When Walls Speak (from H. Asburry)
Read this ridiculously good blog from Hillary Asbury who writes for Jagged Word…
I used to love spending time at my friends’ houses as a kid. It was a new environment, one that was different from my own. The smells were different, the furniture and color schemes were different, and many times the rules were different too. It fascinated me.
I think you can tell a lot about a person or family simply by walking into their house.
Some houses feel sterile and controlled, others are homey and lived in. Some feel chaotic and neglected, others are warm and cared for. A lot of this has to do with how the family simply exists within the house, how they interact, the words and tones they use to communicate with each other. Some of it has to do with the way the house is physically cared for, and a lot of it is affected by the atmosphere created by decorations, heirlooms, nick knacks, or trinkets. Is the house essentially a large display case for Start Trek memorabilia, or are the walls bare except for a few pieces of modern art? Are the shelves lined with pictures of family and loved ones, or are they stocked with treasures from past travels? When you walk into another person’s house, you can get a pretty clear snapshot of who they are and what is important to them.
It’s quite an intimate experience if you think about it.
I don’t think churches are any different. Every church has its own feel, its own architecture and set-up. The pews may be made of solid wood or softly cushioned. The chapel my be designed to face the pulpit and lectern face-on, or curve around the cross. A baptismal font may be found at the entrance to the sanctuary or at the front of the chapel. You can walk into a church and immediately get a feel for what is important there.
Just like every family has its own story, every congregation has its own history, and the houses in which each live become a reflection of those histories.
There is one big difference I have noticed lately, though. No one ever questions the importance of maintaining the comfort and beauty of a house. Wallpaper starts to peel and we replace it with new paint. We hire plumbers and electricians to keep our houses running efficiently. Our color schemes or décor become outdated and we update or replace them without question. We provide safe and attractive toys and equipment for our children. We decorate with enthusiasm.
When we move to do the very same things in our churches, however, it is often scoffed at or ridiculed.
Many believe we should be doing other things with the Church’s money- feeding the poor or ending homelessness. Some say that by beautifying and updating our churches we are putting our priorities in the wrong place, in superficial, worldly matters. Some worry that when the world sees our beautiful, well maintained facilities we will be judged as being selfish with our resources. I really can’t blame those who see it this way, the Church does have a history of existing in extravagance while the surrounding people suffered- stealing from the poor and enjoying the spoils. I don’t think that is really what we are talking about here, though. We are talking about being good stewards, being trusted with a little (ensuring that a church and its congregants are healthy and flourishing) so that we may be trusted with a lot (doing the same for the surrounding community).
A house is a place in which a family is nurtured and cared for so that they will have the strength and energy to go out into the world and do their work.
A church is very much the same. We need to ensure that we are building a nurturing place in which to feed people’s souls and speak the Gospel- a place where congregants can find rest, be strengthened and fortified, so that they can then go out into the world and serve their neighbors.
We sometimes forget that spending time and money on our churches does serve the greater community.
We forget that the surrounding neighborhood benefited from my church’s playground, that artwork in a sanctuary can be viewed for free by anyone on a Sunday morning. Not only do these things inherently serve our community, but they create more opportunities to speak the Word of God to those that need to hear it.
They also show our community, and potential future congregants, that we can be trusted to take care of what has been given to us, that we take those gifts seriously, and that we have the capacity to give them the support and nurturing they need.
We must keep in mind that the way we care for and maintain our churches not only reflects our history and identity as a congregation but it also speaks to who we are as God’s children, as stewards of His gifts. Most of all, though, we must keep in mind that it reflects our theology and affects the ways in which we are able to present the Gospel.
By Hillary Asbury –
Kairos Network Meeting (October 2018)
Saints of God, only through the atoning blood of the Son of God,
The next Kairos Network mission meeting will be at Rivercliff Lutheran Church in Sandy Springs, GA on October 13 at 9:30 AM.
Coupled with the Circuit Forum for our Atlanta North congregations, we will be discussing the mission and direction of our newest church plant – Trinity Lutheran Church. We can’t wait for you to come and hear about it!
The schedule for the dual meetings are below.
9:30 – 10:00 Fellowship and Devotion
10:00 – 10:30 Elections / Business
10:30 – 11:30 Outreach in the North Atlanta Circuit
– Kairos update
– District initiative
– Outreach opportunities: A time of brainstorming ideas
11:30 Close with prayer
+Soli Deo Gloria
About Time
Look at these great bullet points from Rev. Matthew Harrison about our Lord’s eternal work within the confines of time. It is definitely a comfort for all of us who are becoming aware that “we cannot do it all.” Better yet, “we cannot do it at all.” May you take comfort in what you cannot do, but what our Lord Jesus Christ HAS DONE.
