Luke 24:51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 

Where is Jesus the day after ascension?  Well the text makes clear that he is in heaven.  Shortest blog post ever, right?  And yet the two men in white that appear says the following.

Acts 1:10-11  And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?

And so, the messengers of God make clear that man is not supposed to simply stare into the sky to try to find Jesus.  So what do the disciples do?

Luke 24:51-53  And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,  and were continually in the temple blessing God. 

They went to were God always had been been before he appeared in the flesh.  According to the promises of God, they returned to the temple to find Jesus and worship him.  They did not just stare into the sky but gazed upon the altar.

And they did so until the Spirit fell on Pentecost, at which point the following  words of Jesus were made clear:

Matthew 18:20  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

John 4:21-23  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

And so where did they look for Jesus then?

Acts 2:42, 46-47  And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,  praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 

Oh, yes the day after Ascension, Jesus is in heaven.  But that is not to where they were to look for him.  “Stop looking up into heaven,” the angels declared.  Oh yes, the day after Ascension according to his nature, Jesus is everywhere.  But the early church did not just worship creation or try to find Jesus in every particle of the earth.  No, they found Jesus were he has promised to be.

They found him in the midst of those assembled in his name, worshipping him in spirit and truth, gathered around the Word and the Supper whether than was in the grandiosity of the temple or the simplicity of their homes. 

If you are looking for Jesus after Ascension, you must know where to find him. He is still in the midst of those assembled in his name, worshipping him in spirit and truth, gathered around the Word and the Supper.  

That is where Jesus is after Ascension by word and promise sure.  Find him there.  He is waiting there with all his gifts for you.

Especially when the Republican primaries were at their peak, I noticed that there was a large Libertarian streak among my Lutheran friends.  Personally, I can sympathize with much of the sentiment they share about limiting government’s influence over life.  But there is something that I feel needs to be said.  We as Lutherans can never forget that the purpose of government in God’s divine design is quite simple.  Government is to reward good and punish evil.  And in that sense, it is necessarily to legislate morality, despite the claims of many that such is impossible to do.

Lutherans often speak about three ways that God uses his law.  The first of these uses in often referred to as the curbing use of the law.  The word-picture curb is to call to mind the curbs that line city streets warning cars to stay on the straight and narrow. 

Imagine for a second though if one would could cross the curb with receiving the shocking jolt it is famous for delivering to trespassers.   The curb would lose much of its power over those riding within its borders.  I believe that when the governments seeks to get out of the morality business, the curb loses its concrete nature and becomes nothing but a ramp that vaults trespassers quickly out of the safe confines of the street.  Government is the enforcer of the first use of the Law and this by God’s design.  It must do this work and Lutheran citizens must demand that it does.

There are many who wish to call marriage nothing more than a civil matter and therefore are quite fine with the the government sanctioning marriage among those to whom it is not given by God.  Here I am not referring to those who believe that homosexuality is not problematic at any level, but those who claim to hold that it is sinful and yet see no great value in the government maintaining laws that hold up the design for marriage God has crafted into nature and his law.

I believe those that hold to this position need to reconsider for these reasons:

• First, its does not take seriously the depravity of the unregenerate.  Any time the roughness of the curb of God’s law is filed away, the unregenerate man and woman are going naturally  to take that opportunity to live in unordered chaos.  They need the commandment laid in their hearts also placed before them in the laws of the government.  Only when the law is internal and external can the unregenerate man be kept from degenerating into selfish anarchy. And this is needful both for the unregenerate person but perhaps even more for the people around them that we call society.
• Secondly, this position does not take seriously how integral marriage is to every other first article good we have.  It ignores the fact that to war against God’s design for marriage is to war against nature itself.  When marriage is lost (to heterosexual or homosexual perversion), it is only the first casualty.  Soon the room is filled with victims.
• Finally, it does not take seriously that those given authority by God are always answerable to him.   We often say in the prayers of the church that we beg God to cause our leaders to rule according to his good and gracious will.  But as soon as we leave our knees, we act as if the constitution of our country can free them from that responsibility.  Lutherans should fear the idea of theocracy only because institutionalized theocracy always enshrines a chosen caricature of God rather than the true thing.  Any Lutheran against God ways ruling in their country despises the good gifts of God.  We should desire that our government rules as a stewards of God’s governance.

So while a Christian can certainly want to limit government’s role in parts of society, we should not seek to limit its role to do what God designed it for.  It must punish evil and reward good.  We must with zeal encourage it to do so.  And we must be fervent in our prayers for the same.

