Lost Our Ash Wednesday Signal Twice

We lost our signal twice during the Ustream broadcast. If you look for the service, the longer one is the first part, which breaks off during the sermon, about 49 minutes with the hymn playing beforehand.

The second part broke off after the Votum. It is about 13 minutes.

Ash Wednesday, 2015. 7 PM Central Time

Ash Wednesday, 2015

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central Time

The Hymn #552                Abide with Me            2.11

The Order of Vespers                                                p. 41

The Psalmody               Psalm 1                        p. 123

The Lection                              Joel 2:12-19

Matthew 6:16-2

The Sermon Hymn # 17            O Worship the King     2.44

The Sermon – Lay Up for Yourselves Treasures in Heaven

The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                       p. 45

The Hymn # 429      Lord, Thee I Love                  2.54

KJV Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? 18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. 19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

KJV Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Collect

Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst manifest Thyself, with the Holy Ghost, in the fullness of grace at the baptism of Thy dear Son, and with Thy voice didst direct us to Him who hath borne our sins, that we might receive grace and the remission of sins: Keep us, we beseech Thee, in the true faith; and inasmuch as we have been baptized in accordance with Thy command, and the example of Thy dear Son, we pray Thee to strengthen our faith by Thy Holy Spirit, and lead us to everlasting life and salvation, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Lay Up for Yourselves Treasures in Heaven

KJV Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. 

I have to wonder why so many are sour-faced, always looking like someone made them sit in a chair with tar on the seat. There is an aggrieved, angry look that I have seen in many denominations. There should be no display of works, of burdens borne, of mansions and limos left behind.

Jesus constantly attacked holiness from within, because those who looked to their own holiness could not ascribe it to faith in Jesus, in His righteousness. One excludes the other, as Paul taught about faith and works.

That means if someone is teaching works, he has no faith. That is automatic and clearly taught in Romans. Justification comes through faith or works, never a combination. A merger of two becomes works because it is a perversion of faith to say works are needed.

Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

The rewards are great on earth. People admire and even worship those who affect a great, pious, sad look and display their privations. You will see this with the Indian gurus. They project an aura of mystery, holiness, and severity. I find their photos to be haunting, because they want their photos hung up where their teachings are honored. And all that sanctimony is used to mislead and abuse others.

A guru or shaman must be obeyed. He has total control over his disciples, something we find in all abusive cults. No matter how many there are, people clamor to join the latest one.

Look at their rewards. They live in castles. They order people around Lawyers protect them from the law. Scientology was invented as a lark, and it dominates Hollywood now, simply because it is abusive and exploitative. 

There are also the gleeful gurus. They are no different, except they affect this attitude of hearing the funniest joke a few minutes ago. I have seen so many of these poses that they give me the creeps. Europe used to avoid such poses because they make people look insane.

 

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

This is the attitude of faith in God. The idea is not to show off, not to look grim, but to count this as nothing to fast or engage in other acts of piety. That is too often turned into "Look at what we did to please God." 

This can be applied to everything we do in faith. If we enjoy doing something for others, making it look difficult and tortured is a way of gaining reward. But if we do those same things in faith, with happiness and big smiles, the opposite is true. We become what our attitude is.

There is

1. I have to do this, even though I have better things to do. Sacrifice. Famine. Sorrow!
2. Or - I will be glad to do this. It is my pleasure, my honor, my privilege.

We were cautioned in sales that people hear the emotional language implied in certain phrases. "To do that, I would have to..."

"O no. I don't want to bother you."

"It's OK. It is something I have to do as an agent."

The opposite is, "I will be glad to do it, Mrs. Jones." The difference is the reason why so many fail to speak up, to ask questions, to get help when they need it.

So many things are behind - I will be glad to... That shows happiness, the fun of helping in some small way. That comes from thankfulness to God. 

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

God knows the counsels of the heart. If we want the admiration of others, we have our earthly reward and nothing else. In fact, such a reward is corrupting, which is why we see so many minor false teachers become major opponents of the Christian faith - like Rob Bell, who went from mega-church to calling Christianity irrelevant. And he has done very well for himself.

As Luther said, we can have peace on earth and eternity in turmoil, or turmoil on earth and peace in eternity. Because so many only pretend to believe, they seek the peace and security that man brings.