In Christ,
The Kairos Network
by Matthew C. Harrison
As happens every month, I was told that the deadline for The Lutheran Witness was at hand. “What’s the theme?” I asked again. “Time” was the response. Hmmmmm.
Time. Does the Bible say that much about time? My thoughts immediately moved to mortality. My wife’s lovely mother has just passed from this vale of tears to eternity. I’d known her for 40 years. A blessed Christian mother, as lovely inside as out, who believed deeply in Jesus her Savior, loved studying the Word of God and prayed for us every day — all with joy and laughter and strength of faith along the way. The last year had been very difficult for her, and for her caring husband and children. Not two weeks ago I was face to face with death, again.
Time often strikes as Law. Saying goodbye to loved ones is bitter. Contemplating one’s own mortality is sobering, to say the least. I’ve been by the bedside of dying loved ones. I’ve completed the death watch with many parishioners as a pastor. I’ve sung many Easter hymns alone with dying Christians, and with grieving family present. I, we, they, believed and believe in Christ. But death is bitter.
My time on earth is now. It’s but a flash and gone. I think of all the generations past. What a strange privilege it is to be alive now! And how small I feel! James 4:14 is truth: “You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time (literally, as a “little phenomenon”) and then vanishes.”
Walking through the excavated ruins of Herculaneum in Italy, frozen in time by the ash of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 70, I was struck by how very similar life was then — the carpentry (paneled wood doors in homes), provisions for water and sewage, art, decorated homes, flooring, social life, alcohol, debauchery, philosophy, hedonism, social status, wealth, poverty, trade, markets and restaurants. Despite all our technology today, there is finally “nothing new under the sun.” And death is ever present. These thoughts of mortality render me melancholy. That’s what time as Law gets you.
Nevertheless, the Bible has a shocking plethora of things to say about time, and much of it is of the blessed Gospel! In fact, it lifts the pall on time and reveals Christ in eternity.
- Jesus Christ is the One who rules time and eternity. “To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 25).
- God has ordered all time, and at just the right time, sent His Son for us. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4). “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you” (1 Peter 1:20). “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). The Father sent Jesus at just the right time. Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim. 2:6).
- Eternity is near. “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Rev. 1:3).
- Struggles with the world are part of living in time. “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions” (Jude 18).
- Time without Jesus is wasted on passions that lead to hell. “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry” (1 Peter 4:3).
- Times of trial are purposeful. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6).
- Time with Christ is time looking to a blessed eternity. “Live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2).
- The time we have on this earth is to be purposefully lived as Christians. “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile” (1 Peter 1:17).
- God Himself, Creator of time, protects us in our earthly walk, preparing us for eternity. And we “by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5).
- God promises to be with us through time. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (literally: “at just the right time”) (Heb. 4:16).
- Christ bids us hold to Him in faith, believe His Word and go to church. It is possible to fall away. “And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away” (Luke 8:13).
- Paul’s apostolic blessing covers our lives on this earth. “May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all” (2 Thess. 3:16).
- Christians are to be wise about the time we have. “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time” (Col. 4:5).
- We are to be sober about the world in which we live. “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16).
- We live in blessed hope and optimism, even in the face of death, because God has “a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:10).
- Now is the time for us to believe and to tell others of Jesus. “For he says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).
- While our flesh looks at time as morbidity, by the Spirit we behold life to come. “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11). “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18).
- The preaching of John the Baptizer and Jesus is as urgent and relevant today for us as it was for its first hearers. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
— Pastor Harrison
The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison is president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Hebrew & Greek Study Update
September 4 is the day we commemorate the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, Moses. How appropriate it is for us to provide you with an update on the ongoing study of the very words the Lord’s gave him to write down on Mt. Sainai! When Adam and Eve were overwhelmed by sin and terror after the fall (Genesis 3), the complete record given by the Holy Spirit to faithful Moses point us to Christ, our Deliverer, Who placed Himself between God and Man, as our Divine Mediator. For all those around us hemmed in by their doubts, internal struggle, and self condemnation, our God has shown the world His compassion and fatherly disposition through the finished work of His Son on the Cross. All glory to God for His grace!