I have no intention of trying to defend the specific methods used in the therapy mentioned in the article excerpted below.  That is not to say they are all bad.  I am sure there is much variety of care or lack of it under the banner of “sexual orientation change therapy.”  The only therapy I know to be surely effective is confession and absolution and that alone by the power of Christ.  However, this article caught my attention because it is a legislative attempt to criminalize a practice connected to the Christian worldview.

There is a pattern which all who hold to such a worldview must be aware. The first step was to convince enough people that homosexuality is not a deviation from normal in any sense.  The second step is to ask for the same legal rights as everyone else.  The last step is to criminalize those who teach that homosexuality is not good.  These steps often overlap as we watch them in the national news since one area can be farther along the process than another.  I suppose it is no surprise that this story emanates from California where the earlier battles have already been waged.

Those of us who are conscience bound to hold fast to our conviction must prepare.  We cannot change our position, but we must think through what we will do when the laws now being crafted begin to be enforced.  I suggest two points deserve our prayful attention:

• How does our submission to authorities look?  What is the limit of that submission?  We must not hastily lead ourselves to persecution’s doorstep, neither can we avoid standing where we must. 
• How do we make sure that when persecution comes that we make clear to the world that our true cause is fidelity to Christ and not being against homosexuality?  We must confess Christ to our lost and dying world.

I don’t have all these answers, but I am thinking and praying about it.  Let’s have a conversation  about it in the comments or on Facebook.  Will you join me? 

Imagine a whole country ceasing to exist.  It is the kind of stuff that screenwriters imagine when crafting stories for new movies.  But usually in their scripts the cause of extinction is something sudden and catastrophic.  The aliens come. The earthquake rocks.  The tsunami cascades.

But forget the Hollywood stuff.  A new research study suggest that in a thousand years at the current trends there will be no Japanese children in the world at all.  And what is the cause?  Simple.  People are not having children.  They do not even replace themselves let alone allow for any growth.

I know that a thousand years away in a long time.  3011 may well never come (Come quickly, Lord.).  The trends may well change.  But the article makes clear that the trend is already problematic today.  It is already causing trouble in the society.  There are not enough workers to pay for the pensions of those not working.  They are producing more adult diapers than children’s diapers.  And these are just a few of the issues of having many elderly people and few young active people.

There are many in our society that want us to walk the way of Japan and other countries like China.  Some suggest that China’s one child policy should be a model.  They say it is good for the Earth.  They say people are the problem. 

Children are a blessing. This is the position of the scriptures.  Disregarding this truth not only is bad in relationship to God but it also causes many troubles in society.  It leaves us with many elderly people in need of care and no one to care for them.  May God give us eyes to see beyond our immediate concerns and faith to trust in his promises.

If these three words in succession means anything to you, you likely watch the highest rated show on cable television that absolutely no one admits to watching.  And what is that show?  WWE RAW.  Yes, Pro Wrestling.  And before you wonder or ask, yes I know its fake and yes I still watch and enjoy it.  Just in case that bothers you, realize that most of the shows you enjoy are fake also.

However I did not write this to defend wrestling (it may not even deserve such a defense).  I write because the news broke today that John Cena, the most recognizable name in Pro Wrestling today, has filed for divorce from his wife.  His promotional t-shirts always say somewhere on them “Hustle. Loyalty. Respect.” This divorce though seems stand in opposition to these words which he claims mark his life. 

And from the little I know of him from reading about his life, he does display these values in his professional life.  He puts all of his effort into his work and does it with urgency.  Hustle.  He remains in a business that is often hard on one’s life and body.  Loyalty.  He seems to treat fans and those in need well (he is one of the most prolific wish granters the Make-A-Wish organization has).  Respect.

Sadly, in filing for divorce, he shows something all too common in our day.  The same values with which people live and find success in their professional life they are often not willing to apply at home.  They will work themselves to death for the sake of their career but give up easily on their marriages and family.  I do not know the specifics of why John Cena filed for divorce, but this I do know.  Any marriage can be strengthened by the application of these three things.

Hustle.  Make your marriage and family a priority.  Issues that come up in that realm must be met with energy and urgency.  Problems left to fester are deadly to marriage.

Loyalty.  Take your vows seriously.  This is the one you took for better, for worse, for life.  Do not entertain other options.  Remain dedicated even when the marriage is hard.

Respect.  Treat your spouse well.  Husbands love your wife.  Wife respect your husbands.  Treat them as fellow heirs with you of eternal life.  Know that they need your support, your love, and your forgiveness.

