Concerning Closed Communion
 
Introduction:
Communion is the encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ and his Church.  Communion binds together God and his people.  This reality may be expressed in the following graph:



Notice how the arrows go both ways for everyone involved.  Whether that is God, myself, and my fellow believers.  We can see that Communion is not just an individual experience between me and God.  There is a proper way to practice the Lord’s Supper.  This proper and faithful and loving method is what is called “Closed Communion.”  In this document, I am going to argue that the term we call “Closed Communion” can be summarized in three points:

• Closed Communion is loving
• Closed Communion is Biblical and Historical
• Closed Communion is how Jesus expects us to practice the Lord’s Supper.

We can see that argument when we consider the graph above and think through the issue Scripturally.  When we are worshipping and coming before God, the Lord desires us to worship together in Spirit and in Truth. (John 4).  This means sharing one confession and one altar.  (1 Corinthians 10)

We could also summarize the graph above that we relate to each other in love.  When we Commune, we should do it out of love for God and love for our neighbor.  All the arrows in our graph are a way we are to show love and relate.  So how does this love work for God, myself, and other Christians?
 
First (Red Arrows): From God’s vantage point to us.  He loves us by giving us our Savior Jesus Christ.  He delivers to us what Christ won for us on the cross.  1 John 4:10, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

From this vantage point, God is then gracious to us by dwelling in us and delivering his Son’s body and blood to us in order join us to Christ and make us new.  He does not give us these gifts because we deserve it or have merited it.  God desires us to receive these gifts faithfully.  If we scoff at this holy gift, God will lash out when his holiness is offended.  (Hebrews 12:28-29 and 1 Corinthians 11).

Second (yellow arrows) From my vantage point, Communion gives me the chance to love God and my neighbor.  I love God by believing in what God has said and done.  I repent of sins, I turn to him, I receive his salvation.  We could summarize this by saying “faith is how we love God.”  John 6:29, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom He has sent.”
 
To love my neighbor, I relate to them through the 10 commandments.  The law of God defines our love and how we relate.  If we sin against each other, we must be reconciled to one another.
 
So, when it comes to communion.  I must be acceptable to both God and his Church.  God expects this.  I must be in faith toward God and also acting out of love for our neighbor.  If one is missing, then it is improper for me to commune.
 
From this viewpoint, when I approach Communion, what makes me worthy to receive Communion is twofold: faith in Christ and love toward the fellow communion participant.  Our Small Catechism teaches, “But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. 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.”

What makes an individual before God unworthy to receive the gifts of the Lord’s Supper?  Unbelief.  No one can come to the table who does not confess Jesus Christ as Lord.  The Church, from her beginning, confesses that the Lord’s Supper is not to be taken by unbelievers and those who are not baptized.  The Lord’s Supper is the meal of the baptized believer.  The Didache, written in the early 100’s AD even noted that the Lord’s Supper is not given to the unbaptized because Jesus said, “not to toss your pearls before swine.”
 
But I don’t just relate to God in Communion, I also am being joined to the Church in the Supper.  The Lord’s Supper is how Christ makes us one body.  So if I am going to the altar and remember that my brother has something against me, Jesus would say that I must first be reconciled to my brother before I receive God’s gifts.  (Matthew 5).  Paul in 1 Corinthians 5-7 details that we must flee from sexual sins because we join ourselves and Christ’s body to prostitutes when we sin sexually. If someone lives in flagrant sin, Paul says that they must be excommunicated from the Church.  Meaning, they have no part in the life of Jesus or his people until they repent of their sin, and desire to be better.  This leads to the final aspect from the graph above:
 
Third (green arrows): finally, we need to look at how we as Christians view each other at the table.  We are called to love one another.  Not only do we commune with God. God has also established his body, which is the Church.  We are made members of Christ.  In the congregation of the baptized, there are no anonymous members.  We relate to and love each other based on our confession of faith and acts of love according to God’s law.  How do I love my neighbor, or in this case, fellow Christian at the table?  By walking together and confessing our common faith that we both share.
 
The Lord’s Supper is how the congregation shares our unity in the faith.  If there are two people communing together at the altar, and one person believes that Jesus is God and the other doesn’t believe Jesus is God, and this difference is publicly known, then they are making a mockery of Jesus.  They defile the table of Christ.  “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some…” Hebrews 10:23-24

This is what it means to be a member of this congregation.  Being a member is not a necessary evil.  Being a member of this or any congregation is an act of love.  Being a member at a church means you publicly believe what the Scriptures teach in this place.  It lets me know as your spiritual caretaker that you love God and your neighbor.  Membership is an act of Pastoral Care.

Being a member is stating to everyone else that you believe and confess this congregation’s faith.  “For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romans 10:10. Confessing the faith with the mouth, is how you reveal what is in your heart.  The pastor judges you by what you confess, since he can’t know your heart.  If a person refuses to confess what is in their hearts, that is from the devil.  God is a God of order, and all things should be done decently and in good order in the church.  See 1 Corinthians again on that.
 
Membership is something a Christian does in order to relate to other Christians.  Believing with the heart is how we are known to God and relate to him.  But confessing that faith is how we are made known to our fellow Christians.

Using myself as pastor for an example, I have no right to any altar, but I have been welcomed in this congregation where God has placed me.  I cannot commune at any other altar just because I am a pastor in the LCMS.  The same goes for anyone else.  If I were to go to any other LCMS church, I need to first introduce myself and ask if the hand of fellowship would be granted to me.  If the pastor does not want to because I am doing this last second before service, or he would need to double check my story to see if I am telling the truth, that would be his choice for the sake of his conscious that I would respect.  This is the loving thing for me to do until he decides that I can, which I would expect after he checks, to allow me.
 
My point is that it is the burden and responsibility of the pastor of the church to admit to the table or holds others back.  If someone lacks faith in God or love for the neighbor, it is that pastor’s duty to hold them back from receiving the Supper.   “I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by his divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sin and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain even in heaven as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us himself.”  Small Catechism.

This is behind closed communion.  This is what Jesus expects his people to do out of faith toward him and love toward one another.  
 
There is more that needs to be said and can be said. But this is the nuts and bolts of how we can come to understand the practice of the Lord’s Supper that we call Closed Communion.

Further Discussion:
The term Closed Communion comes from the early church when the ushers would close the doors of the sanctuary and usher out those who were not catechized members of the Church.  Only the baptized and catechized members of that Church were allowed to even see Communion become consecrated.   Closed Communion is how the Church always has practiced the Lord’s Supper.  This was standard practice in the church until really the last 100 years.
 
What happened that this largely changed?  Why do some churches allow for anyone to commune, a practice that is called “open communion?”  The practice of allowing anyone and everyone to commune began by those who do not believe that Christ is truly present in the Sacrament, which today is most Christians in America.
 
Since some Christians falsely teach that Christ is not present in the Lord’s Supper, they do not see the problem of anyone communing because the meal is just a nice memorial meal and not an encounter with the Holy God who demands faith.
 
But the real issue that fuels the false teaching of open communion is this thought: The Gospel is the only thing that counts when deciding who should be receiving communion.  Liberal, mainline denominations are run by this thought.  For them, the Scripture is not what defines who should commune, but only the Gospel.  This is called Gospel Reductionism.  Everything that we do is only controlled by the Gospel.  But this is wrong.  It treats the law of God as bad, when we know that the law is good.
 
This is why these Christians are fine with homosexuality, women’s ordination, and will ignore laws that the Bible lays out for us.  For these Christians, they do not even believe that the Bible is the Word of God, but that it only contains it and the only thing that matters is the Gospel.  To clearly state: This idea is wrong, it is false, and it is straight from the devil’s jaws since it says, “Did God really say?”

This false teaching of Gospel Reductionism is now the dominate strain of teaching that most Christians today assume is right.  It even is impacting the LCMS.  Like the forbidden fruit, this teaching looks good to the eyes and profitable.  This means that for most Christians, from this vantage point, denying communion to anyone is seen as opposed to the Gospel and denying someone a gift from God.
 
This is why proponents of open communion will say that closed communion is unloving and not nice.  It sounds against the Gospel, which is what they have reduced the Scriptures to only being about.  But the Bible has much more to say and the law of God is not made void by the Gospel.  In fact, the Gospel returns us to the Law which is the definition of love.

One way to shake people from this thought of open communion is to get them to recognize that open communion doesn’t work anywhere else.  Here are some examples:

• Why don’t you allow me to come into your house and pull food out of your fridge?  The fact that we all have separate houses and only allow guests to eat our food at home when we invite them.  Remember what your mother said, “It is rude to ask someone else when at their home to get you food.”  This is closed communion.  AND IT IS GOOD. 

• We do not get upset when military rites are denied to people who did not serve in the military (or if they got excommunicated/dishonorably discharged).  I can’t demand to sit on the veterans’ float in the Memorial Day parade.  It is not open to me.  I didn’t serve or was a part of that community.  THIS IS LOVING.  It doesn’t mean I am a bad person for not serving, it is truthful.  
  
  
• I don’t get upset about not being invited to an alumni group from a college I did not get a degree from.   I did not earn a place among them.

• I don’t go sit in the student section at the sporting event.  I have a place but it is not among that group.

We all know this.  But people don’t think the same about the Church.  Many people demand that they get the fruit and gifts of Jesus though they themselves have not committed themselves to that congregation and teaching.  That is prideful and arrogant.  It is not loving to expect to receive communion in a place where you have not publicly stated yourself or bound yourself to confess.   To give someone communion who has not promised life and love to that congregation is to live a lie and to hurt that person who takes it.  Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 is pretty clear that God doesn’t come with blessing but rather judgment to someone who wrongly takes communion against the standards of the Church.
 
With this in mind, who can come to the table?  Who can share this feast which unites us together in Christ?  Only those who confess, or are members of that congregation.  Here we must see that it is improper for guests and visitors to approach the table without announcing who they are to the pastor who distributes the gifts of Christ.  Strangers off the street don’t get to come in and raid my fridge without my permission.  
 
Only the members of that congregation are welcome to the goods, and those among them who continue to repent and believe the Gospel.  Think of each congregation as a home.  This is to say nothing about the faith of those who are not welcome.  Jesus loves them even when we don’t commune them. It however, says something about those who confess the faith publicly and properly.
 
With that in mind, who properly should receive communion at this table at Christ Lutheran Church?  Only those on the membership roster.  It would be improper for me to just attend Immanuel Lutheran here in town without first introducing myself, stating where I am from, and what I believe and asking if that host would graciously extend to me the favor of being invited to the table.  No guest can impose upon his host.  Hosts are the ones who welcome us to the table.  Guests don’t choose if they want to or not.  We will cover what to do about guests shortly.
 
But first a word needs to be said about those on the roster, lest we think that holding membership is just a check on that list.  Discipline and following Christ is to be maintained and encouraged, not once and done.  “Test yourself to see if you are in the faith.”  2 Corinthians 13:5. Preparing to receive the Sacrament must be done each time it is offered.  Gross public sin that is not repented of is unbelief and excludes one from the table.  Being a card carrying member is not an automatic guarantee.
 
Access to the table is for those in that church family who continue to follow Christ.  This calls for a routine of discipline and preparation for receiving the Sacrament.  St. Paul urges Christians to examine and judge themselves prior to receiving the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11.
 
Who then has the authority to admit to the table?  The called servants of the Lord.  The Pastor.  They are to see that those who take it are taking it properly.  The pastor is not a vending machine.  Just showing up does not make one worthy.  The pastor is to make sure that the person receiving the Sacrament is not doing so to their destruction.  The pastor is to care for the spiritual life of those who have been entrusted to them.  Acts 20:28 “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

This task is not easy.  It is to be undertaken with great humility and fear. So James says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”  James 3:1.  For this reason, the author of Hebrews exhorts Christians: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.  Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”  Hebrews 13:17

It is the job of the Pastor to make sure those coming to the table confess the faith (not that it is the pastor’s job to know their hearts), are not living in gross outward sin, and are following Christ.  Not doing that is to abandon the sheep to the wolves.
 
By taking Communion, I am being joined to those present at the altar (also with those with Christ alive and dead).  So if a guest were to come in, they should come in and expect to find the pastor and introduce himself/herself.  Failure to do so before service means that when Communion comes, the guest who is a good candidate to receive the Sacrament should not come up out of respect and love for the community that is gathered.  The Sacrament is the intimate celebration of the members of that congregation and guests who are present need to respect the fact that they are not a part of that community.

Closed Communion is not about “guarding the rail” or “protecting Jesus” or even “judging people.”  It is about making sure that the Church is following Christ, maintaining discipline, loving God and loving the neighbor.  I love my neighbor by belonging to the congregation and confessing my faith alongside them.  And they love me by respecting what God has made here and our confession that we share.

Finally, Closed Communion is then the historic practice, it is the right practice, and it is the loving practice.  Or to say it clearly: Closed Communion is how Jesus wants us to handle the Holy Supper of our Lord.
 
Recap: Examples of closed Communion in the world

We have already mentioned these but good to say again.  The example of walking into someone’s house unannounced to raid their food pantry without asking them.  But we operate with a closed communion mindset all over the place.
 
A fan of a college sporting event cannot go sit in the Student Section of the game.
 
A civilian who dies cannot ask for military honors at their funeral.  Nor can a civilian decide to jump on the Veterans float during the Memorial Day parade because he wants people to cheer for him.

This is how we operate all around us.  The Church also has manners that we follow as well.

Bible passages:

The following Scripture passages help describe Closed Communion more.
 
Exodus 12:43-51
43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every slave[a] that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. 45 No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49 There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

50 All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

Question: Who is allowed to partake in the Passover?  Who is not?
 
