This Side of the Pulpit » Entries tagged with "resurrection"
Christ the Life of All the Living
Christ, the Life of all the living, Christ the Death of death, our foe, Who Thyself for us once giving To the darkest depths of woe, Patiently didst yield Thy breath But to save my soul from death; Praise and glory ever be, Blessèd Jesus, unto Thee. Thou, O Christ, hast taken on Thee Bitter strokes, a cruel rod; Pain and scorn were heaped upon Thee, O Thou sinless Son of God, Only thus for me to win Rescue from the bonds of sin; Praise and glory ever be, Blessèd Jesus, unto Thee. Thou didst bear the smiting only That it might not fall on me; Stoodest falsely charged and lonely That I might be safe and free; Comfortless that I might know Comfort from Thy boundless woe. Praise and glory ever be, Blessèd Jesus, unto Thee. Heartless scoffers did surround Thee, Treating Thee with shameful scorn And with piercing thorns they crowned Thee, All disgrace Thou, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
In its Narrow Chamber Keep
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart; I pray Thee, ne’er from me depart; With tender mercy cheer me. Earth has no pleasure I would share, Yea, Heav’n itself were void and bare If Thou, Lord, wert not near me. And should my heart for sorrow break, My trust in Thee can nothing shake. Thou art the portion I have sought; Thy precious blood my soul has bought. Lord Jesus Christ, My God and Lord, my God and Lord, Forsake me not! I trust Thy Word. Yea, Lord, ’twas Thy rich bounty gave My body, soul, and all I have In this poor life of labor. Lord, grant that I in every place May glorify Thy lavish grace And serve and help my neighbor. Let no false doctrine me beguile, Let Satan not my soul defile. Give strength and patience unto me To bear my cross and follow Thee. Lord Jesus Christ, My … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Funerals and Resurrection
What I love about Lutheran funerals is the primacy given the Resurrection. In the prayers and liturgy, the Resurrection of Christ is dominant, coupled with the hope of our own resurrection. What bothers me is that resurrection does not take center stage at all times. What is our last enemy, after all? Is it is sin? Is it it the lack of forensic justification? Spare me. The last enemy is death, but we have the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Ashes and Ashes
Dust and ashes. It doesn’t feel like that today, though. The sky is bright and blue, I’ve got two brand new baby clownfish in my new saltwater tank (properly cycled, thank you very much), my Flonase prescription is in the mail, but even without it I can breathe for the moment. Meanwhile a train is howling as it crosses town and the training jets from the Air Force Base are roaring by like they do every day, Monday through Friday. The hard-hatted men are pounding away on the sanctuary and secretary is typing away in the next room. So where’s the dust? Where are the ashes? Oh, M* knows it. Her husband is lying on a metal table right now. J* sees them. He’s recuperating from a heart cath and stint and is thinking … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
The Resurrection of the Dead, Part Ia
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
The Resurrection of the Dead, Part I
So what happens when you die? It’s a question we spend our whole life wondering about or fearing. When children learn of death, it’s t he very first question they ask. What happens next? Most Christians will say that believers will go to heaven and unbelievers will go to hell. When I ask them what happens after that, I get blank looks. When I ask them what happened to people before Christ, I get blank looks. When I ask them about the resurrection of the dead and life of the world to come, I get blank looks. What about the resurrection of the dead? What about the bodies lying in open caskets before the funerals? What happened to Uncle Joe and what is the hope we have? It’s not that Uncle Joe has gone … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Life Hurries On
Well, the kids are all off to school today. It was a little hairy, as Eldest started her freshmen year the the High School. A little scary for me too. She was embarrassed by my car. Admittedly, it is something of a beater these days. Even the littlest starts school this afternoon, doing half day Pre-K. He is very excited. Last night he had to sign the internet use agreement, and he continually switched between his right and left hands. Things are kicking up at church, too. Choirs start next week. Midweek on September 15. I’m planning another adult instruction class this Fall. It is good that the routine begins again. Good for the kids to be in school and busier and learning. It’s bad how time flies. Wise Solomon agrees: Vanity of vanities, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology, Uncategorized
Rev. Joseph Myers
Joe passed away in his sleep yesterday. He was the pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Garber, OK, one of the churches in our circuit. In many ways he was a pastor’s pastor, the kind of man who represented what the LCMS was, and in many ways, what it should be: a faithful man, a joyful person, an excellent preacher, a lover of the Lutheran Confessions, humorous, witty and humble. Arrangements are forthcoming, but for now I ask your prayers for all, especially for his wife Mary and the people of Immanuel. May God have mercy on us all! ”Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Rev 14:13 ESV) … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
My Thoughts on a Funeral
Pastor Eric Brown attended a non-Lutheran funeral yesterday, and by coincidence, I attended a different non-Lutheran funeral. He posted his thoughts and beat me to the punch. First I’ll post mine, then quote his. The funeral was led by a hospice chaplain. The majority of the service was his sermon, which I found to be well delivered and spot-on for the hearers and situation. I couldn’t have done a better job in addressing such a diverse crowd of believers and unbelievers–and probably would have done a worse job. While he addressed many things in the deceased life, he didn’t eulogize her, and the majority of his sermon was based on Psalm 23. He made some points about shepherding that I had never heard before, and frankly, found suspicious. But the most … Read entire article »
Filed under: The World
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The Resurrection and the Life
February 1st, 2011 | Add a Comment
Phillip raised an important question in his comment on the previous post: what is the relationship between bad–or no–teaching and rejection of teaching begin? First, church members need to make sure they are reading Scripture. Pastors can teach all they can till they are blue in the face, but if Christians are not reading the Word of God, actively attending to it, then all kinds of falsehood and wrong impressions can fester. Bible study is an important tool as well. Second, Pastors need to make sure they are speaking Scripturally when it comes to speaking about death and the resurrection. I try to avoid saying that we will “go to Heaven when we die” because Scripture does not speak like that much. It can be misunderstood as well. We need to make … Read entire article »
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