There is now a permanent adjustment to the location of the Biblical Hebrew and Greek Study. For the sake of traffic and accesibility, the study will take place each Tuesday, 10 AM, at Grace Lutheran Church on 1155 North Highland Avenue NE, here in Atlanta. All are welcome to come and attend! This should pretty much be the pattern for those who come from here on out.
Part 1 to Droege Boys Dropped!
Here is Part 1 to the 50 hour survival challenge to support Stepping Stone Mission in Atlanta, Georgia.
In the first 25 hours, Isaac, Luke, Tim, and Jay have to make a crude shelter in the rain with no fire before night fall. Part 2 is coming soon…
“I Say To You, Arise!”
We are sharing with you a sermon that was very meaningful from our brother in Christ, Rev. Chang Soo Kim, presently serving at Living Faith Korean Lutheran Church. This gives you an example of the fine preaching and pastoral care that comes forth from one of Christ’s undershepherds here in North Georgia. It is a very beautiful and full treatment of Luke 7:11-17. What is shared here is actually only a portion of the sermon, but here it is! For any of you shedding tears for any reason, it will point you to clear and certain hope.
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today’s text explains Jesus’ actions that day. Jesus went to Capernaum early in the morning to meet the centurion, heard the confession of his precious faith, and healed the servant under his command. Then, a journey to Nain becomes his next destination. Nain is one of the small towns of Galilee. It has the meaning of being lovely or beautiful in Greek. As its name implies, this place called Nain is scenic, peaceful, and a climate friendly place to live. For a woman who lived there, though, it was not at all. In verse 12, the Bible explains about the situation of the woman. The husband of the woman died early, and she had only one son, and lived hard. Now, when her son grew up and she thought she could depend upon him, had died suddenly. At that time, what would life have been like for her? Who can comfort her? Who knows her thoughts? Can you recognize her disastrous feelings? She felt desperate and unable to live in real life.
The fact that a widow lives alone means that she cannot escape being a beggar. The death of her son is a terrible thing, but her own situation is now miserable, and she goes after him crying as she goes to the burial of her son’s body. At that time, the body of the deceased was uncovered by the pallbearer. She cannot let go, seeing the cold body of her son going to the burial ground, crying, crying, and following. The villagers who followed the procession were so sad and nobody opened their mouths. There was only crying and following in sadness.
Then, according to that day, our Lord came toward Nain with His disciples, and sees the bizarre parade of death. Our Lord in a compassionate heart, stopped the procession and says to the woman “do not weep.” The exhortation not to cry here is imperative now. Do not cry anymore, but stop right now. Jesus commanded that when the Lord saw her who was grieved, weeping, and crying, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.” To us, this is a really ridiculous command. This woman is crying because her only son has died and she must go to bury him. Crying is all she could do.
In Korean proverbs, it is said that when a husband or wife dies, they are buried at the far mountain. When the child dies, the child is buried in the parents’ heart. The death of a child is a great shock and pain. There is nobody here on earth who can comfort such a woman’s heart and cure her sorrow. So, when people Jesus ordered her to stop crying right now, everyone could have been embarrassed and all thought it very strange. What does He do to make it happen? If you are not a lost man, you will say a word of comfort to a woman in sorrow, but to say “do not cry” is sure to make you hailed as a lunatic. Everyone is now alert watching the Lord.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Why is Jesus so sad and even tearful as He says “do not weep?” At that time, the Lord’s heart was full of mercy for the pain of those who followed Him, along with the woman who lost her son. This means that Jesus not only shared some emotion, but actually felt sick with them, feeling deeply the pain in their hearts.
Jesus feels even the pain of those who have never seen Him in faith and up until this point still have nothing to do with Him. He knows and senses the sorrow that you are experiencing, feeling of pain like they had, and the sting of the bitterness of all people. How can He do this, even though He has no connection even to some of them?
It is because Jesus, Who has love and mercy for all, has forsaken the heavenly throne, has received the suffering that we must receive from the moment He came to this earth in His sinless human body, and suffered the sorrow that we must suffer. Jesus also has tried all of the tests given to us. He is the only perfect human being, but also, at the same time, is perfect God Who can do all things. So the Lord’s words to not weep were full of love for the woman and beyond what we consider deep. Jesus saw a woman losing her child and falling into grief and weeping, and our Lord was nothing but sadness and tears. The heart of the Lord was so strong, though, that the dead would come to life.
In verse 14, we read together today, Jesus went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said “young man, I say to you get up!” Here, we need to pay attention to the fact that once again the woman who was there, as well as everyone else, did not ask Jesus to do anything. In fact, there is nothing they can ask in this situation … No one there was able to imagine that the dead would live only through this Lord … the family is heading to the cemetery to bury the boy who has already died. It was already over.
