name of Jesus your only name is sinner. It is precisely for you, that this child is given the Name, Jesus. Mary’s child is named Jesus in order to place his name upon you. God becomes a child to in order to make us children of God.

            You were washed, sanctified (made holy), justified (declared righteous), in the Name of Jesus.  You are gathered here, in the Name of Jesus. From Invocation to Benediction the Name of Jesus is placed into your ears. Sit down and count how many times and in the many various ways God’s name is in the liturgy; you’ll be surprised at how many times our Lord’s name is here to bless you.

           

            You see, the circumcision and naming of Jesus have everything to do with your salvation.

So, on this day when resolutions are made about all the things you want to try &  change, take comfort in this: Your unchanging Savior has resolved, before you were even born, to come into this world, to bleed for you and take a Name for you – to suffer and die for you.

            No matter what happens this New Year, you belong to Jesus. The Law is fulfilled. Your sins are forgiven! You are His child. And that is one resolution that is always kept.

            While the resolutions of men are quickly forgotten, the Father never forgets about Jesus’ blood covering your sins and he never forgets the saving Name he put upon you. 

           

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