Exodus 24:1-11
24 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules.[a] And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

Question:
What did the people and the elders of Israel do before they went up on the mountain to eat and drink with God?  (vs.3 and vs. 7)
 
Matthew 26:17-30
17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

26 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.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Questions: As Jesus prepares to give them this Sacrament, what warning does he give for being faithless to him?

1 Corinthians 10:1-22
10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ[c] to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 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? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel:[d] are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Question: How does Paul talk about participation at an altar?  Can you participate at a different altar (we might say, confession of faith)?  How does someone participate with a demon today (a teaching that is a lie is demonic)?
 
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

23 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, 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Question: How should we prepare to receive the Sacrament weekly?

Other Quotes from the Church:

Take a look at how the Church has ALWAYS practiced Communion:
 
The Didache (early 100’s AD)
Now concerning the eucharistic thanksgiving, give thanks in this way.

First, as concerning the cup: We give you thanks, our Father, for the holy vine of your son David, which you made known to us through your Son Jesus. Yours is the glory unto ages of ages.

Then as regards the broken bread: We give you thanks, our Father, for the life and knowledge which you made known to us through your Son Jesus. Yours is the glory unto ages of ages.

As this broken bread was scattered upon the mountains and being gathered together became one, so may your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. For yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ unto ages of ages.
Do not let anyone eat or drink of this Eucharist who has not been baptized into the name of the Lord, for concerning this the Lord has said, “Do not give the holy things to the dogs.”

And after you have been filled, give thanks as follows: We give you thanks, holy Father, for your holy name, which you have made to dwell in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality, which you have made known unto us through your Son Jesus. Yours is the glory unto ages of ages. You, Almighty Master, created all things for your name’s sake, and gave food and drink to men for their enjoyment, that they might give you thanks. And you have given us spiritual food and drink and eternal life through your Son.

Most of all, we give you thanks that you are powerful. Yours is the glory unto ages of ages. Remember, Lord, your Church, and deliver it from all evil and to perfect it in Thy love. Gather it— the sanctified one—together from the four winds into your kingdom which you have prepared for it. For yours is the power and the glory unto ages of ages. May grace come and may this world pass away.

Hosanna to the God of David. If any man is holy, let him come; if any man is not, let him repent. Mar‘anatha. Amen. But permit the prophets to offer thanksgiving as much as they desire.

Ignatius of Antioch 110 AD
Take care, then who belong to God and to Jesus Christ – they are with the bishop. And those who repent and come to the unity of the Church – they too shall be of God, and will be living according to Jesus Christ. Do not err, my brethren: if anyone follow a schismatic, he will not inherit the Kingdom of God. If any man walk about with strange doctrine, he cannot lie down with the passion. Take care, then, to use one Eucharist, so that whatever you do, you do according to God: for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup in the union of His Blood; one altar, as there is one bishop with the presbytery and my fellow servants, the deacons.

Justin Martyr Mid 100 AD
This food we call the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ handed down to us.
 
Augsburg Confession XXIV quoting Chyrsostom 300’s AD
“Chrysostom says ‘that the priest stands daily at the altar, inviting some to the Communion and keeping back others.’ ”

Martin Luther 1534 AD
…Although also the Gospel holds Christians together, the Lord’s Supper does so still more. By attending it every Christian confesses publicly and for himself what he believes. There those who have a different faith (die Ungleichen) part ways, and those meet who have the same faith (im Glauben gleich sind), whose hope and heart toward the Lord are one (einerlei).

This is also the reason why the Sacrament has been called Communio in Latin, a communion. And those who do not want to be of the same faith, doctrine, and life, as other Christians are, are called excommunicatis, people who are dissimilar in doctrine, words, understanding, and life. Therefore these should not be tolerated in the group that has the same understanding; they would divide it and split it up. The Holy Sacrament, then, serves as a means whereby Christ holds His little flock together.
 
C.F.W. Walther 1870 (First LCMS President)
And now consider what a grievous sin those commit who administer Communion to those who are, after all, of another faith and confession, and confess themselves to be one and brothers with them.

1 Corinthians 11: “Now when you meet together, it is not eating the Lord’s Supper.” Here the apostle rebukes the fact that he Corinthians celebrated Communion without putting into practice in love the fraternal fellowship in faith that is thereby declared. One therefore sees also here that Communion should be a bond of fellowship in worship. All should indeed come to preaching, but only Christians who confess the proper Christian faith with their mouth should come to Communion. Therefore one who goes to Holy Communion in a Lutheran church declares openly before the world: I hold with this church, with the doctrine that is preached here, with the faith that is confessed here, and with all the confessors who belong here. The pastor who administers the Sacrament to him declares the very same thing. (p. 215)

We would be sinning dreadfully, you see, if we wanted to hold ourselves separate from all other fellowships only out of mere blind preference or taste. But this division and special position is the command of God and therefore necessary. We may not draw the heterodox as such into our fellowship, as our opponents in the Church Council do and want to justify, and thereby become guilty of a grievous sin. And we for our part will endure the cross that is simply inseparable from our special position—the slanders of our enemies and even the unjust accusations of our erring fellow Christians—all the more joyfully and willingly, the more we remain mindful in faith of the high and holy purpose that God has revealed to us in His Word for the separation of His New Testament church from the world. (p. 219)

Thesis X
Holy Communion is also a mark of confession of the faith and doctrine of those with whom one celebrates it. Therefore the admission of members of heterodox fellowships to the celebration of Communion within the Lutheran church is in conflict with:
Christ’s institution;

The commanded unity of the church in faith and corresponding confession;
Our love for the one to whom the Sacraments is administered;

Our love for our own fellow believers, especially the weak, who by this action would be given grievous offense;

The command not to become participants in the sins and errors of others. (p. 220)

All altars on which Holy Communion is celebrated should bear the following distich attached [to them]:

Cui non mens eadem, cui non confessio simplex, Hanc mensam vetitam noverit esse sibi!
“That is, ‘One who does not have the same faith and one and the same confession, let him know that this table is forbidden to him.’ ” (Cases of Conscience, pp. 594 f.) (p. 221)

A schismatic is one who has separated himself from the church—not indeed because of a fundamental article—but still because of teaching or certain adiaphora. We cannot give the Sacrament to such a one either.

Therefore, to refuse a Reformed person admittance to our Communion is certainly a work of true love, and woe to him who will not perform it. (p. 223)

One sees that the old theologians believed precisely in the presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. That is why they also proceeded in its administration so carefully and conscientiously according to God’s Word. Our present-day softhearted Lutherans who proceed so liberally might well examine themselves [to see] if they themselves also really have the right faith regarding the Sacrament. (p. 224)

Francis Pieper Lutheran Dogmatician in 1920
Christian congregations, and their public servants, are only the administrants and not the lords of the Sacrament. The Lord’s Supper is not their institution, but Christ’s. Therefore they must follow Christ’s instructions in administering the Sacrament. On the one hand, they are not permitted to introduce “Open Communion” on the other hand, they must guard against denying the Sacrament to those Christians for whom Christ has appointed it. (p. 381)
Therefore Walther (Pastorale, p. 146f.) is right in holding that by practicing “Open Communion” a pastor becomes “an unfaithful, careless, and unscrupulous shepherd.” (p. 385)

In vain is love, or charity, appealed to in defense of “Open Communion.” The fact is that this practice is contrary both to love of God and love of the neighbor, for it ignores that the Sacrament of the Altar must be properly used, as prescribed in Scripture, and it leads the neighbor to sin by partaking unworthily of the Sacrament. (p. 385-86)

…The pastor must nevertheless rather suffer removal from office than give the Lord’s supper to a person to whom, according to God’s Word, he must deny it. (p. 390)

John Pless 1993
While we may not presume to judge the faith of another, the Scriptures do call us to judge between varying confessions of the faith (see Romans 16:17). In practicing closed communion, we are not entering into a judgement concerning the saving faith of individual members of other churches. We rejoice over all those who have saving faith in Jesus Christ. Fellowship at the altar is not established by faith in the heart but by sharing in a common confession of faith anchored in “the Gospel preached in conformity with a pure understanding of it and that the sacraments administered in accordance with the divine Word” (Augsburg Confession VII,2-3; Tappert, The Book of Concord, p.32).Without agreement in “doctrine and all its articles” (Formula of Concord X,6; Tappert, The Book of Concord, p.616) there is no fellowship, no oneness in the “holy things” of Word and Sacrament.

We are painfully aware of the barriers that outwardly divide Christ’s people and we pray week after week in the Divine Service “For the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all.” It is a cause of great sadness that all Christians are not yet united in God’s Word and therefore are unable to receive Christ’s body and blood together. Where there is no unity in the Word, there can be no unity in the Sacrament.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plan for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope…” Jeremiah 29:11

Times were bad for God’s people.  The year is around 597 B.C. when the prophet Jeremiah is writing this verse listed above.  The tribe of Judah, now called the Kingdom of Judah, are all that remains of God’s people living in the Promised Land, the other tribes were destroyed and carried away into exile back in 721 B.C.  And now the time has come for Judah.  Exile is coming in just 10 years.   For some, exile has already happened.  
 
The line of David is faltering, their current and last King, Zedekiah, is merely a puppet of the Babylonian Empire who doesn’t know his place.  And in 605 B.C. the Babylonians have carried hundreds of people living in Judah into exile, some being Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  These exiles live in a foreign and strange land where people do not speak their language, their religious life is mocked, and where it would just be easier to adopt Babylonian way of life.

Yet, Jeremiah 29 tells us that there were some exiles, especially a few prophets and leading people who didn’t want the people in exile to give up hope.  They told them that rescue was around the corner, that Egypt would beat the Babylonians, and before the year was out they would be back home in Judah safe and sound.

In response, God has Jeremiah write a letter to these exiles.  God wants to set the record straight with them and to tell them the plan.

The plan is that they will not be coming back home.  Their life in Judah is over, and they won’t be seeing it this side of the grave.  God’s plan for them is to settle into life in Babylon, for the next 70 years.  So he tells them not to listen to these prophets who get their hopes up with false promises.  Coming home will only bring them under the judgment that God has decreed for it.  Best now to hunker down in Babylon.

Rather, God tells them to get busy with life in Babylon, not believing lies and building lives on vain hopes.  God tells them to build homes, plant gardens, get married, have children, and give your sons and daughters into marriage.  God even tells them to pray for Babylon, and seek its welfare because if Babylon succeeds, so will they.  They need not be concerned with the timetable on when God will act, they are called to just be faithful and trust that God will handle it when God is ready to handle it.

We could say that Jeremiah’s letter is played out in the book of Daniel.  For there, Daniel is employed by Babylon and works for the King, but at times shows his true loyalty to God when that is tested.  Exiles are called to a hard life of living in this world but having moments where they will not bow down to idols of gold, even if they must go into the fiery furnace as a result.

It is after telling the exiles that their life as exiles is their new life that God then says this, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…

This is a good reminder for us.  Often this verse is used as a crutch for thinking, “God will cause me to succeed in whatever I want and set my mind to!” But that is not right.  God is not a genie who gives success as we dream it.

This verse says something more profound.  Mainly, your life is not going to go the way you want it nor where you want it to go.  Exile from your homeland may be one way but not the only way. Hard things will be thrown your way.  And often, well meaning people will try and make things better by telling lies.

But we should be honest.  This is where God wants you for the time being.  He has you right where he wants you.  That is a relief, because we know that God knows the way out when he wills it.  Even if you are suffering horribly, even if it appears that God is the enemy.  God would have us keep plugging away at being faithful and trusting in God’s promises that he will work it out in his good time.  And God will.

With all that said.  We have an election coming up, the world more tense than I can recall in my lifetime, the economy has been rough, and your life may be upside down and not where you want it.  Yet still, come what may, keep being faithful in what God has given, even if it is a cross.  God has you where he wants you and God knows best how to resolve things in his own time.  We see this in Christ who knows the bitterness of death itself, but trusts his Father and is raised.

You can count on that too because you are in Christ.  God has made promises to you in Jesus.  He will gather you in at the end of all things.  He knows his plans for you, even if you do not.  And that is for the best, it frees us up to do the things we need to do and to let God worry about where we end up in the end.  As we confess, “I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”  That is hope.  That is the future.  God grant it for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

Election Service: Tuesday, November 5th at 6:30pm: With this year being an election year and, as usual, an emotionally charged one, it is good for us to gather together as Christians to pray.  St. Paul tells Timothy that in worship, prayers are to be offered for all people, especially for kings and those in authority.  Since this is good and right as Christians, we will gather on election night at 6:30pm to pray to our King, to hear God’s word and rejoice in the hope that is ours in Christ the Lord.  Mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 5th at 6:30pm.
 
Bible Classes: It is that time of the year again, Bible studies are starting back up or are underway!  As I write this, Wednesday morning Bible class just finished its first session and I am getting ready for confirmation.  Speaking for all our fall ministries, it is good to be back at it, digging into the Word of God and sharing thoughts and insights together with you all.
 
Sunday after worship service, we are digging in deep into what makes us Lutherans, topics such as why we give both body and blood during Communion, why our pastors marry, Worship, and the power of the church and state are all coming up just to name a few.  Wednesday mornings at 9:30am, we are digging into the Prophet Amos as he depicts God roaring like a Lion to his people to wake them up.  Tuesday at 3:00pm is harvesting the Fruit of the Spirit, and the Monday morning Men’s breakfast and Bible study is looking at Law and Gospel.  Join us at one or all of these to dig in further into the love of Christ!

