Do Not Fear: But, Rejoice!

  

 "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." 

                                                                                  (John 20:19-23 KJV)

There seems to be a lot of people living in fear these days. It seems also to be a  very natural and common reaction and truly about the only thing we can do  about the fear that creeps into our lives is to have faith that God is with us in Christ Jesus and he will see us through.

The disciples had every reason to be afraid by human standards. The Jews hierarchy had just conspired to get Jesus crucified. They were afraid that since they were such close friends and followers of Jesus that they would be next.

But, then something wonderful happened. As he had promised, this Jesus who had just been put to death showed up. Although the doors were locked, Jesus appeared in the same room with them and said to them, "Peace be with you."  Their fear slipped away and was replaced by joy in the presence of Jesus.

No matter what is going on in the world around you, remember what Jesus' promised the disciples as he sent them out to follow in his footsteps: 

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." 

                                                                                   (Matt 28:18-20)

Do not fear; but, believe! Trust that the Lord is with you now and always and rejoice!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Peace Be With You

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 

                                                                               (John 20:19-23 KJV)

"Peace be with you!" "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 

Jesus was sent into a broken world; a world full of sin, of anger, hatred, violence and self-centeredness. He came into the world so that by his sacrifice the world might receive forgiveness and might be reconciled to one another and to God the Father through him. Jesus was sent into the world to proclaim this Good News of the Kingdom for all who would believe in him. 

And, so He sends us, promising us peace, breathing on us the Holy Spirit, that we might go forth proclaiming the Good News of reconciliation with God and with one another. This will not be without hardship. It will not be without pain. Jesus suffered much in order that we should know our Father in heaven; so shall we suffer if our brothers and sisters are to know and love Him. But, knowing that God can and will work all things for the good of His Kingdom gives us the peace of heart and mind to be able to continue in His way.

May you be blessed with the Holy Spirit, with the Spirit of peace and of love.

God's Peace -Pr. J

Office of the Keys and Confession

This Lenten Season we have been going through the chief parts of Luther's Small Catechism. This week, our topic is "The Office of the Keys and Confession." Those of us who have any years in the Lutheran Church behind us probably recall something called the Office of the Keys. It is no longer taught in every Lutheran Congregation. The lack of it's use within the church has subtly eroded the understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It has led to a widespread false teaching that has many neglecting or refusing to acknowledge that they have sinned against God and against others. They would say that God loves us no matter what we do so we can just go ahead and do it. There is no need for forgiveness because we have not sinned. Without the Office of the Keys in these latter years, many have come to believe that there is forgiveness without repentance. This is purely cheap grace and cheap grace is no grace at all. Forgiveness of our sins came at a great cost. It cost Jesus his life.

Indeed, God does loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son for all people. But, do all people love Him enough to repent of their sins? Do they love Him enough to turn away from their sinful ways and turn to this God who loves us so much? Does the sacrifice that Christ made for us mean so little that we would continue to follow in the ways of the world; in the ways of the evil one; rather than the one who loves us that much?

There have been times that I have been accused of not being very Christian because I take seriously the Office of the Keys as an office held by His Church on earth. The name-calling is just a little thing and it is something I am willing to live with as I cannot say that what is a sin is not a sin. I will not cheapen the sacrifice that Christ made for us in that manner. It is better to serve God than the world.

Please, consider the Office of the Keys and Confession from the Small Catechism as I and many of you learned it in confirmation classes many years ago. . 

THE OFFICE OF THE KEYS AND CONFESSION

 What is the Office of the Keys?

The Office of the Keys is the special authority which Christ has given to His Church on earth: to forgive the sins of the penitent sinners, but to retain the sins of the impenitent as long as they do not repent.

Where is this written?

The evangelist writes, John 20:22-23: “Jesus breathed on His disciples and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; and if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

What is Confession?

Confession consists of two parts: one, that we confess our sins; the other, that we receive absolution, or forgiveness, from the pastor or confessor as from God himself, and in no way doubt, but firmly believe that our sins are thereby forgiven before God in heaven.

What sins should we confess?

Before God we should acknowledge ourselves guilty of all sins, even of those which we do not know about, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer. But before the pastor or confessor we should acknowledge those sins only which we know and feel in our hearts.

Which are these?

Here consider your own situation according to the Ten Commandments, whether you are a father, mother, son, daughter, employer, employee; whether you have been disobedient, dishonest, lazy; whether you have injured anyone by word or deed; whether you have stolen, neglected, wasted anything, or done any harm."

God grant us such great love for Him that we would turn and follow in the footsteps of Jesus. God's Peace be with you all - Pr. J.