Picking fights with God’s people

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bearing the cross, children of Israel, Egypt, Exodus for Lent, God's Word, oppression, Pharaoh

The Pharaoh who took over after Joseph rose to power did not seek to dominate the children of Israel from a position of strength, but rather one of weakness. He felt threatened by the numbers and vigor with which the Lord had blessed the children of Israel, and he felt compelled to do something to counter them. So he put harsh slave drivers over them, and made it his policy to crack down on the children of Israel.

Often, we, too, have to contend with those who feel threatened by us. Often it’s when we are minding our own business, or even engaged in doing something good and praiseworthy. We try and help others, or be peacemakers and children of God, as He urges us, and instead of others listening and accepting what we say (never mind being grateful — gratitude is a lot to ask sometimes in a fallen world) we meet with resistance and even outright opposition: deceit, conniving, or backstabbing.

When we run into such treatment, we should not be dismayed, “as though something strange were happening to us”, as St. Peter reminds us (1 Pe 4:12). Rather, we should remember that opposition will naturally be the Christian’s lot when he or she joyfully confesses the gospel — and that such opposition does not come from a position of strength, but rather one of weakness and even desperation. If the enemies of the gospel thought themselves secure, why would they feel the need to resort to duplicity or lies? The Church is not the only one to know this lesson. As even a professed unbeliever like the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche has noted, “Often we attack and make ourselves enemies, to conceal that we are vulnerable.”

Therefore “do not fear what they fear, do not be frightened” (I Pe 3:14); rather, hold Jesus Christ as Lord in your heart, and entrust all things to His loving care. He knows how best to defend and protect you, while still accomplishing His purposes. The enemies of His Word cannot thwart that. To Him alone be glory and honor, amen.

Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

⁹ And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

¹⁰ Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

¹¹ Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

¹² But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

¹³ And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour. …

–Exodus 1:8-13

Just One? (a Homily for the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist)

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bearing the cross, Christian love, daily life, faith, God's Word, hardship, John the Baptist, martyrdom, service, St John the Baptist, suffering

Whenever the topic of a person’s life work comes up, or the good that each of us hopes to accomplish before we leave this world, inevitably someone says, “Oh, if only I can help one person — just reach one person! If only I tell one person about Jesus and that person is saved, or my sufferings and my sacrifices can benefit just one person, then my life will have been worthwhile! Then everything I’ve gone through will not be in vain!”

Being the contrarian that I am, whenever I heard those sorts of statements, my first thought immediately is: “What if you don’t help one person?”

What then?

What if you go through your entire lifetime, and not one single other person ever benefits from your experiences, your kindness, your compassion, your witness or testimony? It’s unlikely, but given how often I’ve heard people say similar things to the above, it bears asking: What if nobody at all listens or believes what you say? Will it have been a waste then?

Today the Christian Church commemorates the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. By all appearances, his life was worthlessly given. He was the foremost of the prophets, occupying a unique place in salvation history: summing up the Old Testament prophets, while inaugurating the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which the apostles were soon to take out into the world. He was the Forerunnner. Jesus said that there was no one born of women that was greater than John the Baptist — and this is how he dies?

He didn’t die making a great heroic stand. He didn’t die in the arena, torn by the lions, or run through by the sword of a frustrated, angry pagan soldier. He didn’t give his life saving anyone from a burning building, or jumping on a grenade to save his buddies in battle.

John the Baptist was beheaded because he rebuked the wrong, powerful, person, and he incurred the anger of wicked, conniving people. You can read about it in St. Mark 6:14-29. Herod the king had married his brother’s wife — stolen her, in fact. John had rebuked him, and Salome, the brother’s wife (now Herod’s wife) in question, plus her mother, wanted revenge. So when Salome danced for Herod’s birthday party, and he being in an expansive move, he promised her anything, up to half his kingdom. Bad idea. She asked for John the Baptist’s head, and Herod, though he enjoyed listening to John and was afraid to do anything against him, was afraid of looking like a fool in front of the high rollers and power brokers — so he had John beheaded in prison. As one professor I heard years ago put it, John the Baptist died because of a bimbo. Put that together with a weak and scared ruler, and John looks like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time — and his head ends up on a platter.