October Voters Meeting: Sunday, October 27th at 11:15am: The congregation’s next voters meeting will be on Sunday, October 27th at 11:15am.  I am seeing if the elders will have a pancake breakfast again this year, but if not it will be a potluck.
 
On the docket will be elections, The 2025 Budget, and the presentation of the Land Committees’ Report to be voted on in January meeting.  If you have any questions, let me or leadership know.

Advent: It is hard to believe, but with the arrival of the Autumn schedule brings about thoughts of Advent.  We will be plumbing the depths of an ancient tradition among Christians, going back to the 500’s. This Christmas tradition took place each day the week before Christmas in various prayers and songs called the “O Great Antiphons.” These inspired the hymn, “O Come O Come Emmanuel.” We will use those prayers each week to build our own anticipation for Christ to come to us and save us.  These prayers are rich, if you ever wanted to take a look at them, you can find them on the page opposite of above stated hymn, Hymn #357, in our Church Hymnal.
 
Advent begins on Wednesday November 6th at 9:00am and then the same service again on Thursday November 7th at 6:30pm when our Wednesday morning chapel and Thursday night services transform into Advent Midweeks.

Thank You! A big thank you to our elders and leadership of the congregation.  When I left on vacation in August, it was nice that so many people rose to take care of things while I was gone.  It is a relief for me and a great support, I know not many of my brothers in the ministry have that, so I am thankful to God for our congregational leadership.  Thank you also, for attending to the Word of God while I was gone.  As we gathered to worship the Sunday we were gone, it was a joy to realize that though separated by space and time, we still gathered before the throne of our God as one body.
 
Also, thank you to so many of you for your gifts, prayers, well wishes and support as you reached out to me and my wife to wish us a happy 10th wedding anniversary.  It is a joy to be here with all of you and to be able to call this place our home.  Thank you for that blessing.
 
The Lord be with you all!  Jesus loves you.

Pastor Andrew Belt 

 “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchman for the morning, more than watchman for the morning.”  Psalm 130:5-6
Waiting is a hard thing.  Especially when there seems to be an emergency.  Emergencies have a habit of making us throw caution to the wind to act right now, regardless of if it is right or wrong.

King Saul from 1 Samuel, knows a bit about failing to wait.   King Saul was told by the prophet Samuel to assemble the Israelite army at the place of Gilgal and there Samuel tells Saul to await his coming on the 8th day so Samuel could beseech the LORD’s favor and pray and offer sacrifice before letting King Saul lead the hosts of Israel in battle against the Philistines.

As Saul and the Israelites waited for Samuel to come while at Gilgal, the Philistines also gathered for battle across from them.  A great army assembled before them, and the sight of the gathering forces caused Israel and Saul to freak out.  Finally, on the 8th Day, Samuel was a no show.  As a result, Israel’s army began to leave and hide, and Saul was increasingly feeling besieged.  Hope seemed to be dim.

It is at this point that King Saul could wait no more.  Saul figured that if he waited any longer for the late Samuel then there would be no army left to fight the Philistines and the battle would be lost.  In all of this, Saul forgets God.

Saul decided that if Samuel was not coming, then it was best to take matters into his own hand.  Saul demanded that the offerings and sacrifices be brought to him and King Saul decided to offer the sacrifices instead of Samuel.  He figured that just doing the act of sacrifice was good enough.  As long as the sacrifice was offered, it doesn’t matter who or how it was done, right?

Sadly, Saul was wrong. Saul didn’t offer the sacrifices in faith and since Saul was not a Levite, this meant his offering was against God’s expressed commands.  His offering was breaking faith with God!   The outward work of the sacrifices means nothing if there is not faith.

Tragically, and ironically, it happened that just as Saul had finished offering the sacrifices that Samuel arrives.  Samuel sighs at Saul’s faithlessness, Saul gives a lame excuse blaming everyone but himself, and then the LORD lets Saul know that God rejects Saul as king and God will instead choose a man after his own heart, which ends up being David.  God then uses only a few men, one being Saul’s Son Jonathan, to stir up confusion and chaos among the Philistines who are then routed by their own mass confusion.  God was able to win the battle with just a few men, Saul needed not fear if his army fled to begin with.  Saul was rather called to be an example in trusting in God.

Waiting is hard.  Perhaps you feel the need to act gnawing at you.  As it eats at you, feel may think this:  “I can’t wait!  If God doesn’t heal me now, I will die!”  Or even this, “If God doesn’t act now, my life with fall apart!  I can’t wait!” It is in those times that we need to steel our hearts.  Saul shows us that acting foolishly and rashly against what God has spoken is far worse than even if we died and life falls apart.

But that leads us to Jesus.  Jesus knows something of waiting too.  Waiting for God’s salvation and vindication as his enemies surrounded him.  “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” Psalm 27:3.

Jesus was arrested and tried in a kangaroo court.  Beaten and mocked, scourged and crucified on the cross humiliated in front of all.  He commands no angels to come.  His followers all scamper away and hide in their own holes too.

But Jesus waits.  He for sure feels the bitterness of it all, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me!” Psalm 22:1. Jesus receives no answer for this.  Silence from God.  Jesus’ life ebbs away as God does nothing.  Jesus perhaps could act rashly. “He trusts in the LORD, let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Psalm 22:8. Jesus could provide himself the answer, come down off the cross.  He could save himself, and eternally doom us all.  But Jesus doesn’t do that.

Jesus knows to wait for God regardless of it all.  “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31. So Jesus waits and entrusts himself to his Father. “Into your hands, I commit my spirit.” Psalm 31:5. Jesus leaves the ball in God’s court.  If any action is to be taken, it will be by God’s own initiative.
 
And indeed, Jesus’ waiting is vindicated.  On the 3rd day, or the 8th day of the week, the Father answers by raising Jesus from the dead.  Jesus was right to put his faith in his Father, Jesus was right to wait, for Jesus was not put to shame.  And as a result, Jesus has opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.  You can wait now, too.
 
Waiting for God takes into account that it is never too late when you are in the hands of God who can raise the dead.  You are not past the point of God’s aid.  God has made promises to you.  Never to leave you nor forsake.  Jesus promises that all your sins are covered and because of him, you have eternal life.

So instead wait for Jesus.  The situation is never beyond our Lord’s reach.  Not even death can thwart the one who is risen from the dead.  So even if you die, yet shall you live.
 
“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” Psalm 27:14

Bible Studies/Sunday School/Confirmation/Chapel: It is that time of year again!  On Sunday, September 8th, rally day kicks off a new year of Sunday School, Bible classes, Confirmation, and Chapel.  Pray for all of these ministry offerings and also participate in them by attending and volunteering and growing in Jesus and with fellow disciples!
 
Here is the line up of action:
Confirmation:
2nd Years: with Pastor Andrew Belt on September 4th at 6:30pm
1st Years: with DCE Tammy Schwartz on September 4th at 6:30pm

Bible Classes:
Sunday September 15th 10:30am: Lutheran Confessions
Monday’s at 7:30am: Men’s Bible Class and Breakfast
Tuesday’s at 3:00pm: Yvonne’s Bible Class
Wednesday September 4th at 9:30am: Amos

Chapel:
Beginning Wednesday, September 4th at 9:00am. (Great way to begin Wednesday!)

Sunday School:
Rally Day is on September 8th at 10:15am.

Election Day Prayer Service November 5th 6:30pm: St. Paul tells us to pray for our leaders and those who God has put in authority over us.  Election season is always tense and a bit nerve wracking for everyone in the country.  We decided it would be a good idea for us as Christians to gather on Election night and pray and hear God’s Word and to put our confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
So, please come out on Tuesday, November 5th at 6:30pm.  We will have a chapel like service where we pray, hear God’s Word, sing hymns to our Lord Jesus, and ask that God watch over our country and provide us with peace that we may be good citizens and be good witnesses of a new creation that we are apart of in Jesus.

As Jeremiah told the exiles of Judea, pray for the wellbeing of Babylon and do good in it.  Let’s practice that here by gathering and praying.  Please make every effort to join us that night, no doubt it will calm nerves and give us hope in Jesus.

Nebraska Choir September 8th at 7:00pm: We have the joy of having the Concordia University Nebraska choir join us on September 8th at 7:00pm for a music concert.  The concert will be an hour long and feature many great works of music that will be sung in our sanctuary.  A group of 14 college students make up the choir and are looking forward to singing in our church.  Let’s show them support and help spread word and pack the house to listen to them sing!  Mark the time and date on your calendar.
 
Voters Meeting Summary: The Voters Meeting on July 21st was a good meeting.  We approved our new Financial Secretary, Anna K.  The Land Committee also gave us an update on where they are at.  A group has been meeting since February to pursue all options on the field we own along 14th and Schmidt.  The options are to leave as is, develop it at some point into an outdoor worship space/orchard/community area that would be developed in phases, or to sell the land.  The group presented a great document at the meeting and if you want to read it, let us know.  The Committee wanted feedback from the congregation at the meeting and now we will meet and get to ready to present to the congregation at the October Meeting with the intention of voting on it at the January 2025 Voters Meeting.
 
We also brought up Budget and Financial Concerns.  The Church Council started a group in June to meet and come up with ways to communicate to the congregation concerning budget needs and assistance.  We noted that as of June 30th we are $59,000 behind on budget.  We had a good conversation on this and a need for us all to realize that Christ Lutheran Church is our family and our house and to remember to support it. I noted to the congregation as well this interesting fact.  In 2023 we were down $52,000 in July 2023 but yet ended 2023 with a net of $1500.

I also noted that a lot of ground work has been done by people who have wanted to help.  We saved nearly $10,000 on landscaping through the men’s maintenance group.  We have saved 2,000 dollars on electricity by switching out to LED, contracts have been looked into and redrafted or companies switched which has saved several thousand dollars.  People have been responsible and continue to find ways to be responsible.  To take a line from our Parish Administrator who said it just as well as could be said, “Don’t give to the Church out of fear of us not making budget.  Give because you care about this congregation and its workers and want to see it succeed.  Give because God has blessed you with everything you have and none of it really belongs to you anyway.”  Well said.

This is a reminder that we do need to always support the Gospel and the Preaching of the Word and Sacraments, but also that Jesus knows how to help us, so join with Jesus in promoting that.  Continue to keep that in prayer, and may God change all our hearts.  Jesus is generous after all.

We also brought up Property needs.  The roof will be done here in the fall, the electricity issue we had is waiting for dryer weather to trench and begin work switching out the corroded system and updating the code.  The bell tower will also need a facelift in the years to come.  The next section of the parking lot has been delayed due to electrical issues being a priority.
 
The District also asked us to make a change in our constitution that they wanted stated more direct and clearly.  That was quick and painless and was approved at a separate meeting on August 4.

Lastly, the elders and council discussed Christmas Eve service times for this year.  With attendance, manpower, and needs, we decided that Christmas Eve Service Times will be at 10am, 3pm, and 6pm. The Congregation understood and agreed and it was approved.
With that, I have run out of space for this Newsletter!  The Lord Jesus be with you all!  Jesus loves you!  In Christ, Pastor Andrew Belt

“We ask you brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come…” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2

In several of St. Paul’s letters, namely 2 Thessalonians and Galatians, Paul will end the letter with a sign of genuineness: writing the farewell greeting with his own hand in large letters.  We know from Paul’s letters that Paul would dictate the letter to his scribe, also called an amanuensis, who would write down all that Paul would say.  (see Romans 16:22 “I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.”)

But at the end, Paul would take the pen from the scribe, and scribble something in his own hand to prove to the Church that he was the one behind the pen.  Much like how we sign letters we write with our own hand.  This was and still is a safeguard from forgeries or fake letters seeming to be from Paul that could be used to hurt the faith of those reading.
 
From the earliest days, the Church had to safeguard the Apostolic message from liars and forgeries that sometimes claimed to come from the Apostles.  The transmission of the New Testament is a fascinating history in itself, and one that gives us assurance to the books of the New Testament that we have in our Bibles.  If you are curious about it all, I would love to talk.

But I bring this up, because from time to time, sensational claims are made concerning manuscripts that are found about other books that seem to add more details than what we have been given.  For example, last month, a couple members of the congregation and also my family forwarded to me an article from the secular media titled, “German researchers decode earliest known written record of Jesus’ childhood.”

Sounds juicy right?  Like, “why haven’t I heard this in church?!” kind of juicy. *Clicks article*
Except that it isn’t juicy.  The manuscript in question is the Gospel of Thomas, a document which was rediscovered in 1945.  Though we didn’t have a copy of the Gospel of Thomas in modern days until 1945, it was known to have existed before it was “discovered.”  The early Church knew of its existence and spoke against it as a forgery.  Though titled the Gospel of Thomas, it was not written by Thomas, but it reads like Christian fan fiction from the 200’s AD.  In fact, the Gospel of Thomas quotes the other Gospels at times and mentions 10 of the parables that we do have in the other four Gospels.

Where did this text come from?  The text came from Gnostics in the early 2nd century to even 3rd century who would claim that Jesus was not flesh and blood but a spirit or just appeared to have human flesh and blood (note here just how often Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John go out of their way to describe Jesus with flesh and blood, because they were dealing with Gnostics themselves).  They had the Gospel of Thomas quote real Bible verses to gain credibility, but also add in details that they claimed they heard from Jesus in secret.  Gnostics in the 2nd and 3rd centuries loved saying that Jesus told them secret things that only they knew, like Mormons do today.

Note here how the Gospels we have in our Bible tell us that Jesus told his disciples that what they heard from him should be said publicly to all, not secretly to just a select few insiders.  The teaching of Christ is not a secret club where only certain members knew the truth; it is an outspoken word that everyone was to hear and be taught.  St. Paul stresses to Timothy and Titus to train others who can teach the Church at large against this kind of secret teaching.  We can tell in John’s Gospel, and 1 John, and Revelation, that St. John was writing against Gnostics who denied Jesus came in the flesh, which he calls the spirit of the antichrist.