But Who is Jesus Christ? Today, as Luke says, He is the Savior of the Gentiles, the King of life and death. He is the God Who holds the keys of death and the grave. He is true God with all power Who can turn despair into hope when we are lost in our hearts. He is the eternal Savior who can solve any problem we may have when it is His will … He would give life to a corpse that was already dead and rot … He Himself would live from death … this Jesus is our Lord. Jesus is the Messiah promised through the Old Testament. He is the only begotten Son of God. He is the only Savior Who will save man who is forced to die because of sin and transgression. We rebelled, betrayed, ignored, and despised as He was crucified on the cross. Yet … He did not stand over you to blame or rage in anger, but gave you His great and wonderful love that cannot be repaid.
Indeed, Jesus knew what they needed … this is not an example of the law. Anyone who is going to be dead or who has died was considered unclean. People were even reluctant to go to a funeral unless they were a close relative. Nevertheless, Jesus, despite knowing the warning of this law, came to the coffin where the body was lying, not hesitating or hesitant, laying His blessed hand down on the foulness of death. If He keeps His hand free, He stays clean. If He puts it down, He is thought to have become unclean. But, at the moment His hand goes down and His Word comes forth, the work of life begins. This is our Lord’s love for us …. Jesus put forth His hand to the young man who died, wielding His mighty life-giving weapon, and raised the dead in a word. The power of death shrivels before the Lord of life. He gave life to Him and with His word has given life to you. Sorrow is turned to joy. Sadness is changed to comfort. His cleanliness changes the unclean. This is grace alone for all who are children living in the cold reality of death, for the people who are now all in the wrong, for all who have thrown up their hands. The Lord’s command, which cannot be denied, fell. Everything was immediately done and recovered. Thus, the word of the Lord is powerful and complete. As God’s children buried and raised with Jesus in Baptism, this is our confidence on the final day.
Everyone in the world has a reason to cry for one thing or another. God comes to wash away the tears that flow in the eyes of His beloved children. Above all, God has promised us through the prophet Isaiah that He will wash away tears from all faces and will remove the shame of His people all over the world (Isaiah 25:8). Do not weep!
In the name of Jesus,
Rev. Chang Soo Kim
Droege Boys Dropped!
These kids are not survival experts. Neither is their father. Or Uncle. But the Droege Boys are getting dropped! The Droege Boys consist of North Georgia and central Texas Droegemueller boys (shortened to Droege Boys) along with their Mississipi brother from another mother. And . . . they are getting dropped into the wilderness for a great cause with practically nothing.
The Players
The players in this survival challenge are:
- Isaac Droegemueller – Age 11
- Luke Droegemueller – Age 13
- Tim Droegemueller – Age 45
- Jay Wendland – Age 55
The Location
The Droege Boys are getting dropped into a remote location in North Georgia where there will be zero access to food. Survival participants do not get to leave the allotted territory for rescue at any time. Even if they were to run across another human being, they cannot ask for help or receive any. If there is no water, tough! If there is no food, tough! There is no shelter of any kind that the Droege Boys will start with. If they want one, they will have to make one with the raw materials they find around them. They are completely and totally on their own in our good Lord’s rugged creation.
The Rules
- The Droege Boys must survive for 50 hours dependant only on their own limited skills to survive.
- Everybody has to stay. If one person cries, whines, and decides to quit, everyone loses.
- Each survival participant can bring one item. The item cannot be food. Or drink. Or a tent. Or any bedding supplies. Or a fishing pole. Or anything that makes instant flame. Or water purification tablets. Or any artificial lumination like a flashlight. Good luck and choose wisely!
- The Droege Boys will receive a survival kit from the kids’ oldest brother Jacob. It will have one item for each participating Droege Boy. It will not necessarily even be helpful. Be kind, Jacob! If they are smart, his little brothers will be nice to him over the next few weeks!
The Camera Crew
The camera crew will consist of 15 year old Jacob. This lucky fellow will have access to all the creature comforts of home. He will have a stocked cooler of ice cold Gatorade, delicious snacks, and a luxurious tent. He will be recording the DROEGE BOYS DROPPED! experience with a GO PRO camera. The conversations between him and his destitute relatives should prove interesting.
