Through The Valley To A New Life of Service and Excitement

My final Sunday as Interim Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Tomball, TX. is next Sunday, May 24. That afternoon the congregation will accept Pastor Chris Hull from Illinois as their new shepherd.  He will be installed into office at a special service that afternoon. He is scheduled to arrive with his wife and family the middle of this week. He will preach his first sermon on May 31, Holy Trinity Sunday.

These past two weeks I've received a few friendly comments about my returning to retirement. My usual response has been that I can find no mention of retirement in the Bible. However, upon reflection, I may have to take back that statement. It does occur to me that for one reason or another some of the primary personages in the Bible did indeed retire—at least for a time. Here, for example, I'm thinking about Moses. When Moses impulsively killed an Egyptian who was beating one of Moses' people, he fled—retired if you will, because the Egyptian Pharaoh wanted to kill him.

"But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian.  .  ." - Exo 2:15 ESV

Midian was on the other side of the Red Sea. Life changed radically for Moses in that land. He married Zipporah, daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian, and retired from the luxurious life of a prince of Egypt to the relatively quiet one of a shepherd. Later, in his 80's, the LORD God confronted him in a "burning bush that was not consumed by fire" on Mount Horeb. And so began the well known story of his being sent to lead the exodus of the children of Israel.

I've reflected often upon that story during these past 20 months while serving Zion. Like Moses, I was 80 years old when I received and accepted God's new Call to serve again as a public minister of His Word. By God's grace I have not been asked to serve for 40 years in the wilderness, however. My 20 months of service come now to an end. What awaits ahead I do not yet know.

The simple point I make is that each of us has a call to follow Christ, the Good Shepherd, who leads us through a sometimes bewildering journey to the Father's house. He leads. We follow. He feeds and provides. We lie down in His green pastures. We take comfort knowing that He watches over us with His rod and staff. One day soon He will lead me and all who follow Him safely home.

Then will begin an eternal retirement from the darkness of this world's valley. Meanwhile I can hardly wait for the joy and excitement of that new phase of my life eternal with Him.

Called To The Public Ministry

Since October, 2013, I have served Zion Lutheran Church of Tomball, TX. as their Interim Pastor. The congregation was most concerned that everyone knows I was "called" to that position. I accepted on the same basis, believing that the LORD of the church had called me to this position of service within His church. I was called to serve Zion as they prepared to call a new pastor to the office of the public ministry in their midst.

The time of my service may now be coming to an end, since in another week the congregation will gather for another call meeting. Three candidates will be lifted up and the congregation will decide whether it is the will of God that one of them be "called" to be their full time pastor. If the man "called" agrees, my work will be over. I will have completed my work as their Interim Pastor and will step aside.

This bit of history does not, however, define what either the congregation or I believe to be the essence of the Divine Call. For that I refer you to a document published by the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod back in 2003. The document is called "the Divine Call" and is available for download online.

The Missouri Synod's conclusions grew partly out of a crisis when the church body was being formed.  In 1824 Lutheran Pastor Martin Stephan of Saxony, Germany, began to explore America as a place to practice the faith without harassment by the state-governed  Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Saxony.

Stephan and ten other men formed a "Gesellschaft" or Society for emigration from Dresden to St. Louis, Missouri. He helped organize 700 people and five ships for passage to America in November 1838. When the ships landed at the Port of New Orleans, Martin Stephan was elected Bishop of this small band of Lutherans according to the travel regulations of the Emigration Society. Forster (Zion on the Mississippi: The Settlement of the Saxon Lutherans in Missouri 1839-1841) indicates that Stephan was made Bishop initially only by the passengers and clergy on board the Olbers. This occurred around the time this ship entered the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Forster states, "On January 14, 1839...they made Stephan their bishop and endowed him with a liberal grant of power to carry out the functions of his office.[5]" Additionally, only four of the five immigrant ships arrived safely in New Orleans (the Amalia never arrived) and the ships arrived at varying times over the course of a couple of weeks. Of note, after his appointment, it was Stephan who originated the practice of kissing the bishop's hand.