9 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 

The first part is a warning from Jesus. The treasures of this earth must necessarily rot away - and thieves take them away. They are not permanent. Moreover, to protect themselves from losses, people fill themselves with anxiety. They often hide their money away, as W. C. Fields did under assumed names, and never see it again. They try this solution and that. I even met a lawyer who specialized in hiding money in various off-shore locations, away from angry spouses and (implied) snoopy gubmint agents. He had been one himself.

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Here is one of the most beautiful statements from the Gospel of Matthew, one which the Reformers borrowed many times. The treasures in heaven are the righteousness of Christ, which are freely conveyed to us through the Means of Grace.

The treasure is the Atonement of Christ, suffering for the sins of the world. But this treasure lies in one heap. It must be distributed by the Holy Spirit in the preaching of the Gospel (Word and Sacrament) so that all may benefit from this treasure. Many despise it or take it for granted, but it is the everlasting treasure of the eternal Gospel.

No one can take it away. Fire, famine, sword, peril - nothing can separate from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Sam-Amber, the WELS Trained Trans-Gender Martin Luther College Graduate

Sam Birner, aka Amber Noel Birner,
Martin Luther College, WELS, graduate,
had a boyfriend and gender modification going before graduation.

WELS Discussions

Amber Noel Birner

February 14 at 6:33pm

I'm going to post my response to Daniel Baker in a new thread because I'm lazy and don't want to go find the other thread tongue emoticon

Here was his comment

"Studies have shown (and cases been made in court!) that certain addictions or behaviors are predisposed due to anomalous brain structures. For example, it has been demonstrated that sufferers of sociopathy have different brain structures and functions than non-sufferers. But no one (I hope) would argue that this gives sociopaths a right to act with complete disregard for others, even though that's exactly what their brains are structured to do.

At the same time, we know that neuroplasticity can occur due to changes in environment or injury. A man's brain actually changes when he becomes a father! There is so much about the brain that we don't fully understand yet.

As far as the Biblical perspective goes, we know God created them male and female. Scripture doesn't qualify being male or female with brain structure. Male and female is first and foremost an anatomical consideration, particularly since in Christ there "is no male or female" from the perspective of the basic worth of the individual. But the body isn't disposable. In fact, the very notion that the body is wrong but the "mind" is right smacks of gnosticism and ultimately seems a bit arbitrary.

All of this is to say that supporting body alterations on a neurological basis seems tenuous at best. It seems more reasonable to assert that the problems with the brain should be treated, rather than altering a perfectly normal body to function like something it genetically isn't. Science has shown that the brain can change. As of yet, the anatomical fact that we're male or female can not, even though we can make it look to the contrary. In the end, it seems more logical to treat the issue where there is room for meaningful change (the brain) than to "treat" the body in a way that is little more than a facade."

I thank you for being patient (I hope) and waiting out a response. I did not want to be hasty and wanted time to reflect on certain things as well as discuss with others before making a response. I understand it seemed long, but I have had much going on, as well as the sensitivity of this topic to me. (There are certainly times where I did not work on a response simply because I did not feel in an emotional state to deal with the topic.) Also was spending Valentine's day with my boyfriend, so happy Valentine's Day heart emoticon Anywho

On your first point you bring up anomalous brain structure in cases like sociopathy. However, this does not follow for the same discussion for multiple reasons.
The first is that sociopathy is a tendency especially with actions. In fact, you mention their actions specifically. This is very different from a discussion that has much more to do with a person’s identity, not necessarily their actions, as actions may be linked, but are still a separate issue.
The second is the word “anomalous.” This word is troublesome because of what we know about the issue. For instance, if scientists that did not know the patients and only saw their brains and they saw the brain of a female, and the brain of someone who is male-to-female transgender, they would not say either is anomalous but rather that both are female brains, as they would have no reason to believe any anomaly was present. (I will post sources for the brain structure issues at the end)

The next is the changing of neuroplasticity. While this is true, research has shown that such is not the case. In the studies I will link they took into account people who did or did not transition, and people who were and were not on hormones. In these studies they found that both were entirely irrelevant and did not effect the outcome.
As well, in the tragic story of David Reimer, John Money tried to force this change by having David’s parents raise him as female. Despite not knowing what happened at his birth and having an entire environment telling him he was female, he still insisted he was male. There are many other cases I unfortunately do not have the citation for, but the citation *is* in the book Far From The Tree (Which I don’t have on hand so I can’t grab the citation) but a study was done in which this was done to multiple children, with a consistent response that it had no effect on their gender identity. Combine this with our knowledge that gender identity is learned at a very early age, and that transgender children have this identity *consistently* without changing even when pushed down. (Citation at the end)