Hustle. Loyalty. Respect.  They are values that are laudable to any calling in life.  And it seems to me that many apply them vigorously in their life outside of the home.  May we also apply them at home.  Our marriages and family depend on it.

Listen to his own words:

"I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together; when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married," Obama told Roberts in an interview to appear on ABC’s "Good Morning America" Thursday.

Obama become Pro-Gay marriage relationally.  He knew people who were gay and wanted no longer to offend those people by denying them the rights other couples have.

He did not come to this position through biological reflection.  No one discovered a hereunto unknown gene which shows that people are born genetically gay.  Every male and female born today are still born with private parts that suggest the only biologically compatible relationship is that between man and woman.  It  remains the only relationship which can propagate the species.  Nothing has changed there.

He did not come to this position after re-examining the Scriptures Christianity holds as sacred.  For again, those scriptures still testify from the first book to the last that marriage and sexuality are given only to men and women.  Those wish to argue otherwise are required to come to the scriptures with a Jeffersonian love for excising troublesome parts of the Book at their own discretion.

He did not come to this position historically or sociologically.  The research all shows that homosexuality is not a practice that prospers societies.

Obama become Pro-Gay marriage relationally.  And he is not alone.  I would suggest that everyone who does not come to this position by virtue of personally embracing homosexuality as their own sexual identity comes to this position relationally.  They know someone who claims homosexuality as their identity and cannot bear to stand in opposition to them.

And I do not wish to minimize this struggle for a moment.  It is a dark and torturous place for anyone to be. I have experienced it personally though not as closely as many of you may have.  But the fact that it is hard to stand in opposition to those we love does not make it okay to not do so.

Matthew 10:37-39  Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

If you have not felt the heat of this crucible yet, you surely will.   You will know someone and love someone who will choose homosexuality as their way of life.  You will desire to keep both them and your beliefs close. 

When it happens, do not melt away.  Do the truly loving thing, stand firm, and speak the truth in love.  Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you may save both yourself and them.

And yet be prepared for the opposite also. For if that person does not turn after much loving counsel, the intensity of the heat will grow.  Eventually it may dissolve the connection between you and them.  And while that is never the intention, it is far more important that you remain connected to Christ.  You must remain relationally connected to Christ.  It is your life.

This is a screenshot of the latest flash campaign material for President Obama.  My point here is not to comment upon the political assertions being made here.  Would Julia live a more blissful life under Obama or Romney, you make the call.   More interesting to me is the cultural assumption wrapped up in this presentation.  Here is is suggested that Julia’s decision to wait until age 31 to consider having a child is a normal, even wise one.  If you click back, you learn that she does this because at age 27, she is too busy to have a child.

I would assume that most people, Romney and Obama supporters alike, would not even stop to consider the wisdom of this choice.  After all, following the timeline, it just makes sense that if Julia is looking to pursue a career worthy of a self sufficient woman.  But here is the truth.  Doctors know that beginning at age 30, a woman’s fertility is nowhere near it’s peak potency (source).  The possibility of complications for the mother and the likelihood of defects in the child become greater with each year (source).  Especially in older women the time it take for a women body to begin ovulating after stopping birth control is increased (source). Often the cervical crypts needed to produce cervical fluid are often damaged (source).

Is this all to say that a women over 30 could not or should not give birth?  No.  But it is saying that if we are judging what is most reasonable and in line with biological truth, it is not a wise choice for a woman desiring to have a family.  Certainly, it can easily lead to the following in the life of Julia:

At age 36, Julia is still struggling with her husband to conceive a child.  They have spent ten of thousands of dollars to try to conceive through in vitro fertilization.

As at 55, Julia listens to her friends speaking of the joy of grandchildren.  Her heart aches even though she wishes to rejoice with them.

At age 67, Julia needs help with her health conditions.  She sits alone in a nursing home since she has no other options.  Her visitors are few.

At age 85, Julia dies and a lawyer is the executor of her estate and distant cousin make funeral arrangements.

Are these scenarios perhaps extreme to present as likelihoods?  Perhaps.  But they are all based firmly in reality.  I have seen them all.   They are certainly no more extreme than suggesting a women who waits to have children until her thirties will easily conceive and live the perfect life.

If I have hit a personal chord with anyone, you must know that that is not my intention. I do not wish to speak to those who have already made their life choice.  If you mourn your choices, seek refuge in the Lord, his forgiveness, and with those God has placed among you as friends and family.  I am willing to converse if you wish.  If you want to rage against me, have at it.