After two months, the Saxon immigrants purchased land in Perry County, Missouri at the confluence of the Brazeau and Mississippi Rivers. Here they built homes, towns, schools, and churches. The organization of the community was disrupted when Stephan was accused of sexual misconduct. Pastors G. H. Loeber and C. F. W. Walther told lay leaders of this confession. Walther made two trips to Perry County to prepare the Bishop’s deposition.  On May 30, 1839, Bishop Martin Stephan was deposed and excommunicated from the community on the grounds of sexual misconduct and embezzlement. He was put across the river to Kaskaskia, Illinois. Though the women who initially accused Stephan of sexual misconduct later recanted, he was never restored to his position. Following his removal from the colony, he served another congregation, Trinity Lutheran Church, at Horse Prairie near Red Bud, Illinois.

With Stephan gone the immigrants faced a crisis. How could they find a new pastor? Did they indeed have the God-given right to call someone to be their pastor? Dr. C.F.W. Walther wrote extensively on the topic. His work is available in an English translation of the original German document Kirche Und Amt (Church and Ministry). It is also available as a Kindle e-book.

Walther emphasizes that the key doctrine is the priesthood of all believers, outlined by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:9 —

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. - 1Peter 2:9 ESV

The pastor does publicly, by God's will, what belongs to the ministry of the Word of God entrusted to the congregation. His is an office specially designated by God for the sake of the church on earth. So Paul writes,

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. - 1Cor 4:1-2 ESV

So the congregation must establish and maintain the public ministry in its midst. Zion congregation has followed those steps in this manner:

1. They invited members of the congregation to nominate ordained pastors (men certified and eligible for a Call). In addition, the congregation sought counsel and advice from the Texas District of our church body, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, especially the President. A large number of candidates were submitted. The President's office returned a large packet of information on them all. 
2. The resumes and evaluations of those pastors were carefully studied by an appointed committee of the congregation primarily on the basis of Scripture passages such as 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and the challenges facing the congregation in the rapidly growing area of greater Houston where Zion is located. After many months of prayerful consideration and discussion the committee is now offering three candidates to congregation. Details of the candidates' ministry experience, age, health, training, gifts and families were prepared and distributed. 
3. Now this coming Sunday, February 15, the congregation will gather to discuss, pray and then vote. This process will take place in the congregation's sanctuary with prayer and hymn singing surrounding it. The candidate who receives the most or all of the votes will be regarded and accepted as the one called by God through the congregation. If the vote is not unanimous the congregation will be asked to make it so in order that all may be of one heart and mind. 

The called pastor will then receive a letter and details of his call. It will be up to him to carefully consider whether the congregation he currently serves or the one calling is the church that the LORD of the church wants him to serve. Should he confirm what the congregation believes he will move and be formally installed into office. 

As you can see, it is our belief as a Lutherans committed to the Lutheran Confessions of 1580 that God places men into the pastoral office through the church. Pastors are not placed by overseers or bishops. We also emphasize that no one makes himself to be a pastor. The Call depends on God working through the church. A man may have an "inner call" to serve God as a pastor, but his becomes a Divine Call only when that call is affirmed and confirmed by the church. This remains important since the pastoral ministry is a public activity carried out in behalf of and for the benefit of the church. Study the documents referenced above for further details. And give thanks to the Lord of the church for the pastors He calls to serve His people. 

A New Covenant In Christ

In our study of Hebrews chapter 8 we are back to a discussion of covenants. The writer speaks about the old and the new covenants. The old had its faults and is now obsolete and ready to vanish. The new is up to date and filled with life and hope. Long ago, in the days of Israel's captivity in Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah wrote about it (Hebrews 8:8-12). Listen to his exciting words:

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: 

• I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. 
• And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 
• And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." - Jeremiah 31:31-34 ESV

We who live under the blessing and lordship of Jesus Christ see the promises of that new covenant fulfilled in our midst. What are those blessings? Let us add them up one by one.