Reading the Gospel of Thomas, you quickly realize how out of touch it is and written from the perspective of someone who never met Jesus, but knows the real Gospels enough to write vaguely about it.  To show the level of off base here, the Gospel of Thomas even has it that Jesus stated that females are inferior to men and that Jesus would make women become like the spirits of men so they have a shot at eternal life.  This thought comes directly from the idea of Gnostics who deny that God cares or loves the material creation he made.

However, there is one good use for the Gospel of Thomas, and that use is that it helps scholars compare the authentic Gospels to prove their veracity and their claims!   When you hold a lie up to the truth, the truth shines brighter.  As scholars look and compare them, they can notice the tell tale differences between someone who knows their stuff and were eyewitnesses as compared to someone who just takes a few details they know from arm’s length and spins a narrative that is more of a fiction.  The Gospel of Thomas, and others like it, (there are others) are like the cute stories we have about George Washington cutting down a cherry tree that sound nice but are not true.

So, what should you do when you come across sensational claims about Jesus from writings that we do not have in our Bibles?  First, ignore them.  The media has a way to make it sound more incredible than it actually is, after all they need to do something to get you to click on their article.  Second, take what is said with a grain of salt.  The article sent to me put little claims like “The Gospel of Thomas was not included in the Bible” like it was a conspiracy to keep out stuff Christians didn’t like.  In reality, the early Christians knew that these books were garbage, heretical, and not what the Apostles had taught them.  

So, when the early Christians came across books that Gnostics claimed “This came from Thomas!” They looked at them and knew that these were lies.  They took to heart what Paul said, “do not be shaken…by a letter seeming to come from us…”  Take Paul’s advice do not be shaken, we have in our Bibles what we have because it is validated and good.  Go in the peace of Jesus Christ your Lord whose voice is heard in the record we have from the Prophets and Apostles!

July Voters Meeting
The July voters meeting is coming up for July 21st at 10:30am after our 9:00am service.  Mark it down should you desire to attend and be informed.  Here is what we have on the docket for the meeting:

• An update from the Land Committee.  The land committee has met 8 times since late February.  They will give an update on what has been explored and discovered since we have begun to meet.  And they will also be seeking feedback on further options and questions. 
• Christmas Eve Service Times.  Currently on Christmas Eve, we have 10am, 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm service times.  Based on factors such as help, music, attendance and such, the council and elders have discussed and have agreed to change the times to 10am, 3pm, 6pm.  We are looking for feedback from members of the congregation at the meeting before me move forward with that. 
• Constitution Change.  For the third time, the District reviewed our constitution and wanted us to make an edit to it.  We have done the groundwork to make the change in the constitution, will present it on July 21st, and then have to have a special voters meeting 14 days later to ratify the change.  Hopefully, like times past, we just have a quick vote following service, which would be August 4th. 
• We have a financial secretary now on council since the last voters meeting and she will need to be officially approved by the congregation. 

Those are the items on the docket currently.  If there needs to be any other items added to the agenda, let us know two weeks in advance of the meeting so they can be added on.  Thank you as always for your diligence and care and as always keep meetings, leadership and decisions in your prayers.

Fall Ministry
As we get into July, we are starting to plan and look ahead to all of our fall ministry.  As disciples of Jesus here in Marshfield, pray for these things as we draw near to Bible classes, Sunday School, and Confirmation.  Pray for God to grant those who attend the Spirit to know Christ and to be drawn to him and also for those to participate in them!  I have been spending the summer preparing for Bible classes and fixing attention to Advent and Lent for next year

I will soon be sending out information to the second year confirmands as we prepare for another year, and reaching out to those who will be preparing to enter this year’s 1st year confirmation class.  If you are a parent with young children or getting close to confirmation age, start preparing your children by attending service, praying at home, leading devotions and getting familiar with the Small Catechism.  Discipleship is all about forming habits and disciplines that form a routine and pattern that is lived out.

Concordia Nebraska Choir
On September 8th, we will be hosting the Concordia University Nebraska Choir at 7pm.  Concordia Nebraska is one of the Universities in the LCMS and the place where our beloved Tammy was trained in her days preparing to become a DCE.

They reached out to us asking if we would be willing to host a choir concert at our church.  The leadership and I thought that it would be a wonderful opportunity and said yes.  It will also give a chance to spread the news to the community and raise awareness to the congregation about one of our colleges that we have that prepares people for work in the church and the world.  So, mark your calendars for September 8th at 7pm!  More details will be given as we get closer, but it is good to bring awareness now.

Church Smart Phone App
Did you know that our Church has an App for your smart phone?  Everything that you need can be found on it.  If you have a smart phone, download the Christ Lutheran Church App.  Just search “Christ Lutheran Church, Marshfield” in your search bar and it should come up in the app store.  The app has our worship service bulletins on it, you can watch old services/sermons, you can view church announcements and read minutes.  My podcast, “The Belt of Truth” is on the app.

The app also allows you to give offerings online and schedule them, and there is also a Bible built in on the app as well.  Everything that you could ever want to know or be informed about is on the app.  The Church App is updated several times each week, almost daily, and can also connect you to our Facebook page, YouTube page, and our website.
The app is really a one stop shop for everything you could ever discover about our church, and it is a great resource that can connect you to so much more.  Download the app today if you have not and allow for notifications that we sometimes send about services, bible studies, podcasts, and other important announcements to stay in the loop.

God’s peace to you all as we continue through the summer months, I pray that they are restful and also preparing you to spring back into action when we come to Rally Day on September 8th!
 
In Christ,
Pastor Andrew Belt

“Abide in me and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine and you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”  John 15:4-6

As it is now Spring, it is the time for me to get the lawn prepared, cleaned, and ready to be cut. That is, once the rain stops and the ground dries up.  But when the time comes, the first thing that I do is to go out into the yard and gather the sticks that have fallen from the trees.  Once I clear that debris, I am ready to mow the yard.

The sticks that I gather go into a pile, and as the summer wears on, eventually they are used as kindling to get the fire going in our firepit.  Once they are disconnected from the tree, they serve no other purpose.  They will not grow anything.  And anything on the freshly fallen sticks will be withered and dry and dead within a few hours.  Once they are severed from the tree that nourishes them, they are only good enough to be used in the fire.

Jesus uses this illustration to talk about himself and his people, the Church.  The word “church” is perhaps a dirty word for some people.  Perhaps an inconvenience to some, unnecessary to the simple, painful to those who have suffered wrong and abuse, and a thorn in the side to others who would like to go their own way.

But of course, to Jesus, the Church is his own body.  In the Bible, the Church and Jesus always go together.  You will never find the Church without Jesus and you will never find Jesus without his Church.  They go together like a branch to the vine. (John 15) Or like a wife to her husband.  (Ephesians 5).  When Saul was killing Christians, Jesus said he was really attacking him.

Jesus and his Church are “one.”  This gets a little after what Paul says in Galatians when he says that “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”  This is why the book of Acts goes to great lengths to show how each Christian in the book sounds like Jesus at some point (Stephen in Acts 7) or suffers and is rescued like Jesus (Peter in Acts 12).

In a profound way, how you treat the Church is how you treat Jesus.  Which should give us each pause to reflect how we talk about, treat, and interact with the Church.  How do you treat and tend to the Church?

Here are some examples.  Do we gossip about the Church?  About her members and leaders?  If so, imagine that you are saying that to Jesus Christ now.  After all, Jesus will bring into the light everything we do in secret.

Here is another example: Are we faithful in attending Church and preparing for worship?  Worship time is when Jesus is present with his body.  If Jesus was coming to Marshfield, would you miss it?  Well, Jesus does come to Marshfield!  Every Wednesday chapel, every Thursday at 6:30pm and every Sunday at 9:00am is when Jesus is in town.  It is easy to forget that, or at least, despise it.  A professor of mine once noted to us that if we rarely show up or refuse to attend worship, what we are really saying is this: Jesus is not here.

Do we give to the Church?  Money that goes to support the Church is going to support the Lord Jesus Christ’s mission to advance the Gospel.  Supporting called workers and staff, keeping lights on, repairing property, giving for the needs of others in the Church and world.  Giving to the Mission of the Church is that right there: the ability to proclaim the Gospel and deliver the Sacraments.  That is showing love for Jesus Christ and the importance of what He is doing in His Church.  As a pastor of mine once said, “If the Gospel is so great, why are we all so cheap?”  I remember those words echoing in my head for a long time.

How we treat and interact with the Church is how we interact with Christ himself.  Jesus created His Church.  The Church is how Jesus operates with his saving Gospel, “The one who hears you, hears me.”  If a connection with Jesus does not lead a Christian into the fellowship of the Church, which is Christ’s body, and the mother that begets all Christians, then they have not found Jesus.   They are just a stick, lying on a ground only fit for the soon to be mower to pick it up and toss it on the pile.  We cannot separate Jesus and his Church.  Which is such a joyous thing to realize!  

Jesus invites people, you, into the fellowship of His Church.  This seems so weak and pathetic.  A ragtag group of sinners doesn’t look all that great to the world.  Especially in a world of spiritual idealism and individual enthusiasm, which is the idea that the serpent gave to Adam and Eve that you can have God in your own way and not the way that God has made.

But while the world scoffs, the fellowship of sinners gathered together has the promise of Jesus Christ with them.  And the promise of Jesus Christ is worth more than the riches of the world. I would bank my eternal wellbeing on the promise of Jesus Christ. The point of the Church is to hand over the goods of Jesus in his Word and Sacraments.  This is what Jesus means by abiding in him.  This is what Jesus means when he urges and exhorts us to abide in him.  The body and blood of Christ in the Sacrament is literally Jesus coursing through you and his people.    This is what Christ desires for you and for all.  To put you into his tree, his temple, his body, his Church.  There you will be nourished, trimmed, pruned, cultivated, and grown.

As we approach summer and also as we approach the midpoint of this year, I encourage you again to come into the fellowship of Christ’s body.  He has his gifts for you, and desires to attach you to himself, that you might grow in faith and in all good works which he would have for you.  That is the fruit that will last.  After all, we want to reap a harvest on Harvest Day which Jesus has appointed.  The Lord bless you and keep you as you abide in him!

Property Items/Maintenance  
Ever since Covid began, we have been playing catch up with a lot of deferred maintenance that has taken a back seat in the last decade.   Already the pillars of the church have been addressed, the wort part of the parking lot was redone last year, and each year we fill in a section of our roof that is in need of repair.

There are some key issues that we are hoping to address this year, and some which became more pressing.  Back during Thanksgiving through a rather long chain of events, we discovered that our electrical unit, which is hitting 50 years of age, has been corroding and water leaking in.  It has been patched for now, but that makes it on borrowed time.  The parts to fix it were also backordered and a year out as well.  Movement was taken earlier this year to secure that and move along, but as we change that out, the city also wishes for us to be updated on code, something that we were grandfathered into, but now need to address.  This is likely to cost at least $30,000, though we may be able to save money by doing some of the trenching of the new line ourselves.

The next sections of the roof that need to be done are also looking to be fixed, as there has been a couple of leaks in the last few months.  The Fellowship Hall was already planned and will cost $19,500, but since the leaks were in the next section over (the kitchen area), we may do both in one go, increasing the cost (though actually saving money as it will be cheaper in the long run to do both at once).

We also want to take the next part of the parking lot, which is the side facing 14th street and complete that whole side.  The price tag on that is around $65,000.

In the future, we need some work to switch over our pneumatic boiler system, which is being phased out in the world of temperature control, and over to a digital system that would better regulate temperature and be more cost effective.

All of this is to say, we need your help.  The council has been talking and while there are some funds in the Building Fund to take care of the roof and other preventative maintenance, what would be really nice is if we could get some help to cover the parking lot, especially the next part that we would like to get done.  The price, as listed above, is around $65,000.  We are going to be looking for additional ways to raise awareness and help with funding, but I said I would put a plea out on this newsletter, which I hope many of you see.  Your help on that would be greatly appreciated since our parking lot could use it.
 
Council
The leadership of the congregation recently were engaged in a stewardship conference.  It was a great time and we had a great discussion.  We looked into ways to be better at engaging ourselves and you as stewards of the Gospel.  Continuing discussion will happen at further council meetings, but this fits in with the property items and needs listed above in the previous items.

Voters Meeting
Also, our next Voters Meeting will be coming up on Sunday, July 21st, at 10:30am.  We plan to give an update concerning what the land committee has been working on, as well as the topic of Christmas Eve service times.  If there are any other updates, we would love to be able to put them on the agenda.  Let us know by June 10 so the council can approve the agenda at their meeting.

Financials
As has been the case for the past year and a half, our financials aren’t great but they aren’t really bad either. We have plenty to cover our expenses, but we are behind on the budget. This ties in with the Stewardship conversation council is having. As always we also continue to pray and trust in the Lord to provide.

Immanuel Lutheran School
This is just a reminder that our sister LCMS church here in town, Immanuel, has a PreK through 8th grade School.  As you think about where to send your children or grandchildren to school, we have a great resource here in town where kids can be connected to Christ during the school day.  I do chapel services quarterly there.  This past year we implemented a scholarship to be able to help cover costs of tuition to go to Immanuel.  If you have questions, let me know.  Our LCMS schools are a treasure that we should utilize as best we can.
 
Library
If you had not noticed, the Library has recently moved!  It used to be located in the space that intersected the Sunday School wing and the gym, and between the Sunday School office and entrance.