Of course, regardless of those points, in this discussion, Biblical perspective is the most salient issue. Now it is true that God does not qualify male or female with brain structure, but nor does he qualify it with body structure or even ability to reproduce (As we would not say someone that was born intersex is not male or female and we would not say someone who is sterile is not *really* male/female)

Now, in this discussion I would not say that the body is disposable or unimportant, far from it! However, your use of the word “mind” confuses the issue more because I am not discussing mind per se (Though that is very important as we wouldn’t know there was the issue without cognitive function!) but I am pointing to concrete parts of the brain that are physically and physiologically different from the rest of the body. (I will however admit I did tread too far into the idea of the mind and body being separate, and will concede that point as gnostic heresy)

Now, with what we know of sexually dimorphic parts of the brain, by forcing someone to go against their identity would be forcing their brain to function in a way that is not genetically correct (As we know the genetic topics on sexually dimorphic parts of the brain.)

But let’s discuss for a moment if you are right. Let us say that it is best to treat the brain. Now we have a very difficult dilemma to deal with, as we have no good way of doing so. “Reparative therapy” has been shown to not only be ineffective, but even damaging. Transgender individuals attempt suicide at a rate of about 41% and this risk develops even more if their gender identity is rejected by family and friends. So tragically, such has very strong issues we must face. Now, research *does* point to support, acceptance, and transition as being the most consistently positive treatments, but this has no bearing on Biblical perspective of course.

However, the problems with attempting to treat the brain as the problem cannot be ignored. The phrase “meaningful change” is strange though. In what way would treating the brain instead of the body be more meaningful. While we can’t change either genetically (As stated before, the sexual dimorphic parts of the brain as also genetic components), the body is the only one we can change physically and physiologically.

So if we are going to discuss which is *logical* to treat, that would point towards the body as we have knowledge to change it, ability to change it, it is the most successful treatment, and research supports it the most. So, the argument of which is more logical does not support a stance against. However again, this is about the Biblical issue, not which seems most logical. So we should visit back to the “male and female” paragraph.

To discuss Biblical qualification, it must be acknowledge that genitals, chromosomes, and ability to reproduce cannot be qualifiers, even if we use all 3 at once, because we will then end up being forced to admit that some individuals are neither male nor female, or even some as both! So now this returns to the fundamental question of by what Biblical authority do we go with genitals/chromosomes/etc. over the brain, or if we go by genitals, chromosomes, and/or ability to reproduce, what do we do with individuals that do not fit *any* of those? And whatever decision is made on that, why can it not be extended beyond such a group? While we can say it’s “logical” not to extend it to other groups, we run into the problem of logic brought up earlier, and if we say it is “easier” that has no bearing on the truth of a matter, and while we can say Occam’s Razor, that is used merely as a thinking tool for *potential* answers, but not for the truthfulness of an answer, in addition to Occam’s Razor becoming difficult in reliability with all of our knowledge on the topic.

Now then, below I will give the links to the studies I cite as well as any other information importantly mentioned. (Also, there will be a link to huffington post, which I understand has a liberal bias, but I post it because it has links to the research, not because of HP itself.)

Surgical Treatment of Gender Dysphoria in Adults and Adolescents: Recent Developments, Effectiveness, and Challenges. Annual Review of Sex Research 18 (178–224). (I do not have a link to this, but this discusses transition as the most consistently positive form of treatment)
The following studies are the studies on sexually dimorphic parts of the brain
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11826131
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24275005
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12211624
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18980961
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754583/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16870186
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10843193
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7477289
http://endtransdiscrimination.org/PDFs/NTDS_Report.pdf (This link contains information on discrimination and the suicide rate)

Far from the tree: Parents, children, and the search for identity For anyone curious about the citation I mention here. Also, information about John Money and David Reimer can be found easily through google search.athy have different brain structures and functions than non-sufferers. But no one (I hope) would argue that this gives ...

Continue Reading

The Michigan Lutheran Seminary cheerleadering squad
is looking for a few good men, Amber.

Sexual differentiation of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis i... - PubMed - NCBI

J Neurosci. 2002 Feb 1;22(3):1027-33. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV|BY CHUNG WC , ET AL.