1. Our High Priest is seated at God's right hand (Hebrews 8:1). No longer does any priest have to kill animals, sprinkle blood or spread out sacrifices on an altar. That work was but an example of what was to come. The final sacrifice has been made. Our High Priest sits now at the Father's right hand, pleading for us on the basis of His one final sacrifice. 
2. Our High Priest ministers on our behalf in the true tent pitched by the LORD, not by man (Hebrews 8:2-3). His public ministry (ministry is our word liturgy) is to plead for mercy on our behalf. The basis for His plea is the fact that He has offered His life, shed His infinitely precious blood for us. All that previous priests could offer was the blood of animals. These sacrifices did not in truth pay for the debts we incur by our sinning. They could not. They were but shadows or examples and copies of what was to come (Hebrews 8:4-5).
3. Our High Priest is our only Mediator (Hebrews 8:6). A mediator is one who intervenes between two. He is the go-between, the one who is able to restore peace and friendship between two parties. Moses previously was one such. He was the one who brought God's commands to the Children of Israel, the one who acted as their mediator with God. This is what Christ and Christ alone is for all men. Through Him we are privileged and able to come into the presence of God Himself. This is what the Apostle wrote in his letter to young pastor Timothy: "For there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 1 Tim. 2:5 - ESV

There was no such High Priest in the Old Covenant. They had no such high priest in the heavenly places. All they had were earthly priests ministering in a tent or temple made with human hands, mere copies of the true heavenly temple. This was the fault or defect of the first covenant. The houses of Israel and Judah needed a new covenant.

But what exactly is a covenant? There are many examples of covenants in the Old Testament writings. For instance, Abraham made a covenant between himself and Abimelech the Philistine at Beersheba to settle the dispute between them about water. The oath between them was sealed by seven ewe lambs that Abraham gave to Abimelech. Therefore that place was called Beersheba (the well of seven in Hebrew) - Gen. 21:22-32.

Covenants were not always between equals, however. Yet they were binding and taken most seriously. So there was a covenant between the LORD God and the people of Israel, not a covenant between equals, but between the greater and the lesser, similar to the treaties imposed by a great king upon one of his vassal kings who owed him homage and obedience. Israel accepted such a covenant when she escaped slavery in Egypt. The people of Israel promised to have no other gods and to obey the LORD. The Mosaic law and the sacrificial system and all these entailed were part of that covenant. But Israel did not keep her covenant with the LORD. She broke it. She turned to other gods. She disobeyed God's laws. The old covenant was a failure.

In view of all this the prophet Jeremiah, as spokesman for the LORD, promised a new covenant. In this new covenant the LORD would write His law on the hearts of God's people, within them. They would truly know Him. And their sins and iniquities would be forgiven. We will explore next time what that implies for us who have put our faith and trust in Christ.

Pastors Learning The Art Of War

Dear Tim,

 I write this open letter to you on the day after the Christian church celebrated the Festival of Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian church. That event got me thinking about you and the thousands of other ordained pastors who nourish and sustain our spiritual lives with their teaching, preaching and guidance from God's Word as the church goes about her mission to spread the Gospel. In turn, that got me to thinking about how I might draw from my own 50+ years in the public ministry to help and encourage you in your calling as a Christian pastor.

In the past several months I've been leading a small group of men and women from our congregation in a Bible study of the Apostle Paul's letters to a young pastor with the same name you bear. At the moment we're in the second of those epistles, the one where Paul writes with the conviction that this may well be the last correspondence he will have with Timothy. Listen to what he says,

As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. - 2Ti 4:5-8 ESV

As I approach my 80th birthday I think often about those words. It strikes me almost strange that he writes about himself as a soldier who has fought the good fight. I started college in 1950, the same year that the United States became embroiled in the Korean war. At the time I was already a pre-seminary student at the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod's Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota. I can still remember the patriotic fervor that spread among many of us young men on campus. Some immediately enlisted and went on to become involved in the war. We pre-seminarians were not expected to serve in the military. Nevertheless, I felt as if I should. That feeling persisted even as I entered the seminary in St. Louis in 1952 to complete two years of college and two years of seminary education in preparation of ordination.

Oh, wait. Let me explain. Our church body, as your probably know, had its own closed college/seminary system at the time—the Concordia system. That system was based upon the German gymnasium system, similar to the British grammar school system or the various prep schools in the United States. The four years of high school and the first two years of college were tied together and even numbered with the Latin numbers from six to one (sexta to prima). After completing our prima (or sixth) year we went on to complete our seminary education at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. At the time almost none of us pre-seminary system students went to the other seminary at Springfield, Illinois. That was for men who wanted to become pastors later in life and did not often have a college education. But that's another story. Missouri Synod has long since abandoned that approach.