Now the Library is located close to the Narthex over by the Nursery, which used to be Tammy’s office prior to when she moved a few years back.  This is a perfect space that will have some touches continued to be added to it to give more awareness.  We will do a blessing of the library following service on the first week of June.
 
Our Librarian has done a great job of adding new titles, clearing out unused and outdated books, and even preparing a kid’s corner in the Library.  We hope to continue to make this a great resource in the years to come and I highly recommend taking a look and seeing what resources there are for you there to grow in the faith.

May God grant to you all an increased love and zeal for one another, for the lost, and for Christ Jesus your Lord!

In Christ,
Pastor Andrew Belt  

“For the sake of Christ I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness of God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:8-14

We get a preview in the section above, of what drives Paul forward in life—and what the Scriptures would say should drive us all forward in life.  As said by St. Paul, the goal of life for a Christian is to share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is what we would call salvation.  Salvation is to share in the victory of Jesus Christ over death even if we must die to share in it.

Salvation is something that Jesus has given to Paul, but as Paul goes on to say, he also strives to receive it.  In our minds this doesn’t connect, but for those who have been a part of the Sunday Bible classes recently, this both/and is how it is.  Jesus gives salvation without our work and at the same time it is the responsibility of Christians to work toward it.

Paul notes in verse 12 “not that I have already obtained it or am already perfect.” When we think of perfect, we think of something without fault.  Morally good we would think.

But that translation is a bit misleading.  The word for “perfect” is from the same word that Jesus used on the cross: “It is finished.”  The meaning behind both these uses is the idea of a runner who completes the race.  It is the idea of when you finish a book.  You have reached the end and the meaning for why you have struggled.  Jesus’ death then is a completion of everything Jesus set out to do in the 30 plus years he was on earth.  Paul notes that the work in him is not yet finished, namely, he has not been resurrected yet.  It is coming, Jesus has given it to him, but it is also not yet here.

In the meantime, before you are completed/finished, there is work to do, lest you miss the goal and your end is destruction.  Paul notes that his entire life is bent to the prize that is to receive the resurrection to eternal life.  That means that everything behind Paul must be let go of.  “forgetting what lies behind and striving forward.”  For Paul, that is not the bad things in life.  Forget the past for Paul is forgetting how good he was. (read verses 2-7).  Paul had everything.  He had the standing, the birth rank, the knowledge, and the righteousness that made him a credit to his people and a credit to society around him.  He was zealous, a mover and a shaker, someone who has a lot going for them.  In short, someone that everyone wants to be.

But the coming of Christ and the conversion to the faith has made St. Paul say about his former way of life, “that was a load of nonsense.”  The accolades and the prizes he received through his work and accomplishments are actually in the way of the resurrection.  So Paul suffered those to be lost in order that he might gain a better prize.  Namely, resurrection from the dead, given to him by Jesus.  Jesus has already made Paul his own.  Paul now wants to make Jesus his own, all done of course, by faith.

So for you, beloved by Jesus and who has made you his own.  Why do you do the things that you do?  Most people probably just do what they see everyone else doing without a thought as to why.
 
Why do you work?  Is it just to get a paycheck?  Is it because you want to make enough money to retire comfortably and be done?  Is that your goal?  Your end?  As a parent, why do we have children?  What do I want for them?  Do we just want them to get good grades and be in all the activities because we want them to succeed?  Why?  Is it just because that is what everyone else is doing?
 
An implication for what Paul is saying in Philippians 3 is that those goals that we all press on for, are the wrong goals.  The only goal that matters is attaining to the resurrection.  To achieve that goal will then change how you live.  Those things that take you away from Christ are evil, not good.  That promotion at work could cause you to no longer have time for hearing God’s Word and gathering with the Lord’s people.  That promotion is evil, not good.  Sending your kids to that place of higher education that has standing in the world might cause them to lose out on the resurrection because they will be flooded with unbelief.    

Keeping the goal in view makes life become more focused.  Which is a relief to me.  The world is seeking to divide your focus away, or at least deceive you into thinking it is not worth attaining to the resurrection.  But let Paul close us out as he continues:

“Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.  Only let us hold true to what we have attained.  Brothers join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.  For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their end (here is the word perfection again in Greek!) is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him to even subject all things to himself.”  Philippians 3:15-21

Continue to strive, dear brothers and sisters in Jesus.  The end for you is resurrection and completion.  Don’t lose sight of that goal.  Amen.  You can start striving by reading the rest of this newsletter which has many things that you should note, pray about, and join in working and doing together with the brothers here at Christ Lutheran.  The Lord Jesus be with you all!

“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”  Luke 1:1-4

St. Luke was the companion of St. Paul, and a doctor from what Paul says of him in Colossians 4:14.  And Luke begins his Gospel by writing to a certain Theophilus.  We are not sure of his identity, but his name means “loved by God.” Many commentators think that his name is code because of how Luke addresses him as “most excellent.”  This is how one addresses a superior, especially a royal superior.
 
This is perhaps a clue that Theophilus is a ranking member of the Roman government who has come to faith in Jesus Christ and Luke protects his identity so he will not be outed or have attention drawn to him.  But it also allows Luke’s Gospel to be addressed to anyone reading it, since they and we are also “loved by God.”

But the reason for Luke’s Gospel is that he desires to give Theophilus, and now us, assurance of what he has learned.  The record of the Gospel was meant to give certainty to the reader of who Jesus is, and Luke got all his information from eyewitnesses who were there and saw it.  Luke is an investigator.  Luke chapters 1-2 most likely came from the Virgin Mary herself!
 
The key thing that I like to zoom in on here though is the last few words which read “concerning the things you have been taught” but quite literally read in the Greek, “so that you may know the certain words concerning which you have been catechized.”
The Christian faith is the teaching that we receive from the apostles and give us certainty.  We might think of the Gospel of Luke then as the first Catechism.  The Word catechism is where we get the word “echo.”  It is something that is repeated and drilled into us.  This tells us that Catechism is the way of life for a Christian.
Now catechisms are not just doctrine books of the basic beliefs.  They are that, but they are so much more.  Catechisms are hymn books, prayer books, and more.  Catechisms are how we are Christian.
Reading Luke’s Gospel, you find quickly that it is a hymn book with hymns sung by Mary, the Angels, and Zechariah.  We would say that Luke is very liturgical.  They are hymns Luke wants us to sing.  Hymns so powerful that to this day they are the most sung parts in the liturgy as the Magnificat (Mary), the Benedictus (Zechariah), and the Gloria in Excelsis (Angels).

The Catechism is also a prayer book.  In fact, that is how Luther’s Small Catechism was intended to be used too.  Catechisms are designed to shape and form for our prayers.  Faith is pondered in prayer as we turn to God’s promises and Word.  Going back to Luke’s Gospel, we are reminded of the thief on the cross who prayed to Jesus, “Thy Kingdom Come to me.”  And Jesus answers that prayer by making a promise.
 
We too in our sufferings are meant to turn to the Lord to have him make a promise.  A promise that is given to us in Luke’s Gospel with the climax being the Lord’s Supper.  Commentators have long noted that the Synoptic Gospels read like a Worship Service, especially when it comes to the institution of the Lord’s Supper.  The words of Jesus read ritualistically.

This is of course how we approach our Small Catechism as well, and why it is brilliant and has stood the test of time the last 500 years.  We should think of our Catechism, not as a book we read once and then go on.  But we should think of it as a prayer book, a hymn book, and a place where the essence of being a Christian means.  Think of it as a field guide and a place where we come to understand what being a Christian means.
After all, just like how an echo is heard again and again, so are the basics of our faith.  If you ask a professional sports player why they are good, they will tell you that they drill the basics over and over again.  A master in something is someone who drills the basics.  The Catechism is meant to do that, so that in Luke’s Words, we might have certainty the words we have been taught.

If you are looking at becoming better at being a Christian, I can think of no better way than going over pieces of the Catechism every day.  If that task seems simple, then you are doing it wrong.  The deeper you get into it, the more you realize you need to learn.  May God grant to you that hunger and thirst to be certain of what we believe, teach, and confess!  Amen.
 
Holy Week
Speaking of Catechesis, Holy Week is a perfect time to live out the how of the Christian faith.  If Lent is a time where we intensify our focus and energy into worship, prayers, hymns, fasting, alms giving, etc.  Then Holy Week is intensity on steroids.  The Church year has the habit of counting time with Jesus weekly, but Holy Week we count it hourly.  And it is a blast.  I find that Holy Week shapes me more and more as the years go on as a pastor and as a Christian.

I challenge you this year to be apart of everything that happens during Holy Week at Christ Lutheran.  Give it a try.  I dare you.  Here is everything for Holy Week in one spot:
Palm Sunday 3/24: We begin Holy Week with the ride of Jesus into Jerusalem heralded as the king!  Service is at 9:00am as usual for Sunday.

Holy Monday 3/25: Join us at 6:30pm at the Church on Holy Monday to meditate and read St. Matthew’s Gospel regarding the events of Holy Week!

Holy Tuesday 3/26:  Join us at 12pm at the Church on Holy Tuesday as we meditate and read St. Mark’s Gospel regarding the events of Holy Week!

Holy Wednesday 3/27:  Join us at 9:00am at the Church on Holy Wednesday as we mediate and read from St. Luke’s Gospel regarding the events of Holy Week!

Maundy Thursday 3/28: Be with Christ in the Upper Room as the Triduum begins (The Three Days).  Jesus institutes the Sacrament, gives a final command to love one another as he is then betrayed.  Service is at 6:30pm!  Holy Communion will be present.
 
Good Friday 3/29: Betrayed, Beaten, Bloodied and Battered, Jesus gives his all in an act of love and devotion to God his Father and for us.  Join us at 1:15pm or 6:30pm as we mark the crucifixion of our Lord.

Holy Saturday 3/30: While the day is quiet, at the church we have an Easter Egg hunt at 10:00am on that day.  Bring your kids and grandkids to collect some eggs and prizes!

Easter Sunday 3/31: Begin the Day along with the women going to the tomb before the sun rises as we gather for Vigil at 6:00am.  The Easter Vigil is a blast of service.  Stay for breakfast at 7:30am and then join for an Easter morning services at 8:30am or 10:30am.  Only the 6:00am Vigil has Holy Communion.
 
Land 
The land committee has now met twice and has been brainstorming what to do with the property.  In the next meeting we will finalize what ideas we can come up with to use the land for and then go from there to discuss what steps we will need to take.  We will give periodic updates to the council and the goal is to have the recommendation all set for the October council and voters meeting.  As discussed in our last newsletter, any vote will be up to the congregation and the vote will be held at the January voters meeting after it has been brought forward at the October voters meeting.

Finances
The Church financial cycle is always interesting. February is often the month with the lowest offering but the one where we have to spend more with energy and snowplow bills and some once a year charges. We are always looking for ways to save money and be good stewards of the tithes and offerings and as always we trust God to provide our daily bread. I thank you for your continued generosity and support of me and my family and the work of the Church.
 
Finally, thank you everyone for your support and prayers.  It is a joy to be celebrating the Season of Lent with you all.  Know for sure that the Lord Jesus Christ loves you and so do I.

In Christ,
Pastor Andrew Belt

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.” Jesus in Mattthew 6:16

“Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.  And people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’ disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’
 
And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.’”  Mark 2:18-19

Perhaps the biggest spiritual practice that has vanished in the life of the church is the practice of fasting.  I even struggle with the practice because it has never been a part of my life in the church, sad to say.  But we see that fasting is the most common way in the Bible of living out sorrow at the death of a loved one, when sin has occurred, or to discipline the body in order to bring it back into alignment with the focus on God.

In many ways, the disappearance of fasting is a symptom of a larger spiritual issue.  In some ways, the abuse of fasting in the past has caused it to fall out of practice.  The result of many years of falsely thinking that fasting is something we do to gain God’s favor and now realizing the truth that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is what saves has caused the baby to be thrown out with the bathwater.  So many might think that fasting is not needed anymore, or they don’t want to be a hypocrite.  So fasting is neglected altogether.  We should change this though.  
 
Because Jesus assumes that fasting will be done by his followers and we should expect ourselves to do it too.  “When you fast.”  Jesus says, not “if.”  And he says also: “when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”  Jesus sees prayer and fasting often connected and fasting as a powerful resource in the fight against evil.

Fasting then is something that Christians do because we are away from the Lord Jesus and the days that we live in are evil.  In the Book of Acts, Christians spoke of fasting as if it wasn’t even a question of if you fast.  Christians fast.  Period.  Christians as early as 100 AD prescribed fasting on every Wednesday and Friday to remember the day Judas betrayed Jesus and the day that Jesus died.  The Letter/Sermon of 2 Clement written in the 100’s, even stated that fasting was better than prayer!  This was the attitude of those who first came to faith.

Since fasting has departed in our days, I suppose we should start from the beginning to ask some basic questions to reorient and see if we can’t fire up the engines again:

What is fasting?  Fasting is willingly abstaining from something that is both good and useful in your life.  We don’t fast from bad things.  Bad things should never be done at all.  Fasting is removing something from your life that you need for life.  This most often is food or a meal but it could be other things.  St. Paul even says that married couples abstain from sexual intercourse for the sake of their prayers, but only for a short while for the devil will see an opportunity to divide the couple away if they fast for too long.  But you can fast from work habits, distractions, and even major goals you have set which get in the way of Jesus Christ and often become idols.