But my concern about offending some is dwarfed by my desire that our young women would not simply swallow whole the assumptions of our society about marriage, family, and child-bearing.  I want them at the very least to make these decisions with reality firmly placed before them.  Julia’s life might not progress quite like the cartoon assumes.

Some time ago on this blog I wrote a piece that was aimed at the slogan of the Higher Things youth organization. I suggested that to dare people to be Lutheran was to dare them towards the wrong goal.  I suggested we should simply be daring them to be Christians.  While I value this organization greatly and have written for their magazine, I still believe that we can do better than daring people to be Lutheran.

This last Saturday, I went to a lecture series in which Pastor Larry Beane was speaking. Some of you may know him from his blog called Father Hollywood. One of the most interesting things he suggested during the day was the fact that the term Lutheran was a term coined by the Roman Catholic Church to brand Luther’s followers as heretics.  While I was well aware that Luther never intended to have his name used for church body, I had never thought how the term Lutheran to the Roman Catholics of those days was no different than the term “Arian” and or “Hussite.” They were all terms used to marginalize a group of people who were not falling obediently under the authority of the Pope.  They were all terms used to suggest that a particular group of people had placed themselves outside of the catholic (universal) church.  In what Pastor Larry Beane called shrewd marketing, they came up with these labels for each of their opponents and then called their own institution the Roman Catholic Church.

Sadly, in an attempt to distinguish ourselves from other branches of Christianity, many Lutherans, especially those most concerned with the confessions of our church, have latched onto the term Lutheran with great affection. This term which was once nothing more than a slur created by the Roman Catholic Church to dispute our catholicity has now become something treasured in our midst. We dare people to be Lutheran. We ask if a particular congregation or pastor is Lutheran enough. We deride anyone who will not claim the label.

What we ought to be doing is what Luther was doing in his day. We ought to be doing what those who signed the Augsburg confession were doing.  We ought to be defending the catholicity of our belief and practice. We ought to make clear that we believe the doctrine and the practice of our churches is not simply profoundly Lutheran but is profoundly Christian. 

Since the term Catholic has been so shrewdly claimed by the Roman Catholic Church as an institution (just google “catholic” and you will see the success of their marketing strategy), I think in our speaking we do well to say that our doctrine and practices are Christian rather than trying to say that they are "catholic.  While it is linguistically proper to speak of our doctrines and practices as catholic meaning that they are the practices and doctrines of the true Christian church on earth, calling ourselves catholic will easily confuse many. I think it an unachievable goal at this point to reclaim the term catholic for those holding the doctrine and practices of the true church of all time.  (Some may disagree, and if they wish to do so, fine,)

When we say that we are seeking to defend our catholicity, it has nothing to do with returning to the institution known as the Roman Catholic Church. It refers to associating ourselves with the Christians throughout the ages who have faithfully believed and practiced according to God’s Word. It is to align ourselves with the invisible church rather than any visible institution.

In claiming the catholicity of our beliefs and practices, we also make clear that many of the beliefs and practices of other churches are not truly catholic in nature. This goes both for those in Protestant churches as well as those in the Roman Catholic church.  It goes also for any of our churches who refuse to believe and to live together as the Christian church of every age has done.  It begs all who call themselves by Christ’s name to return the orthodox doctrine and practice of the church.  It hopes that in that bidding, true unity in the church can be achieved.

When we say that we are faithfully Lutheran, most people hear nothing other than that we are following the teaching, practice, and secret handshakes of a particular denomination of Christianity.   Using the term internally can of course be beneficial, but I am becoming more convinced that when we are speaking in any way that might be heard by others outside of our church body or outside of the church, we must always make clear that we believe that our doctrine and practices are catholic and not just Lutheran. We must make clear that we believe them to be authentically Christian. 

Have you ever had a caricature of yourself drawn by an artist?  They take certain features of yours and exaggerate them.  That nose you inherited from great Aunt Irene become the focal point of their art. By the time they finish their work, there pointing back at you is a nose so exaggerated no face could truly support it.

Every year at this time when new pastors are given their first calls into the ministry,  the caricature artists who paint in words come out on the blogs.  The pick out one feature of the ministry and make it the focal point of their work. They tend to exaggerate it to the point of novelty.  People buy in like teenagers at the carnival.

