“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in you hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you…”. This is what St. Peter tells us in the first chapter of his first Epistle. Wise words to say the least, but also a little bit daunting for many, or most, of us aren’t very confident in our ability to give a defense. And to tell you the truth, I’m not sure why that is…
Perhaps it is partly the workings of that crafty serpent. Luther’s explanation to the 3rd Petition of the Lord’s Prayer teaches us that it is the chief work of the devil to attempt to subvert the proper teaching of God’s Word so that we do not by faith grab hold of it. Luther will go on to teach us in the Large Catechism, when referencing the 6th Petition, that Satan tempts us most prominently by telling us that either the Gospel isn’t true or, if it is, then it certainly isn’t for you. Needless to say, this foe of ours would like nothing better than for us not to be prepared to give a defense for the hope that is in us.
Or maybe we are just shy and don’t like to engage with others. That could be true, but it is hardly an excuse. If we have been given the gift of eternal life, then we should by no means be shy to share that with others. This is indeed who we are as Christians. It is who God has made us to be now that we have been buried into Christ’s death and raised to new life in His resurrection. This is your present identity and reality as a Baptized child of God. Live in that identity. How could we do anything else?
Or perhaps we have done a poor job learning the faith. Every other Sunday attendance of the Divine Service is “good enough,” Sunday morning Bible Study is too early for us to wake up for, personal and family devotions are too time consuming for our busy day. … I don’t know if this sounds familiar, but it does for me; and for that I should repent. This command to know our faith and to be prepared to give a defense isn’t a suggestion and so we shouldn’t take it as such.
Whatever the reason, and there could be multiple of them, and perhaps you can’t even verbalize what they might be, but no matter the case, know that you are forgiven. Christ died for this particular sin of slothful laziness as well. He made it His own on the cross and shed His blood upon it that you might be clean and forgiven. And so you are!
And because you are then you are also free to live by the Gospel and delight in God’s Law, and the Law that we are specifically speaking about here is being prepared to give a defense for the hope that you have. If you presently aren’t prepared, then now is the time to become prepared. If you are prepared, you could always be more so. And so I encourage you to begin anew. Start those personal and family devotions. Set the alarm an hour earlier on Sunday morning. Make Sunday attendance and the reception of His good gifts a regular thing. Rejoice and delight in your freedom to know your Savior and the ways in which He gives His good gifts to you each and every day of your life.
If you are looking for a place to start, I encourage you to come to Sunday Bible Study. This summer we are going to be answering the question, “Why do we do what we do?” Throughout the next couple of months we will be looking at our hymnody, studying the Divine Service, digging into the rites and the rubrics that form our Sunday mornings. These things are important, and we do them for a reason. And so perhaps it would be good for us to know these reasons so that when we invite that friend to Church and they ask us what the Divine Service is all about, we are prepared to give a defense for the hope that we have in us.
Remember, this Christian life is all about Jesus for you! Which necessarily means that this Christian life is all about Jesus for them, too!
In Christ,
Rev. Eli Lietzau
**********************************************
Something Worth Reading
[All books are available in our church’s library or may be borrowed from the pastor]
Why Lutheran Sing What They Sing
By: Chad Bird
Forward: Chad Bird’s “Why Lutherans Sing What They Sing” offers clear criteria in defending Lutheran hymns as well as showing the reader why such hymns remain important now and for the future. He writes in a clear, understandable manner. I believe the booklet’s content will be a blessing to all those who seek to understand the great importance of why Lutherans sing what they sing when they gather for worship—Steve Starke
What We Believe—The Power and Primacy of the Pope (Paragraphs 77-82)
The Power and Jurisdiction of Bishops
There remains the jurisdiction, according to the Church law, in cases that relate to the Church court, as they call it, and especially in cases of marriage. This, too, the bishops have only by human right, which is not a very old one. According to the Codex and Novellae of Justinian, decisions about marriage at that time belonged to the rulers. By divine right, earthly rulers must make these decisions if the bishops are negligent. Church law also concedes this, So for this jurisdiction also, it is not necessary to obey bishops. Since the bishops have framed unjust laws about marriages and observe them in their courts, there is need to establish other courts. There traditions <banning the marriage> of those who have a spiritual relationship are unjust. Also unjust is the tradition forbidding an innocent person to marry after divorce [Matthew 5:32]. Also unjust is the law that in general approves all se crew and deceitful engagements in violation of parental rights. Also unjust is the law requiring the celibacy of priests. There are also other snares of conscience in their laws. There is no need to recite them all. It is enough to say that there are many unjust laws of the pope regarding marriage. Because of these, the rulers should establish other courts.
So the bishops who are devoted to the pope defend godless doctrine and godless services. They do not ordain godly teachers, and they aid the cruelty of the oboe. Besides, they have wrestled away the jurisdiction from pastors and exercise it tyrannically <for their own profit>. Finally, in marriage cases they observe many unjust laws. So there are enough and necessary reasons why the churches should not recognize these men as bishops.
They themselves should remember that riches have been given to bishops as alms for the administration and advantage of the churches. As the rule says, “The benefit is given because of the office.” Therefore, they cannot with a good conscience possess these alms and defraud the Church. Th Church has need of this money to support ministers, aid education, care for the poor, and establish courts, especially for marriage. So great is the variety and extent of marriage controversies that there is need for a special court, for which the endowments of the Church are needed. Peter predicted that there would be godless bishops who would abuse the alms of the Church for luxury and neglect the ministry (2 Peter [2:13]). Therefore, let those who defraud the Church know that they will pay God the penalty for this crime.
Bible Study
Join us for Bible Study every Sunday before Service. Beginning in June and throughout the summer we will be studying “Why we do what we do?”. This is a great opportunity to come and be reminded (or learn for the first time) why we worship the way that we do and how the Divine Service is structured to grant to us God’s good gifts. …. You are also invited to Midweek Bible Study each Tuesday morning at 10:00am. Currently, we are studying the book of I Kings. If you have not had the chance to join us for Bible Study please use this opportunity to begin fresh as we delve into the Word of God together