Why do we fast?  Fasting is not about a weight loss program, it is not about getting back to goals you have set on New Years.  It is not about getting good with Jesus or scoring brownie points with God.  It is about turning down something you need in order to better serve Jesus Christ.  You are showing yourself and Jesus that you can take this earthly thing you need for life (food, toys, money, goals) and you can throw them away or not use them for a time.  This is what we call self-control.  This is how St. Paul talks about life in this world, trade, and even marriage in 1 Corinthians 5-7!  We should use this world and its goods as if we didn’t need them and that we won’t let them control us, even if they are good gifts from God!

There is a lot of benefit to this.  And it allows us to give money and time to Jesus in a special way to serve him.  This of course, isn’t for bragging.  It is to do something because you love Jesus and want life to be this way.  Jesus wants us to do it joyfully.  And to do it for no recognition, just something that you and Jesus enjoy between yourselves.

When do we fast?  There is no law about when to fast.  As Christians gathered together, they merely wanted to have times that they corporately fasted together for a greater goal.  As noted above, Christians observed a twice weekly fast, but never on Sunday since Sunday is the Lord’s Day, and they also set aside the season of Lent as a time to fast more intently as well.

But in your own life, there can be fasting moments that are between you and the Lord Jesus.  Whether they be daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonal fasts, use it as a time to get better with your prayers, to be in the Word, to draw up a special collection for the church, etc.  I remember being touched by a story of a homebound woman who fasted from a certain item that she loved to have weekly, and used the funds saved from it to supply her pastor with a communion kit so he had something more official to use on visits to shut ins and herself.  It was a fasting that benefited her and her church in numerous ways.

All of this is to say that as encouragement for you to look at your life and ask, “how do I pick up my cross and follow my Lord better?”  We are in the season of Lent as you read this, so join us for both the Wednesday/Thursday Midweeks and Sunday as part of your fast.  On your own, find ways to fast to your Lord.  It does reap a spiritual harvest.

Having said things above, join us for the Lenten Midweeks!  Ash Wednesday has already kicked us off, but each week come on out Thursday night at 5:30pm for our suppers before service begins at 6:30pm (the same service is also held Wednesday morning at 9am).

Church Property 
I thought I would spend some space here to talk about our church property and the land.  From a few conversations I have had, it is clear that while a good share of people are on the same page, there remains some confusion and old news and even misleading rumors like how a game of telephone works when one person whispers something and by the end of the line the last person hears something hardly related to the original thought.  I will do my best, God willing, to try and help present things as best as I can to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Here is a brief overview of events on this discussion.  In Fall of 2020, the city of Marshfield, out of the blue, asked us if we had any thoughts on selling our land along 14th and Schmidt Ave.  We said we hadn’t had any thoughts at all, but we could bring it up to the congregation.  The City was redoing Schmidt Ave around this time and asked if we wanted lateral lines put in which might help with the sale of the property if we were.

Back in January of 2021 we brought this request of the City to the attention of the congregation at the annual meeting.  Not with the thoughts of selling it, but with wanting to hear opinions on what the congregation was thinking.   The conversation was brought up again at the July voters meeting too.

As we walked away from the meetings, it was clear that this was not going to work on the timetable the city would like, and there were strong opinions both ways.  So, we dropped it at that time. It seemed like something we should not have touched to begin with.  We also let the city know that we were not looking into this.

Then in late 2022 and into January 2023, discussions began again on it.  To tell you the truth, it seemed like a few reasons brought it up.  Decreased giving was one reason.  Also, the time and energy it took to maintain it mowing was thought to be better spent on other projects with the church.  A few people and the property board began to look at it after the January 2023 voters meeting.

At the July voters meeting, it was brought up with the agenda and a lot of discussion was made about it.  The presenters regretted how they went about it, making it seem like the main thought into potentially selling it was the mowing time.  It was saved to be brought up at the October voters meeting.

In October 2023 the talk was had again, and it was decided to poll the congregation and bring it up at the January voters meeting.  So, for the November newsletter a half sheet was attached.  As of today, about 60 people/families voted with the vote tight enough (I want to say around 32-25-5.).  But the voters seemed tense about it.  More time was needed to do due diligence and not rush a decision.  
 
So, the council in December and January decided to form a committee and presented this to the congregation at this last meeting in January of 2024.  Five people are sitting on the committee, and they will be meeting for the first time this month if you are reading this in February 2024.

The goal of the Committee is to explore options with the land.  Whether that is turning the land into *insert idea here*, or doing nothing to it, or selling it.   The Committee is just going to hammer out thoughts and ideas, hopefully exhausting the subject matter.  They are being given until October of 2024.  At that time they will report to the council that month and then at the October voters meeting of the congregation to present their work.

At that point, it will be on the congregation to decide what happens next.  The committee that is formed will not make the decision, only provide options for the congregation to chew on and finally vote.  The vote on the land will always remain for the congregation to decide what to do with it.  But we hope this time allows for more examination on the subject and time for the congregation to feel fine with whatever option and choice is finally made about it, one way or the other.

That is where we are at with it currently.  If you have any questions, or want further clarification, let me know. If you have an idea for the committee to explore, please also let me know.
 
Miscellaneous
We are still in need of a financial secretary.  If you would like to learn more about this, let me know.

I would love to see something done about having bells/choir return, but I just don’t have the time to organize this and run it.  Someone is needed who would love to take the reins.
A reminder that Bible classes are still going on and we would love to have you!

Our monthly tithe in February is to our scholarship to help families attend Immanuel Lutheran School in town.  If you would like to send your child to Immanuel and need help with that, we have a scholarship form for you to fill out. It is good to support our sister congregation’s school here in town!

If you are sick and in the hospital, let me know.  It has been a few years since they stopped telling us, but it is good to remind from time to time so I know to come visit!  Also, if you or a member of the congregation is nearing death, I would love to know and visit beforehand, and also to plan to have your funeral and shepherd you and your loved ones in those last moments.  It is never fun to find out a beloved member has died only when I see them listed in the obituaries days after they have passed on.

I think that is all for now.  May the Lord Jesus bless and keep you all as we go through our Lenten Fast with the joy of Easter looming ahead of us!


In Christ,
Pastor Andrew Belt

Concluding Devotion:

St. Matthew’s Gospel begins and ends with the same book end.  At the beginning in 1:22-23, St. Matthew tells us that the birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled what Isaiah said in 7:14 that they shall call his name, “Immanuel” which means God with us.
 
At the end of the Gospel, as Jesus is assembled before his disciples on the hill of Galilee after he has risen from the dead, He tells them that “I shall be with you always, until the end of the age.”  Catch it?  Jesus himself says “I will be with you” Jesus, God, is with us.

With this understanding, we can see all our lives bookended with that same promise.  The promise as we begin our life with Christ is the water poured on our head in the name of the Triune God that washes away all our sin because God is now with us.   And at the end of our life, at the end of our age, as we lay dying, we have the same promise from Christ that he is with us always.  He will raise us on the last day.
 
Jesus is our Immanuel.  He promises.  As we have looked into the Old Testament throughout the Advent Season, we have come to know this more personally and with confidence.  As we see the lives of his people shaped by his cross in the Old Testament, we know that we too will follow this Lord of life as well.  The past faithfulness of Jesus determines the future certainty.

May you go now in the peace and the joy that is yours in Jesus Christ our Lord!  Merry Christmas! Amen.

Friday, December 22nd: Hymn and Reflect

Hymns are a great way to pray.  Our hymn for today is #338 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.  Read these verses as a prayer:

Come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art,
Dear desire of ev’ry nation, joy of ev’ry longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver; Born a child and yet a king!
Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.  
By Thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit raise us to Thy glorious throne.

As we approach the end of this devotion and of our time in Advent, take a look back at Proverbs 8, Isaiah 52-53, Exodus 40/1 Kings 7-8, and also Psalm 110.  How do we see and find Jesus in these Scriptures?

Thursday, December 21st: Psalm

Read Psalm 110.

This Psalm wins the award of being the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament.  And that is just referring to direct quotation, not to mention the allusions to it.  That alone should tell us that this Psalm has an important spot when we want to talk about Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.
 
Jesus, Paul, Hebrews, and Revelation all refer to the ideas expressed in this Psalm.  It begins in a rather odd way.  David is getting the inside scoop in a conversation between YHWH and someone he calls his Lord.

What does that even mean?  And with David being the king, who is he calling his Lord?  This is the question Jesus poses to his adversaries during Holy Week.  Jesus asks how it could be that David’s Son could also be David’s Lord.  We never hear the answer, but it is assumed that Jesus is the Lord that David is referring to.  David sees that Jesus, his descendant, is greater than he is and that David will pay homage to him.  We could even say that David gets a glimpse of the promise made to him by God that a son of his would reign forever and ever.
 
This Psalm depicts Jesus reigning over everyone.  Of Jesus taking charge and leading forth and ruling in the midst of his enemies.  Even today, with conflict raging around and in the church, Jesus Christ still reigns.

The book of Hebrews also picks up on the identity of Jesus from this Psalm.  David sees YHWH promise David’s Lord that he will be a priest forever.   David is from the line of Judah, but the priests could only come from the tribe of Levi.  Hebrews notes that this means that what Jesus is bringing is a new covenant and that the old covenant will be phased out and replaced.  In fact, the idea in the New Testament that Jesus is making a new priesthood is something that Paul expresses in Romans 12 and what Peter writes about in his first letter to the church.
 
But who is this Melchizedek guy?  Back in Genesis 14, Melchizedek is introduced as the High Priest of Jerusalem when Abraham comes back from war and gives him a tithe of all his spoils.  Apparently, Melchizedek is a priest to the one True God and Abraham considers him so great that he pays a tithe to him for blessing him.

To be a priest in the order of Melchizedek means that the priesthood of Jesus is outside the Levitical priesthood and like Melchizedek he does not have a beginning or an end.
 
Elsewhere in Psalm 110 we are told of the victory that Jesus will bring.  He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.  Another way to translate “shatter chiefs” is “crush heads.”  This reminds us of Genesis 3:15 when God said that the Son of Eve will crush the serpent’s head.

Finally, this Psalm ends by saying that he will be refreshed (an image of a King victorious and washing himself by a river) and that he will lift up his head.  Many have seen this as an allusion to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, that he is lifted up.  

There is a lot packed into just a few verses, but it is full of Jesus.  

Wednesday, December 20th: People

Read Exodus 40 & 1 Kings 7-8.

Exodus chapters 20-40 are not often described as the most engaging reading in the Bible.  But think about it this way.  God in these chapters is making it possible to become present for his people in a tangible way.
 
In the tabernacle, God is enabling his presence to be with his people.  In fact, it is this concept that John uses in John 1 to say that “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.”  We could say that the Tabernacle is our Lord Jesus ahead of time.  Or we could think of the tabernacle as the skin of the Old Testament Jesus.

After the construction of the tabernacle, everyone clears the area.  Because after all is said and done, God himself comes down in the pillar of the cloud and lights up the area and fills the tabernacle.  The sight is so awesome and terrifying that not even Moses can dare to approach it.  The tabernacle is glorified and made holy.
 
The same happens in 1 Kings 7-8.  Solomon is building the temple in Jerusalem that will be the replacement for the Tabernacle.  At the conclusion of Solomon’s dedication of the Temple, the same thing happens in 1 Kings 8, that we saw in Exodus 40.  God comes down in a brilliant display and makes his presence known.

By doing this, God is locating himself where he can be found and accessed.
Of course, all this is really to point us to Jesus Christ.  Jesus himself said, “destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”  Jesus is saying he is the true temple that the temple in Jerusalem could only point towards as its fulfillment.

Indeed now, as St. Peter notes, we are God’s temple, each of us as Christians are living stones being built up into a spiritual presence for God.  Our view of the end is that our bodies, having been connected to God in Christ, will be filled with the presence of God and glorified.  Just as the Tabernacle and the Temple were.
 
So, whenever we read about the Tabernacle or the Temple in the Old Testament, we should always be reminding ourselves that this is referring first to Jesus, and then to the people of God that are being built into a spiritual house for God to dwell in.

“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night.  And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens, and to give light upon the earth.’  And it was so.  And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.

And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.  And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” Genesis 1:14-19

The sun, moon, and stars serve a specific purpose in God’s creation.  The sun and moon do not get named, most likely because the pagan nations around Israel worshipped them, so Moses strips them of their name status and just calls them the greater and lesser lights.  Moses instead highlights the function of these heavenly creatures.

Just like mankind, the heavenly bodies are given rule.  And their purpose is to tell time and shed light on earth.  This means that God has built a clock and calendar into the creation in which we live.  The stars tell us what season it is, the sun gives us the years, the moon gives us the months.  Kind of like an hour, minute, and second hand on a clock.  God created time, it isn’t just a figment of our imagination.

God himself even creates the first holiday (holy day).  The seventh day is set apart as holy to God.   A day of rest.

There is a lot we could say about this design and a lot of rabbit holes we could chase, but let’s first say this: God wants a calendar and a way for us to calculate time.  Mankind has always had some calendar going, a way to not just measure time, but also as a way to tell a story.

The United States, for example, has a calendar that tells time.  We insert holidays into it that are special to us.  We could speak of Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veterans Day, VE day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, and so many others.  The day that I am writing this just so happens to be December 7th, a date which will live in infamy.  We have a calendar tailored specifically to our story.  And as God would say at the end of each day of creation: This is good!

The Church also has a calendar, and our calendar likewise tells a story.  Both the Old Testament and New have celebrated God’s work with a calendar.  I have heard it said that the Church Year Calendar tells the story of the Apostles Creed, it is a summary of the story of salvation.  Our calendar has seasons, a climax to the story, and it is a way in which we fit ourselves into the story, God’s story.  The story of our salvation.  The Church has Holydays, Feast days, festivals, and even days marked where we remember important people in the life of the Church.  The Christians in the Book of Acts make note of marking special days already with Pentecost and Easter.

