April 18, 2016

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

“What does this mean?
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers.” (Martin Luther’s explanation of the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed – Small Catechism)

“For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc.” (Large Catechism)

If you were to remember one of the three Articles of the Apostle’s Creed, this would be the one, because it is so important to our Lutheran Faith understanding. It is our belief that we cannot come to faith through our own efforts, but only through the presence of the Holy Spirit – which comes to us through the Gospel. And how are we exposed to the Gospel? We become “Gospelized” when we read the word, hear the Word preached, and partake in the Sacraments which serve to fill us with the presence of Jesus. Through this exposure to the Gospel, the Holy Spirit works within each one of us to build faith – to hear our calling to use our gifts – and to be gathered with the community of the faithful where we forgive each other and receive forgiveness. This is why I pray that the Holy Spirit washes over you to fill you with the presence of the Spirit.

Pastor Dave

April 17, 2016

“At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”25Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” John 10:22-30

The Hebrew word “stav”, translated today as autumn, is mentioned only once in the Bible in the Song of Solomon: “for lo, the winter is passed, the rain is over and gone…” (Song 2:11), “stav” really speaks of the time of the winter rains. The Hebrew word “aviv”, translated today as spring is mentioned twice in the Bible, both referring to a stage in the ripening of barley rather than a season. There is no mention of a season called spring anywhere in the Bible. Therefore we must conclude that the Bible only recognizes two seasons, summer and winter, or as the writers of the Talmud put it, “the days of sun” and “the days of rain.”

It is interesting that the writer of this text mentions that Jesus is walking in the temple during the season of winter. It appears that the mention of it, and the fact that he is walking in the portico of Solomon seems to serve one purpose – it was warmer to walk there in the winter months because it protected him from inclement weather.

Why does this matter you may be wondering? I think it is great, because the gospel writer helps to link us directly to Jesus, through these “minor” details. Because the most we have of the teachings and the actions of Jesus come through the written word, when these details are included, it helps us – it helps me paint a more specific picture of Jesus. I can picture him walking through the streets leading up to the Temple, rubbing his arms and his hands, trying to stay warm. There may not be snow, but he can see his breath in the cold, moist, winter air. He approaches the Temple and wonders which way he should enter. He decides to enter through Solomon’s Portico – since it will protect him from the cold, icy wind.

Too often we are quick to see Jesus as a two-dimensional person – he is just another person on the pages of our bible. Also, we are too quick to ascribe to him his divine nature. Of course he is THE most important person on the pages of the New Testament, and he is the Son of G-d. But, he also was fully one of us, someone who was cold, who was angry, who laughed, and who was sick with pity, hurt and compassion. And he chose that day to walk on Solomon’s Portico because, it sheltered him from the inclement weather – you and I would have done the same.

Pastor Dave