My point is that I was not aware at the time that I was preparing for battle or that I was to become a soldier stationed at the front line. That was something I was to learn over the years as I squared off against a variety of spiritual foes. I'll tell you more about that in a later letters where I will share more about fellow pastors who tried to discredit my teachings and my reputation, congregation members I considered close friends who betrayed me and worked hard to shut me down and many emotional and spiritual temptations that threatened to destroy my marriage and family.

Then there were hundreds of times when I was called to fight for the lives of congregation members facing attacks upon themselves and their families. In those times I learned that the work of a pastor is indeed soldiering and fighting in the war against the forces of darkness. At one of those dark times some other words from the Apostle Paul were of great encouragement. I turned to them often. I leave them with you today.

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. - 2Ti 2:1-4 ESV

The war in Korea is ended—for the moment. The war against Satan and the powers of darkness continues. More on that later.

As Paul says, "be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

The Call to the Public Ministry

As I said in my last Blog, I'm focusing upon what happens in a newly formed congregation. The local church that we've joined in Montgomery, TX. is called Living Savior. She has many challenges and opportunities before her now that she is organized. Central to her future is the installation of a permanent pastor. In that matter both the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions have much to say. Here's a brief summary.

In 1537 Philip Melanchthon wrote a very important and concise Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope that became a part of the Smalcald Articles and ultimately of the Lutheran Confessions of 1580. Consequently, they have remained an official statement of the beliefs of the Lutheran community of Christians. In paragraph 67 of the Treatise we read the following:

“For wherever the Church is, there is the authority [command] to administer the Gospel. Therefore it is necessary for the Church to retain the authority to call, elect, and ordain ministers. And this authority is a gift which in reality is given to the Church, which no human power can wrest from the Church, as Paul also testifies to the Ephesians, 4, 8, when he says: He ascended, He gave gifts to men. And he enumerates among the gifts specially belonging to the Church pastors and teachers, and adds that such are given for the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Hence, wherever there is a true church, the right to elect and ordain ministers necessarily exists. Just as in a case of necessity even a layman absolves, and becomes the minister and pastor of another; as Augustine narrates the story of two Christians in a ship, one of whom baptized the catechumen, who after Baptism then absolved the baptizer.

“Here belong the statements of Christ which testify that the keys have been given to the Church, and not merely to certain persons, Matt. 18, 20: Where two or three are gathered together in My name, etc.

“Lastly, the statement of Peter also confirms this, 1 Peter 2: 9, “Ye are a royal priesthood.” These words pertain to the true Church, which certainly has the right to elect and ordain ministers since it alone has the priesthood.”

In his Christian Dogmatics Dr. J.T. Mueller wrote,

"The Christian ministry is called “public,” not in view of the place where its functions are performed, but rather in view of the fact that its functions are executed in the name and by the authority of the congregation, so that even such functions of the ministerial office as are done in private (private Communion; private admonition; private absolution) belong to the public ministry (compare: public service; public servants, etc.). So then, the divine rule obtains: Wherever true believers are found at one place, they must organize and maintain local churches. And wherever there are local churches, they must also by God’s will call official pastors or ministers, who in the name of the congregation preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments, or who in the name of the congregation execute the Office of the Keys.”

The divinity of the mediate call (is established) from the following Biblical passages:

1 Peter 2:9-10 - But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

1 Cor. 12:28 - 27-31 - You are Christ's body—that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything. You're familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his "body":
apostles, prophets, teachers. miracle workers, healers, helpers, organizers, those who pray in tongues.

But it's obvious by now, isn't it, that Christ's church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, uni-dimensional Part? It's not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some of you keep competing for so-called "important" parts.

Acts 14:23 - Paul and Barnabas handpicked leaders in each church. After praying— their prayers intensified by fasting—they presented these new leaders to the Master to whom they had entrusted their lives.

1 Timothy 5:21-22 - God and Jesus and angels all back me up in these instructions. Carry them out without favoritism, without taking sides. Don't appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don't want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself.

(All passages above quoted from the contemporary paraphrase: The Message)

See also 1 Corinthians 4:1; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 5:2-3 and many other verses.

Currently Living Savior is being served by a pastor on a part time basis. The challenge she faces in the next years is to grow large enough to provide support for a full time shepherd.