Since the Church has rolled into another new year with Advent, I thought I would spend this newsletter giving you a head’s up on how this calendar is broken up and some thoughts to chew on as it relates to the story.  If you want to see more information, our hymnals on pages x-xiii highlight some more details:

Advent (means: to come/arrive) November 6th-December 24th 2023 (We use a 7 week Advent)
Color: Blue/Violet
Major Feast Days: None
Important Saint Days: St. Andrew Nov. 30th. St. Nicholas Dec 6th.  St. Lucia, Dec 13th. Adam & Eve Dec. 19th. St. Thomas Dec 21st.
Note: Advent is focused on preparing and hoping for the return of Jesus Christ in glory. 
 
Christmas (means: the mass of Christ) December 25th-January 5th 2024
Color: White
Major Feast Days: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Circumcision and Name of Jesus Jan. 1st, Important Saint Days: St. Stephen Dec. 26th, St. John Dec. 27th, The Holy Innocents Dec. 28th
Note: Christmas celebrates the incarnation of the Son of God into our flesh. 
 
Epiphany (means: to make known/reveal) January 6th- February 13th 2024
Color: White on January 6th, Green for the rest.  
Major Feast Days: Baptism of Jesus, Jan. 7th Confession of Peter, Jan. 18th Transfiguration of Jesus, Jan. 21st.  Purification of Mary, Feb. 2nd.
Important Saint Days: St. Timothy Jan. 24th. Conversion of St. Paul, Jan. 25th. St. Titus, Jan. 26th.
Note: Epiphany makes known who Jesus Christ is.  Focus on his miracles and transfiguration to reveal his identity as God’s Son and our Savior. 
 
Lent (comes from the word Lencten, meaning “Spring Time”) February 14th-March 23rd 2024
Color: Violet
Major Feast Days: The Annunciation of our Lord, March 25th. (This year falls during Holy Week)
Important Saint Days: St. Valentine, Feb. 14th. St. Matthias, Feb. 25th.  St. Patrick, March. 17th. St. Joseph, March 19th.  
Note: Lent is a 40 day period (Sundays not counted) to have sorrow over sin, to focus on the work of Jesus for us, leading to Holy Week. 
 
Holy Week March 24th- March 31st 2024
Color: Scarlet for Palm Sunday, Purple for Maundy Thursday, Black for Good Friday.
Major Feast Days: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday
Important Saint Days: None
Note: The climax of the Church year.  This intense week centers on the culmination of the work of Jesus Christ. 
 
Easter (Means East, Christians face East as the Son Rises) March 31st-May 18th 2024
Color: White
Major Feast Days: Good Shepherd Sunday (varies), Ascension of our Lord, May 9th
Important Saint Days: St. Mark, April 25th, St. Athanasius, May 2nd.  
Note: Easter is a 50 day season where we celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ. 
 
Pentecost/Trinity Season May 19th-November 3rd 2024
Color: Red for Pentecost and Reformation, White for Trinity and All Saints, Green for the rest
Major Feast Days: Day of Pentecost, May 19th.  Holy Trinity Sunday, May 26th. The Visitation, July 2nd.  Michaelmas Sept. 29th.  Reformation Day, October 31st.  All Saints Day, Nov. 1st
Important St. Days: Esther, May 24th.  Elisha, June 14. St. John the Baptist’s Birth, June 24th.  St. Peter and Paul, June 29th.  St. Mary, Mother of our Lord, Aug. 15th.  St. Michael and all Angels, Sept. 29th.  

Note: Pentecost celebrates the Holy Spirit’s work in the Church.  From entering God’s kingdom to the final entrance when Jesus comes again.  Pentecost is called the non-festive half of the church year.

There is so much more of course that could be listed or said.  We have not just 2000 years of calendar rotations but also from Adam and Eve.  And the story is being added to as well.  But I hope that gives some helpful food for thought that you can put your mind and life into the story of our salvation!
 
Special Services:
It is that time of the year when we have a lot of extra services and opportunities to receive God’s gifts.  Below are some key ones to keep in mind!
Final Sunday of Advent: Sunday, December 24th, 9:00am.  
Christmas Eve: Sunday, December 24th, 2:00pm, 4:00pm, and 6:00pm.  
NO SERVICE ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28th.  
1st Sunday after Christmas: Sunday, December 31st at 9:00am
New Years Eve Service: Sunday, December 31st, at 6:30pm.  (Note: Our Seminarian, Steven Steingraber will be here and helping with the liturgy)
Epiphany: Thursday, January 4th at 6:30pm
Baptism of our Lord: Sunday, January 7th at 9:00am. 
Also, December 26th, 27th, and 28th, will have special online chapel services commemorating St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents.  Watch for these services to be posted to Facebook, our Church App, and YouTube.

The 26th of December through New Years will also be a light week at the office.  We as workers and staff will not be in as much that week to recover and also spend time with family.  But if any emergencies are needed, please reach out regardless.
 
PUPPETS and Sunday School Christmas Programs
The PUPPETS will be putting on their Christmas Program on Saturday, December 16th at 6:30pm.  Come out and enjoy as they tell the Christmas story. Join us following for cookies and hot chocolate.  They have been putting together quite a show and are looking forward to telling us the story of Christ’s birth!

Then, the next day (December 17), stay after Sunday morning service to see our children in Sunday School put on the Children’s Christmas Program! It will start around 10:30am. The whole weekend is a great time to gather together as God’s people and support one another, so please make a good effort to be there to celebrate with those whom Jesus loves!

Land Poll
Last month, this newsletter article contained a poll for what to do with the land.  The tally that we have at the time of this writing was 29 votes for the selling of the land, 22 votes against the selling of the land and 6 votes did not care either way.  Thank you everyone for your comments both written and in person.  Comments are still welcome of course.

One thing for me is that the vote as it stands is close and there is a lot of passion, especially from those against selling the land.  And for good reason, too.  Personally, I want to be careful about it going forward and if we feel that more time and attention need to be given.  No need to cause division that needs no division.  Council has agreed and has decided that a committee will be formed to spend the next year taking a serious look into how we can be good stewards of the land we have. The committee will be asked to explore the feasibility of different options. If you are interested in being on the committee, please talk to me. More details to come on this, especially at the congregational meeting on January 28.

Property
If you were here for Thanksgiving Eve, you probably noticed some electrical issues.  At one point we were given a low voltage warning.  We discovered that the main line that runs underground through the main box is corroded, almost all the way through.  This is causing a lot of issues throughout the building.  We were able to slap a band aid on it, but more will need to be done and a lot of discussion has already been had between the city, the electricians, the property board, and more that would take its own newsletter article.

But suffice it to say, action on this will need to be taken next year.  This need has therefore been fore fronted to the top of the list.  We noted with our Property Board that our building is starting to hit the limits on things like main lines, boilers, and more that are getting to be 40-50 years old.  Just like the houses we all live in, there is always work to be done in upkeeping them.  As I write this, the next section of our roof has been replaced.
 
Voters Meeting
Write down this date: Sunday, January 28th at 11:30am.  That will be the time we gather for our January voters meeting.  It will be a potluck, so bring a dish to pass!  And if you want anything to be discussed, please let us know to put on the agenda.  We still need a Financial Secretary as well!

Extras:
I am running out of space but take note for next year that Superbowl Pizzas are coming up! January 22nd order forms are due.

Also, Lenten Meals will start up on Ash Wednesday, February 14th.  More on that to come, but keep your eyes peeled!

Merry Christmas to all of you!  I give thanks to you all in Jesus Christ on this Day of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 2023.  


Pastor Andrew Belt

Tuesday, December 19th: Promise

Read Isaiah 52-53.

Isaiah is sometimes called the 5th Gospel because Isaiah, in the clearest way out of all the prophets, depicts for us the whole life of Jesus Christ.
 
If you will remember, Isaiah 7-9 showed us the Birth and ministry of Christ.  But Isaiah 52-53 covers the death of Christ is no small detail.

Isaiah chapters 40-55 compose a unit in Isaiah’s prophecy that focuses on the person of the Servant of the Lord.  This servant is described as a priest for God and also God’s King.  He is described as both suffering and also being glorified.  

It is from this chapter that the Ethiopian Eunuch, whom Phillip meets in chapter 8 of the book of Acts, asks about who this servant is.  Philip says that this is about Jesus and about his death and love for us.
 
We can see that throughout this chapter.  As verses are quoted, think of Jesus.

“He was despised and rejected by men.”  
“surely he has borne our griefs.”  
“yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.”
“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.”  
“with his stripes we are healed.”
“The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  
“Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

With just a few of these verses, we are given such a rich and beautiful way to describe the work of Jesus Christ for our salvation.  You would be hard pressed to discover a better way (even in the New Testament) to describe what our Savior did than what is said here.

The Church has seen fit to read this chapter during the Good Friday service.  Usually it is read at the beginning as a way to set the stage and provide us with an image to contemplate as we ponder our Lord’s work for us.

Once I had a professor in college who was doing some mission work with the Jews in his area.  He went up to one and read this passage.  Then he said, “Do you know who this is referring to?”
 
The Jew he was talking to said, “your Jesus.”

And my professor said, “Do you know who said it?”
 
To which he heard back, “No.”

So my professor said, “Your prophet.”

When we read the prophets we can certainly get lost in their dense poetry and deeper reflections and images.  But the image that we should always hold up to help us see through the foliage is our Lord Jesus Christ.  

Monday December 18th: Presence

Read Proverbs 8.

In verse 22, Wisdom is described as being possessed, or the Hebrew says, Fathered, by the Lord God at the beginning of his work.  The first of his acts of old.
 
What or who is being referred to?  Who is Wisdom?  Well a quick look at the New Testament sheds some light.  St. Paul writes to the church in Corinth that Jesus is “the power of God and the Wisdom of God.”    

Jesus is Wisdom.  Proverbs 8 is saying that, at the beginning, God possessed Wisdom to make the heavens and the earth.
 
So, as we read Proverbs 8, we are noting that we are being told that at the beginning, the Father made all things through the Son.  Jesus is the image or the lens that is being used to construct the cosmos. The Father is using Jesus like a carpenter does a hammer or an artist a brush.  Proverbs 8 is giving us the viewpoint of the Son of God as he took part in the making of the heavens and the earth in the beginning. Even saying that he was with God in the beginning, which should make you think of John 1.

Proverbs 8 is the site of an ancient battle in the church over how to understand Jesus in the text.  
The battle took place between a man named Arius who said that this passage showed that Jesus was a created being, and the rest of the Church Fathers at the Council of Nicaea who showed from the Scriptures that this is not so.

But notice in this chapter something curious.  There is not a moment when Wisdom did not exist because before things were made Wisdom was there.  Wisdom certainly is Fathered by God, but like God, Wisdom has an eternal begotten nature. For the Father to be always the Father, there must always be the Son.
 
The emphasis in Proverbs 8 is not when was Wisdom created, which would say that Jesus is not God but a created being.  Rather, Proverbs 8 highlights the eternal begottenness of the Son of God.  It gives an extra layer of thought for when Jesus in John 8 says, “Before Abraham was, I am.”  At which the crowds try to stone him because they understand that Jesus’ claim is that he is one with the Father.

Friday, December 15th: Hymn and Reflect

Hymns are a great way to pray.  Our hymn for today is #348 The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns.  Read these verses as a prayer:

The King shall come when morning dawns
and light triumphant breaks,
When beauty gilds the eastern hills
And life to joy awakes.

Not, as of old a little child,
to bear, and fight and die,
But crowned with glory like the sun
that lights the morning sky.

Oh, brighter than the rising morn
When Christ, victorious rose
And left the lonesome place of death,
despite the rage of foes.

Oh, brighter than that glorious morn
Shall dawn upon our race
the day when Christ in splendor comes
And we shall see His face.

The King shall come when morning dawns
and light and beauty brings.
Hail, Christ the Lord! Your People pray:
Come quickly, King of kings!

This week we read Daniel 3, Isaiah 7-9, Number 21, and Psalm 51.  How did these passages point us to and show us Jesus and his love for us?

Thursday, December 14th: Psalm

Read Psalm 51.
 
David prays this Psalm after the greatest sin of his life.   He had lusted after Bathsheba and committed adultery with her which resulted in her getting pregnant.  Her husband Uriah is off fighting David’s wars, which David should also be fighting in.

David called him back from the front lines and tried on several occasions to get Uriah to go home and sleep with his wife, which would convince everyone that the child conceived by David is actually Uriah’s.  But Uriah does not do this, which leaves David with no choice from his perspective.  He decides to kill Uriah.  He sends him back with a message, which turns out to be his own hit. In battle Uriah is abandoned and killed in the fighting.
 
David waits the correct amount of time for mourning and then takes Bathsheba to be his wife and no one is the wiser.  Except for God of course, and he is not pleased with that.

So Nathan, David’s court prophet, goes to confront him and David realizes his sin. When we fall into sin we are good at hiding it and making excuses.  But David does not do this.
 
David writes Psalm 51 as a result of what we read in 2 Samuel 11-12.  David asks God to clean him and make him whole.  Using words that call back to the worship of the sacrifices and the blood being wiped on sinners to cleanse them from sin, David notes that it is not the blood of bulls that does this, but that God must be the one to clean him with the blood of His own choosing.