Like · Share

• 3 of 54

  View previous comments
• 

  Dawn Marie This program could not be more appropriate and helpful for this discussion. A good listen for all concerned. Excellent podcast that directly addresses this as sin and how we deal with this in the church. We do not love our neighbor by endorsing, affirming or supporting sin, no matter whose sin or what sin. Well worth listening to!! http://issuesetc.org/tag/transgendered/

  

  Transgendered | Issues, Etc.

  Podcast 1. A Recent PBS Religion and Ethics Newsweekly Story on “Transgendered People and...

  ISSUESETC.ORG

  11 hrs · Edited · Like
• 

  Daniel Baker What Sherrie Rardin says is correct. Whether or not it is genetic is irrelevant, so there's no sense in arguing about it, which only serves to put off people who are struggling with these issues. What's important is the Divine will concerning gender, sex, and marriage. Not the specifics about how our sinful bodies are defective.

  11 hrs · Like · 3
• 

  Sherrie Rardin As someone married to a man who struggles every single day, despite medication, with major depressive disorder, I can assure you that there is also comfort in knowing that there simply is NO personal understanding of some struggles. That does not mean we are not compassionate and uplift our struggling brothers and sisters in Christ. But, if I do not say "that's wrong" then I compound his struggle. We all feel "broken" - some feel it every day. But that is why we need to stay steadfast in the Word and knowledge that it was precisely for us our loving Savior bore our burdens and gives us rest.

  11 hrs · Like · 4

---

These guys will straighten you out, Amber.

• Amber Noel Birner " the transgender agenda "
  
  I don't understand this terminology. Why is it an agenda? What agenda?
  
  Also, I won't get into whether or not it's right, but the idea that a student would lie about it is silly.
  For one, that would require coming out to everyone, which can be an incredibly stressful and even sometimes traumatic experience.
  It would require a diagnosis which includes *consistent* long term expression of the feelings (It usually requires at least 3 months of therapy to get a diagnosis)
  And also trans individuals face overwhelming discrimination, high rates of suicide, high rates of unemployment, and many social issues.
  And hormones would almost undoubtedly then need to be involved.
  
  Like I said, I won't get into whether or not it's right, but the idea that students would fake it is downright ridiculous. It'd be a lot to deal with emotionally and psychologically just to play on a sports team. It just doesn't work like that.

  February 13 at 9:36pm · Like
• 

  Joe Jewell Your next post needs to address Daniel Baker's lengthy, well-thought-out piece, and should be made on that thread.

  February 13 at 10:02pm · Edited · Like · 2
• 

  Amber Noel Birner A long response warrants a long response. I'm working on a response over time as I am taking time to think on certain aspects and how to respond.
  
  I would appreciate it if I could comment on other things in the group and contribute without being berated each time about a different thread.

  February 13 at 10:04pm · Like
• 

  Joe Jewell Look, I will be quite frank: your views on most of the issues you've chosen to comment on are either quite outside anything resembling Confessional Lutheran orthodoxy or passive-aggressively in support of the same. I don't begrudge you your views, to b...See More

  February 13 at 10:24pm · Edited · Like · 3
• 

  Jeffery Clark I agree with Joe, Sam. Use that MLC degree of yours and compose a response, it doesn't take days to write up a little Facebook response.

  February 13 at 10:23pm · Like
• 

  Amber Noel Birner I am however providing another view on topics, and for instance all of the things I stated in my comment here are not specifically WELS or anti-WELS but they are still pertinent to the topic at hand.
  
  If I seem passive aggressive I apologize, but other things may catch my eye that I can conjure up a quick response to, especially a topic like this where knowledge of the issue is key, whether or not the person with that knowledge agrees with the position, because without knowledge it makes one side seem far more foolish than they are.
  
  You are right, I have had time, in terms of time between then and now. However, I do have many other things going that have been taking up my time and leading to either lack of time at some points, and disinterest at others. 
  
  I would rather take my time with a response than rush anything because of impatience.
  
  And Jeff, that's simply a rude and uncalled for comment. I'm trying to write out a well thought-out response, and the comment of "using my MLC degree" is certainly not in the right heart.
  
  I will write the response in my time with my schedule and prioritizing my life.

  February 13 at 10:26pm · Like

Don't scratch "WELS Pastor" off your career goals list, Amber.