Someone might well say, “Why did you speak up, John? It wasn’t your business! It didn’t bother or hurt you at all that Herod married his brother’s wife! Why provoke powerful people and make them not like you? Just let it go — it’s not your problem anyway.” That’s the voice of fear. That cowardice manages to silence Christians all over the world every day, because at the least hint of trouble — even before anything actually happens! — we’re running up the white flag in our minds. What if someone gets mad at me! — what if I lose my job! — what if I lose my friends! — what if my family member won’t speak to me! — what if, what if, what if! And we are intimidated and shamed into silence by our ungodly fear and cowardice.

John the Baptist spoke up because he didn’t care what happened to himself. All he cared about was God’s Word. His death was one that had no honor in the eyes of the world, but it was an honorable death and a good death in the eyes of God, for he died rebuking sin and speaking God’s truth. That reckless consistency of conviction, that fearless confession, unheeding of what may happen to one’s own life or livelihood, is part and parcel of bearing the cross. Without sin being rebuked, how will anyone know or care that they are wrong? How will they be moved to search anxiously for a solution, for a Savior, if they don’t know they’ve done wrong, or they’re accustomed to silencing or placating their conscience? How will they find peace and salvation, if they don’t encounter the Word from us that gives life?

More importantly — how will a sinner be saved if God’s Word is never brought to bear on his or her heart? Maybe the person we’re rebuking or correcting will hear and take it to heart; maybe they won’t. But whatever happens after we confess and proclaim God’s Word is His business, not ours. He doesn’t ask us for results. He asks us to be faithful. Let me repeat that again, loud and clear, so you can hear it over our “leadership”-saturated, overly pragmatic, manager culture: God doesn’t ask us for results. He asks us to be faithful. Once you grasp the difference, John the Baptist’s death becomes more glorious, a death full of honor. We could all use a dose of John the Baptist’s don’t-give-a-hoot, unfailingly upfront confession of God’s Word. Speak God’s Word the way John the Baptist did — with a bracing, straightedge moxie, but also never without love for the other person. Regardless of the consequences. Never backing down from God’s truth. It scares the enemies of the gospel and it encourages the fainthearted, and it glorifies the Lord, to whom be all power, glory, honor, and strength, for ever and ever. Amen.

Preached at the nursing home in Morgan, MN, for the feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, 2014.

 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her.

¹⁸ For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.

¹⁹ Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:

²⁰ For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

²¹ And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

²² And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

²³ And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

²⁴ And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

²⁵ And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.

²⁶ And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.

²⁷ And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

²⁸ And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.

²⁹ And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

— St. Mark 6:16-29

The power of a good example

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bearing the cross, being faithful, catechism, confessing the faith, ddsb, feast, Festival, holy ghost, ignatius of antioch, life and doctrine, martyrdom, persecution, simple prayer, students

Today is the feast of Ignatius of Antioch, a bishop (pastor) who was killed for his confession of the faith in the first century. Even though they’d never heard of him, I told the catechism students his story tonight, and we talked about how his whole life was oriented toward the simple prayer, “Hallowed be Thy name.” That was the whole goal of his life, of what he taught, and ultimately of his death. I also tied Ignatius’ teaching to the 4th Commandment, which some of the students also studied tonight, because if you read his letters his constant refrain is, “Do nothing without the bishop” — i.e., listen to your pastor and do as he says because he’s teaching and leading you in God’s Word. The same faith that he confessed and died for is what you students are learning now, I told them. As I related his story, I was reminded again of the power of a good example. Here is someone who did not back down from confessing Christ, even to the point of death — and he went gladly. His letters bear no trace of panic or regret or sorrow at his impending martyrdom. He simply accepts it, and rejoices, based on the promises of Christ his Lord. That’s what we’re trying to instill in you, I told the students: that you would live your whole lives in service to God and be ready to lay down your life for Him, if it comes to that. The saints who went before us are useful chiefly as good examples. They encourage us to take up our duties and face our challenges with renewed vigor and strength, and if our challenges are not equal to theirs in severity, neither is our strength equal to theirs — but we all have challenges to our faith. Each of us can be faithful in his or her own little way, in whatever corner of God’s kingdom we’re in. (God grant it.)