I just finished reading one such caricature.  The picture painted there was that of faithful pastor going to war with the rest of the Church.  It revealed the wounds of the one who wrote it.  He obviously has been  scarred by people in the Church, laypeople and other pastors included.  The caricature of the ministry crafted here was that of the ministry as a joyless march to martyrdom primarily at the hands of one’s own sheep.  The author took the pain of carrying crosses and made it the focal point of his work.  And there is truth surely underneath his exaggeration.  Certainly the prophets and apostles were called to carry crosses in their day.  Their modern day counterparts must as well at time suffer.  But this caricature set the pastor against everyone else is an unscriptural way.  It was as if there were no Christians left to stand with him.  None who loved the truth.  This caricature is like all caricatures ultimately a distortion.   It is not a realistic picture of the ministry on whole.  If it was, we would have to have  to have a obligatory draft to force men into the ministry. 

I am certain that the caricature I just read is mostly a reaction to another caricature often drawn.  It is a caricature often presented by those seeking to lure people into the ministry who are not fully convinced they should pursue that course.  It is the kind of thing you also often hear on the day when new pastors receive their first calls. Those painting this portrait decide to make the joys of the ministry the focal point of their art.  They paint with words like these. “Love your people. They will love you. All will be peachy.” (Okay, the last part is my caricature of their own)    And while that sounds lovely and again is undergirded with some truth, it also is a distortion of the real ministry.  New pastors who soak this in often are blindsided when the first cross comes for them to carry.  They are not prepared for it. Some search their entire lives for this dream placed in their hearts early on.

So what is the truth about the ministry?  What is the reality that these caricatures distort through their exaggerations?  Well, the ministry is a mixture of pain and joy.  Pain comes from several sources.  Sometime it is empathic in nature, as the pastor mourns with his flock in their times of trouble.  Other times it is the pain of the cross for standing faithful against the devil, world, and flesh.  The source of joys also though are manifold.  Pastors are blessed to rejoice with their people in  the high point of their lives.  There is also joy in delivering forgiveness and reconciliation to the people of God and seeing the good God works in his people.

Is the ministry constant crucifixion?  No.  Is it constant bliss?  No.  It is the Ministry of the Word.  Some hate the Word and so there is a cross.  Others love the Word having been saved through it and so there is joy.  That is that Ministry.

When pastors get together, we often mourn the biblically illiteracy of the people we come into contact with in our churches and communities.  Even the most basic biblical narratives  are not know any longer.  And it is right that we would mourn this since we believe that the words and narratives of Scripture are given by God to give life of all who know and hear them.

But one thing has been really on my mind lately.  It seems to me that is is not the population in general that is becoming less biblically literate.  It is the pastors also.  And I do not just mean the pastors out there who are perhaps are new Christians elevated too quickly to the office of the ministry.  I mean pastors like me and my peers.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, most of us would not be unaware of the basic narratives of Scriptures and could quote many verses if we wanted to show off.  But it seems to me that often times, we are too busy with all sorts of other things to soak in the word like pastors of old did.  We can find ourselves stumped all too easily and often can not recall quickly or without aids the locations of the verses we know are in the scriptures somewhere.   There are entire portions of the Scripture we know we are certainly not able to teach competently with our current knowledge and thought.

Those interested in the historical practice and teachings of the Christian Church spend lots of time reading ancient and modern theology.  They go to studies were we study the confessions of our church.  They take in what other pastors are writing about the history of Christian practice.  They exchange ideas and opinions about doing faithful ministry in our settings.

Those more interested in the missional nature of the Church spend lots of time reading the latest books on the subject.  They go to groups which look at various leadership models and strategies.  They read the missional gurus’ blogs and tweets.  They exchange ideas about how to engage their communities.

If you want to find a conference on the confessional or missional approaches to ministry, there is no shortage of conferences to attend.  If you want  a conference taught at the pastoral level that just does exegesis on the texts of scriptures, good luck.  Occasionally, we do get such a thing, but not nearly enough.

And this is not good.  If we are not constantly student of the scriptures themselves, it is all too easy for one part of the Church to be carried into all sorts of assumptions based on a obscure theological quotes or early church practice and another part to be ordered according to leadership models rather than scriptural truth.

Brothers, we need ourselves to return to the Word.  These other things may be of some value.  But if they keep us from constant engagement with and study of the life-giving scriptures, we are in trouble indeed.

Let us all confess that many times, our own interests lead us to place our focus on extra-biblical things at the expense of our biblical literacy. We do not know the Word as we should and therefore are not the shepherds we ought to be. Lord, have mercy.