The Purpose
Our purpose is to raise support for Stepping Stone Mission which reaches out to the homeless in Atlanta with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Stepping Stone is a Recognized Service Organization in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod that gives care, support, and love to our brothers in need in the name of Christ. Imagine, these men know what it’s like to go without food, drink, a change of clothing or shelter as a course of regular life. We seek to draw attention this critical need and encourage God’s Church to meet the challenge with Jesus’ mercy and His life-giving gifts. The men in this ministry have the opportunity to participate in periodic retreats during the year where they grow in God’s Word, their understanding of God’s grace in Christ, and are trained in the foundational teachings of the Bible. Many men go on to be baptized and confirm their faith in our Triune God. As you can imagine, this ministry needs ongoing support because the men eventually find a job, housing, and move to a new location and church home. This is the reason for the DROEGE BOYS DROPPED! challenge! Below, Rev. Victor Belton baptizes two of our brothers in Christ at one of the Stepping Stone retreats.
How to Participate
This challenge intends to raise support for Stepping Stone and works this way. If you want to participate, there are 3 different pledges that we are suggesting. If you want to do something other than these suggestions, you are free in Christ to do so!
- A support pledge of $10
- A support pledge of $100
- A support pledge of $1000
To do this, simply write a check out to Living Faith Lutheran Church with Stepping Stone Mission in the memo line and send it to:
Attn: Jay Wendland
Living Faith Lutheran Church
1171 Atlanta Hwy
Cumming, GA 30040
If you would like to make a pledge by credit card, email Jay Wendland at droegeboycreations@gmail.com. Arrangements are already set up and can be finalized within 24 hours. All donations are tax deductible and you can receive a statement by simply providing your email to Jay. We completely understand if you are not able to support the mission right now, but you can each help them by getting out this message far and wide by sharing or reposting!
The DROEGE BOYS DROPPED! event will take place July 22-24, but the results will not be made known until August 6, 2018. If the Droege Boys are unsuccessful, no one will be held to their pledge commitment. People will be free to do whatever they choose. Once the DROEGE BOYS DROPPED! video is put together, you will know the results! The results of the challenge will be on the Kairos Network website. To get updates and results directly, sign up to FOLLOW the Kairos Network at http://www.thekairosnetwork.org.
Installation of Vicar Jay Dass
With great joy, we announce the installation of Vicar Jay Dass at Living Faith Lutheran Church in Cumming, Georgia (1171 Atlanta Hwy). Vicar Dass, along with his wife Julie, are missionaries to all people, but mostly to adherents of the religion of Islam. They both grew up as Christians in Pakistan, but now serve as dedicated servants of Christ in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Along with Vicar Isaac Baroi, Vicar Dass is studying to be a Lutheran pastor through the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Pray for each of them, along with their marvelous wives and families, as each will eventually be called to serve Christ’s Flock as undershepherds of our Lord Jesus.
The installation will be this Sunday, July 1, at 10:15 AM at Living Faith. The Rev. Bruce Lieske will be preaching. In Preparation for this day, consider this writing of the Rev. Burnell Eckardt Jr. for Tuesday of Trinity IV:
Acts 28:5 “He (the Apostle Paul), however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered him no harm.”
“Here on the island of Malta the barbarous people are kinder to Paul than his own people the Jews. Receiving him they receive Christ’s ambassador, and so they kindled a fire because of the cold and rainy conditions on the island, token of the heavenly fire of Pentecost kindled now in their midst against the cold of unbelief. So Paul lays wood on the fire, a token of the wooden cross which he preaches; and from the fire comes forth a serpent to attack him, a token of the devil who ceaselessly attacks this preacher. The witnesses were expecting him to succumb to the venom of this serpent, even as those who behold the suffering of the church and her preachers expect that they shall succumb to the evil one; but Paul shook off the beast into the fire, and suffered no harm. See, the viper, here called a beast, another name of the Foe, is shaken off into the fire, even as the Foe himself shall be consumed in the Judgment. For the faithful this means release from sin and the condemnation of death and hell…”
Every Day I will Bless Thee: Meditations for the Daily Office by Rev. Burnell Eckardt Jr.
MAY 5 KAIROS NETWORK MEETING
This guy can’t wait to get to our next Kairos Network Mission Meeting! It will be May 5, 2018 at St. Mark Lutheran Church on Brockett Road in Tucker, Georgia. Pastor Hiruy Gebremichael will be hosting with the marvelous saints of St. Mark. The meeting will start at 9 AM and will run for two hours. There will be prayer, Bible Study, a sharpening in our confession of Christ, an explanation of present mission starts, and planning for future ones.
The Lord be with you and see you there!
The Kairos Network 