The collect, or prayer of the day, for his feast isn’t even really about Ignatius of Antioch, as such; it’s more about us and about God, which is fitting. It begins with a fitting reminder of our weakness in confessing & living the faith, and asks for God’s help. Ignatius is given the proper role: he is an example of what God can do in a Christian’s life, and through a Christian. The brevity and clarity of this collect is sheer poetry. Finding & using treasures like these is one of the reasons I like praying the Daily Office. Even if you have no idea who Ignatius of Antioch is, this is still a good prayer:

Have regard for our weakness, Almighty God: and since the weight of our own deeds bears us down, let the faithful example of Blessed Ignatius, Thy Bishop and Martyr, direct us to Thy mercy; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost: ever one God, world without end. Amen.

— collect for the Feast of Ignatius of Antioch (DDSB p.616)

Help urgently needed! — a very sick mom & a premature baby

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baptism, bearing the cross, bethany lutheran, cancer, Christian love, compassion, grace of god, health and wellbeing, help, hope, John Wilde Webber, lutheran seminary, mankato mn, monetary gift, Paul Webber, perseverence, pregnancy, premature baby, Ruth Webber, seminarian, seminary, stomach cancer, trials

This young woman is named Ruth Webber. She has advanced stomach cancer. The little one cradled on her is her son John. He was born prematurely at 28 weeks so the doctors could start treating his mama. John’s father and Ruth’s husband is Paul Webber, a young man who is in his final year of studies for the holy ministry at Bethany Lutheran Seminary in Mankato, MN. Ruth’s pregnancy had been really rough, and now they know why: she’s had stomach cancer the whole time. The cancer is aggressive and it’s spreading. Their little boy has been baptized into Christ, but he’s got a long road ahead of him too.

I don’t know them personally but I feel like I could have been them, because I’ve walked a similar path. My wife hasn’t had cancer (thanks be to God), but I was in seminary once and my wife has been pregnant. So maybe you understand why I’m asking you to get involved. Pray for these people — not only for their physical health and wellbeing, but that their faith may be refined in the fires of these trials; that the Evil One might not tempt them to doubt God’s goodness; that they may persevere in the face of these incredible odds because by faith they see Him who is invisible. That Jesus might keep all His promises to His children the Webber family — because they’re going to need His help now as never before. Pray for them, and if you’re so inclined and you’re able, please consider giving them a monetary gift of love. You can imagine what hospital bills for this sort of thing will look like.

Read more about their situation here, on their website.

They also have a Facebook group devoted to news, updates, and support for the family. From that group:

“Ruth was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer. Her cancer is advanced enough so that it cannot be removed surgically. At the advice of doctors, we decided to have our baby at 28 weeks instead of waiting till 32 weeks and having him exposed to several weeks of chemotherapy. At 7:43 am on February 7, 2012, Ruth gave birth to John Wilde Webber. Jo…hn was Baptized into the Christian faith at approximately 10:30 am that same morning. Even though John will continue to reside at the NICU at St. Mary’s Hospital, he is doing well and the doctors are optimistic about his ongoing growth and development. The doctors have decided that it would be best for Ruth to rest for about 10 days to heal from the c-section and take in nourishment so that she is strong for when chemotherapy starts. Because of her stomach, Ruth is being nourished exclusively by a feeding tube, so we expect that she should be able to get stronger and put on a little weight in spite of the cancer. It is possible that she will be discharged from the hospital this weekend or early next week. When that happens, we’ll be staying at the Ronald McDonald house so as to be near John and also so that Ruth can continue her care at Mayo instead of somewhere else. We don’t know what exactly will come our way in the coming weeks and months. What we do know is that God has blessed us with a healthy baby boy. He has also arranged for us to be at one of the most renowned cancer treatment hospitals in the world. Finally, we will continue to remind each other that God has a plan for our family and definitely loves and cares for us.”

See more here on Facebook.

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

— II Cor 12:8-10