This blood will come from Jesus Christ, whom David here alludes to and hopes for.  But we could also say here as well that Jesus is praying this psalm as he acts as the sin bearer.  Jesus knew no sin.  But God made him sin for us, that we would become the righteousness of God.  David is cleansed because of Jesus Christ.  Because Jesus absorbed all the sin of the whole world into himself.  So Jesus prays these words as the sin bearer. God executes judgment and redemption for us and purchases us by the blood of Jesus, which makes us whiter than snow.

Wednesday, December 13th: People

Read Numbers 21.

Out of the regrettable things that the people of Israel have done, Numbers 21 is toward the top of the list.
 
The people have been wandering the wilderness for some time now as punishment for rebelling against God, saying that they would not go into the Promised Land because God would not be able to come through on his promises.

God, of course, has been providing and caring for their needs.  Every day manna comes down out of heaven for the people of Israel to collect.  It is sweet tasting and there is always more than enough.
 
But the people are sick of it and in Numbers 21 they call it worthless food, or dung.  And for such ungratefulness, God decides to send some snakes their way instead.  These venomous serpents cause untold death and grief for the people.

So they ask Moses to pray for them and to take away the snakes.  But what is curious is that God will not take away the snakes, but he will provide them with a way of salvation.  And what is brilliant is that this solution teaches faith.

Moses builds a bronze serpent and sets it up on a pole. Everyone who looks at that bronze serpent will live even if he has been bitten.  That is God’s solution for them.  (Which is why the medical field still today uses the serpent on a pole as its symbol).
 
This is perhaps a weird way to go about saving them, until you remember the work of Jesus Christ.  We are told in John 3 that Jesus refers to this event when considering his own work.  Jesus says that “just as the Moses lifted up the serpent, so too must the Son of Man be lifted up that all who look to him will have eternal life.”

We are to now look to Christ.  Sin is still biting us, but Jesus is our solution.  He is the one who makes us whole.  Not our works, not our doing, not our solutions.  Just keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Tuesday, December 12th: Promise

Read Isaiah 7-9.

We read these chapters in Isaiah most often in church during Christmas.  Out of many of the promises concerning Jesus, these chapters tell us of his birth and ministry.
 
In Chapter 7, King Ahaz, a descendant of David, is making a gamble.  The Empire of Assyria is coming to make war against the tiny kingdom of Judah and Ahaz has decided to make an alliance with Egypt.  Of course, doing this was against the covenant with God to not make alliances with any nation, especially Egypt of all people.  But Ahaz has done it.

So the Prophet Isaiah comes during a stressful moment in Ahaz’s reign.  He has promised him that trusting firm in the Lord will be all that he needs.  And he even asks King Ahaz to ask God for a sign, any sign, that God will pull through for them.
 
Ahaz is able to pretend to be pious because he thinks he has already worked things out with an alliance.  He says that he will not put God to the test, which all things considered, is really putting the Lord to the test.

So God says he will provide the sign himself, and in a moment gives a slip to one of the greatest prophecies concerning Christ, that a virgin will conceive and bear a Son and he will be named Immanuel, which in Hebrew means “God with us.”  This becomes the book end for Matthew’s Gospel.  Jesus is promised by the angel to be the fulfillment of this prophecy.  And in Matthew 28, Jesus bids farewell by noting that he will be with us always until the end of the age.

In Isaiah 9, Isaiah makes a note that the lands of Naphtali and Zebulun, which become part of Gentile territory, will have a unique blessing in the latter days.  In the Old Testament, the latter days most often refer to the age of the Messiah.  So, when Isaiah is thinking that, we are thinking the age of Jesus Christ, which we are in today.
 
Isaiah proclaims that those who live in those areas will have front row seats to God’s action on earth through his Son.  And indeed, it was these areas around the Sea of Galilee where Jesus spent much of his time and ministry.  These verses are even included in the Gospel of Matthew as well.

Later in Chapter 9, we are given the promise that Jesus is born for us.  To us a child a born, to us a son is given.  And he will be the Lord and his kingdom will have no end.  Isaiah is giving us a tour of the life and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ in a way that no other prophet had.

Monday December 11th: Presence

Read Daniel 3.
 
What you have to love in Daniel 3 is the officialness of it all.  How many times the list of magistrates are listed.  The amount of times the instruments are all laid out.  It can feel a bit mind numbing and pompous.  Which is the point.  We see the full arrogance of King Nebuchadnezzar on display.

On the other side are three faithful Israelites, who are in exile in Babylon and must suffer the king’s command.  When Nebuchadnezzar builds a giant idol for everyone in the empire to bow down to, we see that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will not budge an inch in worship.
 
Now these three have been faithful stewards of the king, but when push comes to shove, their true loyalties are revealed.  They only listen to the king because it is what God would have of them, but when the King orders something that is beyond what God has ordered, it is to be disobeyed, even at the cost of their lives.

But they will not bow down to any other god, this is the line that cannot be crossed.  And so they must suffer the king’s wrath.  And this they will gladly do.
 
Their words are inspiring to the king on this matter: “We have no need to answer you in this matter.  If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

They know that God is able to rescue them, but for them it does not matter if he does.  If God’s will is for them to get burned to a crisp and die, then so be it.
 
The furnace is then cooked as hot as it can go, it is so hot that it kills the soldiers who toss in the three faithful men.

But wait… Wasn’t there three men?  Why now does Nebuchadnezzar count four men?  And in the king’s own words, “I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods…”
 
King Nebuchadnezzar does not know how well he spoke those words.  His pagan polytheism misses the point just so slightly, but we as Christians know who he saw: The Son of God.

Who was in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?  It was Jesus Christ, who did not save them from going in the fire, but saved them through the fire.  Truly as Nebuchadnezzar spoke: “For there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.”

Jesus Christ does not save us from going to the cross and grave, Jesus is able to do something much more grand than that.  He can save us through cross, and death, and grave.  He still does today, for he lives and reigns forever and ever!  Amen.

Friday, December 8th: Hymn and Reflect

Hymns are a great way to pray.  Our hymn for today is # 350 Come, Thou Precious Ransom. Read these verses as a prayer:

Come, Thou precious Ransom come,
only hope for sinful mortals!
Come, O Savior of the world!
Open are to Thee all portals.
Come, Thy beauty let us see
Anxiously we wait for Thee.

Enter now my waiting heart,
Glorious King and Lord most holy.
Dwell in me and ne’er depart,
Though I am but poor lowly.  
Ah, what riches will be mine
when thou art my guest divine!

My hosannas and my palms
graciously receive I pray Thee;
evermore, as best I can,
Savior, I will homage pay Thee,
and in faith I will embrace,
Lord, Thy merit through Thy grace.

Hail! Hosanna David’s Son!  
Jesus hear our supplication!
Let Thy kingdom, scepter, crown,
Bring us blessing and salvation,
That forever we may sing:
Hail! Hosanna to our King.

As you reflect and give Hosanna to Jesus this week, where did you find him in Judges 13, 2 Samuel 7, Jonah 1-4, and Psalm 47?

Read Psalm 47.

Traditionally, Psalm 47 is read as the Church celebrates the Ascension of Jesus Christ.  You can see it in the Psalm itself: “God has gone up with a shout!  The Lord with the sound of the trumpet.”
When we think of the Ascension of Jesus, often we do not grasp the significance of it.  We think that Jesus just went off and left us.

But Jesus went away to become even closer to us.  Jesus ascended into heaven, and we should think of heaven as the control room of the creation.  From there Jesus reigns and rules all things.  And from heaven, Jesus can exercise his dominion and rule for the sake of the Church (see Ephesians as Paul deals with that topic).
 
From this Psalm we are given a glimpse through the veil, as it were, to see that the work of Jesus Christ, from his birth to his resurrection, has all served to bring us to this new day.  A day where Jesus subdues all things for his people.

This is a cause for celebration and jubilation.  For indeed, “God reigns over the nations, God sits on his Holy Throne.”  This is good news for you.  For the one who rules all things is your Savior and our Lord who promises to do right by his people and deliver them and to have them go through what he has gone through.  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life after all.  And now this Lord is able to live in you, for his glory and for his name.
 
And so we indeed still gather in his name and as his people to receive his gifts and to praise him for his victory and to celebrate that our God reigns.    

Read Jonah 1-4.

Jonah is a short, well known, and well loved book.  Even dating back to the time of Christians in the catacombs of Rome, the story of Jonah was the most attested piece of art on the walls of the catacombs, right behind the image of Jesus as Shepherd.
 
When we read the prophet Jonah, we are naturally inclined to pick up several images between Jonah and Jesus.

In fact, Jesus himself draws the comparison.  In Matthew 12:38-42, He says, “No sign will be given to this generation, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
 
The entire story of Jonah should be see through the lens of Jesus.  In fact, all the prophets should be, but here Jonah is our test case.

Jonah is called to preach to sinners and bring them back to God.  Of course, he refuses, and soon ends up in the belly of the great fish.  This is one reason why Jesus is greater than Jonah.  In fact, some commentators believe that Jonah actually died and that God resurrected him.  Which, considering what Jesus says to compare himself with Jonah, makes a good deal amount of sense.
When Jonah came to Nineveh, he preached, and they believed and were saved.

Likewise, Jesus will be rejected by his own people, but the Gentiles will believe in him and be saved.
 
But there is also another account in Scripture that draws our attention to Jesus and how Jonah points us to him.  In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus has been preaching and teaching and healing and is exhausted.  They get into a boat and cross the sea, and then a storm threatens to swamp the boat.  Jesus, of course, is in the stern of the boat, fast asleep on the cushion, most likely the pilot’s seat.  The disciples wake him up and Jesus commands the sea and it obeys him, which freaks the disciples out.

Likewise in Jonah, Jonah during the storm goes into the ship and falls asleep and has to be woken by the captain.  Eventually, Jonah calms the storm because the sailors toss him in.
It is fun to compare and contrast characters and to see that Jesus and Jonah’s stories run parallel, but Jesus is the greater.

Read 2 Samuel 7.

David has a wonderful idea.  He has finished building his house, which is quite a mansion.  But one day, as he looks out, he sees that God only has a tent.  This is the Tabernacle that Moses built in Exodus 40.
 
He feels shame that God’s house is less magnificent than his own.  So he decides that it is time to build God something that honors God.  It sounds great and even Nathan the Prophet thinks this is a great idea.

Until it is not a good idea.  And God himself is not for this idea.  At night, God comes to Nathan and says, “Go back to David and tell him this…”

God will not allow David to build him a temple.   He has not asked for this.  In fact, God has been fine camping out with the Israelites ever since they left Egypt, some 400 plus years ago.
 
Instead, God has a plan for David.  He will build him a house!  But not a house of wood and stone.  Rather, God will build the House of David, the lines of Kings who will rule over the people of Israel.

And God makes some promises to David about this house that he is building.  It will never fail, David will always have a son to sit on the throne of Israel.  God also promises to make David’s name great.
 
So David will get a dynasty that will last forever and never get toppled and then God even says this, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.  Your throne shall be established forever.”

Quite a gift and promise that God gives.  And from 1010 BC to 582 BC a Son of David always sat on the throne of Israel.

Until the exile.  God’s people were destroyed as God threatened, and David’s line was no longer king.  The surviving members of David’s line survive the exile and return to the land, but they have a foreign king reigning over them.
 
But then, in Luke 1, we read this from the angel Gabriel to Mary, “Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a Son and will call his name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.  And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:31-33.

When God spoke this promise to David, Jesus was always in the picture. Even in the exile, God was working out his gracious promise to send Jesus, who is David’s Son and David’s Lord.

Monday December 4th: Presence

Read Judges 13.

The birth of Samson comes with the usual Biblical flavors.  There is a couple who are barren and have no kids.  We can read Abraham and Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and Mary into this thought.
 
One day, the angel of the Lord appears to the wife of Manoah to announce that she will have a son and he will save the people of Israel from their captivity.

It is fun to always note how often the hope for Israel is to come from the birth of a baby boy from a barren womb.  God keeps sending an echo out for us to recognize.

And here again we have the Angel of the Lord back in the story.  By now, we should be noting that this “Messenger of YHWH” as we see in the text is none other than the Divine Son of God, who is our Lord Jesus Christ.  Note what happens with him here.
 
Manoah’s wife goes to her husband to tell her that “A man of God” came to me.  And that he appeared in glory.  We can think of the transfiguration here.  Or how John sees Jesus in Revelation 1.

Manoah then asks that this man of God could return.  The Angel of the Lord returns and I love how Manoah approaches him in verse 11, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?”

And the angel simply states, “I am.” All of our lights should be flashing with that response.  
After this, Manoah wants to have a meal with the man, who refuses.  Which reminds me of Mary Magdalene being told by Jesus that she is not to hold onto him.

But the Angel says they should offer a sacrifice to the Lord.  Manoah and his wife obey, and also ask what his name is.  He will not give them his name, it is too wonderful to state.  This brings back to mind Jacob wrestling with Jesus in Genesis 33, which is another text where Jesus is present, but isn’t included in this devotion.  And it also reminds us of Revelation where the name of Jesus is known only to himself.

Well, as the sacrifice is being offered, as the flames make their way up to heaven, suddenly the Angel of the Lord, whom they have not recognized as such to this point, ascends into heaven.  Think Luke 24 and Acts 1.  After the sacrifice is offered, Jesus ascends into heaven.
 
Manoah and his wife act as you would think.  They fall down on their faces, now realizing that who they have seen is the Angel of the Lord.  And the kicker of it all happens in verse 22, when Manoah looks at his wife and says, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.”

No one can see God and live.  So seeing the Angel of the Lord is the same as seeing God.  Remember Jesus’ words to Philip, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”
 
The events around Samson’s birth, and the appearance of the Angel of the Lord all show us Jesus Christ.