Up On The Soap Box

(I'm posting this here to make cutting & pasting easier - I'll know where to find it next time I'm looking for it!)

The OT contains 3 kinds of laws: the moral law which tells people what their duty is to God and other people; the ceremonial law which dictated the religious practices of the Israelites; and the civil law - the state law of the Israelites. The moral law is what God wrote upon the hearts of His people when He created them. Christians recognize the moral law as the 10 Commandments. God still expects us keep the moral law. Lutherans believe the 6th commandment (You shall not commit adultery) means we should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do. (See Luther’s Small Catechism #55-58)

Our sinful nature makes it impossible for us to keep His law perfectly. We all stand condemned under the law, regardless of our sexual orientation. God sent His Son to be our righteousness that we might have salvation by His Grace alone through faith in Christ alone. The law shows us our sin and leads us to repentance and by God’s Grace and Mercy we are forgiven for Christ’s sake, not because our own merits.

Remember the story of Jesus and the rich young man in Matthew chapter 19? The rich man won’t sell all his possessions and follow Jesus – he loves his things more than he loves the Lord. Whenever we have a sin that we won’t give up (won’t repent) we are just like the rich young man. We love our sin more than we love the Lord. For as long as we cling to our sin we have gone our own separate way and are not following the Lord.

The grievous error of the ELCA is to lead people into believing homosexuality is not a sin and turning people away from repentance and God’s gift of forgiveness. (If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:8-9). Tell me, should an unrepentant sinner (whatever the sin) serve as a pastor? Someone who does not have the Truth within them?

God can and will forgive all of your sins in the name of Jesus, of that there is no doubt. Put your faith and trust in Him and His Word and not in the words, feelings and logic of humankind.

Song in My Heart this Friday

Be still, my soul; the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; your best, your heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul; your God will undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and wind still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul; though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then you will better know his love, his heart,
Who comes to soothe your sorrows and your fears.
Be still, my soul; your Jesus can repay
From his own fullness all he takes away.

Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

By: Catharina von Schlegel -1752

Repentance

I take a circular route to work. There is this one uncontrolled intersection not far from my home where it is easier to turn right than to turn left, so my drive to work is sort of like driving counter-clockwise from 6 to 12. Coming home I take a different route and complete the counter-clockwise circle, 12 to 6.

The other day I reversed my course and you know what? Everything looked so different -- the houses, the landmarks, the road itself. I had to concentrate because it felt so unfamiliar!

It was repentance.

Cloth Ears

I've been reading a lot of ELCA blogs recently and occasionally leaving a comment or two. Overall it has been a sobering experience. I have been shocked to the point where I was ready to tell a woman that she is neither Lutheran nor Christian (but I didn't, thank you delete key). I confess in all the debates between fundamentalist Candy and the VTC women I have never, ever felt that way about any of them.

I think in the ELCA today there exists genuine heresy.

Dr. Robert Gagnon has written an article: What Should Faithful Lutherans in the ELCA Do? It is probably the harshest commentary I have come across, but I am becoming convinced that is what it is going to take.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks

My dad was an amazing listener. He had that rare combination of intuitiveness, seemingly non-judgementalness, and a kind and gentle nature. He was able to wrestle confessions of misdeeds out of his children by barely uttering a word.

His philosophy was if you give a guy enough rope sooner or later he'll hang himself.

As a parent I see how often this is true. What should have been a simple yes or no answer turns into a very long tale that obviously took some time to conjure up. Truth usually isn't very complicated. Talk, talk, talk and before you know it you've got yourself tangled in a web of deceit.

That's when Dad would kick the chair (figuratively).

I'm not nearly the good listener my dad was (I'm more like my mom). But sometimes I do get it right.

#6 & #7: Summer Wrap Up

We had a very nice time at the beach and we had a real picnic while we were there. :-)

Labor Day has passed and the leaves are rapidly changing and even falling from some trees! Summer is over. I did not do everything on my list, but I came close...

Not done:
4. Go to the county fair. We were refinishing kitchen cabinets that week.
5. Take a field trip to a historic site. Just didn't find the time. Does reading a wayside marker count?
8. Shop the farmers' market at least twice. Technically I've only been to it once so far. The kids have gone about 3 times! I'll probably go again this weekend.
12. Teach Fifteen how to drive. Fifteen is now Sixteen and he is doing very well driving. A little more practice and he should get his license first try.
13. Stay up late and watch a meteor shower. I tried!
15. Read four good novels. I read...one.

Now to start a fall to-do list....

Warms My Lutheran Heart

Hat Tip to Teresa!